The Revolution In Cuba Was Not A Result Of Economic Deprivation, Nor B

The revolution in Cuba was not a result of economic deprivation, nor because of high expectations in the economy, it was the political factors and expectations which evoked the civilians to revolt. The Cuban economy was moving forward at the time before the rebellion but the dominant influence of the sugar industry made the economy "assymetrical" and encouraged no "dynamic industrial sector". Because of the dependance on sugar, the unemployment rate ranged between 16 and 20% rising and falling with sugar prices, ebbing and flowing as the season changed. The rural wage levels were incredibly unsteady and unpredictable; the standard of living was low. Dependance on the sugar industry did not retard the economy of Cuba, just the wages of its workers. It was the leaders of the nation who reaped profit from this dependance, and it was the leaders of the nation who insisted on keeping the nation the way it was. By the mid 1950's, however, the middle class had expanded to 33% of the population. Democracy, as we know it, broke down: the large middle class did not assert democratic leadership, there was no social militancy in the working class ranks, and the people found order preferable to disarray. Batista could no longer legitimize his regime . Failure in the elections of 1954 showed the discontent of the people, and failure in communications with the United States illustrated its discontent. Finally, opposing forces confronted Batista's power: there were street protests, confrontations with the police, assault, sabotage, and urban violence. This began the revolution in Cuba. ? America, with its stubborn ideas and misjudgements of character, forced Castro to turn to the Soviets for alliance and aid. When Castro visited the United States in April, 1959, there were different respected individuals holding different views of him and his future actions. Nixon believed Castro to be naive, some others thought him a welcome change from Batista, still others called him an "immature but effective leader, without a well formed view of how to lead a revolutionary movement and not overly concerned with abstract of philosophical matters" (p. 55). Why, then, did the United States impress nit-picky ideals like "there should not be communists in the Army or in labor", or "Cuba's approach to the Batista trials is totally unacceptable, too casual, too nonchalant" on this "forming" leader? Castro was like an inexperienced murderer with a gun in his hand: any rustle in the background could set off his nervous trigger finger causing death, destruction, and liaisons with the U.S.S.R. When America expressed dislike of the trial procedures Castro was holding, of course he (Castro) would try to prove he was able to run his country by himself and snub the U.S. ambassador. The United States had so much invested in Cuba that it was stupid to think that Cuba could not retaliate when the U.S. cut off sugar imports. America was just too sure of itself thinking it could get away with criticism and acts like that when an "immature" leader was in control. Cuba was not totally dependant on the United States and proved itself so. If Cuba could not find help and support in America, it sought elsewhere for those who smiled on its actions and ideals. Castro found friends in Russia; the United States made this so. ? Succeeding and failing have alot to do with judgement. For the United States, the revolution was a failure because the result was a communist nation in the Carribean. For the revolutionarie s in Cuba, the revolution accomplished many of their goals: capitalism was abolished and socialism installed eroding class distinctions and eliminating private property, the working conditions improved, women's rights improved, labor unions were recogniz ed, the military became more modern and advanced, political order was restored, the status of the country improved from dependant to independant, and many more. For the people of Cuba, therefore, the revolution can be viewed as a success (if communism ca n be seen as acceptable), but for America, the result was a failure. ? Latin America is one of the poorest and underdeveloped sections of the world. Because of this fact, it is difficult for its nations to compete and thrive in the world market with modern nations as they struggle to industrialize and improve their status. Capitalism, as a basis for an economy, means that each man has to struggle to make a living, that each man may fail and starve, and that each man may get a lucky break and thrive. We saw this struggle of the lower classes clearly in Mexico during their industrialization. With communism, a man

When ledgends die essays

When ledgends die essays In the book When the Legends Die by Hal Borland, Tom is influenced by many people and their ideas. As his settings change, new things influence him to change his personality. The three main influences on Tom are his mother Bessie, Red Dillon and His biggest influence out of everyone would be his mother Bessie. She taught Tom about the old ways, how to fish, chant and weave baskets. Basically she him everything he knows. As well as teaching Tom all these things she taught him to be self sufficient. Eventhough she had 13 years with her son, she gave him a belief in his indian ways that would come back again later on in his life. At the end of this novel when he goes back to the old ways, it's really a way for him to thank her for everything she provided him with. He really found himself at the end of the novel and found his Red Dillon was the total opposite of Bessie. He made him forget about where he was from and his goals for life. He pushed Tom farther away from his history. He also got him to cheat and drink. Tom knew these things were wrong but it stayed in his routine. Red tested Tom to his fullest and pushed Tom to work harder. Unfortunatley Red did not work quite as hard as Tom and even got Tom to set a deadfall on one of his rides. When he was living with the white man he was getting used to the white peoples ways all the while losing site of his Ute history. Mary Redmond who was another of Tom's influences played a big role in encouraging Toms to change his ideas about life in general. She was the one looking over him wile he was staying in the hospital. She was the only person that was in the hospital who truly cared for him. He knew she meant well but he was scared to ask her for help because he had been let down so many times before in his life. She changed his thinking on what he was going to do when he go out of the hospital. At first ...

