Gun Control Essays (623 words) - Gun Politics, Politics, Firearms

Gun Control Everyone in the United States of America has an opinion on gun control regardless of their age, race, or religion. From within those opinions arguments are formed. People are arguing about gun control at their jobs, at their schools, and sometimes at their places of worship. On one side of things there are the people that support gun control like certain politicians or political organizations, teachers, police officers, and so on. On the other side of things there are the people that are against gun control, people such as hunters and various types of criminals. When it comes down to sensitive topics like gun control, there are very few people that do not choose a side. The Second Amendment, like all Amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights, is not absolute. There are vague legal boundaries that have been set down thus far which answers some questions, but leave many more open (Sanders). Over the past few years there have been many incidents when children bring guns to school and shoot their fellow classmate(s) and/or teacher(s). The most recent and probably most tragic happened in 1998 at Colombine High School in Colorado when a group of students entered the school and murdered several students and a teacher. The first thing that everyone wondered once they finally heard the news is how the children got the guns? Supporters of gun control believe that if there were harsher gun laws, a lot of the school shootings would have never taken place and a lot of lives could have been saved. In a Brooklyn, New York federal court case brought against gun makers by individual people, a jury found that 15 of the gun making companies had negligently flooded southern states with guns, where control laws that are lax, and fed a black market of guns to states with more stringent controls, like New York (Nesbitt). This proves that if gun control advocates can win in a place like New York with tougher gun control laws, they can win in almost any major city, which could also lead to the federal government passing more gun control laws. In Georgia, pro-gun forces scored a victory when Governor Roy Barnes, a Democrat endorsed by the National Rifle Association while campaigning, signed legislation that keeps all the cities in that state from suing gun manufacturers (Nesbitt). Though it is not right, it is obvious that street gangs and drug dealers have a say in this argument. Starting from the bottom of the cycle to the top: if street thugs didn't have guns, how would they be able to protect themselves and the drugs they sell in order to make a living, who would they intimidate, what authority would the police and drug enforcement officers have over criminals, and how would they protect themselves? Without guns the crime rate would decrease rapidly, crime fighters would be out of business, and many people would be unemployed. In rural areas and in farming communities there are also some people that like to hunt. Without a gun they would not be able to hunt, which could have a positive or negative affect on their commu nity. The positive affect would be that some endangered species would be given the change to multiply and survive. The negative affect would be that the hunters would not be able to provide food for his family and a lot of over-populated and dangerous species would continue to grow. According to one Web site, every hour in the United States someone under the age of 25 dies from a gunshot wound. There are also nearly 200 million firearms in this country and a new one is produced every eight seconds (Gun Violence). Social Issues

5 Sentences Rendered More Concise

5 Sentences Rendered More Concise 5 Sentences Rendered More Concise 5 Sentences Rendered More Concise By Mark Nichol 1. It is essential for management to have the ability to assess how good the organization is at embracing risk. This is a case of a smothered verb- a verb converted into noun form, which complicates the sentence because a new verb must be conjured to accompany the newly formed noun. In this case, the simple verb phrase â€Å"be able† is sufficient: â€Å"It is essential for management to be able to assess how good the organization is at embracing risk.† The sentence can be further condensed to â€Å"It is essential that management be able to assess how well the organization embraces risk.† and even â€Å"Management needs to be (or, better yet, â€Å"must be†) able to assess how good the organization is at embracing risk.† 2. The process should consider factors arising from a change in business context and factors currently existing but not yet known. Currently is almost invariably superfluous. In this context, as in most cases, existing is sufficient to set the sentence in the present: â€Å"The process should consider factors arising from a change in business context and factors existing but not yet known.† (Any verb in the present tense, in fact, will generally suffice.) 3. The authorities will be conducting an investigation into the incident. Often, a sentence such as this one can use the simpler of the two forms of simple future tense: â€Å"The authorities will conduct an investigation into the incident.† Better yet, however, note the smothered verb and simplify to â€Å"The authorities will investigate the incident.† 4. The success of this comprehensive work hinges on attention to details and also the outcomes of work and decisions performed in the previous strategizing phase. When also directly (or distantly) follows and, the adverb is redundant to the conjunction: â€Å"The success of this comprehensive work hinges on attention to details and the outcomes of work and decisions performed in the previous strategizing phase.† 5. The organization must decide at the planning stage whether or not these data points help provide a greater view of its risk profile. When the phrase â€Å"whether or not† appears, the second and third words are likely extraneous: â€Å"The organization must decide at the planning stage whether these data points help provide a greater view of its risk profile.† The exception is when the phrase modifies a verb, as in â€Å"Whether or not we win, we’re still going to the playoffs,† where it modifies win. In other words, when â€Å"whether or not† means â€Å"regardless of whether,† retain the full phrase. Check out our latest YouTube video: Yours sincerely vs. Yours faithfully Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Writing Prompts 10120 Pairs of One-Word and Two-Word FormsComment, Suggestion, and Feedback

