Toy World, Inc. Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Toy World, Inc. Case Analysis Essay Executive Summary Toy World, Inc. is a company that has been manufacturing toys for children since 1973. Since 1976, the company has enjoyed profitable operations. At the end of 1993, revenue and profit came close to $8 million and $270 thousand respectively. With Jack McClintock as president and Dan Hoffman as production manager, the two have tried to find a strategy to adjust operations to the volatility of the toy market. Sales in the toy market are seasonal, reaching peaks in the months of August through December, while remaining relatively flat during the remaining months of the year. This seasonality has affected the company’s production schedule. During the off season, inventory is low, skilled workers are underutilized, and machinery is left idle. When the busy season finally arrives, Toy World is forced to hire more workers, pay additional overtime wages, and operate at full capacity. Dan Hoffman sees inefficiencies in this schedule and proposes a level production plan that would eliminate overtime wages and fully utilize skilled workers. Under his plan, toys would be manufactured evenly every month, allowing inventory levels to build in the months leading up to the holidays. In addition to using cash, the company must also take on additional loans to compensate for the high inventory levels. In an industry that has relatively low capital requirements, Hoffman’s strategy may increase overall profitability, but it jeopardizes the company’s liquidity. 1. What factors could Mr. McClintock consider in deciding whether or not to adopt the level production plan? The main factors Mr. McClintock should consider when deciding whether or not to adopt the level production plan comes down to the trade off between liquidity and profitability. Given the  highly seasonal nature of the industry, producing goods ahead of time has strong risks associated with it. If management’s projections are incorrect, the company could incur significant inventory write-downs or write offs. Additionally, the company will incur extra costs of storing the inventory that will accumulate in the first half of the year. Further, Mr. McClintock should analyze the differences in amount and timing of the company’s external funding needs under the level production plan, and whether or not the financing needs can be met by the current credit line of $2 million. To assess the impact of these factors, we prepared pro forma financial statements under level production. 2. What savings would be involved? The savings involved in leveling production include reductions in overtime premiums as well as a decrease in additional labor costs. Expenses involved in this production overhaul include increased shipping and handling expenses and an increase in interest expenses. Both of these expenses are a result of having increased inventory levels. Total savings less total expenses from the new production strategy results in positive net savings of $148,000. See Exhibit E. 3. Prepare the pro forma financial statements and estimate the external funding needs required. Income Statement In preparing monthly statements under the level production plan, several adjustments were made to management’s original projections (Exhibit A). Given the annual savings in overtime premiums as well as direct labor, cost of goods sold under level production would be reduced from a constant 70 percent of sales to 65.1 percent of sales. However, this is slightly offset by the annual increase in storage and handling costs, which is accounted for in operating expenses. To determine the interest income, we multiplied the average monthly cash balance by the 4 percent annualized return provided by management. Income taxes remained at 34 percent, arriving at a total net income of $661 for 1994. Balance Sheet The most significant adjustments made to the balance sheet were under inventory, accrued taxes, and notes payable. As is depicted in Exhibit B, we prepared schedules for both accrued taxes as well as inventory. Management provided a specific tax payment schedule, which was subtracted from each month’s income taxes to arrive at ending accrued taxes. As for inventory, beginning inventory plus finished goods completed less cost of goods sold determined each month’s ending inventory. Under level production, the finished goods completed should be constant month over month. We determined this number by dividing the annual cost of goods sold by 12. Finally, notes payable was our plug figure. As this line item represents the company’s existing credit line, it can be further analyzed to assess the company’s amount of added funds required and the timing of the needs under level production. External Funding Needs Toy World Inc. will require large external funding in order to support inventory levels leading up to the holiday season. Toy World currently has a $2 million line of credit with the bank. In order to support the level production plan, we estimate that Toy World will need a line of credit of close to $4 million in the month of September. 4. Compare the liabilities patterns feasible under the alternative production plans. What implications do their differences have for the risk assumed by the various parties? Under the alternative production plans, the timing and amount of funding that Toy World will need to keep up with inventory projections significantly differs. For example, in June, due to the lags of the 60-day collection periods, strong funding will be needed to keep up with the level production. If management moves forward with the current seasonal production plan, they would not take on the further liabilities and maintain lower cash balances in the busy months of September to December. The most significant tradeoffs of the two scenarios are between liquidity, profitability and leverage. If the toys ended up not being as popular as they forecasted, then the various parties would take on the risk of the rising inventories. Toy world would  then have to decide whether or not to hang