Why America Should Adopt a Flat Tax System essays

Why America Should Adopt a Flat Tax System essays Our society today has strived to become accustomed to our present tax system, but some just cannot come to terms with it. The current tax code is unfair to those who are single, work for under $50, 000 dollars per year, or have large families. The high tax percentages and low exemptions make it difficult for the average worker to prosper and get ahead in todays world. The tax system also discourages citizens from saving and investing their earnings, ultimately pulling down the American economy. Over the past few years numerous proposals for a flat tax rate have surfaced and been reviewed. These proposals promise large tax cuts, fewer federal forms and costs, and larger exemptions (Armey 2). The United States should adopt a flat tax rate to better its citizens and increase the national economy. Our nations current tax code is far too significant and complicated. Over 480 different tax forms exist for business professionals and individuals (Armey 2). The tax code also discourages workers from taking risks in the business world and crushes any entrepreneurial spirit. Many Americans have become frustrated with the high tax percentages and low exemptions as well. Tax percentages are some of the highest ever at an average rate of 39.6%. Only in 1981 when they reached 70 %, and during World War II at 94%, were American taxes any higher (Bartlett 2). Tax evasion has become a dilemma with our contemporary taxes. Several people will often claim less income on their tax forms, ending up not having to pay as much in taxes. The raising of exemptions, deductions, and write-offs have increased as well. The Internal Revenue Service has also reported problems with citizens inflating such figures as exemptions, write-offs, and contributions made to charity (Dent 4). Auditing of citizens has amplified over the past few years as well as a result of tax evasion. During tax season many American lives are complica...

The First American Political Conventions

The First American Political Conventions The history of political conventions in America is so long and steeped in lore that its easy to overlook that it took a few decades for nominating conventions to become part of presidential politics. In the early years of the United States, presidential candidates were usually nominated by a caucus of members of Congress. By the 1820s, that idea was falling out of favor, helped along by the rise of Andrew Jackson and his appeal to the common man. The election of 1824, which was denounced as The Corrupt Bargain, also energized Americans to find a better way to select candidates and presidents. After Jacksons election in 1828, party structures strengthened, and the idea of national political conventions began to make sense. At that time there had been party conventions held at the state level but no national conventions. First National Political Convention: the Anti-Masonic Party The first national political convention was held by a long-forgotten and extinct political party, the Anti-Masonic Party. The party, as the name indicates, was opposed to the Masonic Order and its rumored influence in American politics. The Anti-Masonic Party, which began in upstate New York but gained adherents around the country, convened in Philadelphia in 1830 and agreed to have a nominating convention the following year. The various state organizations chose delegates to send to the national convention, which set a precedent for all later political conventions. The Anti-Masonic Convention was held in Baltimore, Maryland on September 26, 1831, and was attended by 96 delegates from ten states. The party nominated William Wirt of Maryland as its candidate for president. He was a peculiar choice, especially as Wirt had once been a Mason. The National Republican Party Held a Convention in December 1831 A political faction calling itself the National Republican Party had supported John Quincy Adams in his unsuccessful bid for reelection in 1828. When Andrew Jackson became president, the National Republicans became a devoted anti-Jackson party. Planning to take the White House from Jackson in 1832, the National Republicans called for its own national convention. As the party was essentially run by Henry Clay, it was a foregone conclusion that Clay would be its nominee. The National Republicans held their convention in Baltimore on December 12, 1831. Due to bad weather and poor traveling conditions, only 135 delegates were able to attend. As everyone knew the outcome ahead of time, the real purpose of the convention was to intensify anti-Jackson fervor. One noteworthy aspect of the first National Republican Convention was that James Barbour of Virginia delivered an address that was the first keynote speech at a political convention. The First Democratic National Convention Was Held in May 1832 Baltimore was also chosen to be the site of the first Democratic Convention, which began on May 21, 1832. A total of 334 delegates assembled from every state except Missouri, whose delegation never arrived in Baltimore. The Democratic Party at the time was headed by Andrew Jackson, and it was obvious that Jackson would be running for a second term. So there was no need to nominate a candidate. The ostensible purpose of the first Democratic National Convention was to nominate someone to run for vice president, as  John C. Calhoun, against the backdrop of the Nullification Crisis, would not be running again with Jackson.  Martin Van Buren of New York was nominated  and received the sufficient number of votes on the first ballot. The first Democratic National Convention instituted a number of rules which essentially created the framework for political conventions that endures to the present day. So, in that sense, the 1832 convention was the prototype for modern political conventions. The Democrats who had gathered in Baltimore also agreed to meet again every four years, which began the tradition of Democratic National Conventions that extends to the modern era. Baltimore Was the Site of Many Early Political Conventions The city of Baltimore was the location of all three political conventions prior to the 1832 election. The reason is fairly obvious: it was the major city closest to Washington, DC, so it was convenient for those serving in the government. And with the nation still mostly positioned along the east coast, Baltimore was centrally located and could be reached by road or even by boat. The Democrats in 1832 did not formally agree to hold all their future conventions in Baltimore, but it worked out that way for years. The Democratic National Conventions were held in Baltimore in 1836, 1840, 1844, 1848, and 1852. The convention was held in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1856, and the tradition developed of moving the convention to different locations. The Election of 1832 In the election of 1832, Andrew Jackson won easily, garnering about 54 percent of the popular vote and crushing his opponents in the electoral vote. The National Republican candidate, Henry Clay, took about 37 percent of the popular vote. And William Wirt, running on the Anti-Masonic ticket, won about 8 percent of the popular vote, and carried one state, Vermont, in the electoral college. The National Republican Party and Anti-Masonic Party joined the list of extinct political parties after the 1832 election. Members of both parties gravitated toward the Whig Party, which formed in the mid-1830s. Andrew Jackson was a popular figure in America and always stood a very good chance of winning his bid for reelection. So while the election of 1832 was never really in doubt, that election cycle made a major contribution to political history by instituting the concept of national political conventions.

