The Broker by John Grisham Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Broker by John Grisham - Essay Example â€Å"The Broker† is Joel Backman, a lawyer/lobbyist who went to prison six years ago for conspiring to sell a satellite system to an unnamed party outside the United States. The outgoing President, Arthur Morgan offers him pardon and he is released from prison, to be scuttled out of the country and hidden away in Italy. Backman had been sent to prison six years ago because he had been the broker in a deal to control the software that operates the latest to-secret spy satellite system. The Director of the CIA convinces the President to pardon him but the motive behind his action is not altruistic. The reason for engineering Backman’s release and helping him to go into hiding is to set him up as bait to fish out the parties involved in the deal for the satellite software. The CIA figures that whoever owns the satellite will find Blackman and kill him for having allowed himself to be caught six years ago. But since they have Backman under surveillance they will have the opportunity to unearth that vital piece of intelligence. Grisham’s book involves politics, espionage and above all the vital element of surveillance that forms an essential component of contemporary intelligence activity. The key element that drives this book on to its climax is the fact that the reader does not know who put up the secret satellites and who’s trying to buy the software and the intense surveillance maintained on Backman as he lives in Italy is geared towards unlocking these secrets. Backman however, has his own plans and he doesn’t plan to let either side get to him. But the information he is privy to about the secret satellite system makes him a prime target. He is constantly under surveillance and the novel demonstrates the extent to which the advances in development of satellite technology have led to its increasingly intrusive role, blurring the lines between

Denialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Denialism - Essay Example In most cases of such dissenters, the stronger the emotion behind their beliefs, the more they are likely to invariably use cognitive inaccuracies to hold onto the false belief. In general, human beings tend to believe that there is a reason, and a physical logical one at that, why certain things happen. This especially true where emotional subjects such as the health of children is concerned. For example, they will feel that there is a reason why autistic children are that way. Some parents will also use examples of coincidental situations that occur to prove that there is a connection between autism and vaccinations. For instance, if a child dies soon after being vaccinated, its parents are likely to use that incident as justification for refusing to let their other children get vaccinated. Also, people have the tendency of expressing reservations on only the procedures that they are able to remember easily. In most cases where children receive vaccinations, they have no adverse re actions to them. This is an extremely common occurrence that is never reported on. Moreover, the media will report extensively whenever a child has adverse reactions to a vaccine. ... In the false consensus effect, parents are led to believe that the subject belief concerning the danger of vaccines is one which is widely held. This is mainly the result of being exposed to selective data through various elements of the media (Specter, 2009). In addition, most parents have no way of getting feedback from others about questions regarding this premise due to the unspoken rules regarding social interaction. For instance, if a parent suspects that his son or daughter is autistic because of the administrations of multiple vaccines, this view is not likely to be corrected by others or by doctors because it is unlikely that the parent will express it out loud. In recent years, the people who believe that vaccines cause autism have been influenced by the consistency with which the media reports on the subject of vaccines in relation to autism. It is also a fact that the parents who feel that vaccines are the actual cause of their children’s autism are more speak abou t it more often than those who do not believe this. Another reason why people might be persuaded about the accuracy of this inaccuracy is that it is the one issue over which they feel that they have control. Healthcare, in most nations, is the responsibility of government ministries; which many people distrust. Most citizens in nations around the world do not have a choice about the vaccines that their children get because governments have determined that the child’s rights to health are more important than the parent’s feelings about the matter. In some nations, children are vaccinated before being allowed to attend school while in others, parents are obligated to deliver the child to clinics for vaccinations. Many parents are irritated by the fact

Human Resource Management 1 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resource Management 1 - Research Paper Example In the following paragraph we are going to discuss about all the six features of a multicultural organization – Pluralism  refers to the mixed group of members in an organization and it also means taking proper measures to involve all the employees entirely that are different in terms of the central group dominating the organization. The concept of pluralism should take into account all the factors relating to race, religion, language, ethnicity, gender and culture which proves to be the basic component of a person’s identity and hence are sensitive facets of a person’s life. Pluralism is a part of the acculturation process. Acculturation helps to a great extent to introduce the concept of pluralism among the employees. Acculturation is the means by which the cultural disparity between the host/dominant cultural group and a minority cultural group are treated or resolved. There are a number of options for practicing acculturation within the organization, among which the most well-known being: 1. An unilateral procedure by which members of the minority culture take on the values and norms of the principal group within the workplace (this is called assimilation); 2. A course of action by which both majority and minority members of different cultural backgrounds accept some customs and rules of the other group (this is known as pluralism); 3. A state of affairs where there is modest scope of variation from each of the culturally different groups (this situation is referred to as cultural separatism). Pluralism further refers to the means of encouraging the minority culture groups are to enact the practices from the other cultural groups as well as from the dominant cultural group. They are as a result capable of retaining a sense of individuality within their minority cultural group. The concept of acculturation on the other hand is related to the cultural (customs and attitudes) characteristic of amalgamation of the diverse teams, as contra sting to simply make themselves physically available in the same setting (Buenker & Ratner, 2005, pp.18-20). Full structural integration:  An organization generally comprises of people from various backgrounds and different locations. When the firm has minority team members offering their service at every organizational level like responsibly handling all functions and enthusiastically taking part in all work teams, then it is said that the firm has attained full structural integration. Though, in order to obtain an appropriate knowledge of the structural integration framework it is significant to look further than the organization oriented summary data, and study the cultural blend in terms of function, individual work team and the level of work done. This involves dealing out with educational specializations and the variations in expertise and treating those evenly all through the organization. Full integration of informal networks:  integration in informal networks in a multi cultural organization is fostered through supervising and mentoring programs, particular social occasions and sustaining the cultural groups for the minorities. Such firm

