Labor Demand Essays - Marginal Concepts, Production Economics

Labor Demand In light of the limits that have been placed on this answer I will only focus my comments on the demand for labor and on the other hand the supply of labor. First the demand for labor. This is to me by far the most interesting aspect of the course. Labor demand is derived from the firms desire to maximize profits. This is a basic assumption of labor demand. Will the firms continually try to make changes that will improve the profitability of the firm? We assume that yes they will. Firms are basically price takers. Now their main decision is what quantity of their product to produce. This is because as they hire more people they basically increase output so the decision hire more people and the decision to produce more are basically the same decision. The optimal output will equate marginal revenue with marginal cost. Marginal revenue is the product price in a purely competitive market. Marginal cost is therefore the cost to produce that unit. MPl is the change in output of the firm. What happens when a firm decides to produce more? They must hire more labor assuming that capital remains constant. If a firm could continuously hire more peole and increase their MRP then we would live in a utopian society with no unemployment and peace and happiness everywhere. But alas we live in a world with diminishing returns and as the firm highers more people it reaches a pont where each new person costs a little more when compared with their output then the person hired before them. A good example of this is digging a hole 4 feet by 8feet by 6feet . One person would do it in about half the time that two people could do it. But three people would not do it in one third of the time. This loss in efficiency is what I am talking about. In fact soon you couldn't fit all of he people into the hole and it would be so cramped that it would atually take longer to finish the hole. If this happened then they would have a negative marginal product of labor. So the firm should keep hiring people until its marginal revenue product exceeds its marginal expense. But can they get people to come to their camp? Some time scarcity in the labor force pushes the wage ratre up and this increases the marginal expense this will shift the employment level and reduce the amount that the firm is willing to hire unless at the same time marginal revenue product goes up. This will have the opposite effect and keep employment up. But under most circumstances one of these moves more than the other and a new equilibrium is found. What this can really be used for in my personal life is the determination of wages. Before this class I had no idea how I would decide how may people to hire. Now I know that if I hire two people for 10 dollars per hour then they had better be adding at least x*$10 per hour to my company. What a bonus it was to end up taking your class and have something that I can immediatley put to use in the ?real world?. Now I will comment on the supply of labor. A lot of this is intuitive. I understood it without knowing why or how. It just feels right. If the salries for all markets except one are held constant and that markets average wage increases then we should see a rise in the supply of people willing to be secretaries. What I find intersting about this is that this increase in the supply of secretaries should lower the amount of money that the employer is willing to pay. What stabilizes higer wages are other factors. Such as the cost of training and finding new employees just to name a couple. Sometimes the labor supply will decrese while the demand for labor increases this will result in magnified wage increases. This is because the firms in that market have to compete more ferociously for labor and since demand for their product is high they are willing to Labor Demand Essays - Marginal Concepts, Production Economics Labor Demand In light of the limits that have been placed on this answer I will only focus my comments on the demand for labor and on the other hand the supply of labor. First the demand for labor. This is to me by far the most interesting aspect of the course. Labor demand is derived from the firms desire to maximize profits. This is a basic assumption of labor demand. Will the firms continually try to make changes that will improve the profitability of the firm? We assume that yes they will. Firms are basically price takers. Now their main decision is what quantity of their product to produce. This is because as they hire more people they basically increase output so the decision hire more people and the decision to produce more are basically the same decision. The optimal output will equate marginal revenue with marginal cost. Marginal revenue is the product price in a purely competitive market. Marginal cost is therefore the cost to produce that unit. MPl is the change in output of the firm. What happens when a firm decides to produce more? They must hire more labor assuming that capital remains constant. If a firm could continuously hire more peole and increase their MRP then we would live in a utopian society with no unemployment and peace and happiness everywhere. But alas we live in a world with diminishing returns and as the firm highers more people it reaches a pont where each new person costs a little more when compared with their output then the person hired before them. A good example of this is digging a hole 4 feet by 8feet by 6feet . One person would do it in about half the time that two people could do it. But three people would not do it in one third of the time. This loss in efficiency is what I am talking about. In fact soon you couldn't fit all of he people into the hole and it would be so cramped that it would atually take longer to finish the hole. If this happened then they would have a negative marginal product of labor. So the firm should keep hiring people until its marginal revenue product exceeds its marginal expense. But can they get people to come to their camp? Some time scarcity in the labor force pushes the wage ratre up and this increases the marginal expense this will shift the employment level and reduce the amount that the firm is willing to hire unless at the same time marginal revenue product goes up. This will have the opposite effect and keep employment up. But under most circumstances one of these moves more than the other and a new equilibrium is found. What this can really be used for in my personal life is the determination of wages. Before this class I had no idea how I would decide how may people to hire. Now I know that if I hire two people for 10 dollars per hour then they had better be adding at least x*$10 per hour to my company. What a bonus it was to end up taking your class and have something that I can immediatley put to use in the ?real world?. Now I will comment on the supply of labor. A lot of this is intuitive. I understood it without knowing why or how. It just feels right. If the salries for all markets except one are held constant and that markets average wage increases then we should see a rise in the supply of people willing to be secretaries. What I find intersting about this is that this increase in the supply of secretaries should lower the amount of money that the employer is willing to pay. What stabilizes higer wages are other factors. Such as the cost of training and finding new employees just to name a couple. Sometimes the labor supply will decrese while the demand for labor increases this will result in magnified wage increases. This is because the firms in that market have to compete more ferociously for labor and since demand for their product is high they are willing to