onto the excess inventory in anticipation of increased demand, or rid themselves of inventory to increase working capital. Either way, this risk, if came to fruition, would be a lose-lose situation for if they hold onto it and demand doesn’t bounce back, then they lost some working capital, but if demand does bounce back, and they have gotten rid of the inventory, they will find themselves unable to keep up with demand. Also, the industry has relatively no barriers to entry so taking on more debt in this volatile industry to increase inventories would be risky as products have short lives and a relatively high rate of company failures. Sensitivity Analysis Given the inherent risks associated with producing toys significantly ahead of time, we decided to conduct a sensitivity analysis around this factor (Exhibit D). Specifically, we assessed the impact of writing off 10 percent of the prior month’s inventory balance. This change would be reflected as a direct reduction in inventory, as well as a corresponding increase in cost of goods sold, resulting in a 382 percent decrease in net income from seasonal production. While 10 percent of total inventory write downs is an extreme downside situation, the key take away is the importance of how accurate management’s projections are. In a level production plan, management will have to begin producing for peak sales periods early on in the year, greatly increasing the risk of inaccurate projections. Therefore, one of the most critical considerations in adopting level production is the confidence in management’s ability to accurately forecast industry trends. Conclusion Despite past profitability and success, our analysis shows that Toy World, Inc. could benefit greatly from an operational restructuring. Adjusting their business model to implement a level production plan in 1994 as opposed to past seasonal production will result in a positive impact on the company’s profitability. However, in order to implement these changes, Toy World, Inc. will need an extension on their line of credit. Further, our sensitivity analysis shows the importance of having strong confidence in management’s projection ability. If the company believes that their  projections will be accurate enough to avoid significant inventory write offs, and can obtain approval for an extension in the line of credit, transitioning to a level production plan will greatly improve profitability and operational efficiency.

How Does Deforestation Impact Birds?

How Does Deforestation Impact Birds? INTRODUCTION This assignment is based on the impact of deforestation on bird communication. Basically, there are two ways in which birds communicate, that is by powerful sight and vocal sound. They also have an important hearing also since they would have to different sounds produced by their own kind. Hearing is actually affected by noise produced from their environment. Because they have to fly all the time their vision has to be very active hence, they are well protected by nictating glands. They dont have binocular vision and this permit them to view all round vision. These well developed senses help birds to live in their habitat without much disturbance since they detect change quickly and migrate to safer grounds. Deforestation on bird Communication It is stated by (Raven 1988) that two-thirds of the worlds species are found in the tropical rainforest. Due to advance technologies and the demands of the worlds population for adequate survival there has been rapid deforestation increase globally that has resulted in extinction of species. Since most species are not discovered as yet, an accurate record on the loss of species may not be present. Only the ones registered under the IUCN will be accounted for. Generally, the total number of species lost globally will be difficult to retrieve rather than species found in a given region. Species that are not endemic will become threatened/endangered easily due to the fact that they havent yet be rediscovered. In todays world deforestation has made a great impact on bird communication by influencing their habitat and lifestyle simultaneously hence, emphasis is being placed to rectify the forthcoming effect on this outcome. Deforestation is known as the removal or destruction of large areas of rainforest and vegetation to fulfill the needs of the population. More than 80% of the earths natural forest have been removed already (national geographic). This activity is carried out by loggers who see this as a job opportunity since, it is being enhanced into lumber used for construction and decorative purposes. Loggers do this on a large scale without allowing the forest to revive. Farmers clear natural vegetation by the common slash and burn method, among others for agricultural purposes in which they gain an income and consume for survival. When the soil becomes depleted of nutrients they clear another area and leaves the former to erode away rather than replant. Natural disaster also plays a part in deforestation, some parts in the US have extensive forest fires that removes forest lives at extreme temperature. Forested areas is being exploited by policy makers to allocate housing for the growing populati on and mining activities to provide jobs for individuals. Construction of dams to maintain a affordable lifestyle for humans have also lead to deforestation and removal of biodiversity for comforting one population neglecting the others. Because of these activities other organisms has to pay the price by being endangered. There will be a reduction of biodiversity since their habitat is destroyed and those who can adapt very quickly will have no problem. Flooding of ecosystem will take place due to erosion of soil and no vegetation to infiltrate water hence, water table will be lowered. Limited space will be provided for adapted animals to share so their foraging activities will be reduced along with food supply. Drought will be more common since temperature will rise, surface water and that of plants will not be available for evaporation hence, amount of rainfall will be reduced. Lastly, there will be an increase in greenhouse effect which leads to global warming. Stated in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC article â€Å" Trees are natural consumers of CO2 which is one of the greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming by building up in atmosphere. Destruction of trees remove C-sink, release more CO2 by tree burning and decomposition.