United Arab Emirates Essay Example for Free

United Arab Emirates Essay In his article titled â€Å"United Arab Emirates† Sulayman Najm Khalaf gives an interesting overview of the UAE, one of the richest and most prosperous countries in the world. He briefly covers a wide range of subjects that concern the way of life of the Emirati society and vary from the country’s location and geography, its history, ethnic and social composition, political institutions, social welfare, the history of economic development, urbanization to the family life of its citizens, religion, child rearing, education, eating habits, etiquette, etc (Khalaf). Khalaf’s brief account of gender roles and statuses in the Emirati society now make me see the role of women in the country’s social, political, religious, or artistic life in a slightly different way. Although it is a well known fact that Emirati women, like women in many other Muslim countries, do not have the same rights and opportunities as men regardless of whatever the country’s government officials may declare, I did believe they had a greater influence on many aspects of social life and better access to the country’s politics than they actually have. I was also surprised to learn that in spite of the high ratio of the number of educated women in the UAE and their impressive performance in schools and universities, most of them tend to get married early, instead of taking the existing career opportunities, and actually choose to dedicate themselves to raising children and managing domestic affairs. I wrongly believed that the current status of women in the UAE was somewhat approaching the status of women in Western countries. In his article Khalaf describes some aspects of the special relationship between four principal social classes existing in the United Arab Emirates on the one hand, and between the Emirati nationals and the immigrants on the other hand. I was not aware of the high importance which is attached to the division of the nationals into social classes, their roles in â€Å"Page # 2† the Emirati society, and particularly the obvious impossibility for their members to move from a lower social group to a higher one. The article also changed my beliefs about the existence of equal opportunities for the citizens of the United Arab Emirates. Despite apparent openness and equality that I believed were typical of the country, and also tolerance for other ethnic or religious groups, now I am quite aware of the visible existence of gender discrimination and discrimination against other cultural or religious groups which, what is particularly shocking for a Westerner, are overtly encouraged by the state. As far as discrimination against the immigrants is concerned, now that I have read Khalaf’s article I am inclined to believe that the incomers are tolerated in the UAE not out of a sense of Emirati hospitality that is often advertised abroad, but because the country needs them and their low paid labor and services. This can be substantiated, for example, by the fact that the nationals that are just a minority group representing only 20% of the population are favored by most state laws or business regulations (Khalaf). Despite being a multiethnic society, the UAE grants privileges to and appears to protect the interests of only one ethnic group reserving other groups for a sustainable but nonetheless a relatively decent, by local standards, existence. It can be thus concluded that equal opportunities as we understand them in the West simply do not exist in the United Arab Emirates. The author explains that apart from Islam which is the country’s official religion foreign incomers can open and attend their own places of worship, too. But, as he emphasizes in the article, the majority of immigrants are of Asian or Arab descent following Islam. Khalaf does not mention, for example, how many, if any, practicing Christians or Buddhists as well as their churches or temples there are in the country. It would be also interesting to find out more about how the UAE regulates the inflow of immigrants from the much poorer countries of the region. Little does the author say about certain aspects of the country’s â€Å"Page # 3† political life, for example, how the president and his deputy are elected and by whom, how the judiciary is formed, etc. REFERENCES: 1. Khalaf, S. N. United Arab Emirates. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from the World Wide Web: http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_gx5228/is_2001/ai_n19144272

