Critique on Mm Theory - 1159 Words

American economist Franco Modigliani and Merton H. Miller published The Cost of Capital, Corporation Finance and the Theory of Investment (Hereafter MM theory); a paper presented the initial MM theory, which states that under a certain market price process, in the absence of taxes, bankruptcy costs, and asymmetric information, and in an efficient market, the value of a firm is unaffected by how that firm is financed. It does not matter if the firm s capital is raised by issuing stock or selling debt. It does not matter what the firm s dividend policy is (Modigliani and Miller 1958). The basic assumptions of MM theory are: 1. The company only has the long-term bonds and common stocks, both bonds and stock trade in the complete capital†¦show more content†¦That is, the higher corporate income tax rate, the more tax deductible the corporation could achieve from financing by liability. In other words, corporations are inclined to finance by liabilities rather than equity financing in relative higher corporate income tax rate countries, and vice versa. Under the actual situation in China, the corporate income tax is much higher than other countries in the world; corporations should prefer financing from debt theoretically (Huang and Zhang 2007). However, actually, the capital structure of Chinese enterprises runs counter to the MM theory and other capital structure theories. The proportion of liability financing in China is far less than the proportion of equity financing (Huang and Song 2006). First of all, there is merely no mechanism in applying MM theory. In accordance with the MM theory, both individual and institutional investors can process arbitrage actions freely in the capital markets. In western well-developed capital markets, there is a wide range of fund-raising channels and other financing options, the arbitrage mechanisms usually affect the markets. However, at present, the market mechanism is not fully developed in China, as well as capital market is under-developed. Thus, these limit the financing options and forms; make it difficult to carry out arbitrage activities. Generally, MM theory cannot be applied. Secondly, the tax-saving of MM theory affects gently in China. As theShow MoreRelatedThe M M Theorem1838 Words   |  8 Pagesmain difference between them is the potential benefit from debt in a capital structure, which comes from the tax benefit of the interest payments.† (Adrienn, 2014, p23) III. MM Mathematical Model MM theory has two main types: MM model without corporate tax and MM model with corporate tax. 1) No corporate tax MM theory: MM put forward two propositions: A. Proposition 1: The total risk (total return) of all the securities holders of the company will not change as a result of changes in the capitalRead MoreCalifornia Pizza Kitchen Case Study Study Analysis1573 Words   |  7 Pages Summarize the Modigliani-Miller (1958) capital structure irrelevance propositions and the concept of debt tax shields. â€Å"Capital structure of a company is the way a company finances its assets.† (E Finance Management 2015) â€Å"The Modigliani-Miller theory states value of the firm is not dependent on the choice of capital structure or financing decision of the firm. If a company has high growth prospect, its market value is higher and hence its stock prices would be high. 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Indeed, it director and many staff members were fired because they had been taking bribes or were otherwise in collusion with the oil companies. At the heat of the corruption was the fact that the MMS was simultaneously in charge of collecting royalties from companies and giving them permissionRead MoreCorporate Finance69408 Words   |  278 PagesMean–variance analysis ............................................................................................... 30 The capital asset pricing model .................................................................................... 34 The Roll critique and empirical tests of the CAPM................................. ........................ 37 A reminder of your learning outcomes.......................................................................... 40 Key terms .............................Read MoreMarketing Strategy Of A Brand Community1800 Words   |  8 PagesReferences Anderson B (1991) Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism. LondonÍ ¾ New York: Verso. ArrudaFilho EJM and Lennon MM (2011) How iPhone innovators changed their consumption in iDay2: Hedonic post or brand devotion. International Journal of Information Management 31(6): 524–532. Baudrillard J (1981 [1972]) For a Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign. St Louis, MO: Telos Press. Bauman Z (2001) Community: Seeking Safety in an Insecure World. Cambridge: PolityRead MoreWolbachia And Its Effects On The Reproductive Ability Of Its Host And Cause Re Productive Parasitism2100 Words   |  9 Pageshost bacterial cells lysis (Krupovic et al., 2011). The temperate dsDNA bacteriophage WO is an endosymbiont virus of Wolbachia that is only found in arthropod Wolbachia (Metcalf and Bordenstein, 2012). WO phage evolution is not through the Modular Theory but using intragenic recombination, point mutation, purifying selection and deletion (Kent et al., 2011). Phage WO can transmit horizontally between dif-ferent Wolbachia strains that co-infect a same Wolbachia cell (Masui et al., 2000). In additionRead MoreGlobalization and It Effects on Cultural Integration: the Case of the Czech Republic.27217 Words   |  109 Pagesconsidered by social theorists as the first author to focus on the dimensional approach in the explanation of the concept of globalization; He explained the globalization phenomenon, basing his argument on the economic factor. Ma rx in his dependency theory saw that the political-territorial boundaries remain intact and will disappear under a future proletarian supremacy. This is seen because, immediately after his death on 14th of March 1883, his ideas began to invoke a major influence on workers revoltsRead MoreTN20 Diamond Chemicals PLC A And B8527 Words   |  35 Pagesrevised DCF analysis helps to provide students with closure on the discussion. Plan for the B case 1. Do you endorse Eustace’s analysis of the project at Rotterdam? How would you improve on it? This open-ended question is intended to stimulate a critique of Eustace’s analysis. The key point of objection is her inclusion of the right-of-way in the analysis. A brief discussion should establish that the option of the right-of-way should be exercised regardless of whether the project at the Rotterdam

Rome s Paramount Architectural Accomplishments Essay

Many of Rome’s paramount architectural accomplishments can be found in, and around Italy. These sites include the Pantheon, the Arch of Titus, the Mausoleum of Hadrian, the Roman Forum, and Ancient Roman Aqueducts, along with the Colosseum. Many of these architectural feats have been replicated throughout Roman territory. Their domain stretched all over Europe, Northern Africa, and even into the Middle East. Today we are still able to enjoy much of Rome’s artistry, which can be linked to the how their engineers manufactured these monuments. Roman architects created structurally sound buildings by making use of the vault, and the arch. These engineers also created concrete, a binding agent holding the structures together. All of these forms were later replicated throughout the empire (Lake Oswego School District, 2012:1). The remains of one such Roman architectural achievement, was unearthed in Durrà «s, Albania in 1966 (Bowes and Mitchell, 2009:570; Bowes et al., 2003:381; Ponce de Leon, 2013:3; UNESCO, 2004:34). The Roman amphitheater happens to be the largest in the Balkans, and contains several frescos, which helped to track Christianity as it spread throughout the region (Jacques, 1995:154; Ponce de Leon, 2013:3). Currently this remarkable stadium is â€Å"under consideration† from UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Unfortunately, the impact of urban sprawl, Albania’s poor economy, and time, are not helping to maintain this cultural relic. Albania Some of the mainShow MoreRelatedThe Rise and Fall of American Hegemony4258 Words   |  18 PagesAntonio Gramscis theory of cultural hegemony. The term is often mistakenly used to suggest brute power or dominance, when it is better defined as emphasizing how control is achieved through consensus not force. And further more it is a leading or paramount power great power, major power, superpower, world power, and power and is a state powerful enough to influence events throughout the world. Being a hegemon is a very great deal because states are as stated previously, the one who dominates the wholeRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permiss ion(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to 201-236-3290. Many of the designations by manufacturersRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pages usually of inferior quality. â€Å"The result in all these cities, from Berlin to Stalingrad, was the classic Soviet-era housing solution: mile upon mile of identical gray or brown cement blocks cheap, poorly-constructed, with no distinguishing architectural features and lacking any aesthetic indulgence (or public facilities).†6 Since the party and the government usually allocated apartments in conjunction with workers’ jobs in the factories, residents had little choice in their housing. NeverthelessRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 Pagesand permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458. Many of the designations by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their

