American Express Company Essay

American Express Company, sometimes known as AmEx, is a diversified global financial services company headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. At present, there are 58,300 employees worldwide working in American Express earning annual revenue of $24. 5 billion. Its assets are valued at $124 billion, with $620 billion in annual purchase volume on American Express Cards and $87. 9 million cards-in-force. Each day, American Express makes it easier, safer and more rewarding for consumers and businesses to purchase the things they need and for merchants to sell their goods and services. An engine of commerce, American Express provides innovative payment, travel and expense management solutions for individuals and businesses of all sizes. Most of all, it helps the customers realize their dreams and aspirations through industry-leading benefits, access to unique experiences, business-building insights, and global customer care. It enables its customers to do more and achieve more. The vision of American Express is to work hard every day to make American Express the world’s most respected service brand. â€Å"Living up to our values is our first priority. † They believe in three operating principles they are: Offer superior value propositions to all of the customers Operate with best-in-class economics Support the American Express brand American Express is the world’s largest card issuer by purchase volume. They process millions of transactions daily as the premium network for high-spending card-members. The American Express is also known for helping mall business owners succeed by delivering purchasing power, flexibility and financial control. Adding on to its roles American Express also provides commercial payment tools and expertise that help companies control their spending and save billions of dollars, offer marketing and information management insights that help merchants build their businesses. The American Express employees are customer loyal experts with industry-leading rewards programs and platforms. They operate the world’s largest travel network serving consumers and businesses and are recognized as the most innovative company in our industries. They are dedicated to serving their customers, 24/7, around the world. The Values which they operate on reflect who the company is and what it stands for as a company. They believe in Customer Commitment, Quality, Integrity, Teamwork, Respect for People, Good Citizenship, Will to Win Personal and Accountability. Human Resource Practices at American Express Being a service industry firm, the employees form the base of all its operations and so the company gives a lot of importance to its HR practices which starts from assessing the need for new employees or new recruits. At American Express it starts with Projecting head counts, Assigning requisition number, identifying relevant profiles and estimating the number of candidates. The recruitment process starts with projecting the head counts i. e. by assessing how many candidates are required at a particular point in time in various departments. As per the requirements identified for different departments the company assigns a Requisition Number which differentiates various job requirements from one other. The Requisition Number is a unique code assigned by the company to different jobs which consists of the job description, minimum requirement for the job and the selection criteria. American Express then identifies the profiles that are relevant as per the requirements given by the Requisition Number and then estimates as to how many candidates will actually appear for the selection process. The company uses different sourcing channels for identifying relevant profiles as per its requirements. American Express uses both internal as well as external sources of recruitment. The Internal sources of the company consist of Employee Referral and Internal Sourcing Team under which the HR department asks its employees to refer the suitable candidates as per the job requirement. A candidate selected via an Employee Referral leads to the Employees getting a specific amount as a form of reward for contributing a resource to the Organization. As a part of the External sources the company contacts with External Vendors and Consultants and also goes to colleges for hiring. Beside this the company uses Job Postings also by advertising in job portals like www. Naukri. com, www. monsterindia. com etc. American Express also uses Social Networking Sites for inviting application by posting on www. facebook. com and www. linkedin. com . Beside the electronic media the company also advertise in newspapers like Times of India and Hindustan Times. American Express, for certain type of jobs, also invites walk-ins. After deciding when to hire and selecting different profiles as per the job advertisement given, the company goes for recruitment. For the recruitment process American Express generally prefers face to face interview. Face to face interview is given preference because of the fact that American Express being a service firm needs to test a candidate’s personality , his/her body language as how the person carries himself/ herself and his attitude towards work and also how he/she interacts with people. Face to face interview besides acting as a platform for assessing an applicant on the above mentioned parameters also allows the company to check the data provided by the candidate. The decisions regarding entry level staffing depends upon the attrition level of the company at a particular period of time. The entry level staffing is done in the form of bulk hiring and contacts from employment agencies are also utilized for the same. Wherein the company sends the required qualifications along with the Requisition Numbers for the vacant positions and then these requirements are matched up with the available candidates’ profiles. American Express hires students from across Campuses of local colleges if they are invited for the same by that particular college for recruitment else they don’t go for hiring in campuses by their own judgement. The interviews are usually held on Fridays, but as the need may be, sometimes they are conducted on Saturdays and Sundays as well. The turn ups on weekend drive ranges from 300-350 for Non Voice Requirements and 150-200 for Voice Requirements. For executive hiring American Express has tie ups with employment agencies wherein experienced people are searched for the Organization. Along with executive hiring American Express is into head hunting as one of its processes for executive hiring to have talented pool of people for the organization. American Express also prefers people from IITs & IIMs for filling up their executive positions. In case of executive hiring American Express generally sells its profile to have good resources for the organization. Once the selection mode is finalized then the series of face to face interviews gets started as the further steps of selection process. Executive hiring is process which requires time duration of 3-4 months at least. American Express is into Bulk Hiring for Voice Process as well as Non-Voice Process. Apart from Bulk Hiring it is also into Executive Hiring. American Express follows a set process for conducting these various levels of interview. Since the number of turn ups for the Voice & Non-Voice Processes are largely high they avoid taking an initial HR Screening Process; the reason behind this is lack of time. The Requisition Numbers that they get have a deadline that need to be met hence a HR Screening Process becomes too time consuming so it is avoided in the cases of Bulk Hiring. American Express is very staunch when it comes to hiring any candidate per se. Hence they believe that a Face to Face Interview & interaction would be an ideal way to judge the candidate. The American Express has four Levels of Interview. First, Personal Introduction Round, where the candidate is required to give an elaborate insight into his Educational Background, his past Work Experience, a glimpse into his personality & the Attitudes and abilities he possesses. Next step is the Voice Assessment Test for Voice Process and the Written Test for the Non-Voice Process. Wherein the candidates are judged upon various parameters like, their Communication, Accent, Voice Modulation, Pronunciation, Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammer etc. The reason behind doing these tests is to find the right candidate for the right role i. e. f one would suit for a Voice or a Non-Voice Process. The third step is the Operational or the Technical Round. In this the candidate is assessed on the skills that they possess and that are crucial to meet that particular job requirements. The candidate is interviewed on his Technical competencies & abilities. Finally, they have something called the Offer Round. It is also called the Salary Negotiation Round. This round is all about the Compensation Discussion, a discussion between the HR Manager & the Candidate over the expected compensation & the industry set Compensation Level. Once this discussion comes to a pause a final compensation is decided and an offer is rolled out to the candidate. The Levels of Interview slightly differ in the case of Executive Hiring. The First step in Executive Hiring is matching the profile according to the Requisition Number. Here the one thing that we need to make a note of is the fact that, a stringent HR Screening Process is followed, where the HR Manager strictly follows an HR Screening Checklist, to check whether the candidate matches the requirement as has been mentioned in and by the Requisition Number and the Job Description. All the other levels and steps being the same the only difference lies in the fact that they do not take any Written Test or Voice Assessment Test. This Step is eliminated from the process of Executive Hiring. The reason being that, this level generally constitutes of Top Level Management Employees & Officials and their mode of operation differs from the base or Ground level Employees. Rest they go through the same levels and steps of the Interview Selection Process. American Express believes in On the Spot job offer for Bulk Hiring wherein once the interview process is completed the candidate is given an offer letter. Executive Hiring or Non Bulk Hiring Offer is rolled out in 2days. (Within which the Candidate’s Confirmation is required). When the company hires the candidates in bulk then the entire process of interviewing to offer takes around 2 days and after the completion all the selected candidates are offered a job-letter. To close each Requisition an Average of 2 months is required starting from the process of selecting the forms, short-listing the candidates then conducting group discussion and PI and finally closing up of interview takes around 2 months. Niche Skills and Top Level Security Profiles take approximately an average of 3-4months. The technical skills which are niche, uncommon and difficult in nature to find takes approximately around 3 months because in this the company looks for a specific quality which can be used for further growth and development of the organization. Profiles of Vanilla Skills take 2 months to close. The American Express conducts a thorough Criminal Background Check, education verification and work experience. All portions of the check are completed before the Employee can begin his/her employment with the Organization. These checks are often used by American Express as a means of objectively evaluating a job candidate’s qualifications, character, fitness, and to identify potential hiring risks for safety and security reasons. The Background check at American Express is also used to thoroughly investigate the Employees Background and past information in order to get a security clearance. So this background check is extremely crucial in American Express recruitment process. They give huge importance in the same. If any of the above mentioned criteria doesn’t match in this process or a failure to adhere to the background check norms could eventually lead to the cancellation of the Candidates offer and Blacklisting of the candidate. Wherein the company cancels the application of the candidate or the candidate’s selection is being closed. Information’s which are being written in the resume has to be genuine and should be according to the actual background, experience of the candidate and basically those perfect information reflects the personality & the ability of the candidate. It is very easy for the candidate to prove or perform the same on the spot and simultaneously differentiate himself as the able candidate for the respective post. The American Express out sources its Background Check process to various firms. These are Syndicate firms which does the background check for its new hires in return for a fee amount. The On-Boarding Process begins when Candidate joins them for an informative first–day orientation where they learn the ins and outs of American Express history and culture. On-Boarding involves integrating and acculturating new employees into the organisation and providing them with the tools, resources, and knowledge to become successful and productive. It is a 2 day process. On boarding includes orientation collection of documents such as the Experience Certificate or Letter, Reference Letter, Educational Documents, Identification Proof etc. Orientation at American Express is a social function which serves as a familiarization programme provided to new employees. It stands as a ‘getting to know us’ programme. So they give information about their policies and working culture means how to work with American Express. In this on boarding process the new joiners are also made to fill various forms such as the provident fund and gratuity. A Separate Training Department with group or individual training in specified areas focused on carrying out assignments connected with related field they are working in which helps in improving the skills and knowledge of the employees. Special training is given to all the candidates from Campus Recruits to Bulk Hires to Executives who are recruited. This training focuses mainly on the rules and regulations the company follows and what all are the objectives the company has to achieve. The Training Methods or Forms of Training that American Express uses are vast. It comprises of Formal Training, for all employees whether they are new hires of existing employees. All and one have to undergo a formal training session in American Express. Another form of Training that American Express follows is Lectures and Classroom Trainings where in the Employees obtain training in a traditional classroom environment as per their convenience and time. It provides the employees with an environment that includes a lab, an instructor, and a structured approach to teaching. Another mode of Training that it follows is Online Training. This method is generally used in case of training the Top Level Officials and Managers. American Express Values every second of its Employees time especially when it is related to the Top management because they are involved with the major operations of the organization. So instead of disrespecting their time by calling them for a classroom session it looks for their convenience. They take up their training programs online which is quicker, simpler and convenient for them. The next form of Training method that they apply is Questionnaire. Where in the HR Manager floats a Questionnaire to it Employees / Trainees and they collect their responses and give them the feedback. â€Å"An unusual method of training its employees but it tends to be more effective than classroom sessions† says Saumyajit K. Pal, HR Manager (MIS & Analytics), American Express.

