Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Lance Armstrong essays

Lance Armstrong essays Its mid summer, a steamy 80-100 degrees farenheit, 15-35 mile per hour winds blow across the flatlands and mountains of one of the worlds most beautiful countries, France. 189 men, riding $5000 bicycles embark on a journey which will cover the flat lands of the north, and the treacherous mountain passes of the Pyrenean and Alpine mountain ranges of the south, totaling 3282 kilometers with only 2 rest days, each stage averaging 164 kilometers, for 22 days the race will be shaped by crashes, attacks, clash of wills and the struggle to be #1. For many, the race started on July 6 2002. But for one man, the race for his life began in the fall of 1996. A talented young racer, Lance Armstrong, was coming into form after winning the world championships and having his first taste of success in The Tour de France by winning stage 18. By October, the racing season was winding down and Lance was preparing for 5-7 hour days he would spend on the bike during the winter. Little did he know that his body was being destroyed by a ravenous disease which spreads like a wild fire, Cancer. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer and his malignant testical was removed in a few days. Doctors then discovered, that due to the stages in which his cancer was in, it had spread to his lungs and his brain. Within 2 weeks, Lance had gone through brain surgery, testicular surgery, and was given a 50-50 chance of having a full recovery, which doctors later told him was extremely optimistic, realistically Lance had about a %20 chance of fully recovering. He underwent the strongest forms of chemotherapy which broke down all the fitness he had worked fo r, but he remained optimistic and after results were being seen he had dreams of returning to the sport he loved. 5 months after his diagnoses, Lance was back on his bike. Lances dedication was like never before, nearly 15lbs lighter than his pre-cancer form, he began to work on his mountain climbin...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Text Message Scams

Text Message Scams The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning of a dangerous new breed of identity theft scams known as â€Å"smishing.† Similar to â€Å"phishing† scams - authentic-looking emails that appear to be from the victim’s bank, government agencies, or other well-known organizations - â€Å"smishing† scams are text messages sent to mobile phones. While the risks of smishing scams are potentially devastating, the defense is simple. According to the FTC, â€Å"Just dont text back.† How the Scammer Sets the Trap The scarily convincing smishing scams work like this: You get an unexpected text message appearing to be from your bank informing you that your checking account has been hacked into and deactivated â€Å"for your protection.† The message will tell you to reply or text back in order to reactivate your account. Other smishing scam text messages may include a link to a website you need to visit in order to resolve some non-existent problem. What a Smishing Scam  Text Message Might Look Like Here is an example of one of the scam texts: â€Å"User #25384: Your Gmail profile has been compromised. Text back SENDNOW in order to reactivate your account.† What’s the Worst That Can Happen? Do not respond to suspicious or unsolicited  text messages, advises the FTC, warning that at least two bad things might happen if you do: Responding to the text message can allow malware to be installed that will silently collect personal information from your phone. Imagine what an identity thief could do with the information from an online banking or credit card management app. If they don’t use your information themselves, the spammers may sell it to marketers or other identity thieves.You might end up with unwanted charges on your cell phone bill. Depending on your service plan, you may be charged for sending and receiving text messages, even scams. Yes, Unsolicited Text Messages Are Illegal Under federal law, it is illegal to send unsolicited text messages or email to mobile devices, including cell phones and pagers without the owner’s permission. In addition, sending unsolicited text or voice mail or telemarketing messages using a mass auto-dialer, so-called â€Å"robocalls,† is illegal. But There Are Exceptions to the Law In some cases, unsolicited text messages are allowed. If you have established a relationship with a company, it may legally text you things like statements, account activity alerts, warranty information or special offers. In addition, schools are allowed to text informational or emergency messages to parents and students.Political surveys and fundraising messages from charities may be sent as text messages. How to Deal With Smishing Scam Messages The FTC advises not to be fooled by smishing scam texts messages. Remember this: None of the government agencies, banks, or other legitimate businesses will ever request personal financial information via text messages.Take your time. Smishing scams work by creating a false sense of urgency by demanding an immediate response.Never click on any links or call any phone numbers in an unsolicited text or email messages.Don’t respond in any way to smishing messages, even to ask the sender to leave you alone. Responding verifies that your phone number is active, which tells the scammer to keep trying.Delete the message from your phone.Report the suspect message to your cell phone service carriers spam/scam text reporting number or general customer service number. Complaints about text message scams can be filed securely online using the FTC’s  complaint assistant.