† Picture below shows large scale deforestation. Bird communication basically when a bird sings to claim a personal territory (Dr. Lee). They  tend to mark a particular property in a particular place which they need to do to show ownership among species. The sound is produced by their vocal organ or syrinix located between the junction of their trachea and bronchi. It is used as a communicatory device and also as body language communication to suit their environment and various situations in reply to their lifestyle and ecological behaviour. These include their feeding and foraging behaviour, they require large space among species to gain access to food. Hence, they sing to mark their territory of food and give indication for colleagues to feed. They would want no intruder and tend to extend their territory for alternative food supply. They give a warning call when they sense danger and also make sounds to evade predators. In some cases they use silence as a warning call so they wouldnt be detected by predators e.g. hawk. During flocking and social behaviour sound is needed to communicate among themselves and even others, in fighting and marking territory, courtship and mating, in nesting and parental behaviour and finally, in the display of male dominance. All these behavioural pattern requires a different sound to distinguish what sort of situation they are in before one can actually render assistance. Birds live conspecific in their habitat, by doing so they create a niche that would benefit them in every possible way such as easy feeding access, a range to forage in and a habitat they could call their own. The range would provide birds with food so that there will be no need for them to waste energy to acclimatize to a new source hence, feeding becomes accessible anywhere, anytime in that particular habitat unless there is disruption. Since their metabolic rates are high they would require a large amount of food hence, they have to indulge in foraging activities to supply themselves. After constantly ex ploiting a habitat they would have to adjust to new food sources or find other resources, thus a new habitat will be selected as long as they can survive efficiently. Thereby, more large spaces becomes available for them to graze and procreate. Deforestation entails the complete displacement of bird species or habitat loss by the large scale removal of canopy, trees and vegetation. These places provide a source of shelter and food for birds. In the trees most birds dwells especially when humidity is low, they rest and cool down in trees. In this thick vegetation a wide range of shade is provided hence, the area would have a lot of other wildlife that is used as s source of food for birds so they wouldnt have to fly long distances in search of food. There will also a continuous supply of of plant matter that specific birds feed on thus, these components will provide a community of bird species to inhabit this region. The removal of trees decrease the food supply of birds and they would have no place to call their habitat. There will be an imbalance of ecosystem. Birds will have to find new habitat to acquire their daily nutrient requirements. This may pose a problem since, there is no guarantee that the niche would be empty to accept birds. Other species may live there hence, food has to be shared and intrusion of privacy may occur. Some birds can tolerate these condition while others cant so you will find that the ones to adapt to this environment will survive (survival of the fittest) while the other will continue to roam if they find no satisfactoryly place their number will gradually decrease leading to extinction because there is no food to supply them. Now, if too many species inhabit the same habitat competition will lead to some species dying out and that habitat will be exploited over a short period of time. The cutting down of trees would leave the top soil vulnerable to leaching and erosion and void of any meaningful life. This would mean that birds who act as pollinating agent will not be able to do so anymore so land is left to become barren. Regrowth may take many years to occur. In well established habitat various species would create microhabitat in which they can carry out their person al activities such as breeding and reproduction. If no home is present birds cannot lay hence, their population will be reduced. They are also more exposed to predator since they will have no hiding space leaving more chances for them to become endangered. Birds in this state would have no social life since they would have to keep moving and get accustomed to new species, even if their used to be a benefit for their survival. The environment will also become unsuitable for mating since there will be no site for courtship because there will be a lack of provision of basic materials. In terms of nesting, materials will not be available to construct a comfortable nest for young to survive. When mother would go in search of food to feed them they will be more prone to predators since they will not be able to run away or defend themselves by flying high in trees because their is none and they would not be strong enough to give a warning call or produce a sound that would scare predator a way so they are being feasted upon. There will be no territory to mark since they lose all their living and feeding habitat. The land becomes dry and barren over time hence, tamper with the the nature and influence life forms in forested areas. Land becomes unproductive and serves no purpose. In the cases of natural deforestation it can be beneficial in some ways. It removes the vegetation cover but it also brings with it a rejuvenation of forest by