Innovation - PAYPAL make the life more easier Essay

Innovation - PAYPAL make the life more easier - Essay Example In 2002, PayPal was acquired by EBay Inc. and made the official payment channel of the worldwide sites of EBay electronic commerce business wing. PayPal is chosen as the innovation topic for the essay because the establishment of PayPal was followed by huge success and popularity of the same in the international financial services and online payments domain. The essay would include a discussion of why PayPal can be considered to be a radical innovation in the electronic commerce and financial services domain. A review of the different literary works presented on the topic of innovation is done to link the theories of innovation to the practical example of PayPal as a breakthrough innovation. A section of the essay would include a discussion of the conditions and background which led to the establishment and success of PayPal in the global business platform. The essay would be suitably concluded with a summary of the findings from the report and with a small discussion regarding the future strategies that are likely to be used by PayPal for continued success and sustainability. PayPal was initially set up as a technology push innovation and later ensured continued success through sustainable innovative practices. This technological innovation was a result of the combination of technological advances and improvement in the use of materials and processes within different businesses. The innovation was fuelled and supported by the boom of electronic commerce activities across the globe. The cross border electronic commerce transactions conducted by millions of people across the globe created the need for a unique, safe, secure and globally usable online payment transfer domain. The innovators of PayPal tapped in this market need and used the advances in technology like access to internet, development of financial services domains and electronic commerce businesses to create the online

Ivaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ivaluation - Essay Example When the storm happened, Calixta’s husband and son were in town while Alcee’s wife was away. Despite their marital status, they had this intense sexual relationship that they could not find in their spouses. This presented a very liberating idea of the author about adultery. How could sex and love be different? Was she trying to say that a person can be emotionally faithful and committed but physically not? If that was the case, then any married person who could not find sexual satisfaction from his/her partner could deliberately have sex with anyone as long as it was just physical contact and mere sex, and as long as you do not get caught as the part â€Å"the actual storm passed by without doing any real damage, leaving the city as it had been before the storm† (Pope, 2010). Therefore, adultery would just be a normal thing in the society. One can always justify that having sex is just an act of fulfilling his/her sexual needs with someone who can satisfy it if that person cannot find it from his/her own partner. What is the essence of marriage at this point? Moving on, another crucial issue in this story was femininity. First, the character of Calixta was described to be â€Å"unable to conform to the society’s standards of acceptable conduct† (M, 2012) especially in the 19th century setting. Symbolically, it goes with the issue of chastity as Calixta was a married woman which went favourably with Alcee. Looking closely at it, a sexually mutual relationship compromised the affair of the two main characters. Calixta had her sexual longing and desire as a woman beyond her role as a wife and mother. Her marriage was seemingly repressing her and having a passionate sexual encounter with Alcee released her from the pressures of her married life. Giving in to Alcee was not because of love for this man but for the love of herself. It was her human nature that she needed to satisfy. This part of characterization was very liberating although not in a vulgar way, yet it made a negative impression among women in a patriarchal society. Taking into account that women have their own needs, let us say that they have the right and the freedom to voice them out and seek for their satisfaction, at what extent should they attain it? It is just to cheat on their spouse just to fulfil the physical and sexual fantasy and longing? How can the society or the women themselves distinguish their feminine satisfaction from immorality? Contrary to the first two themes, marriage that was supposed to be of high moral was given a different treatment in the story. It set boundaries among the characters instead of giving them space to grow as different individuals. Calixta found pressure in her marriage having a husband described to be undependable. Alcee, on the other side, being far away from his wife did not have a spouse to answer his sexual passion. At the end of it all, the elements lacking in their marriage pushed them to cheat on their spouses. Dishonesty in a marital relationship is immoral and sinful, but in the story, the sexual bliss served as a therapy both for Calixta and Alcee to be kinder and sweeter to their spouses. Ironically, their so called hypocrisy seemed to help strengthen rather than destroying their individual marriages. Personally, one thing I noticed in this story was the act of

European Telecommunications Policy on Liberalisation