Compare and contrast two different type of suras in the Qur'an Research Paper

Compare and contrast two different type of suras in the Qur'an - Research Paper Example These verses also instilled hope in the believers, as for them Allah repeatedly promised Paradise, the eternal abode of bliss. (Denffer) The Madinite Surahs on the other hand were focused on educating the believers in laws, duties and injunctions upon them, once an Islamic State at Madina was formed. These verses taught the appropriate way of living and how matters should be resolved. They also warned the believers of the hypocrites living within them in the society who were conspiring against Islam and the believers. (Denffer) The Surah starts with the first verse revealed to the Prophet (P.B.U.H), which was: to read in the name of The Creator. The Surah first acknowledges that there is a Creator of the universe and that same Creator has made mankind out of congealed blood. He is the Generous, the Knowledgeable, who imparts knowledge to mankind as He pleases. Recognizing Allah as the sole Creator is the first and foremost part of the Islamic faith. The Surah further builds upon the fundamental beliefs of the Muslims by mentioning that each soul shall return to Allah and the Angels are at His command, which will bring about destruction and calamity if ordered by Allah. Hence we see three articles of Islamic faith mentioned in this short Surah: the Oneness of Allah, the Angels and Resurrection. The verse further enjoins to prostrate in front of Allah and no other being, for He alone is the one Who can protect mankind. This prostration was later made a formal way of worship called the Salah. (Ali) This Surah explains that a Final Hour that will come which will end life on this world and on that Day the dead will be resurrected and will account for their deeds. It further describes what the Striking Hour is and when it will come. The devastation created on that day is metaphorically explained by mankind being scattered as moths and mountains flying in air like discarded wool. This predicts the mayhem and destruction marked

Canterbury Tales - The Pardoner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Canterbury Tales - The Pardoner - Essay Example They help to take a lot of people to holy places that have been made through the events that have been taking place in those places in the footsteps of those individuals who have gone before them or the presence of shrines or relics of the holy individuals. Pardoner giving his tricks of the trade in most of his works, for example, he explains to the pilgrims the major cause of most evils. This expression forms the key theme that he uses most of the time while preaching so as to understand better and loosen the purse strings of most of his audiences. On arrival to town, Pardoner demonstrates some of the relics and their curative traits some of which appeared to be fake though he does not appear to be caring a bit. In most of his preaching, Pardoner struggles to ensure that most of the pilgrims learn to understand that he only work through preaching to earn more money thus he does not hesitate to take money even from the poor widows. He often praises himself that he is a good speaker through tossing some English and Latin phrases to make things sink in the people a bit and in most cases he uses biblical philosophies to look more serious.

Corporate governance in the GCC Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Corporate governance in the GCC - Dissertation Example By doing this, it also provides the structure, through which the company objectives are set and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance† (Baydoun, Ryan and Willett, n.d., p. 2). The practice of financial reporting and auditing standards are considered as an integral part of good governance. In the literature review, it has been argued that the managers need to think beyond the belief that mismanagement in the microeconomics policies lead to poor corporate governance, and then only they will succeed in designing a holistic and systematic corporate governance model. Many of the researchers have emphasized on the creation of situation specific corporate governance structure, which has created difficulties in finding one universal definition of corporate governance. Some other sets of researcher have emphasized on the relational aspect between the managers and the shareholders. Some researchers have revealed that corporate governance is different from man agement, where management only looks at successful running of the organization but corporate governance looks at conducting the operations of the organization in a proper and transparent manner. Different tools like controlling and accountability can be incorporated by the business leaders in the management, for monitoring the activities of the agent and motivating them, so that they can act in accordance with the expectations of the external and internal stakeholders. The organizations should accept certain set of corporate values otherwise, there might be some possibilities that the employees might act according to their own interest. Moreover, for creating an environment of knowledge sharing, the board members must create a knowledge sharing environment inside the organization in order to fill up the scope for implementing corporate governance. Various research scholars have stated various principles for corporate governance, which can be summarized as an obligation for the organ ization to maximize the value of the shareholders. The literature review has discussed about various theories proposed by the research scholars, like the inherent property right theory, stewardship theory, principal-agent model (finance model) and myopic market model etc that discussed about the major issues related to the shareholder-oriented corporate governance. The literature review has also evaluated the principles and enactment that are followed by different countries and have summarized them to indentify the major areas of Corporate Governance, such as board constitution, board remuneration, auditor’s remuneration and responsibilities, transparency in disclosures, stakeholder and shareholder information and influence of ownership structure. However, it has been emphasized that there is no such singular model of corporate governance that is followed by every country. Due to difference in time zone and orientation, there is difference in corporate governance policies of different countries. In this context, there are several issues related to the corporate governance structure that have been identified. Then empirical research studies related to corporate governance has been analyzed and found that in most of the countries benefits and