Continuous Improvement for Popular Mechanics Website-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theContinuous Improvement for Popular Mechanics Website. Answer: Issues faced by the car care The VTI workshop and car care face the challenge of unsatisfied and complaining customers. The customers claim that the auto shop lacks proper hygiene standards with a lot of dust in the shop. Additionally, the customers claim that the workers do not take good care of the cars when repairing since most of the cars get back to the owners with dents, scratches and stolen parts. The auto shop has also failed to uphold a good worker attitude in the garage. The clients claim that most of the employees have poor attitudes and do not offer customer friendly services. The personnel also delay in service delivery, and customers end up taking longer than expected for some minor repairs(S.K Breja, 2011). Furthermore, the auto shop faces the issue of lack of upgrades and improvements in the physical appearance and other complimentary customer services. The auto shop still uses the old equipment installed ten years ago when the auto shop started operations. Likewise, the place lacks a proper customer ambience such as having an old carpet and no fruits and snacks at the customer waiting area(S.K Breja, 2011). The auto shop also lacks properly trained personnel since the employees do not undergo any training when on the job. The persons working at the auto shop started operating ten years ago, and none of them has trained on the new trends in auto services. Moreover, the shop lacks efficient customer handling procedure for taking customer orders and booking appointments for the customers(S.K Breja, 2011). Reason for lack of standards The auto shop lacks standards of operations due to poor management that does not concentrate on setting proper operating standards. The old management did not care about the customer complaints until Bill took over and started listening to the customer feedback. The customers had many complaints that exposed how the auto shop offered poor services and lacked the proper customer ambience(Nigel Slack, 2010). Additionally, the company lacked the proper technological upgrades of equipment, and the staff lacked proper training to offer quality services. The shop continued using old equipment, which had already become outdated over the years. The old equipment hindered the car cares efforts of upholding high operational standards. Additionally, lack of trained staff prevented the ability to offer proper standards due to lack of knowledge about the customer needs and customer service trends(Nigel Slack, 2010). Group decision model The fishbone model assists in making decisions for the better future of the company and tailoring operations to suit the customer needs. Bill wishes to offer high-quality services to satisfy the customers. Therefore, the cause and effect method properly guides when solving the problems faced by the auto shop(Mind Tools, 2018). VTI auto shop and car care management require brainstorming on the problems facing the shop and reasons for dissatisfied customers. The search for problems should identify the root problems and uncover the bottlenecks of operations that result in customer delays. Consequently, the car care should also identify where the process does not function properly and come up with solutions to the problem(Mind Tools, 2018). After considering all the problems facing the auto shop, the management should focus on eliminating the issues. The elimination procedures should involve suggestions from all the stakeholders including employees and customers. The shop should consider all the ideas from the various persons and implement the best ideas to solving the problems(Mind Tools, 2018). Furthermore, the car care should consider the effect of the problems resulting from various problems. The problems combine to result in the major problem faced by the company, which the management should brainstorm on and come up with the best solutions to the issue. The management should allow brainstorming and mind mapping to come up with solutions from all the stakeholders(Mind Tools, 2018). Ways to provide better services The auto shop should consider automating the operations to reduce the manual handling of vehicles at the store(Derene, 2011). The manual driving of vehicles to the repair centres results to dents and scratches as the vehicle come to contact with other vehicle or buildings. The car care could correct the problem by introducing cranes that lift the cars and place on the repair spots. Additionally, the shop could use computerised methods of diagnosing the vehicle problems and save time identifying motor problems(Derene, 2011). The use of computers to find vehicle problems reduces the labour of employees trying to check all the vehicle parts to find the problem. The computers could reduce the time spent at the shop by customers due to quick diagnosis and repair. Moreover, the shop could have a better organisation at the shop such as having designated places for parking and repairing vehicles. The designation allows the cars to stay away from other equipment and buildings that could result in dents. Additionally, the vehicles have clear and spacious driveways, which prevent contact with other equipment and vehicles thus preventing dents(Hastie, 2017). The shop should also clearly mark the building for the customers to understand where to do what action. The customers do not know where to seat while waiting for the vehicle repair, which results in a nuisance at the shop. The car care could solve the problem by having a waiting lounge where customers relax without causing a disturbance in other sections(Hastie, 2017). Data documentation and presentation The management could document the data in questionnaires and survey sheets(Leach, 2018). The questionnaires allow the documenting of specific research questions and the answers given by the respondents. The questionnaires assist in understanding the attitude of customers towards the company through the answers to the questions asked. Questionnaires ask direct and easy to understand questions to avoid ambiguity. Moreover, the company could document data using survey sheets where a part of the customers answers questions about the services at the shop. The survey could focus on various issues that cause customer dissatisfaction(Leach, 2018). The research team could present the data using charts and histogram(Arizona University Libraries, 2018). The visuals assist in establishing the trends of the various variables at the shop. The histogram assists to present exploratory data and shows the features of the data conveniently. Therefore, the management could use the histogram to show the various intervals of data, which exposes the discrepancies in the operations. Moreover, charts assist in the display of categorical data in segments, with each portion representing a certain variable(Arizona University Libraries, 2018). The SIPOC model The model assists in the identification of all elements of improvement before implementing changes(Simon, 2018). The model assists to simplify a project that seems complex and lacks a proper definition of scope. The tool requires the consideration of the suppliers of materials and other services required at the shop. The car care should brief the suppliers and explain the need for quality at the shop, which requires the delivery inputs that meet the specified standards. The auto shop should vet all the vendors to establish the availability of capacity to supply the required quality of materials with the correct quantity and time. The model also considers the inputs that the shop uses in operations. The inputs should come from a trusted supplier and then inspected for quality(Simon, 2018). The inputs should meet the correct standards to produce outputs that satisfy customers needs. Additionally, the inputs should have reasonable prices to reduce the companys operating costs. The processes also require consideration in the model(Simon, 2018). The auto shop should ensure that the repair procedures meet the customer needs and keep the employees happy. The car care should set up flexible procedures at the shop to meet different customer needs and preferences. The operations should also change efficiently with developments in the market to avoid lagging behind in service delivery. The car care should also consider the outputs from the shop, which include services such as repair and maintenance(Simon, 2018). The VTI shop should produce outputs that satisfy the customers and result in additional business. The customers require durable and high-quality services that show value for the expenses incurred at the shop. Additionally, the company could offer after sales services to satisfy the customers further. The customers require major attention when offering the services at the shop(Simon, 2018). All the services should satisfy the customer needs at affordable prices. The auto shop should prioritise the customers and do everything possible to ensure the customers stay happy. Moreover, the shop should ensure that customers spend less time at the shop by avoiding unnecessary procedures lie having to book appointments personally. Continuous improvement processes The VTI shop should implement the incremental changes at the shop to ensure better services, products and procedures (CI Toolkit, 2017). The shop should improve by introducing new technology at the shop and eliminating unnecessary procedures of customer booking appointments. The customers at the shop have to book appointments physically or through the telephone. The shop could allow the customers to get services at any time without having to book the appointments. The employees get involved in the process since continuous improvement follows the bottom-up approach, which means that the employees give ideas for the changes (CI Toolkit, 2017). The employees at the shop should give ideas on the best ways to reduce customer delays and to improve customer satisfaction. Additionally, the employees should focus on the employees should involve in ensuring that the changes take effect due to a feeling of ownership of the ideas. The employees should show responsibility in ensuring the success of the planned improvements and give ideas on how well to serve the customers. The involvement of employees in the changes results to a better response within the organisation compared to when the changes come from the top management (CI Toolkit, 2017). The PDCA model The models emphasise on following the plan, do, check and act procedure (Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle, 2018). The VTI auto shop and car care should first identify the areas for change then organise how to implement the changes. The planning should involve all the employees and management at the car care. The plans should specifically tackle the problems at the shop such as dust, customer delay and theft, which result in customer dissatisfaction. The other step requires the shop to do which means testing the changes. The car care could implement the changes on a portion of the shop to identify the customers response to the services. However, the shop could also introduce the changes to all the processes and listen to the customer feedback (Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle, 2018). After the do step, the car care could check the results of implementing the changes through tests and analysis. The shop could collect customer feedback and record the time taken to offer services at the shop. The management should check for improvements such as satisfied customers and less time taken in service delivery. Additionally, the employees should also give feedback on the processes introduced (Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle, 2018). Finally, the company should act on the changes required. After checking whether the changes solve the problems at the shop and lead to customer satisfaction the proper action takes place. The auto shop should install the right technology for servicing the vehicles and reduce the booking procedures that the customers go through before accessing the services. Additional changes should also take place depending on the feedback received from the customers (Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle, 2018). The stakeholders involvement The stakeholders refer to the persons interested in the changes at the shop improvements (CI Toolkit, 2017). The stakeholders include the employees and customers at the car care shop. The employees play a role in the success of the changes at the auto shop. The employees give ideas for change and ensure the success of the improvement procedures. Moreover, the customers also assist in the improvement of the car care. The customers provide ideas through complaints of poor services and giving suggestions on the necessary changes (CI Toolkit, 2017). Communication The communication of the changes require effectiveness to ensure that all the players understand the improvement strategy(Hastie, 2017). The communication should inform the stakeholders on why various changes take place and the role of each party in ensuring the success of the plans. Training methods The training of employees follows various methods such as coaching where the workers at the shop learn from an experienced person(Terje Slatten, 2009). The training method allows the workers to acquire skills necessary to solve different motor problems. Additionally, the use of management games assists in training the employees and management. The method uses real-life situations to train the persons how to solve the problems. The management games improve the employee and management problem-solving skills(Terje Slatten, 2009). Project monitoring The monitoring takes place through financial audits to identify whether the actual costs align with the budgeted costs(Millard, 2014). Additionally, the auditing of whether the employees enjoy the process and the levels of customer satisfaction. Recognition of benefits The recognition of benefits takes place through checking the satisfaction of customers and employees morale(Recognise and Reward Employee Performance, 2018). Happy customers signal that the improvements give the intended benefits and the employees with high morale show satisfaction with the process. Record keeping and procedures The car care could use both digital and financial recording processes(NSW Government, 2015). The financial records include statements of income, which show the changes in profits after the implementation of the changes. Moreover, the digital records include the changes in customer satisfaction and improvement in the processes at the shop(NSW Government, 2015). Issues leading to customer dissatisfaction The customer dissatisfaction arises from lack of clean facilities at the shop, careless handling of vehicles which results in dents, scratches and theft. Moreover, the services take long leading to customer delay at the shop due to many unnecessary procedures(S.K Breja, 2011). Other improvement techniques The auto shop could utilise the business re-engineering process, which involves the use of past operations to come up with better processes for the business. The operations manager uses the past processes to come up with improved services. The car care could use the existing operations such as car repair to improve the services by automating the processes(Nigel Slack, 2010). Continuous improvement strategy Performance measurement and management The performance measurement takes place using the balanced scorecard, which focusses on the auto shops financial, customer, internal processes and people perspectives. The balanced scorecard helps the shop identify whether performance achieves the set goals(Simon, 2018). Communication systems The VTI car care could use meetings and memos to communicate the strategies of the company. The meetings involve seminars where the employees learn of the strategies of improving operations. Additionally, the memos communicate urgent messages to the employees(Clarity of Roles Within a Team, 2018). Job roles and clarity of expectations The employees require knowledge of the managerial expectations of the tasks assigned. The employees should also have the correct qualifications to perform the tasks assigned(Clarity of Roles Within a Team, 2018). Training and development The auto shop could use on the job training to enhance the skills of the employees. The training method utilises experts who have great experience in the performance of the activities. Rewards and contributions The auto shop could use a reward scheme where the employees elect the best worker to get an award. The system motivates the employees to adhere to the strategy with diligence to become the best employee(Mind Tools, 2018). Action plan to implement the strategy The 3Cs gives the best implementation method for a strategy(Edinger, 2012). The plan involves clarification of the strategy, which refers to explaining the strategy to the employees for better understanding. The employees with a better knowledge of the strategy work better to achieve the goals(Edinger, 2012). Additionally, communicating a strategy to the various stakeholders to know what to expect from the shop. The final stage includes cascading a strategy, which refers to putting the strategy into action. The stage involves getting the technical requirement to implement the strategy(Edinger, 2012). Performance measurement from customer feedback The measurement results from the feedback given by the customers on whether the changes yield added satisfaction(DMAIC Process, 2017). The customers give feedback on issues such as whether the shop has better hygiene and the safety of vehicles. Additionally, the clients respond to the level of services provided and the employee attitude when delivering services. The customers inform whether any changes have taken place in service delivery(Olsen, 2018). References Arizona University Libraries. (2018). Retrieved from Arizona University Libraries Website: www.data.library.arizona.edu CI Toolkit. (2017). Retrieved from CI Toolkit Website: https://www.citoolkit.com Clarity of Roles Within a Team. (2018). Retrieved from Management Studies Website: https:www.managementstudyguide.com Derene, G. (2011). Popular Mechanics. Retrieved from Popular Mechanics Website: https://www.popularmechanics.com DMAIC Process. (2017). Retrieved from Tools Hero Website: https://www.toolshero.com Edinger, S. (2012). Three Cs of Implementing Strategy. Retrieved from Forbes Website: https://www.forbes.com Hastie, S. (2017). Expert 360. Retrieved from Expert 360 Website: https://expert360.com Leach, D. F. (2018). Data Presentation. Retrieved from Data Presentation Website: https://www.academic.sun.ac.za Millard, M. (2014). Kai Nexus. Retrieved from Kai Nexus Website: https://blog.kainexus.com Mind Tools. (2018). Retrieved from Mind Tools Website: www.mindtools.com Nigel Slack, S. C. (2010). Operations Management. Madrid, Spain: Pearson. NSW Government. (2015). Retrieved from NSW Government Website: https://www.records.nsw.gov.au Olsen, E. (2018). Strategic Implementation. Retrieved from On Strategy Website: https://www.onstrategyhq.com Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) Cycle. (2018). Retrieved from ASQ Website: asq.org/learn-about-quality/project-planning-tools/overview/pdca-cycle.html Recognise and Reward Employee Performance. (2018). Retrieved from NI Business Website: https:www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk S.K Breja, D. B. (2011). The TQM Journal. Simon, K. (2018). Six Sigma. Retrieved from Six Sigma Website: https://www.isixsigma.com Terje Slatten, M. M. (2009). Managing Service Quality.

