Political Humor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Political Humor - Essay Example While satire and humor are usually meant to be funny, their greater goal is to offer constructive criticisms through performing arts, graphic, and satirical writing and speech among other ways. This paper will analyze the article from the US-based satirical news website â€Å"The Onion†, titled â€Å"Mexico Killed in Drug Deal.† It will analyze the piece using four different approaches to studying humor: superiority theory, incongruity theory, relief theory, and benign violation theory. It will then discuss the best approach that explain the different jokes in the article, and finally comment on whether the article is funny and if it is effective as political humor. Contemporary philosophers have developed main theories of humor. The first one is the Superiority Theory which holds that the humor that we find in life and comedy is majorly based on ridicule, where the object of amusement is regarded as inferior and we regard ourselves as superior. This theory explains tha t the object of laughter is ridiculous and that the ridiculous is others’ self-ignorance when they have a belief that they have wisdom (Morreall 36). This is reflected in the article where Mexicans are regarded as inferior as they are all killed during a shoot-out between rival drug cartels. The U.S Drug Enforcement Administration is perceived as being superior as they are the one in control following the â€Å"death of Mexico† (The Onion). Humor, according to this theory, is as a result of feeling of pleasure at seeing others suffer a misfortune after being deluded by their own wisdom (Bardon 2). In this article, humor arises from the misfortune suffered in Mexico where all people who were present in Mexico at the time of the shoot-out died (The Onion). Superiority theory regarding philosophy of humor further argue that laughter arises from seeing those who hold power in society being ruled by emotion and desire and therefore are tempted to abuse power and make bad de cisions (Bardon 2). This aspect is well depicted in the article where Felipe Calderon, the Mexican President is gunned down by passing drug dealers as he declares the state of emergency at the podium. This theory also holds that a passion of humor arises from sudden glory as a result of sudden eminency conception of certain persons; in other words, humor is basically found in that which seems inferior to people, and that which makes them to have the assurance of relative superiority (Bardon 3). The U.S. drug dealers have a sudden conception of eminence as demonstrated at press time where they assure the American public that they would ensure that the vast supplies of marijuana that Mexican cartels left behind reach the intended consumers (The Onion). The critics of Superiority Theory argue that there are many experiences that might make people feel superior but are not amusing. Therefore, some philosophers have developed a different and radical account of the comic, which states tha t humor is primarily found in an intellectual recognition of a ridiculous incongruity between experiences and ideas that are conflicting (Cohen 44). This account of humor falls under the incongruity theory which states that the cause of humor is the bringing together of contrary ideas, images and some resemblance in the grand idea (Bardon 7). In the article, this is demonstrated by the death of all the Mexican citizens within a very short period of time (The

Summarize the Positive and Negative Aspects of Offshoring Essay Example for Free

Summarize the Positive and Negative Aspects of Offshoring Essay Offspring means is moving the production to other countries. Currently this is happening in most of the countries where they find other countries are cheaper to produce their products. Weighing advantages and disadvantages of off shoring is always debate. I want to summarize the advantages and disadvantages off shoring in point of view and then I will put my strategy on this. Advantages Off shoring helps in reduce the total costs of a product by getting cheaper labor and core stuff for the product. This way company can focus on its administration operations like sales and marketing. It definitely reduces overhead costs like resource management. Many companies hire to do non technical recourses to do their work. This is the main reason that India has set up so many call centers to help their customers for USA companies. Off shoring helps companies when their operations come operationally uncontrollable. IT can increase the company efficiency and productivity so that it can be successful and better for marketing of its products in highly competitive market. Off shoring also makes an organization free from investments in technology, infrastructure to reduce the capital expenditure. It gives the business flexibility to increase the new skills that can be used as competitive advantage. Disadvantages Off shoring does not suit for all companies and if company does estimate its necessity, the company would unsuccessful. One of the risks it has is losing sensitive data and the loss of confidentiality. Off shoring may lose management control of business and it may no longer be able to control operations and deliverables. In Off shoring, if that foreign country does not have proper product processes, the quality may be bad and it might affect the company business in market. Source Company will lose jobs as it does not require many numbers of resources as they hire in other countries. It will lead to local unemployment and political pressure. We recently have seen lots of places these kinds of issues where local people fight for their jobs and demand for cutting offshore processes. In some firms, there are so many legal issues in off shoring process and there are so many hidden costs that may lead to company loss in long run. There is another issue about communication when off shoring relationship is with completely different culture nations. Support of off shoring Off shoring can be acknowledged that its success comes with some pain, though it may have job cuts but, organizations that take a planned approach to off shoring succeed in managing this situation. The greatest advantage of off shoring is the cost advantage, which affects the companys success. Any savings in operating costs will help toward the companys financial status and growth. Companies in recession may sustain themselves and grow through innovation. By lowering its operating costs they will have more money to invest in innovation and technology which results in a domestic workforce. Success Story of off shoring The best example of a company that has cost savings by off shoring to India is General Electric (GE). After off shoring its business process operations to India, it found a reduction of 25% percent on its labor cost. This decision made them to gain 150% in the earnings. There is a big difference in the labor costs in US/Europe and India in the IT industry as well. A software professional with 1-2 years of experience in the US and Europe charges USD 60,000 to 80,000 per year. On the other hand, a professional with same experience level costs about USD 10,000 per year in India, about 11 to 16 percent of that in the US and Europe.

The Transformation of a King Essay -- Literary Analysis

Debatable is the story of Prince Hal and how he undergoes a transformation so infinite we may have difficulty comprehending the struggles he endured. Throughout the course of events in Henry IV, Part I, By William Shakespeare, first impressions of the characters are depicted and remain strong during most of the play. From the beginning of the play it is understood that Hal is an immature extrovert who sees no need for careful behaviors. Unlike his father, King Henry IV, Hal puts forth insufficient effort to prove he can hold the power that will eventually be his when he succeeds his father in the throne. Throughout the play there is controversy between the King and Hal as a direct result of Hal’s performance as a Prince. From gallivanting in the tavern, to fighting in the battle of Shrewsbury, Hal becomes the son that King Henry has been pressuring him to be all along. The father/son relationship is a significant theme in this play, alongside Prince Hal’s other relationships with important male figures such as Hotspur and Falstaff. Falstaff is one of the favorites of this play, rather obvious that he is the brunt of a multitude of jokes; somehow maintains certain poise. On the other hand, we have Hotspur, a talented and brave young man the King wishes were his son: â€Å"That some night-tripping fairy had exchanged/ In cradle-clothes our children where they lay/ And called mine â€Å"Percy,† his â€Å"Plantagenet†!/ Then would I have his Harry, and he mine† (1.1.86-89). Both Hotspur and Hal are the intended future leaders of their country, but Hal doesn’t seem to understand his role in its entirety (at least his actions haven’t proven his maturity to the likes of King Henry IV). The King would prefer Hal act in a more appropriate manner when... ...ove to his father that he has what it takes to be the next king, but in the end his father couldn’t be more pleased with Hal’s performance. Works Cited Kastan, David Scott. Introduction. King Henry IV, Part I. London: Arden, 2002. 44-51. Print. Kastan, David Scott. "The King Hath Many Marching in His Coat." 1 Henry IV. By William Shakespeare. Ed. Gordon McMullan. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2003. 330-346. Print. Khan, Coppelia. â€Å"Masculine Identifies.† 1 Henry IV. By William Shakespeare. Ed. Gordon McMullan. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2003. 330-346. Print. Reno, Raymond H. â€Å"Hotspur: The Integration of Character and Theme.† Henry the Fourth, Part I, by William Shakespeare. Ed. James L. Sanderson. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1969. 235-244. Print. Shakespeare, William. 1 Henry IV. Ed. Gordon McMullan. 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2003. Print.