adding other nutrients that can make the area favourable for a new group of species. It provides a variability of ecosystem over a period of time. Artificial deforestation change the whole balance of an ecosystem and birds lifestyle. It exhaust the soil and invade wildlife species. It weaken a forest resilience ability by exploitation of its resources and presistence. In Central Amazonia some species of galliform birds that disperses seed is being threatened due to hunting and habitat destruction (Mr. Borges). Because of deforestation there is need now for the conservation of these birds. Their reproduction is limited if they arent present in their natural environment. They tend to survive quite adequately in a regrown forest. In Southeast Asia there is quite a few numbers of threatened bird species (Thomas Brooks et al). this is due to the large scale deforestation done, which was suppose to held develop the countries. He thought only endemic bird would be prone to extinction. Based on the result he collected there was fluctuation between increased and decreased number of species. He concluded that deforestation affects species with small range and also bird species that will become extinct is very similar to the ones listed as threatened. In Australia a survey was done on quite similar bird species (Westphal et al) which showed that these birds adapted well to changes made in a few places in their inhabited forested area. They were able to live comfortably without making changes to their lifestyle. These birds are small and are very long distance flyers so they can adapt very easily. Based on the following investigation it can be concluded that some birds are vulnerable to complete habitat destruction. Some birds can withstand partial destruction of their habitat while some can adapt to the changing environment. This is due to the nature and structure of the birds as in how quickly they can do things for themselves i.e. some birds can fly and some cant and so on. If forested areas are gradually disappearing, some time in the future all birds are bound to be affected due to increasing predator-prey relationship, place to shelter and mostly because of a decline in food supply. To combat a situation like this policy makers are calling on leaders around the world to make a change. This can be done by sustainable forestry where parts of the forest removed is being replaced before it can be used again. In doing so, CO2 level will not increase in the atmosphere hence, more fresh oxygenated air will be available for bird to breathe in. Reforestation should also be carrie d out in areas than was completely exploited. This may take years so the future species will benefit if we start now since it is not a money consuming process. The little forest that remains should be conserved by using it wisely so that wildlife can be preserved and eco-forestry can be established. In other words by just having a forest pays, people actually pays to have a view of the various bird species worldwide. Legal wildlife trade can also be carried out to expand species richness. In addition to the decline of birds due to deforestation, it is not yet fully understood since much effects of this hasnt been stated clearly. A report carried out by (Duston et al) noted that in primitive times when deforestation was minimum bird species was still going extinct even before they became known to science but no reason was recorded for this. This must have been because the birds were hugh and clumsy hence, they were hunted to extinction. Most of them must have been flightless, competed for food and environmental conditions became unfavourable. Thus, modern birds evolve more efficiently for fast flight and increased activities. REFERENCES www://henriquebourges/artikelen/surinam/Z/Zwarte%20Hokko1 09/1988.pdf/09/11/10th geographic.com/eye/deforestation/effect.html/1996-2009/09/11/10th farmerking/avianbiology/vol1,2,34/1971/academicpress/n.ylondon/09/11/13th http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv/UQ:10074/hp_le_18/2003.pdf/0911/10th

Critical Self Reflection Of Social Work

Critical Self Reflection Of Social Work As feminist writer Starhawk said, Only when we know how we have been shaped by the structures of power in which we live can we become shapers (Staehawk, 1988) It is essential for every participant of social activity to know our own complex social locations, social position, and identities. By acknowledge how these factors are processed, we could understand what privilege we has hold and what oppression we are involve in order to improve our capacity for social work and practice anti-oppressively in our daily life. Features of Social Locations Our memberships are interactional, they are come into existence in and through relation to one another. (Ringrose, 2002) Knowing what futures of our social locations are and how they are consolidated and changed by each other could improve the depth of our self-awareness and warning us be critical. People usually ask me questions about my nationality, location of hometown, and my occupation when we start a conversation. Therefore, most of time I am identified as a female student who comes from a developing country of Southeast Asia. Broadly speaking, the reason why these questions have been asked commonly during our communication is because of these social location have a same feature which has a huge impact on our behaviors, accents, appearances. In the other words, they are visible and audible for people to recognized and identify. However, compare with these social locations, my political affiliations, religion are more difficult for others to indentify due to the abstraction of these social locations that make them relatively invisible and inaudible. The influence of these social locations are ideological. They have constructed our ideology, social norm and even have shaped our identity. My social locations are various, I am an oppressor while I am oppressed by others. Unde rstanding these features of my social locations could help me to aware the privileges, powers, and injustice that these