Friday, October 25, 2019

The Death Penalty and Race Essay -- Capital Punishment Essays

The Death Penalty and Race To look closely at many of the mechanisms in American society is to observe the contradiction between constitutional equality and equality in practice. Several of these contradictions exist in the realm of racial equality. For example, Black s often get dealt an unfair hand in the criminal justice system. In The Real War on Crime, Steven Donziger explains, There are so many more African-Americans than whites in our prisons that the difference cannot be explained by higher crime among African- Americans - racial discrimination is also at work, and it penalizes African- Americans at almost every juncture in the criminal justice system.1 This paper focuses in on one of those "junctures" - the death penalty. The racial disparities that Donziger finds in the prisons can also be found in death row. To be exact, African-Americans are 12% of the US population, but they make up 40% of the death row population.2 I, like Donziger, believe something more is at work; and in the tradition of Ture and Hamilton, I believe that this something works in covert ways. It would almost be better if we could place the blame on blatant racial discrimination. But the death penalty does not serve the explicit purpose of oppressing Blacks. Racism persists, but it has taken on more implicit, more subtle, and arguably more harmful forms. The death penalty is a timely lens through which to observe the covert racism that operates in institutional settings. This topic can be overwhelming, and this paper is in no way comprehensive. Rather, it is an opportunity to string together some soci ological and legal concepts with personal analysis in the d esire to demonstrate that the death penalty and the institutions surrounding... ...ziger, 100. 13 Chambliss, 250. 14 Chambliss, 248. 15 Donziger, 127. 16 Donziger, 109. 17 Donziger, 110. 18 Campaign to End the Death Penalty (pamphlet). 19 Leon Higgenbotham, Shades of Freedom (Oxford University Press, 1996) xxv-xxvi. 20 Donziger, 109. 21 David C. Baldus, et al, "Comparative Review of Death Sentences: An Empirical Study of the Georgia Experience," The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 74 (1983): 663-664. 22 Baldus, 664. 23 Donziger, 109. 24 U.S. General Accounting Office, "Death Penalty Sentencing: Research Indicates Patterns of Racial Disparities," The Death Penalty in America, 271. 25 Hugo Adams Bedau, The Death Penalty in America: Current Controversies (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997) 250. 26 Donziger, 113. 27 Ellsworth, 90. 28 Ellsworth, 92. 29 Chambliss, 243. 30 Ellsworth, 92.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Bad News Messages

Two Questions: In your opinion, when a company suffers a setback, should you soften the impact by letting the bad news out a little at a time? Why or why not? AND Is intentionally de-emphasizing bad news the same as distorting graphs and charts to de-emphasize unfavorable data? Why or why not? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. ANSWERS: When a company suffers a setback, delivering the bad news a little at a time creates confusion and uncertainty about the true nature and extent of the problem, which gives rise to complexities or difficulties in effectively addressing the situation.Doing so also creates a rather negative image of the company, especially when interested parties or stakeholders learn about the extent of the bad news and the implications to them from other sources. It is inevitable for companies to suffer setbacks throughout its operations because of the number of poorly managed and uncontrollable factors influencing companies. However, setbacks eventually lead to solutions but the effectiveness depends on the manner that the setback is recognized, analyzed, communicated and handled.Communicating bad news in its full gravity but delivering this in an objective and rational manner by providing all pertinent facts, assessment of the situation, and alternative solutions to draw constructive discussions on the best action or response constitutes a more fulfilling management of bad news messages. De-emphasizing the company’s bad news amounts to the distortion of graphical data because in both cases, the company is manipulating facts to present a different view of the situation, often in favor of the company.Everyone: What about the media â€Å"leaks†? Right now many companies are `downsizing` and they learn about this by reading news stories first. Are any of you working for a company going through this? How is the company handling ANSWERS: In the â€Å"age of information,† it is nearly impossible for large corporations to pr event media leaks. Sometimes, media leaks are even crafted by the top management of companies as a means of controlling or influencing the ultimate outcome of whatever crisis is occurring.By leaking information to the media, companies are able to manage the impact of the situation and soften negative blows to the company or ensure that the information communicated to the public is accurate and true. As part of a non-profit organization, stakeholders often learn information on a nationwide corporate downsizing, during the height or even after the actual fallout.Due to the different structure and practices in a non-profit organization, it takes some time before the lower rung of the organizational structure experience the effects of downsizing, and then, it is no secret. However, in instances when the media get hold of information on the downsizing, the organization immediately opens communication lines to dialogue with the interested parties to explain or clarify and allay fears and suspicions.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Marriot Corporation Essay