Of Mice And Men: Book vs Movie

As we all know, there’s one thing about books that appeal to every avid reader in the world; the visualization and imagination. This is something that movies can either enrich or abolish. For the book entitled ‘Of Mice And Men’, the movie acted as a detriment to the book. The differences between the movie and the book are insurmountable. To start thing off, the first thing that was dissimilar was when George and Lennie are shown sneaking into a train at night to escape from Weed. However, if one recalls on the book accurately, they will remember that no such seen in the book was described.Another flawless example is when a worker named Mike approached Slim and asked him whether or not he could switch jobs with someone else as he could not keep up with Lennie. Again, this was not mentioned in the book what-so-ever. The next part was an important part, but was cut from the movie for unknown reasons. The part is when Lennie is in the river and begins to hallucinate a bout his aunt Clara and the giant rabbit. In addition to that, and also near the ending of the book, when George shoots Lennie with the Luger pistol. In the film, the gun he was holding was a Colt Revolver, and was again changed for unspecified reasons.This brings me to how the ending of the book was changed: in the book, George remains on the ranch, whilst in the film, George is seen riding alone in yet another boxcar to his next destination in both the introduction and ending. This is indicative of George fleeing after killing Lennie and reminisces on past events during the ride. In spite of all this alterations or modifications, there are still an innumerable amount to be spoken of. Thus, vividly showing us that movies can indeed sometimes take away from the free-thinking, imagination that books exclusively hold.

Andy Warhol Essay Example for Free

Andy Warhol Essay Choose cite format: APA MLA Harvard Chicago ASA IEEE AMA Andy Warhol is one of the significant famous personalities of the twentieth century. He is an artist, a film maker, a celebrity and even a businessman. Warhol advanced the Popular art movement in America. He made compelling and controversial art works that yielded praises and even criticisms. Warhol had once said, â€Å"I’d prefer to remain a mystery. I never like to give my background and, anyway, I make it all up different every time I’m asked. It’s not just that it’s part of my image not to tell everything, it’s just that I forget what I said the day before, and I have to make it all up over again† (Wrenn Andy Warhol: in his own words).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Andy Warhol was born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the son of Slovakian immigrants. His father was Andrej who was a construction worker who died when he was 13 and his mother was Julia. According to his mother, Warhol suffered three nervous breakdowns in his childhood (Andy Warhol). By 1945, he entered the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) where he majored in pictorial design . After college, Warhol went to New York and started his career in illustration and advertising for several magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and The New Yorker (Cribbs Andy Warhol: Biography). It was film director Emile de Antonio who encouraged Warhol to start as an independent   artist because he considered commercial art as a real form of   real art. His fondness for art and commerce gained him several recognitions from established organizations (Andy Warhol).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the 1960’s, many of Andy Warhol’s most famous and iconic images were generated. By adapting various images from popular culture, Warhol created many paintings that remained icons of 20th-century art, such as the Campbell’s Soup Cans, Disasters and Marilyns. In addition to painting, Warhol made several 16mm films which have become underground classics such as Chelsea Girls, Empire and Blow Job (Cribbs Andy Warhol: Biography). Most of Warhol’s films were deemed plotless,   complex and somewhat pornographic. Though there were scripts, most of the dialogues in his films were improvised by the actors who were usually transvestites, homosexuals and his acquaintances. According to Warhol, he never particularly wanted to make simply sex movies, but attempted to show how people can meet other people and what they can do and what they can say each other. Warhol’s gradual withdrawal from films production coincided with his near fatal shooting in 1968 by a female ‘factory’ reject connected with an anti-male hate group (Andy Warhol). More so, in this period, Warhol moved to the â€Å"Factory.† It was his place at Union Square in New York City where he and his team of hired workers massly produced screen prints of popular culture. This immediately became the hangout venue for   artist, musicians, and actors where they expressed their individuality. The Factory also served as a working place where he produced most his masterpieces in art and film (Andy Warhol Biography).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the 70’s amd 80’s, Warhol had expanded his empire beyond mere art making. He was in the center of a corporation that produced films, books, plays, and was involved with television (Andy Warhol). He founded inter/VIEW magazine. He also created two cable television shows, â€Å"Andy Warhol’s TV† and â€Å"Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes† for MTV . More so, Warhol had several collaborations with younger artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Francesco Clemente and Keith Haring (Cribbs Andy Warhol: Biography). In his book The Philosophy of Andy Warhol he wrote: â€Å"Business art is the step that comes after Art. I started as a commercial artist, and I want to finish as a business artist. After I did the thing called ‘art’ or whatever it’s called, I went into business art. I wanted to be an Art Businessman or a Business Artist. Being good in business in the most fascinating kind of art† (Andy Warhol).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Andy Warhol died after a gall bladder surgery on February 22, 1987. His funeral was attended by his friends, colleagues and more than   2, 000 fans at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York (Cribbs Andy Warhol: Biography) .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Warhol made a huge contribution in art history. His eccentric personality brought him to beyond levels of stardom. He constantly shook the art industry with his controversial art works that were considered avant-garde during that era. Warhol’s personality have been subjected to several suspicions. His concepts and interpretations gave an impression that he was a homosexual. According to Wayne Koestenbaum’s psychoanalytical interpretation, everything was sexual for Warhol, who was †as gay as you can get† and he also said that â€Å"Warhol’s major artistic contribution was reinterpreting the worth of cultural waste products† (Andy Warhol). Many would think that Warhol is not a true blooded artist because mainly for the fact that he was driven by monetary ambition and even came to the point where he became obsessed in being rich and famous. But he proved that business can be mixed with art making. He utilized the best of both worlds, which are the corporate world and the art world. In a but shell, he merged art, wealth and fame producing the Pop Artist Andy Warhol (Andy Warhol Biography). â€Å" Andy Warhol Biography.† ArtQuotes.net. 28 February 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . â€Å"Andy Warhol.† 2000. Books and Writers. 28 February 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . Cribss, Martin. â€Å" Andy Warhol: Biography.† 2002. The Andy Warhol Foundation for the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Visual Arts.   28 February 2008 . Wrenn, Mike. Andy Warhol: In His Own Words. Omnibus Press, 1992. Andy Warhol. (2017, Mar 01).

Assignmenteconomic theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignmenteconomic theory - Assignment Example On the other hand the government will maintain monopolies whereby the cost of producing certain products are too expensive example the rail way industry. When negative externalities occur the government has a role to play in resolving the problem example pollution, the government also has a role to play in maintaining a competitive market in the economy and eliminate monopolies and oligopolies in order to achieve optimal pricing of goods and services in the economy. Income discrimination occurs when there are wage differences that are as a result of differences in ethnicity, gender, age and race, the government role is to eliminate wage discrimination through the implementation of policies, the existence of competitive markets also eliminate the problem of income distribution and therefore the government will encourage competition in order to eliminate income discrimination. An example of income discrimination in the US is that studies show that whites are paid higher wage rates than other races in the US. The role of the government in this case is to encourage competition and implementation of policies that discourage discrimination. This policy measure is appropriate given that income discrimination leads to the marginalization of certain groups.

