The Character Falstaff in Shakespeares Henry IV Essay -- Henry IV Hen

The Character Falstaff in Shakespeare's Henry IV Sir John Falstaff has a number of functions in 1 Henry IV, the most obvious as a clownish figure providing comic relief. His many lies and exaggerations entertain because of the wit and cleverness he employs to save himself from paying debts and answering for crimes. He in many ways represents an everyman--a sinner with little shame or honor, who nonetheless maintains at least an outward concern for honor and appearances. "If sack and sugar be a fault, God help the wicked! If to be old and merry be a sin, then many an old host that I know is damn'd. . . . [Banish the others] but for sweet Jack Falstaff, kind Jack Falstaff, true Jack Falstaff, valiant Jack Falstaff . . . banish plump Jack, and banish all the world." (II.iv) Clearly, Falstaff hopes to exculpate himself by arguing that his sins are no worse than everyone else's. And it is this aspect of Falstaff, that he is like the others, that is perhaps the most intriguing--Is Falstaff a foil or mirror of the other characters, notably Hotspur and Prince Hal? We see Shakespeare setting up parallel situations that reveal how we should read the characters. For example, many critics see a kind of teacher/student or even father/son relationship in Falstaff and Hal's relationship. This relationship is not filled with mutual respect however. Falstaff no doubt hopes that his fraternizing with the young Prince will mean a pay-off in titles, money, and prestige when Hal comes into power. Falstaff asks the Prince, "Do not thou, when thou art king, hang a thief" (I.ii); thieving is after all Falstaff's "vocation," so he shows here that he is already thinking of how to gain an advantage of the future king's influence. As for Hal, he c... ...honor of the bawdy house, of the drunken boast, but true honor that is based in fact and in deed. He can rise to the occasion of besting the best of the foemen. He rejects his false "father" Falstaff and rushes to the aid of his real father, saving him in battle. Yet, he has taken something from Falstaff too, and that is his humor, his flexible mind, his joy of life. He lets stand Falstaff's absurd claim that he Falstaff has killed Percy. In this, Hal shows modesty and true self-confidence. To that he has blended Hotspur's valor and honor while avoiding Hotspur's brittle hair-splitting and unalloyed pride. In Hal, Shakespeare successfully merges the two extremes of Falstaff and Percy into a human and humane whole. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William.Henry IV.In The Norten Anthology of English Literature.Eds. M.H. Abrams et all. 5th Ed. New York: Norton, 1987.

War and Deception - President George Bush and President Lyndon Johnson

The responsibilities of a presidential administration to the United States should be easily defined, but in many instances have come to be uncertain. There are two wars over the last century that have compromised the American reputation, as well as the integrity of our people. On these two occasions the intentions of our president have been something different than publicized to the country. The United States as a whole was deceived by two particular leaders and their administration. Through propaganda, selective speech, and exaggerated evidence, Presidents Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush manipulated the support of the nation for their bold military actions and personal agendas. In August of 1964 there was an alleged attack by North Vietnamese torpedo boats against the United States navy while they were stationed in the Tonkin Gulf reporting intelligence information to South Vietnam. This attack was said to have occurred with no provocation from the United States. President Lyndon Johnson and his advisers decided upon immediate retaliation with air attacks. Johnson went further in asking Congress to pass a resolution that would authorize further military action. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed by Congress on August seventh. This has been described by historians as a â€Å"blank check† for the Johnson and Nixon administrations (Nelson, 452). It gave the president great authority over decisions made about the war in Vietnam. Both Johnson and Nixon cited the Tonkin Gulf Resolution many times during their terms to justify further military action in Southeast Asia. In 1968, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee performed investigations that revealed that Johnson had been deceptive in gaining the support of Congress. Records and testimonies showed that the U.S. ship attacked that August day in 1964 was actually in North Vietnamese territory gathering sensitive information. It was also revealed that the administration was aware that an attack was possible while in these waters (Nelson, 452). There were also further revelations of the deception of President Johnson. In 1995, Vo Nguyen Giap, a retired Vietnamese general met with former Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. In this meeting, Giap repeatedly denied that the Tonkin Gulf attack had ever happened. Also, in 2001, a taped conversation between Lyndon Johnson and McNamara exposed Johnson’s o... ...nd lose respect for the United States. These actions have caused us to look like power hungry, arrogant intruders around the world. The deception of the government needs to be terminated. The foreign policy and actions of the United States needs to be made public. Citizens need to be made aware of the government’s intentions, so as to create a wider support group or to give us the right to protest and stop actions they do not agree with. Work Cited Bunch, William. â€Å"Invading Iraq not a new idea for Bush clique.† Philly Daily News. 27 January 2003. Davidson, Kenneth. â€Å"The Real Reasons America is Invading Iraq.† The Age. 20 March 2003. Ellsburg, Daniel. Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers. New York: Viking Penguin, 2002. Martin, Patrick. â€Å"What happened to Iraq’s ‘weapons of mass destruction’?† International Committee of the Fourth International. 22 April 2003. Nelson, Michael. The Presidency A to Z. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly, Inc., 1998. Scheer, Christopher. â€Å"Ten Appalling Lies We Were Told About Iraq.† Alternet. 27 June 2003. â€Å"Weapons of Mass Destruction: Who Said What When.† Counter Punch. 29 May 2003.