Mgt/521 Swot Analysis

Business Analysis Part 1: Apple Inc. XXXXXX MGT/521 XXXXXX Business Analysis Part 1: Apple Inc. If an investor needs to decide whether to put money into a company, a careful analysis of that business is be the first step in making a decision. It is important to understand several factors that point to a company’s stability: the company’s place in the market, its future prospects, and its financial health, just to name a few. This business analysis will look at Apple Inc. to assess whether it would be a company worth investing in.First a SWOT analysis will be conducted and will identify what aspects of the analysis are most important in making the decision to invest. Secondly, the company’s internal and external stakeholders will be identified and examined, in order to see if the stakeholders’ needs are being met and how. By analyzing these two important overviews of Apple Inc. it will reveal whether the company is a sound home for investment. SWOT Analysis When deciding to invest in a company or not, a shrewd businessperson will begin with planning.Planning is a continuous process that is important because ever-changing markets require constant adjustments of goals and the processes to meet them. Key in planning is including a careful analysis of a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. This type of analysis is known as a SWOT analysis (Nickels, McHugh & McHugh, 2010). A SWOT analysis of Apple Inc. reveals some important facts about its popularity and opportunities in the market. Strengths Apple Inc. ’s most important tool in the market is its ability to leverage its strong brand image.Apple’s product designs are well recognized throughout all markets. This allows new products to rapidly gain a share of the market upon release. Released to the US in April of 2010, the iPad enjoyed unit sales of 7. 5 million, with a net of $5 billion in sales of iPads and related products (Datamonitor: Apple Inc. , 2011). This showcases how quickly the tech market reacts to new releases by the company. This strong brand image has been developed by iconic advertisements that have long set Apple apart in the personal computer market.This began with the company’s 1984 Superbowl ad, which positioned â€Å"IBM as the Orwellian Big Brother of the computer industry† and Mac users as those breaking free from that oppression (Kenney, 2007). This individual vs. corporation image has continued into their more recent advertisements. Benoit and Delbert (2010) analyzed a series of ads that began airing in May 2006. The â€Å"Get a Mac† campaign used actors Justin Long and John Hodgman to portray a Mac and a PC, showcasing Apple computers’ strengths over the market-dominating PC (Benoit & Delbert, 2010).By depicting their computers as easy-to-use, fun-loving and friendly, Apple further solidified its brand image in the market by being different from its competitors, allowin g its new products to quickly capture the market. Weaknesses Weaknesses of Apple Inc. are important in the decision to invest in the company because they point to internal issues that need to be shored up. One major weakness is Apple’s involvement in several patent infringement lawsuits. Nokia and Motorola Mobility have both filed suits with Apple claiming patent infringement (Datamonitor: Apple Inc. 2011). Cisco has also been involved in an ongoing suit about the trademark name of the iPhone and which company actually owns the name (Chumney & Cowart, 2010). The lawsuits create a weakness for Apple in a few ways. First there is the negative image associated with being sued. This will only detract from the company’s long-held image of being an individual fighting against the oppressive PC regime if the company is seen engaging in its own questionable legal practices. Second, lawsuits of this nature require time and money that could be better spent elsewhere.An unfavorab le verdict in any of these suits would affect the company’s financial health and operations (Datamonitor: Apple Inc. , 2010). Opportunities As it is shown that Apple’s popular image is its biggest strength, Apple has the opportunity to make this image multi-faceted by focusing on its commitment to safe environmental practices. Schultz and Helleloid (2010) relate a 2007 incident in which Greenpeace released a report criticizing Apple for is environmental practices and ranking it behind some of its major competitors like Hewlett-Packard and Dell Computers.Rather than respond positively to Greenpeace’s challenge to improve its practices, Apple merely released a statement that they were already environmentally aware and were meeting their own company standards. This played out poorly for Apple in the media, resulting in a direct challenge to Apple by Greenpeace at the Macworld expo in San Francisco in January 2007 (Schultz & Helleloid, 2010). Apple has the opportuni ty to showcase its environmental practices to enforce its brand image as a conscientious individual.Although the company publishes its environmental practices on its website, it could expand the exposure of this information in one of its savvy marketing campaigns (â€Å"Apple And The Environment†, 2011). Threats Although Apple’s brand image has put it at the forefront of smartphone and tablet design, it is facing the threat of losing its market share to Google Android-based products. With Google acquisition of Android Inc. in 2005, the market for smartphones has seen increasing competition for the iPhone from manufactures like HTC and Samsung (Datamonitor: Apple Inc. 010). This Apple vs. Android competition is also playing out in the tablet market. Castelluccio (2011) writes that in spring 2010, â€Å"the iPad owned 90% of the market† but â€Å"the Canaccord group estimates Apple’s share of the tablet market will be 56% this year† quickly crowded o ut by its competitors (p. 58). This growing threat to the tablet and smartphone markets that Apple had previously cornered will be a key battle as Apple works to contain this threat.Because Apple has made its name through its strong band image, and because that image has led them to pioneer new products in the smartphone and tablet markets, Apple’s branding is one of the most relevant factors in deciding to invest in the company. Apple’s steady popularity as the fun, easy-to-use choice for electronics equipment indicates its long-term strength as an investment. The other important factor is Apple’s opportunity to shore up this image by promoting its environmental practices.Because of the Greenpeace debacle in 2007, Apple has the chance to strengthen its important branding by introducing new marketing that will paint it as the responsible choice for environmentally concerned consumers. This too would add to the company’s longevity as an investment. Stakeho lder Analysis In order to determine if stakeholder needs are being met, the stakeholders must first be identified. Internal stakeholders include employees, marketers, internal retail stores, and executives. External stakeholders of Apple are customers, investors, media, third party retailers, local and national communities, and the environment.Apple is meeting the needs of their internal stakeholders, but has some shortcomings in meeting the needs of external stakeholders. Apple’s major internal stakeholders’ needs are being met; Apple has high employee satisfaction rates, and their retail branches are well known for successful promotion of the company’s ever-important brand. Employees of Apple are satisfied with the company’s management style with nearly 97 percent of employees approving of the general management of founder and CEO Steve Jobs just before he announced his resignation.In fact, during his tenure Jobs was known for being â€Å"adept at attr acting employees who share his vision and fierce sense of loyalty to Apple and is mission† (Steve Jobs, Beloved By Apple Employees? , para. 9, 2011). By attracting those who shared Jobs’ ideals, Jobs was able to create a cohesive employee base who could work together in reaching company goals. The other major internal stakeholders, Apple’s internal retail stores, are also doing well. Apple’s primary marketing strategy has been to focus on their retail stores and the inclusive community of Mac users represented there.The strategy of well-placed, beautifully designed retail stores draws in both Mac pros and newbies. Not only does Apple get one-seventh of its revenue from its retail branch, but the first-time buyers that are drawn in account for nearly half of Mac sales in the stores (Snell, 2004). Apple has decided to focus its energies and meet the needs of its retail branches and it has resulted in increased sales and presence in the electronics market. Th e strength of the retail stores and the loyalty of the company’s employees show that Apple pays close attention to internal stakeholder needs.External stakeholders, though, are not all faring so well. Apple’s major external stakeholders are customers, investors, the community and the environment. Of them, only investors and the community have needs as well-met as the company’s internal stakeholders. Apple has been a solid bet for its investors, even during the recent upset of Jobs’ stepping down as CEO. Ranked as BusinessWeek’s number one best performing company in 2006, Apple has long been a growing company and a safe bet for its investors (The Ranking, 2006). However, with the recent news of Jobs’ departure, there has een some question of the company’s stability (Morris, 2011). The company did a good job of quelling any speculation by immediately naming a successor, new CEO Time Cook, and assuring its investors with the news that Co ok has been running things for some time now, as Jobs battles personal health concerns (Robertson & Metz, 2011). This quick action assures that investors’ confidence in the company is well founded, and confidence is an important need for investors. As with any large company the community has a stake in Apple in the needs for charitable assistance from those who contribute to society.Apple has met the community’s needs by contributing matching donations to employee’s charitable giving, up to $10,000 per employees for qualified organizations (Apple to Match $10K in Charitable Contributions Per Employee, 2011), Giving matching contributions like this allows Apple’s employees to support the community through their chosen organizations, diversifying Apple’s support, and adding to customer satisfaction via Apple’s goodwill. Apple’s customers and the environment are two facets of Apple’s stakeholder needs that both need shoring up.Fri edman (2011) relates the history of customer issues with Apple’s design choices, but the company has rarely responded to that input. Poor customer relations have tarnished Apple’s stellar brand at times, Lee, Burrows, and Woyke (2007) demonstrate that the company’s fast growth contributes to this issue; as Apple expanded from computers into personal music players, laptops, phones and other hardware, it did not match that with growth in its technical services divisions. Because Apple’s major strength lies in its brand and image, it is important that the company have customer relations that support that image.Apple could better meet the needs of its customers by having better trained technical support and sales staff, to meet the growing demand for service. As mentioned earlier, one of Apple’s biggest opportunities is in meeting the needs of the environment and being environmentally aware. A recent report released by five environmental groups claims that one of Apple’s main suppliers is polluting the environment. The Chinese manufacturer of iPhone and iPad touchscreens is accused of poisoning some workers, too. (Apple to discuss suppliers' alleged pollution with NGO, 2011).This type of press shows that Apple still needs to make improvements in its environmental efforts, or it will spill over to affect the company’s goodwill in other areas, like community and customer relations. Apple could counteract this by seriously auditing each one of its suppliers for environmental standards and use its powerful marketing tools to showcase its new green initiatives. Conclusion Having examined Apple, it is clear the company has a strong brand image and place in the market. Is biggest opportunity lies in enhancing this image through improved environmental initiatives.Though there are some issues with the growing Android market and trademark lawsuits, Apple remains a strong prospect for its investors even during times of transit ion. Apple’s growth and clear self-image play large parts in making it a safe decision for its current and future investors. References Apple and the Environment. (2011). Retrieved from http://www. apple. com/environment/ Apple to discuss suppliers' alleged pollution with NGO. (2011, September 1). Business Daily Update. Retrieved from http://go. galegroup. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/ps/i. do? amp;id=GALE%7CA265861417&v=2. 1&u=uphoenix&it=r&p=GPS&sw=w Benoit, W. L. , & Delbert, J. (2010). â€Å"Get A Mac†: Mac versus PC TV Spots. In , Relevant Rhetoric: A New Journal of Rhetorical Studies (pp. 1-12). Relevant Rhetoric: A New Journal of Rhetorical Studies. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Castelluccio, M. (2011). The Tablet Horizon– An Update. Strategic Finance, 93(2), 57-58. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Datamonitor: Apple Inc. (2011). Apple Computer, Inc. SWOT Analysis, 1-10. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Friedman, L. (2011). The Customer Is Sometimes Right.Macworld, 28( 4), 100. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Kenney, M. (2007). The apple way: 12 management lessons from the world's most innovative company. Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 113-113-115. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/203919095? accountid=35812 Lee, L. , Burrows, P. , ; Woyke, E. (2007). A Bruise or Two On Apple's Reputation. BusinessWeek, (4055), 081-083. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Nickels, W. G. , McHugh, J. M. , & McHugh, S. M. (2010). Understanding business (9th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Schultz, P. L. ,