2. Is the proposed restructuring consistent with management’s responsibility? 3. The case describes two conceptions of managers’ fiduciary duty (p. 9). Which do you favor: the shareholder conception or the corporate conception? Does your stance make a difference in this case? 4. Should Mr. Marriott recommend the proposed restructuring to the board? Marriott Corporation (A) 1. Why is Marriott’s chief financial officer proposing Project Chariot? What is your assessment of MC’s financial condition? Is this project necessary for the company’s survival?. 2. Is Project Chariot consistent with management’s responsibilities? To bondholders? To shareholders? To the public? 3. The case describes two conceptions of manager’s fiduciary duty. Which do you favor: the shareholder conception or the corporate conception? Does your stance make a difference in this case? 4. Should Mr. Marriott recommend the proposed restructuring to the board? 5. Who will be affected by Project Chariot? Should MC make any concessions to the bondholders? ————————————————————————————————————————————– Ans. 1 Project Chariot involves a conflict of interest between the shareholders and the bondholders since in this case the debt being held by Marriott Corporation (MC) is risky. Project Chariot aims to create MII with low debt and HMC with high debt. Thus bondholders will find that their investment gets tied to risky real estate assets whose appreciation is uncertain. Food management which is a major segment of MC remains with MII. Thus Project Chariot aims to give shareholders the business upside and bondholders the real-estate downside. Hence this appears to be a case of risk shifting. Shareholders stand to gain while bondholders will lose if Project Chariot is implemented. Ans. 2 This seems to be a case of ‘Cashing out’/’Wealth Transfer’ where the ‘overall’ wealth is being transferred from the bond holders to the equity holders. The following points lead us to the direction of it being a ‘wealth  transfer’ type of conflict: * Chariot will result in a loss to bondholders and a gain to shareholders as the bonds will be downgraded by rating agencies and the returns of the bondholders will be attached to a heavily indebted duty * Total Debt will become more risky, and bonds will be downgraded to ‘below investment grade’ level * MC would be divided into two separate companies. MII would do MC’s lodging, food, and facilities management businesses, whereas HMC would retain MC’s real estate holdings and its concessions on toll roads and in airports, Hence bond holders will now have a claim on only the payoffs of HMC and not MII. So, because of the above reasons ‘Project Chariot’ seems like a case of ‘Wealth Transfer’ conflict of interest. Ans. 3 We believe in the broad view of manager responsibility. We think that managers should not only consider the interests of shareholders but also the interests of bondholders, employees, and other related parties. This responsibility is even more important in the case of a B2C company like Marriott. If they get†¦ 1. If the Project Chariot is implemented i.e. Marriott is divided into 2 companies Marriott International(MI) with the risk free profit generating operating hotel and service business while the other Host Marriott(HM) a would own Marriott’s hotel and undeveloped real estate businesses and other non service businesses, this will affect the following players: a) Shareholders: Shareholder now have majority stake in a corporation with a lower probability of default while all the risk is transferred to debt holders. So all the risky investments are highly leveraged with bond holders exposed to the risk. On the other hand MI backed mainly by shareholders equity and performing assets and thus would be able to issue new debt increasing value for both shareholders and the corporation. Thus the shareholders would gain at the expense of bond holders and the equity value of the company would increase. b) Bondholders Bondholders had a lot to lose as according to Project Chariot almost all the debt would be assigned to HM. Given the problems in real estate and hotel markets there was a concern of HM’s ability to meet its debt payment and there was a high probability of default. This meant that the risk was issued at investment grade but now was not backed by valuable assets of the companies which were to be spun off to MI which was to be backed by equity. The value of the bonds would decline substantially and the bond holders would loose a lot of their investment. c) Management(The Mariott brothers) The management gains from the spin off since it is able to split its distressed assets from the profit driving assets and there was a new company which was not under distress thus helping them retain their management positions and start from scratch. They can concentrate on core businesses thus improving efficiency and value. d) The value of the whole company: The spin off does not create value for the company as a whole but only distributes the†¦ What: Under Project Chariot, Marriott Corporation (MC) would become two separate companies. The new company, Marriott International Incorporated (MII), would consist of MC’s lodging, food, and facilities management businesses, as well as the management of its life-care facilities. The existing company, renamed Host Marriott Corporation (HMC), would retain all MC’s real estate holdings and its concessions on toll roads and airports. Why: This project is being proposed because the economic slowdown in the late 1980s and the 1990 real estate market crash left MC owning many newly developed properties for which there were no buyers, together with a massive burden of debt. The new company (MII) would have the financial strength to raise capital in order to take advantage of investment opportunities. The existing company (HMC) would take on the newly developed properties and most of the existing debt. HMC would be valued for the chance of appreciation in the property holdings when the real estate market recovered, not on the basis of earnings, thereby reducing the pressure to sell properties at depressed prices. 2- The fiduciary duty of management is to the shareholders  because they are more than creditors; they are the actual owners of the firm. Management is entrusted with the responsibility to increase shareholder value and their main focus should be on investing in projects that accomplish that task. As stated in the case: â€Å"U.S. courts had held that corporations have no responsibilities to safeguard the interests of bondholders other than those spelled out by the terms of the bond indenture†. 3- I first looked at the initial market reaction; the change resulting from October 2, 1992 (pre-announcement) through October 7, 1992 (post-announcement). I used October 7 for my initial market reaction because in 1992 many people may have still relied on newspapers for investment information. In addition, I assessed this narrow amount of time separately because widening the range of dates used to evaluate the change in prices may allow other variables outside of Project Chariot to come into play. However, I also looked at a wider range of time [October 2, 1992 (pre-announcement) through December 31, 1992]. If you can reasonably assume no extraneous variables affected the prices during this time, widening the range of dates assessed can give an idea of the impact to prices after the initial market over/under-re†¦