Sociology Paper on Society

Sociology Final Exam Paper Sociology Paper on Society â€Å"Human beings are fascinated with the world in which they live, and they aspire to develop ways to explain their experiences. People appear to have always felt this fascination-along with the intense desire to unravel the world’s mysteries-for people in ancient times also attempted to explain their worlds†(Henslin 8). Sociology is about understanding how people act as a society and how we, as people, treat our fellow human beings.The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, figuring out what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other. Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber's assertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George H. Mead introduced this perspective to American sociology in t he 1920s.According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Verbal conversations, in which spoken words serve as the main symbols, make this subjective interpretation especially evident. The words have a certain meaning for the â€Å"sender,† and, during effective communication, they hopefully have the same meaning for the â€Å"receiver†. Words are not static things and they require intention and interpretation.Conversation is an interaction of symbols between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as it refers to something beyond itself. Think of applying symbolic interactionism to the American institution of marriage, the symbols may include wedding bands, vows of life-long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but people also maintain their own perceptions of what these and other symbols mean.For example, one of the spouses may see their circular wedding rings as symbolizing never ending love, while the other may see them as a just a financial expense. Bad communication can result from differences in the perception of the same events and symbols. Critics claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro level of social interpretation, which is the big picture. In other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the size of the diamond in the wedding ring rather than the quality of the marriage.The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social norms and institutions on individual interactions. According to the functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society's functioning as a whole. The government , or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. That is, the family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families.In the process, the children become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. On the other hand, Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus, or cohesion, in which members of the society agree upon, and work together to achieve, what is best for society as a whole. Emile Durkheim suggested that social consensus takes one of two forms, one being Mechanical Solidarity, which is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in a society maintain similar values and beliefs and engage in similar types of work.Mechanical solidarity most commonly occurs in traditional, simple societies such as those in which everyone herds cattle or farms. The Amish societ y exemplifies mechanical solidarity. In contrast, the other being Organic solidarity, which is a form of social cohesion that arises when the people in a society are interdependent, but hold to varying values and beliefs and engage in varying types of work. Organic solidarity most commonly occurs in industrialized, more immense societies such as those in large American cities like New York City.The functionalist perspective achieved its greatest popularity among American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s. While European functionalists originally focused on explaining the inner workings of social order, American functionalists focused on discovering the functions of human behavior. Among these American functionalist sociologists is Robert Merton, who divides human functions into two types, manifest functions are intentional and obvious. The manifest function of attending a church or synagogue, for instance, is to worship as part of a religious community.With common sense, manifest functions become easily apparent. A sociological approach in functionalism is the consideration of the relationship between the functions of smaller parts and the functions of the whole. Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an event such as divorce. Critics of this perspective also claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of society's members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them.Instead, functionalism sees active social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate naturally for any problems that may arise. The conflict perspective, which originated primarily out of Karl Marx's writings on class struggles, presents society in a different light than the functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives. While these latter perspectives focus on the positive aspects of so ciety that contribute to its stability, the conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society.Unlike functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and believe people cooperate to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change, and believe rich and powerful people have more control of society than the poor and the weak. Conflict theorists, for example, feel that society should have a more equal balance to it, meaning if the rich have more money than less fortunate people, they should share the wealth. American sociologists in the 1940s and 1950s generally ignored the conflict perspective in favor of the functionalist.They also expanded Marx's idea that the key conflict in society was strictly economic. Today, conflict theorists find social conflict between any groups in which the potential for inequality exists, such as racial, gender, religious, political, and economic. Conflict t heorists note that unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agendas, causing them to compete against one another. This constant competition between groups forms the notion of how our society as a whole is constantly changing.Men, especially in today’s society, are seen as the more important and intelligent gender while woman are seen as the warm, caring, and responsible gender. â€Å"As examination of the work women did before beginning car sales show that most had traditional women’s careers, such as teaching, waitressing, social work, retail sales, and secretarial jobs. These occupations primarily involved service to others and paid low wages†(Henslin 205). This is especially true in the United States, in which many states have low wages for women and higher wages for men.Men tend to have a job that requires strength and knowledge, whereas women are classified as either the stay at home, nurturing mother, or the waitress or secretary like how Helene Lawson discussed in, Down to Earth Sociology. The supposed fundamental differences between sexes have historically been used as an argument against equal rights, notably in the opposition to women's suffrage. More recently Neuro-scientific researchers have claimed that essential differences between the male and female brain have been uncovered, evidenced by neuro-imaging that suggests differing brain structures.The differences are how women and men tend to act, and how they act differently in society, therefore society views them differently and discriminates. However, the research is not as clear as it may first appear, no participant of a study can be isolated from the affects