social locations have been bought to me and to avoid these unfair privilege, power over and subjective feelings of injustice , in order to share power with others and practice anti-oppressively in daily life. Message of Identity from Society As Aristotle has pointed out in his book Politics, Man is by nature a social animal, (Stagiritis, 2000) human being always has demand to connect with others in order to gain a sense of belonging in society. They have been self-locating, identifying others and being identified base on their experience, education, religion, race, gender and more elements of society during their connection which means that our complex identity have been constructed by these elements. As an individual with multi-dimensional identity, I have been received various societal message in my daily life. Some of these messages are relate to my cultural background while some messages relate to other elements. I moved to a capital city which named Kunming from Shilin (a small town of southwest China) when I was young, for the first few days in my new school I wear the traditional Yi costume as what I did in my previous school in Shilin as an Yi people. However, my new classmates gave me a hard time because of I wear a dress with embroidered totem instead of wearing a normal dress as they did; my teacher punished me to stand on a chair with arms extended upwards in front of the entire school because I refused to take off my bracelet on the weekly assembly. Although I spoke fluently Mandarin and had been raised in an urban intellectual family as majority had, most of students even teachers in my new school shown their unwillingness to communicate with me and used your people to separated me from them. In my understanding, the difficulty to fell a sense of belonging and acceptance (James, 1991) causes the feeling of being isolation, it was a societal message about my identity at that time. The message are conveyed to me by isolating me physically and psychologically from the majority. After receiving the message I started to refuse to wear any Yi clothes and accessories to school because the painfulness from being isolated from normal people was unbearable for me as a teenager. During that time, my identity had been adjusted by following the process which has been pointed out by Smith, moving from unawareness and lack of differentiation to ethnic awareness and self-identification (Smith, 1991). Power and Privilege Our society is diverse in many aspects, such as gender, religion, age etc. These differentiations cause(s) fear, mistrust, and hatred (Uvic, 2004 ) and bring us advantage and disadvantage in our life. What is more, these differentiations have been used as justification for holding belief in the superiority of one way of being over another (Uvic, 2004) . We need to understand what type of power has been embedded in our social locations in order to practice anti-oppressively when we face the inequality and unjustice. Being a twenty-one year-old heterosexual female, I have been experienced power-from-within and power-with due to my complex social locations. As being defined as a young people, there are various resources and opportunities out there for me when I need them such as entertainment resources ,education opportunity etc. These elements provide me materially and emotionally supports to help me increase personal power in order to against the oppression from society. However, I should not feel happy with this unequal advantages because this institutionalized ageism does not provide equally opportunity for elder to take part in meaningful social activity or exercise their capacities in socially defined and recognized ways (Muallaly, 2002) . In order to resist privilege and unearned advantage, I have been participated in a volunteer group which works with elder and to power connect with them in order decrease the influences of institutionalized ageism on elder. Meanwhile, as being a heterosexu al female I have holding many invisible and visible privileges. For example, I will not be judged by people if I hand in hand and walk on street with my boyfriend; my sexual orientation will not be treated as immoral or abnormal. There are many social constructions are built base on the assumption that every individuals sexual attractions are to someone of opposite sex. Instead of seeing these privilege as advantage, we should not only see them as social resistances and avoid power-over in our practice, but also respect and support all non-transitional forms of sexuality (Uvic, 2004 ) by following Queer Theory. These unfair and unearned advantages will resist our society to develop comprehensively, humanely and justly and we definitely have the responsibility to be aware of diversity and never assume people around us. Purpose of Social Work It is essential for social worker to know the purposes of this profession because these purposes are the direction for us and provide clients with a constructive solution when we work with them. When I began this course, in my understanding the purpose of social work was improving the physical environment of individual as in a micro level and promote the justice of society as in a macro level. As my learning about this profession has been processing, my ideas of social work purpose have expanded. According to purpose for this profession which is defined by The National Association of Social Workers, the mission is promote or restore a mutually beneficial interaction between individuals and society in order to improve the quality of life for everyone (Dubois, 2004), this profession assists individuals to create a supportive social system that help clients to achieve their personal goals. Dubois and Krogsrud have mentioned about social work purpose in their book Social Work: An Empowering Profession, they said social workers strived to release human power in order to ensure the well performance for individual and to release social power in order to promote social injustice. ( Dubois, 2004) More specifically, the purpose in Micro level is to enhance clients ability for social