PlayStation 3 Case †Planning and Strategy Essay

There is very little Sony can do to turn around the sales of the PlayStation 3. It has been nearly six years since its launch, the full lifetime of most gaming consoles. While the Nintendo Wii and Micrsoft Xbox360 have drastically lowered their prices to move existing stock, Sony has only dropped their price in the last 2 years. Now priced at $300, the PS3 is still over $100 more expensive than the competitors. At this point in time, it would be wise for Sony to discontinue the manufacture the sale of the PS3 and focus on its next game console. Sony’s strategic approach to new product development has always been to be a market leader in new, innovative technology. This approach has brought them huge success, but also some notable failures. For instance, the Sony Betamax, which was introduced in 1975, was supposed to be a direct competitor to VHS. It provided higher quality images, but did not offer the longer playtime of VHS. Sony stubbornly refused to change its format for eight years, but eventually switched over to the far more popular and cheaper VHS. Despite this notable failure, the Sony Walkman was one of its greatest successes, with 100 million units sold within its first decade. The key success factors in the video gaming industry today are content, price, availability, and compatibility. These have remained factors since consoles first began emerging in the late 70s. For gamers around the world â€Å"Content is King. † It doesn’t matter how crisp and beautiful the quality of the images if there are only fifteen games, which, coincidently was the number of games with which the PS3 launched. Gamers who rushed out to buy the PS3 quickly realized that the limited number of games made the PS3 little more than an expensive TV attachment. Sony tried to counter this by touting the Blu-Ray capability of the PS3, but gamers weren’t interested in watching movies on their PS3, they wanted to play new games. Another factor in the success in video gaming is the price. At $600, the PS3 was, and still is, the most expensive gaming console ever sold. While the original PlayStation and the PS2 were priced at $299, the PS3 nearly priced itself out of the market. With the Xbox and Wii selling for around $300, the ludicrously expensive PS3 couldn’t possibly hope to live up to the expectations its price was promising. When gamers realized that the PS3 was not better than the Xbox in gaming quality, they quickly rushed back to stores to return them. By 2007, more PS3s were being returned than were being sold. The last two factors in video gaming success, availability and compatibility, are also weaknesses in the launch of the PS3. Initially Sony planning on manufacturing one million consoles. On November 7, 2006, North American retailers had fewer than 200,000 units. By the time retailers had enough units to meet demand; gamers had begun to return their units at an alarming rate. With compatibility, the PS3 initially promised backwards compatibility with the PS2 games. This seemed to vary per unit, with some units, like the upgraded unit being able to play Sony Platform games like Final Fantasy, but the base model not being able to play any PS2 games. The launch of the PS3 was one of the largest in video gaming history. Sony spent over $150 million in advertising that aimed to convince gamers to hold off purchasing an Xbox 360 and wait for the PS3. IN 2006, they developed the slogan â€Å"Play Beyond† for the Electronic Entertaiment Expo . Unfortunately, people soon because spoofing the slogan and replacing it with â€Å"Pay Beyond,† protesting the high cost of the console. The competitive advantage of the PS3 was supposed to be in its superior gaming quality. IT was supposed to be the most advanced, the most practical and the most visually stunning video game platform in history. The PS3 promised free online play, Blu-Ray capability, online surfing ability, and using the PS3 for pictures, videos and music storage. The weaknesses in the PlayStation3 were numerous. There were only 15 games available initially, of which, only about five were interesting to avid gamers. The video quality was equal to the much cheaper Xbox360. The free online play had limited and fairly useless content. The online surfing was cumbersome and useless for users who already owned computers. This was also true of the music, video, and picture storage, which customers could already use on their computers or even their iPods. With their limited initial availability, and spotty backwards compatibility, the PS3 was too much money for too little content. When compared with the marketing program of the Nintendo Wii, the PS3 seemed to target the avid gamer. Traditionally men aged 15-35; these men were interested in serious gaming. They want high quality content and high quality visuals. The Nintendo Wii chose another market, the family. While the PS3 touted its amazing video quality, the Wii emphasized fun and togetherness. They offered fun games for multiple players of all ages who could enjoy the physical activity of using the Wii controller. They put of silly, colorful, low-resolution games at a reasonable price or bundled in with new Wii consoles. Nintendo also had the advantage of two major game legacies, Mario and Zelda, which had been favorites of serious gamers and children alike. While Wii was selling fun, the PS3 was selling serious. Families were much more willing to buy a Wii that the whole family could use for less than $400, than spend over $600 on a gaming system that did not offer a range of games for all ages.