European Telecommunications Policy on Liberalisation Introduction This paper critically discusses the European telecommunications policy which is mainly intended to liberalise all telecommunications goods and services. Telecommunications policy is concerned with fixed telephone network, telephone (voice) service, other services based on the telephone network, mobile telephony and electronic information network services such as the internet. Communications technologies services serve as a vital link between industry, the services sector and market as well as between peripheral areas and economic centres.[1] There is therefore no question as to the importance of having a telecommunications policy in place to ensure industrial competitiveness and economic and social cohesion. What cannot, however, escape comment is the kind of telecommunications policy introduced in Europe by the European Union. Background information European telecommunications policy started with a Council Decision and Resolution on standardisation of in the field of information technology which was adopted in 1987.[2] The aim of the Decision and Resolution was to create a European market in telecommunications equipment. This was meant to ensure that competition prevails across member states and also to ensure exchange of information, the convergence of industrial strategies and the creation of exploitation of a vast European information technologies and telecommunications market. A Directive was issued in 1999 to establish a single market for radio equipment and telecommunications terminal equipment. The Directive also prescribes the mutual recognition of their conformity based on the principle of the manufacturer’s declaration.[3] In order to succeed in creating a single market in telecommunications services it was realised that telecommunications markets had to be liberated so that user would be able to procure and connect terminal equipment without the obligation of applying to a single national telecommunications authority. To this end, member states are therefore required to bring an end excusive and special rights remaining in the telecommunications, the restrictions on the installations used for mobile networks as well as the interconnection between such networks. Suppliers of telecommunications services are also entitled to use capacity on cable television networks for all communications services, main data communications, closed corporate networks and multimedia services. Complete liberalisation of voice telephony and telecommunications infrastructure was are intended to be achieved. National regulatory authorities are also required to contribute to the development of the internal market by way of co-o peration with each other and with the Commission to ensure the consistent application in all member states. In 2002, a Directive[4] was issued for the establishment of a harmonised regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services throughout the European Union. The Directive takes account of all electronic communications networks and services within it scope. The electronic communications networks and services include transmissions system and routing equipment as well as other resources which permit the conveyance of signals by wire, by radio, by optical or by other electromagnetic means. They also include satellites networks, fixed and mobile-terrestrial networks, electricity cable system networks used for radio and television broadcasting, and cable television networks. There is also what is known as the â€Å"telecoms package† under which four specific directives were issued. One of these Directives concerns access. It is intended to provide a framework for rules that are applicable to specific products or service markets in particular geographical area. It is also intended to address identified market problems between access and interconnection suppliers.[5] For example, it gives operators of public communications a right and also impose obligation on them to negotiate interconnection with each other for the purpose of providing publicly available electronic communications services, so as to ensure provision and interoperability of services throughout the European community. One of the specific Directives also concerns authorisation. It is intended to implement an internal market in electronic communications networks and services through the harmonisation and simplification of authorisation rules and conditions in order to facilitate their provision throughout the community. [6] The Directive requires member states to ensure the freedom to provide electronic networks and services, subject to certain conditions set out in the Directive. Member states are therefore obliged not to prevent an undertaking from providing electronic communications networks or services without proper reasons.[7] The Directive also stipulates that the general authorisation system should apply to all such services and networks irrespective of their technological characteristics and should limit administrative barriers to entry into the market to a minimum. Another of the specific Directives concerns universal service and users. It is intended to ensure universal service provision for public telephony services in an environment of greater overall competitiveness, with provisions for financing the cost of providing a universal service in the most competitively neutral manner and for ensuring a maximum of information transparency.[8] Also, the Directive is intended to ensue the interoperability of digital consumer television equipment and the provision of certain mandatory services. Furthermore, the Directive establishes the rights of users and consumers of electronic communications service. The fourth specific Directive concerns the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the electronic communication sector.