Weapons in WW1 essays

Weapons in WW1 essays I chose the topic on weapons in the war because I thought it would be interesting learning about the weapons that people used in war. The most popular weapon used in war was probably the machine gun. Weapons were the most important things for the war. If they didn't have weapons, maybe there wouldn't even have been a war. Many weapons were even created during the war. The first tank to enter the war was owned by the Austrians. It was produced so there was a way to cross no-man's-land. The reason I picked the photographs that I did is that I thought the guns and armory were a very important part of the war. The Mills Bomb was a grenade that was thrown. But later in the war it was modified and put on a steel rod and fired as a rifle grenade. The Amiens Gun was produced to be put on the railroad and was usually used to take out towns. The Lewis Machine Gun was the most popular machine gun in the war. It was gas-operated and air-cooled. This weapon is rumored to have shot down the well-known fighter plane, the Red Baron. The Tank in the war was mainly produced to cross rough lands and an area called no-man's-land. They were underpowered and their tracks couldn't support the weight of the tank in mud. These weapons played major roles in the destruction of every country in the war. As I have been doing my research I noticed that the Central powers invented most of the new weapons during the war. I have learnt that World War I was a gruesome battle in which many lives were lost. 1. Internet Address. iol.com.au/~conway/ww1/weapons.html 2. World Book Encyclopedia. Version 21, 1981. ...

5 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

5 questions - Essay Example Next to cell migration is cell differentiation that begins with gene expression, wherein previously dormant genes undergo activation, and which ends up with the cell producing a certain protein. Neuroblasts, at this point, turn into particular types of neurons. After cell differentiation is cell maturation, which happens 20 weeks after conception and continues after birth. It takes place through dendritic and axonal growth. Maturing neurons build dendrites to give surface area for synapses with other cells and to expand their axons to proper targets, which will launch synapse formation. Axonal growth relies on a particular process, which begins with the growth cone at the end of the axon. As these growth cones branch out, they create shoots or filopodia that, after they reach certain targets, other filopodia follow them. Next to cell maturation is synaptogenesis, or the creation of synaptic connections. Synapses reach 1014 or 100,000 trillion. After synaptogenesis is cell death and synaptic pruning. The brain chisels out unneeded neurons and prunes synapses. Neural Darwinism explains that the brain removes excess neurons through competition among them. Neurons die because target cells create neurotrophic factors that axon terminals absorb and which create messages that seem to tell some neurons to die in a programmed process called apoptosis. The last stage of brain development is myelogenesis or production of myelin. Myelination demonstrates cerebral maturation. Light energy travels through the pupil and into the light-sensitive surface of the eye called the retina. This activates the photoreceptor cells on the retina, which results to the creation of people’s visual worlds. The photoreceptor cells and neurons generate visual precision and enable people to see different colors, including dimness and brightness. Photoreceptors change light energy to chemical energy, which activates neural

Free Speech Coalition Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Free Speech Coalition - Case Study Example The government’s side argued that the law needed to prohibit virtual imaging of child pornography to protect minors from paedophiles. One of the rules under the First Amendment provides that a whole artistic work cannot be merited on the basis of one sexually explicit view. Accordingly, the work should be judged as a whole to determine its value. Essentially, pornography can only be prescribed if it is obscene and if it uses real children. In this case, therefore, the ban by the CPPA was invalid, since it barred the use of images that were neither obscene nor used actual children. In Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition 535 U.S. 2d, 403 (2002), the court held that the rights of adults access such speech could not be withdrawn in order to protect minors from such speech. The use of the phrases â€Å"appears to be† and â€Å"conveys the impression† is relative and depends on the interpretation of the court. The work of art must contain obscene content in speech presentation, for it to be banned. Considering Ferber’s standard, a ban on child pornography can only be upheld if production and sale of artistic work were â€Å"intrinsically related† to child abuse, by causing harm to the victim and leading to crime. Therefore, if a work of art causes harm to a child by making them prone to sexual acts, such a work will be banned, See id. at 13. The Supreme Court also overruled the argument advanced by the government stating that the ban on â€Å"virtual child pornography† was necessary to reduce cases of paedophiles seducing children. The standard for this ruling came from the First Amendment, Miller, and Ferber standards.

