Thursday, December 12, 2019

Premier Fitness Ethics Assignment free essay sample

Ethics Assignment Premier Fitness The actions in question regarding Premier Fitness Clubs were proven to be misleading and in violation of the competition act as well as the basic consumerism trend that has aimed to empower consumers and increase their rights. In their quest to meet the firm’s profit oriented objectives, objectives of being economically usefull, and to earn enough profit to survive, Premier Fitness seemingly decided that they could forgo the objective of being socially useful. Misleading/false advertising and marketing was employed that drastically reduced or eliminated social usefulness by underhandedly convincing customers to enter contracts with the fitness club that resulted in materially higher fees, undisclosed costs, and high total net costs than the advertising would lead their customers to believe. Information was not adequately disclosed to portray the true costs associated with gym membership and cancellation of membership was found to be excessively difficult. Premier Fitness also was found to be withdrawing money from cancelled customer accounts which is also unethical behavior on their part. We will write a custom essay sample on Premier Fitness Ethics Assignment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is ironic that focusing on profit oriented objectives and the resulting unethical activity lead to the payment of a $200,000 fine by Premier Fitness for their unethical actions. Social usefulness was sacrificed by producing misleading advertisements that would lead customers to come to incorrect conclusions regarding total fees. This action violates the competition act and gave Premier Fitness and unethical advantage over their direct competition in the competitive business of fitness establishments. The competition act is structured to limit monopolistic behavior that could be damaging to smaller competitors and protect consumers, and by violating it, Premier Fitness could have negatively affected the competition in an unethical fashion as well as harmed consumers who ended up suffering greater financial losses than they had expected based on the advertising that they would have thought they fully understood. Premier Fitness’ false/misleading advertising and marketing would have left customers to believe that Premier Fitness was giving lower prices than the competition, which was not necessarily the case. Customers would therefore wrongly choose Premier Fitness’ services over those of the competition based on the superior price-point that Superior Fitness was seemingly offering. The result is that Premier Fitness’ acts harmed both the customers themselves as well as the competition that was advertising in a more ethical manor and losing business to Premier because of it. Advertising produced by Premier Fitness was misleading in that it violated many of the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of advertising. For example, using of fine print that was excessively small and possibly not legible. The impression created by the ad was much different than what the fine print conveyed. Also, not all material information was disclosed in all advertising, as some information was strategically left out of some advertisements. Premier’s misleading advertising and fine-print resulted in the charging of higher prices when multiple prices were appearing on their advertised product. With the misleading nature of the advertisements, customers were seemingly charged above the advertised price. The result of legal actions taken against Premier Fitness has undoubtedly affected their reputation considerably. Wide-spread negative publicity toward the company has unquestionably had a negative impact on the company’s operations. Websites designed to promote consumerism are a breeding grounds for the spreading of negative publicity towards unethical business operation. Although Premier continues to operate and has been in business for many years, it is conceivable that their reputation has been tarnished in a way that offsets any financial gains obtained through their unethical actions. Lost business due to poor reputation could easily have negatively impacted their financial objectives far more than gains achieved through misleading and false advertising. In order to fully recover from the negative effects on reputation that this incident has caused, Premier Fitness may benefit from re-aligning its objectives towards more of a customer oriented focus. Its marketing objectives must also be evaluation in order to be in line with such changes in the focus of the company objectives since marketing objectives often go hand-in-hand with company objectives. It is clear by the results observed in this case that Premier Fitness should have paid closer attention to the legal environment. Closer attention would have yielded the knowledge and understanding of the laws that inevitably were broken and could have guided Premier in a more ethical direction that would have bypassed the requirement for legal action and all the following negative publicity and financial ramifications that have haunted Premier Fitness thereafter.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Great Expectations By Charles Dickens Analysis Essay Example For Students