[9] It harmonises the provision of member states required to ensure an equivalent level of protection of fundamental rights and freedoms and in particular the right to privacy. It also ensures the free movement of such data and of electronic communication equipment and services in the community. There is an axis of the European telecommunications policy called the â€Å"technological development in telecommunications, which is pursued by research in advanced communication technologies and services. European research technological development policy is directed towards strengthening the scientific and technological basis of community industry and encouraging it to become more competitive at international level, while promoting all the research activities considered necessary by virtue of other chapters of the Treaty.[10] Other axis is known as â€Å"trans-European telecommunications network†. The networks are national digital networks which aim to introduce innovative trans-European services in the general interest. They also aim to contribute to the development of the information society in terms of growth, employment, social cohesion and participation for all in he knowledge-based economy.[11] Assessment of the policy The European telecommunications policy is said to have contributed greatly to the development of the telecommunication industry.[12] A member of the European Union Commission responsible for information society and media also claims that: â€Å"†¦ good implementation of the EU framework is paying off. EU countries that have applied the EU rules in a timely and efficient manner, following the principle of competition, have clearly achieved the best results in terms of investment in new networks and take-up of new innovative services It is rare for issues to arise where social justice and economic reality go hand in hand. I believe this is the case for the Information Society. All countries will have to liberalise their telecom networks in the end. This is unavoidable. Those that fight against it often do so in the name of social justice. They argue that liberalisation will reduce economic and social cohesion. The rich will get richer and the poor will be poorer. However, there is no inherent conflict between liberalisation and social justice in the field of the Information Society.†[13] According to the Commissioner, Variations of regulatory approach are today an obstacle to the internal market and to effective competition: If a national regulator in country A applies the EU rules vigorously to the operators on its market, while the national regulator in country B adopts a more lenient policy towards the dominant operator by adopting remedies later or in a less efficient way, this gives companies in country B an unfair competitive advantage over companies in country A. In Europe’s internal market, this is unacceptable. The Commissioner expressed belief that the Commission should be able to ensure consistency in remedies proposed by national regulators to enhance competition in market dominated by one or more operators. This, the Commissioner said was a logical adjunct to the Commission’s current role as regards market definitions and market power assessments. The Commission has three functions within the telecommunications area: the promotion of European telecommunications policy; regulation of competition and as a watchdog on the application of the Treaty of Rome. The commissioner’s remarks show that the aim of the policy has not been fully achieved. It is correct to say that, the European telecommunication policy has its shortcomings. First of all, one wonders how a policy which has separate national regulators for each member country can be said to be effective. There is no doubt that if the EU wants to achieve a real level playing field where telecommunication operators can compete satisfactorily with one another then there must be an independent telecommunications authority whose duty would be to ensure efficient implementation of the rules across member states. Such an authority would have the authority to require national regulators to co-operate with it. It is argued that the creation of a centralised authority was successf ully prevented by member states even though centralisation was regarded as a necessary step in the process of liberalisation and promotion of an integrated enfrastructure.[14] One criticism directed at the policy is that the regulatory regime has evolved which is framed and instructed by European guidelines but varies from member state to member state in several respects without a short-term or medium-term perspective to converge on a single regulatory model.[15] Alabau (2006) also argues that one does not have to analyse it very hard to realise that what the Commission wanted to do was simply to impose a single European licence, making services subject to the same policy that it applied to the free movement of goods. That was why the Framework Directive referred to Article 8 of the Treaty. In his view, the Member States were not going to give way on the mutual recognition of licences. Granting licences for operating telecommunications services in their territory represented an area of sovereignty that they simply were not prepared to give up. This situation, which might have made sense in the case of value added services, verged on the unreasonable when the decision to liberalise voice telephony services and infrastructures was made.