The U.N. Human Rights free essay sample

Evolution of United Nations involvement in global human rights. Interventions, aid, military presence, leadership, obstacles.The United Nations deals with human rights questions either through the use of preventive diplomacy and public pressure or, more rarely, through direct intervention (Boutros-Ghali 912). Increasingly, however, it has become difficult in many cases to separate the protection of human rights from either direct military intervention or from missions to provide humanitarian aid. UN interventions take place where there is a very serious need for humanitarian aid (as in the recent mission to Somalia) or a need for an outside force to broker peace and keep ceasefires in place (as in the current intervention in Bosnia). The UN does not directly intervene in most cases where a sovereign state is engaged in the regular, daily violation of the rights of its citizens. in those cases the UN works from outside by attempting to provide aid, relief and education, by imposing

Book Review Breadwinning Daughters Young Women Working in a Depression

Book Review Breadwinning Daughters Young Women Working in a Depression During the 1930s, the Great Depression affected many states leading to major changes in different sectors of their economy. Canada was one of the countries that became a victim of the Great Depression. Owing to this, the issue has attracted the attention of many researchers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Book Review: â€Å"Breadwinning Daughters: Young Women Working in a Depression- Era City, 1929-1939† by Katrina Srigley specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The aim of this review is to examine the work of one of such researchers, Katrina Srigley. This paper seeks to analyze her book, Breadwinning Daughters: Young Women Working in a Depression- Era City, 1929-1939 (2010). The Great Depression era affected the live style of young women in Canada. They experienced many changes while trying to adapt to the economic difficulties brought about by the depression. Her book explores the impact that the Great Depression had on young women within Canada. This paper gives a summary and evaluation of the book besides its relevance to the course. The Great Depression era affected the economic stability of the Canadians notably, the young women. During this era, Canada experienced the lowest prices of the commodity that acted as the major source of revenue to the national wealth (Kottman 610). Additionally, the Canadian agricultural sector faced subsequent crop failures due to the drought that occurred between 1933 and 1937. Owing to this economic breakdown, most of the Canadian population became depended on the government in respect of not only their food, but also other basic needs such as clothes, etc. Following the economic hardships, the Canadian population dropped significantly. The birthrates decreased from 13.1 to 9.7 per 1000 people within seven years. The government’s supply of food offered to most of the Canadian population was not enough to satisfy the needs, thus this fact led to inc rease of cases of malnutrition among the nation. However, there were no reported cases of starvation within that period.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Rooth and Taylor, the rate of unemployment rose by 27% subjecting most of the families to more hardships during that time (572). However, many people moved from their rural homes to search for better lifestyles in the urban centers. Among those who moved to the Canadian cities were young women. The major reason that made them to move to the cities was the hope to find some job there. They intended to utilize their wages to support their families during the depression era. Research has shown that the number of women who joined the labor force rose to 1.3 million representing one-quarter of the employed people in Canada during that period. The technological advancement played a pivotal role in enhancin g the employment of young women during the Great Depression era. The mechanization of many industries led to the laying-off of many unskilled old men because plants and companies were eager to hire the skilled people, and young women were a major part of them. Another reason that led to the creation of feminine jobs was the increased demand of white-collar jobs. Clerical jobs were the major white-collar professions. Many young women got jobs in this sector. However, the phenomenon of employing women in the major economic sectors appeared to be a new dawn in the Canadian society because before the Great Depression era, women assumed domestic jobs. That era led to the incorporation of women in the Canadian labor market who were seeking promising jobs just as their male counterparts. In her book, Breadwinning Daughters: Young Women Working in a Depression- Era City, 1929-1939, Srigley argues that the Great Depression led to economic concerns not only to the government, but also to the entire Canadian population (2010). She points out that many researchers focused their studies on the male population leaving out their female counterparts. In an attempt to seal the gap that these researchers have created in the Canadian history, Srigley focuses on the lives of young women during the Great Depression era. The book presents the findings of the research she carried out during a period of three years.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Book Review: â€Å"Breadwinning Daughters: Young Women Working in a Depression- Era City, 1929-1939† by Katrina Srigley specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More She interviewed more than eighty women who had been experiencing the hardships of the Great Depression during their youth. She focused on their lives at work places, homes as well as in various places within Toronto. The book closely examines the impact that the Great Depression era had on the young women during the 1930s. Many young women moved into the urban cities where they secured jobs earning minimum wages. The sole purpose for entering the labor force was to give financial support to their families. Srigley also brings to her audience’s attention that young women could not afford jobs with the same stature as their male counterparts could. They only got jobs with low wages with little or no power and privileges. The author argues that within the Canadian labor market in the 1930s, women had a limited choice on the nature of the job they would take. Most of the women ended up in clerical or personal service jobs irrespective of their academic qualifications. The young women faced many challenges during the Great Depression era. One of such challenges was racial discrimination. In her book, she records the encounter of one black woman who despite having achieved one of the best grades in college could not secure a job because of her race. She remained jobless for many years, but suc ceeded to endure it all. Another challenge that most young women faced was discrimination based on social class. The book records that young women from poor families were always discriminated, especially those who depended on the government relief supplies. The author gives an example of the mode of dressing that was appropriate for making public appearances by giving the description as well as the photos of one of her interviewee. The young women in the urban centers were insecure to some extent. The murder of one of such women made the rest of the females to live in constant fear of a similar accident that could happen to them. They also faced gender-based discrimination in that employers gave young women the jobs that the men were not willing to take.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The book also presents the price that the young women had to pay to maintain their jobs. For instance, most of them had delayed marriages while others had to forego marriage to continue supporting their families. The author also notes that young women had to truncate their education to secure as well as maintain their jobs. She explains that truncation of their education increased their vulnerability to jobs with low wages that had no privileges. In her research, Srigley found out that jobs, such as nursing, teaching and clerical works, did not allow women to get married. As a result, most young women chose their career over family life, although it was a major source of stress to them. The women who chose other careers did not attract much attention to this fact if it did not present a significant threat to domesticity. Most of the women that Srigley interviewed admitted that truncation of their education as well as foregoing marriage were the most difficult choices they had ever m ade. The idea of employment for young women also opened a world that they would not have experienced to them. For the first time in their life, they were able to make decisions without the influence of their parents or even close relatives. They could go to places that they would not have accessed before, such as public recreational centers and clubs. The author finds out that most of them obtained a lot of satisfaction and joy from the support that they offered to their families. The author reports that one of her interviewees decided to get married leaving her parents to languish in poverty, and this decision made her to live with guilt throughout her life. Young women formed a major part of the Canadian population during the Great Depression era, which is an important aspect of the Canadian history. The book highlights the plight of women in a male dominated society during one of the hardest times in the history of Canada. The use of interviews in data collection makes her piece of work outstanding. It gave her the privilege of obtaining first hand information from the people who had a personal experience of the hardships that women faced during that period. The women had fresh memories of their experience in the Great Depression era thus making them the best source of information for any researcher. Her findings are in line with other research works that have shown that racial discrimination was rampant in the Canadian society during the 1930s.Young women would not have evaded gender-based discrimination because employment of women was a new phenomenon in the Canadian labor force that had to face some objection from members of the society. The choice of Toronto as a centre for the research was a good idea because it was one of the most affected places in Canada during that time, thus giving a good representation of other similar places. Other cities that portrayed a similar trend during the Great Depression era are Hamilton, Tilbury, Ontario and Windsor (W allace 112). The book gives a general representation of the Canadian young women who were victims of the Great Depression. Major changes occurred during the 1930s in Canada. For instance, one can attribute the rapid growth of urban population to the migration of young women to the cities while searching for jobs. Additionally, it highlights the possible decrease of Canadian population towards the end of the 1930s. We can attribute the decrease to the inability of women to get married due to their jobs, which resulted in a low rate of establishing families within the Canadian population. The acceptance of young women in the labor force was also a major change in the Canadian history since prior to the 1930s men were the sole providers for their families. The book outlines most of the reactions of the larger community to the economic constraints that faced the nation during that time. For instance, the government offered support to most families in form of relief supplies. To some ext end it also assisted in eliminating racial discrimination in that it helped black women secure jobs. Men’s reaction to the phenomenon was significant in the lives of women during that time. Most young men were afraid of marrying working class women since they thought they would lose their power in the family. Some men however supported the move by young women to look for jobs especially their fathers. They recognized the contribution of their daughters to the economy and granted them the permission to pursue their careers. Moreover, their employers who were predominantly men offered jobs to the young women and had faith that they would carry out their roles as expected. Being the first lot of Canadian women to get jobs, the young women understood that it would not be easy for them. Their view of life had to change significantly. They had to make decisions about some important aspects such as marriage and their education. They had to choose between their jobs and their educati on as well as between their jobs and marriage. It also called for one to stand by their decisions. The book employs the possible techniques that can enhance the reader’s understanding of the text. Besides giving her text a systematic approach, she uses photos in her work to enable the reader to have the broader picture of her work. However, she did not exploit all the possible reasons that made most young women to truncate their education. Research has shown that, due to the hard economic times in Canada, most parents could no longer afford to support their children’s education that is why they head to terminate their education. In such cases, the need for a job was not the major cause of truncating their education. Moreover, the book does not address the movement of many urban dwellers from the cities to the rural areas in the mid 1930s and the place of young women during that movement. The book is very significant in understanding Canadian business and labor history. It provides important information on one of the hardest moments in the history of the Canadian economy that caused the loss of the nation’s economic power during the 1930s. The author presents one of the acts that helped in reviving Canadian economy from the impact of the Great Depression in the employment of young women during the 1930s. According to Canadian culture, women were supposed to take domestic duties. The author argues that the efforts of young women in earning wages, though new to the society, were instrumental in reviving the nation’s economy. It also provides important information that enhances the understanding of the economic relationship of different aspects in a nation. For instance, the acceptability of women in the Canadian labor force and the struggle that came with it. The Canadian young women had undergone many challenges before the society accepted and appreciated their contribution to the entire society. They had to truncate their education a nd bear the hostilities in a male dominated society. The book shows that once given the opportunity, women were able to prove to the rest of their society that they were able to contribute significantly to the economy of the nation. It seeks to explain the point and the circumstances that forced the Canadian young women to quit their domestic cores and join the labor force. This equips me to have a better understanding of the Canadian business and labor history. Additionally, since the book revolves on the happenings of the Great Depression era, other researchers can use it as reference for their works. It can act as the basis of future works of research on the topic for people who seek to exploit some of the aspects that Srigley does not tackle to be instrumental in enhancing people’s understanding of the subject. Kottman, Richard. â€Å"Herbert Hoover and the Smooth-Hawley Tariff, Canada: A Case  Study.† Journal of American History 62.3 (1975): 609-630. Print. Roo th, Tim and Taylor, Rebecca. â€Å"Exports and Internal Adjustment during the Slump:  The British Market, Australia and Canada during the 1930s.† The Journal of European Economic History 30.3(2001):569-594. Print. Wallace, Iain. A Geography of Canadian Economy. Don Mills: Oxford University Press, 2002. Print.