Great Expectations By Charles Dickens Analysis Essay The importance of Mrs. Joe in Great Expectations has two major parts: thesignificance of the character, and the symbolism of the character. Thesignificance of Mrs. Joe is to complete the figure of Joe. The symbolism of Mrs. Joe is actually the physical manifestation of Joes fears in combination withhis desire for a commanding father figure. Mrs. Joes reign of terror isobviously necessary for Joes existence. In the beginning of Great Expectations,Joe requires identification as a major character. Without the weakness that Mrs. Joe instills in Joe through her reign of terror, Joe would never develop into amajor character. Joe is identified as a compassionate, sensitive person. Thebest way to display this feature is to have the character appear vulnerable. Mrs. Joe serves as the tyrant for which Joe is made helpless. Joe, unless he isa scared character, does not recognize the friend he has in Pip. Without Joe asa major role in Pips life, Pip also seems very incomplete. Mrs. Joe also servesas the comical interlude of an otherwise somber story. When she hadexhausted a torrent of such inquiries, she threw a candlestick at Joe, burstinto a loud sobbing, got out the dustpan which was always a very bad sign put on her coarse apron, and began cleaning up to a terrible extent. Notsatisfied with a dry cleaning, she took to a pail and scrubbing-brush, andcleaned us out of house and home Truly, a frightening creature coulddestroy a household by cleaning when she gets angry. Mrs. Joe seems to servevery well as a mother to Pip. Besides the age difference and the motherly dutiesof housekeeping for Pip and Joe, the attitude of a scornful mother is alsoapparent. This, of course, draws Joe even closer to Pip, by relation. Mrs. Joeserves as link to mak e it possible that Joe appears to be the father of Pip. Inaddition, Joe, although terrified of Mrs. Joe, is a very honorable man and wouldnever consider divorcing his wife. Through this condition, however, Joe appearsto be even a more honorable man to choose to preserve the sacred marriage ratherthan seek his comfort. It is ironic that Mrs. Joe be referred to as Mrs. Joeconstantly when there doesnt seem too much a part of Joe in her. The mainpurpose it serves is probably to characterize Mrs. Joe as a more masculine, and,therefore, typically more commanding, character. In the tradition of marriage,the wife usually gives up her last name to show that she is propertyof the man, therefore it is especially ironic that she be called Mrs. Joe whenit is clear that Joe, rather, belongs more to her than vice-versa. It is alsoironic that Joe be the one that seems to be stuck in tough situation in hismarriage. Often, in this time, women suffered from the abuse of their husbandsand expected to k eep the marriage together regardless. However, Joe is clearlythe one being abused in this story and he also is the only one decent enough tocare enough about the marriage to try and keep it together by enduring the abuseof Mrs. Joe. Fifth, through love, Joe shows the audience that he is not just avery timid man but a whole-hearted man. It takes a loving man to stay in lovewith such a woman as Mrs. Joe. No kissing ever took place between Joe and Mrs. Joe, and it becomes clear to the reader that the relationship between Joe andMrs. Joe is a very one-way relationship. It would seem that Joecares enough for Mrs. Joe, though Mrs. Joe never once seems to show a bit ofcompassion for him. Illustration of this can be seen in Mrs. Joes numerousderogatory references to being married to a lowly blacksmith.Surely, after Mrs. Joe dies, Joe reflects upon how he was treated and what hewill do differently in the future. With Mrs. Joe gone, a piece of Joes life isagain freed up and can slowly be reclaimed, making him into a stronger person. .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 , .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 .postImageUrl , .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 , .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915:hover , .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915:visited , .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915:active { border:0!important; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915:active , .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915 .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue8bd84057de8640654b67de163b0a915:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: My Ideal City EssayEventually marrying Biddy makes it apparent that Joe is changed, as Biddy seemsmore the feminine, quiet, traditional girl, compared to Mrs. Joe. Mrs. Joerepresents the semi-aristocracy that oppresses Joe and Pip. She continuallythreatens them with bodily harm, pushing Joe and Pip together under a commonoppression. This is also seen in the way she ridicules Pip through Estella andJoe through Pip. Although Mrs. Joe isnt exactly wealthy, she has thearistocratic connections that define her as part of the elite class. A pair ofnurturing parents supposedly fills the home life, however, in this book, thehome serves as sort of a microcosm. The social structure a nd events that takeplace within the house echo all the rest of the events in the book. Thisincludes the theft of the file and food along with Pips first feelings of guilt. Mrs. Joes