of socialization. The widely held belief that male and female brains function in different ways is based upon the conclusions of a small minority of studies, conclusions usually dismissed. Sociologists have relied upon the notion of a universal, innate, human nature, a nature that includes gender divisions, in society.Our society is patriarchal, our institutions, our traditions, our everyday lives, are filled with examples of men in positions of authority over women. You are born and take your father’s surname. You marry, and tradition holds that a father gives away his daughter to become the wife of a man whose name she shall adopt. Until very recently, it is the man in a relationship who holds financial control, and the woman who takes the responsibility for the home and the children.When a woman goes out to work she earns, on average, usually less than her male counterpart, is less likely to receive a promotion, and is likely to receive a smaller pension. If a woman is a wife and/or mother, she will also, on average, continue to take responsibility for the home and the family in addition to her paid employment. The decisions made on our behalf by representatives in unions, councils, and governments that are made predominantly by men. Despite the now higher proportion of femal e law graduates to their male counterparts, our legal system remains dominated by men.Equality differences can even be seen at birth, where male babies are described as being smart and strong, and the female babies are often given pink clothing, and referred to as cute, warm. To when they grow up, being a female baby, beauty is important, â€Å"Its sad but true that grade school teachers tend to judge their pupils largely on the basis of their looks†(Henslin 344). These associations, implicit in our society, have deep implications when it comes to gender equality.Research has demonstrated that when equally qualified men and women apply for identical jobs, the gender associations of the vacancy is a key factor in determining who will be successful, women therefore are at a disadvantage in many areas of employment from the outset, as the attributes of a successful worker are typically seen as masculine, while a woman may be perfectly suited to the role in question, her talents are far less likely to be recognized than they would be in a man.Feminism, which is the idea of equality between men and women, has become more prevalent because of the fact that women are being treated more as sex symbols than people in advertisements and in society in general, in the U. S. Feminism is a misconception, when thought of as women are better then men so they should have more rights, it is mainly just equality. The feminist’s just want to have, â€Å"equal rights within the current political and social structure†(Tuana 1).Feminists had movements dating back to the sixties, that were against inequality between genders, â€Å"The National Organization for Women forms in 1966, petitioning to stop sex segregation of want ads and one year later to request federally funded childcare centers†(Tuana 1). Women and men function as human beings in the U. S and in society in general and should be treated as equals, not discriminated because of one’s sex. Social stratification in American Society is not clearly defined or determined, nevertheless social scientists has developed a socio-economic stratification of the American society.Americans believe in a three-class society, the rich, poor and the middle class and most Americans consider themselves as middle class. In reality American society is more diverse and there is an extensive difference among people. The basic determinants that make social class are wealth, education, income and occupation. Some sociologists have divided the American society in six distinct categories including: rich or the upper class, upper middle class, lower middle class, lower class and poor and under class.It is believed that the people who belong to the same social class share similar social positions, similar ways of thinking and life styles, others oppose this idea and believe that we cannot generalize characteristic of the people to one another. Social class creates a hierarchy for the people of e ach class, as a way of identifying which level each person falls in. One of the indications of the social class in America is income in terms of either individual or household and is one of the most important indicators of social class. Most students from working-class homes who are striving to better their situations in life become discouraged at the many obstacles in their paths†(Henslin 383). Families who have two income earners are in a better position for their children to succeed in school. Per capita income, which means the amount of money allocated to each individual member, is also another important determinant in social stratification. It can be said the families who have fewer members are in a better position.Another indication in social stratification is education in which there is a relation with the occupation and income. Higher education means that one needs money and to pay tuition, so it is clear that most of the time the families who are better off can afford a better education for their children, they can pay for better schools and private schools, colleges and universities. As the result there is connection between money and education for a higher chance to succeed.One of the most prominent features of social class is culture, people of the same social class tend to have similar ways of behavior even though this behavior and culture is not something fixed. There is diversity inside the same social group as well. One of the important terms in American culture and literature is the concept of Social Status. Another important characteristic of American social class is achieved status rather than the described statues, it means that regardless of his or her original statues, one can become rich and successful and climb the social ladder.But in reality this idealistic view cannot be completely true, many people of color are still suffering the racial prejudices and as a result they cannot have the proper education and a good occupation whi ch is perhaps the most important class component. These people have lower income and the cycle will continue to the later generations. Despite the existing injustice and inequalities, America is considered land of opportunity. Thought this belief is exaggerated, Americans have improved their economic situation with their hard working and persistence. Despite what sociologists call a â€Å"deficit of cultural capital,† through determined hard work, native ability, and perseverance some members of the working class manage to attain social mobility†(Henslin 383). The different social classes can define one’s income, occupation, and the kind of friends one would make, usually these classes do not mix socially, the upper classes will not mingle with lower middle classes and middle classes tend not to associate with low/poor classes.From the sociological perspectives, regarding symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict theory, to feminism and gender equality , to social stratification, these similar aspects of sociology define how we as humans perceive each other and how society is structured into different classes and how gender plays a important role in society. Sociology has different perspectives from each sociologist, ranging from Max Weber to Durkheim to Frazier to Karl Marx. Society works on a basis of how each member of it chooses to act, and how the certain classes interact with each other and form us, as human beings. Similar essay: Our Changing Society