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Analysis of Nonobjective Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of Nonobjective Art - Essay Example I. Introduction It is possible to use literal, design, and expressive qualities to guide one’s analysis of works such as Wassily Kandinsky’s painting Several Circles. Afterwards, a reflection on the analysis of nonobjective works will be provided, describing how this process differs from analyzing figurative or representational artwork. II. Literal Qualities Kandinsky used the circle because he thought it represented various concepts, including peace, wholeness, and perfection. He epitomized the form of the circle in this sense, his work being like a form of visual poetry. â€Å"The use of the circle occurs†¦in [several] variations†¦in Kandinsky's work†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 1 In effect, the use of circles is effective, especially because of the pleasing aesthetic placement of circles of various colors. For example, primary colors red and yellow are used with the secondary color orange in the same general perimeter. In addition, the primary color blue is used effective ly because it is close to the secondary colors green and purple. The literal qualities of the work include strong usages of primary and secondary colors to convey various effects. III. Design Qualities The circle as design was considered to be an epic and most complete shape out of all of the shapes available one could work with, in turn.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Describe how competition and total quality are affecting Essay

Describe how competition and total quality are affecting organizational behavior - Essay Example On the other hand, it may be very useful in improving interaction of people who are located at far distances (French, 2011). Competition is usually evident in the conduction of an activity with potential benefit to the winner. In spite of it being aimed at increasing employees motivation in his/her work, it can lead to rivalry and jealousy between the competitors. When such issues arise, they reduce the interaction and bond between the employees. This usually have adverse effects on the overall performance of the organization especially in assignment required combined effort from the employees for success to be achieved. There is significant change in organization from past to the current situation. One of the aspects that have changed completely is that of culture integration. In the past, there was no much integration of employees from different cultures. This bonded the employees together and made it easier to manage organization behavior. Currently, many organization embrace multicultural practices, which are not totally accepted by some people. This poses a challenge in managing the organization behavior. Moreover, the mode of governance of organizations has changed from dictatorship to dictatorship with good interaction with employees. Thus in order to manage organizational behavior effectively, the leaders should be flexible and dynamic (Pilati & Tosi,

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Article Critique Genetically Modified Food Essay Example for Free

Article Critique Genetically Modified Food Essay The article by Amin, Jahi and Nor was conducted in Malaysia to find out the stakeholders attitude to genetically modified foods and medicine (1). In particular, the investigators were interested to know the attitude towards GM insulin/medicine, GM palm oil and GM soybean. They designed the study as a survey with 1017 respondents. They found that the Malaysian stakeholders are cautious about the genetically modified foods. They agreed that genetically modified foods have perceived benefits but at the same time they were concerned about the moral aspects and risks associated with the GM Foods. A closer analysis revealed difference stakeholders attitudes towards GM foods. Title The title â€Å"stakeholders attitude to genetically modified foods and medicine† was precise and clearly thought out. Readers are well informed of what to expect as they engage with the study findings. However, the title missed on the study area. A good title must inform readers where the study is conducted. Abstract The researchers adopted non structure abstract. They were able to point out the background leading to the study, the purpose of survey, research approaches they used trough the study and the findings. With regard to this they managed to give a brief overview of the research Jones 2 and further letting readers know what their study entailed and what they found out. A structured abstract would have been more desirable as it enlists each of the study sections. However, depending with the journal requirements and authors’ interests they preferred non structured abstract to one that is structured. Purpose of the Study The investigators clearly pointed out the aim of the study. They assessed and compared the attitudes of the Malaysian stakeholders living in the Klang Valley towards genetically modified insulin, palm oil and soybeans. This was influenced by