Canada's capital region report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Canada's capital region report - Essay Example This is a serious challenge facing the National Capital Commission in its attempt to increase Canadian’s perceptions of and visits to the National Capital Region (NCR). This report focused on the research that was conducted by Ipsos-Reid together with other lifestyle and demographic trends to help in identifying two important target markets. The research shows that the perception of the Canadians towards NCR is significantly better after a visit. The report analyzes the habits and preferences and proposes a combination of features of the National Capital Region be packaged for each market section. The report recommends a strategic approach that mainly concentrates on influencing visits by two identified market segments. These two target segments exhibit characteristics that make it possible to access them through combination of social media and outlets together with several well established groups that can become advocates for the cause. This approach will make it possible to reach a large number of positively pre-disposed sightseers and therefore helps in generating vital buzz around the National Canadian Region. As stated above, the primary role of NCC is marketing and communication plan aimed at ensuring that Canada’s Capital Region (CCR) remains a source of pride for all Canadians. In regards to the Ipsos-Reid research findings, the following valuable statement was developed. This statement serves as the backbone for guiding conceptual development, creative development and serving as a measure against which creative ideas can be evaluated. Every NCC efforts contribute to the brand value and equity of the capital. This requires the implementations of strategic alignment across the organization to make certain that each and every activity are focused towards developing the capital that will be a source of pride for every Canadian. The big question is therefore; apart from the communication and marketing plans, what are other strategies that NCC

Aerospace Engineering Career Paths

Aerospace Engineering Career Paths The reason why I chose Aerospace Engineering as the career I want to pursue would be because I am always interested in flight as a child and teen both aircraft and space travel. Some of my favorite toys and hobbies included model airplanes, model rocketry, paper airplanes, and Legos, which is basically the toy of future engineers. I started sketching out my own ideas for future air and spacecraft as well as reading books and magazines about military aircraft, airplane design and construction, space travel, aviation history, and the aerospace industry. Since about the seventh grade I really started to become more serious about this career path and find ways to get into different programs. I wanted to work on projects like those Id been reading about, and I never really wanted to do anything else except maybe architecture, civil engineering or aeronautical engineering. Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering behind the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is broken into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. The former deals with craft that stay within Earths atmosphere, and the latter deals with craft that operates outside of Earths atmosphere. Aerospace engineers are responsible for creating exceptional machines like airplanes which weigh more than half a million pounds to spacecraft, which travel at a speed of more than 17,000 miles/hour. They are in charge of designing, developing and testing aircraft, spacecraft and missile systems as well as supervising the manufacturing process of these products. Aeronautical Engineers are those aerospace engineers who deal with airplanes, while Astronautic engineers are engineers who deal specifically with spacecraft. Without engineers the world would lack structure and productivity, and as you look around you can see all the projects that engineers have played a role with. Technologies developed by aerospace engineers are used in aviation, defense, and space exploration and aerospace engineers may specialize in structural designing, guiding, navigating and controlling, instrumentation and communication, or production methodology. Technology like computer-aided design (CAD) software, robotics, laser and advanced electronic optics are used by them. Specialization in commercial transport, military fighter planes, helicopters, spacecraft, missile or rockets within the aerospace product is also possible. Aerospace engineers might also specialize in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanic systems, propulsion systems, acoustics, or guidance and control systems. Biography of Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (born August 5, 1930) is an American aviator and a former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, and United States Naval Aviator. He was the first person to set foot on the Moon. His first spaceflight was aboard Gemini 8 in 1966, for which he was the command pilot, becoming one of the first U.S. civilians to fly in space. On this mission, he performed the first manned docking of two spacecraft together with pilot David Scott. Armstrongs second and last spaceflight was as mission commander of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission on July 20, 1969. On this mission, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin descended to the lunar surface and spent 2ÂÂ ½ hours exploring while Michael Collins remained in orbit in the Command Module. Armstrong is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Before becoming an astronaut, Armstrong was in the United States Navy and saw action in the Korean War. After the war, he served as a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) High-Speed Flight Station, now known as the Dryden Flight Research Center, where he flew over 900 flights in a variety of aircraft. As a research pilot, Armstrong served as project pilot on the F-100 Super Sabre A and C aircraft, F-101 Voodoo, and the Lockheed F-104A Starfighter. He also flew the Bell X-1B, Bell X-5, North American X-15, F-105 Thunderchief, F-106 Delta Dart, B-47 Stratojet, KC-135 Stratotanker and Paresev. He graduated from Purdue University and the University of Southern California. Aerospace Engineering Feats 1) Moon Landing Moon landings can be classified as a manned, but when you mention the moon landing then most people think of the first manned landing on the moon when the Apollo 11 mission placed two astronauts (Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin) onto the surface when he said Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. I classified this as both aerospace and aeronautical engineering because first the space craft crosses through both hemispheres and I really cant decide on which career to pick because I love them both. 2) Concorde Between 1976 and 2003 the only way to fly transatlantic between London and New York (if you were lucky enough to be able to afford it) was by flying in Concorde- the worlds most successful supersonic passenger airline. Concorde was able to fly at an average speed of 1,330 mph and had a maximum cruise altitude of 60,000 feet making the flight time from London to New York only 3.5 hours long. The designers of Concorde had to pioneer and over come many engineering and technological challenges to make the airplane able to travel at such speeds and altitude. The aircraft enjoyed many successful years but was finally retired in 2003. A number of things coincided with the demise of Concorde, in part a change in the economic climate made the cost to fly transatlantic at supersonic speeds basically impossible, a crash of one of the Concorde fleet temporarily grounded the airplane and the design was showing signs of age approaching thirty years. Due to the lack of competition Conc orde didnt benefit from many upgrades over the years so the technology ended up being slightly dated. However, as dated as the engineering may have become over its lifecycle the fact remains that the concept of a supersonic commercial airline and the design that resulted from that concept hasnt been surpassed and one could say that technology and engineering has receded with Concordes demise as no viable replacement has been put in place. Today high-class commercial passengers are restricted to the same lower speeds achievable by traditional aircraft. The days of supersonic passenger aircraft zooming across the Atlantic have therefore been grounded for the foreseeable future. http://www.edref.com/college-degrees/engineering/aeronautical-and-aerospace-engineering http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Eight-Greatest-Engineering-Feats-of-Mankindid=465977 http://science.discovery.com/top-ten/2009/feats-engineering/feats-engineering.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospace_engineering http://aviation.thingamajob.com/C-Aerospace-engineer-0.aspx http://www.discoverengineering.org/ http://www.collegeboard.com/csearch/majors_careers/profiles/majors/14.0201.html Different aerospace engineering jobs Aircraft Customer Support Engineer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 9/10/2010 Aerotek AviationÂÂ   Aerospace Quality Engineer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 9/10/2010 Aerotek AviationÂÂ   Quality Engineer Victorville, California 9/8/2010 Aerotek AviationÂÂ   Powerplant Engineer Jamaica, New York 9/7/2010 Aerotek CEÂÂ   QUALITY INSPECTOR Stockton, California 8/27/2010 Aerotek CEÂÂ   QUALITY INSPECTOR Stockton, California 8/27/2010 Aerotek CEÂÂ   POWER ELECTRONICS ENGINEER