[16] It was revealed during the EU telecom conference in Geneva in 1999 a number of issues could be identified. The first was the degree of independence enjoyed by national regulators. At a minimum, regulated authorities must be independent of the telecommunications operator(s) if any liberalisation of services is to be successful. Competitors should not enter a market unless the dominant operator is subject to independent regulation to ensure that monopoly services are provided to competitors at a price that allows them to compete effectively. Second, it was observed that notwithstanding the progress that has been made in many market segments, incumbents still largely dominate national markets. The biggest problem in this respect is their overwhelming dominance in local access networks. Some member states are believed to have already responded to this by forcing the incumbent to unbundle the local loop. Third, wide variations in the degree of competition between Member States are inevita ble, given their different starting points. However, this is also the result of differences in the regulatory framework, which in some areas is not consistently applied. It is for European Commission to set an overall telecommunications policy framework in the distribution of licenses. The duty of the National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) was to implement such objectives through specific legislative measures. All member states awarded more than one license in accordance with EU competition rules. However, while some states preferred to award licence through auction, others opted for what is known as the â€Å"beauty contest†. There are a number of flaws associated with either of these options. In any member state where auctioning was preferred, it emerged that the auctioning was problematic. The licence fee is said to be extremely high. â€Å"The danger of an open-ended auction is that the companies, in trying to outdo each other, will drive up the costs ridiculously.†[i] The ‘ridiculous costs’ of licenses may generate a chain of events with profound implications on 3G services and on overall economic welfare. One argument against auctioning states that due to the high cost of spectrum, telcos are forced to pass these costs on to consumers via higher prices, which in turn, retards the development of mobile data services due to lower mobile uptake by consumers). Ultimately, the deceleration in development will have wide-ranging implications for national economies as a whole†.[17] Auctions is also said to favour well-capitalised incumbent telcos which can afford to pay high premiums for spectrum, while smaller, possibly more innovative telcos who may be able to develop products faster while providing it at a better service, are left out due to capital constraints. Consequently, fewer competitors will exist in the market, keeping prices higher and products and services less innovative.[18] With regard to licence fee, the British Government has been criticised. It observed that higher prices to the consumer and the threat of investment stifling in 3G networks were both risks that might delay the rollout of 3G services and ultimately, adversely affect a country’s economic development. Many governments, including Ireland, have chosen not to use an auction to avoid the aforementioned risks. According to Professor Peter Cramton from the University of Maryland, beauty contests suffer from several problems. First, they are extremely slow and wasteful.[19] Second, beauty contests lack transparency. It is difficult to see why one proposal won out over another. Worse yet, the ability of the regulator to successfully identify the best proposals is limited.[ii] The Radio communications Agency, which manages the UK’s radio spectrum, admits it considered various options for 28GHz, including a beauty contest. But in a report on the two processes, it concluded that with a beauty contest it would be difficult to keep the selection procedure 1) objective, 2) non-discriminatory and 3) transparent, as required by the EC Licensing Directive.[20] It argued that the danger of utilizing beauty contests as a basis for assigning licenses for 3G mobile networks is that the criteria may be influenced by subjectively biased national factors that may prejudice open decision making.[21] Conclusion It will be unfair to say that the European telecommunications policy has not achieved any success. One may to a large extent agree with the assertion that the policy has contributed greatly the development of the telecommunication industry. However, as seen above, the policy is far from perfect. The entire blame cannot be shifted to the European Commission. The unwillingness on the part of member states to have an independent European telecommunications authority has contributed to the problem. Having identified this as a problem herself, the EU Commissioner responsible for information society and media stated at the 2006 European Competitive Telecommunications Association conference that the most effective and less bureaucratic way to achieve a real level plying ground field for telecom operators was to replace the present system by an independent authority that will act like European Central Bank. One cannot but only that in future member states will realise the need to have such a system in place. References Chapman, Matt. â€Å"Auction of Radio Spectrum Comes Back to Haunt Telcos,† Network News,  Sep 6, 2000 Eliassen, Kjell, A. and Sjovaag, Marit. European Communication Liberalisation. London:  Routledge. 1999 Lehr, W. and T. Kiessling. (1999). Telecommunication Regulation in the United States,  Europe: The Case for Centralized Authority. In S. Eisner Gillett and I. Vogelsang,  eds, Competition, Regulation, and Convergence. Current Trends in Telecommunications Policy Research. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 105-20. Reding, Viviane, Review of the EU Telecom Rules: Strengthening Competition and Completing  the Internal Market†. 27 June 200http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/06/422> Schneider, Volker and Werle, Raymund, Telecommunications Policy. In Graziano,  Paolo, and Vink, Maarten, eds Europeanization: New Research Agendas. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2006). Chapter 20  Nourafchan, Raphael. The Political Economy of European Telecommunications Policy: auctions  versus Beauty Contests Footnotes [1] Moussis, Nicholas, Access to European Union: Law, Economic Policies. Rixensart, Belgium: European.  