oppression of her husband and little brother is also very important. Finally, Joe first sought this relationship with such an overbearing characterbecause he has always needed someone to make his decisions. Before, he didntsuffer under abuse, I assume, although he has always been clumsy physically aswell as mentally. Examples of this are his general timidity to confrontation andhis occasional stumbling over items, especially when trying to act in thepresence of Pip when he is a gentleman. Joes speech and use of words illustratehis plainness and accented Pips aristocracy. Decisions never came easily forJoe and hed much rather have someone else make them for him. Being uneducated,it seems as Joe never felt sure that he could make an appropriate decision. Whenasking for Mrs. Joes hand in marriage, it can be assumed that Mrs. Joe dideverything to make the marriage a reality. So, Mrs. Joe essentially created Joeto be the character that he allowed himself to be. With the slow death of Mrs. Joe, Joe reclaimed his life from his earlier insecurity. Mrs. Joes importancein tying Joe to Pip made the relationship between the two significantly morebelievable, and without her, the great expectation of this book would never havebeen met.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Generation Me Twenges Concept

Introduction According to Twenge, Generation Me refers to individuals (Americans) born after 1970. In her book titled ‘Generation me’, Twenge analyzes the socio-cultural problems facing the 18-to-35-year-old generation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Generation Me: Twenge’s Concept specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Twenge asserts that individuals born after 1970 believe that self-esteem is more important than personal achievements. Consequently, Generation Me places the self above everything else. Additionally, this generation believes that every dream is achievable. However, they are not ready to deal with the fact that some dreams can not be achieved. Hence, young people develop anxiety and depression when they discover that the realities of life do not conform to their expectations. Twenge asserts that individuals born after 1970 tend to be self-centered, disrespectful and more depressed th an earlier generations. Twenge believes that realism is the solution to the problems facing young people. In this context, young people should abandon their belief in self-esteem, and focus on education programs that promote empathy, as well as, accomplishment. This paper attempts to critically review Twenge’s concept of Generation Me. The sociological perspectives of Max Weber, Simmel and Mead will be used as the theoretical framework for the review. The Source of ‘self’ Twenge attributes the development of the sense of self to the emergence of an egalitarian society, particularly, in America and other western countries. Twenge asserts that changing social mores have resulted into permissiveness in the society. The social rules or norms that once controlled the society have become less stringent in the contemporary world. Additionally, social norms are no longer universally accepted in the contemporary society. Compared to past generations, Generation Me are mor e likely to agree with the premise that â€Å"there is no single right way to live†.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Consequently, the universally accepted standards of earlier generations have been superseded by individual choices in the current generation. The supremacy of the individual has led to the creation of a generation that strongly believes that a person does not have to mind other people’s opinion as long as she believes in herself. Hence, members of Generation Me have failed to embrace the norms of etiquette that promote respect for others. The self is, therefore, more important since a single right way of doing things no longer exists in our society. Twenge also attributes the development of the sense of self to the decline of the church and religious teachings. Twenge argues that members of Generation Me are reluctant to uphold the rules or teachings of organized religion. Her argument is supported by the observed decline in church attendance, especially, among persons in the age bracket of 18 to 29 years. Persons in this age bracket have a highly individualized belief system. In response to this belief system, most churches have developed a personalized type of religion. Such churches emphasize the belief that Christ is a personal savior and he has plans for every person. The personalized nature of religion promotes the development of the individualized culture associated with the members of Generation Me. Finally, Twenge attributes the development of the sense of self and individualism to the institutionalized prominence of self-esteem. The self-esteem curriculum has become popular in schools and churches. This curriculum emphasizes the notion that children/ students are unique and independent. However, emphasis on self-esteem went overboard in the current generation. This led to the belief that â€Å"feeling good about your -self is more important than good performance†. Increase in narcissism, thus, became the negative outcome of the self-esteem movement.