functioning and to match individuals with favorable resources. From a macro perspective, the purpose is to stimulate the development of social justice. These purposes are leading entire profession to strive to create an better society. Social Justice Social justice is a key point to promote the fairness and equity in our social environment. Depending on the concept of this course, there are some elements which are necessary for social justice to exist. These elements are: acknowledgment of the connections between social with politic and economy (Uvic, 2004 ), awareness of social injustice, action and movement, fairness of policy, and equality of social opportunity. In order to promote the justice of social construction, I have positioned myself as a participant of social activity who has desire to against injustice and have responsibility to think critically, act anti-oppressively with belief in that everyone has right to share equal physical resources and to be benefited from comprehensive policy. However, there are might resistances stand in my way when I involve activities to fight for political justice and economic redistribution. These resistances could be lack of resources and effect of bureaucratization. In order to avoid the resistance from these two dimensions, I should not be afraid to question the policy and speak out to let government know what is needed by people. Also think and act critically instead of working hidebound. Bridget used her action to examine that everyone has ability to make difference in our society. We shall never give up our goal for working to promote justice in social system. As American social critic James Baldwin said, according to the way people see it, and if you can alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change the world. About This Profession Social Work is a profession which attempts to demonstrated the interconnectedness between individual changes and social changes (Uvic,2004). To some extent, the primary purposes could include unpacking the complicity both in societal structure and individual life. This profession should not position itself as an caring and help institution and stay in this image, this profession should stand out to reconnect the political with social (Uvic, 2004 ) and involve the economic redistrubution in order to ensure that everyone has equal worth, opportunity, and dignity in society. There are two questions I need to be answered, first question is how to act anti-bureaucratically in workplace and the second one is what can I do when there is no matching resources for clients. To practice efficiency, I need to get spiritual and technical supports from myself and co-worker, and people around me to point out what I did wrong. This activity from Art Journal helps me to understand myself better and h elp me to know why I choose this profession, it also help me to know what is boundary when I work with clients. Our society is not perfect, to some degree its awareness for diversity, injustice government policy and inequality distribution of physical resources are resisting the promotion of social justice. we have responsibility to understand clearly what our ideology perspective is and what power we have due to our social locations and identities. These could release human power and social power in order to enhance social functioning and social policy. Sometimes it is not easy to have the visible effect for promoting the quality of life to entire society, but it worth us to strive for and fight for. As a Chinese old saying goes: No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

John Calhoun :: essays research papers

A boy of Scotch-Irish descent, whose ancestors had settled in Pennsylvania before travelling through mountains to resettle in southern territory, he was born in 1782 in the Abbeville district of South Carolina on March 18. His family was not rich, nor were they poor; they owned slaves and were regarded not as a part of the ostentation associated with slave-holding at the time but rather as a simple, farm family. His father had an interest in politics and participated locally, something that ultimately catapulted this boy into his future profession. Sent at the age of 12 to live with a Presbyterian minister for a basic education, he was eventually trained at Yale beginning his junior year and graduated with "distinction," a prerequisite to the next few years in which he would study law in Charlestown. In 1807 he became a certified lawyer and began practice in his home district of Abbeville. Thereafter, he entered politics: 1808, 1809 he was a member of the S.C. legislature; 1811 to 1817 he was a House Representative of his state. In 1811, the year he began in Congress, he married a rich cousin whose assets included vast plantations and large populations of black slaves. This marriage marked his entrance into the Charlestown southern elite, a position that would act to catalyst his pro-slavery sentiments for which he is now renown. Amicable relations developed between this person, and Clay when he entered Congress; Clay placed him on his foreign affairs committee because, like Clay, he advocated war with England. The two are considered the most powerful members of Congress who pushed these measures toward war at this time; the House eventually accepted their arguments. As a politician, he advocated protection of American markets when European competition was at its best, internal improvements, though he strongly opposed nationalism and would later champion both the rise of sectionalism and slavery. In 1817, he was appointed Secretary of War to Monroe; in 1824 and again in 1828, he was the vice-president of the U.S, but in 1832 resigned over a controversy concerning nullification. He switched gears, and gained a seat in the Senate where he was a constant advocate of "State’s Rights" to slave-holding southern states that banked on the perpetuation of their tradition. He attempted to gain the presidency at least three times, each ending in defeat and a mysterious "Slavery is, instead of an evil, a good, a positive good," he said.