Does the UK have a Prime Ministerial government?

The Prime Minister is very much a staple of British politics today and it can be seen in the last thirty years that there has been a power shift in UK politics very much in favour of the Prime Minister. Traditionally, the UK government operated under a theoretical system known as cabinet government which is basically the idea that all members of the cabinet should have an equal say in policy making with the Prime Minister being ‘first among equals' in the cabinet. However, in recent times it can be seen that the UK government has moved to a system known as Prime Ministerial government which is when a prime minister uses its powers and influence to dominate all areas of government including the dictation of government policy. It can be seen that the powers of patronage the Prime Minister has, the control and bypass of the cabinet by the PM and the fact that the PM is in appearance the head of the country, all of which suggest a move towards a prime ministerial government in recent years. However, it can be argued that whilst the PM appears to be all dominant in fact the PM still relies on the support of its cabinet, its party and the strength of its party in parliament or in other words the success of the PM. One way in which in recent years, the UK has moved towards PM government is through the control and bypassing of the cabinet by various Prime Ministers.Government Regulation on Media in America In recent years, there has been a bypassing of cabinet government and an increase in the use of bilateral meetings (which is essentially a gathering of the PMs most trusted ministers from the cabinet and deciding what to do on certain policies before the cabinet meeting) which allows the pm to have more power over policy and also takes power usually reserved for the cabinet. An example of this is Blair's ‘kitchen cabinet' of which brown was the only ever present member whom he discussed policy with an example of this being the privatisation of the control of interest rates in the bank of England which was very much Blair's own personal policy. Another way there has been a move from cabinet government is that the prime minister has become able to push their own policy forward with little or no support from their parties for example Thatcher pushed through the poll tax bill even though the party was more or less united in opposition to the idea. In addition to this in recent years we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of personal advisors to the PM in comparison to previous years where the PM had barely any personal advisors and the now established PM's office which consists of advisors to the PM thereby limiting the need for cabinet consultation. These moves clearly show a bypassing and control of the government supporting the idea the UK has moved to a PM government rather than cabinet government. One restraint on the powers of the prime minister is the strength a majority in parliament. It could be argued that there is a correlation between the power of the prime minister and the parties size of majority in parliament for example Blair initially was a very strong prime minister operating under a strong majority in parliament going undefeated in parliament until after the 2005 election but, after significant lessening of the majority in the next election he wasn't as strong as he didn't have as much public support for him to justify himself and his policies to his party thereby lessening his/her power. This lessens or has a restraint on the Prime Ministers power as it ensures that they are very much under the power of the public opinion and that defines how powerful they are. For example, Brown was very much a weak Prime Minister in the sense of dictating policy as he simply didn't have enough public support or a large enough majority to make his own personal policy which was shown in the defeat he suffered over the gurka bill in 2008 which once again shows the restraint that public support and parliamentary majority has on a Prime Ministers power. Which shows the PM not to be an all dominant figure in government and very much accountable to its own party thereby suggesting that we do not operate under a PM government as the PM is still held accountable and therefore any dominance over the government the PM has is in fact sustained by parliament and when the support from parliament wanes it can be seen that the PM is not able to dictate policy for too long. Another way in which it could be seen that we operate under a PM government is appearance of the prime minister as a supposed head of the country. In recent years there has been an increased media focus on the PM (even leading to puppet parodies which can be seen to represent the national mood at the time) making them the focal point or at least seem to be of British politics, the increased media focus has also led to many voters voting for the prime minister candidate rather than the party they represent which also leads to more power as it shows