Union Services [2] Repealed, see Council Decision (1999/468 EC) [3] Directive 1999/5/EC [4] Directive 2002/21/ EC [5] Directive 2002/19/EC [6] Directive 2002?20/ EC [7] The reasons are set out in Article 46(1) of the Treaty [8] Directive 2002/22/EC [9] Directive 2002/58/EC [10] Decision 182/1999/EC [11] Decision 336/97/EC [12] Liikanen, Erkki, Telecom 1999 Conference, Geneva, 1999. 07 August 2007. http://ec.europa.eu/archives/commission_1999_2004/liikanen/media/speeches/19991010.htm> [13] Reding, Viviane, Review of the EU Telecom Rules: Strengthening Competition and Completing the  Internal Market†. 27 June 2006. http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=SPEECH/06/422> [14]  Lehr, W. and T. Kiessling. (1999). Telecommunication Regulation in the United States,  Europe: The Case for Centralized Authority. In S. Eisner Gillett and I. Vogelsang, eds,  Competition, Regulation, and Convergence. Current Trends in Telecommunications  Policy Research. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 105-20. [15]  Schneider, Volker and Werle, Raymund, Telecommunications Policy. In Graziano,  Paolo, and Vink, Maarten, eds Europeanization: New Research Agendas.  Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan (2006). Chapter 20 [16] Alabau, Antonio, â€Å"European Union and its Electronic Communications Policy; Thirty Years In Perspective† [17]Nourafchan, Raphael. The Political Economy of European Telecommunications Policy: auctions versus Beauty  Contests [18] Ibid. [19] Even with streamlined hearings, it took the FCC an average of two years to award thirty cellular licenses. Competitors  Spend vast sums trying to influence the regulator’s decision (Peter Cramton 2001). [20]  Chapman, Matt. â€Å"Auction of Radio Spectrum Comes Back to Haunt Telcos,† Network News, Sep 6, 2000 [21] Telecoms Standards Approvals Review, â€Å"3G Licensing: France to Use Selection Process,† Jun 20, 2000 [i] [ii]

The Skating Party

The short story â€Å"The Skating Party† by Merna Summers is about a love triangle conveying the theme that it is essential for individuals to make rational decisions because they will have to endure the consequences for the rest of their lives. Having been raised on a farm in Willow Bunch, Nathan Singleton aspired to become a farmer with a devoted wife. Contrary to his goal, he left his home and relocated to the city to become a teacher. Then, he ultimately returned to Willow Bunch to focus on his farming career. â€Å"In some ways it seemed as if he had never really left Willow Bunch†¦I found it hard to imagine him as I knew he must be in his classroom: wearing a suit, chalk dust on his sleeve, putting seat work on the blackboard. He didn't even talk like a teacher. † (Summers 187-188) The significance of character revelation in this quote highlights Nathan's personality traits that are reminiscent of a stereotypical farmer. This justifies why Maida found it diff icult to visualize Nathan possessing personality traits pertaining to a stereotypical teacher. With further inference, it can be concluded that his specific traits didn't effectively complement his teaching career.This incompatibility influenced him to return to Willow Bunch, where his childhood aspiration almost came to fruition when he became engaged with Eunice Lathem. Though unfortunately, he receded to teaching in the city once again after her demise. Nathan's indecisive demeanour regarding his career is symbolized by engraving a tattoo on your body. The consequence was the absence of occupational stability in his life, a reminder which is symbolized by the fact that a tattoo is permanently etched onto your skin.Secondly, the theme of â€Å"The Skating Party† is reinforced through Delia's decision to skate with Nathan at the skating party. Due to the lengthy duration of time they spent together, Eunice became infuriated because she detected intimacy. Delia then agreed to skate with Eunice in order to calm her down. Eventually, they both fell through the ice; Eunice's death was the price for Delia's survival. â€Å"Eunice Lathem's sister, whose name was Delia Sykes, moved away from Willow Bunch right after the accident. † (Summers 191) This quote represents Delia's character development.From a very extroverted, flamboyant character, she confined herself in a shell due to the torment caused by the outcome of her decision and its role in Eunice's death. This categorizes her as a dynamic character. She then left Willow Bunch, believing that isolating herself from her friends and family would be the only way to atone for her mistake. Delia made an irrational decision to skate with Nathan which is symbolized by choosing to have a tattoo drawn onto your skin. Her decision indirectly resulted in Eunice's death, a traumatizing experience she endured for the rest of her life that is symbolized by the adherence of a tattoo.It will always be with her; o ne glance at it will remind her of the skating party. Lastly, the theme of â€Å"The Skating Party† is accentuated through Nathan's decision to save Delia instead of Eunice. â€Å"The one pair of arms had white fur around them. And I reached for the other pair† (Summers 199) This quote revealed Nathan's true desire and who he valued the most in his life. It also implies the inner conflict he experiences, such as reflecting on the credibility of his decision and evaluating possible outcomes if he acted differently.Such thoughts prevent him from achieving tranquility. Like a tattoo, the remorse Nathan's burdened with will stay for the remainder of his life as a result of choosing to save Delia and allowing Eunice to perish. Nathan's inability to choose a career, Delia's decision to skate with Nathan, and Nathan's decision to save Delia instead of Eunice emphasizes the theme of â€Å"The Skating Party†: it is necessary to make decisions rationally in order to avoid regrets and live a satisfying life.