Wag the Dog Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Wag the Dog - Assignment Example This influence of media is clearly seen in the movie entitled Wag the Dog. This paper aims to critique the aforementioned movie in terms of the effects of media and the movie itself as a form of media. Wag the Dog tells the story of a film producer named Stanley Motts, played by Dustin Hoffman and a political adviser, Conrad Brean who is portrayed by Robert De Niro. After a scandal about the president molesting a young girl just a few days before the election, Brean is tasked to ensure his win despite the scandal. Consequently, Brean goes to Motts to â€Å"produce† a war in order to divert the attention of the public to a more important and serious concern. A play about a young Albanian girl running from a village is run as a real news event that mobilized the CIA. Consequently, the produced â€Å"war news† lost its magic when the CIA declared that there are no signs of war or threats on the country. The adviser and producer again make a story about a war hero. This time, the production works its wonders and makes the president a good product. Unfortunately, the producers failed to investigate on the background of their choice actor and they faced the problem of answ ering the possible questions of the people. The producer however, finds a solution to their every problem and they finally bring home their fallen hero for his highly publicized funeral. This made the president’s statistics positive, assuring him of a win during the elections. Meanwhile, the producer craves for the credit for his best production yet. Wanting to protect the confidential information, Brean has to silence Motts. Later, he is announced to have died of a massive heart attack while sunbathing. The president was re-elected and the show continues regarding the Albanian war. The aforementioned movie portrays the effect of media to how people perceive their surroundings. A war can be created and it

Community Safety Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Community Safety - Assignment Example These authorities are responsible for different areas and premises. They include the fire and safety authority operating in areas of residence, the Health and Safety Executive who is responsible for areas of the Navy and other such areas, local authorities and finally any fire inspectors or fire services maintained by the Secretary of Defense. All of these are the enforcing authorities for the fire safety of the community ("The regulatory reform," 2005). One authority alone however, cannot deal with an issue as huge as community safety. When dealing with projects as large as the one of reducing incidence of fires amongst a whole community of immigrant workers, a partnership between different agencies and authorities is important. This is because different authorities and agencies have access to different parts of the community, and have control over different aspects of the lives of the people. The police department is one, which may assist this authority from time to time. The polic e could do this by reinforcing the law pertaining to smoke detectors. In the US, it is illegal to deactivate a fire alarm in one’s home. Deactivation of this alarm can lead to heavy fines, since it poses a serious threat for the dwellers of the household. This implies that there is an important role the police can play in the reducing the risk of fire-related incidents. To do this, they could follow cases of reported fires where smoke detectors were not present to indicate the fire on time. To the people involved in such a fire, the police could issue warnings of heavy fines or punishment for not having had properly functioning smoke detectors. This would ensure that these citizens would heed the advice to keep properly functioning smoke detectors, thus reducing the incidence of fires, which the fire brigades could not stop on time due to absence of smoke detectors. One can sought out other parties that can be helpful in reducing the incidents through evaluation of the situat ion for its causes. This is possible through a problem-oriented approach. The situation involves immigrant workers who live in rented accommodation, and do not have smoke detectors or the proper education when it comes to safety from fire. So when helping these people to prevent fires, one can pin down several root causes for when these people experience fires in their living quarters. Firstly, they live in rented space, for which they are not responsible. Thus, they do not deem themselves liable to arrange for smoke detectors. Then, they may not be aware of the importance or necessity of smoke detectors in ones living quarters. In addition, they may not be aware of the basic procedures for prevention from fire hazards, since they may not have learned about them from the country they have migrated. Thus to remedy all these problems, the relevant authorities must be included in the solution. As far as the rent-tenant problem is concerned, the authority concerned with tenant-landlord laws must make the tenants aware the property owner is legally bound to provide them with a safe, health hazard-free living environment. The fire department should ensure that smoke detectors are available to any citizen who wishes to get them. Emergency healthcare services and immigration authorities should collaborate to ensure a final, very important factor. This is that each person who receives the permission to immigrate to the country is given a