Confinement vs. Escape in Madame Bovary :: Madame Bovary Essays

Confinement vs. Escape in Madame Bovary      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A theme throughout Flaubert's Madame Bovary is escape versus confinement. In the novel Emma Bovary attempts again and again to escape the ordinariness of her life by reading novels, having affairs, day dreaming, moving from town to town, and buying luxuries items. It is Emma's early education described for an entire chapter by Flaubert that awakens in Emma a struggle against what she perceives as confinement. Emma's education at the convent is perhaps the most significant development of the dichotomy in the novel between confinement and escape. The convent is Emma's earliest confinement, and it is the few solicitations from the outside world that intrigue Emma, the books smuggled in to the convent or the sound of a far away cab rolling along boulevards.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The chapter mirrors the structure of the book it starts as we see a satisfied women content with her confinement and conformity at the convent.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At first far from being boredom the convent, she enjoyed the company of the nuns, who, to amuse her, would take her into the chapel by way of a long corridor leading from the dining hall. She played very little during the recreation period and knew her catechism well. (Flaubert 30.)Footnote1      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The chapter is also filled with images of girls living with in the protective walls of the convent, the girls sing happily together, assemble to study, and pray. But as the chapter progresses images of escape start to dominate. But these are merely visual images and even these images are either religious in nature or of similarly confined people.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   She wished she could have lived in some old manor house, like those chatelaines in low wasted gowns who spent their days with their elbows on the stone sill of a gothic window surmounted by trefoil, chin in hand watching a white plumed rider on a black horse galloping them from far across the country. (Flaubert 32.)      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the chapter progresses and Emma continues dreaming while in the convent the images she conjures up are of exotic and foreign lands. No longer are the images of precise people or event but instead they become more fuzzy and

The Perception of Happiness in Families :: Happiness Essays

Guccione begins by discussing the uninteresting perception people have with the lives of happy families. Using a quote from Tolstoy, Guccione shares past data of how people are taught to believe that all happy families are alike, while happy families share a uniqueness through their melange of misery. This discussion prepares you for her thesis, which explains how happy families struggle and work for the lives they graciously enjoy. Her thesis is marked by examples of myths, which she dismisses through her research. Successful families, according to her research, must develop skills in negotiating and coping. Guccione also mentions that not all happy families are alike. In fact, each is happy in its own way. She stresses how successful families earn their happiness and that it is not simply known to them. There were three sections of the body in Guccione's essay. The first part of the body discussed the notion of boundaries among families. Balance was another key term and she uses the living call as an example: "Families must be strong enough to allow integrity and and interaction within, yet be permeable to the outside." Guccione's research also led her to the importance of family members feeling that they are an intimate part of a group. She stresses that a frequently encountered problem is families where no one belongs, "where people come and go" as she puts it. Guccione then takes you into the life of a woman, Peg, who now lives an extremely happy life with her family. Previously, Peg had severe problems with her family and was unhappy. However, by creating a balance, she was able to negotiate and cope with the problem. The section closes with Peg, the difficulties she lived and the ones yet to come. Overall, she expresses relief in knowing that hard work leads to happiness. The second part of the body enters the world of single parents, how they cope with life in order to reach true happiness. Guccione begins by showing her research of how happy families posses a mutual thread; "the ability to maintain the balance between individual freedom and the need people have to belong to a group." She also encourages families to help each individual member reach their own potential. Guccione then tells the tale of Marie, a single mother raising her two boys, aged 11 and 13.