The Millers Prologue and Tale :: The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer

The Miller's Prologue and Tale is a humorous story about a love triangle of three men and one woman. The tale has many intriguing parts but the most important theme is that of loyalty. In the beginning of the tale, the carpenter, John, talks about his wife, how she is so much younger then him and how he is a very jealous man: "This carpenter hadde wedded a newe a wif / Which that he loved more than his lif. / Of eighteteen yeer she was of age; / Jalous he was wilde and yong, and he was old / And deemed himself been lik a cokewold" (113). He is talking about his new wife, and that although he loves her dearly, he is very jealous because he is so old and she is so young. It is very strange that a beautiful young woman would marry a man so much older then him. The carpenter even states that: "Men shold wedden after hir estat" (121) which means that men should marry according to their condition. So I think that the carpenter is a wealthy man, and because of this, he feels he should marry a beautiful woman. Going with that, I believe that the young woman, Alison, married this old man, for his money, and not based of true love. So if this marriage wasn't based on true love, it leaves room for disloyalty to come about. The disloyalty starts when Alison and Nicholas, the boarder, start flirting and he wants to kiss her. She says no, that she will do it when they are alone in private: "Myn housbonde is so ful of jalousye / That but ye waite wel and been privee / I woot right wel I nam but deed" (186). Alison states that he husband, as said before is madly jealous, so they intend to wait and find a place to be in private so they can be together without having to worry about being caught. After thinking, they came up with an idea: "That Nicholas shal shapen hem a wile / This sely jalous housbonde to bigile / and if so be this game wente aright, / She sholden sleepen in his arm al night" (295). They decide that they are going to have a plan, and if everything goes ok, by the end, they will be sleeping in each others arms all night.