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Generation Me: Twenge’s Concept specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this context, individuals concentrate on themselves with little or no empathy for others. Emphasis on self-esteem is reinforced by the belief that a person can be anything she wants to be. Children’s preferences have become more important and parents hardly make decisions for their children. Twenge gives an adequate explanation of the sources of the sense of self among Generation Me. The adequacy of Twenge’s explanations is demonstrated by the fact that the contemporary culture is both a reflection and influence of individualism and the sense of self. The cultural shifts towards individualism began before the emergence of Generation Me. Thus, members of G eneration Me believe that individualism and the self are more important since they were born and bred under this cultural assumption. Additionally, Twenge’s explanations are supported by 14 years of empirical studies on sources and outcomes of the culture individualism and self-esteem. Thus, she does a good job in explaining the social conditions that promote the sense of self. Twenge’s assessment of Generation Me also corresponds to the realities facing individuals in the age bracket of 18 to 35 years. Most of the problems facing young people can be attributed to over emphasis on the self and individualism. Young people are known for being over ambitious in life and setting targets that they can not achieve. When they fail to realize their ambitions, they become anxious and depressed. This can be explained by the significant rise in cases of depression in America in the last decade. The rise in cases of failed marriages can also be attributed to over emphasis on the s elf. Most Generation Me couples tend to put their personal interests before their marriages. This leads to constant disagreements and eventual collapse of marriages. Obsession with social media such as YouTube is the result of a strong belief in the self.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The youth spend most of their time in social media in an attempt to create their identities. Additionally, students have lost respect for teachers since they believe their opinions are better than or as good as those of the teachers. These trends reflect the sources and outcomes of the culture of the self as explained by Twenge. Twenge adopts both interpretivism and positivism in her study. Interpretivism is the main method used to investigate the development of the culture of the individual or the self among members of Generation Me. She uses a qualitative method to collect and interpret data on the causes and meaning of individualism and the sense of the self. The positivist method is used to justify her findings. For instance, she refers to statistics from quantitative studies to justify the increase in depression among the youth. In the context of sociological theory, Twenge draws from postmodernism and rational choice theory. Postmodernism is based on the premise that past expe riences or norms no longer govern the society. Additionally, the modern society is pluralistic and very diverse. Rational choice theory asserts that individuals put self interest first. Additionally, they focus on goals and cost-benefit calculations. These theories explain the development of the culture of individualism and the self. Although Twenge’s explanations are adequate from a sociological perspective; her work in general has the following flaws. First, Twenge over emphasizes the socio-economic conditions of Generation Me. Her claim that young people are, currently, more miserable than in the past might not be entirely correct. There are a lot of young people who have successfully achieved their dreams and are happy. Failure to achieve financial independence, for instance, can be as a result of poor governance and not over emphasis on the self. Additionally, the problems currently facing young people existed even in earlier generations. Second, she does not point out t he positive outcomes of high self-esteem and individualism. It is apparent that high self-esteem promotes hard work and facilitates success. Additionally, individualism reduces dependency and promotes objectivity in the society. Third, cultural differences a long the lines of race and ethnicity is not addressed. Various races and ethnic groups in America have different views on individualism, and self-esteem. Thus, it is not obvious that every young person focuses on his or herself. Twenge’s studies were mainly done in America and this limits their use for generalization at a global level. Finally, people do not always develop high self-esteem simply because they believe in feeling good about themselves. There are a lot of young Americans whose high self-esteem is based on their past and current achievements. Cultural Characteristics that Led to the Production of Generation Me The cultural characteristics of America largely contributed to the emergence of Generation Me. The c ultural aspects that contributed to the creation of Generation Me include the following. First, Americans value hard work and achievement. Americans believe that working tirelessly pays off in abundance. This belief is held both collectively and on a personal level. Laziness is discouraged and is associated with low pay, low public esteem and personal failure. According