The mayor of Casterbridge Essay Example for Free

The mayor of Casterbridge Essay Analyse the first two chapters of The Mayor of Casterbridge and discuss how far they act as a prologue to the rest of the novel In The Mayor of Casterbridge the opening two chapters are a good indicator of Hardys style and act as a prologue to the rest of the novel. Hardys style places considerable focus on imagery and the scene around the characters. He used the writing techniques at this scene setting to help you understand the context in which the characters act. During the first chapter, Hardy describes Henchard as a fine figure, swarthy, and stern in aspect however he is not named at first. It symbolises that this could be any man, or could relate to the reader in someway and makes the reader look at this character from a different angle as if we might know him rather then seeing him as Henchard. Susan Henchard, Henchards wife, is described to be so faint as to be almost invisible; she becomes a less important part as the plot thickens. Another character mentioned is Elizabeth-Jane the first. The reader is given very few descriptions towards her because she is only a small child. We call her the first because beyond chapter 2 the reader is told that this Elizabeth-Jane died 3 months after the auction and the second child of Susan Henchard is called Elizabeth-Jane but is the sailors daughter not Henchards. Elizabeth the second is much like a father in a way but at her meeting with Henchard, she gives him her name and Henchard believes her to be his daughter. In the second chapter the reader only knows Elizabeth as Susans grown up daughter not Elizabeth-Jane. The reader is given other characters, the furmity lady who offered Henchard the rum that got him drunk leading to the auction, the country people who were in the tent who egged on and teased Henchard to sell his wife and Newton, Susan Henchards second husband, who bought Susan. They represent the country people of the time. Hardy draws the readers imagination away from the business of the cities and into the openness of the countryside. This gives the effect of a close village, that everyone knows everyone elses name, age and business round the community and that a large event like an auction of a wife would be unforgettable. They are used to the quiet and simple way of life rather than the complex ways of the cities. Hardy illustrates the characters act in their setting by using lots of imagery. He uses natures harmony to show humans disharmony. The description of the characters and their surroundings is excellently detailed, with use of a broad vocabulary. He uses description effectively. He draws the readers attention to the characters by using strong imagery, showing natures harmony, to represent the tension and strain on the marriage of the Henchards, humans disharmony. The characters are similarly of their time period with their language, they use dialectal English as well as their regional accents. Henchard was very open about his marriage life while he was in his drunken state. He seemed to feel that marriage is the biggest mistake a man can make and that it is for fools. When the couple met the turnip-hoer, Henchard asked about work needed in the village. This is evidence to show, due to the industrial revolution, work in the country was short, and with all these new machines around, many homes were taken down. Although Henchard doesnt approve of all these new ways of life, he eventually will use them showing that he realises people must change. Another theme present is the concept of is fate. If the auctioneer had not got involved and shouted what was up for auction, the sailor may not have bought her, had the furmity lady not had the rum, Henchard would never have got the idea to sell Susan. Hardy changes Henchard from a poor, unknown man to a respected and powerful member to the society. The auction had turned him in to a new man because it forced him to reconsider his life. Hardy uses third person narration for this story. He obviously likes to be the narrator of the story rather than be involved. He encourages readers to carry on reading by only giving us certain information about hes characters for example he says a young man and woman but he does not give us their names. His language gives a great contribution to the opening of the novel. He uses varied sentences structure to keep the writing interesting. He continues this with a great variety of vocabulary making use of his education. The opening chapters are probably the most important parts of the story. By the terrible action of the wife sale, Henchard goes on to make himself a better man by vowing never to touch another drink the years he had lived. As he grows older, he has achieved himself a high position in life and his community. Susan did not change; she was still the same person, quiet, faint still she was almost invisible. This makes it her most crucial part to the novel. The time lapse seems interesting, as the setting changes but not the personality of the characters, excluding Henchard. This is where we met Elizabeth-Jane as a young adult but not Henchards daughter but the sailors, Newton. This novel and its opening chapters are a typical Hardy style. From looking closely at Chapters 1 and 2, it is clear that this is an unusual way to start a book but yet it is interesting. It encourages you to read on and find out more about the man the woman and the latter they carried with them as they walked into Weydon-Priars.

Douglas Egerton’s He Shall Go Out Free Essay -- Douglas Egerton He Sha

Douglas Egerton’s He Shall Go Out Free In a time when revolution swept both Old World and New, it should have been no surprise that eighteenth century Charleston would find revolution fermenting among its slave population. In his book "He Shall Go Out Free", Douglas Egerton describes the life of Denmark Vesey, a freed slave in Charleston, who held a deep and thinly-veiled hatred of slavery and the city’s ruling elite, and was best known for leading a failed attempt at revolt which cost his life. However, Egerton argues one must look beyond the span of Vesey’s lifetime to best understand his impact upon the history of the city. ORIGINS Like most slaves, much about Vesey's early years, including his exact age, family, and nationality, is unknown. The first thing we know about his life was his purchase as a teenager in 1781 from St. Thomas Island, a Dutch colony in the Caribbean, by Joseph Vesey, a slave trader (3). After a short stint as Vesey's cabin boy, he was sold on the island of Saint Domingue, a French colony dominated by sugar plantations where slaves lived short and brutal lives (17). On Saint Domingue, he feigned epileptic seizures to force his return as "damaged goods". Joseph Vesey put him back to work as his cabin boy, as well as translating for slaves (22). When the British evacuated Charleston in December 1782, Joseph Vesey moved his family to the city, bringing Denmark along with him (26). Fluent in English and a quick learner, he was soon busy helping run his owner’s import business, paying taxes and picking up merchandise upon arrival at the city’s docks (33). Nearly twenty years after he arrived in Charleston, luck brought Vesey his freedom. A... ...ir names were a "terror to oppressors." Fiction writers with anti-slavery views included characters similar to Vesey in their stories (226). CONCLUSION In his life, Denmark Vesey was virtually powerless member of Charleston’s small society of free blacks in the years between the American Revolution and Civil War. He spent years expressing his disgust of slavery, and his one effort to strike back was quickly rolled up and brutally eliminated. In light of this, there is great irony in how Charleston, a city which fearlessly defied kings and empires would live in fear not of invading armies and attacking fleets, but at the shadow of Vesey’s failed revolt. That one man’s memory could hold such power validates Egerton's argument that Vesey was both an obscure and nearly powerless person, as well a revolutionary figure whose legacy stood tall indeed.