the findings from the other studies. For instance, other studies revealed that the advancement in technology led to increased production of GM Foods. In addition, they found that biotechnology is one of the five major technologies that are planned to speed industrialization in Malaysia. However, owing to the divisive debate on genetically modified foods, the researchers saw the need for this study. Therefore, it has clear cut intent of telling where Malaysians attitudes leans and what measures should be put in place to better their attitude. Research Approaches The investigators adopted a well defined research approach. They designed the study as a survey which was conducted from June, 2004 to February, 2005. The sample size was 107 respondents above 18 years. They were selected through stratification sampling which enabled the generalization of the findings and minimized biased that could result from sample selection. In addition, they collected the data through administering questionnaire and ensured that reliability and validity of the study are all accounted for. However, the researchers did not tell the readers how they met the ethical principles, especially principles of ethics of beneficence and Jones 3 justice. They didn’t point out whether they consulted any ethical institution or whether they sought consent before recruiting the respondents. Results The study findings were consistent with the objective. The findings centered on six dimensions of the stakeholders attitudes including moral concerns, perceived benefits, familiarity, encouragement, risk acceptance and perceived risks. From the findings it was clear that majority of the stakeholders were not familiar with the three GM products. It was more surprising when the findings indicated that biology students were more familiar with the GM palm oil and GM soybeans than religious scholars. The findings further established that stakeholders are moderately concerned with the moral aspects of the GM products, moderately perceive the products as risky and moderately perceive the GM products as beneficial. All the same they encouraged the use of the three products, with most stakeholders supportive of GM palm oil. These findings were consistent with the other studies. For instance, in China, study by Zhang et al. (19) indicated that consumers were not familiar with GM products yet domestic consumption of GM soybeans was about 18% of the interviewees that were consuming soybeans. In addition, the findings were consistent with earlier studies by ISAAA-UIUC (14-15) which found that Asians accept GM foods but at the same acknowledge the risks they pose to health. Based on these consistencies, the study met the rigor of trustworthiness, applicability and reliability. The conclusions were drawn from the study. The investigators concluded that the Malaysian stakeholders’ attitude on GM products was cautious. Indeed, this is in tandem with the findings that the stakeholders moderately perceive the GM products as both beneficial and Jones 4 detrimental to health. In addition the implications of the study were reported in the conclusion. They noted that the biotechnologists should assess the moral aspects, risks and benefits of the GM foods and thereafter engage the public on acceptance of the products before considering commercialization of the products. However, the researcher failed to point out the limitations of the study as well as the areas that need further research. Work Cited Amin, Latifah; Jahi, Jamaluddin and Nor Abd. â€Å"Stakeholders attitude to GM foods and medicine. The Scientific World Journal. 2013. Jones 5 International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC), â€Å"The social and cultural dimensions of agricultural biotechnology in Southeast Asia: public understanding, perceptions, and attitudes towards biotechnology in Phillipines†. ISAAA. Publications. Zhang, Xi; Huang, Jin; Qiu, Ha and Huang, Zheng. â€Å"A consumer segmentation study with regards to genetically modified food in urban China†. Food Policy. 35:5. 2010.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Southern Comfort :: essays papers

Southern Comfort Visual communications I We are shaped by the world around us, all we experience in life determines our way of thinking and ultimately defines who we are. This essay will show how the film "southern comfort" demonstrates this and how perception is affected by our surrounding and our experiences. The commanding officer of team Bravo because of his service and Discharge in the Vietnam war gave him the leadership qualities the would have been a great help later in the film,. He , while he was alive, displayed some bitterness at the fact that he was in the national guard and not fighting in the war, that he cast aside to and now had to lead a bunch of misfits in routine training exercises he believed would never put to good use. The fact that he Allowed his men to steal canoes from locals displays his weariness of the service because no normal commanding officer would allow such acts within the US Reese was decidedly the proverbial rebel without a cause. He displayed an apathetic attitude since he was a new addition to the national guard in the state of Louisiana. His unpleasant past experiences in the Texas national guard lead him to believe it would be no different in this unit and so became the stereotypical rebel without a cause.Interacting