Dental Admins 5 Interview Questions You Need to Master

Dental Admins 5 Interview Questions You Need to Master There’s no denying it: a great dental office needs a great admin. Do you want to cut through the job-hunting crowd and become the administrative assistant that dentists dream about? The first step is to ace your next interview. Charles Crawford at Dentistry IQ has targeted five key questions that you better be prepared for when it’s your turn to dazzle potential employers. 1. Are you approachable?Great admins work well with every other member of the dental office team, and are great with clients, so employers are going to want to know that you’re the sort of person others feel comfortable with, or avoid like the plague. If you want the job, be sure the person in charge of hiring thinks you’d be great to work with.2. Are you a good talker?Dental admins are often the faces of the practices they work for- as an admin you may even be the first person patients interact with- so of course potential employers are going to want to know if you’re charismatic , a great talker, someone people feel good communicating with.3. Do you know how to listen?Listening is an absolutely essential skill when you’re an admin in a dental practice- from communicating effectively with other members of the team to helping patients on a daily basis and making them feel like they’re being heard. Your job during the interview is to convince potential employers that you’re a born listener.4. Do you have attention to detail?Ask any great admin at any dental practice- large, small, or in between- what the must-have skills are for job success. There’s no doubt that an unflinching attention to detail will show up on every list. From those minor office logistics that help a practice run smoothly to important patient factors, your eye for detail better be razor sharp! If you want to leave your next interview confident that you just landed your next great job, you better have convinced the employer that your attention to detail is undenia ble.5. Do you have a good work ethic?Employers aren’t going to be thrilled to hire admins who stare blankly at the clock until 5pm hits, just waiting to bolt out the front door and head home. Let’s face it, if you want the job you’ll have to show that you have the extra drive and initiative to solve problems, offer solutions, and do what it takes to get the job done well. Sell potential employers that you have a great work ethic or they’ll quickly show you the door.Are you ready? Master these 5 questions and you’ll have potential employers lining up to hire you!

Monday Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Monday - Essay Example The description of work he has done, one room is compared to a wedding cake in the story, illustrates his heart-felt belief that life is not just about money. In terms of Fitch's perspective, Helprin shows us this ethic with the comment about seeing soul in a building. For Fitch, in a business where most contractors are simply concerned about getting the highest profit for the least amount of work, he sees the elements of beauty as the expression of the heart. His pride in craftsmanship and attention to detail evidences a character that is a deep, honest, and caring human being. Another significant aspect of Fitch's character is his honor. He is an honorable man above all other things. His treatment of his employees shows integrity; a quality that they mirror when they insist that they will work on Lilly's apartment at no charge. His argument with the architect over his placing supports in a building that were absent from the plans demonstrates that he cares about his reputation. Rather than adding a costly element that he could have omitted and blamed upon the architect, he decides that he is the builder and will do what's right.

Violence as entertainment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Violence as entertainment - Research Paper Example Epics and classics such as Iliad and Odyssey in Greek, Ramayana and Mahabharata in Hindu, Shakespearean Literature in Western and 1001 Arabian Nights in Arabian cultures stand as testimony to this. However, on the flipside, the sagas of wars and battles always illustrate the devastating miseries that the practice of violence has brought upon humans. Therefore, violence that sets misleading examples for children is not an appropriate form of entertainment as it glorifies brutality and breeds hostility besides fostering insensitiveness and apathy. The emergence of television, as a dominant form of entertainment during the early 1960s, has brought with it a major concern supported by scientific evidence that establishes the â€Å"casual relationship between violent television and aggressive behavior† (3). Psychologist contend that youngster modulate their attitudes and behavior on the basis of the â€Å"symbolic environment† that media promotes apart from their experiences in real life (3). Thus, when they remain exposed to violence in the media they will tend to imitate what they view on the TV and thus run the risk of indulging in violent behavior. The advent of visual technologies today offers the youngsters a wide range of channels on TV that telecast violent content in high definition and with 3 D effect. Thus, the viewing pleasure they receive from the media is so attractive as to be addictive and they spend a lot of time watching TV. When TV programs bombard their subconscious mind with constant images of violence, and influenced by such content, they will tend to believe that violence is an acceptable norm and become aggressive in real life. Evidence in the form of psychological research findings further suggests that watching violence in the media makes youngsters imitate the act as can be seen from incidents that involve â€Å"lethal violence† that has an â€Å"uncanny resemblance† to scenes in movies (Cantor 1). Children†™s tendency to imitate media content can be illustrated from the â€Å"crisis of playground injuries in schools† after the introduction of WWF in Israeli TV (2). The repercussions of this show on the children in Israel have forced the school authorities to conduct â€Å"media literacy programs† and the channel to reduce the frequency of its telecast (2). On the other hand, studies further show that frequent viewing of violent entertainment that portrays â€Å"graphic display of injuries† desensitizes children and reduces their â€Å"emotional response† to violence over a period of time (2). Similarly, such children, when they become adults are likely to indulge in â€Å"domestic abuse† as they tend to have lesser sympathy for the victims. Thus, it can be construed that when people remain exposed constantly to violence in media, they become indifferent to it and loses their emotional response and feelings of compassion for fellow beings. Research statistics further indicate that Americans constantly remain exposed to violent content and â€Å"60% of TV programs† contain violence (Bushman and Anderson 478). Studies also find that by the time children pass out from elementary grade, they would have seen over â€Å"8000 murders† and â€Å"