Sales Management

What are the pros and cons of Mr. Evans’s e-commerce strategy? What is the best argument that Ms. Miko can make to keep her sales force intact? In your opinion, should Cardinal Connectors Inc. eliminate its sales force? Explain. 2. Assume your company, which sells paper products, has 60 percent of the business at your largest account. What factors would make it relatively easy for you to get a larger share of that customer’s business, and what factors would make it harder? 3. One manufacturer of dictating machines recruits only experienced people and does not recruit among graduating college students.A competitor recruits extensively among colleges in its search for salespeople. How do you account for the difference in sources used by firms selling essentially the same products? Explain your analysis in detail. 4. A manufacturer of small aircraft, designed for executive transportation of large companies, has decided to implement the concept of a selling center. Which pe ople in this company should be on the selling teams? What problems is this firm likely to encounter when it uses team selling? 5. You must choose between two sales recruits.One has scored very high in terms of the quality of his interview, but not very well on the series of psychological tests to predict qualities the firm thinks are necessary for success. Another person did well on the psychological testing, but not very well in the personal interview. All other things being equal, which one would you hire, and why? What do you think the strengths and weaknesses would be of the one you hired? 6. â€Å"Salespeople are born, not made. It’s futile to try to train a person to be a salesperson, so I don’t. How would you answer a sales manager who said this to you if you were trying to get her or him to hire you as a sales trainer? 7. In what respects would a compensation plan differ among salespeople for the following firms? a) the manufacturer of small airplanes used by executives; b) a wholesaler of office equipment and supplies; c) an automobile dealer. 8. Do you approve of Kathryn’s plans of action? If so, why, and how could she improve her plan of action? If not, what changes would you suggest she consider making? Describe your views in detail. 9.A petroleum firm with a sales force of 300 people planned to sell its fleet of company-owned automobiles and have the salespeople use their own cars instead. What problems are involved in this change? What actions should the petroleum firm take to address them? 10. As a sales manager for HighRising Company, Rocky Foster oversees 15 sales reps. Foster is an outstanding transactional leader, but he is hopelessly ineffective as a transformational leader. Is this a problem? Why, or why not? What recommendation, if any, would you make to the Vice President of Sales? 11.What advice would you give Michiko Takanaga on how she should reduce her departmental budgets? Justify your recommendations. 12. What control unit would you recommend in establishing sales territories for each of the following companies? Explained why you picked the control unit you did for each. a) manufacturer of laptops; b) food broker; c) appliance wholesaler; d) manufacturer of outboard motors; e) lumber wholesaler 13. What supporting points could be made over allocation of indirect marketing costs, by the proponents of each side, in the full-cost versus contribution-margin controversy ?Which of the two concepts do you advocate, and why? 14. If a company made a territorial volume analysis and found some subpar territories, how might these facts affect the following activities relating to salespeople? a) supervision b) compensation c) training 15. â€Å"Let’s face it. Our product is no different from that of 20 other competitors. It sells for the same price and for the same terms. We all give the same service. It really doesn’t matter to the buyer which of us gets the order. So the only way we can get an edge is through our aggressive entertainment and gift program.We work hard at making our buyers happy with us. They enjoy doing business with us. † Do you see any ethical problems involved here? What possible consequences are there to the company? What would you do differently, if anything? 16. As a sales manager for a baby food concern, you want to evaluate the ability of your representatives to obtain good shelf space in grocery stores. How would you do this? Before implementing this process, you call a meeting of your reps to explain your evaluation process to them. What would you say? Sales Management One of the major problem facing sales managers is on what criteria to judge a new salesperson when hiring him. In most cases, the sales managers look at the sales person’s past records and his performance in the previous organization but many a times, they see that a successful salesperson in one organization does not perform when hired in the new organization. One of the main reasons for that it is the difference in culture and values. The new recruit might be very good but he might not be compatible with your organization. Another major problem being faced by the sales managers is that even though the sales people meet their targets, they barely ever follow the sales process of their own company. Every salesperson tries his own tactics that he thinks will bring business. When giving bonuses to salespeople, sales managers find it difficult to determine the metrics on which to evaluate the salesperson’s performance. Should they judge the salesperson depending on how much business he brought and in that case, they will have to ignore the ways the business was brought, to what extent was business rules followed and how ethical was the deal, etc. Ethical issues are one of the major problems that are faced by the sales managers. Many sales people bring in a lot of business for the firm but in return, they are being paid kickbacks by the customer which means that unethical behavior is practiced. It is very difficult for a sales manager to oversee any unethical practices taking place in the organization from his office and therefore, they find it extremely difficult for stop unethical practices in the organization. Almost all sales managers face this problem. The sales manager has to evaluate the performance of the sales people and this responsibility makes the sales manager a judge and on the other hand, the sales manager is required to train and coach the sales people and this responsibility makes the sales manager a coach and a helper and both these roles are very conflicting so the sales managers find it difficult to fulfill both roles since both roles require different type of a relationship with the sales person. Many sales managers when evaluating the sales person give more emphasis to whether they like the sales representative or not rather than on the fact that sales person is bringing in business which is not the right thing. Because even if the sales manager does not that sales representative, if the representative is bringing in the expected business, then the manager has to reward him either through commission or bonuses. Sales managers find it difficult to decide whether they want to have a salary plus commission or salary plus bonus. In the first method, the commission is the percentage of the sales made in actual dollar terms whereas in the second method, you give a certain percentage of the sales representative’s salary as a reward to the sales person. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and one method works better for some sales people whereas the other method works better for other sales people and deciding which one to implement is an issue that is faced by sales people on a more strategic level rather than operational level. Sales managers also have to decide whether they assign sales teams or one sales person to each account. And if they have a whole sales team for one account then how do they plan to reward those sales people. Will those sales people be evaluated on the basis of team performance or individual performance and if they will be evaluated on team performance then will the rewards be given to a whole team equally or depending on each sales person’s contribution towards the goal because these things will affect the motivation level of the sales people. Answer 2: The emphasis on training the sales people cannot be emphasized enough. Sales people’ training is very essential for both new and old sales people. Training in communicating with people is important for both old and new sales people since they come across all sorts of customers. For example, a sales person who is selling detergent will be selling the detergent to all sorts of people whether the customer is in higher socioeconomic class or lower, whether he is a man or a woman or whether he is Asian or America. Sales people should know how to communicate with all sorts of people so that they can cater to more customers. Administrative training is really important because the sales people whether old or new should be told to keep all sorts of documentation because safely keeping all sales documents is important therefore, sales people need training about what documents they need to create when a sale is made, how the documents are maintained and how they need to be filled, etc. Sales people also need training regarding knowledge development. They need to be told how to keep themselves abreast about all the products of the company, its competitors and also information about substitute products because the customer of today is very knowledgeable and therefore, to sell to such a customer, a sales person must know everything in and out so that he can convince the customer to buy his product. The new sales people need to be trained regarding the sales practices of the company, the sales culture of the company and also the sales process. You need to have the new recruit get integrated into the new environment so that he can perform well and secondly, all organizations do not have the same way of selling so the sales representative need to be made aware of what is expected out of him so that he can strive to achieve that and in a way that is accepted and practiced by the new organization. The importance of training is also important since the world is becoming global and sales people are transferred from one region to another so they need to be aware of the differences in culture, language, etc so that they can sell to the locals without transgressing the boundaries or offending them in any way. Experienced sales people have to be trained because if they are not trained, they become outdated. They need to be taught about the new ways of selling which are practiced by the big companies so that they can utilize them to sell to the customers. Experience sales people will also have to be made aware of the new technologies. For example, now many companies are using Sales Force Automation systems which enhance the selling of the organization. These are new technologies and the sales people will have to learn these new technologies to remain current and competitive. Training is also essential for new sales people to let them know what they need to do to move higher up in the rung which helps to reduce employee turnover since if they know that doing so and so will lead them to a new destination then they will not look outside the organization for career opportunities. Moreover, it makes it clear to them about what they need to do to get a certain thing so that they can work towards it. Answer 4: The major advantage of building customer relationships via the internet is the cost factor. It is much cheaper to sell, answer queries, and provide customer service to thousand customers on the Internet because very few people can handle all this since most of the work is automated. However, in a brick and mortar environment, it would require hundreds of sales people to manage all these relationships and it will be costly because you need to pay them, you need to train them and secondly, the consistency will not be there. Another major advantage of building customer relationships online is that you can cater to a wide range of audience. The Internet is used by people around the world so if you are selling books on the Internet and your business is in Chicago then you are not just limited to people living in Chicago. People from all around United States and also outside the country can buy from you since all they need is that they have to do is go to your website. The communication becomes very quick when you are handling relationships on the Internet. For example, if the customer is finding some problem with a new appliance he bought from an online store, he can just e-mail them or chat with some online representative who will solve the query faster than in traditional stores. The Internet helps you to display millions of things to a customer who gets to have a wide range which is not possible with traditional methods. So you can display millions of goods to the customer which will keep him happy without increasing your cost since you do not have to buy a huge storefront to keep all those goods. When you are selling an electronic item in a traditional store, you need to train all the sales people so that they know how to operate the item and whenever a customer arrives, the sales person will have to demonstrate to him how the item works. With online websites, you can put videos of demonstration of how the item works which is cheaper plus the customer can view any time and he can watch multiple times even after he has bought the item. However, there are also disadvantages of this method. For example, it is very difficult to attract traffic to your online service or store. Many companies do not have enough funds to pay websites such as Google for advertising them and with online websites; there is no other way of attracting customers. Another problem with this is that customer and sales person cannot see each other And due to that the communication is not as effective as with traditional methods. In all sorts of communication, a communication becomes more effective if the other person can see you so that you can study his body language and facial expressions. Secondly, many people find it uncomfortable talking to a machine. There are many prospective customers whom you can sell but they do not access the Internet either because it is not accessible to them or because they are too busy so there are chances that you can miss out on important customers which results in lost sales. When you have to interact with a customer online, it is much more difficult than using the traditional ways. Therefore, when recruiting people, you need to ensure that they are capable of communicating with someone over the Internet effectively. Moreover, they should be trained well so that they can help the customer properly. Sales Management One of the major problem facing sales managers is on what criteria to judge a new salesperson when hiring him. In most cases, the sales managers look at the sales person’s past records and his performance in the previous organization but many a times, they see that a successful salesperson in one organization does not perform when hired in the new organization. One of the main reasons for that it is the difference in culture and values. The new recruit might be very good but he might not be compatible with your organization. Another major problem being faced by the sales managers is that even though the sales people meet their targets, they barely ever follow the sales process of their own company. Every salesperson tries his own tactics that he thinks will bring business. When giving bonuses to salespeople, sales managers find it difficult to determine the metrics on which to evaluate the salesperson’s performance. Should they judge the salesperson depending on how much business he brought and in that case, they will have to ignore the ways the business was brought, to what extent was business rules followed and how ethical was the deal, etc. Ethical issues are one of the major problems that are faced by the sales managers. Many sales people bring in a lot of business for the firm but in return, they are being paid kickbacks by the customer which means that unethical behavior is practiced. It is very difficult for a sales manager to oversee any unethical practices taking place in the organization from his office and therefore, they find it extremely difficult for stop unethical practices in the organization. Almost all sales managers face this problem. The sales manager has to evaluate the performance of the sales people and this responsibility makes the sales manager a judge and on the other hand, the sales manager is required to train and coach the sales people and this responsibility makes the sales manager a coach and a helper and both these roles are very conflicting so the sales managers find it difficult to fulfill both roles since both roles require different type of a relationship with the sales person. Many sales managers when evaluating the sales person give more emphasis to whether they like the sales representative or not rather than on the fact that sales person is bringing in business which is not the right thing. Because even if the sales manager does not that sales representative, if the representative is bringing in the expected business, then the manager has to reward him either through commission or bonuses. Sales managers find it difficult to decide whether they want to have a salary plus commission or salary plus bonus. In the first method, the commission is the percentage of the sales made in actual dollar terms whereas in the second method, you give a certain percentage of the sales representative’s salary as a reward to the sales person. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and one method works better for some sales people whereas the other method works better for other sales people and deciding which one to implement is an issue that is faced by sales people on a more strategic level rather than operational level. Sales managers also have to decide whether they assign sales teams or one sales person to each account. And if they have a whole sales team for one account then how do they plan to reward those sales people. Will those sales people be evaluated on the basis of team performance or individual performance and if they will be evaluated on team performance then will the rewards be given to a whole team equally or depending on each sales person’s contribution towards the goal because these things will affect the motivation level of the sales people. Answer 2: The emphasis on training the sales people cannot be emphasized enough. Sales people’ training is very essential for both new and old sales people. Training in communicating with people is important for both old and new sales people since they come across all sorts of customers. For example, a sales person who is selling detergent will be selling the detergent to all sorts of people whether the customer is in higher socioeconomic class or lower, whether he is a man or a woman or whether he is Asian or America. Sales people should know how to communicate with all sorts of people so that they can cater to more customers. Administrative training is really important because the sales people whether old or new should be told to keep all sorts of documentation because safely keeping all sales documents is important therefore, sales people need training about what documents they need to create when a sale is made, how the documents are maintained and how they need to be filled, etc. Sales people also need training regarding knowledge development. They need to be told how to keep themselves abreast about all the products of the company, its competitors and also information about substitute products because the customer of today is very knowledgeable and therefore, to sell to such a customer, a sales person must know everything in and out so that he can convince the customer to buy his product. The new sales people need to be trained regarding the sales practices of the company, the sales culture of the company and also the sales process. You need to have the new recruit get integrated into the new environment so that he can perform well and secondly, all organizations do not have the same way of selling so the sales representative need to be made aware of what is expected out of him so that he can strive to achieve that and in a way that is accepted and practiced by the new organization. The importance of training is also important since the world is becoming global and sales people are transferred from one region to another so they need to be aware of the differences in culture, language, etc so that they can sell to the locals without transgressing the boundaries or offending them in any way. Experienced sales people have to be trained because if they are not trained, they become outdated. They need to be taught about the new ways of selling which are practiced by the big companies so that they can utilize them to sell to the customers. Experience sales people will also have to be made aware of the new technologies. For example, now many companies are using Sales Force Automation systems which enhance the selling of the organization. These are new technologies and the sales people will have to learn these new technologies to remain current and competitive. Training is also essential for new sales people to let them know what they need to do to move higher up in the rung which helps to reduce employee turnover since if they know that doing so and so will lead them to a new destination then they will not look outside the organization for career opportunities. Moreover, it makes it clear to them about what they need to do to get a certain thing so that they can work towards it. Answer 4: The major advantage of building customer relationships via the internet is the cost factor. It is much cheaper to sell, answer queries, and provide customer service to thousand customers on the Internet because very few people can handle all this since most of the work is automated. However, in a brick and mortar environment, it would require hundreds of sales people to manage all these relationships and it will be costly because you need to pay them, you need to train them and secondly, the consistency will not be there. Another major advantage of building customer relationships online is that you can cater to a wide range of audience. The Internet is used by people around the world so if you are selling books on the Internet and your business is in Chicago then you are not just limited to people living in Chicago. People from all around United States and also outside the country can buy from you since all they need is that they have to do is go to your website. The communication becomes very quick when you are handling relationships on the Internet. For example, if the customer is finding some problem with a new appliance he bought from an online store, he can just e-mail them or chat with some online representative who will solve the query faster than in traditional stores. The Internet helps you to display millions of things to a customer who gets to have a wide range which is not possible with traditional methods. So you can display millions of goods to the customer which will keep him happy without increasing your cost since you do not have to buy a huge storefront to keep all those goods. When you are selling an electronic item in a traditional store, you need to train all the sales people so that they know how to operate the item and whenever a customer arrives, the sales person will have to demonstrate to him how the item works. With online websites, you can put videos of demonstration of how the item works which is cheaper plus the customer can view any time and he can watch multiple times even after he has bought the item. However, there are also disadvantages of this method. For example, it is very difficult to attract traffic to your online service or store. Many companies do not have enough funds to pay websites such as Google for advertising them and with online websites; there is no other way of attracting customers. Another problem with this is that customer and sales person cannot see each other And due to that the communication is not as effective as with traditional methods. In all sorts of communication, a communication becomes more effective if the other person can see you so that you can study his body language and facial expressions. Secondly, many people find it uncomfortable talking to a machine. There are many prospective customers whom you can sell but they do not access the Internet either because it is not accessible to them or because they are too busy so there are chances that you can miss out on important customers which results in lost sales. When you have to interact with a customer online, it is much more difficult than using the traditional ways. Therefore, when recruiting people, you need to ensure that they are capable of communicating with someone over the Internet effectively. Moreover, they should be trained well so that they can help the customer properly.