The concept of impossibility Essays

The concept of impossibility Essays The concept of impossibility Essay The concept of impossibility Essay Introduction This essay will dwell in an effort to analyze the philosophy of impossibleness and its operation in relation to contracts. It will look closely at both the construct of initial impossibleness originating from a common error on the portion of both parties as to the province of things before the contract was agreed and the construct of subsequent impossibleness and defeat. The latter trades with a state of affairs whether the parties enter into understanding on footings both express and implied and so a supervening event renders the public presentation of that understanding radically different from that which was envisaged by both parties at the beginning. These subjects will be discussed in greater item in the first subdivision and will run throughout the work. The essay will analyze the construct of nonsubjective and subjective impossibleness, and the regulations associating to dispatch of contractual duties and allotment of hazard. It will look at the state of affairs when either th e capable affair or a thing indispensable for public presentation is destroyed or unavailable, either partly or wholly. It will so look at how the decease or supervening incapacity of a party will impact a personal contract. Towards the latter portion of the essay, it will discourse the jobs that arise when a method of public presentation becomes impossible or a peculiar beginning becomes unavailable. It will reason by looking at the consequence of hold and impermanent impossibleness on a contract. The construct of impossibleness The construct of impossibleness in contract jurisprudence can be split into two distinguishable classs. There are the instances where the parties neer really make a true understanding because they are mistaken as to some component of the contract before the contract is concluded and the instances where the contract becomes impossible to execute subsequent to the understanding holding been reached. By and large talking, in the first case, the contract is null Bachelor of Arts initio and in the 2nd, an otherwise valid contract is brought to an terminal from the point when the impossibleness arises. A basic illustration to exemplify the difference would be a contract for the sale of a auto. If unknown to the parties, the auto had blown up 5 proceedingss before the contract was signed the contract would be null Bachelor of Arts initio, whereas if the auto blew up 5 proceedingss after the contract was signed, the contract would be valid, but brought to an terminal by the fact that its cap able affair no longer existed. Basically the tribunals are connoting into the contract a status case in point that the capable affair exists and is capable of transportation. This construct of implied status case in point has been regarded with considerable agnosticism among observers in visible radiation of the traditional common jurisprudence position that the tribunals should neither do nor amend a deal. The chief job arises when covering with the first type of impossibleness. It is non ever wholly clear how the tribunals will explicate the implied status case in point. Smith and Thomas suggest three possibilities: A impliedly promised B that the thing existed. A impliedly promised B that he had taken sensible attention to determine that the thing existed. A and B proceeded on the common premise, for which neither was more responsible than the other, that the thing existed and its being was a status case in point of the contract.[ 1 ] Which of these options it will be, depends mostly on the comparative agencies of cognition of the parties and whether one is trusting on the other. This will be discussed at length through the class of the work. It besides may be that on proper building of the contract either, or both of the parties have made absolute promises. In that event, the tribunals will non pardon non-performance for either type of impossibleness. There are besides instances where the contract has non become wholly physically or lawfully impossible, but an event has occurred which strikes at the base of the contract so as to thwart its purpose. [ 2 ] This is normally referred to as defeat and it operates as a signifier of subsequent impossibleness. Objective and Subjective Impossibility The contract will hold to be objectively impossible to execute before it is held to be null. The instance of Thornborow v Whitacre( 1705 ) 2 Ld Raym 1164held that a party can non get away liability on the evidences of impossibleness strictly associating to his single ability or fortunes. Neither will he be discharged from his duties merely because he finds the contract peculiarly hard or burdensome to execute: It is non hardship or incommodiousness or stuff loss itself which calls the rule of defeat into play[ 3 ] Subsequent impossibleness will likewise non pardon the parties from public presentation if it was brought approximately by the behavior of one of the parties. The instance of Southern Foundries ( 1926 ) Ltd V Shirlaw [ 1940 ] AC 701 held at 717 per Lord Atkin: †¦conduct of either promiser or promisee which can be said to amount to himself of his ain gesture, conveying about the impossibleness of public presentation is in itself a breach. Clearly, any impossibleness that can be attributed to either party will be considered a breach of contract and the defaulting party will go apt in amendss in the usual manner. Where the impossibleness brought approximately by one of the parties existed at the clip of the contract he is likely to be held to hold warranted possible public presentation of the contract and held to be in breach of that guarantee. As discussed above it is sometimes possible for the tribunals to keep that a party made an absolute promise and hence accepted the hazard of the fact that the contract might be impossible to execute. Whether a contract is considered to be absolute will be a affair of nonsubjective building of the footings of the contract. If the contract is held to be absolute, the party will be held to his public presentation whether or non the impossibleness is his mistake or non. In the instance Paradine V Jane( 1647 ) Aleyn 26a leaseholder was held apt to pay lease even though he had been evicted from the belongings by armed forces during the civil war. A rental is a type of contract that is normally regarded as being objectively absolute without mention to the subjective purposes of the parties. Overall the contract must be objectively impossible to execute, the subjective positions of the parties as to their fortunes and their personal ability to execute the contract will non normally be taken into history. Similarly, if a party is active in conveying about the impossibleness the contract will non be seen as objectively impossible, but as holding been breached. Conversely, some contracts will be held to be objectively absolute and the subjective purposes of the parties in organizing the contract and their degree of mistake in conveying about the impossibleness of public presentation will non be relevant. Destruction of the Subject Matter In the instance ofTaylor V Caldwell( 1863 ) 3 B A ; S 826the claimants granted the suspects the usage of a music hall and gardens for a series of music concerts. After the contract had been concluded, but before the concerts had begun the music hall was destroyed by fire and the concerts could no longer be held at that place. The claimants argued that the suspects were in breach of the contract for neglecting to supply the music hall and sought to retrieve ?58, which they had spent on publicizing the concerts. The tribunals nevertheless held that the contract had become impossible to execute and was hence defeated. Both parties were hence released from their duties under the contract. In coming to this decision Blackburn J referred to the pronouncement of Pothier [ 4 ] saying that: The debitor is freed from duty when the tinkle has perished, neither by his act nor his disregard and before he is in default, unless by some judicial admission he has taken on himself the hazard of the peculiar bad luck which has occurred. He recognises that the civil jurisprudence is non adhering on English Courts, but states that it is a utile index of the rules on which the jurisprudence is grounded. Blackburn J besides refers to a line of authorization affecting bailment. For illustration the instance ofWilliams V LloydW.Jones 179the claimant had delivered a Equus caballus to the suspect on the status that it be returned on petition. Without mistake on the portion of the suspect, the Equus caballus became ill and died and was hence non able to be returned on the petition of the claimant. It was held that bailee was discharged from his promise by the fact that the Equus caballus had died. Blackburn J stated that it was a settled rule of English jurisprudence that in contracts for loans of movables or bailments, if the promise of the bailee or borrower to return the goods becomes impossible because the goods have perished through no mistake of his ain, the bailee is excused from this promise. It is noted that in none of the instances associating to bailment was it expressly agreed that the devastation of the capable affair would let go of either party from their duty, the alibi is by jurisprudence implied [ 5 ] This rule established in Taylor and subsequent instances [ 6 ] is now contained in subdivision 7 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 Where there is an understanding to sell specific goods and later the goods, without any mistake on the portion of the marketer or purchaser, perish before the hazard passes to the purchaser, the understanding is avoided. Partial Destruction of the Subject Matter It is interesting to observe that the contract in Taylor was for the usage of Surrey Music HallandGardens’ . It was hence lone portion of the capable affair that was destroyed by the fire ; the gardens were still in tact. However, it was held that the devastation of the music hall rendered public presentation of the contract impossible. This implies that when portion of the capable affair is destroyed the tribunals will look into the intent of the contract. If the portion that is destroyed renders that purpose impossible the contract will be held to hold been frustrated by its devastation. Discharge and Rules Governing Hazard As discussed above a contract, which is the topic of a error made by both parties prior to its formation that makes public presentation impossible, will be null ab initio. This is non the instance if the impossibleness arises after the formation of the contract, i.e. the contract is frustrated. In that event, the contract is said to be discharged from the clip when the frustrating event arose. The parties are discharged from any future public presentation without holding to elect that that will be the instance. [ 7 ] Where the nucleus of the contract is the occurrence of some future event and that event is cancelled the clip of defeat will be the clip when the cancellation is announced. In the instance ofKrell V Henry[ 1903 ] 2 KB 740the suspect hired a level on Pall Mall to watch the enthronement emanation of Edward VII, though this intent was non expressed in the contract. The emanation was cancelled before the formation of the contract, but the proclamation was non made until afte r the contract had been agreed. If the contract is dissociable, it may be that lone portion of the contract is frustrated and the other parts remain in force. It seems that even when an full contract of sale is held to be discharged because it has become impossible to present some of the goods, the purchaser can waive’ this and demand bringing of the remainder of the goods. This was the instance in HR A ; S Sainsbury Ltd v Street [ 1972 ] 3 All ER 1127. Supervening events may besides do the suspend the contract without really dispatching it. [ 8 ] Temporary impossibleness will be discussed in greater item in a ulterior subdivision. Furthermore, illegality may thwart a minor duty without dispatching the full contract. The deductions of things like this for a possible philosophy of partial defeat will besides be discussed subsequently. The essay will now travel on to look at who should bear the hazard and therefore the loss of a frustrating event. For a long clip it was thought that the losingss ensuing from the defeat of a contract should lie where they fell. This led to the decision that any money paid before the frustrating event occurred was unrecoverable and conversely any money already due under the contract for services provided was enforceable. In the instance of Chandler V Webster [ 1904 ] 1 KB 493, CA, a room was hired to see the enthronement emanation, the monetary value being collectible instantly. When the emanation was cancelled, ?100 had been paid on history. It was held that the contract was frustrated thereby let go ofing the parties from farther public presentation, but go forthing promises performable before the frustrating event still standing. On the other side a party who had merely partly performed the contract could non retrieve anything for his services even when he had conferred a benefit on the other side. [ 9 ] It is possible nevertheless that a party who, after a frustrating event, takes sensible stairss to protect the other party’s involvement will be entitled to retrieve wage for his outgo on a restitutionary quantum meruit footing. This was the instance in Societe Franco-Tunisienne dArmement V Sidermar SpA [ 1961 ] 2 QB 278 [ 10 ] . Until 1942 it was besides considered that there could be no recovery for entire failure of consideration. This was on the footing that up until the point of defeat the party who had paid any money had the benefit of a executory contractual promise and that was consideration adequate [ 11 ] . However, in the instance of Fibrosa Spolka Akcyjna V Fairbairn Lawson Combe Barbour Ltd [ 1943 ] AC 32 the House of Lords held that a party could retrieve where there had been a entire failure of consideration. This was an betterment on the Chandler place discussed above, but two rule defects in the jurisprudence remained. The first was that the rule merely applied when there was a entire failure of consideration ; where there was a partial failure the claimant could non retrieve anything. [ 12 ] The 2nd defect was that the payee could non put off any outgo that he had incurred in the public presentation of his side of the contract. These defects were rectified by subdivision 1 ( 2 ) of the Law R eform ( Frustrated Contracts ) Act 1943. The subdivision provinces: All amounts paid or collectible to any party in pursuit of the contract before the clip when the parties were so dismissed ( in this Act referred to as the clip of discharge ) shall, in the instance of amounts so paid, be recoverable from him as money received by him for the usage of the party by whom the amounts were paid, and, in the instance of amounts so collectible, cease to be so collectible: Provided that, if the party to whom the amounts were so paid or collectible incurred disbursals before the clip of discharge in, or for the intent of, the public presentation of the contract, the tribunal may, if it considers it merely to make so holding respect to all the fortunes of the instance, let him to retain or, as the instance may be, retrieve the whole or any portion of the amounts so paid or collectible, non being an sum in surplus of the disbursals so incurred. This deals with the defects in the common jurisprudence by saying that monies paid before the frustrating event are recoverable, amounts collectible prior to the clip of discharge cease to be collectible and the payee is entitled to put off disbursals moderately incurred in their public presentation of the contract. Goff and Jones note that whilst the Act does cover in lineation with the lacks of the common jurisprudence it does non wholly decide the issues. [ 13 ] For illustration, the Act does non state what principles the tribunal ought to use to make up ones mind how much the payee is entitled to put off. In the instanceGamerco SA v ICM/Fair Warning Agency Ltd[ 1995 ] 1 WLR 1226Garland J felt that the court’s undertaking was to: †¦do justness in a state of affairs which the parties had neither contemplated nor provided for, and to extenuate the possible abrasiveness of leting all loss to lie where it has fallen. Section 1 ( 2 ) does allow the payee to retrieve or retain more than he has been paid up to the tine of defeat. I.e. for disbursals incurred in outlook of future payment. They may be able to retrieve such outgo under subdivision 1 ( 3 ) , which takes consequence when 1 party has conferred a valuable benefit on the other party ( other than money ) before the clip of discharge. In that event, he will be able to retrieve a merely amount, which shall non transcend the value of the benefit conferred. Robert Goff J held in the instance ofBP V Hunt[ 1979 ] 1 WLR 783that there were two stairss to measuring a claim under subdivision 1 ( 3 ) , the first was placing and valuing the benefit conferred. Goff J held that normally the benefit would be the end merchandise of any services. In some contracts the services were the terminal merchandise themselves, for illustration, a contract for the transit of goods. He held that if the terminal merchandise is destroyed by the frustrating event so no benefit is conferred because the other party does non hold the merchandise either. This reading has been to a great extent criticised as neglecting to give consequence to the purpose of the Act. [ 14 ] This subdivision of the Act was intended to extenuate against the rough effects of the common jurisprudence regulation of entire obligations’ . In the instance ofAppleby and Myers( 1876 ) LR 2 CP 651the claimants contracted to do machinery in the suspects mill and to keep the machinery for two old ages. Payment was upon completion of the work. After portion of the machinery had been erected, a fire destroyed the whole mill and all the machinery. The claimants could non retrieve anything, as they had non completed the work. Goff J’s reading of subdivision 1 ( 3 ) would take to the same consequence. However, this reading has besides been adopted in the Commonwealth [ 15 ] . It does look to harmonize closely with the diction of subdivision 1 ( 3 ) , which draws a differentiation between the public presentation by on party and the benefit conferred on the other. This implies that the claimant must really hold received the benefit of any public presentation on the portion of the suspect before the suspect can retrieve or retain any money. The 2nd measure Goff J laid down was the measuring of a just sum’ . Contractual allotment of hazard will of class be a factor. Goff J thought that it ought to be every bit much as is necessary to forestall the unfair enrichment of the other party. This attack was rejected by the Court of Appeal in the same instance, who merely held that it was in the about unrestricted discretion of the test justice. In decision, the Act is unhappily lacking in its counsel as to the allotment of hazard and loss between the parties to a contract that has been discharged for defeat. It is possible for the parties to apportion the hazards contractually. This is one of the chief grounds that the tribunals have kept a tight reign on the philosophy of defeat. Parties are expected to be able to anticipate the possibility of dramatic monetary value additions and the eruption of labour differences etc. Contracts hence on a regular basis include clauses which allocate the hazard of such an unanticipated event happening. One common illustration is a force majeure clause’ . In the instance ofChannel Island Ferries Ltd V Sealink UK Ltd[ 1988 ] 1 Lloyd’s Rep 323the relevant clause stated: A party shall non be apt in the event of non-fulfilment of any duty originating under this contract by ground of Act of God, disease, work stoppages, Lock-Outs, fire and any accident or incident of any nature beyond the control of the relevant party. The advantages of such clauses are that they provide a grade of certainty and the parties can hold to a wider scope of fortunes than are presently available under the philosophy of defeat. For illustration, an unexpected addition in monetary values is non considered to be a frustrating event, [ 16 ] but it is common in a commercial contract to see a force majeur clause incorporating proviso for abnormal addition in monetary values and wages.’ It besides allows the parties to find their hereafter relationship. The defeat philosophy discharges the contract regardless of the wants of the parties, but they can supply for a continuing, adapted relationship if they so wish. Inaccessibility of the Subject Matter Where both parties are mistaken as to the handiness of the capable affair at the clip of the contract, this may be sufficiently cardinal to avoid the contract. The taking instance on this issue is that ofCourturier V Hastie( 1856 ) 5 HLC 637in which the parties entered into a contract for the sale of a lading of maize, which was believed to be in theodolite from Salonica to England. Unknown to both the parties, the corn’s quality had deteriorated to such an extent that the maestro had sold it. The House of Lords held that the affair turned on the building of the contract reasoning that: The contract obviously imports that there was something which was to be sold at the clip of the contract, and something to be purchased, no such thing bing, †¦ judgement should be given for the defendants.[ 17 ] The exact legal footing for importing this term has been the topic of some argument among observers and will be discussed briefly now. The draughtsmans of subdivision 6 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 appear to hold interpreted the determination as saying that a error as to the being of the capable affair of the contract necessarily renders it void: 6 Goods which have perished Where there is a contract for the sale of specific goods, and the goods without the cognition of the marketer have perished at the clip when the contract is made, the contract is null. The tribunal in Couturier did non nevertheless advert the word error ; they based their logical thinking on the building of the contract and the fact that there was a entire failure of consideration on the portion of the Sellerss. Lord Denning applied a different reading in the instance ofSolle V Butcher[ 1950 ] 1 KB 671 at 691in which he held that there was an implied status case in point that the contract was capable of public presentation. He reasoned that in Couturier the parties had proceeded on the premise that the goods were capable of being sold, when in fact they were no longer available for sale. Lord Denning’s reading does look to give consequence to the most likely purpose of the parties. However, in the absence of a clear purpose to let go of each other from the understanding if the capable affair is non available, it is non clear when Lord Denning is proposing a term of this nature should be implied into the contract. The 3rd reading is that whether or non the contract will be null, depends on the its building. This was the reading put on Couturier by the High Court of Australia in the instance ofMcRae V Commonwealth Disposals Commission84 C.L.R. 377. The suspects invited stamps for the purchase of an oil oiler described as lying on the Jourmand Reef off Papua, together with its contents, which were stated to be oil. The Claimants won the stamp and spent a considerable sum of money modifying a vas for the salvage work. In a eccentric bend of events it was subsequently discovered that no such oiler had of all time existed. The tribunal held that: The merely proper building of the contract is that it included a promise by the committee that there was a oiler in the place specified. On that building the Commission had assumed the hazard of the oiler non bing. They distinguished Couturier, keeping that this was non a instance in which both parties had entered the contract on a common premise. The Commission had assumed the being of the oiler, but the purchasers had merely relied on their averment. In policy footings there can be small uncertainty that the attack taken in McRae is a sound one and one which ought to be followed by the English tribunals, but its is slightly hard to accommodate with subdivision 6 of the Sale of Goods Act. There is the possible statement that McRae does non fall under subdivision 6 because the oiler had neer existed and hence could non hold perished’ . This differentiation does look slightly unreal and non within the purpose of the tribunal in McRae. If the capable affair becomes unavailable after the contract has been concluded this may besides render the contract frustrated for impossibleness. For illustration in the instance ofBank Line Ltd V Arthur Capel A ; Co[ 1919 ] AC 435a charterparty was held to be frustrated when the ship was requisitioned and so unavailable to the charterer. Impermanent inaccessibility may besides do, but this will be discussed subsequently. Destruction or Inaccessibility of a Thing Essential for Performance Lord Atkin in the instance ofBell v Lever Brothers Ltd[ [ 1932 ] A.C. 161, discussed the fortunes in which 1 might wish to connote a status into the contract. He states that a status derives its efficaciousness from the consent of the parties, express or implied. He supposes a possible term: Unless the facts are or are non of a peculiar nature, or unless an event has or has non happened, the contract is non to take effect. If there are express words in the contract such as a foundation necessity to the existence’ , there need non be any farther question, but when there are no such words the tribunal must look into the fortunes of the understanding to see whether any such status can be implied. Lord Atkin uses the illustration of the hire of a professional singer whose continued wellness would be indispensable to the public presentation of the contract. The instance ofKrell V Henry[ 1903 ] 2 KB 740has been discussed earlier. For present intents it can be described in the undermentioned footings: The contract was for the hire of a room on Pall Mall to watch the enthronement emanation of Edward VII. The capable affair of the contract was the room and that was still in tact. However, the intent of the contract was to watch the emanation and without the emanation the contract was non capable of full public presentation. Vaughn Williams LJ refers in his judgement to the instance ofNickoll v Ashton[ 1901 ] 2 K.B, which is authorization for the proposition: English Law applies the rule non merely to instances where public presentation of the contract becomes impossible by the surcease of being of the thing which is the capable affair of the contract, but besides to instances where the event which renders the contract incapable of public presentation is the surcease or non being of an express status the continued being of which is necessary for the fulfillment of the contract, and indispensable to its performance. This construct was extended in Krell to include a state of affairs in which that peculiar set of fortunes ( the screening of the enthronement ) was non expressly mentioned in the contract. The contract in Krell was, nevertheless a unusual one ; the room was merely hired out by the twenty-four hours, non the dark, and the intent for the contracton bothsides was the screening of the enthronement. It is clear that the peculiar set of fortunes must hold been in the contemplation of the parties and one that they both realised was necessary for the full public presentation of the contract. There is some difference environing the Krell instance. Cheshire and Fifoot point out that the cancellation was likely non in the contemplation of the parties, but with respect to the proposition that the purchaser should be discharged from his duty to pay on cancellation: It is incompatible with the character of a difficult trader to state that the proprietor of the room would hold agreed to this proposal if it had been put to him during negotiations.[ 18 ] It is more likely that the proprietor would hold told the boss that that was a hazard he would hold to take. It seems slightly unreasonable to import to the marketer a province of head which he may good non hold been in had he thought about it. McElroy and Williams, on the other manus say that the contract was impliedly for the hire of rooms to see the procession , the fact that there was no emanation hence amounted to a complete failure of consideration on the portion of the proprietor of the suites, dispatching the boss from his duty to pay. [ 19 ] The fortunes in which Krell will use are highly limited. The set of fortunes, which the parties assume to be go oning, must be the common foundation of the contract. In the instance ofHerne Bay Steamboat Co v Hutton[ 1903 ] 2 KB 683the claimant hired a ship from the suspect to watch the naval reappraisal and for a day’s sail around the fleet. After the contract, the naval reappraisal was cancelled owing to the same unwellness of Edward VII, but the contract was held non to hold been frustrated. This is thought to be because the boss could still see the fleet and the boat had non been hired out by the proprietor for the specific intent of seeing the Naval Review. This meant that seeing the Naval Review was non thecommonintent of the contract and its cancellation was non hence a frustrating event. Therefore interpreted, Krell can be seen as a really narrow determination and as so been distinguished in more recent instances. [ 20 ] The Death of a Person Essential to Performance In the instance ofGalloway v Galloway( 1914 ) 30 TLR 531the suspect thought that his first married woman had died and married the claimant. The suspect and claimant later separated and entered into a title of separation under which the suspect agreed to pay the claimant a hebdomadal amount in care. The suspect so discovered that his first married woman was really alive and stopped paying the care payments to his 2nd married woman. When she sued for recovery of the arrears, it was held that she could non make so as the colony understanding had been entered into under the common error that she had been married to the suspect, when in fact she could non hold lawfully been. Consequence of Death on a Personal Contract Under general contract jurisprudence, the decease of a party will hold no consequence whatsoever on the contract or any of the rights accrued under it. [ 21 ] The personal representatives of the asleep individual are bound to finish public presentation on his behalf, in so far as the estate allows [ 22 ] and they may action for the return side of the understanding. This is non the instance when personal dealingss are the foundation of the contract. In that event, the decease of one or other of the parties, the contract is leading facie discharged. Importantly, the Law Reform ( Frustrated Contracts ) Act 1943 will use in some state of affairss. Where portion of the contract can be severed and those parts of the contract had been performed before the contract was discharged due to the decease of the party, or they were discharged but for payment of an discoverable amount, the tribunals must handle that portion as a separate contract that had non been frustrated. This proviso keeps in tact dissociable duty already performed, but departs from the common jurisprudence refusal to let the recovery of money paid or benefits conferred. [ 23 ] Contrac