with the others "troops" when spoken to and never in a receptive fashion. So it is not surprising that when faced in that combat situation he did not volunteer his opinion of impose his will on the other troops unless the situation was critical to their survival. Stuckie, otherwise know as the village idiot in any other environment, did not present any maturity to any one, the fact that he pointed an armed weapon and fired it at a fellow officer despite using blanks demonstrated that fact quite clearly. He viewed everthing as a joke and took nothing seriously especially Firearms and by his actions, shooting on the Cajuns with blanks, put Bravo team in jeopardy. If it were not for his immaturity and shear stupidity, bravo may have been spared however there wouldn't be much of a movie either. Cultural differences also contribute a a persons personality. The black officer was a reminder of that in addition to be a token black character so that African Americans who viewed this movie could identify with it. Southern Comfort :: essays papers Southern Comfort Visual communications I We are shaped by the world around us, all we experience in life determines our way of thinking and ultimately defines who we are. This essay will show how the film "southern comfort" demonstrates this and how perception is affected by our surrounding and our experiences. The commanding officer of team Bravo because of his service and Discharge in the Vietnam war gave him the leadership qualities the would have been a great help later in the film,. He , while he was alive, displayed some bitterness at the fact that he was in the national guard and not fighting in the war, that he cast aside to and now had to lead a bunch of misfits in routine training exercises he believed would never put to good use. The fact that he Allowed his men to steal canoes from locals displays his weariness of the service because no normal commanding officer would allow such acts within the US Reese was decidedly the proverbial rebel without a cause. He displayed an apathetic attitude since he was a new addition to the national guard in the state of Louisiana. His unpleasant past experiences in the Texas national guard lead him to believe it would be no different in this unit and so became the stereotypical rebel without a cause.Interacting with the others "troops" when spoken to and never in a receptive fashion. So it is not surprising that when faced in that combat situation he did not volunteer his opinion of impose his will on the other troops unless the situation was critical to their survival. Stuckie, otherwise know as the village idiot in any other environment, did not present any maturity to any one, the fact that he pointed an armed weapon and fired it at a fellow officer despite using blanks demonstrated that fact quite clearly. He viewed everthing as a joke and took nothing seriously especially Firearms and by his actions, shooting on the Cajuns with blanks, put Bravo team in jeopardy. If it were not for his immaturity and shear stupidity, bravo may have been spared however there wouldn't be much of a movie either. Cultural differences also contribute a a persons personality. The black officer was a reminder of that in addition to be a token black character so that African Americans who viewed this movie could identify with it.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Bridge Analysis

The overall goal in completing this project of bridge analyses was to come up with a framework or model of a bridge that is structured in order to meet supreme standards of practicable performance and fortitude. In realizing this goal, in depth research was completed analyzing preceding bridge contests in order to determine which style of bridge withstood numerous tests and has exhibited the best results in terms of its achieving quality of standards.The results of the research study and bridge analysis revealed that the W-shape style of bridge is the most stable and highly favorable model or structure, considering concepts regarding the true truss formation. The design of the W-shape truss enables the walls of the test jig to endure the bridge’s load. Summary Several tests were conducted in order to finalize the design of the W-shape style, including the integration of matching members of the same dimensions, and subsequently the use of three trusses. However, both tests fail ed the standards set regarding member sizes and considerations of geometrical dimensions.In the end, the most favorable conditions were exhibited by the W-shape style designed with two trusses. The Performance Rating and the weight of Load at Failure were obtained from comprehensive analysis of bridges in preceding contests. The former was utilized in order to come up with rough calculations predicting what the Load at Failure will be, while the latter was concluded based on factual evidences that prove how the Performance Rating of the bridge is influenced by the dimensions and figures of the members.The Performance Rating is adjusted by keeping in mind that cross-sectional areas should be proportional to the load to be carried. Interpretations Several trials were conducted in order to test the influence of the main compression members and the member cross-sections to the stability of the bridge. The first trial instituted a bridge design with two main compression members and a cro ss-sectional area with