Zora Neale Hurston and Her Contributions Essay Example for Free

Zora Neale Hurston and Her Contributions Essay As stated earlier, among the many prominent African American writers that proliferated during the Harlem Renaissance is Zora Neale Hurtson. Her autobiography tells us that it was her mother that urges her to â€Å"jump at de sun, we might not land on the sun but at least we could get off the ground†. On one hand, her father would brainwash her that it won’t do any good for a Negro to have a high spirit for the whites can’t just stand it. Her father even anticipated that Zora’s going to get hanged before she grows old. Her father maybe depicted as passive participant in the Black’s struggle for social liberation. However, it is claimed that he was just inculcating the idea of Southern Survival in his children (Hemenway 14). As a child, she lived a comfortable life at least when her mother was still alive. Her childhood was a relatively peaceful, calm, and wealthy life in a non-racist black community of Eatonville. It was the first all-black American community that was self-governed. It is a community where traditional black American culture survived and flourished. See more: Mark Twains humorous satire in running for governor essay It was said that Eatonville did not prepare Hurtson of the racist America and it was only when she transferred to Jacksonville that she realized there was a thing called racism (Witcover 27). Upon the death of her mother she was sent to Florida to go to school with a brother and a sister, Jacksonville is the very place that she learned that she was â€Å"colored. † When she was no longer supported by her father, she resorted in accepting different jobs such as a maid for the whites and a receptionist among others. Moreover, she worked as a waitress and attended school at Morgan Academy. Later on, she attended Howard Prep to prepare herself for the best university for the blacks in the United States. She continued to read voraciously during these times of her life. Finally, she published her first story in the literary magazine of the school entitled â€Å"John Redding Goes to Sea†. She was discovered by Charles Spurgeon Johnson to write in the Opportunity Magazine. She agreed and submitted her short stories namely â€Å"Drenched in Light†, â€Å"Spunk†, and a play entitled â€Å"Color Struck†. Johnson saw the potential and power in her works that he invited her to go to come to New York and â€Å"make a name for herself (Campbell 2-3). † Opportunity was a major voice in the Harlem Renaissance and her contributions were highly sought by the publishers (Witcover 16). Upon arriving in New York, the Harlem Renaissance is its full swing. in Harlem, there were a number of promising writers, painters, sculptors, musicians, and politicians that are engaged in activities that aimed for the liberation of African Americans against the white supremacy. These activities have been considered as â€Å"unrivaled† in the history of the United States. Among these writers are Hurston, Hughes, Cullen, Mckay. While they are not the first Black American writers that made its way to American literature, they were the first ones â€Å"to be conscious of themselves as black writers who believed that the bridge between the white and the black races depended upon the arts†. Because of their great pride in their black heritage, they established traditions that were followed by other prominent subsequent African American writers in the United States such as Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and James Baldwin (Campbell 3). Her writings are obviously chronicles of the black life, most specifically the lives of the working and the lower-class people in the rural South in the United States. Her works stand along the vast and rich documentary sources of the black experiences from labor to culture. However, what’s unique with Hurtson’s literary contributions is that unlike her detractor’s way of portraying the blacks which view them vis-a-vis the whites, Hurtson’s style involves the portrayal of the blacks â€Å"in their own terms. † While oppression against the black is palpable during that era and is one of the favorite themes written by most African American writers, Hurtson chose to do away from oppression. She chose to represent and portray what and the blacks are doing and not what is done to them by their oppressors and tormentors. Her style zoomed in to the very nature of black life and examined them as black people that are capable of asserting their identities. Furthermore, her style allowed her to dissect every bit and parcel of the inner world of the African American life which aimed for one and only important thing: self-determination among the blacks (Plant 43). Hurtson depicted the beauty of the black culture by incorporating the experiences of the black people that were considered the underbelly of the black life. She manipulated the white patronage of Harlem Renaissance to her advantage. She is being criticized by her male contemporaries as being primitive in her portrayal of the American life for she has adhered to the stereotypes of black people that the Whites propagated. However, Hurtson also highlighted her criticism towards these perceived conception of the Whites towards the Blacks for she believed that they are incapable of becoming a custodian of the black culture. Moreover, apart from being a place of racial discrimination, Hurtson regarded the South as a place of â€Å"cultural creativity, family, and religion, where everyday life was lived with integrity in the midst of struggle against racial oppression (Patterson 10). † She believes in the experiences of the Southern Blacks as a rich subject in the arts and literature. Each Negro has the right to self-identity despite racist ideologies. This can be done by exploring the complex culture of Southern black towns, and discuss the every day life of black workers, black wives, and black children. Her emphasis on the experiences of the Southern blacks makes her portrayal of the African-American life even more real (Patterson 12-13). Eatonville is the most important geographic landmark in most of her short stories and novels. It was the town where she grew up and her father serving as a mayor. As a child, she grew up hearing stories in the porch of Joe Clarke’s, both the porch and the stories are retold by Hurtson in her fiction (Campbell 15). When it comes to the characters of her short stories and novels, they â€Å"are not only heroic, often fighting great odds, but they also demonstrate growth. [†¦] Hurtson’s protagonists are always in a state of becoming. They became capable of looking inside themselves in order to discover thei place in the world around them. Often they struggle against what they should become (Campbell 14). † For instance, â€Å"Sweat† is a story of a typical Negro life in Eatonville as many of her stories setting. It chronicles the experiences of Delia and her marriage to her husband Sykes. Their married life has always been in a downhill. At the onset, Delia has always been tortured and abused by Sykes. Secondly, Sykes has been seeing other women and has been maintaining a concubine. While it was Delia who sweated and earned for their survival, Sykes was still very ungrateful. He even plotted to kill her and get rid of her so he can live in her house with her concubine. In the end, he failed and Delia was able to take avenged against his abuses and tortures. On a deeper level, it romanticizes the theme of male domination over women and the feminine power that transcends all kinds of struggles. It highlights the strength of a woman through Delia’s ability to support herself and her husband despite his infidelity and brutality against her. This is just a mundane story of the Negros in a black community. It doesn’t in any way talk about oppression done by the whites. It just talks about two characters that are authentic in themselves that can stand as an embodiment of a typical Negro life. This is Hurtson’s way of asserting the African-American identity beyond any comparison and approximation of the superiority of the Whites. This is Hurtson’s way inculcating self-determination among the African-Americans who for a long time thought of themselves as subordinate to the Whites and the Europeans. By celebrating their experiences as unique, the blacks were able to believe in the beauty of their heritage and to find joy in their identities. Apart from being a black writer that is obviously aware of the African American’s sensibilities regarding black oppression and subordination, she is also an anthropologist. As Hemenway noted, Anthropology is an advantage for Zora for her to understand her deeper cultural roots. Her experiences of African American life plus her great understanding of the nature of their traditions and practices made her portrayal of the black experiences more poignant and authentic. In a particular instance, she understood the â€Å"richness and mutilayered meanings of the oral tradition† and â€Å"the creativity and imagination of black language and story telling (Campbell 4). † As a student of Franz Boa, Hurtson learned to appreciate and see the cultural wealth and legacy of her community more fully. By her skill, knowledge, and understanding of the nuances of African American, she strived to prove that the native Black Americans experiences and arts has both genius and authenticity that is traceable to the Africans and not the Westerns. Her fieldworks armed her with all the needed knowledge to prove to the Whites and the elitist Black Americans that their deeply-rooted culture is beyond to what the Whites has imposed on the Blacks (Plant 41). Her writings are best known as folklorism. In this style of writing, one exhibits the peculiarities of their cultures and traditions (Grinker 390). In her stories, Hurtson incorporates myths, legends, customs, practices and allegories that are uniquely and authentically African-Americans regardless of the Western’s criticism of their practices as backward. It is Hurston’s way of asserting Black’s way of life in its purest form. Apart from being a brilliant writer and chronicler of the Black’s experiences, Hurtson’s writings are also concern with the struggle of women in their search for emancipation against the issues of gender and race. She acknowledged the violence that is present among the lives of African American women but at the same time she criticizes the male domination that caused this violence. This was a â€Å"bold position† during those times where only a few writers like Hurtson can do among many other African – American writers (Patterson 8). She obstructed the perceived notion of women as oppressed and helpless as commonly portrayed in American Literature. She is known for her depiction of nonstereotypical black women such as rendering them as strong and courageous. As seen in the abovementioned example, Delia was the victor from the beginning up to the end. While she is being tortured and beaten up by her husband, she survived. While she is being emotionally battered by her husband, she endured. While she is being threatened to death by her husband, she avenged herself. Another example would be Janie in Their Eyes Are Watching God is one of the earliest American women â€Å"to develop cultural and personal identity (Champion 166). † However, this feminist stance of Hurtson was not immediately recognized during the period. Her intellectual ideologies have been given little attention at the time for the reason that there was still a palpable exclusion of Black women’s thoughts in the intellectual discourse of that era (Plant 2). She has been criticized by Richard Wright as having no interest in serious fiction. He said that Hurtson just continued to propagate the tradition that was forced upon the Negroes in her stories and novels which makes the Whites laugh. Wright wrote about blacks that resist the supremacy of the Whites but then Hurtson is the opposite. She wrote about the nakedness of the Blacks in such a beautiful manner and in such a colourful manner. The Black people’s nakedness, according to her, is not something that should be suppressed and forgotten. She believes that it should be accepted as part of the frontier spirit that defines each African American in a black community (Patterson 33-34). Her â€Å"ultimate moral stance is not only to absolve whites, past and present, of any wrong doing, but also to claim some value in the experience of enslavement†. She emphasized the fact that despite â€Å"the cruelty and moral wrong of slavery†, the Blacks still maintain a materially, intellectually, morally, and religiously strong and hopeful condition. Her writings do not dwell in the cruelties of the past and the cruelties of slavery and enslavement among the Blacks, she focused in the present, and celebrated the character that the Blacks developed and adopt in the course of the oppression. She wrote on how their lives have become after the enslavement and how they have maintained their culture in tact and unique among any other nation. She created some distance in the past that made a room in the understanding of the present. Too much contemplation in the past is a hindrance to the Black’s Present endeavours. The idea is to â€Å"settle for from now on (Plant 41). † Hurtson was able to â€Å"resist and subvert cultural hegemony because of a powerful worldview†. This is traceable to her individualistic worldview Washington’s theory of self-help, industry, and personal responsibility; her anthropological study under Franz Boas and Ruth Benedict among many others. All these contribute to an unwavering philosophy of individualism that help her survive the palpable racism bombarded towards the Blacks. These are also the contributing factors that developed her strength and will to resist negative controlling images and overcome Anglo-American hegemony. Her individualistic stance enabled her to engender an autonomous self that is necessary in the negotiation of hostilities in the community that she lived in along with all other African-Americans in the United States (Plant 4) Her philosophy of individualism is deeply rooted from the African-American folk ethos as a â€Å"fundamental site of resistance. † She understood the importance of the African American culture’s role in the emancipation of the African American people as an individual and as a community. She emphasized the idea of cultural survival as an important ingredient liberation and cultural appreciation as an important process in decolonization among the African Americans. She believed that the answer towards liberation lies in the African American culture and traditions themselves. To reclaim the Black life is to resist the Anglo-American domination and this can only be done by romanticizing the importance self-definition and self-emancipation among the Blacks (Plant 4).