Employment Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employment Relations - Essay Example This shortage can be short term or long term, although it depends on the lengthy of the deficit. Due to its current state of deficiency of skilled labour, many immigrants shift to New Zealand to seize the employment opportunities (Palffy, 2008). Adversely, the country may have many skilled labourers who are not willing to fill the available vacancies. This investigative paper will seek to discover the causes of inadequate skilled labour supply in New Zealand. It will also suggest possible control measures that can correct the situation in New Zealand’s labour market. Causes of skills shortage in New Zealand Skills shortages can vary from their nature to the cause. Genuine skills shortage occurs when an employer finds it difficult to get enough skilled job seekers to fill the vacancies available in the organization. For example, if there are tailors to fill vacancies in a textile company but only very few tailors with these skills are unemployed and looking for a job. Recruitme nt and retention difficulties also cause skill shortage. This is whereby a skilled job seeker is available, but chooses not to work due to the unfavorable working conditions and low wages. In New Zealand, there exist several causes for the shortages (OECD, 2008). However, the commonest include global labour market, which happens when people with the necessary skills move from New Zealand to other countries. They may migrate due to change of citizenship or carry on other personal interests. Low and inflexible wages is also a contributor to the shortage. This is because when wages are low, and employers are not willing to increase it, job seekers may decide not to look for a job since there is no motivating reward (Sunley, Martin, & Nativel, 2011). Cohem & Zaidi (2002) argue that technological changes and development also pose a threat to the labor market. When technology advance, initially a few people have the advanced skills. Additionally, it is natural that people resist change. T herefore, very few people will be willing to train with the new technology. Growth of the economy is another contributing factor to skills shortage. This is because when economy grows, new opportunities are evident and the country may suffer from short-term lack of skills. Ageing population cause shortage since when people with the necessary skills retire from their work, a gap is present. The employers will need to train other employees in order to feel the gap. Low skilled workforce is another challenge to labour market (Palffy, 2008). This is because if the employees posses only the basics of a job requirement, they may not be able to perform an advanced job requirement, therefore, making themselves obsolete from time to time. Labour market barriers also contribute to skills shortage. This may occur when a job vacancy specifies other requirements for the potential employee rather than the skill. The vacancy may state specific age, height, or even knowledge of a specific geographi cal region. Consequently, even if an individual has all the necessary skills but lacks any of the additional condition, does not meet job expectations. This is a challenge since there may be very few people with both the conditions and the skills (Bruk et al., 2012). Poor management and leadership in organizations in New Zealand have discouraged job seekers from working in some firms. Even if one has the necessary skills, may not be willing to work in an organization with

Setting the Stage for Strategic Compensation and Bases for Pay Assignment

Setting the Stage for Strategic Compensation and Bases for Pay - Assignment Example The present study focuses on the setting of the stage for strategic compensation and bases for pay in organizations, by answering five questions in association. Question 1: Describe the three main goals of compensation departments. Solution: The primary stakeholders for an organization’s compensation packages include the employees, the management or the executives, and the government. Thus the three main goals of the compensation departments in an organization are associated with satisfaction and gain advantages from these three above mentioned sources (Compensation’s Role in Human Resource Strategy, 22). The first and most important goal that the compensation departments have reflects on keeping the employees of the organization satisfied such that they perform efficiently and with sincere concerns working towards the achievement of the organizational goals. Secondly the concern of the department is associated with the management and executive teams since these individ uals are the experts of the organizations and need to be retained for future endeavors. ... Thus the three primary goals of the compensation department could be learnt from the above section of the study. Question 2: Describe the contextual influence that you believe will pose the greatest challenge and the contextual influence that will pose the least challenge to companies’ competitiveness and explain why. Solution: A company’s competitiveness and the level of competitive advantage that it gains over its competitors depend significantly on the performance of the employees of the organization. However, with the changing world of businesses and the market trends that determine the level of competition, the compensation systems have also significantly altered and modified. This in other words reflects the influences of the contextual factors in association with the competitiveness of an organization. The most important factor that seems to influence the compensation program is the determination of the wage rates for the employees. High wage rates on one hand in creases the cost of the company and thus the prices of the goods reflecting on decreasing financial performances for the company; on the other hand, it guarantees the gain of competent workforce. Thus this factor poses the greatest challenge for an organization. The factor that poses least challenges in the present times include the determination of wages according to the geography or industry, since now the satisfaction of the employees influence more depending on the needs of the organization. Thus strategic compensation system has become significantly necessary in the planning for wages within organizations (Kim, 2-5). Question 3: Describe when subjective performance evaluations might be better (or more feasible) than objective

Self-Driving Cars Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Self-Driving Cars - Research Paper Example From this paper it is clear that in 1939, a General Motors (GM)’s sponsored exhibit, Futurama designed by Norman Bel Geddes, was unveiled at the world Trade Fair. The electromagnetic fields generated by the embedded circuits in the highway provided propulsion while control was radio based. Bel later outlined his mission in a book entitled Magic Motorways in 1940. These developments prompted the improvements in highway design and transportation. In 1923, Radio Corporation America (RCA) labs successfully built a miniature controlled by wires laid on the laboratory floor. It was an experimental system that jerked the imagination of a traffic engineer in Nebraska called Leland Hancock.This study highlights that during the same time, London under United Kingdom’s Transport and Roads Research Lab tested Citron Ds, a driverless car that interacted with magnetic cables embedded in the roads. Citron cruised through a test track at a steady speed of 130 kilometers per hour withou t signs of deviation in any weather condition. In 1980s, Ernst Dickmann and his team of engineers in Bundeswehr University Munich in Germany designed a vision-guided Mercedes Benz robotic van. The van moved at a speed of 63 kilometers per hour on the streets without traffic jam. EUREKA also conducted a multi-million Prometheus Project on autonomous vehicles from 1987 to 1995.  The United States Congress passed the Transportation Automation Bill in 1991 that instructed the United States Department of Transportation to demonstrate self-driving vehicles and highway systems by 1997.

Why were the Americans unable to prevail in Vietnam whilst the British Essay

Why were the Americans unable to prevail in Vietnam whilst the British succeeded in Malaya - Essay Example The war was viewed by the American people as redundant as they were not convinced of any potential danger from the rising communism in the Asian regions. This resulted in the U.S. presidents of the Cold war era losing the votes of the common people in support of the war. Moreover, the war proved to be expensive and the economic repercussions were felt for more than a decade. After the end of the war which happened more because of the agitation among the American people, the final consequences became a learning experience of the U.S. leaders for what strategies to adopt in any future conflicts. The Malayan emergency was a guerrilla war between the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the British and Commonwealth forces. The MNLA communists were mainly comprised of the poor Chinese population who were based in jungles. The MNLA and its allies termed the combat as Anti-British National Liberation War. The guerrillas focused on rescuing Malaya from the controlling power of the Bri tish colonial administration. The conflict which started on 18 June 1948 was termed as Emergency after three European plantation managers were killed by the guerrillas in the northern state of Perak (â€Å"The Malayan Emergency: Background†). . ... For instance, the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the capture of Fort Sumter in 1861, the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, and the North Korean invasion of South Korea in June 1950. Unlike these events, the American war in Vietnam had no concrete reasons nor was there any fixed beginning point. The American participation in the Vietnam War was a result of series of events that occurred during the period between 1950 and 1965. In the month of May 1950, the then American President Harry S. Truman sanctioned to initiate a modest program for helping the French. Truman sanctioned economic and military assistance to the French who were engaged in battles to retain their controlling power of their Indochina colony, including Laos, Cambodia as well as Vietnam. When the Vietminh army which was originally formed to protect Vietnam from the French colonial power defeated the French armed forces at Dienbienphu in 1954, the French were left with no other choice but to create a Communist Vietnam north of the 17th parallel. Then the south of that line remained as a non-Communist region. The United States however did not agree with this kind of arrangement. When Dwight D. Eisenhower became the U.S. president, his administration attempted to take over and build a nation in South Vietnam which was by then holding a fake political entity. The U.S. concocted a government in South Vietnam, subjugated the French army and also sent military advisers to prepare a South Vietnamese army. U.S. also unleashed the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in order to conduct a psychological warfare against North Vietnam. In early 1961, President John F. Kennedy designed another strategy that contributed towards

Assignment 8 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

8 - Assignment Example It is a practice that helps organizations achieve their desires for products and services in a manner that realizes the value for their capital on the entire foundation in terms of creating remunerations to the organization, society and the economy at large while minimizing damage to the surroundings. It helps in creating markets for proper expertise and revolutionary solution. Sustainable procurement tries to attain the suitable balance between the three main components of development which includes ecological, communal and commercial factors (Abrams 45). A good number of businesses are turning to social responsibility by linking the similarities among the products and the services they offer and the problems that are occurring every day in their societies. For example, organizations providing health services may crop up with methods of offering medical support to the individuals who undercover with life assurance amenities. United Health Group is one of the key groups in the health assurance sector and services dominion operating to advance the spread of its influence by working hard to improve access to the medical concern for unmerited group of people, senior and low-income families and individuals (Thompson et al., 100-107 ). It is enthusiastically working together with stakeholders, supply agents, clients, non-governmental organizations and government agencies in an effort to unearth ways to today’s vast healthcare scheme crisis. The organization is also concerned with sharing its quantifiable facts with healthcare provid ers to assist in the improvement of the quality of supply chain so as to make sure Dell’s Guiding Principles and Procedures concerning social responsibility are in place (Amato, Sybil Henderson, and Sue 20). The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2009 published its guiding principles for social responsibility (Amato, Sybil Henderson, and Sue 34-45). They are of one’s free will to use and do not include

Ending the Employment Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ending the Employment Relationship - Essay Example iticizing organizations and more importantly this results in the increased turnover rate as employees get demoralized and they get some idea about the up coming in almost every organization they work, retirement is an honorable work, the worker respectfully gets retirement from work and it is also a good sign as if the retirement would not have taken place than the employment cycle would have been disturbed and there would be no new blood in old organization that would have appeared. "Currently Nepal Bank employs 6,600 people, more than one-third of all those working in the Nepalese financial sector. In 1990 the bank reduced its workforce by 800 people. This was achieved by a combination of voluntary redundancy and early retirement fostered by a generous incentive" (Budhwar, 98: 2001). In the present casIn the present case it is very clear that the main cause for redundancy and retirement is the willingness of the organization to get compressed so that all the operations can be handled easily, but can organization work more effectively this way Can organization retain the same value or can increase it The above mentioned are few questions that bring in relation both the employers and employees, these are few serious matters that we have to discuss, it is really unfair with the country to control it this way, on second thought it is also very difficult for the organization to adjust with out people who were previously working for the betterment of the organization. In the current world women are working more in the society than men, there are good reasons though for eliminating the women from the employment but yet it is unethical, there are being eliminated due to the facts such as they are unable to work with full concentration after marriage and at times they are retired prematurely, in order to get the work done by some new fresh graduate, which is having both positive points to be discussed and negative as well, positive in terms of giving youth a chance to prove itself and negative because of an unfair decision of firing someone if not directly than indirectly through retirement. Few causes of Redundancy Martin has defined redundancy in 2000 as "the work for which the employee was employed has ceased or diminished. Here the selection of a particular individual has to be shown to be fair". It shows that the entire process starts from the time the employee is recruited, though it is a long procedure and the organization tries to be as fair as they can in selecting employees, but there is no guarantee that the employee would keep the job, so from this view the redundancy threat starts taking place in the mind of the employee, only a strong bond with the organization can keep