Footlocker

Rakann Ammari Fin 431, Exam #1 February 17, 2010 Foot Locker Incorporated: Risk Prevention Methods Foot Locker Incorporated (ticker symbol: FL) is a U. S. based company that operates worldwide. Their services include the sale of various athletic equipment, sports apparel and products. According to their company background, as of the beginning of 2009 Foot Locker operates roughly 3,600 retail stores in 21 countries worldwide (â€Å"About Us†).Although Foot Locker provides their goods through both local retail stores and an online based â€Å"direct-to- customers† program, my risk management tactics will primarily focus on local retailers and warehouses and their risks. The five risks I have chosen are employee theft within the local branches and through bank accounts, customer theft within the store, physical injuries to customers and employees on Foot Locker property, property damage to Foot Locker property due to obscene weather conditions and the risk of fluctuating p rices of necessary inputs that are used in the production of various Foot Locker goods including footwear.One of the most essential inputs in the production of footwear is rubber. As a risk manager, I must take into account the possibility of the cost of rubber increasing. According to the commodities index ran by indexmundi. com, the price of rubber has increased every month for the past 6 months. In January 2010, the price of rubber increased to $139. 73 from $92. 86 merely 6 months ago in August of 2009 (â€Å"Rubber Monthly Prices†). This nearly 34% increase in the commodity price of rubber could have devastating effects on Foot Lockers cost of production.This increase will potentially increase the cost of producing foot and athletic wear, which in turn will increase retail prices. The need for consumers to purchase high end Foot Locker products will then decrease as retail prices increase. Rubber remains the main input in producing footwear; however the leather used in e veryday footwear is prevalent enough to be looked at. Due to the fluctuating productivity and efficiency during the current economic downturn, buyers tend to be less predictable. â€Å"Earlier, the buyers anticipated sales trend and placed orders well ahead of time.But now they wait to ensure retail off-take before placing orders. Improving speed of operations even as one keeps cost down is important (â€Å"Business Line†). † This efficiency has brought down leather prices. â€Å"Leather prices are also dropping and this contributed to leather costs coming down to 50-60 per cent from 70 per cent (â€Å"Business Line†). † Although this decrease in leather costs could potentially help the cost of footwear production, the main input in footwear production is rubber. As the price of the main input of my product increases, I must be ready to counteract this risk.In doing so, I am also performing another risk by hedging the cost of my inputs. I must be willing to set a pre-determined price of rubber to be purchased from my wholesaler for a set amount time. Although I take the risk of the price falling below my set price, since the prices have increased at a constant rate for the past 6 months my current risk is dramatically lower. By setting the price 6 months ahead of time I, as a risk manager, potentially prevent the 34% loss that could have occurred over the past 6 months. Along with the speculative risk of price fluctuation, there are many pure risks that come when providing goods to consumers.Employee theft is one of the most common risks an employer or company takes on when doing business. â€Å"Every year billions of dollars are lost by businesses nationwide to employee fraud and theft and the number of incidents are rising. † (Schaefer 1). Employees could steal cash, merchandise, and illegally redirect customer account information to a private account. â€Å"A former Foot Locker employee was sentenced to five years probati on and ordered to pay nearly $26,000 in restitution for taking the company’s money to cover his Internet gambling debts (The Maui News). Although a prison sentence and or a large fine may be the consequences of such employee theft, the $385,000,000 of cash and cash equivalents (2009) available for theft seems to lure in potential thieves (â€Å"Balance Sheet†). The $1,120,000,000 in merchandise inventory available for possible theft is a savoring number to employees and even Foot Locker customers. Shoplifting is a prevalent crime within the United States that must be controlled by risk managers.During December of 2009, a Foot Locker in Atlanta, Georgia was robbed when â€Å"police arrested two adults and four juveniles in a smash and grab job. † (CBS Atlanta 1) Unlike employee theft, customer theft is limited to the $1,120,000,000 in merchandise inventory (â€Å"Balance Sheet†). Although the inventory and cash could potentially be recovered from the emplo yee(s) or customer(s) through a lawsuit, as a risk manager I would need to take preventative action. I would create loss control