the PM to be instantly recognisable and important so it commands respect. An example of the Media focus on the prime minister which made him more powerful as they would be seen as the figure head of the government is Blair coming out of the G8 meeting to address the nation and to drive to downing street to sort it out after 7/7 which made him more powerful as he was seen to care and be able to take action. Another way the PM appears to be the head of the country is in foreign policy, Prime ministers can be seen to be the head of foreign policy in terms of conflicts diplomacy and such for example, Blair is often seen as the man who made the decision to invade Iraq and Afghanistan which gives him the appearance of being the head of the country, but it also shows him to be able to dictate policy at least in that area and this can be seen with a variety of PMs in recent years such as Thatcher being known as the Iron Lady after the Falkland's war, Cameron's presiding over the conflict in Libya and the subsequent military operations there and Major over the first gulf war. This showed the PM's to be supposed heads of the country and gave certainly the appearance of a PM government and substance behind the appearance is perhaps shown by such decisive decision making during the conflict. Another way the PM's powers are under restraint is by their own party in terms of support (or lack thereof) . A Prime Ministerial government relies on its party for backing and allowance for the PM to dictate policy but they are also a restraint from the party in the sense that a lack of support would stop the PM from being able to do those things and usually ends in a new leadership election, there are numerous examples of this in recent history and Whilst it's certainly true that recent history has shown there to be at least two very strong Prime ministers namely Thatcher and Blair, both of these were both in some way in debt to their parties in the sense that they needed the party support to be such strong prime ministers for example for Blair to carry out his reforms he needed substantial support from his party, for Thatcher to carry out her new right policy's she needed substantial support from her party. This reliance can lead to the Prime Ministers downfall however; as it is very much the case the Party is very much happy for the PM to be powerful as long as they are successful in winning the next election so when this becomes under threat the Prime Minister is usually forced out, Thatcher was forced out after she forced through an extremely un popular poll tax bill for example. In other cases it can be seen because of a lack of a large party support some PM's never get the chance to be powerful and all PM's are restricted nearing the end of their Premiership e. g. Brown never really had the same power Blair had and at the end faced a leadership challenged which though he survived really signalled an end to any chance he had of being a powerful PM, in a similar situation with Major's premiership It could be seen that his leadership was very much affected due to the spectre of the previous conservative leader (thatcher) and also powerful opponents in the cabinet such as Howard and Portillo. This shows that a Prime Minister really relies on its party for power and influence thereby making a PM government entirely reliant on its party which more or less challenges the whole idea of a PM government. Another way it can be seen that the UK operates under a PM government is the Prime Ministers power of patronage which allows the PM to control policy through the threat or use of his power of dismissal and can use this to dominate Cabinet and on extension it's party. The PM chooses all of the ministers and junior ministers and all who sit in cabinet so whether the MPs progress in their political career relies on the favour to the PM thereby ensuring support of the PM from the lower down MPs and if they do not support the PM they are forced to resign for example MP John Hutton was forced to resign after saying Labour under Brown would be a ‘****ing disaster*' which shows that whilst people may argue that PMs need support from its ministers it can be seen equally or more so that ministers need the support of a PM which shows a move to PM government as it show the PM making the decisions and also controlling its party. In conclusion, it seems that there has indeed been a move towards PM government in recent years especially considering both Thatcher and Blairs premierships and whilst it may be said that the style of government depends on the personality of the Prime Minister traits of a PM government still remained in the premierships of the likes of Brown and Major so overall its clear to certain extent that there has been a move to a Prime Ministerial government. However it does seem that this is facilitated by the party and the cabinet so one may argue that whilst indeed it is a Prime Ministerial government it is supported and facilitated by the government it is perceived to dominate.