To Kill A Mockingbird and Same

To Kill A Mockingbird and Same love's Theme Comparison No matter what time period we are living, there is and always will be diversity, people with different ways of thinking, and discrimination. Both in the story To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee and in the modern song titled â€Å"Same Love†, by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, share an obvious theme, Do not worry about what people say about you; it is okay to be different.In the story To Kill A Mockingbird, the Finch family has to face societys negativity in order to stand for what they believe in. During the 1930s, African Americans were not treated the same way as white people. They were looked down on and were not welcomed by most white people, but the Finch family was different. One of the protagonists, Atticus Finch, believed in equality for everyone. He had an African American helper named Calpurnia and treated her as if she was family.Atticus was a lawyer who was asked to defend an innocent African American man win a ca se down South during the 1930s. When the word went around in his little hometown, Maycomb, he and his children had to deal with the racism of the people who lived in Maycomb and the negativity surrounding their feelings toward â€Å"niggers†. This did not stop Atticus or upset him; he simply kept his head up and kept doing what he believed was right, treating everyone equally.The song â€Å"Same Love† discusses a very big topic in society today, accepting gays, just as â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† discussed a very big topic for its time, which was accepting African Americans. This song explains how it is to be different from veryone else and how it is to be something that many people think is wrong. In the song it says, â€Å"If I was gay I would think hip-hop hates me. Have you read the YouTube comments lately? ‘Man, that's gay gets dropped on the daily some would rather die than be who they are. Today, a lot of people are afraid to show who they really are because they are afraid of what society will say. However, the song encourages people who are gay to â€Å"Progress, march on! † Just as in To Kill A Mockingbird, â€Å"Same Love† shares the theme do not worry about what people say about you, it is okay to be different. Because the time periods vary ach other, the topic society rages about is different, during the 1930s there was racism and for the year 2013 there is accepting gay marriage and gays in general.There were good hearted people during the 1930s that had the mentality that everyone is equal and they had to deal with a racist society, which consisted of a larger population than the good hearted people. Today there are probably Just as many people who against being gay as there are people who believe that it doesn't matter what sex you like. Which comes to show, that there is always going to be diversity, people witn different ways ot living, hate, and discrimination.