Zara Fast Fashion Key Factors Marketing Essay

Zara Fast Fashion Key Factors Marketing Essay CUSTOMERS: They notice customers desires and then the design process is launched. This is a quick process which enables them to lower the costs by using a react policy instead of a forecasting one STORES: Particular attention for their stores, which are their main advertising medium in fact their advertisement budget is 0,3% of the net income (HM and Gap 3-4%). They prefer publicity coming from their main street and unique stores rather than an expensive advertising campaign. EMPLOYEES RESPONSIBILITY: Bottom up process in which Zaras headquarters leave the responsibility of choosing clothes to the store managers ( they know the local market ina better way). Moreover their wages are 70% variable and this encourages them to sell more in a good competitive way _VERTICAL INTEGRATION: This is why they are doing so well and why they can be associated to FAST FASHION. Their vertical integration allows them to design and finish goods wich you can find into the store in 4-5 weeks HIGH TURNOVER OF THEIR PRODUCTS. Thanks to this impressive response capability, Zara is able to follow fashion instead of betting on it this means that the entrepreneurial risk is minimized to a level that no one other competitorwould ever reach this rapid product turnover creates a climate of scarcity and opportunity that must be caught in Zaras retail stores. Strenghts Weaknesses Vertical integration Lower quantities of goods produced means that theres a rapid product turnover. This creates an artificial sense of scarcity among consumers and allows Zara to sell more merchandise at full price, lowering costs via reducing markdown merchandise 85% of styles produced in-season very updated products, capturing the latest trend; Incredibly short lead times (time from design to sale)-: average of 15 days Unique quick response system: store managers as the most important people in the company Custom-built IT support, allowing very quick and efficient transmission of sales and trends information from stores to the HQ; Extremely low advertising costs; Store design creating a unique shopping experience Broad market segmentation Inability to penetrate the American market: differences in tastes, weak supply chain strategy in America Unable to acquire economies of scale by producing large quantities for a discounted rate: higher costs arising from vertical integration Higher costs of training personnel and of changeover of production techniques due to changes to garments being made in-season, as well as new styles being introduces Opportunities Threats Explore other world markets Expand into Internet retailing Offer different styles in different stores within the same city to avoid cannibalisation of own sales Cannibalization. Zaras extensive location strategy involves putting multiple Zara stores that carry the same stock in the same cities. That means Zara is trying to sell the same exact merchandise to the same people that reside in that city. NINTENDO BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY According to businessweek.com, in a list compiled by A.T. Kearney Nintendo is ranked as #1 in the 2009 most profitable companies its sales have risen 36% annually over the past five years and its value growth averaged 38%. KEY FACTORS -EMPLOYEES RESPONSIBILITY: They bought a very expensive software called Xylo just to help their employees with a private online network of work/life products to develop their work (even at home) in a better way. And according to the Financial Times Nintendo is totally repaid because every employee generated an average a $1.6 million each for them. -SUSTAINABLE MARGINS AND COST LEADERSHIP: They invested in a product which has guaranteed them a positive relationship between sells and costs from the first year ( this allowed them to generate positive cash flows which enabled them to invest in RD), instead Sony and Microsoft are profitable only from this year( they actually lost lots of money).Also the suppliers found it easy to develop games for an easier console. Nintendo made a huge strategic bet that less is more in the global console gaming market. The Wii console is the low budget alterative to the Play Station 3 and the Xbox (see Figure 1.). It doesnt boast blistering chip speeds or cutting edge graphics. By not investing significant amounts of money in technology like Blu-Ray technology (typical to the Sony Playstation) the Wii was profitable from day one (Bremmer, 2006). Referring back to the target market, by targeting new generation families with a product that provides fun, educational and entertaining activities throu gh a cost leadership strategy, Nintendo is sure to please by providing families with more affordable fun, without the need to leave the house. -INNOVATION: They have a continuing emphasis in innovation and thats why Wii and Ds outsold their competitors Ps3 and Psp from Sony and Microsoft Xbox360). They are always one step ahead of their competitors. They basically invented a brand new way to conceive the games with their new motion controller. Which was perfect to last even during a crisis.( where theres lack of time theres no need to master small buttons, and lack of money it costs 249$ instead of 500/600$ of xbox 360 and ps3). Nintendos strategies always embed their core value: creativity. This is typically reflected in the case of Wii. Wii had accumulated a sales volume of 70.93 million worldwide, as of March 31, 2010 (Nintendo Co., Ltd., 2010, p.23). This is a remarkable sales result. Why is Wii so attractive to consumers? The most creditable feature of Wii is its multifunctionality. Distinctive from other game consoles, it allows the players to emulate a variety of actions, like shooting arrows and hitting tennis balls, to achieve objectives in the games. This is a truly fresh and unique experience for video game players. They praise Wii, and are desperate to get one without much regards to its price. Word of Mouth Marketing was achieved in this process. The achievement of Word of Mouth Marketing was welcomed by Nintendo, because the extensive share of information between players and their friends can bring significant results that even multi-million dollars advertisements can not bring (Trout, J., 2006). But in the end, credits belong to Nintendos core value of creativity. Without creativity, they could not develop products with preeminent functionality, and there would be no way for them to claim the leading position in the market. -BLUE OCEAN STRATEGY: They had expanded the market with their productsWii fit and Brain training. Now also women and old People play