dimensions equal to 8Ãâ€"20 mm. Three brace supports were integrated into the design.The results of the first trial have revealed how the number of brace supports influenced the internal forces acting on the main compression members. To determine how the stability of the bridge is to be maintained while decreasing the load or weight, the reduction of the number of cross-sectional area of the main compression members was conducted. The second trial integrated the addition of bracing members, which changed the displacement values and axial compression on the main compression members.After several trials, putting into consideration the dimensions and figures of the main compression members, the number of brace supports, and the dimensions of the cross-sectional areas in order to decrease the internal forces acting on the main compression members, the reduction of displacement values and axial compression acting on the main compression members, the decrease of th e load or weight, and the sustenance of stability and fortitude of the bridge, the final design constituted main compression members with cross-sections of dimensions that are equal to 8 x 20 mm up to 6 x 10 mm.Conclusion Information obtained from in depth analysis of the results, the final dimensions and structure of the W-bridge, the results of the calculations that will be found at the end of this text utilizing the S-Frame, the bridge is able to withstand increased weight of load in contrast to the results of the calculations obtained through the S-Frame framework.Discrepancies between the result of the trials and calculations, the ideal structure of the bridge, and the actual structure of the bridge, were caused by the inability to follow the supposed dimensions of the members and the location of the forces that are intended to act on the members. The actual design of the bridge, slightly differing from the ideal dimensions and specifications presented on the first table are il lustrated below. Estimated Weight of the Bridge 1 stick – approximately 1 g. 35g.– support 8g. – cross bracing 18g – angled bracings & centre brace 35g – side tension members 85 g – main compression members SUM: 181g (sticks) Weight of Glue Used: approximately 20g or more Weight of Sticks and Glue Combined: approximately 201g or more Estimated Performance Rating & Load Failure Weight of Bridge 201 g. or 0. 443 lbs. Load at Failure 1672 lbs. or 7. 5 KN Performance Rating 3800 lbs/lb Performance Rating = Load at Failure (lbs) = 1672 lbs. = 3774 lbs. Weight of Bridge (lbs) 0. 443 lbs.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Personal statement for MSA Essay

If to use a single word describing myself, I would say, â€Å"integrity’, which means a mixture of various qualities and views from different cultures and working experiences. My hometown, **, which was a harbor and now the booming coastal metropolis, brought me a grant view of how fast the speed of globalization is. Meanwhile, the dramatic economic growth of the city enlightened me for seeking and digging qualities that would match its future. As a result, I went to the other hemisphere of the world, United States, which was described as the most developed country, to ursue my Bachelor’s degree in business finance. Through the Joyful college life with diligent study in coursework and a verity of academic club taking, on a sunny day, Aug 28th, 2011, I obtained my Bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University with Magna Cum Laude. Moreover, my 3. 86 specialization GPA makes me a competitive individual among my schoolmates. Seeking a Job is not a fun thing, especially for a recent graduate and in the economic downturn, though, I still keep myself with the optimistic attitude and enough confidence in this whole process. Before my first official Job was offered, I gathered a erious of experiences from different positions: work as a part-time tax processor in a credited accounting firm, ***as a par-time bookkeeper in an entertainment company, Prime Social Group; and, even work as a sales associate in the subsidy of Gap, Inc, Old Navvy. These experiences, which supposed not decent enough for an honor graduate, told me how hard life could be, and made me more perseverant. After scatted out hundreds of my resume, and Joined tens something interview, I got my first official Job offer: financial analyst in ***, a healthcare financial consulting firm. My frank peers introduced me with some models and methodologies the company uses for a number of hospitals and nursing homes. Though some of the analysis sounds hard at the first glance, I still believe my personal qualities and skills, for example, I am a profound thinker that is knowledgeable of computer language Access SQL and Excel, could help me to conquer them. I penetrated myself in calculating and analyzing those Key Performance Indexes and valuation models. After I submitted my first report, though it’s not perfect, my supervisor, ***, comment this as,† It’s amazing or a recent graduate with little analysis experiences to create the model and fgure such a lot of crucial points out†. Besides, even the principle of the team,***, who used to be a professor in ***, appreciated my work ethic. Those words did stimulate me for a while. Experiences in ** extended my view of what consulting firms could help for clients. Consulting are not limit in investment finance taking care of stocks and bonds, IPO issuing, etc, more than that, lots of consulting firms are doing analysis on a corporate base, thus, much accounting knowledge involved. I also remember Andrew said to me wou d be essential tor getting a senior level position in financial consulting firm, and, a Master of Accounting would be a plus.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Gender and Crime essays