Original script Essay Example for Free

Original script Essay My character in this scene was Mrs Johnston she was very emotionally upset as her husband left her with seven children and two on the way. She wants her and her family to lead a good life and find wealth my characters function throughout the play is to give birth to the twins and tell the twins that they are brothers. The fact that Mrs Johnstons husband left her and she does not make that much money as she has no job and she is starting a new makes the character stronger and in this scene Mrs Johnston tell the audience this. The other scene that me and my grouped developed is the final scene in the play this is about Mickey (one of the twins) going round to see Eddie (the other twin) they still do not know if they are brothers. Mickey thinks that Eddie is having an affair with his wife Linda. This is the final scene this was from the original script and was the scene when the twins (Eddie and Mickey) both find out they are both brothers and this is also the scene when they both get killed by Mrs Lyons. In this scene there are 5 people involved Mrs Lyons, Mrs Johnston, Eddie, Mickey and the narrator. We looked at the scrip of this scene and read it between us. Even tough there is 5 people involved in this scene there was only 3 people in my group so we had to split characters and lines so that we could include all the characters. As we read the script we took important lines and highlighted them, we had to make sure all these lines were in the performance. For the characters I was Mickey, Fabien was Eddie and Natalie was Mrs Lyons and Mrs Johnston. We all split the important narrators lines. The performance was set up like this: K = Katie N = Natalie F = Fabien K stands on one side of the stage and say the narrators lines then K walks in to Fs office (the block) there is a thought-track of what K wants to happen then it goes back to that is really happening and they have an argument N walks in and tells the twins they are brothers then N turns around and as she turns back she is a different character the contrast changes and her mood as a different person is the opposite to what she was the twins both end up on the floor and N speaks the narrators lines and the brothers get up and repeat the past in a previous scene that had happened earlier in the play. We used still-imagery as the narrator was talking, we would come out of character and say the lines in neutral as there in no view from the narrator this would be done with neutral face expression. The thought-tracking we used was with Mickey (K) imagining what he is going to do when he moves into the office of Eddie (F). We made sure that when a character changed roles that the audience new about it with the change of tone and the different mood that changed when the character changed. We tried to create height with the block we used but also we created heights with our characters as one person would be at one height another person would be at a different one. We changed the tone of voice and accent when the character changed roles. When the narrator was talking at the end of the scene there was the miming of a scene that was earlier in the play. We also had music at the end to signify the end and to show what the play was about and this was the innocence of children and how they do not stereotype and distinguish classes of people. Evaluation I believe that I have learnt a grate deal about the play and the playwright I now understand a lot more about how to uses different drama techniques and use them together to crate different moods and styles. As we watched another groups performance of a scene in which they had developed we evaluated it and took these points into consideration: I believe this was to signify the distance between the two characters as in this scene they are having an argument. Ant the beginning of the scene there was mime I believe this worked well as this built up tension and created the mood as if we knew what was going to happen. Thai used a lot of the scrip in this scene but they added and developed a lot of text into it as this helped the audience understand more. There was a lot of different drama conventions used in this scene there was a few minuets in the middle of the scene when the two characters were having a fight and this was done so that the characters were not touching each other and the were both stood on different blocks there was music played in this section and it was really effective towards me, as the audience. Also there was a monologue done in this scene I liked this as it helped me to understand what was going on and how the character was felling at the time. I believe that more costume and props could have been used in this scene to help the characters develop more gestures. The use of space and height was very good in this play and because of this it was nice to watch and I enjoyed it. In all of the performances they could have been improved with time as we only had a short time to develop and rehearse the scenes we were still using scrips and this put the audience off what is actually happening. More costume and make up would of helped use create are characters more and also if we would of been able to use a stage it would of helped with the blocking and how the scene looked. I believe that the message of the play was that you cannot separate different classes of people as we are all the same inside also that the play had a very suppositious side to it and that fate cannot be controlled. Religion plays an important part in the play as the bible is used many times and signifies if something is said on the bible it will happen. The main context of the play is twins should not be separated and that the innocents of children should not be overlooked as they do not see different colours of skin and a difference of people with money and without money is not significant to them. The play was set in the early 1970 an example of an extract taken from the scrip is this Then of course I found that I was six weeks overdue We got married at the registry and then we had a do We all had curly salmon sandwiches and how the ale did flow; They said the bride was lovelier than Marilyn Monroe And we went dancing Marilyn Monroe was very big in the 1970s and it was also very looked down on if you had a child out of wed lock at this time. I enjoyed developing from this play as I have very strong views about the stereotypical view of people who have wealth. I believe that I began to understand more about the play now that I have preformed the different scenes and developed them with my own ideas. I believe that Billy Russell is a very talented writer and I would be interested in using or watching another one of his play as I believe that he writes most of it from experience and that it has a strong belief in all of the historical contexts his plays are about. I have learnt a lot about new drama techniques and how to use them together I believe that blood brothers was a very good play to use on paper 1 unit 2 as there was a lot to develop from the script and there was a lot to come out in between the lines! W did these brainstorms so that we could understand Mrs Lyons more as she was a completed character.