Essay --

Candide is a famous French satire written by French philosopher, Voltaire. In this satire, Voltaire humorously ridicules Leibniz’s belief of optimism, the violence the military employ during war and the hypocrisy of religion. This essay aims to describe some of the techniques that Voltaire uses to satirize Leibniz through the character of Pangloss, the military through the Bulgarian War, and religious figures through the hypocrisy of the Grand Inquisitor and the Friar, showing how the humor is achieved in the description of the characters. One of the ‘important’ figures Voltaire satirizes would be Leibniz and his theory of philosophical optimism. According to Leibniz, we live in â€Å"the best of all possible worlds† and Voltaire ridicules this in his novel by introducing the character of Pangloss who also believed that â€Å"things cannot be otherwise than they are: for all being created for an end, all is necessarily for the best end.† (Chapter 1, p1) Throughout this novel, no matter the misfortunes Pangloss encounters, he would defend optimism by claiming, â€Å"all is for the best† then continue to justify the possible reasons for such an occurrence. One prominent example would be when Pangloss had unfortunately contracted syphilis from Paquetta, yet he reasoned that â€Å"it was a thing unavoidable, a necessary ingredient in the best of worlds; for if Columbus had not caught in an island in America this disease, which contaminates the source of generation, and frequently impedes propagation itself, and is evidently opposed to the great end of nature, we should have had neither chocolate nor cochineal.† (Chapter 4, p8) The foolishness and incessant belief of Pangloss' optimism is thoroughly displayed here as Voltaire uses the technique of irony ... ...ous figures in Candide seem to almost all be corrupted and deceitful with the exception of a few like Jacques, and the characters in Candide seem to be accustomed to such occurrences, displaying little shock at their ‘unholy’ behavior. Such a manner of portraying these characters further enunciates Voltaire’s view on various religious people. In conclusion, through techniques such as irony, exaggeration, parody and understatement, Voltaire effectively satirizes Leibniz, the military and religious figures, mocking Leibniz’s philosophy of optimism, disapproving the brutality of the military and criticizing the hypocrisy of religious figures. Humor was achieved through the irony and exaggeration he cleverly wove into his novel, making it much easier for the readers to swallow despite the novel being highly critical of his modern society, addressing many serious issues.