Gender and Crime essays Crime and Gender: Does the punishment fit? Before the jury stands the defendant. There is overwhelming evidence in the favor of the prosecution. The verdict comes back from the jury, not guilty. Why? The defendant is a woman. In our era of equal rights and civil liberties women have made great strides in their advancement and role in society, yet it seems that gender segregates when it comes to crime. There have been countless cases where women and men have been tried for the same crime, yet when it comes to verdict and sentencing, the results dont necessarily match. If one commits a crime one should be punished accordingly regardless of gender. In our society we seem to have two separate rules for our criminals, one for men and one for women. The key issue is are men and women treated equally by the criminal justice system. Another issue in gender biased sentencing is in its is its severity. Are women sentenced heavier for certain crimes then men. From the start women who commit violent crimes are all ready in the spot-light. Society has grown quite accustomed to viewing the womens role in violent crimes as that of the victim. When the women is a violator it incites a gross media fascination as a novelty. Convicted women gain more notoriety then men who are found guilty of committing the same crime. In certain cases like Amy Fisher, Loren Bobbit and most recently Louise Woodward the media celebrate the violence of women. If it had been a man who shot his lovers mate in the head or slashed and dismembered their spouse or shook a baby to death things would be different. The media would not give as in depth of coverage to the trial and sentencing would be of a longer time. The media escalates these women to such extremes due to the fact that there are so few women who are tried for criminally violent acts. Society tends to be more sympathet ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Thanksgivings History and FDRs Involvement

Thanksgiving's History and FDR's Involvement U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had a lot to think about in 1939. The world had been suffering from the Great Depression for a decade and the Second World War had just erupted in Europe. On top of that, the U.S. economy continued to look bleak. So when U.S. retailers begged him to move Thanksgiving up a week to increase the shopping days before Christmas, FDR agreed. He probably considered it a small change; however, when FDR issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation with the new date, there was an uproar throughout the country. The First Thanksgiving As most schoolchildren know, the history of Thanksgiving began when Pilgrims and Native Americans gathered together to celebrate a successful harvest. The first Thanksgiving was held in the fall of 1621, sometime between September 21 and November 11, and was a three-day feast. The Pilgrims were joined by approximately ninety of the local Wampanoag tribe, including Chief Massasoit, in celebration. They ate fowl and deer for certain and most likely also ate berries, fish, clams, plums, and boiled pumpkin. Sporadic Thanksgivings Though the current holiday of Thanksgiving was based on the 1621 feast, it did not immediately become an annual celebration or holiday. Sporadic days of Thanksgiving followed, usually declared locally to give thanks for a specific event such as the end of a drought, victory in a specific battle, or after a harvest. It wasnt until October 1777 that all thirteen colonies celebrated a day of Thanksgiving. The very first national day of Thanksgiving was held in 1789, when President George Washington proclaimed Thursday, November 26 to be a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to especially give thanks for the opportunity to form a new nation and the establishment of a new constitution. Yet even after a national day of Thanksgiving was declared in 1789, Thanksgiving was not an annual celebration. Mother of Thanksgiving We owe the modern concept of Thanksgiving to a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale. Hale, editor of Godeys Ladys Book and author of the famous Mary Had a Little Lamb nursery rhyme, spent forty years advocating for a national, annual Thanksgiving holiday. In the years leading up to the Civil War, she saw the holiday as a way to infuse hope and belief in the nation and the Constitution. So, when the United States was torn in half during the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln was searching for a way to bring the nation together, he discussed the matter with Hale. Lincoln Sets Date On October 3, 1863, Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation that declared the last Thursday in November (based on Washingtons date) to be a day of thanksgiving and praise. For the first time, Thanksgiving became a national, annual holiday with a specific date. FDR Changes It For seventy-five years after Lincoln issued his Thanksgiving Proclamation, succeeding presidents honored the