Case Study: Audit Processes of a Computer Company

Case Study: Audit Processes of a Computer Company Introduction Internal auditing is a consulting activity on a company that is independent. It aims at helping a company/ form evaluate its managerial system, identify issues in the firm and control the process of governance. Therefore an internal audit helps in supporting the board in their duties of completing important businesses in the company. The main issues faced by the auditor is whether research and development costs expensed in establishing technological feasibility were properly expensed or capitalized when appropriate. A good audit plan when implemented improves business performances and increases sales in a company. Definitions An internal audit is a tool used in firms to evaluate how effective its management system is and its quality. An internal auditor is any person who is qualified enough to have a responsibility of performing the audit process Nonconformance is the situation where the practice of a company is in disagreement with the standard practices KCN Analysis of the Audit Strategies Section Purpose Audit Strategy OBJECTIVES OF THE ENGAGEMENT This lists the services to be provided by the audit firm to KCN. The aim of this process is to define Keyton Computers Networks Inks internal audit for the purpose of evaluating the companys effectiveness.This is the audit of KCNs financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, and the issuance of a letter of engagement. BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY CONDITIONS To evaluate KCNs business and the industry it operates in KCN sells and services micro-computers, networking hardware and software to different businesses. PLANNING MEETINGS Shows the meetings that have been made with the clients and CPA team One meeting so far held with client and one with engagement team OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT Shows/ indicates who owns and manages the company. Owners: Terry Keystone, Mark Keystone, John Keystone, Keith Young, and Rita Young. Managers: Terry and Mark Keystone OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND BUSINESS RISKS This establishes clients goals, how they planned to achieve it, and the commensurate risks, and how they planned to overcome these risks. The main aim is to increase revenues 110% and increase net income to112% for each of the next 3 years.   To achieve this there will be need to: (1) advertise aggressively, sell to customers with higher risk profiles, and to develop new software.    The primary risks involved are not being able to produce the desired results and exceeding increased sales with credit losses. Another possible risk is not producing products in the software development. MEASUREMENT AND REVIEW OF FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE These are the ways used for performance evaluation. The procedures include inventory and receivables turnover, aging of accounts receivable, and the total inventory balance. PROCEDURES TO ATTAIN AN UNDERSTANDING OF CLIENT AND CLIENTS OPERATING ENVIRONMENT This tells the procedures to be done so the auditors can understand the client and the clients environment. For this audit strategy, the auditor needs to 1) review the prior years audit, 2) make inquiries from management, 3) analyze KCNs minutes of its board of directors meetings, 4) evaluate performance reports, 5) analyze company website, 6) appraise industry reports, and 7) assess business newspapers including the Wall Street Journal. AUDIT APPROACH This defines the general plan to be taken. Just like last years audit, the accountants assigned to KCNs audit have to make a plan about the companys tests of controls to gauge whether its control risks are below the maximum for the identified assertions. SIGNIFICANT RISKS Primary risks identified by the auditors. The primary risks involved are not being able to produce the desired results and exceeding increased sales with credit losses. Another possible risk is not producing products in the software development, and analysis of the quarterly results showed significant bonuses awarded to officers. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING MATTERS This are matters of concern in accounting and auditing Two primary concerns exist: whether accounting for extended warranties is done properly and cost of software. PLANNING MATERIALITY The auditor computes the materiality threshold. Review of sales, total assets, and pretax net income, to plan for materiality, $70,000 was established as the measure. SCHEDULING AND STAFFING PLAN This is the audits schedule. It also identifies the human resources assigned to the engagement. This includes the target dates for each major section of the audit starting from the interim audit work up to the updating of the management letter.The firm budgeted 118 hours for the engagement. KCN Risks RiskImplications and Response The primary risks involved are not being able to produce the desired results and exceeding increased sales with credit lossesthrough the extension of credits to high risk customers This increases the risk of bad debt expense misstatement and the corresponding allowance. The auditors can revise their estimates on the value of an account, and ignore the procedures previously done. Bonuses for the clients officers There could be an increase in the risk of quarterly results misstatement to extract the maximum bonus for officers.Also this motivates the officers to work more for more bonuses. The auditors may respond by reducing the number of the staff as long as they can handle their duties, to reduce number of people receiving bonuses. KCN Capitalization of Software Development Costs For KCN, the auditor has to determine whether research and development costs including those expended to establish technological feasibility have been properly booked as expenses or capitalized wherever appropriate.The audit firm will then identify the point of feasibility for the software product.The primary risks involved are not being able to produce the desired results and exceeding increased sales with credit losses by selling to high risk customers. The implication of this factor is that it creates a chance for misstatement of bad debt expense and the allowance for bad debts. Moreover, auditors will either increase or decrease their evaluation of the worthiness of the accounts receivable and avoid relying on previously done procedures. KCN Ratio Analysis Keystone Computers Networks, Inc. Analytical Review of Financial Ratios For the Period Ended December 31, 20X5 Details of Computations of 2005 ratios Ratio analysis may be difficult when there are no major changes in ratios.   However, the following might be considered: Number of Sales in Accounts per day Changes in credit policy and customer mix Improved economic conditions Exaggerations of sales Understatement of purchases Turnover of Inventory Change in the policy of the inventory exaggeration of inventory Understatement of the commodities bought by the company As KCN competes with companies that are much larger than itself and some even older in the computer and software business, the economic pressure is a lot. Whether bor not the company succeeds depends on how it handles the competition, for example, being able to attain and maintain a qualified market. This may increase its growth in the software sector by up to 6%. Conclusion The audit process is an important part of a company. Using the ratios and factors above, the Keyton company auditing process was carried out.   The increased profitability level resulted to a number of ratios with significant changes.As mentioned in the first part of this discussion paper, the auditor needs to determine whether research and development costs are properly expenses or capitalized when appropriate. The auditors determined that accounting for research and development was followed and all it needs to do is to identify when the software product became technologically feasible. As stated above, implementing these policies from the auditors reports will increase the sales for example, up to 6% in software alone. This supports our thesis statement. References Chesler, L. (1981). Baseline audit plan. Santa Monica, Calif. Kagermann, H. (2008). Internal audit handbook: Management with the SAP-Audit Roadmap. Berlin: Springer. Pickett, K. H. S. (2006). Audit planning: A risk-based approach. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Why did the Compromise Fall in 1860? Why did the Compromise Fall in 1860? During the beginning of the nineteenth century, the relationship between North and South deteriorated over the issue of territorial expansion. In 1850, the issue of slavery was slowly dividing the North and South sections of the United States; both factions were of similar origins and had a myriad of common bonds. Frantic efforts at compromise were launched such as the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and The Missouri Compromise of 1820. However, the sectional rift only increased with the Brooks-Sumner incident and any chances of compromise were terminated with the Supreme Court decision of the Dred Scott case in 1859. The two powerful parties of the Second American Party System, the Democrats and the Whigs, were dumbfounded and could not find a solution to the slave question, which ultimately lead to their destruction. From their remains rose two new political parties, the Republican Party and a southern party devoted to the defense of slavery. Their battle in the election of 1860 would decide the future and fate of the United States. By 1860 all attempts at compromise had failed, and within a year the nation was in the midst of a bloody Civil War that would cost over 600,000 American lives and divided many families in the process. The types of economies that developed in the three regions of the United States in the first half of the nineteenth century had a powerful impact on political goals and decisions. The South grew important cash crops such as cotton, tobacco, sugar, and rice. The North was far more industrialized than the South or even the West, having shifted from mercantile capitalism. At the same time the West shifted from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture and produced more foodstuffs, such as corn and wheat, than the other two regions. The North came to rely more and more on western foodstuffs and in return, westerners became consumers of northern industrial and commercial products. By the 1850s the North and West were economically joined, and the Norths economy was rapidly evolving into a modern-day industrial and commercial system. In the South, cash crops such as rice and tobacco were grown extensively. Yet no commodity was more important to the South than cotton. One southern politi cal leader was so certain that the rest of the nation depended on the Souths cotton production that he declared, Cotton is King! Cotton was one of the most important commodities in the world in the nineteenth century; many factories in the Northern states as well as European countries such as Great Britain and France needed cotton for their important and prosperous textile industries. Yet this was all done on the backs of abused slaves who worked tirelessly night and day to pick the cotton of their masters plantations. In the early 1800s Northerners were content to allow slavery to reside in Southern states. Only when Southern leaders sought to expand slavery did many Northerners become concerned. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was an attempt to maintain the balance in the Senate between slave and Free states. Senator Henry Clay, known as the Great Compromiser, worked out a compromise in which Maine would enter the Union as a free state while Missouri would be admitted into the Union as the northernmost slave state. As a result of the compromise, slavery was then prohibited north of the 36 °30 parallel making a clear distinction between the northern and southern states. This boundary would then later be challenged by events such as the Dred Scott case, yet it marvelously managed to avert war for forty years, and thus set it aside for a later generation to fight, but the damage to American nationalism helped to erode the so-called Era of Good Feelings in which the popular James Monroe presided as president. During 1828, Congress passed a tariff that protected Northern industries but had the unwanted consequence of driving up domestic prices. This, while beneficial to the growing industry in the North, greatly crippled the South who suffered as their economy largely depended on the import and export of domestic goods. As a result, this new bill outraged Southerners who began calling it the Tariff of Abominations. South Carolina spearheaded Southern concerns by citing the doctrine of nullification, which allowed individual states to nullify proclamations of the federal government that would be found to be unconstitutional or inhibit the states rights. The issue of nullification was taken up in the Senate in the famous Webster-Hayne debate in which Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, the Senates leading orator, responded by challenging the Souths apparent willingness to subvert the Union for regional economic gain. In doing so, he broadened the debate beyond land, tariffs, and slavery to a co nsideration of the very nature of the federal republic. In 1832 Congress modified the tariff of 1828 by retaining high duties on some goods, but lowering others to rates held before the treaty. A South Carolina convention, under the leadership of current vice-president John Calhoun, later that year adopted an Ordinance of Nullification, voiding the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 in the state. The claim was that because the South tended to export food and import manufactured goods these tariffs were abusive and unfair; this new Ordinance supported free trade and generally opposed protective tariffs. The South Carolina state legislature funded a volunteer army and threatened secession if the federal government tried to force the state to comply with the tariffs. President Jackson, though an advocate of states rights, responded forcefully and threatened to invade South Carolina if its leaders refused to participate in the collection of tariff duties. To the ambitious malcontents in South Car olina, he proclaimed emphatically, the laws of the United States must be executed. . . . The Union will be preserved and treason and rebellion promptly put down. Jacksons proclamation stimulated an outburst of patriotism all over the country, isolating South Carolina from the rest of the Union. President Andrew Jackson asked Congress to grant him the authority to use military force to collect tax revenues and to subdue South Carolina. Congress complied by passing the Force Bill of 1833; the bill gave the President the authority to close ports or harbors at his will. This in turn would require opponents to the tariff to travel a distance to carry out any threats or insurrection against federal facilities. Hostile acts