by having surveillance cameras both watching customer and employee actions.This includes surveillance on all cash registers and credit card machines. Also, I would inform both the customer and employee they are being watched and remind them of the potential prison punishment for any crime committed by posting signs throughout the store. For employees I would conduct thorough background checks to prevent the hiring of former high profile convicts. I would also spread the finances among various managers; I would not allow a single manager to keep track of or control the finances of any single retail store or warehouse.Finally, as a risk manager I would follow up on any customer complaints with any banking issues and take into account any reported suspicions by employees about other employee or customer theft. In order to further prevent loss, I would purchas e an insurance policy to insure any outsized amount of fraud or crime committed. Another risk held by business owners is the possibility of a lawsuit by customers and or employees for sustaining bodily injuries. Customers or employees may slip on an unmarked wet spot causing a concussion or other bodily harm.Also, a tall person might hit an unmarked metal shutter or sign. Injuries may range from a â€Å"no problem† scrap or bump to a serious lawsuit involving several injuries. An employee may sever his or her spine after falling off a 20 foot latter while trying to stock merchandise; or be severely harmed while operating footwear machinery within a company warehouse. The potential loss and costs can be irreparable depending on the lawsuit. Several precautions should be set in place. Prior to employment, I would mandate all employees to sign a contract indicating that a lawsuit against Foot Locker cannot be conducted.The contract would include bodily injuries. However, a sever ance package under workers compensation will be rewarded to all deserving employees pending a full investigation. As of 2009, company severance packages totaled $13,000,000 (â€Å"Balance Sheet†). I would also provide training on how to stock merchandise within a retail store; warn customers of a wet floor or potential harmful area; and teach employees how to operate equipment within a warehouse. For customer lawsuit prevention, I would have managers post clear signs where potential harm may occur.Also, I would post a sign right outside of every retail store transferring injury risk to all customers that step foot into a Foot Locker location. Furthermore, I would purchase several insurance packages against high stakes lawsuits from employees or customers that obtained bodily injuries on Foot Locker property. Using these measures reduces Foot Locker’s liability to customers and employees. However, the risk to Foot Locker’s property is always rampant due to prospe ctive weather disasters. The potential cost during a weather disaster such as a flood or a hurricane can be enormous.Although the idea of all of Foot Locker’s stores and warehouses being affected at the same time is highly improbable, the potential can be exceedingly high. The net value (purchase price subtracted by accumulated depreciation) of Foot Locker’s buildings, furniture, fixtures & equipment reached $223,000,000 in 2009 (â€Å"Balance Sheet†). This amount of loss could potentially bankrupt Foot Locker without the possibility of coming back into business. To prevent such a loss, Foot Locker could place their warehouses in locations with a lower potential for harmful weather conditions.Locations that tend to have a hotter climate with low wind gusts are ideal due to the low probability of property damage. Also, I would purchase insurance on all property, furniture and equipment that would covered a loss due to catastrophic weather. A precautionary mea sure to minor damage could be using flood bags during a flood and making sure exposed sections of property are sufficiently covered to prevent wind from damaging interior assets. To add on, in order to protect employees from harm a risk manager should make sure all emergency equipment is working roperly and all employees understand emergency procedures. As a risk manager, assessing risks and developing the appropriate amount of precautionary methods to prevent potential risks is essential. Keeping track of these risks while evaluating the possible loss is just as essential; and a well developed report will help subordinate these risks.ReferencePage Footlocker. com. â€Å"About Us. † 2010.   http://www. footlocker-inc. com/company. cfm? page=aboutâ€Å"Gambling Debts Over Internet Tied to Thefts. † Former Footlocker Theft Case. 2010. The Maui News. 7 February 2008. http://www. aproundtable. org/gamblingsruinedlives/im. htmlIndex Mundi. â€Å"Rubber Monthly Prices. â €  2010. http://www. indexmundi. com/commodities/? commodity=rubber&months=300Schaefer, Patricia. â€Å"Employee Theft a Big Problem. † Business Know-How. 2006. Attard Communications. http://www. businessknowhow. com/manage/employee-theft. htm