Presentation Critique Essay

To analyze verbal and nonverbal techniques that will enhance oral communication with a business and/ or professional context in this paper, first let look as the verbal communication. Verbal communication happens through the use of words. It must be understood that communication has to depend on the language that has been designed, developed and propagated by humans. As a result, it suffers from a lot of limitation despite the fact that some languages of the world are very developed and command a vast vocabulary. Non-Verbal communication uses signs, signals, gestures, expressions and sounds. In common parlance, nonverbal is also called body language. As a rule, it does not lie or mislead unless someone has mastered the art of deceit or camouflaging. With this basic of taught, verbal communication depends on the language that has been designed or develop, while nonverbal uses signs, signals, expression. Therefore, nonverbal does not lie or mislead. To assess the strength and weakness in the student’s own oral communication and in the other oral communication you must: * Emphasize the practical importance of strong teamwork skill, i.e the value of teamwork skill in (outside) the workplace by offering real-world example of how teams function and illustrating what can go wrong when teamwork skill are weak or strong. * Establish ground rules, i.e. create ground rules for group behavior or ask student’s to do it themselves. Group ground rules can include things such as: return e-mail from group member within 24 to 48 hours, come to meetings on time and prepared, meet deadline, and listen to what your teammates have to say. To write clearly and concisely using proper writing mechanics, you must look at the context of the topic or what the topic ask you to write on. Also write for your audiences to understand. Therefore, do not use back to back words whenever you are write business letter.

The organization of financial (debt, equity, foreign exchange, Essay

The organization of financial (debt, equity, foreign exchange, derivative) and commodity markets and their role in international trade and economic performance - Essay Example At maturity of specific time period, the bond issuers not only repay the principal amount of debt but also the periodical interest payments to the bond holders (Berk and Martin, 2011). Stocks are the equity instruments mainly issued by the corporations for an indefinite time period. Stockholders become the owners of the corporations and play a key role in the decision making process of the company. Stock holders can buy and sell the stocks in the stock market such as New York Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange etc. (Babu, 2012). Foreign exchange market deals in the currencies of various countries such that it provides the mechanism for trading the foreign currencies. The difference between the buying and selling price is called as the spread which is the profit of the trader. Foreign currency markets work round the clock thus, minimizing the arbitrage opportunities (Sheeba, 2011). Derivatives are the hedging instruments which provide the holders the opportunity to mitigate the risk against the undesired movements of financial securities. Common types of derivatives include forwards, futures, swaps, and options (Brigham and Ehrhardt, 2008). Commodity market comprises of various commodities such as metals, energy, foods, etc. These commodities are regulated by the commodity exchanges such as New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Financial markets and commodity markets are the major indicators of the international economic prosperity such that in times of booming periods, the prices of the instruments traded under these markets are at their peak whereas in times of depression, these prices steeply

Leadership and control plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership and control plan - Assignment Example The president of the firm is currently not delegating any responsibilities to its vice-presidents. A lot of changes have to occur at this company to turn things around. A new leadership plan has to be implemented to improve the employee morale at the firm. One of the first steps to show the employees that the firm cares about their professional development is to immediately implement a training and development plan. Each month all the employees of the firm should have the opportunity to receive at least an hour of training. The firm should have both required and voluntary training and development sessions. The managerial staff of the firm should receive advance training on leadership topics. Another way to improve leadership within the company is by adopting the use of delegating and empowerment. These two topics should be emphasized in the training and development efforts of the firm. Delegation can be defined as the process of giving power or work to someone else so that they are responsible for part of what they normally do (Theyagu). Leadership can also be enhanced at the company by the utilization of teamwork. Working in team units allows work ers to improve their communication skills and to work in a cohesive manner with their colleagues to achieve common goals. The control measures of the company are completely inadequate. The firm has a major weakness in its accounting department. The firm’s accounting department is understaffed and not performing adequately. The first step is for the firm to hire a consultant in accounting to perform an external auditing to ensure that the company is complying with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The external audit performed by this firm must be evaluated by the newly hired position of comptroller at the firm. Along with a comptroller the firm must hire two additional staff accountants with at least three years of experience in accounting. The newly form accounting