against government facilities or personnel would then be considered pre-meditated and blatant. Fortunately, however, the president never had to resort to military action. The crisis was averted when Congress passed a bill that reduced the productive tariff the following year. These events were dubbed the Nullification Crisis and the Compromise of 1833. Though war was averted, South Carolina now became the hotbed of southern dissent. The crisis of 1850 may never have occurred if a more common resource was discovered in California. But since gold was so rare, and therefore very valuable, Californias population skyrocketed. By 1850 over 100,000 hoping-to-strike-it-rich settlers, also known as forty-niners, flocked to California in hopes of attaining vast wealth in the gold that was said to be so abundant there. Without waiting for federal approval, the inhabitants of California called a convention, framed a constitution that prohibited slavery, and applied to Congress for admission as a state without first becoming a territory, this was made possible due to the vast influx of people who had emigrated there from the east of the United States as well as those who had immigrated from other countries. California had become very populous. The questions of whether California should be admitted as a free state and slavery should be allowed in New Mexico and Utah, two other territories asking to be allowed into the Union a t the time, generated a great deal of controversy both within Congress and throughout the nation. President Taylor supported Californias admission. Though the slaveholding president supported the proposal, other slaveholders throughout the country did not follow suit. Many southerners quickly threatened that they would secede from the Union if California was admitted as a free state. The Great Compromiser Henry Clay then once again stepped into the fray and proposed a compromise to this problem; this would be known as the Compromise of 1850. The compromise itself was more a series of bills than an actual compromise, these bills included among other things, that California would enter the Union as a free state; a more stringent Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 was guaranteed to be rigidly enforced. The law itself was already present, but it was rarely followed due to it being so poorly enforced as well as fierce opposition from Northerners who refused to hand in runaway slaves to the ever unpopular slave hunters; a settlement of the boundary between Texas and New Mexico; an indemnity to be paid to Texas for the relinquishment of its claims to a large portion of New Mexico; the slave trade would be banned in Washington D.C. (District of Columbia) though the ownership of slaves would not be abolished in the capital. This idea arose mainly because in this time period many European nations, with which the United States of America did business with, had already abolished slavery throughout their country, and it would leave an unfavorable impression on a foreign diplomat to see slaves which were no longer allowed in their own country, still present in another with whom they were considering associating themselves with ; the Mexican Cession, or the land taken from Mexico as a result of Americas victory in the Mexican-American War, would be divided into two new territories, New Mexico and Utah. Both territories would determine the status of slavery in their areas by popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty was a system that would determine whether the state or territory would be free or would allow slavery by mean of holding local elections in said state or territory, Democrats would advocate popular sovereignty during the election of 1860. The compromise was made official with the signing of President Millard Fillmore. This passage by Congress delayed the onset of the Civil War for more than eleven years. The Bleeding Kansas period came about due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Democrat and Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act to further the construction of a Transcontinental Railroad to Chicago despite being warned by Frederick Douglass that the bill was an open invitation to a fierce and bitter strife. For the Bill to pass he needed the votes of southern Democrats, who were unwilling to support him unless the new Territories needed to accomplish it were open to slavery. Douglas thought that by proposing that the status of slavery in the new territories be governed by the principle of popular sovereignty, he would satisfy both pro and anti slavery factions. However, his bill in effect, repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which barred slavery north of latitude 36à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ° 30. This brought as consequence that the Southern Whigs voted with southern Democrats in favor of the measure, and the northern Whigs rejected it, creating an irreconcilable spl it that left Whigs unable to field a presidential candidate in 1856. In the congressional elections of 1854, the southern Democrats became the dominant voice both in congress and within the party due to the split with the northern Democrats. The Cotton Whigs, who had economic ties with southern slave owners, were convinced that the bill would encourage antislavery feelings in the north. They urged southern politicians to vote against the bill, but were utterly ignored. This convinced them that compromise with the South was impossible and the nation watched horrified as the residents of Kansas slaughtered each other in pursuit of sectional goals that increasingly seemed to represent the divisions of the country. Since popular sovereignty would decide Kansass fate, it seemed that the majority of Kansas antislavery farmers would align Kansas with the Free states. Proslavery sympathizers in neighboring Missouri were not about to stand by while their neighbor cast its lot with the free s tates on account of its land being fertile and perfect for growing and farming cotton, the white gold of the South. Soon, border ruffians crossed into Kansas with the intention of making it a slave state. Border ruffians terrorized Kansas and intimidated others to vote proslavery with vicious threats and cast fraud ballots during elections to help elect their candidates into office. In response, Northern opponents of slavery like the New England Emigrant Society began sending supporters to Kansas. Fighting soon erupted as advocates of slavery created a government in Lecompton, Kansas and their opponents established an antislavery government in Topeka. Shortly thereafter, proslavery forces massacred citizens of the antislavery town of Lawrence. In retaliation, a violent abolitionist named John Brown organized his own massacre of five suspected proslavery advocates at Pottawatomie Creek in 1856. The Democratic President Pierces decision to remain aloof from the events in Kansas furthe r damaged what was left of his partys cohesion. In the ensuing months it seemed as if Kansas would enter as a free state, but a new problem arose; enter President James Buchanan. The newly elected President Buchanan accepted the proslavery Lecompton Constitution, which would admit Kansas as a slave state. Certain democrats then agreed to unite with the young Republican Party in 1858 to oppose the Lecompton Constitution, their efforts were not in vain and Kansas was ultimately accepted into the Union as a free state. The election of 1856 attracted one of the highest voter turnouts in American history. Ordinary citizens were sharing the politicians concerns about the growing sectional rifts in the nation. The northern turnout also showed that the threat posed by expansion of slavery was greater than that posed by new immigrants. In 1856 the people of the United States heard about the looting and burning in Kansas, about John Browns massacre at Pottawatomie, and about the Sumner-Brooks incident on the senate floor, ostensibly causing the unprecedented voters outpour. In the latter incident, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts suffered permanent injuries from an attack by Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina. Using abusive and accusatory language in his The Crime Against Kansas speech, Sumner had singled out for ridicule Senator Andrew Butler of South Carolina. Sumners rude and personal attack suggested that the senator was drooling. South Carolina, Sumner cried, had sent to the Senate a Don Quixote who had chosen a mistress who, though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaste in his sight- I mean the harlot, Slavery. Talk of sexual connection between white Southerners and slaves was always explosive. Senator Butlers nephew, Preston Brooks, did not bother to challenge Sumner to a duel. Brooks said that the Yankee would never give satisfaction and would therefore refuse or flee from the challenge. Instead, Brooks strode into the Senate chamber and, finding the Massachusetts lawmaker alone, brutally beat Sumner with his cane, nearly ending his life. In Brooks mind, he was simply avenging an intolerable affront to his uncles honor. Each man found his action perfectly justifiable and the action of the other outrageous. So far had the behavioral codes of the North and the South diverged, and their attitudes were mirrored by their respective sections. The nation lay as divided as the senators. President-elect James Buchanans support for a pro-southern decision by the Supreme Court further aggravated sectional differences. In Dred Scott vs. Sandford, a southern-dominated Supreme attempted, in vain, to solve the political controversy over slavery. Scott, a slave, had been taken by his owner to Illinois, a Free State, and Wisconsin Territory north of the Missouri Compromise line. During that time, Scott married another slave and had a daughter who was born in free territory, then returned to Missouri, a slave state. Once in Missouri Scott sued for his freedom and that of his wife and daughter on the grounds that residence in free lands had made them free. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional asserting that the federal government had no right to interfere with the free movement of property throughout the territories. Taney dismissed the Dred Scott case on the grounds that only citizens could bring suits before federal courts and that b lack people were not citizens. The five southern members of the Supreme Court concurred with the decision along with one Northerner, Robert Grier. President-elect Buchanan had pressured Justice Grier into supporting the majority. Clearly as a sectional decision, Southerners expressed satisfaction and support for the Court, Northerners disagreed. They found themselves questioning the power of the Supreme Court to establish the law of the land. The racist attitude of the Supreme Court was a bitter blow to the free blacks in the North. The South was overjoyed with the Courts ruling. The North was outraged; Northern Democrats like Senator Steven Douglas of Illinois found it increasingly difficult to reconcile their support of popular sovereignty in the Dred Scott decision. Under Douglass definition of popular sovereignty, it was always the white majority that would make decisions about black mens freedom. Lincoln responded to this definition by stating that for a man to rule another man without his consent was tyranny. Lincoln succeeded in pressing Douglas on the issue of slavery in the territories after Chief Justice Taneys Dred Scott decision. Lincoln used this opportunity to attack Douglass popular sovereignty idea. For how could the people of a territory vote against slavery, if Chief Justice Taney said that every American had a right to carry his property with him? In response, Douglas introduced his Freeport Doctrine. The doctrine was dubbed after the Illinois town where Lincoln and Douglas had met for one of their debates. The doctrine said slavery could not exist without friendly legislation to support it. Anti-slavery voters could simply refuse to pass such laws and slavery would effectively be kept out of the territory. Douglas concluded then that popular sovereignty was entirely consistent with Chief Justice Taneys ruling. However, the Freeport Doctrine alienated many Southern Democrats. Douglas had actually stated the essence of the doctrine previous t o the debate at Freeport, but its prominent public assertion at Freeport contributed, along with other political disputes, to antagonizing those in the Southern United States who were demanding ever-increasing protections for slavery, and who subsequently insisted on the repudiation of the Freeport Doctrine in order to block Douglas presidential bid in 1860. Containing slavery became important to Northerners, who believed that as slavery expanded, Northern industrial capitalism would become limited. To fight this fear a new political party emerged in the 1850s, the Republicans, whose political goals were free labor, free soil, free men. The industrial capitalists, owners of the Norths factories and workshops had the most to gain by containing the spread of slavery and expanding capitalism. For example, as capitalism expanded, they hoped to expand the labor pool, by supporting a loose immigration policy, which in turn would drive down the wages that they would have to pay for workers. Just as the planters dominated the South, the industrial capitalists profoundly influenced the Norths political, economic and cultural system. In addition, their political and economic objectives often clashed with those of the Souths planter class. In the South, militant political leaders, referred to as fire-eaters due to their adamant nature to raise cont roversial disputes, especially with their northern counterparts. These fire-eaters chafed at the notion of containing slavery, let alone abolishing it entirely, naturally bringing about disputes between the two. These clashes were mostly due to slavery as the industrial capitalists wanted to expand the white labor pool and southern plantation owners wanted to keep their slave force. Though compromises such as the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the myriad of bills proposed by Henry Clay in the Compromise of 1850, it helped to divert attention from the topic and to try and appease both sides, but conflict was inevitable. As discussed earlier, both the North and the South consisted of entirely different ideals and culture by the nineteenth century. These divisions were brought to light in both the violence of the Brooks-Sumner incident and the racist decision of the South-dominated Supreme Court during the Dred Scott case. By the time Abraham Lincoln, the sixteen pre sident of the United States of America, took office the southern had already seceded from the Union. There was no longer room for compromise, Lincoln was given two options; to allow the Union to crumble or fight to preserve it. They thought themselves to be to economically powerful, politically influential, and the North and the rest of Europe too dependent on their White Gold for slavery to be abolished. They were wrong.