to Weber’s concept of protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism; pursuit of profits is virtuous and an end in itself. The Protestants believed in worldly calling by giving a religious character to worldly activities such as business. A branch of Protestantism referred to as Calvinism believed in predestination. According to Calvinism, an individual was considered to have God’s favor if she could successfully accumulate profits and material possession. Additionally, the Protestants believed that helping the poor through donations was unacceptable. They believed that donations promoted beggary. This b elief motivated Americans to work hard and accumulate material possessions. Hence, the modern capitalist economic system was created. Capitalism promotes individualism and the sense of the self due to the fact that everyone intends to make more profits at the expense of others. Additionally, capitalism promotes individual ownership of private property. This explains why Generation Me lack concern for others. Second, Americans value their independence. Americans believe that they are self-defined, as well as, self-made. Consequently, Americans discourage similarity of beliefs and thoughts. Americans value independence since most of them migrated to America in order to escape some form of oppression. Today Americans practice individualism in their personal lives, accumulation of wealth and ideology. Hence, Generation Me find it hard to tolerate other people’s opinion and influence. Third, pursing personal ambition is also an important aspect of American culture. Every American has a dream that they pursue in order to achieve some status in life. The American dream, for instance, was popular since achieving it meant a better life. According to Max Weber, class and status are the outcomes of pursuing personal ambition. Class refers to a group of individuals who belong to the same or common class situation. Weber defines class situation as â€Å"the relationship of a person or group of people to a particular market that has an important effect on their lives†. Class stratification is based on material possession, status and power. Consequently, the ambition of most Generation Me focuses on acquisition of wealth, power and status that is associated with the social class of their dream. According to Weber, status refers to a visible lifestyle that can not be led by all social groups. Acquiring status involves monopolization of wealth and opportunities, hence the creation of Generation Me. Finally, Generation Me has been created by the culture of inventi veness. Americans believe in making things better, cheaper, sustainable and stronger. The inventiveness of Americans is reflected in their technological advancements, politics, education and health care system. Inventiveness in America is supported by the culture of risk taking. Americans are more willing to risk anything in order to achieve happiness, and acquire wealth. According to Weber, the modern society is characterized with rationalization and disenchantment. Rationalization involves â€Å"intellectual clarification, specification, as well as, systematization of ideas†. Rational, calculable and predictable ideas have replaced traditional belief system in the modern society. Weber also asserts that rationalization has led to the decline of religious teachings in the contemporary society. Hence, young people are more likely to identify with liberal religions than conservative ones. Rationalization leads to disenchantment of the modern society. Disenchantment refers to d emystification, as well as, secularization of the society. Secularization promotes the belief that there is no single way or approach of doing things. Thus, Generation Me make their own decisions and pursue their interests, even if such interests may hurt others. Additionally, secularization has led to experimentation on culture. According to Simmel, secularization promotes objectification of culture. Objectification refers to the process â€Å"by which individuals assign meaning to things, people, places, and activities†. Objectification leads to cultural constructions which shape the behavior of individuals. In the context of America, young people (Generation Me) assign meanings to socio-cultural phenomena on a personal level. This explains why Generation Me do not care about what others think about their behavior as long as they believe in themselves. Interactions that Contributes to the Development of the Self According to Mead, the self is developed through social intera ctions. Mead asserts that the self consists of two parts namely, the ‘me’ and the ‘I’. The ‘me’ refers to the social self. It is formed through interactions, and forms the basis of conformity, as well as, predictability. Thus, the ‘me’ represents the self as object. The ‘I’, on the other hand, represents the self as subject. According to Mead, the ‘I’ responds to the ‘me’ during interactions. Thus, the ‘I’ describes how an individual responds to the attitudes held by others. The ‘me’, on the other hand, refers to the standardized attitudes held by others. The interaction between the ‘I’ and the ‘me’ occurs in the mind through the thinking process. The self described by Twenge can also be characterized in terms of the ‘I’ and the ‘me’. According to Twenge, the ‘me’ develops as young people (Generation Me) interact with their significant others. For example, children are taught in schools and churches to believe that high self-esteem is the most important thing in life. Consequently, young people adopt the belief in the supremacy of the individual as the acceptable way of life. The ‘I’ describes how Generation Me responds to the attitudes of the people they interact with. Since Generation Me believes in the culture of independence, their responses reflect their understanding of what is right and good for them. Thus, a young person is likely to reject other people’s opinions since he believes that personal opinion is respected in America. The forms of interactions described by Simmel also contribute to the development of the sense of self, as well as, individualism. Simmel notes that fashion develops in cities and it facilitates interactions between individuals. It enables individuals to express their personal values. Thus, fashion leads to the development of the à ¢â‚¬Ëœme’ if a person conforms to the prevailing fashion in her city. Fashion can also lead to the development of individualism if a person decides to deviate from the prevailing culture. Young people (Generation Me) prefer unique fashion to common fashion trends, thereby intensifying individuality. According to Simmel, money is used in the modern society as an impersonal measure of value. The â€Å"use of money distances individuals from objects and also provides the means of overcoming this distance†. Simmel asserts that money promotes flexibility and freedom that enables people to exercise individualized control over the process of impression management. However, the use of money also creates the problem of personal identity. In general, the use of money promotes individual freedom. It also creates problems such as alienation, and fragmentation. By using money, Generation Me can conform to the popular trends in their society or they can express their individuality. Consequently, money enables them to develop both the ‘me’ and the ‘I’ aspects of their self. Finally, Simmel notes that the negative effects of using money leads to the development of the blasà © attitude. A person with a blasà © attitude tends to be indifferent towards everything. Simmel points out that using money eliminates the true value, individuality and incomparability of things. The problems created by money compel the blasà © individual to search for stimuli that enables him to regain the true meaning of his surrounding. In the context of Generation Me, the search of this stimulus involves pursuit for excitement or extreme impressions. Conclusion Twenge uses the concept of Generation Me to describe the problems facing individuals in the age bracket of 18 to 35 years. In particular, she analyzes the development and outcomes of the culture of individuality and the sense of the self among those born after 1970. Twenge argues that Generation Me cons ists of persons who value individuality but lucks respect for others. Twenge attributes the development of the sense of the self to over emphasis on self-esteem which was originated by the baby boomers. The cultural characteristics that promote the development of Generation Me include independence, inventiveness, hard work and personal ambition. Drawing from Mead’s self theory, the self described by Twenge develops as a result of social interactions. According to Simmel’s perspective on interaction, the development of the self is influenced by fashion, money, and the blasà © attitude. References Calhoun, C., Gertens, J. (2007). Classical Sociological Theory. New York: Cengage Learning. Ritzer, G. (2000). Sociological Thoery. New York: McGraw-Hill. Twenge, J. (2007). Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans are more Confident, Assertive, Entitled and more Miserable than Before. New York: Free Press. This essay on Generation Me: Twenge’s Concept was written and submitted by user Darth Maul to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. 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Sunday, November 24, 2019

Ma Practice Question Essays

Ma Practice Question Essays Ma Practice Question Paper Ma Practice Question Paper Practice Questions: Time Value of Money (TVM) Its Applications in Investments 1. Jose now has $500. How much would he have after 6 years if he leaves it invested at 5. 5% with annual compounding? a. $591. 09 b. $622. 20 c. $654. 95 d. $689. 42 e. $723. 89 N6 I/YR5. 5% PV$500 PMT$0 FV$689. 42 2. How much would $5,000 due in 25 years be worth today if the discount rate were 5. 5%? a. $1,067. 95 b. $1,124. 16 c. $1,183. 33 d. $1,245. 61 e. $1,311. 17 N25 I/YR5. 5% PMT$0 FV$5,000 PV$1,311. 17 3. Suppose the U. S. Treasury offers to sell you a bond for $747. 5. No payments will be made until the bond matures 5 years from now, at which time it will be redeemed for $1,000. What interest rate would you earn if you bought this bond at the offer price? a. 4. 37% b. 4. 86% c. 5. 40% d. 6. 00% e. 6. 60% N5 PV$747. 25 PMT$0 FV$1,000. 00 I/YR6. 00% 4. You sold a car and accepted a note with the following cash flow stream as your payment. What was the effective price you re ceived for the car assuming an interest rate of 6. 0%? Years:01234 ||||| CFs:$0$1,000$2,000$2,000$2,000 a. $5,987 b. $6,286 c. $6,600 d. $6,930 e. $7,277 I/YR = 6. 