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Free Essays on Goodnight Desdemona Goodmorning Juliet

Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet The production of â€Å"Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet† put on by Villanova University’s Theater Department captured the essence of Shakespeare combined with the humor of an intertwined modern world. The combination of fine acting, beautiful costumes, and impressive stage presence led to wonderful experience for everyone in the audience. Evident through multiple bursts of laughter and a few straining necks it was obvious that the production was very well received. The most striking cast member had to be Kyla Marie Mostello playing the part of Desdemona. Kyla had an amazing stage presence that immediately drew the eyes of an audience member. Kyla was able to convince the audience that she truly was from another world. Her facial expressions and tone of voice made believing her to be from the world of Othello amazingly easy. When the character of Constance Ledbelly played by Nina Donze explained to Desdemona that she was from another world, a world referred to by Desdemona as â€Å"Academia,† Kyla allowed the audience to believe in her curiosity about this strange world of â€Å"Academia.† Kyla forced the audience to wonder whether she really was curious about this strange new world. Kyla’s presence in the production added tremendously to each audience member’s overall experience. Not one of the characters stands out as weak link in the production. With exception to Kyla’s standout performance the rest of the characters did a fine job portraying their version of the characters. Taylor Williams playing the part of the Ghost forced to the audience to chuckle on more than one occasion with her amusing body movements, a wink of the eye, or a heart-felt laugh. Taylor opened up the production by getting the whole audience involved. Taylor even briefly interacted with a few audience members. It was clear from their reactions that besides being a bit stage fright the audience membe... Free Essays on Goodnight Desdemona Goodmorning Juliet Free Essays on Goodnight Desdemona Goodmorning Juliet Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet The production of â€Å"Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet† put on by Villanova University’s Theater Department captured the essence of Shakespeare combined with the humor of an intertwined modern world. The combination of fine acting, beautiful costumes, and impressive stage presence led to wonderful experience for everyone in the audience. Evident through multiple bursts of laughter and a few straining necks it was obvious that the production was very well received. The most striking cast member had to be Kyla Marie Mostello playing the part of Desdemona. Kyla had an amazing stage presence that immediately drew the eyes of an audience member. Kyla was able to convince the audience that she truly was from another world. Her facial expressions and tone of voice made believing her to be from the world of Othello amazingly easy. When the character of Constance Ledbelly played by Nina Donze explained to Desdemona that she was from another world, a world referred to by Desdemona as â€Å"Academia,† Kyla allowed the audience to believe in her curiosity about this strange world of â€Å"Academia.† Kyla forced the audience to wonder whether she really was curious about this strange new world. Kyla’s presence in the production added tremendously to each audience member’s overall experience. Not one of the characters stands out as weak link in the production. With exception to Kyla’s standout performance the rest of the characters did a fine job portraying their version of the characters. Taylor Williams playing the part of the Ghost forced to the audience to chuckle on more than one occasion with her amusing body movements, a wink of the eye, or a heart-felt laugh. Taylor opened up the production by getting the whole audience involved. Taylor even briefly interacted with a few audience members. It was clear from their reactions that besides being a bit stage fright the audience membe...