Human Gait Analysis and Recognition

Human Gait Analysis and Recognition Gait, as a promising unintrusive biometric, has attracted several researchers in recent years. In intelligent surveillance, the advantage of accessibility at a distance makes gait a promising behavior characteristic for recognition. Human identification from arbitrary views may be a terribly very drawback, particularly once one is walking at a distance. Over the previous couple of years, recognizing identity from gait patterns has become a well-liked space of analysis in life science and pc vision, and one among the foremost made applications of image analysis and understanding. Also, gait recognition is being thought of as a next-generation recognition identification technology , with pertinence to several civilian and high security environments like airports, banks, military bases, car parks, railway stations etc. For these application situations, its unimaginable to capture the frontal face, and is of low resolution. therefore most of ancient approaches used for face recognition fail; but, many studies have shown that its doable to spot human notwithstanding frontal face isnt visible, and its doable to ascertain the identity of the person victimization bound static and dynamic cues from face, ear, walking vog ue, hand motion throughout walking etc. If automatic identification systems may be engineered supported victimization these identity specific cues, itll be a good contribution to police work and security space. And our aim is to ascertain identity by victimization long vary gait biometric in conelike read points. Gait may be a behavioural biometric thats superior in person’s authentication. The attractiveness of gait as a biometric arises from the very fact that its nonintrusive and might be detected and measured even in low resolution video. Gait as a biometric technique has some blessings like being troublesome to cover, steal, or fake. what is more, gait may be recognizable from distance. However, most alternative life science may be captured solely by physical contact or at an in depth distance from the recording probe. Moreover, users dont ought to unveil extra info concerning them apart from already obtainable. Despite the benefits enjoyed by gait, it faces several chal lenges that the present gait identification strategies ar sensitive to such as: variety of garments, illumination changes, persons speed and directions. we tend to use human gait skeleton recognition system the peak of someone as another modality Windows 7 or Windows 8 (32 or 64 bit) Processor: 2.5 GHz (1.8 GHz recommended) 4 GB RAM (2 GB RAM recommended) High-speed USB 3.0 recommended Kinect XBOX 360 Sensor Camera Features: The Kinect works as a 3D camera by capturing a stream of colored pixels with data concerning the depth of every pixel. every component within the image contains a value that represents the space from the sensing element to an object therein direction. This hardware feature offer developers the means that for making a touch-less and immersive user expertise through voice, movement and gesture management though it doesnt inherently perform any chase or recognition operations, feat all such process to package. Skeleton chase is usually handled by the SDK with gesture recognition left to the developer, although multiple libraries exist to help in recognition of gestures. additionally, speech recognition is finished by external SDKs like the Microsoft Speech Platform. The Kinect sensor as shown in Figure 6.1 has the following properties and functions: An RGB Camera that stores three channel data in a 1280960 resolution at 30Hz. The camera.s field of view as specified by Microsoft is 43 ¢X vertical by 57 ¢X horizontal. The system can measure distance from a 500mm to 3500mm. An infrared (IR) emitter and an IR depth sensor used for capturing depth image. An array of four microphones to capture positioned sounds. A tilt motor which allows the camera angle to be changed without physical interaction and a three-axis accelerometer which can be used to determine the current orientation of the Kinect. Hardware Interface The sensor interface with the PC via a standard USB 2.0 port; however an additional power supply is needed because the USB port cannot directly support the sensors power consumption. Hardware and Software Requirements According to Microsoft, the PC that is to be used with the Kinect sensor must have the following minimum capabilities: (a) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processors,(b) Dual-core, 2.66-GHz or faster processor,(c) USB 2.0 bus dedicated to the Kinect, and (d) 2 GB of RAM. To access Kinectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s capabilities, the following software is also required to be installed on the developerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s PC: Microsoft Visual Studio 2010/2012 Express or other Visual Studio edition. The development programming languages that can be used include C++, C# (C-Sharp), and Visual Basic. Software Requirements Operating System: Windows 7 or Windows 8 Programming Tool: Mat lab MATLAB MATLAB may be a superior language for technical computing. It integrates computation, visual image, associate degreed programming in an easy-to-use surroundings wherever issues and solutions area unit expressed in acquainted notation. Typical uses include: Math and computation Algorithm development Data acquisition Modeling, simulation, and prototyping Data analysis, exploration, and visual image Scientific and engineering graphics Application development, together with graphical program building MATLAB is associate degree interactive system whose basic information component is associate degree array that doesnt need orientating. this enables you to unravel several technical computing issues, particularly those with matrix and vector formulations, during a fraction of the time it might desire write a program during a scalar no interactive language like C or algebraic language. The name MATLAB stands for matrix laboratory. MATLAB was originally written to supply easy accessibility to matrix computer code developed by the LINPACK and EISPACK comes. Today, MATLAB engines incorporate the LAPACK and BLAS libraries, embedding the state of the art in computer code for matrix computation. MATLAB has evolved over a amount of years with input from several users. In university environments, its the quality educational tool for introductory and advanced courses in arithmetic, engineering, and science. In trade, MATLAB is that the tool of selection for high-productivity analysis, development, and analysis. Image Acquisition Toolbox Acquire images and video from industry-standard hardware Image Acquisition Toolboxâ„ ¢ permits us to accumulate pictures and video from cameras and frame grabbers directly into MATLAB ® and Simulink ®. youll notice hardware mechanically and piece hardware properties. Advanced workflows allow you to trigger acquisition whereas process in-the-loop, perform background acquisition, and synchronize sampling across many multimodal devices. With support for multiple hardware vendors and business standards, youll be able to use imaging devices starting from cheap net cameras to high-end scientific and industrial devices that meet low-light, high-speed, and alternative difficult necessities. Together, MATLAB, Image Acquisition toolbox, and Image process Toolboxâ„ ¢ (and, optionally, Video and Image process Block setâ„ ¢) offer an entire atmosphere for developing custom-made imaging solutions. will acquire pictures and video, visualize information, develop process algorithms and analysis techniques, and build GUIs. Key Features Support for common OS interfaces for webcams, as well as Direct Show, QuickTime, and video4linux2. Support for a variety of business and scientific hardware vendors. Multiple acquisition modes and buffer management choices. Synchronization of multimodal acquisition devices with hardware triggering. Interactive tool for fast hardware configuration, image acquisition, and live video previewing. Support for C code generation in Simulink. Graphical Interface for Image and Video Acquisition The Image Acquisition Tool could be a graphical interface for operating with image and video acquisition devices and is similar temperament for interactive configuration of cameras. youll browse all hardware devices out there on your laptop, amendment device settings, choose an Region Of Interest (ROI), preview a buying deal, acquire pictures and video, and record knowledge. A preview window helps verify and optimize your acquisition parameters by mechanically reflective any changes created to camera properties within the video stream. The Image Acquisition Tool is a place to begin within the development of automatic and custom image acquisition and process systems. Image Acquisition in MATLAB Image Acquisition toolbox provides graphical tools and a programmatic interface to assist to figure with image acquisition hardware in MATLAB. youll modify repetitive tasks, produce workflows combined with tasks like image process, and build standalone feasible that acquire pictures and video with MATLAB Compilerâ„ ¢. The toolbox allows you to customize the acquisition method to incorporate integration image process practicality to spot objects, enhance imagination, or construct mosaics and birds-eye views because the information is acquired. Connecting to Hardware Image Acquisition toolbox mechanically detects compatible image and video acquisition devices. every device affiliation is encapsulated as associate object, providing associate interface for configuration and acquisition. youll be able to produce multiple affiliation objects for coinciding acquisition from as several devices as your laptop and imaging hardware support. Image Acquisition tool chest are often used on Windows ®, Linux ®, and Macintosh ® systems, sanctioning you to recycle code once connecting to an equivalent camera in several operational systems. Acquiring Image Data Image Acquisition toolbox supports many modes, together with background acquisition and continuous acquisition, whereas process the noninheritable information. The chest mechanically buffers information into memory, handles memory and buffer management, and allows acquisition from an ROI. The image acquisition engine is meant to accumulate imagination as quick as your camera and laptop will support, sanctioning analysis and process of high-speed imaging applications. Data are often noninheritable during a wide selection of information sorts, together with signed or unsigned 8-, 16-bit and 32-bit integers and single- or double-precision floating purpose. The chest supports any color area provided by the image acquisition device together with RGB, YUV, or grayscale. Raw sensing element information during a pain pill pattern are often mechanically born-again into RGB information. Performing Image Acquisition in Simulink Simulink could be a block-diagram based mostly setting unremarkably used for video system style and multi domain simulations. Image Acquisition tool case provides a Simulink block that allows you to capture pictures and video knowledge directly from any device supported by the tool case to be used in imaging system styles. Combined with Video and Image process Block set, the tool case helps you to perform simulation and verification of image or video process system styles with live image or video knowledge. Code Generation Image Acquisition toolbox enables you to generate a C code interface to a deployable library for the Simulink block. this permits you to style a video system and integrate acquisition practicality into your own applications while not having to perform low-level writing with hardware drivers. Code generation conjointly permits Simulink speedy Accelerator modes, that speed up simulations by providing higher performance and frame rates for image and video process simulations. Triggering and Acquisition Customizations Image Acquisition toolbox supports multiple trigger varieties to customise the acquisition process: immediate, manual, and hardware. Initiating a sale with a manual trigger offers in depth management over once to start acquisition. In some applications, youll need to record at a high frame rate, perform acquisition only Associate in Nursing object is detected, or once a proximity warning is issued as a trigger. In these things, youll write MATLAB code to form the logic to activate a manual trigger that may be controlled by the tool chest. Hardware triggers, that ar device-specific, allow you to synchronize your acquisition among many multimodal devices to an external signal. this allows you to record imagery together with alternative analog and digital input sources.