0% 01234 CFs:$0$1,000$2,000$2,000$2,000 PV of CFs:$0$943$1,780$1,679$1,584 PV = $5,987Found using the Excel NPV function. PV = $5,987Found by summing individual PVs. PV = $5,987Found using the calculator NPV key. 5. At a rate of 6. 5%, what is the future value of the following cash flow stream? Years:01234 ||||| CFs:$0$75$225$0$300 a. $526. 01 b. $553. 69 c. $582. 83 d. $613. 51 e. $645. 80 I/YR = 6. 5% 01234 CFs:$0$75$225$0$300 FV of CFs:$0$91$255$0$300 FV = $645. 80Found by summing individual FVs. FV = $645. 80Found with the NFV key in some calculators. FV = $645. 80Found with a calculator by first finding the PV of the stream, then finding the FV of that PV. PV of the stream:$501. 99 FV of the PV:$645. 80 6. What’s the future value of $1,500 after 5 years if the appropriate interest rate is 6%, compounded semiannually? a. $1,819 b. $1,915 c. $2,016 d. $2,117 e. $2,223 Years5 Periods/Yr2 Nom. I/YR6. 0% N = Periods10 PMT$0 I = I/Period3. 0% PV = $1,500 Could be found using a calculator, an equation, or Excel. FV = $2,016 Note that we must first convert to periods and rate per period 7. An investor plans to buy a common stock and hold it for two years. The investor expects to receive $1. 5 in dividend a year and $26 from the sales of the stock at the end of year 2. If the investor wants a 15% return (compound annually), the maximum price the investor should pay for the stock today is roughly: A). $24 B). $28 C). $22 D). $32 E). $26 C). $22 (n=2, pmt = 1. 5, fv = 26, I = 15%, PV = ? ) 8. Morin Companys bonds mature in 8 years, have a par value of $1,000, and make an annual coupon interest payment of $65. The market requires an interest rate of 8. % on these bonds. What is the bonds price? a. $903. 04 b. $925. 62 c. $948. 76 d. $972. 48 e. $996. 79 N8 I/YR8. 2% PMT$65 FV$1,000 PV$903. 04 9. Sadik Inc. s bonds currently sell for $1,180 and have a par value of $1,000. They pay a $105 annual coupon and have a 15-year maturity, but they can be called in 5 years at $1,100. What is their yield to call (YTC)? a. 6. 63% b. 6. 98% c. 7. 35% d. 7. 74% e. 8. 12% N5 PV$1,180 PMT$105 FV$1,100 I/YR = YTC7. 74% 10. Assume that you are considering the purchase of a 20-year, noncallable bond with an annual coupon rate of 9. %. The bond has a face value of $1,000, and it makes semiannual interest payments. If you require an 8. 4% nominal yield to maturity on this investment, what is the maximum price you should be willing to pay for the bond? a. $1,105. 69 b. $1,133. 34 c. $1,161. 67 d. $1,190. 71 e. $1,220. 48 Par value$1,000 Coupon rate9. 5% Periods/year2 Yrs to maturity20 Periods = Yrs to maturity ? Periods/year40 Required rate8. 4% Periodic rate = Required rate/2 = I/YR4. 20% PMT per period = Coupon rate/2 ? Par value$47. 50 Maturity value = FV$1,000 PV$1,105. 69

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Managed Service Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Managed Service Business - Essay Example On the other hand, it would be very cost effective, efficient and convenient if food services will be outsourced because all it takes is doing business with a catering company where the business requirements for food services are specified for the catering/outsourced company to provide. All they have to do is pay the outsource company and they will be freed from the inconvenience and complexity of sourcing raw materials, cooking them, presenting them, maintaining personnel and equipment among others. Basically, outsourcing the food service to a third party will allow the business to focus its energy, resources and expertise on its core business for it to become more competitive in the business it is engaged in. The most obvious advantage of outsourcing food services to a management contractor is convenience and cost efficiency. The function of a management contractor is already very demanding which takes a lot of time, energy and resources and the company would be better off if they will focus on their core business. If they will add the food service to their function, this will take away time, energy and resources from them which could have been used in other things such as focusing on their business. In addition, it would be more efficient if a caterer or a business company would handle the food service since this is their core business and therefore has the competency to do it better. A food caterer will require less time, effort and resources to provide the food service than if the management contractor will do it themselves. Food service operations are laborious, time bound and risky. It is another business competency that is better left to be done by another business that has the expertise to do it. It involves acquisition of raw materials, preparation to serving the foods to maintenance of equipment to managing people. It is aggravated by the fact that foods cannot last long in inventory and therefore,

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Writing a report on E-Commerce & how it relate to a current Coursework