Amazon.com †a case study Essay

Amazon’s Mission â€Å"Our vision is to be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.† Amazon.com’s quest to become earth’s most customer centric company is largely driven by its use of technology. In fact, its continuous innovations are all driven by huge investments in information systems (Laudon and Laudon 2005). Information systems not only support their mission, but in fact drive their business strategy. In this paper , Amazon’s use of information at each stage of Porter’s value chain will be considered. Their innovative and forward looking use of information systems to generate competitive advantage will be analysed in the context of Porter’s five forces and we will also have a look at how they have formed Amazon have formed strategic alliances to overcome certain competitive forces. Future plans to sustain competitive edge will be examined; Amazon not only continue to use technology to improve their customer centric operations, but are now in fact opening up this technology and providing technical and logistics solutions to other firms. The Value Chain The concept of ‘Value Chain Anaylsis’ is described at length by Michael Porter (1985). He notes that every firm is a collection of activities that  are performed to design, produce, market, deliver and support its products or services. He identifies specific, critical-leverage points where a firm can use information technology most effectively to enhance it’s competitive position (Laudon and Laudon , 2005). In his value chain model, ‘Primary Activities’ such as inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, sales and marketing and service, are seen as basic activities that add a margin of value to a firm’s products and service. Since Amazon’s inception in 1995, they have used information technology to manage each stage of the value chain. Inbound logistics – including receiving, storing, inventory control – are managed by sophisticated technology such Transportation Optimization and Management Systems (TOMS). They, us e a set of applications for accepting and validating customer orders, placing and tracking orders with suppliers and managing and assigning inventory to customer orders. In fact in 2007, Amazon’s systems have become so efficient in managing inventory that they generally collect from customers before their payments to suppliers come due (SEC1 2007). Amazon’s marketing strategy is designed to increase customer traffic to their websites, drive awareness of products and services, promote repeat purchases, develop incremental product and service revenue opportunities, and strengthen and broaden the Amazon.com brand name. (Amazon Annual Report 2007). Technology, again, is the conduit for their marketing strategy. Amazon were the first to deliver personalized Web pages and services. For instance, their technology keeps track of user preferences for books and CD purchases etc, and can recommend titles purchased by other customers. Their advertising consists primarily of online advertising, including through their Associates program –Amazon.com’s affiliate marketing program, where web developers, by linking to Amazon products and services to their sites, can receive up to 10% in referral fees, – sponsored search, portal advertising, e-mail campaigns, and other initiatives. Customer service is another key area where technology adds value to Amazon’s offer. From the outset, in line with their customer-centred mission, Amazon  tried to provide superior customer service through email and telephone customer support, online tracking and shipping information, and the ability to pay for purchases with a single click of the mouse using credit card and personal information provided during a previous purchase. This was called â€Å"1-click† express shopping, and was considered so attractive that Barnes and Noble, Amazon’s direct competitor in the online book retailing markets attempted to ape it with its â€Å"Express Lane† system (McAfee 2005). Amazon later obtained an injunction on Barnes and Noble and sparked a huge debate around the question of which software, and even business processes can or cannot, be patented. (http://www.oreilly.com/news/patent_archive.html) The Extended Value Chain in e-Business In their book, Strategic Planning for Information Systems, Ward, J and Peppard, J (2002), discuss how the value chain information flow is now being challenged by e-Business They refer to Rayport, J.F and Sviokla (1995), who have identified two crucial new areas in this information flow, namely ‘promotional’ information flow and ‘intelligence gathering’ information flow. These two areas seems to be paramount in Amazon’s value chain management.. According to Ward and Peppard, the implications of the promotional flow of information which informs customers further down the chain of the products and services available have to be understood. David Chaffey (2007) speaks of Amazon’s automated email measurement and optimization system. As users of Amazon will know, once we’ve bought something on Amazon, we are regularly sent emails with information on books or product recommendations. In order for this promotional system not to descend into what one might call Spam, and for it to remain relevant and customer centred, Amazon have put IS systems into place to control this activity. A new system: automatically optimizes content to improve customer experience; avoids sending an e-mail campaign that has low clickthrough or high unsubscribe rate; includes inbox management (avoid sending multiple emails/week); has growing library of automated email programs covering new  releases and recommendations. In this way, Amazon add value to the promotional flow of information through their value chain, and intelligently use and disseminate the information provided to them by their technology. Ward and Peppard conclude that E-business offers huge potential to gather information and intelligence about consumer and customer preference and attitudes online, rather than through traditional market research. When customers shop on Amazon, their choices are stored in the information systems which can then use this intelligence to forecast future demands. Industry Value Chain – Supply Chain Management The Value Chain of the business unit is only one part of a larger set of value-adding activities in an industry – the â€Å"Industry Value Chain† (Ward & Peppard 2003). A firm’s value chain is linked to the value chains of its suppliers, distributors and customers, and each of these players can add, or indeed take away from advantage which has been earned along the way. (Laudon & Laudon 2006). Amazon has one of the most-sophisticated supply chain systems in the world. Proprietary applications handle nearly every aspect of its supply chain: warehouse management, transportation management, inbound and outbound shipping, demand forecasts, inventory planning, and more. (Information Week) Amazon’s supply chain is so tightly integrated that when an online customer buys a book, for example, the order-management system communicates with inventory- and warehouse-management systems to find the optimal distribution centre or centres for fulfilling the order. The customer knows in less than a minute how long it will take to ship the items and whether they will come in one package or separately. Effective supply chain management, has been identified in a survey by The Economist, as being an essential contribution to gaining competitive advantage. It says that all market leaders have supply chains that are more responsive to customer demand. And effectively managing the informati on flow throughout the supply chain is key to gaining competitive advantage. Porter’s Five Forces As we have seen, competitive advantage can be gained through effective use of information systems at each stage of the internal and the external value chain. The other value creation dimension, as defined by Porter is the â€Å"Market/Industry Attractiveness†. He has identified five forces affecting the latter, namely, the bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of customers, the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitute products and competitive rivalry within an industry. E-commerce and the internet provide customers with the ability to search the whole chain for information directly or via intermediaries (Ward and Peppard 2003). The internet provides consumers with near perfect product and price visibility. Customers are free to use any internet portal they choose to search for goods, and can use price comparison portals such as www.kelkoo.com to compare prices between suppliers. Changing suppliers will cost the buyer nothing – switching costs are l ow – and alternative suppliers are plentiful. Consequently, Amazon are forced to keep their prices down and accept lower margins. In the context of Porter’s five forces, the facility for customers in changing suppliers can be classified as high customer bargaining power. Mr Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, saw this threat coming and prepared for it – in 2000 he invited other retailers to sell their goods on his website (The Economist). No traditional seller had ever done this before – to allow others to sell second-hand books on their own door step, was indeed a revolutionary move by Mr Bezos, and many people, even some within the company, thought this would cannibalise Amazon’s own sales. Yet it eventually helped to lift overall sales. Amazon says sales of third-party items, from which it takes a commission, have increased from 6% of all items sold in 2000 to 28% in 2005. Over that time, the company says its own retail revenues were up three-fold (BusinessWeek). Bezos claims that by keeping custome rs on the Amazon site buying other retailers products, Amazon’s direct revenues also increased. This is because with the help of some sophisticated technology driven marketing techniques, customers having already chosen something from Amazon’s partners, are at the same time tempted by Amazon’s own offerings. Today, hundreds of thousands of retail brands and individual sellers reach new customers by leveraging the power of the Amazon.com e-commerce platform. In 2006 Amazon went further with this concept and launched their â€Å"Fulfilment† program, which allows businesses to  use Amazon’s own order fulfilment and post-order customer service infrastructure, and enables Amazon.com customers to receive the benefit of Amazon.com shipping offers when buying from third-party sellers. In this way Amazon, seem to be effectively combating a number of competitive forces, including the threat of substitute products and the threat of new entrants to the market. Due to the low cost for new-entrants to e-Commerce – it requires relatively little capital investment to set up an e-Business- the threat of competing websites is omni-present for Amazon. Amazon’s challengers come from two directions. First, other online retailers are growing rapidly. As people become more accustomed to shopping on the internet, they are ordering a greater variety of goods and services from a wider range of websites. From auctioning people’s second-hand goods, eBay now also hosts fixed-priced virtual shops offering new goods for sale. (The Economist). Google, for one, has replaced retail sites such as Amazon as the place where many people start their shopping. And more personalized and social upstarts such as News Corp.’s, MySpace and YouTube, which Google has bought, have become the prime places for many people to gather online – and eventually shop. Microsoft’s taking of a 5% stake in Facebook, the online networking website, last Friday, which now values the two year old networking website at a whopping 15b$ -, could also be perceived as a potential threat to Amazon. People may choose to start their shopping from their social networking sites, rather than from the mor e traditional retail or portal site. Says consultant Andreas Weigend, Amazon’s chief scientist until 2004: â€Å"The world has shifted from e-business to me-business.† (Businessweek and The Economist). Secondly, traditional retailers are rapidly moving part of their trading online. This pits Amazon against giant retailers with huge purchasing power, like America’s Wal-Mart and Britain’s Tesco. These â€Å"multichannel† retailers make a virtue of their ability to offer both â€Å"bricks and clicks†. Many provide online customers with the option of picking up goods from the shop down the road. This is proving popular with web buyers who want things immediately or are keen to avoid shipping costs and staying in to accept a delivery. Amazon may be attempting to fight off this threat with their AmazonPrime program, which allows customers unlimited shipping for $79 per year. As we have seen, the relatively low costs of setting up business on the Internet, means that the  threat of substitute product/ services and the threat of new entrants also become more apparent. Internet technology is based on universal standards that any company can use, making it easy for rivals to compete on price alone and for new competitors to enter the market (Laudon and Laudon 2006). Clarke (2001) says that consequently, if we are competing in an industry where all our competitors have access to the same technology, it follows that competitive advantage comes from the use of information, as opposed to technology, and sustainability of advantage lies in an organisation always being better at this than its competition. Amazon would appear to be doing a fairly good job in keeping up – for instance with the technology enables personalization of the customer – but as Jeff Bezos reiterated in the reprinting of his 1997 letter to shareholders for the Amazon 2006 Annu al Report, â€Å"It’s all about the long-term†. Sustainability of Competitive Advantage – The Future for Amazon In the long-term, Amazon are aiming to re-invent themselves. An article in the Economist claims the e-commerce giant wants to be more than just a retailer. Having established the internet as somewhere to buy things, Amazon is again spending heavily on development in anticipation of consumers wanting to download music, video and books instead of having them delivered in the post. In September, the company introduced the Amazon MP3 digital music store to sell tracks without the anti-piracy technology known as digital rights management, or DMR. The music companies EMI and Universal are participating in Amazon’s store, making the service a significant competitor to Apple’s iTunes service. Unless the Amazon, the pioneer of online retailing can provide downloadable media it risks being â€Å"disintermediated†2 —just as only a decade ago high-street bookshops, music and video stores were disintermediated by Amazon itself. Amazon, in fact have a history of strateg ic alliances with various firms – Borders and SmugMug, to mention just a few. A strategic alliance is a partnership of two of more corporations or business units to achieve strategically significant objectives that are mutually beneficial, Wheelan and Hunger (2005). These alliances have allowed Amazon to use their established technological lead in the e-Commerce platform to generate revenues as well as their other strategic objectives. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is another example of a  strategic move to maintain advantage. With AWS, Amazon say they are building a new business focused on a new customer set †¦ software developers. They currently offer ten different web services and have built a community of over 240,000 registered developers. In order to cope with the Christmas rush, Amazon has far more computing capacity than it needs for most of the year. As much as 90% of it is idle at times. Renting out pieces of that network to other businesses, such as SmugMug, an online photo site that uses the S33 service, is a way to get extra return on Amazonâ⠂¬â„¢s $2 billion investment in technology (The Economist). Conclusion In this paper, a number of ways in which Amazon add value to their internal and external value chain have been identified. We have looked at how they optimize their utilisation of information in forging closer relations with their customers; operate a lean supply-chain management strategy and fight off numerous threats posed by competing in the e-Business environment with strategies such as offering new services to smaller retailers, digital downloads, and opening up their technologies to developers. However in a fast moving global economy, no future is certain. Amazon are conscious of the threats posed by failed alliances (Border’s will pull out of their agreement to use Amazon’s e-commerce platform in 2008, www.bloomberg.com) and the constant threat posed by Google, even Facebook and other technology driven Web2.0 companies. Jeff Bezos will be hoping to overcome these threats by, as he says, by â€Å"opening up the guts of his organisation† to developers (Busin essWeek). Information systems are at the core of Amazon’s business, and going forward, as Jeff Bezos said in his 2007 SEC filing, their biggest challenge â€Å"will be to continue to build and deploy innovative and efficient software that will best take advantage of continued advances in technology†. Amazon have made massive investments in technology – $186 million in the last quarter alone – (The Economist), and with 2007 3rd quarter sales up 41% and a quadrupling of profit, it looks like these technology investments may finally be paying off! References â€Å"Amazon.com – Click to download†, The Economist, Aug 17th 2006 Amzn Investor Relations http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-irhome&c=97664 Accessed 28th October 2007 â€Å"Borders to Introduce New Internet Site in Early 2008 (Update3)† www.bloomberg.com Accessed on 28th October 2007 Clarke, Stephen (2001) Information Systems Strategic Management –an integrated approach, Routledge, London David Chaffey: â€Å"Amazon Case Study 9.1 Learning From Amazon’s Culture of Metrics† www.davidchaffey.com Accessed on 13th October 2007. â€Å"Friend Accepted†, The Economist, Friday 26th October 2007 â€Å"From scratch: Amazon keeps supply chain close to home†, Beth Bacheldor, InformationWeek, March 5, 2004 â€Å"Jeff Bezos’ Risky Bet† Business Week, Cover story, November 13, 2006 www.businessweek.com â€Å"Jeff Bezos’ Risky Bet† www.businessweek.com November 13, 2006. Accessed 27th October 2007 â€Å"Lifting the bonnet† The Economist Oct 5th 2006 Porter, Michael E. (1985) Competitive advantage: creating and sustaining superior performance pg 33 The Free Press Laudon, J and Laudon K (2006), Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm (10th Edition) Prentice Hall R. Preston McAfee (2005) Competitive Solutions: The Strategist’s Toolkit, Princeton University Press Rayport, J.F and Sviokla (1995) ‘Exploiting the virtual value chain’, Harvard Business Review, November – December, 1995 SEC (2007) United States Securities And Exchange Commission submission Form 10-K from Amazon. For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2007 Ward, J and Peppard, J (2002) Strategic Planning for Information Systems, 3rd Edition John Wiley & Sons, Bedfordshire. Wheelen, T and Hunger J, (2004) Strategic Management and Business Policy, 9th Edition, Pearson/Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