Technology Use in the Mathematics Classroom Essay -- Education School

Technology Use in the Mathematics Classroom Technology is a growing field that affects every aspect of our everyday lives. When I look at centuries past, I am amazed at the technological advances this country has made. Just during my lifetime, computers, cell phones, digital cameras, and many other devices have become a huge part of everyday life. Not only is technology affecting every day life, but it is also making a huge impact on education, especially within the mathematic field. Computer programs are being created everyday to aid in the understanding of mathematical concepts. Calculators are replacing the pen and paper method of tabulating answers. The question that remains is, â€Å"Are the uses of technology helping or harming the classroom environment?† I do not have the answer to this question but from reading the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Technology Principle and viewing the Mathematics Association of America website I can offer personal opinions on this issue. I agree with the Technology Principle when it states, â€Å"Technology should be used to enhance the classroom experience but should not be a replacement for basic understandings.† I believe that basic concepts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc.) should be taught by hand first, and then when these concepts are used to solve higherlevel math problems, a calculator may be used to speed the process along. If we, as a society, become too dependent on technological devices to solve math problems, we will be in trouble when computers crash or electricity. The basic mathematical concepts are so important for many life activities (paying bills, balancing check books, time management, etc.) and they should be learned without ... .... Each student has a different path in life. Some will continue their education with college and others will go straight to work, but either way they will need to be familiar with technology programs. In conclusion, I agree that technology needs to be used in the math classroom, but I strongly believe that it should not take the place of the pen and paper method. The basic concepts should be taught by hand and then calculators and computer programs should be brought into the classroom. The challenge as an educator is to balance the use of technology and the use of lecture. It is also a challenge to realize that each child is different and they all have different learning patterns, so each child deserves a fair chance to receive the kind of learning environment they need. I think these are the challenges that school systems and teachers will have to evaluate.

The Story of an Hour and The Hand Essay -- Comparative, Kate Chopin

The â€Å"Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin and ‘†The Hand† by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette are similar in theme and setting. Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette and Kate Chopin create the theme of obligatory love and the unhappiness it entails. Both stories illustrate the concealed emotions many women feel in their marriage yet fail to express them. The two stories take place in a sacred room of the house and both transpire in a brief amount of time. The differences between the two stories are seen through the author’s choice of characters in each story. In â€Å"The story of an Hour† Kate Chopin involves other characters in Mrs. Mallard’s life, whereas, â€Å"The Hand† deals with marriage and togetherness and only involves the husband and wife. Symbolism is seen all throughout â€Å"The Hand† not so in ‘The Story of an Hour.† The similarities in â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Hand† is portraye d in theme and setting. The differences are illustrated in the choice of characters involved in each story and the amount of symbolism depicted in the different stories. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Hand† is similar in setting. Both stories take place in a house and occur mostly in the bedroom, which is considered to be a sacred room in the house. It is not a coincidence that both stories take place in a house, since a woman’s place is believed to be in the home. Women’s major role in marriage is to serve her husband, give birth to his children, and make his home a pleasant place to return to at the end of the day. A woman is denied many freedoms and rights and is expected to submit to the dreams of men and society. Both stories transpire in a brief period of time. The events in the ‘Story of an Hour† develop in just one hour from beginning to end. Mrs. Mal... ... by it. This is symbolic of her marriage which started out as happy and desirable and in such a short time she doubts her love for him and starts to see him as undesirable and animal-like. Women are afraid not to submit to the male species in fear of losing what they have and not being able to make it on their own. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Hand† both has remarkable similarities and differences. They share a common theme of women and marriage and the sacrifices they make for their family. The setting in both stories is significant to understand the role of women hundreds of years ago. The symbolism portrayed in â€Å"The Hand† is about relationships and marriage. When a relationship is new and everything is wonderful there are not any fears or regrets. As time goes by even the most desirable qualities in someone will begin to be an annoyance rather than a joy.

The Joys of Mediocrity :: Personal Narrative

The Joys of Mediocrity "Why do I look fat?" "Why is the shape of my face not proportional to my body?" "Why do I have so many pimples?" "Why is my nose that big?" You and I have, at some point, grumbled like this -- it could have happened last month, last week, or even just five minutes ago! We never forgave ourselves for those flaws in our physical structure called imperfections. Most of us strive to become the person of what fashion magazines, movies, or pop culture in general proclaim as the "ideal physique of man." The beau ideal meant good looks, prominence of height, well-toned bodies, and the like. Lacking in one or more of these qualities suggests that you aren't qualified to be with the elite who dominate the world because 'the world' considers them elegant and glamorous -- simply, they are 'perfect.' So we do what we can to prove them wrong. It's easy to see because it's everywhere around us. Ladies copy the latest fashion trend, while men attempt to look and act what they think is the 'in' thing. And there's always the beauty products and modern technology to work everything else out. No, nothing wrong with doing these -- every person has the right to do so. The question is "For what real purpose is it about?" Has society been so judgmental, so vainglorious that it casts its eyes down to anyone who doesn't meet their expectations? Do we have to punish ourselves-by not valuing time, money, and self-worth-for something only temporary? Imperfection is normal. No one escapes it-not even the most well-bred. We are only human. Or in a more philosophical sense perhaps we were meant to be created this way, to counterbalance what we have and what we don't have. When you closely look at it, imperfection is not such a big deal. It's what that's in you that truly counts. Does perfection even exist? Most of the greatest people that ever lived were recognized for their remarkable achievements, not for how they look like. And besides, if all in this world were perfect, nothing will be regarded with appreciation anymore. A flaw actually makes an object look more appealing and precious, because you see the finer features beneath.

A Boy’s Own Story -Book Review

Running head: Book Review Thomas Meyer SOCWK 330 Book Review Brief Summary A Boy’s Own Story is the story of the author’s, Edmund White, own self discover of his homosexuality in the 1940’s and 1950’s in America. A Boy’s Own Story is the first autobiographies in a three book series spanning the author’s late childhood throughout his adulthood. Edmund experiences a brief sexual relationship with Kevin, a slightly younger friend. Kevin and Edmund’s intimacy is presented as natural and untroubled, untouched by the internalized homophobia that will later plague young Edmund’s life. I was aware of the treacherous air vents above us, conducting the sounds we were making upstairs. Maybe dad was listening. Or maybe, just like Kevin, he was unaware of anything but the pleasure spurting up out of his body and into mine. † (White, 1982, pg. 17) Edmund’s father does not serve as a good role model. Edmund’s father was an adulterer, who later abandons Edmund’s mother for another woman. Edmund’s father abandons his responsibilities leaving the family without his financial support. Edmund acts on his desires and has sex with Mr. Beattie, an older school teacher of Edmund.After society pushes the ideals of homophobia on Edmund he decides to turn in Mr. Beattie, thus turning his back on someone who has shown him affection just like his father did to him and his family. A Boy’s Own Story ends with Edmund still unable to achieve a positive gay identity. His struggle to come to terms with his homosexuality is not over. Character’s Behavior Edmund’s evolution from adolescence evolved his understanding and acceptance of his homosexuality. He starts his first noted homosexual experiences with a younger male whose family was living with them.He does not seem conflicted with the guilt and internalized & externalized homophobia that latter plagues him. Book Review â€Å"I suffe red now. I felt isolated to the point of craziness, but with a faint recourse to melodrama, to a potential audience and attendant end to loneliness, for if I imagined complete despair I pictured it as an emptying of the theater, a feeling that the stalls and boxes would never be peopled again†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (White, 1982, pg. 136) Edmund desire to fit into his perceived norms of societies forges into him a conflict of character.He begins to seek out others for sex and affection. He hides his desires from everyone that knows him including a good friend of his because he fears rejection. In the end of the book Edmund is questioning the morality and position of religion and society on the issue of homosexuality. Theoretical Analysis One of the best known and accepted theories of homosexual identity development is by Cass. Cass developed a six stage identity development model. Edmund progresses through the stages in this first volume of his autobiography to the third stage.At the end of t he book Edmund seems to be still struggling with his homosexuality but has come to the realization that he is not the only one that has homosexual tendencies. (Cass, 1984) A psychoanalytic view of Edmund’s homosexuality would focus on his relationship with his father and mother. This approach may question if Edmund suffered from gender identity issues. Edmund calls himself a sissy and girly. Edmund compares himself to his sister who he sees as the athlete in the family that wins his father’s approval. Furthermore, Edmund states that when he was younger he had romantic feelings and desires for his father.Edmund tries to gain the affection of his father and later approval of his father. In conjunction to having an emotionally distant father he also had a mother who seemed more interested in being a socialite over being a mother. These issues can be looked at using classical Freudian techniques. Book Review I personally do not like the Freudian psychoanalytical perspectiv e because I feel the theories are not properly tested. I am also interested to see how Edmund’s childhood being raised in an affluent family may have had an impact on how he developed as an individual. I will need time and further study to get a better gripe of this issue.It was suggested in a Sociology class that there is a socioeconomic factor difference between the new rich and old money when it comes to the issue of homosexuality. According to the professor new rich like Edmund’s family where less tolerate because they do not feel as secure in their economic status and feel a need to seek approval from society whereas old money may just see homosexuality as a form of eccentricness and they do not need the approval of society. I am still seeking a theory to support her statement. Summary Edmund story is an interesting look into his mind. The book has the flow of a common thought processes.The story changes focus and direction at times to explore the story deeper. It is difficult not to be drawn into the story as I am sure was the intent of the author. I am interested in how Edmund further developed his personal identity and came to terms with his homosexuality. I will be continuing to read the next book of the series as I am sure it will be just as fascinating. I have grown in my understanding of the psychosis of guilt and homophobia. I feel a bit more at ease with myself and feel for others who have suffered from society’s concept of normal behavior. In many ways I saw myself in Edmund’s story.Book Review Reference: Cass, V. (1984, May). Homosexual Identity Formation: Testing a Theoretical Model. The Journal of Sex Research, 20, 143-167. Elizur, Y. , & Ziv, M. (2001, Summer). Family Support and Acceptance, Gay Male Identity Formation, and Psychological Adjustment: A Path Model. Family Process, 40, 125-144. Linda, G. , & Kimmel, D. (1993). Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Male Experiences.. New York, NY: Columbia Uni versity Press. Troiden, R. (1979). Becoming Homosexual: A Model of Gay Identity. Psychiatry, 42, 362-373. White, E. (1982). A boy's own story. New York: Penguin Books.