Foster this Advanced Business Writing Skill

Foster this Advanced Business Writing Skill There is one business writing skill that separates advanced business writers from those who are merely functionally proficient. It is the ability to synthesize complex ideas and extract the significant nuggets of information that are relevant to a particular reader and situation. In essence, these are mini-executive summaries, used widely in many communications at work. We often think an executive summary is the first part of a formal report. In fact, functional executive summaries are deployed frequently and widely by those with advanced business writing skills: When your boss asks you, "Why should we fund this project?" When you summarize a vendor performance. When you recommend a solution to a work problem. When you are asked, "Why should I hire you?" When you analyze data for trends. When you verbally summarize project pitfalls at a meeting. When you summarize the insights discussed at a meeting, relevant to the overall goals. The ability to see the big picture, to quickly understand what is significant to the situation, and extract and convey the relevant essence will greatly help your career, your department, and your company. It will also greatly improve the efficiency and accuracy of the information flowing across your company. Synthesizing and extracting executive summaries is fully contextual. It will always depend on your readers' needs. Let's apply this concept to the situation of a college student working at a summer internship, who is an economics major working for a start up specializing in sustainable agriculture shipping. This student's mother, college advisor, and internship company owner all ask him, "What did you do during your internship?" Certainly, much information will be similar, but each person has specific interest and focus. Appropriate executive summary or synthesis responses for each of these audiences might be: Internship Company Owner, who will care about the value the intern brought to the company: "I developed a web portal that provides cost of living information for this area, to help with recruiting top talent. My data analysis of comparable companies in other locations indicated our location is a competitive hiring advantage." College Advisor, who will care about the student's learning and application of course skills: "I developed a web portal using HTML and CSS, which we covered in Computer Science 410. Also, using an extensive data set and regression analysis, we were able to estimate and compare costs of living in the company area." Mother, who will care about a permanent job after graduation (My son is a college junior, so I am certain a job after graduation is a primary interest of all mothers!): "I developed a web portal and analyzed cost of living data. Website development and data analysis are two skills listed on all of the business analyst positions I hope for after graduation." Therefore, the first step in synthesizing complex information is defining your audience thoroughly. Distill what really matters. The second step is presenting information that is significant and meaningful to that particular audience. Notice the summary statement made to the Internship Company Owner above has no mention of functional tasks, what team the intern worked on, or dates he worked. That is all simple functional information that led to the significant information. The company owner wouldn't care about this. The owner wants to know the value the intern brought to the business. Noise vs. substance There is, sadly, far too much fluff and task information bantered about in business writing. Mere action tasks never belong in an executive summary. Don't fall into this trap. Instead, synthesize meaningfully, and extract what is truly most significant to your reader. This ability think critically and present relevant, synthesized information to various audiences is an advanced business writing skill you want to foster in your department and in your own writing. If this is a skill you wish to hone in your organization, please contact us.