with consoles! They succeeded in creating a whole brand new videogames market in which they have no competitors and so they didnt have to create a price war with their products. Nintendo is not fighting against Sony and Microsoft. Its real enemy is the indifference that many people still feel towards gamingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (-President Satoru Iwata, Towns, 2006) In order for Nintendo to capture and retain profitable market share, it would be thought to be possible by achieving higher profitability than their competitors. However, as the insight above suggests, Nintendo have structured business strategy upon the mission to go out and reach the people that would not consider themselves to be gamers). This dramatically increases the size of the total addressable market for Nintendo marketing, and their intuitive strategies have meant that Nintendo touches many more people than the typical gamer with more profits to match. The mission to touch those indifferent to gaming, the company adopted the The Blue Ocean Strategy which is centred upon creating a market where there initially was none and going where no other organisation has gone yet (Rosmarin, 2006). To reach this untapped market, Nintendo adopted an all inclusive, gender and age-neutral stance to gaming. This was achieved by going against the grain of competitors and including women in their audience, welcoming women by introducing a feminine aesthetic in product marketing (for example the Wii and the DS are visually light, curvy, bright, people based products) and focusing on gaming/entertainment content that appeals to both sexes (for example the Wii Fit, Brain Training and Nintendogs). This can be contrasted to the gaming content of competitors in the market Sony and Microsift, which are typically associated just with competition content (Marketing Magazine, 2008). The SWOT analysis of Nintendo STRENGHTS WEAKNESSES Nintendos strengths include a well established brand name, well known franchises, ability to manufacture goods at a low price and innovative products as will be discussed later in this report. Since its computer gaming establishment in 1977 Nintendo has maintained a strong and brand image. This has been supported by their success in quality products such as previous market leaders the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Nintendo 64. The franchises that Nintendo possess such as their gaming icons, Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, etc have enabled them to maintain customer loyalty and recognition. These franchises have also allowed Nintendo to touch on other markets i.e. toy market. Nintendos two major weaknesses would be their dependence on outside contracted manufacturers and lack of games compared to its competitors. Ironically, one of Nintendos strengths would also constitute as one of their biggest weaknesses. The dependence on specific manufacturers leaves Nintendo vulnerable if those manufacturers were to fail or suffer any difficulty in producing the required amount. The inability for manufacturers to supply goods on a timely basis would significantly impact on Nintendos performance as the switching costs between competitors within the industry are relatively low. The unavailability of products would ultimately constitute in loss of market share. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS The main opportunity that Nintendo are exposed to is that the world evolving to which more people are becoming more technologically compatible. People are introduced to technology at an earlier age and are becoming more computer orientated. Another opportunity for Nintendo would be the online gaming support system. It is anticipated that the sale level of gaming consoles will decrease as the number of online gaming subscriptions will increase .This includes the possibilities of introducing newer systems or even upgrading current products to align themselves with current online innovations and to potentially compete against upcoming new competitors. There are a number of threats that Nintendo may or have come across which include counterfeit products, competitors implementing motion detection additions and new companies planning to branch into the gaming industry. Counterfeit products are an issue to which will affect the sales of games. Even though extensive measures have been implemented to prevent such from happening, with time, the market will also manage to find ways around any security imposed. It has already been demonstrated that new technologies have been implemented by competitors which will provide intuitive gaming experiences at almost the same level as Nintendo. That being said this poses as a threat to one of Nintendos competitive advantage being product differentiation. The ever advancing technology market has allowed companies to enter into the gaming market. A major threat would be newer companies indulging into this market with even more advance peripherals and capabilities .A potential threat could be Apple which already have the motion detection and touch screen technology implemented into their iPhone and iPad. Sony took a risk putting the Blu-Ray player into the PS3, whilst Microsoft only offered the HD-Dvd drive as an extra peripheral so they could charge less for their console. This is often touted the main reason the Blu-Ray standard won. There were 5million PS3s in the market and less than 1million HD-Dvd players when Toshiba decided to pull the format. I always emphasise the Nintendo goal of putting smiles on the faces of everyone we touch whenever I visit our Global companies, both in Japan and throughout the world, and I think Im getting the message across. I want everyone at Nintendo to know I expect everything that they do, their every action, to lead to this goalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Although our employees are all over the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ we are all unified to achieving Nintendos corporate mission (-President Satoru Iwata, CRS Report, 2009). As Mr. Iwata said, Nintendo works to put smiles on the faces of everyone we touch (President Satoru Iwata, CSR Report, 2009), which shows that, Nintendo sincerely cares about the video game players, and always strives to bring unforgettable experiences to these consumers through continuous innovation and improvement. This is one of the secrets behind their success. CROSS COMPARISON Why they throve during recession. What do they have in common Particular focus on: Good relationship and communication within the company. Long term orientation Strong commitment for a good brand image [WiiStrategyCanvas.jpg]