Com/156 Week: 5: Outline and Thesis Statement Guide

Appendix H: Outline and Thesis Statement Guide name COM/156 date instructor Associate Level Material Appendix H Outline and Thesis Statement Guide A smoker may breathe better, have a less chance of getting cancer, and live longer if a choice is made to quit early in life. The benefits on their health when they quit smoking at an early age are immediate and substantial. A smoker may breathe better, have a less chance of getting cancer, and live longer if a choice is made to quit early in life. There are more reasons to stop smoking than there are to continue.Smoking cessation is the most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives. I. There are many causes which make people smoke and  the effect of smoking  to their health. Even though smoker claim to get a calming affect when smoking, the negative outweigh the positive. Scientists and experts have made their point about there are some very severe reasons of smoking but its critical conseq uences should also be taken into consideration. However, it can divide to two main causes which are physical and psychological. A.The main causes for smoking are physical and psychological. 1. The physical cause of smoking concerns the human body's need for nicotine. 2. Smoking is psychological and seems to be due to low self-esteem. B. Not only does smoking cause diseases and is a slow way to die because of the effect smoking has on the human body. They know smoking has effects on the human body such like to the eyes, mouth and throat; lung, heart, stomach; pancreas and it also can cause cancers to those targeted areas. 1. The effect of smoking on the eyes, mouth and throat 2.The effect of smoking on the lung and heart 3. The effect of smoking on the stomach and pancreas II. When they stop smoking, their body experiences some positive side effects that may lengthen their lifespan. These positive aspects come in a lengthy time frame but with the ability to refrain from smoking, they will soon feel healthier all throughout their body. A. 20 minutes after they decide to quit smoking their body already starts healing. 1. Blood pressure returns to normal. 2. Pulse becomes stable and normal again. B.The effects of smoking cessation after 8 hours. 1. Oxygen levels turn to normal. 2. Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood are reduce by half. C. The effects of smoking cessation after 12-24 hours. 1. Carbon monoxide levels in blood drop to normal. 2. Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. 3. Lungs start to clear out mucous and other smoking debris. D. The effects of smoking cessation after 48-72 hours. 1. There is no nicotine left in the body. 2. Ability to taste and smell is improved. 3. Breathing becomes easier. 4.Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase. E. The effects of smoking cessation after 2-12 weeks. 1. Circulation improves. 2. Lung function increases. F. The effects of smoking cessation after 3-0 months. 1. Lung function s are increased by up to 10% which reduces coughs, wheezing and breathing problems. 2. Exercise becomes easier without losing your breath. G. The effects of smoking cessation after 12 months. 1. Excess risk of heart disease is about half and declines gradually hereafter. 2. A healthier heart starts to emerge on medical records. III.After the first year, their body continues to heal up until 15 years after they have quit the habit of smoking. The risk for certain disease becomes less and the way that they feel improves even more. A. The risk of heart attacks and strokes become less. 1. Risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker. 2. Risk of stroke returns to the level of people who have never smoked (5-15 years). I. The effects of smoking cessation after 10-15 years. 1. Risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker. 2. Risk of lung cancer is less than that observed in nonsmokers. . Risk of coronary heart disease is no different than that of someone who has ne ver smoked. 4. If you have quit smoking before age 50 you have halved the risk of dying in the next 15 years compared with continuing smokers. In conclusion the sooner they quit smoking the sooner their body can start to heal. The healing process takes 15 years to completely reach its full potential. With this being said, the sooner a person quits smoking, the more chance they have to breathe better, have a less chance of getting cancer, and live longer.It is said that if they quit smoking by the age of 50, they are giving themselves longer than 15 more years to die. Younger people heal faster than older people, this is a known fact. The younger a person is when they decide to quit smoking, the longer they will live according to their physical health. References Stop smoking programs. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. stop-smoking-programs. org/quit-smoking-benefits. html University Of Phoenix. (2012). Appendix H: Outline and Thesis Statement Guide. Retrieved from University Of Pho enix, COM156 Version 5 website.