Proposal for Artemis Sportswear Company Essay

Cutting operational expenses is something ever organization must learn to balance to ensure productivity and profit margins increase for the company. An increase profit margin is the bottom line for any business and its stakeholders. In order to cut operational expenses productively Artemis Sportswear needs a comprehensive look at the everyday operational expenses. Cutting the everyday expenditures is in need of balance, because to much cuts can cause lose of productivity which in the end will not achieve the desired affect of increase profits. Cutting operational expenses also affects the work force of Artemis Sportswear. This proposal is to define the expenses that need or could be to cut to ensure the success of Artemis Sportswear and how these cuts will affect the workforce. Cutting everyday expenses can help lower operational expenses. When purchasing office supplies, generic is going to be less expensive than brand name products. Buying the store brand name is generally sold at a lower cost. Buying supplies in bulk is cost effective over a long period of time. Leasing equipment is better than buying equipment. When leasing you have the opportunity to upgrade or downgrade when necessary. Technology is always changing and improving, so by leasing there is the option to stay current with the new changes in the equipment. Leased equipment always comes with an insurance policy, which is not needed if there is a currant insurance policy with the company. To avoid being double charged register with your companyÂ’s insurance broker then submit a copy of the new insurance to the leasing company to have it dropped. Smaller equipment such as telephones, printers, fax machines and calculators should be purchased not leased. Usually the smaller equipment will hold its value over time and can be easily replaced if needed. Shopping for bargains or sales of the smaller equipments can save a considerable amount of money. Finding a 3 in 1 package which would include a telephone, fax and printer can also cut costs. Printing in bulk is another way to keep costs down because each copy is less expensive when purchased in larger quantities. Researching various companies for the best rates on telephone services; checking both long distance and local calling plans. Companies that have  plans of unlimited local and long distance are generally the best deals. Another possibility to look into is how much a telephone company charges for each fax that is sent. Most companies charge a flat rate of a minute instead of six second increments which adds up over a period of time. Out sourcing is a great way to significantly cut down costs. The way outsourcing works is when a company obtains a contract with another company to provide services for them. There are many types of companies that specialize in many different services. Companies can rely on outsourcing if they themselves cannot afford or do not want to spend the money on the expensive equipment. These companies can produce less expensive products and labor. In most cases they do not pay their employees benefits and the hourly amount the employees receive is usually very low. These companies typically have less overhead to worry about, making it possible to pay less for their work. These types of contracts are generally done overseas, such as China and India. Outsourcing not only cuts down costs, but it also can aid in expanding the business by building foundations in different countries. The benefit to expanding is more income coming in. Another benefit from outsourcing is that it helps to reduce the work that managers perform allowing them to take care of bigger issues. Of course outsourcing has its disadvantages; it can take away from the personality of the company, by not having a personal communication between the company and clients. “In business, your profits are your reward for your endeavors. In fact, profitability is the only reliable measurement of a business’ success. Profits are the very lifeblood of a business. They fuel growth, support the owners, provide for the well being of the staff, and ultimately determine the success or failure of the business.” Peters Elworthy and MooreCutting operational expenses to increase profit margins is key for Artemis Sportswear to continue selling quality sportswear. First cutting operational expenses in house is a must. In house is where everything begins so thatÂ’s the first place to begin cuts. Hiring a company to help budget Artemis Sportswear is a smart way to educate employees to cut costs. A budget company will first evaluate immediate saving opportunities for Artemis Sportswear by reviewing operating expenses and guiding higher office and  employees to cut operational expenses. Investing in a company to help budget Artemis Sportswear is a smar t way to cut costs and raise profits. There are other ways to cut cost without hiring professionals to help budget the company. Using the internet to search for ideas is also an inexpensive way to save money. After saving money from not hiring a budget cutting company, it will add to ArtemisÂ’s profits. Ideas such as those on ehow.com, ezinearticles.com, and pem.com can save money and just as important, time. Simple