The Scaffold Scenes in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Scarlet

â€Å"Hester Prynne passed through this portion of her ordeal, and came to a sort of scaffold (51),† Hawthorne tells in the opening seen of the novel, The Scarlet Letter. The scaffold is a place for punishment. â€Å"This scaffold constituted a portion of a penal machine, which now, for two or three generations past, has been merely historical and traditionary among us, but was held, in the old time, to be as effectual an agent in the promotion of good citizenship, as ever was the guillotine,† Hawthorne states in explaining the scaffolds use. The scaffold had wooden steps leading on to it. The steps of the scaffold became the walk of death for many people before they were beheaded. A balcony or open gallery stood over the platform and was attached to the meetinghouse. During Hester’s punishment, the ministers and Governor sat in the gallery in order to question her. The scaffold was located at the â€Å"western extremity† of the market place, near the chur ch. The scaffold was a raised platform made of wood and iron. Men and women who sinned would be forced on the scaffold, either for beheading or, in Hester’s case, extreme embarrassment. The scaffold appears in the book three times, during three major scenes. The scenes are placed equally apart in the book, one at the beginning, in the middle and in the final scene at the end. The first scaffold scene encompasses Hester’s punishment and open confession. While the third scaffold scene includes Dimmesdale's confession. In the second or middle scaffold scene, both Hester and Dimmesdale are on the scaffold in the middle of the night. The scaffold is introduced in the novel for its literal uses, but the scaffold comes to symbolize and embody many other meanings. The scaffold is a symbol of the... ... for his sin. Both in the novel and in everyday use, the scaffold has a certain connotation to it. For instance, a person told that they were going to be scaffolded would most likely be fearful. However, as used scaffolding could simply mean that they were going to be propped up. Likewise, in The Scarlet Letter all Puritans fear chastisement on the scaffold.   In the novel, the scaffold is never used for public speaking or a theatrical performance, but only for the confession of sin. Most Puritans did not realize that the scaffold could have many positive uses. Likewise, to be scaffolded, by definition, is just as likely to be a good action as a bad one. Unfortunately, most historical documentation about the scaffold relates to of executions and punishments. Thus, the word scaffold can do many beneficial things for mankind, yet carries a very negative aura.