Writing a report on E-Commerce & how it relate to a current Information System as used by business - Coursework Example The reliance on the ability of the internet to perform all business related transactions forms a major problem of this research study. In particular is the use of information systems that are so invaluable to E-commerce that its success relies on them. While E-commerce is important to the world, the use of information systems like Transaction System remains important and the subject of the research study. It is a common knowledge that E-commerce relies on different information systems to drive business and the utility of the systems enhance the competitive ability of companies which are in the industry. Scarle, et.al, (2012, p.382) defines transaction as methods of economic agents to initiate and execute business related transactions that involves orders and payments. The need to include transaction systems in E-commerce is due to the nature of extension in the range and scale of economic activities that E-commerce and use of internet has incorporated. Virtual transactions are a major part of e-commerce that enables consumers to experience products before they initiate purchases. Devoid of social interaction that characterizes traditional type of trade; virtual transactions have their own advantages and disadvantages. Thus, virtual transactions attract a wide range of issues that may require regulations (Scarle, et.al, 2012, p.382). Virtual transactions entail a lot of transactions that involve ordering, processing and payment. In many occasions, transactions processing systems should enable a customer to select their preferences without any hitches. Li, Tu, Yen and Xia (2010, p. 1 9) suggests that a transactions processing systems should allow a company to process the orders of the customers in a fast and an optimal manner. Transactions may fail due to the system that is used for ordering and processing the orders. Li, et.al, (2010, p.28) suggests that a new SQL model that caters for

Monday, November 18, 2019

The Importance of Parking Lots, and Why Parking is Already So Much Essay

The Importance of Parking Lots, and Why Parking is Already So Much More - Essay Example They take up a significant amount of space and a prevalent wherever a person travels, at least in developed countries. However, in his argument, Ben-Joseph does not take into account the necessity of parking spaces, or the cost of the changes that he argues for. Before a suggestion like his is implemented, our society needs to become less dependent on cars and learn to use the parking spaces that we do have more efficiently. It is true that there are more parking spaces than cars, and Ben-Joseph’s figure of three times as many is probably very accurate. However, does this actually suggest that there are too many? The difficulty that is associated with finding parking at a popular venue suggests otherwise. For example, a parking space study in Bristol, Virginia found that the city needed more parking spaces in its downtown area. Furthermore, the study recommended that a parking building be created that had up to 240 spaces (McGee 2012). The stress and difficulty in finding a pa rking space in some cities is so bad that smartphone applications have been developed to help motorists find a space effectively (Gonzales 2011). These two examples suggest that the current number of parking spaces that are available is not enough in some places, rather than there being an excessive amount, as Ben-Joseph suggests. Another aspect of parking that Ben-Joseph does not take into account is the difference between parking spaces and parking lots. He suggests that there are approximately 800 million parking spaces in the United States, and extrapolates this to mean that parking spaces cover 4,360 square miles. This is not completely true. One only has to look at city streets to see that a large number of parking spaces are not part of parking lots, but are on the side of the road. Often, these are the most important parking spaces to people trying to get somewhere specific. While these spaces do take up the same amount of physical area as a parking space within a lot, remov ing these would not result in more available space. The impression that Ben-Joseph gives of parking lots sprawling across the country, blotting the landscape and taking up substantial amounts of space may be true. However, the level at which this occurs is not as dire as he suggests. As a potential solution to the ‘problem’ of parking lots, Ben-Joseph argues that parking lots themselves need to be transformed. He considers that there needs to be a greater focus on appearance, public uses and the environment. However, there are two problems with this proposed solution. The first is the associated cost. The way that parking lots are created is largely due to the relatively low cost. In terms of both time and money, it is much cheaper to create a flat, paved lot with the required lines, markers and other components, than it would be to create one that is more aesthetically pleasing. Even the simplest approach of landscaping the area would cost. The second problem is that r evamping car lots in this way would also decrease the number of parking spaces that they provide. This is a significant problem, as parking spaces are an important component of our society, and many people rely on them in order to store their car while they work. An alternative solution to the perspective that Ben-Joseph proposes a two-pronged approach, where the use of parking spaces is optimized and transportation via cars is decreased. The smartphone application for determining