5 Differences Between Spanish and English Object Pronouns

5 Differences Between Spanish and English Object Pronouns Because both are Indo-European languages, the grammars of Spanish and English are quite similar. Even so, grammatical differences between the two languages abound. Among them is the way that object pronouns are treated. Here are five ways that Spanish deals with object pronouns in ways that might not seem familiar to English speakers: Direct vs. Indirect Pronouns In the third person, Spanish distinguishes between direct and indirect object pronouns. The English third-person object pronouns are him, her and it in the singular and them in the plural, and the same words are used whether the object is direct or indirect. (In the simplest sense, although the distinctions dont always line up in the two languages, a direct object is one that is acted upon by a verb, while an indirect object is one affected by a verbs action even though the action is directed at someone or something else.) But in standard Spanish (exceptions are explained in our lesson on leà ­smo), the pronouns are distinguished like this: Singular direct objects: lo (masculine), la (feminine).Plural direct object: los (masculine), las (feminine).Singular indirect object: le.Plural indirect object: les. So while the simple English sentences I found her and I sent her a letter use the same pronoun her, a distinction is made in Spanish. The first sentence would be La encontrà ©, where la is a direct object, while the second would be Le mandà © una carta with le being the indirect object. (Letter or carta is the direct object.) Attaching Pronouns to Verbs In Spanish, object pronouns can be attached to some verbs. The pronouns can be attached to three verb forms: infinitives, gerunds and affirmative commands. The pronoun is written as part of the verb, and sometimes a written accent is needed to maintain the correct pronunciation. Here is an example of each of the verb types with an attached pronoun: Infinitive: Voy a amarte por siempre. (Im going to love you forever.)Gerund: Seguà ­an mirndonos. (They kept on looking at us.)Command:  ¡Cllate! (You shut up!) Different Distinctions The distinction between direct and indirect objects is different in the two languages. Taking note of which verbs require the use of le or les would be beyond the scope of this lesson. But it can be said that many Spanish verbs use the indirect-object pronoun where the pronoun in English would be viewed as a direct object. For example, in the sentence Le pidieron su direccià ³n (They asked him for his address), le is an indirect object. But in English, him would be viewed as a direct object because he was the one who was asked. The same is true in Le pegà ³ en la cabeza (They hit him in the head). Using Pronouns Redundantly It is common in Spanish to use an object pronoun even when the noun represented by the pronoun is explicitly stated. Such a redundant use of the pronoun often occurs when the object is named and appears before the verb: A Chris  le gusta escuchar mà ºsica. (Chris likes listening to music. See more in the lesson on gustar.)Toda la ropa la tenemos en descuento. (We have all the clothing on sale.) Note that the redundant pronoun isnt translated to English. The pronoun also is used redundantly in some cases to add emphasis, or often because thats what sounds right to native speakers even if such use isnt mandatory: Lo conocemos bien a este seà ±or. (We know this man well.)Le dieron un regalo a la nià ±a. (They gave a present to the girl.) Using Pronouns Alone Instead of In Phrases Spanish sometimes uses an indirect object pronoun where English would use a phrase. In English we often indicate who or what was affected by a verbs action with phrases such as for me or to him. In Spanish, it may not be necessary to make a phrase. The case where doing so sounds most unfamiliar may be with the verb ser (to be). For example, in Spanish you could say No me es posible for It is not possible for me. But similar constructions are possible with other verbs as well. For example, Le robaron el dinero means They stole the money from him or They stole the money from her.

Quantitative Research on Marathon Times Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Quantitative Research on Marathon Times - Essay Example Even though marathon running has increased its popularity, there exist no data concerning the relationship between marathon times, age, athlete’s level of fitness (expert runner, beginner), fuel (carbohydrates), weather in the course of the marathon, and the miles ran during training per week. This paper sought to find out whether the performance of marathon is linked to age, athlete’s level of fitness (expert runner, beginner), fuel (carbohydrates), weather in the course of the marathon, and the miles ran during training per week. The study involved 15 marathon runners. The participants were given packets of materials which were inclusive of a questionnaire. After filling the questionnaire, they were brought back for analysis. The study established that there existed some relationship among the variables. Introduction For decades, taking part in marathon running by people of different ages and potentials has been increasing at a repaid rate. A research conducted in this field notes out that the approximate marathon number in U S increased to one hundred and forty in 1975 from forty-four in 1969. In this period, there was an increment in the participants by about 500%. Even though marathon is always popular and requires enough preparation, training practice and knowledge, its effectiveness may tend to remain incomplete. More often than not, many runners come up with their programs of training through taking after marathoners who may look successful. For many years, the philosophy of humans has been adjusted to cover distances that are long in each day so as to obtain food for sustaining the metabolism of the brain (Macarthur & North, 2005). In this regard, the high marathon popularity in humans that are modern of all abilities and ages can be seen as a legacy of the human species’ evolutionary capacity to race for distances that are long and using metabolism that is aerobic (Macarthur & North, 2005). Over the last decade, the starters in marathon have increased from 8,000 to 40,000. This implies that taking part in road racing has been increasing by over 50% in the last decade. This popularity is characterized by the existence of recreational marathon racers who finish the 42,195 km in about two hours. However, marathon has a negative effect to the cardiac status and the existences of cardiac deaths that are sudden during marathon have evoked increased debate (Macarthur & North, 2005). Additionally, endurance and energy c ost are the two benchmarks for obtaining exceptional performance in running. This is so because marathon runners show out an increased fractional use of oxygen. Considering the coming up of recreational marathon amid the middle-aged class, the debate concerning physiological strain also comes up. A couple of surveys done in marathoners have failed to give out information which could be generalized for the runner’s broad spectrum. This study explores the relationship between one dependent variable and several independent variables. In this regard, the dependent variable is marathon times, whereas the independent variables are age, athlete’s level of fitness (expert runner, beginner), fuel (carbohydrates), weather in the course of the marathon, and the miles ran during training per week. The paper seeks to develop a multiple regression model in which the variable that is dependent is explained by all the given independent variable. Method Participants The opportunity sam ple for this study was made up of fifteen participants. The participants were obtained from marathon runners. The participants were selected by using the fact that they had to be individuals whose age was below forty years and that they were recreational runners. The participants were also free of pulmonary and cardiac diseases. The participants of this research were volunteers. Three groups consisting of five participants were made. The three groups were given names according to the age range. The first group, which was the 10 to 20 years group,

LOVEThere are 5 parts to this, each part has to be a paragraph long I Essay

LOVEThere are 5 parts to this, each part has to be a paragraph long I will be sending each part one by one - Essay Example The story â€Å"Flapper† and the poem â€Å"where has the mother flown† have similar content or themes. One consistent theme that comes out is that of death. First is the disappearance of the wren’s parents leaving the chic’s to die, second, Bess’s and her sister’s husband die and in the end Bess’s sister dies of stroke. The poem also depicts the same theme with the disappearance of a lover over sixty years and the question of where Salvi, Philmoor, Baxton, Seddar and Clives mother have disappeared to. In terms of techniques we can identify flashback as having being used consistently in both pieces, oxymoron- such as â€Å" she was a young girl at 85† and similes such as â€Å" deaf as a rock† have also been extensively used. The two poems use flashback as a dominant technique for example in the poem â€Å"by the Duomo† the phrase â€Å"27, a child, he reminds me of Kenny’s older brother, whom I met In a gay bar in ’67.† In the poem, â€Å" In the Duomo Museum† the phrase â€Å"am reminded of Betty Jean in ’76, Her agonized rant Of Scripture and Obscenity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  also shows use of flashback. The dominant theme that can be found in the two poems is romance or love. Another similarity is that the two poems end with an aspect of separation with the characters going opposite ways. The difference that can be spotted in these two poems is in terms of techniques where the poem â€Å"By the Duomo† uses Rhyme in the phrases â€Å"Innocently, Cheerfully,† and the first phrase â€Å"27†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"†¦ ‘67† while the second poem has no rhyme. Sonnet 18 and Sonnet 130 are two quite different poems though with the same theme. In the first poem Shakespeare describes his love in a straight forward way and adores the beauty. His lover has many good qualities that cannot be found under the sun. The poem introduces the aspect of immortality where Shakespeare sees his lover alive in the lines of the poem even