Monday, October 21, 2019

The History and Origin of Aerosol Spray Cans

The History and Origin of Aerosol Spray Cans An  aerosol  is a  colloid  of fine  solid  particles or  liquid  droplets, in the air or another  gas.  Aerosols can be natural or artificial.  Frederick G. Donnan  presumably first used the term  aerosol  during  World War I  to describe an aero-solution, clouds of microscopic particles in the air. Origins The concept of an aerosol originated as early as 1790 when self-pressurized carbonated beverages were introduced in France. In 1837, a man called Perpigna invented a soda siphon incorporating a valve. Metal spray cans were being tested as early as 1862. They were constructed from heavy steel and were too bulky to be commercially successful. In 1899, inventors Helbling and Pertsch patented aerosols pressurized using methyl and ethyl chloride as propellants. Erik Rotheim On November 23, 1927, Norwegian engineer Erik Rotheim (also spelled Eric Rotheim) patented the first aerosol can and valve that could hold and dispense products and propellant systems. This was the forerunner of the modern aerosol can and valve. In 1998, the Norwegian post office issued a stamp celebrating the Norwegian invention of the spray can. Lyle Goodhue and William Sullivan During World War II, the U.S. government funded research into a portable way for servicemen to spray malaria-carrying bugs. Department of Agriculture researchers, Lyle Goodhue and William Sullivan, developed a small aerosol can be pressurized by a liquefied gas (a fluorocarbon) in 1943. It was their design that made products like hair spray possible, along with the work of another inventor Robert Abplanalp. Robert Abplanalp - Valve Crimp In 1949, 27-year-old Robert H. Abplanalp’s invention of a crimp on valve enabled liquids to be sprayed from a can under the pressure of an inert gas. Spray cans, mainly containing insecticides, were available to the public in 1947 as a result of their use by U.S. soldiers for preventing insect-borne diseases. Abplanalp’s invention made of lightweight aluminum made the cans a cheap and practical way to dispense liquids foams, powders, and creams. In 1953, Robert Abplanalp patented his crimp-on valve for dispensing gases under pressure. His Precision Valve Corporation was soon earning over $100 million manufacturing one billion aerosol cans annually in the United States and one-half billion in 10 other countries. In the mid-1970s, concern over the use of fluorocarbons adversely affecting the ozone layer drove Abplanalp back into the lab for a solution. Substituting water-soluble hydrocarbons for the damaging fluorocarbons created an environmentally friendly aerosol can that did not harm the environment. This put the manufacture of the aerosol spray can products into high gear. Robert Abplanalp invented both the first clog-free valve for spray cans and the Aquasol or pump spray, which used water-soluble hydrocarbons as the propellant source. Spray Paint in a Can In 1949, canned spray paint was invented by Edward Seymour, the first paint color was aluminum. Edward Seymours wife Bonnie suggested the use of an aerosol can be filled with paint. Edward Seymour founded Seymour of Sycamore, Inc. of Chicago, USA, to manufacture his spray paints.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Censoring Huckleberry Finn