Writing Habits to Jumpstart Your Creativity and Keep You Focused - Freewrite Store

Writing Habits to Jumpstart Your Creativity and Keep You Focused - Freewrite Store I don’t know about you, but for me, I find that creativity and inspiration are two of the hardest things to come by as a writer. Random flashes of ideas for stories are great when they happen, but what about all those times you need to intentionally create an idea for a story or an article? Today’s guest post is by  Matt Grant.  Matt is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor.  His  work has appeared in  Literary Hub,  Book Riot,  HuffPost, and  BookBrowse.  Find Matt  online, or follow him on  Twitter  and  Facebook. I don’t know about you, but for me, I find that creativity and inspiration are two of the hardest things to come by as a writer. Random flashes of ideas for stories are great when they happen, but what about all those times you need to intentionally create an idea for a story or an article? As humans, we’re all creatures of habit. But our habits are always doing one of two things: helping us or hurting us. The good news for writers is that we can leverage our tendency toward the habitual to aid us in the writing process. Good writing habits, when used correctly, can help us get into a regular rhythm that cultivates inspiration and keeps us focused during our writing time. Below are some of the best habits you can start today that will jumpstart your creativity and make sure your writing time is fruitful and rewarding. Before the Process Practice Morning Pages Morning pages were first introduced in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.The idea of morning pages is simple: the first thing in the morning, write three full pages in a journal or notebook, longhand, as stream-of-consciousness. It’s not supposed to be great writing, and you’re not to self-edit. The main purpose for practicing morning pages is to clear your mind of all distracting thoughts, tasks, and moods that might hinder your creativity that day. When it comes time to write, you won’t be thinking about the laundry you have to do or the conversation with a friend you need to have that day, because you’ve already written it out and set it aside for later. Do writing prompts I’ve recently discovered the huge benefit of writing prompts after being skeptical of them for many years. Often writers don’t think they need to do prompts because they prefer to come up with their own ideas.   But the right prompt can open up new ideas and ways of looking at things you aren’t able to see on your own. You can find writing prompts a variety of ways. Many are free online, you can buy a book of them, or come up with them yourself. Write them down to use at a later time. Try writing sprints Often the challenge for writers is to finish a piece of writing without worrying about it being perfect. That’s where sprints come in. Sprints are short bursts of writing, about 15 minutes at a time. They’re like doing repetitions at the gym. You do a sprint, then rest and do something else, then do another sprint, then rest again, and so on, for as long as you like. Similar to morning pages, you shouldn’t stop writing or try to edit your work during the sprint. Just pick a topic and write for fifteen minutes straight. When you’re done, you’ll have a finished thought or a piece of flash fiction that can then be edited and shaped into something more significant. Check out this free sprinting program  by the Freewrite team  to help you! Read voraciously I know, I know, I probably should have put this one first. It can sometimes be hard to see how reading directly affects your creativity, especially when you’re anxious to get a work in progress done, and you’d rather be writing. But the adage â€Å"a writer is first and foremost a reader† is absolutely true, so read widely anything you can get your hands on, any chance you get. Read different genres in different forms – novels, articles, essays, short stories, poetry and flash fiction. You never know when something you read will strike you as inspiring, and the more you absorb the words of others, the better your own words will get. To get started, try this reading challenge that forces you to read diversely. During the Process Pick the right time of day Once you’ve had that flash of inspiration and are settling in to get started on your work, it’s important to implement the right habits to keep you on track and focused. One of the first steps is figuring out when you’re likely to get your best work done. I’ve personally found that waking up extremely early and writing first thing in the morning has opened up the rest of my day. After I get home from work, I don’t feel as energized or as focused. Of course, not everyone is a morning person. For you, it might be at night, or in the afternoon. Pick which time of day you’re at your most alert and creative, and block out that time to write. And once it’s scheduled, stick to it! Change locales If you’re in a rut, one of the best things you can do is get a change of scenery. Often, finding a coffee shop or a nice library, surrounded by books or soothing music, can be a real boon to getting those creative juices flowing again. If you don’t have a place nearby where that’s possible, go for a walk to clear your head and come back to your work with fresh eyes. Put away distractions However, these locations can only be helpful if you’re not distracted, so be ruthless about putting distractions away! Buy a pair of noise-cancelling headphones, turn the wireless off on your computer, put away your cell phone, and stay away from your inbox. We all know the Internet is a black hole – one minute you’re looking something up for your project, and the next, you’ve spent an hour on Facebook. Set aside another time for planning and researching. Keep your writing time sacred for just that – writing.    Bonus Question: Do you really need to write every day? This suggestion is usually at the top of most writing advice lists. To be honest, I’m inclined to distrust it. I’m wary of anything that’s touted as a â€Å"must† or some mystical talisman. Of course, it’s a good idea to get into a habit of writing on a regular basis. Of course, you should often write and for long periods of time.   But I firmly believe, as with everything, writing should be done in moderation to maximize its effectiveness. More and more research is pointing out how, paradoxically, working less actually leads to more productivity. People who are constantly working are more tired, more anxious, and less inspired – all of which are deathblows to creativity. I regularly take vacations from writing, where I don’t do any kind of work at all. At the end of these breaks, I always come back to my work with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and motivation.    So, by all means, write as often as you can, but if you miss a day, give yourself some grace. When it comes to inspiration, there’s a lot to be said for being out in the world, doing other activities and experiencing things that will fuel your stories. For a writer, there’s no better inspiration than just living life. There’s no doubt that writing is work – hard, grueling, sweat-inducing work. Just as with everything, there are working behaviors and practices you can put in place to help you be more productive and less distracted. Obviously, not everything on this list is going to work for you, and there might be something I left out that’s even better. If so, please leave a comment and let me know what behaviors and practices you have that help keep you inspired! What writing habits do you swear by? Do you have any habits or routines that you love and would recommend to others? Let us know in the comments!    Matt Grant is a Brooklyn-based writer whose work has appeared in  BookRiot, The Huffington Post, BookBrowse, and  Pop Matters. When he's not writing or reading, he works in youth development as an after-school program director for one of the largest middle schools in Manhattan. You can find him online at www.mattgrantwriter.com or on Twitter: @mattgrantwriter.

The Case Against Mumia Abu-Jamal essays

The Case Against Mumia Abu-Jamal essays The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal has become a showdown case on the death penalty in the United States. His threatened execution has been condemned by political and cultural figures throughout the world, and the international movement to grant him a new and fair trial is raising questions about the arbitrariness of the death penalty in the minds of millions. Mumia Abu-Jamal is the only political prisoner in the United States facing execution. Mumia is not a political prisoner. The facts refuting this are addressed in my comments in the article below. "As a radio journalist in Philadelphia, he became known as isthe voice of the voicelesslt during the years of the infamous Mayor Frank Rizzo. He had attended Goddard College, was the recipient of a Major Armstrong Award for radio journalism, and was named one of Philadelphia's "people to watch" in 1981 by Philadelphia magazine. He was president of the Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia, and he had no prior criminal record. Jamal was shot by a police officer when he intervened in a street incident involving Jamal's brother, another man, and the officer. He survived the shooting, and was charged with the murder of the officer who was killed in the incident. No one else was charged, and the trial at which Jamal was condemned has been termed a travesty of justice by every impartial observer." The author of this brief needs to report the true facts. The incident preceding Officer Faulkner's murder involved only William Cook, Mumia's brother, Officer Faulkner and Mumia/WesleyCook. There was no other man involved. And though William Cook was not charged with the murder of Officer Faulkner as Mumia acted alone in doing this, he did plead guilty to physically assaulting Officer Faulkner on December 9, 1981. "The targeting of Jamal was overtly political. The FBI began amassing a 600-page file on him when he was a 15-year-old high school activist. He subsequently worked on t...