tips and ideas like not making cuts without considering the consequences, to leasing gives the option of upgrading or downgrading, depending on needs and changes in technology. Sitting down with the companyÂ’s decision makers and brainstorming strategies to cut spending is another inexpensive way to keep costs low. Look over company expenses and create a list of needs or must haves. Review the companyÂ’s business plan and see what necessary costs have to be made in order for the company to meet its objectives, goals and overall mission. Think about cutting full-time workers into part-time workers or making the positions contract without benefits. Proposal for Artemis Sportswear CompanyWhen discussing cost cutting measures, it is imperative to consider the costs to the employees. When payroll is cut, how Artemis carries the process out can have a negative effect on the employees left and most certainly will have an effect on their work production. Keogh (2001) claims, “Economic trends have been at its worst since 1991” (p 17). A few things have been learned about payroll slashing since then. Some companies are asking the employees what to do in order to cut costs before cutting payroll and have received replies as simple as saving energy to more convoluted solutions. Energy savings alone can result in savings of thousands of dollars. Another fact that has been learned is that it takes a community to support a business. The resulting cuts can have people losing their homes and moving  away from the city that Artemis Sportswear resides in. With loss in population, higher tax levies for businesses may result. The local retail trade is affected. This will also affect the local unemployment rate with an increase in government supplements and food stamps. When people have worked with a company for many years, they donÂ’t have any skills for searching for a job. Even termination can be done with care. It is advised to give ample notice of termination and information about benefits. A company can be hired to help workers cope with “career transition” (Austin, 2001, p 60). When layoffs are activated, the resulting production of the left over employees may or may not be affected; depending upon how the terminations were made. When workers are cut, service is cut. A better idea may be to cut per hour costs or offer early retirement packages for senior employees. A hiring freeze may be a viable alternative. Employees who leave the company are not replaced. Along with lower cost per hour, this might take a while for the company to see profit increase, but if the employees are made to feel part of the solution to its own problems, there may be a significant production increase. This is a point that retraining would come in. Companies like Federal Express and Saturn have gone to retraining programs instead of immediate terminations. Buckstein (1997) explains that “training has yielded $30 for every dollar invested…” (p 131). Bonuses are paid to managers who volunteer to participate as instructors. Retraining consists of team building and changes in workplace culture. Employers can restate what is expected of the workers and let them become aware of what the new focus of Artemis Sportswear is. Company values and ArtemisÂ’s mission statement can be communicated. Employees can be reenergized, knowing that Artemis is trying to keep staff and prevent layoffs. Work assignments can be filled by more than one person as well as rotate, to prevent boredom. This can give a boost to productivity. It is essential to supply information to the workers about proposed changes.  Greenhalgh and McKersie (1980) caution “…rumored use of the layoff strategy leaves employees with a feeling of employment insecurity which affects their work, their relationship with management, and their commitment to continue working for the organization” (p 577). If rumors are circulating, Artemis does not have an accurate measure of their cost cutting implementation strategy. Bleckstein (1997) summarizes, “But a firmÂ’s ability to learn faster than its competitors may be its only sustainable competitive advantage” (p 131). This translates to research. Management must consider the costs overall before cutting jobs. Most important, management must consider the costs to their loyal employees when research indicates effective money saving alternatives. Artemis Sportswear has a few options open to them before cutting payroll. Kinsman (2001) warns, “ItÂ’s time for corporations to start thinking about all the pieces of the success equation before lopping off payroll” (4). Conclusion Business is ever changing in the new world economy. Artemis Sportswear like any other business and will have to take steps to improve business and profit margins. The use of cutting operational expenses is shown in many different forms from out sourcing to cutting back everyday expenses. These are essential for improving the profit margins of Artemis Sportswear but the consideration of how these cuts can affect the worker of the company. References Austin, P. (2001). The making of a one-company ghost town. Business and Society Review, 59-64. 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Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-outsourcing.htm