Cognitive Development and Cognitive Views of Learning Essay

Cognitive Development and Cognitive Views of Learning - Essay Example Children in the concrete operational stage of development accept the rules and seldom deliberately move outside them. According to Piaget's theory, children from age 7 to 11 move from preconventional to concrete operational where these children have experienced interaction with others in a school setting and have begun to care what others think about them. Children in the 7-11 age group have the most potential for establishing a positive moral behavioral base. Morality becomes an issue for this age group because this is a time when children move from how a situation will affect them personally to how their behavioral choices will affect someone else. However, throughout this stage, conflicts occur that create moral dilemmas and children in this age group are influenced by so many ideas about what is or is not moral that it is easy for them to make some wrong choices. It is important for a teacher to stress the fact that it is all right to make mistakes because that is how we learn. It is the positive or negative result of the choice made that will help them determine right or wrong in future dilemmas. In other words, they first learn the rules, then how the rules affect behavior, and finally, whether trying to follow the rules might create a moral dilemma while breaking the rule would seem to be the proper choice. Appropriate strategies to use to teach the selected topic One problem with trying to teach morality in the classroom is that different children have different concepts of the rules of behavior when it comes to moral issues. However, by creating different moral dilemmas and setting up discussion groups within a classroom, individual students can present a dilemma and its possible resolution, and other students can debate or accept the resolution. The result of this is that the class can establish a moral code of behavior that they can accept. Once that has been accomplished, a further situation could be presented through a children's book that discusses morality, such as The Complete Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault (1993) newly translated by Neil Philip and Nicoletta Simborowski from Perrault's original collection, or in a book such as The Children's Book of Virtues (1995) by William Bennett. Bennett offers what he considers conventional role models for young people while the fairy tales present characters with debatable morals that can gen erate discussion within a group. Over the years, well-known fairy tales have evolved into versions that are influenced by changing moral concerns within society. In keeping with today's moral breakdown, Sleeping Beauty's story in its original format doesn't end when the prince awakens her. In a passage from Marjorie Allen's discussion of the translation (1999) her life continues: She marries him in secret and has two children-a boy and a girl. But she and the prince do not live happily ever after as king and queen, at least not for quite some time, because the queen mother happens to be part ogre

Political Science- Indigenous Autonomy and State Development Tensions Research Paper

Political Science- Indigenous Autonomy and State Development Tensions - Research Paper Example Examining the different effects which this has as well as how it can be altered to begin to incorporate different concepts within both areas then provides alternatives to ensure that there is more unity between the two populations while creating a stronger balance with both the indigenous and state populations. The difficulties which are occurring in Latin America between the state and indigenous populations are based specifically on the agenda of both and the identity which both holds. The indigenous populations have specific issues with the development of the country into modern terms. This is taking away the identity, cultural affiliations and basic rights of the indigenous population and the beliefs which they hold. At the same time, the state is being pressured to continue to develop and open the country for different activities that can stimulate the economy, communities and other objectives that are within politics. The pressures which are arising have come from the belief that the indigenous populations are becoming oppressed with the actions of the state while losing both identity and culture in Latin America. This is being developed specifically by the political movements, social conflicts and the pressures to establish new components within the country (Sieder, 29). The problem which is a part of the indigenous and state cultures of Latin America needs to find new solutions for both development and preservation of the cultures which are associated in given regions. The question of whether corporate social responsibility is one which can be used to alter the tensions in the region then become associated with the culture and affiliations with Latin America. The ideology of corporate social responsibility is one which requires businesses recognizing the indigenous cultures and needs within the general population. The actions which take place are then developed to help those which are in

Assignment 12(675) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 12(675) - Essay Example Sarah, being a novice teacher, is not likely to be acquainted with the norms and practices of Elmstreet Elementary School. The problems faced due to a conflict between school culture and her teaching approaches are chanced to be high. This is because the students would be used to a different technique of teaching and a different way of classroom management. For example, if other teachers were fairly strict with their approach to discipline and a new teacher seems to be softer, students may take advantage of the leniency. This causes classroom disturbance. This certainly does not point to the teacher’s incompetence in maintaining class discipline, rather the students not being used to such an instructor. A similar situation is displayed in Sarah’s case. Another problem that may arise is of a difference in delivering the lecture. Some teachers use an interactive approach and do excessive questioning, keeping the classroom lively by cracking jokes, whereas some may be too professional. What is important in schools is to adopt a way that suits the learning process of students and keeps them under control. The role to be taken of the mentor teacher is one of a personality mentor as well as a motivational guide. As mentioned in the vignette, Sarah lacks strong personal authority. The mentor must guide Sarah towards the type of culture that prevails in the school, motivate her so that she strengthens her personal authority and advise her ways to adopt to the culture. When someone is told off for their actions or their shortcomings are pointed out by someone else, it is in our human nature to not accept it fully and possibly feel angered and belittled. The most effective self-improvement is done where a person himself identifies and accepts his/her flaws and works on a plan to improve them. Having Sarah involved in her growth plan development will help keep her motivation and self-image intact. This will make her work harder than she would have had someone else

Steve Jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Steve Jobs - Essay Example Steve jobs was associated with a purely electronic industry which later transformed into a technological mobile phone and other gadgets specialized industry. Roadmap: The paper looks into the early life of Steve jobs, the early days of professional career, the hiccups faced, the rise afterwards and the building of empire in form of Apple Inc. this is followed by the analytical and professional specialization analysis and the manner in which he under took the innovations and novelty. Thesis statement: The man who brought about revolution in the field of electronic devices and other gadgets. Early Life: Born in San Francisco, United States of America in 1955 lived a considerably ordinary life in early days. But it was this ordinary life that was to be transformed into a more explorative one in times ahead. His childhood traces find no evident traces of being an extra ordinary student, and he mostly preferred being low profile and the famous garage where he would explore the electronic devices and think on imaginative lines. He was brought up in the Silicon Valley and he was sent to Crittenden Middle School (Imbimbo, 22). He had his affiliations and interest in the electronic devices and the other electronic means that were available to him at that time. Sign of events to come: One habit of Steve Jobs that could possibly had been taken as a sign of events to come was in form of his exploration and working with the neighbor in the garage. In their limited capacity yet imaginative mind and ideas they would work on the radio transistors that were available to them and would open them to check its working and design. The first experience with the device (computer) that would become an integral part of his life was when he was only 11-12 years old. It was at the Hewlett- Packard organized gathering of similar devices where he got a touch on this electronic device called computer. This was the turning point and that set the precedence for investigation and intrigue abou t the electronic devices and this quest would go on till the end of his life in form of innovations and novel inventions of electronic devices and ideas. The first break through: The first formal breakthrough was achieved in 1974 when he got associated with the makers of Atari and contributed in his capacity (Shea, 26). This venture did not last too long and he took temporary refuge from his ambitions.1976 was the year when he formally started working on making a computer with his close partner Steve Wozniak. The two would go on to make an empire of digital gadgets in longer run. They took the initiative of designing a computer that would provide better features against the conventional computer that was in place and produced by IBM and Microsoft. Steve Wozniak decades after their first meeting explained the reason behind their collaboration and the secret behind the secret of innovation. To him, the work always worked wonders because both had strong longing for innovations and work ing with the new devices in a unique manner. This held the interest of both and allowed them exploring new horizons. It was at the local garage where they undertook the task of developing computer on small scale and they went on to achieve success in their endeavors. The development of computer did not come without a cost and two of them had to sacrifice their then beloved pieces of possession with one selling out his car and other his

Assignment 12(675) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 12(675) - Essay Example Sarah, being a novice teacher, is not likely to be acquainted with the norms and practices of Elmstreet Elementary School. The problems faced due to a conflict between school culture and her teaching approaches are chanced to be high. This is because the students would be used to a different technique of teaching and a different way of classroom management. For example, if other teachers were fairly strict with their approach to discipline and a new teacher seems to be softer, students may take advantage of the leniency. This causes classroom disturbance. This certainly does not point to the teacher’s incompetence in maintaining class discipline, rather the students not being used to such an instructor. A similar situation is displayed in Sarah’s case. Another problem that may arise is of a difference in delivering the lecture. Some teachers use an interactive approach and do excessive questioning, keeping the classroom lively by cracking jokes, whereas some may be too professional. What is important in schools is to adopt a way that suits the learning process of students and keeps them under control. The role to be taken of the mentor teacher is one of a personality mentor as well as a motivational guide. As mentioned in the vignette, Sarah lacks strong personal authority. The mentor must guide Sarah towards the type of culture that prevails in the school, motivate her so that she strengthens her personal authority and advise her ways to adopt to the culture. When someone is told off for their actions or their shortcomings are pointed out by someone else, it is in our human nature to not accept it fully and possibly feel angered and belittled. The most effective self-improvement is done where a person himself identifies and accepts his/her flaws and works on a plan to improve them. Having Sarah involved in her growth plan development will help keep her motivation and self-image intact. This will make her work harder than she would have had someone else

Follow That Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Follow That Dream - Essay Example The article â€Å"Free to innovate† by Christine Canabou illustrates how one company, the Fallon, experienced substantial changes in its life after being purchased by the global advertising giant Publicis Group SA. Notwithstanding its chairman fears for the employees to be left their â€Å"home† because it was sold out, the company made all possible to prove that its soul was not going to change. And the company showed that by creating a manifesto that called for breakthrough ideas, such as â€Å"to unlock the entrepreneurial hostages within the agency†. New ideas were transformed into a full-blown company initiative- a â€Å"Dream Catchers† that gave employees license to be a little selfish and make their dreams come true sooner. One year after the initiative was launched, hundred staffers achieved their dreams (visited museums, ran with bulls etc.). The acquisition was as a strategic move the target of which was to help to achieve ambitious goals that th e company could not probably achieve on its own. Today Fallon  is a full-service advertising agency with the headquarter in Minneapolis with numerous awards and open marketing boundaries, intranet  with the same companys quirky humor, full-fledged division of interactive consulting group and redesigned  flagship office that brought a new way of working and grouping people. The article shows the overall positive picture of the acquisition and does not show any pitfalls that usually happen within the organization. The acquisition is about a change and it is obvious that the Fallon agency had certain changes in the top team. New arrivals and changes in the administrative efficiencies could not stay unnoticed by the staffers. While top teams work closely on key areas in order to improve them, the other areas may be left inactive. While acquisition offers the possibility for entering new markets and expand the company with its portfolio, some cultural issues may cause problems