DISCRIMINATION AND AFFRMATIVE ACTION Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DISCRIMINATION AND AFFRMATIVE ACTION - Coursework Example Therefore, it is only right that we find a proper and respectful way to pay them back for everything they have done for us. Those who come back disabled do not have very good prospects when its comes to getting retraining and accessing regular jobs. They will need every chance and every helping hand that they can get. That is why the existence of the Disabled Veterans Affirmative Action Program is something that they truly need. Affirmative action. An act that ensures equal treatment for the women and minorities in our society. Now, it also means giving our disabled war veterans an equal opportunity to be able to work the same jobs that we all do. After all, being disabled does not necessarily mean that they are unable to complete any sort of work anymore. Rather, it makes them more admirable as they complete the work of able bodied people using only their skill and talents. We have to remember that not all employers will be willing or able to hire a disabled war veteran. Therefore, the existence of the law, and the fact that it gives them priority over the able bodied individuals, and the men and women who are covered by their own affirmative action laws, is something that allows the disabled soldiers to prove that they are still productive members of society. Keep in mind that affirmative action for women and minorities were set into place because they were being prevented from entering the workplace or being barred from working certain jobs due to the color of their skin or ethnicity. Without the affirmative action laws in place to force employers to hire an equal ratio of men and women employees in their workplaces, the battle of the sexes would still be raging. Affirmative action helped the African Americans find and take their rightful place within our American society. It allowed them to prove that they are Americans too, regardless of their skin color. In the case of the disabled soldiers, they have already proven their patriotism and willingness to pro tect our nation. They paid dearly for their loyalty to our country and their lives will never be the same again. Their physical shortcomings make employers unwilling to hire them because of their perceived inabilities. Nobody will be willing to hire them unless they are first compelled to by the law of the land. Should they take priority over the able bodies citizens of the land? I my opinion, the answer to that question would have to be no. Affirmative action only allows them to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job. If they prove that they are the best man for the job then they should definitely be hired. However, they should not be hired for a job they are not suited to simply because there is a law that compels them to do so. All affirmative action quests, from equality for women, minorities, and the disabled, have a very long way to go. These are not laws that are adopted overnight by the employers. It takes the changing of a mindset in order to ensure that equality in t he workplace truly exists. However, there are some affirmative action plans that should have priority over the others. Allow the disabled soldiers to prove that they are just as capable as the next able bodied person. Allow them to show their employers their potential as hard workers, maybe there is something that they can do that an able bodied person cannot. In such instances, they should be hired for the job. Otherwise, they should be allowed to at least compete for the job on an equal

Analysis of the Reptile Garden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of the Reptile Garden - Essay Example When viewed in retrospect, it becomes evident that the incident of Anais getting locked in the garden room was of central importance to the development of her character, and to the different events that befell her later in her life. Although she denies this towards the end of the story, her ingestion of the drug and getting locked in the garden room was a transition point in he life. The most intriguing feature of this episode is the appearances of reptiles, followed by amphibians, that led to Anais getting scared and crying. Since the title of the story is also related to this garden room full of reptiles, this episode is of central importance to the story, so it would be discussed first. There could be several interpretations of this incident. The focus on the appearance of reptiles, with a subsequent transition to amphibians could denote the process of evolution from one species to the next, higher level of species. The writer could have used this approach to make an analogy for t he development and evolution of the Anais’ personality and character. This could be a way of depicting her growth as a person, and her development into the individual that she was meant to be. So she came out of that room a changed and evolved person, who was now had different aims and a different approach to life. Another explanation could simply be that Anais got terrified and disturbed due to her experience in the garden room; her loneliness, her exposure to animals, insects and other reptiles, her unhealthy condition due to the ingestion of the acid that was given to her by her cousin, and her sheer sadness that led her to weep alone in the room. Being subjected to such adverse experiences, she came out of that room a terrified and weak person, who was paranoid and always scared for her safety, since she â€Å"couldn’t stop shaking at the slightest unexpected movement† (Erdrich). This deterioration of her personality could have been the reason for her extrem e attachment to Nonette later, and even made her wonder why she got so weak when her parent’s love for her was so strong (Erdrich). A third interpretation of the episode could be that the incident broke her free from her habits, her compulsive attitude_ the evidence of which comes from her uncontrolled habit of cleaning the bathroom, even at midnight_ and the self-absorbing shell that she had encased herself into to keep the world at bay; and led her to experience new activities and desires that she had perhaps not allowed herself to experience before. It made her more reckless and carefree, and more spirited to live life in a manner different from what she was accustomed to and had been trained for. Perhaps the best explanation is the combination of the former two. It is evident that she was frightened by her experience in the garden room. Considering the emphasis placed on the appearances of the different animals, and the writer’s special mention of the appearance of first reptiles and then amphibians, it can be deduced that the Anais, after emerging from the room, had evolved into a scared, weak, and overall different person from a focused, stable individual who went into the room. The next intriguing event is Anais’ statement about Nonette, when she muses â€Å"