The Bourgeoisie and Proletariet essays

The Bourgeoisie and Proletariet essays The bourgeoisie and proletariet have both similarities and differences in their emergence and development as a class. They both emerged out of a separate society and developed their own. The bourgeoisie grew out of the feudal society and the need to develop a modern industry. The proletarians grew out of the bourgeoisie society and their need for change and stability. They both need to have centralized power in order for each society to grow. The bourgeoisie has centralized their means of production and has concentrated property in a few hands (p. 13). The proletariet has formed trade unions in order to gain more power. Both these initiatives have formed political parties. The differences among these two classes are great. The bourgeoisie people are always in need for growth and change. They are constantly revolutionizing their means of production (p.12). They are an independent society. With their development of a modern industry they have brought many different societies through out the nation to depend on them (p. 13). The proletarians are on the other hand very dependent on the bourgeoisie for survival. Without them they could not exist. The proletarian grew out of the bourgeoisie's exploitation of the working laborer. Without the constant development of modern industry the proletarian would not be able to work and their plight would be no more. With the development of modern industry the proletarian not only increases in number, it becomes concentrated in greater masses; it's strength grows (p. 17). The proletarians own no property while the bourgeoisie own industries (p. 20). All these struggles described in the Communist Manifesto are still going on today. The modern bourgeoisie are the Microsoft corporations of the world. The proletarians are the the working class unions. Not much has changed from 1848 till now. ...

Example of Bootstrapping in Statistics

Example of Bootstrapping in Statistics Bootstrapping is a powerful statistical technique. It is especially useful when the sample size that we are working with is small. Under usual circumstances, sample sizes of less than 40 cannot be dealt with by assuming a normal distribution or a t distribution. Bootstrap techniques work quite well with samples that have less than 40 elements. The reason for this is that bootstrapping involves resampling. These kinds of techniques assume nothing about the distribution of our data. Bootstrapping has become more popular as computing resources have become more readily available. This is because in order for bootstrapping to be practical a computer must be used. We will see how this works in the following example of bootstrapping. Example We begin with a statistical sample from a population that we know nothing about. Our goal will be a 90% confidence interval about the mean of the sample. Although other statistical techniques used to determine confidence intervals assume that we know the mean or standard deviation of our population, bootstrapping does not require anything other than the sample. For purposes of our example, we will assume that the sample is 1, 2, 4, 4, 10. Bootstrap Sample We now resample with replacement from our sample to form what are known as bootstrap samples. Each bootstrap sample will have a size of five, just like our original sample. Since we are randomly selecting and then are replacing each value, the bootstrap samples may be different from the original sample and from each other. For examples that we would run into in the real world, we would do this resampling hundreds if not thousands of times. In what follows below, we will see an example of 20 bootstrap samples: 2, 1, 10, 4, 24, 10, 10, 2, 41, 4, 1, 4, 44, 1, 1, 4, 104, 4, 1, 4, 24, 10, 10, 10, 42, 4, 4, 2, 12, 4, 1, 10, 41, 10, 2, 10, 104, 1, 10, 1, 104, 4, 4, 4, 11, 2, 4, 4, 24, 4, 10, 10, 24, 2, 1, 4, 44, 4, 4, 4, 44, 2, 4, 1, 14, 4, 4, 2, 410, 4, 1, 4, 44, 2, 1, 1, 210, 2, 2, 1, 1 Mean Since we are using bootstrapping to calculate a confidence interval for the population mean, we now calculate the means of each of our bootstrap samples. These means, arranged in ascending order are: 2, 2.4, 2.6, 2.6, 2.8, 3, 3, 3.2, 3.4, 3.6, 3.8, 4, 4, 4.2, 4.6, 5.2, 6, 6, 6.6, 7.6. Confidence Interval We now obtain from our list of bootstrap sample means a confidence interval. Since we want a 90% confidence interval, we use the 95th and 5th percentiles as the endpoints of the intervals. The reason for this is that we split 100% - 90% 10% in half so that we will have the middle 90% of all of the bootstrap sample means. For our example above we have a confidence interval of 2.4 to 6.6.

Italy and jobs Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Italy and jobs - Term Paper Example The hypothesis for this paper is distribution of public employment is distributed based on region and employment types. This paper seeks to explain how job allocations are done in Italy plus, job search and mobility within Italy in relation to job. The Italian welfare state system does not offer job security for the temporarily unemployed but highly favors retirees. As a result, temporary unemployment subsidy from the government offers incentives for job seekers (Picchio, 2008 pp.1). Conversely, permanent employment would not offer such incentives since public employment remains a lifelong endeavor and could hardly be lost. The use or misuse of disability pension in the South could lead to compensation on permanent unemployment. The South also remains over dependent on public employment that offers permanent job welfare. This substantial reliance on public employment creates a sequence of attitudes and educational choices towards risks that could support tendencies to escape from private employment sectors (Picchio, 2008 pp.1). Informal networks, which incorporate social ties between currently, employed and job seekers, letters of reference and intermediation have affected the Italian labor market (Boca et al., 2004 pp.7). First, informal networks have become more successful in relation to job seekers’ placements than any other job search strategies in Italy. However, these networks work effectively for small firms that offer low wages regardless of the skills since they remain less governed by governmental hiring regulations. Most negative impacts on earnings arising from informal networks could be due to links developed by informal networks especially with small ï ¬ rms and their contracts (Picchio, 2006 pp. 4). There exists a negative relationship between job search by informal networks and earnings (Picchio, 2008 pp.1). Hence, people with