Epidemiology of Schizophrenia Essay Example for Free

Epidemiology of Schizophrenia Essay Medical experts view schizophrenia as the cancer of all mental illness. This is because it is possibly the most dangerous and devastating mental illness known to man. Today, about one in every 100 mature American suffers from schizophrenia. This translates to nearly 2.5 million people. At the present, the disease has no known cure and it can only be managed. Although schizophrenia can manifest itself in any age, majority of the schizophrenic people show signs in their early twenties. In most cases, males show the first signs of schizophrenia at an earlier stage compared to females but unlike most other mental illnesses, the disease is evenly distributed across gender (McGrath, et al. 2005). Although there has been much research touching on this disease, the exact cause of schizophrenia is still unknown. However, researchers have found out through brain scans of individuals suffering from the disease that there are notable differences from a brain scan done on a person who does not have the diseases. However, the biggest cause of schizophrenia is believed to be genetic factor since the disease runs in families. There is also a belief among researchers that people develop schizophrenia due to the absence of some fundamental genes. In order to best understand the epidemiology of schizophrenia in the U.S., this paper will first seek to define epidemiology in order to make it easier to understand this disease in a better way. The paper will then proceed to define and illustrate the epidemiology triangle and give an illustration of how this is related to schizophrenia (Jablensky, 2003). Epidemiology Epidemiology is the investigation of the occurrence, distribution, and causes of diseases among other health-affiliated situations in human beings. Additionally, epidemiology also deals with how the investigation of these factors can be utilized to promote better health and to prevent and manage health problems. In trying to address the issue of epidemiology, the focus is usually on the outcome of disease on a certain population rather than on individuals. Ideally, some certain diseases might prevalent in some areas while others are rare. Although the rare disease might be more deadly as compared to the prevalent one, epidemiology tends to give more emphasis on the prevalent disease since it affects many people (Hennekens, Buring, 1987). Ideally, the fact that epidemiology deals with the issue of frequency goes ahead to prove that it is a quantitative science. Epidemiology specifically deals with the rate of occurrence of diseases and supplementary health related conditions. The frequency of diseases is determined by morbidity and the rate of death. Ideally, epidemiology goes beyond the confines of the disease to cover other health related conditions because every human activity has a direct effect on health. Health related conditions are factors, which have a direct or indirect consequence or influence on human health (John, 2001). When discussing distribution in epidemiology, the issue that is considered is the geographical distribution of infections, the circulation in relation to time, and distribution in the manner of the individuals that are affected in a certain region. In addition to distribution, epidemiology also examines the determinants issues, which are the determining factors on whether or not a person will contract an illness. Lastly, epidemiology seeks to investigate the issue of how the clinical investigations of the disease can be used to promote better health and to prevent and control related health problems (John, 2001). Disease Causation In order to carry out an epidemiology of a certain disease, it is critical to examine how diseases are caused. Ideally, the cause of a disease means the events, conditions, characteristics or an amalgamation of all these factors, which plays a significant role in bringing out the disease. In examining the cause of any disease, the first thing to examine is the primary causes. Generally, primary causes are the factors, which are critical for an illness to happen. In order to make the examination of disease causes to sound more scientific, the term etiologic agent is used in place of the primary cause. For example, in the epidemiology of pulmonary tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is considered the etiologic agent or the main cause (Mausner, Bahn, 2010). In addition to the primary causes in the examination of disease causes, the risk factors are also considered. Although risk factors might not be necessary for a disease to occur, the truth is that they have a significant role in the formation of diseases. Ideally, any factor that is linked with heightened incidence of a disease is a risk factor for the exposed population. In most cases, risk factors have an association to the agent but in other cases, they might have a direct relation to the population and the surroundings (Mausner, Bahn, 2010). The Epidemiologic Triangle Fig 1.1 Diagrammatic Representation of the Epidemiologic Triangle Agent Host Environment The epidemiologic triangle shows the association among the agent, environment, and host in the incidence of disease. In this triangle, the agent is considered a factor whose existence or nonexistence, insufficiency or surplus is essential for a particular illness to happen. On the other hand, the environment incorporates all the outside factors, other than the agent that can affect health. These two factors are then classified according to whether they fit in the societal, bodily or genetic environments. Ideally, the societal environment covers a wide spectrum of factors including the education level, unemployment, and many other factors as pertains to political and the legal systems (Mausner, Bahn, 2010). Epidemiology of Schizophrenia According to statistics, an average of 1 percent of American adults suffers from schizophrenia at any given year thus bringing the figure to more than 2.5 million people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), schizophrenia affects an average of 24 million people worldwide with the worldwide prevalence standing at 8 percent. Given that 2.5 million of these people live in the U.S., it is clear that the country has the highest cases of schizophrenic cases (Eaton, 1991). Ideally, it is important to note that schizophrenia is fundamentally different from incidence of the disease. When talking about an incidence of 8 percent – 1 percent, this does not indicate the number of people diagnosed with schizophrenic cases in any given year. On the contrary, the prevalence rate refers to the average number of people who are suffering from schizophrenia at any given time thus demonstrating on how widespread the disease is. On the other hand, the incidence rate depicts the number of people who are freshly diagnosed with schizophrenia at a specific time and it is used to gauge the possibility of contracting the disease. Since schizophrenia is considered a chronic disease meaning that sufferers stay with it for life, the prevalence rate is higher compared to incidence. According to statistics, the incidence rate of schizophrenia is about 3 in every ten thousand people and one of the three people is an American (Jablensky, 2000). Diagnosis of Schizophrenia Despite all the medical advances today, mental illness remains hard to diagnose. However, with schizophrenia being viewed as a serious condition, much research is being carried out to develop ways of diagnosing the disease before its manifestation. At the present time, the diagnosis is based on the presence of clinical indications. Unlike other diseases, a qualified psychiatrist or psychologist can only conduct schizophrenic diagnosis. Despite this, a person suspected to be suffering from schizophrenia is still subjected to laboratory tests in order to rule out the presence of other related medical disorders such as brain tumors (Eaton, 1991). In the U.S., a person suspected to be schizophrenic is interviewed and observed by a healthcare professional and by the people around the individual in order to obtain a clear clinical image. If after ruling out the presence of other mental conditions the person still demonstrates signs of the disease, then a diagnosis of schizophrenia is specified. The biggest challenge of diagnosing schizophrenia in both the U.S. and elsewhere in the world is that the individual might be paranoid and hence become opposed to examination. In most cases, the individual does not think that he has a problem and this means that he/she does not seek medical attention without any prompting (Eaton, 1991). Incidence Ideally, the incidence rate of schizophrenia in the U.S. differs significantly among various groups. Although the disease is believed to be present in nearly every group, this rate is believed to be higher among migrants. In addition to this, the disease is also believed to be higher among twins but this might be due to the genetic factor that the disease posits. By way of incidence estimates, the average estimate among migrant groups is close to 15.2 percent for every 100,000 migrants with the average among natives standing at about 10.2 percent for every100, 000 people. This goes ahead to show that the disease is evenly distributed among Americans despite of race. Despite this, the various studies conducted to determine the incidence rates between migrants and Native Americans have shown significant differences. In the past, the disease was believed to be prevalent in urban centers but this belief has been discounted with the passage of time. The distribution of the incidence estimate does not also show any difference according to economic status (Eaton, 1991). Prevalence The prevalence rate of schizophrenia in the U.S. has been consistent across the various studies conducted over the years. Ideally, the lifetime prevalence rate stands at 5.0 per every 1,000 individuals. Overall, schizophrenia is believed to affect one in every a hundred Americans and this estimate is based on the data collected by government agencies on lifetime morbid risk data thus making it reliable (Jablensky, 2000). Mortality Rate Schizophrenia is believed to be one of the leading causes of death in America. Compared to the ordinary person, a schizophrenic person has a two-threefold increased possibility of dying. This risk in increased by the fact that schizophrenic people are most likely to commit suicide. However, schizophrenic people are still most likely to die due to the comorbid somatic conditions presented by the disease. In the last few years, the mortality rate of schizophrenia in the U.S. has been on the rise. This is because schizophrenic people do not share in the improved health enjoyed the rest of the society. The increased mortality rate could also have been increased by the increase of generic antipsychotic medicines that have flooded the American market (Jablensky, 2000). Outcomes after Diagnosis The statistics on the outcome of America citizens diagnosed with schizophrenia is not encouraging at all. According to researchers, 25 percent of people diagnosed with schizophrenia end up leading normal lives after ten years of living with the disease while 25 percent of those improve but still require personalized treatment. However, the remaining 50 percent end up hospitalized where 10 percent of those end up committing suicide (Brown, 2000). Although there have been significant strides in diagnosing and treating schizophrenia cases in the U.S., the fact remains that so much still needs to be done. The government has been supporting legislations that seek to fund studies on the function of brain chemistry, brain enhancement, and genetic configurations and how these can be used to find a cure for this mental cancer. Doctors have also become adept at diagnosing the disease at an early stage although the drugs to treat the disease are still not as effective and this has hampered the efforts to control the disease in America (Brown, 2000). Conclusion In the conclusion, it must be stated that medical experts consider schizophrenia as the cancer among all the mental illness. This is because it is possibly the most dangerous and devastating mental illness in existence. Despite the numerous breakthroughs in medical science, the cause and cure for schizophrenia has not yet been found. Today, America is believed to be the leading country in the world in schizophrenia cases. Unlike other conditions, the incidence and prevalence rates are equal across the gender and the ethnic divide. Despite this, the prevalence rate of schizophrenia is believed to be higher among migrants as compared to Native Americans. References Brown, S. (2000). Excess Mortality of Schizophrenia: A Meta-Analysis. Br J Psychiatry 171: 502-508. Eaton, W. (1991). Update on the Epidemiology of Schizophrenia. Epidemiol Review 2: 105-126 Hennekens, C. and Buring, J. (1987). Epidemiology in Medicine. Toronto: Little, Brown and Company. Jablensky, A. (2000). Epidemiology of Schizophrenia: The Global Burden of Disease and Disability. Psychiatry Today 2 (250): 274-285. Jablensky, A. (2003). Schizophrenia: The Epidemiological Horizon. Oxford: Blackwell Science. John, M. (2001). A Dictionary of Epidemiology. London: Oxford University Press. Mausner, G. and Bahn, K. (2010). Introductory Text of Epidemiology. Second Edition. W. B. Saunders. McGrath, J., Saha, S., et al. (2005). A Systematic Review of the Incidence of Schizophrenia; The Distribution of Rates and the Influence of Sex, Urbanicity, Migrant Status and Methodology. BMC Med 2, (13): 56-100.