Essay Social Security

Social Security Issue The current Social Security system should be replaced by a mandatory private pension system. The current system entails workers being forced to give a certain percentage of money out of their pay checks to Social Security. This tax money is used to pay benefits to retired people, disabled people, survivors of workers who have died, and dependents of beneficiaries (SSA). To most, this system sounds unfair because workers put in hours of labor for a paycheck that religiously has money taken out for someone else’s retirement, disability, etc. however, people for this system believe this benefits everyone because workers are not in control of their own specific retirement fund so poor decisions cannot be made. In reality, people should be able to control the fate of their own retirement funds because they can decide when the money is necessary, which can be done by making the change to a private pension system. The current Social Security system creates a lot of concern because of the accelerating demographic factors (NCPA). Life expectancy is increasing faster than expected — in 1940, a 65-year-old man could expect to live another 12 years, today it's 15 years; the fertility rate is falling faster than expected — from 3. 6 children for a typical woman of child-bearing age in 1960 to just two today; and the elderly portion of the population is expected to rise from 12 percent today to 20 percent by 2050 — increasing the number of retirees from 34 million to 80 million† (NCPA).The decreasing working population combined with the rising elderly population means the number of elderly people needing benefits will be greater than the number of working people providing the money for those benefits (NCPA). Because of these statistics, the favor for a private pension system is growing so workers can save their taxes for their individual retirements.With a private pension system as opposed to the current, honored system , the working class has more control over their retirement funds because for one, they would be earning the money for themselves, and two, the money would be in a private account for them. With the money accumulating in a private account, it is not exposed to risk. â€Å"These federally regulated personal accounts would allow individuals to invest only in diversified, approved utual funds and not in single stocks or highly volatile stocks† (Procon). In addition to its added personal safety, a private system would help the economy. â€Å"Privatizing Social Security into individual investment accounts would boost economic growth by injecting money back into America's failing financial system† (Procon). With the economic growth this would cause, there could be a possible decrease in unemployment rates, pulling the economy out of the current recession.In conclusion, the switch from the current Social Security system to a mandatory private pension system is ideal not only f or the working class, but also for the environment. Even with the criticism that a private pension system would tempt workers to make poor decisions with their retirement funds, people should have control over the money they make and be able to determine their own fate. Working for a paycheck that loses a percentage of its total to be given to the current retirees, the disabled, etc. s unfair and will discourage the working class. A private pension system that will actually save an individual’s own money will be more motivating to work towards and will better prepare him or her for their elderly years. Works Cited NCPA. â€Å"Social Security Problems Accelerating. † NCPA. org. National Center for Policy Analysis, 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. . Procon. â€Å"Privatize Social Security. † Procon. org. Procon, 13 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. . SSA. â€Å"Social Security. † Ssa. gov. Social Security Administration, Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. .

George Rogers Clark in the American Revolution

George Rogers Clark in the American Revolution A notable officer during the American Revolution (1775-1783), Brigadier General George Rogers Clark earned fame for his exploits against the British and Native Americans in the Old Northwest. Born in Virginia, he trained as a surveyor before becoming involved with the militia during Lord Dunmores War in 1774. As the war with the British commenced and attacks on American settlers along the frontier intensified, Clark obtained permission to lead a force west into present-day Indiana and Illinois to eliminate British bases in the region.   Moving out in 1778, Clarks men conducted a daring campaign that saw them take control of key posts at Kaskaskia, Cahokia, and Vincennes. The last was captured following the Battle of Vincennes which saw the Clark use trickery to aid in compelling the British to surrender. Dubbed the Conqueror of the Old Northwest, his successes significantly weakened British influence in the area.   Early Life George Rogers Clark was born November 19, 1752, at Charlottesville, VA. The son of John and Ann Clark, he was the second of ten children. His youngest brother, William, would later gain fame as the co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Around 1756, with the intensification of the French Indian War, the family left the frontier for Caroline County, VA. Though largely educated at home, Clark did briefly attend Donald Robertsons school along with James Madison. Trained as a surveyor by his grandfather, he first traveled into western Virginia in 1771. A year later, Clark pressed further west and made his first trip to Kentucky. Surveyor Arriving via the Ohio River, he spent the next two years surveying the area around Kanawha River and educating himself on the regions Native American population and its customs. During his time in Kentucky, Clark saw the area changing as the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix had opened it to settlement. This influx of settlers led to increasing tensions with the Native Americans as many tribes from north of the Ohio River used Kentucky as a hunting ground. Made a captain in the Virginia militia in 1774, Clark was preparing for an expedition to Kentucky when fighting erupted between the Shawnee and settlers on the Kanawha. These hostilities ultimately evolved into Lord Dunmores War. Taking part, Clark was present at the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774, which ended the conflict in the colonists favor. With the end of the fighting, Clark resumed his surveying activities. Becoming a Leader As the American Revolution began in the east, Kentucky faced a crisis of its own. In 1775, land speculator Richard Henderson concluded the illegal Treaty of Watauga by which he purchased much of western Kentucky from the Native Americans. In doing so, he hoped to form a separate colony known as Transylvania. This was opposed by many of the settlers in the area and in June 1776, Clark and John G. Jones were dispatched to Williamsburg, VA to seek aid from the Virginia legislature. The two men hoped to convince Virginia to formally extend its boundaries west to include the settlements in Kentucky. Meeting with Governor Patrick Henry, they convinced him to create Kentucky County, VA and received military supplies to defend the settlements. Before departing, Clark was appointed a major in the Virginia militia. The American Revolution Moves West Returning home, Clark saw fighting intensify between the settlers and Native Americans. The latter were encouraged in their efforts by the Lieutenant Governor of Canada, Henry Hamilton, who provided arms and supplies. As the Continental Army lacked the resources to protect the region or mount an invasion of the Northwest, defense of Kentucky was left to the settlers. Believing that the only way to halt Native American raids into Kentucky was to attack British forts north of the Ohio River, specifically Kaskaskia, Vincennes, and Cahokia,   Clark requested permission from Henry to lead an expedition against enemy posts in the Illinois Country. This was granted and Clark was promoted to lieutenant colonel and directed to raise troops for the mission. Authorized to recruit a force of 350 men, Clark and his officers sought to pull men from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. These efforts provided difficult due to competing manpower needs and a larger debate regarding whether Kentucky should be defended or evacuated. Kaskaskia Gathering men at Redstone Old Fort on the Monongahela River, Clark ultimately embarked with 175 men in mid-1778. Moving down the Ohio River, they captured Fort Massac at the mouth of the Tennessee River before moving overland to Kaskaskia (Illinois). Taking the residents by surprise, Kaskaskia fell without a shot fired on July 4. Cahokia was captured five days later by a detachment led by Captain Joseph Bowman as Clark moved back east and a force was sent ahead to occupy Vincennes on the Wabash River. Concerned by Clarks progress, Hamilton departed Fort Detroit with 500 men to defeat the Americans. Moving down the Wabash, he easily retook Vincennes which was renamed Fort Sackville. Back to Vincennes With winter approaching, Hamilton released many of his men and settled in with a garrison of 90. Learning that Vincennes had fallen from Francis Vigo, an Italian fur trader, Clark decided that urgent action was required lest the British be in a position to reclaim the Illinois Country in the spring. Clark embarked on a daring winter campaign to retake the outpost. Marching with around 170 men, they endured severe rains and flooding during the 180-mile march. As an added precaution, Clark also dispatched a force of 40 men in a row galley to prevent a British escape down the Wabash River. Victory at Fort Sackville Arriving at Fort Sackville on February 23, 1780, Clark divided his force in two giving command of the other column to Bowman. Using terrain and maneuver to trick the British into believing their force numbered around 1,000 men, the two Americans secured the town and built an entrenchment in front of the forts gates. Opening fire on the fort, they compelled Hamilton to surrender the next day. Clarks victory was celebrated throughout the colonies and he was hailed as the conqueror of the Northwest. Capitalizing on Clarks success, Virginia immediately laid claim to the entire region dubbing it Illinois County, VA. Continued Fighting Understanding that the threat to Kentucky could only be eliminated by the capture of Fort Detroit, Clark lobbied for an attack on the post. His efforts failed when he was unable to raise enough men for the mission. Seeking to regain the ground lost to Clark, a mixed British-Native American force led by Captain Henry Bird raided south in June 1780. This was followed in August by a retaliatory raid north by Clark which struck Shawnee villages in Ohio. Promoted to brigadier general in 1781, Clark again attempted to mount an attack on Detroit, but reinforcements sent to him for the mission were defeated en route. Later Service In one of the final actions of the war, Kentucky militia was badly beaten at the Battle of Blue Licks in August 1782. As the senior military officer in the region, Clark was criticized for the defeat despite the fact he had not been present at the battle. Again retaliating, Clark attacked the Shawnee along the Great Miami River and won the Battle of Piqua. With the end of the war, Clark was appointed superintendent-surveyor and charged with surveying land grants given to Virginian veterans. He also worked to help negotiate the Treaties of Fort McIntosh (1785) and Finney (1786) with the tribes north of the Ohio River. Despite these diplomatic efforts, tensions between the settlers and Native Americans in the region continued to escalate leading to the Northwest Indian War. Tasked with leading an force of 1,200 men against the Native Americans in 1786, Clark had to abandon the effort due to a shortage of supplies and the mutiny of 300 men. In the wake of this failed effort, rumors circulated that Clark had been drinking heavily during the campaign. Incensed, he demanded that an official inquiry be made to repudiate these rumors. This request was declined by the Virginia government and he was instead rebuked for his actions. Final Years Departing Kentucky, Clark settled in Indiana near present-day Clarksville. Following his move, he was plagued by financial difficulties as he had financed many of his military campaigns with loans. Though he sought reimbursement from Virginia and the federal government, his claims were declined because insufficient records existed to substantiate his claims. For his wartime services Clark had been awarded large land grants, many of which he was ultimately forced to transfer to family and friends to prevent seizure by his creditors. With few remaining options, Clark offered his services to Edmond-Charles Genà ªt, the ambassador of revolutionary France, in February 1793. Appointed a major general by Genà ªt, he was ordered to form an expedition for drive the Spanish from the Mississippi Valley. After personally financing the expeditions supplies, Clark was forced to abandon the effort in 1794 when President George Washington forbade American citizens from violating the nations neutrality. Aware of Clarks plans, he threatened to dispatch US troops under Major General Anthony Wayne to block it. With little choice but to abandon the mission, Clark returned to Indiana where his creditors deprived him of all but a small plot of land. For remainder of his life, Clark spent much of his time operating a gristmill. Suffering a severe stroke in 1809, he fell into a fire and badly burned his leg necessitating its amputation. Unable to care for himself, he moved in with his brother-in-law, Major William Croghan, who was a planter near Louisville, KY. In 1812, Virginia finally recognized Clarks services during the war and granted him a pension and ceremonial sword. On February 13, 1818, Clark suffered another stroke and died. Initially buried at Locus Grove Cemetery, Clarks body and those of his family were moved to Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville in 1869.