Looking back at the researchers, teachers and students of Huckleberry Finn, we all know that high school grows, finds yourself, and is a time to experience different personality of different people. It will also help you prepare for a world that can quickly deal with various people and situations. If you forgive some part of the real world, you are not ready to face life problems and dilemmas. Truncated Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a typical example of closing the real world. In an iterative discussion on whether to reexamine Huckleberry Finn Adventures for high school students, I firmly stand on the side of the insects of traditionalism books encouraging the importance of literature as a lens of observation history I will. . Of course, studying the cultural outputs of every society provides a window to history - enter the intellectual and emotional advantages and disadvantages of humans living at different times or places. For this reason, students should be encouraged to learn art, vision, architecture, music and literature from a wide range of societies and from many eras. Huckleberry Fin's adventure, also known as Mark Twain's novel Huckleberry Finn's Adventure, was published in the UK in 1884 and was published in the United States in 1885. The narrator of this book is Huckleberry Finn. That young man, the oral and dignified speech is perfectly adapted to the scene's detailed, poetic explanation, the brilliant facial expression of the character, and a wide range of comedy. And interpretation of a sophisticated satirical story. Hack escaped his abused father with a raft on a voyage that was long interrupted along with his companion, the runaway slave, and the Mississippi River. On the road, Hack encountered various characters and types, this book depicts almost all people who unforgettably live on the river or along the river. Because of these experiences, Hack learns to overcome traditional racial prejudices and respect and love Jim. Mark Twain's satiri cal work Mark Twain, published in 1885, is his novel Tom Sawyer's Adventure published in 1875. It is a sequel. Huckleberry Finn talks about young teenager Huckleberry Finn and his friendship with Jim, an uneducated slave who escaped from the Mississippi River at various roles and events. The background of the novels occurred in the prewar era of America where slavery and racial prejudice were at the forefront of social problems.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Do EU Regulations Provide Sufficient Protection From Child Essay

Do EU Regulations Provide Sufficient Protection From Child Exploitation Within Member States - Essay Example (Beckett, 2007) The European Convention on Human Rights 1950 was a more general attempt to define the rights of humans and it was not a child centric legislation. However, it sets the overall tone of the regulation and suggests that the rights of children have also been considered. This is also significant in the wake of the fact that EU Court on Human Rights has developed significant level of jurisprudence to cover extensively human rights issues pertaining to children. (Bueren, 2007) Local and national governments in EU are considered to be closer to their communities and are considered in a better position to safeguard the interests of the children under the UN Human Rights Charter and Child Rights. It is critical to note however, that children did not featured as a voice in the overall policy making and legislative process in EU till late 1990s. At the time of formation of treaty, though there was an emphasis on bringing in equality between men and women however, children hardly featured into the overall policy making and legislative process in the region. (Renucci, 2005) The Amsterdam Treaty for the first time however, realized this anomaly and clarified new changes though which discrimination based upon age was discouraged. Amsterdam Treaty was enacted in 1997 and supplemented the European Union Treaty. The Article 13 of the treaty clarified that Children should be included in the treaty and discrimination against them should be treated equally along with adults. (Cockburn, 2010) The overall child protection can also be viewed from the perspective of social protection. Expenditure on social protection is considered as one of the indicators of how the 27 member States actually contribute and intervene into reducing predefined risks to... Most of the existing studies on the topic are the reviews of the legislations made over the period of time. This research study will focus upon exploring as to whether these regulations have been effective in achieving their objectives. This research study will therefore provide an insight into how future legislations need to be done in order to make them more applicable and result oriented. Ethics are normally concerned with right, wrong, good and bad and outlines as to how issues of moral concerns can be explored. Since exploring the issue of child protection involves understanding the ethical point of view also, it is therefore critical that ethical inquiry should be blended with the qualitative research design to explore underlying research issues.More appropriately, the existing regulations from EU with respect to child protection will be explored from the perspective of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism outlines the greater good for the greater number of people and as such existing regulations pertaining to child protection may be viewed from utilitarian perspective. Quantitative research methods will also be employed to explore and understand the impact of the legislations on the reduction of child exploitation. For the purpose of this research, a sample set of 10 member countries will be chosen. This sample will be randomly picked countries officially admitted to the membership of EU since last 10 years.