tradition and annually issued their own Thanksgiving Proclamation, declaring the last Thursday in November as the day of Thanksgiving. However, in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt did not. In 1939, the last Thursday of November was going to be November 30. Retailers complained to FDR that this only left twenty-four shopping days to Christmas and begged him to push Thanksgiving just one week earlier. It was determined that most people do their Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving and retailers hoped that with an extra week of shopping, people would buy more. So when FDR announced his Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1939, he declared the date of Thanksgiving to be Thursday, November 23, the second-to-last Thursday of the month. Controversy The new date for Thanksgiving caused a lot of confusion. Calendars were now incorrect. Schools who had planned vacations and tests now had to reschedule. Thanksgiving had been a big day for football games, as it is today, so the game schedule had to be examined. Political opponents of FDR and many others questioned the Presidents right to change the holiday and stressed the breaking of precedent and disregard for tradition. Many believed that changing a cherished holiday just to appease businesses was not a sufficient reason for a change. Atlantic Citys mayor derogatorily called November 23 as Franksgiving. Two Thanksgivings in 1939? Before 1939, the President annually announced his Thanksgiving Proclamation and then governors followed the President in officially proclaiming the same day as Thanksgiving for their state. In 1939, however, many governors did not agree with FDRs decision to change the date and thus refused to follow him. The country became split on which Thanksgiving day they should observe. Twenty-three states followed FDRs change and declared Thanksgiving to be November 23. Twenty-three other states disagreed with FDR and kept the traditional date for Thanksgiving, November 30. Two states, Colorado and Texas, decided to honor both dates. This idea of two Thanksgiving days split some families  because not everyone had the same day off work. Did It Work? Though the confusion caused many frustrations across the country, the question remained as to whether the extended holiday shopping season caused people to spend more, thus helping the economy. The answer was no. Businesses reported that the spending was approximately the same, but the distribution of the shopping was changed. For those states who celebrated the earlier Thanksgiving date, the shopping was evenly distributed throughout the season. For those states that kept the traditional date, businesses experienced a bulk of shopping in the last week before Christmas. What Happened to Thanksgiving the Following Year? In 1940, FDR again announced Thanksgiving to be the second-to-last Thursday of the month. This time, thirty-one states followed him with the earlier date and seventeen kept the traditional date. Confusion over two Thanksgivings continued. Congress Fixes It Lincoln had established the Thanksgiving holiday to bring the country together, but the confusion over the date change was tearing it apart. On December 26, 1941, Congress passed a law declaring that Thanksgiving would occur every year on the fourth Thursday of November.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Source Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Source Evaluation - Essay Example Essentials of Strategic Management is a comprehensive summary of the book Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach written by the same authors. The book follows a structure that is also used in the larger version in order to assist learners in the identification and the emphasis of key concepts in more concise and updated ways. The presentation of text in this book is founded on real world practices as well as contemporary thinking and features an increased importance on the concept of business models as a manner of perceiving the issues of competitive advantage. The book also features progressive research, a newer strategic management theory as well as a hand-on approach that allows the reader to explore the main themes in management such as corporate performance, technology as well as business ethics among others. Additionally, it also it also includes a high quality case program that examines companies of different sizes domestically and globally so that readers may achieve an experience as they put chapter concepts into practical events in a number of occurrences. Charles Hill and Gareth Jones consider Wal-Mart’s business model as being based on purchasing goods from suppliers at the lowest rates possible and then reselling the same products to its customers at profitable prices that are as low as possible (120). The company has come up with strategies that have enabled it to position in a manner that keeps operating costs at the minimum in order to ensure that customers get the lowest prices on a daily basis with continuous price rollbacks. From inception, the company has been using strategies that increase its efficiency in various ways including ensuring low product differentiation as well as targeting mass markets. Wal-Mart’s business model that is based on discounts for its retail customers is founded on the idea that low costs will result in lower prices. After identify ways of