Interracial America :: Racial Relations, People of Color, Asians

Lakshmi Chaundhry is a senior editor of AlterNet, an independent, alternative online news magazine. He thinks that people of different races falling in love, is a â€Å"luxury we can’t afford.†(158) Meanwhile, Andrew Sullivan a contributing writer for New York Times Magazine and senior editor of the New Republic thinks that interracial marriages break barriers and make people happier which in turn makes them more successful. Sullivan thinks, â€Å"If the rate of inter-racial marriages increases, the next generation may well not identify as ‘black’ or ‘white’ at all.†(158) â€Å"To avoid frustration, self-loathing, and anger, people of color should be discouraged from entering interracial romantic relationships,† claims Chaundry.(158) Chaundry suggests that people should stay away from interracial relationships. One of his main reasons is because not everyone will have someone. He feels that everyone picks and chooses. Chaundry states that it’s a â€Å"racial hierarchy.† â€Å"Anglos squarely are at the top.†(159) The Anglos determine who is hot and who is not. One of his arguments is about Asians. â€Å"Asians just don’t cut the list,† states Chaundry. (159) There will be no women for the Asian guy. â€Å"’We’re at the bottom of the pile, right along with black women.’†(159) Even Hollywood shows this. â€Å"In ‘Shanghai Knights,’ actress Fann Wong is matched with Owen Wilson instead of Jackie Chan, who is conveniently cast as her brother.†(159) Hollywood is send ing the message that Asian men are not wanted. â€Å"No women for the Asian guy.†(159) This affects the life of people. Henry says, â€Å"’It means a lot of loneliness, a lot of Friday nights without a date.’†(159) Being lonely leads these men to have â€Å"’an obsession with pornography.’† (160) Not having anyone for them affects the lives of these Asian men. On the contrary, â€Å"Asian women have a better shot at getting some white booty.†(160) This is called a â€Å"cultural leverage.†(160). A cultural leverage is when one sex isn’t really accepted culturally but the other sex can get anyone they desire. The Asian woman has more sexual options. The Asian man is limited to very few choices. â€Å"The men in my community want the right to do the same.†(160) This is a problem that the Asian man faces according to Chaudhry and her resources. â€Å"I spent my teen years falling in and out of love with a number of seriously cute Indian boys.†(161) She grew up in Indian where she refers to it as â€Å"[having] harsher realities of race.†(161) When she moved back to America she was judged by a white person for her marriage.

Randy Pausch’s Last lecture presentation

1. Randy Pausch’s Last lecture presentation is about achieving your childhood dreams, enabling the dreams of others, and how you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others. Mr. Pausch had several childhood dreams these included: being in zero gravity, playing in the NFL, Authoring an article in the World Book Encyclopedia, being Captain Kirk, winning stuffed animals, and being a Disney Imagineer. He achieved his first dream of being in zero gravity when he was a professor and his students were taking part of a space ship demonstration.He did not achieve his dream of being a NFL player; however as a kid he was enrolled in football. He states that football taught him so many things, such as hard work, the fundamentals, and experience. He learned that when you’re screwing up and no one bothers to say anything to you that means that they stopped caring. He received an opportunity to write an article for the encyclopedia on virtual reality. He also won lots of bi g stuff animals for his family. Randy Pausch had done so well for himself in the virtual reality world that Captain Kirk came to meet him, and lastly he was able to work as a Disney Imagineer.Lastly, he ends his lecture with some important advice. He states to be good at something; it makes you valuable. He states to work hard, find the best in everybody; no matter how you have to wait for them to show it, and be prepared† â€Å"luck† is where preparation meets opportunity. I agree with his advice, one should not stop dreaming and striving for excellence. One should have fun, take chances and never give up. I feel that Mr. Pausch wanted to leave his family with one last positive legacy. 2. My childhood dreams were to be in NASA and go to space, have a family, to be wealthy and have my own island.I believe it is important to achieve your dreams; it keeps one striving for a goal and distracts one from seeing the negatives in his or her life. A dream defines you. 3. What I ’ve learned from my experiences with failure is that when one has a will there is a way. It gave me the opportunity to learn that I have people that will be there for me and help me understand that I’m not alone and that they will be with me through every step of the learning experience.4. The important life lessons I have learned so far are: that this is my ife and it’s up to me how I choose to live it, I have the right to choose my own destiny, I have also learned that family is more important than money, I have learned that nothing can buy you more happiness than a child and marrying the perfect woman, and always look on the bright side. 5. My last lecture would be about how to live life to the fullest. The five points I would communicate to others are: 1. Love and accept everyone including yourself 2. Laugh and be happy 3. Make a bucket list 4. Don’t hang onto the past 5. Don’t give up

Business Policy Essay

Produce a high quality products * Diversity and variety in products offered * Large market share (16% of global footwear market) * Major sponsor for a number of global sporting events * Purchasing of Reebok * Adidas has a Global Presence with over 2400 stores worldwide in a variety of regions. These alone account for nearly â‚ ¬2. 8bil. * Famous sports stars advertising products – Adidas has a series of football superstars who wear and advertise their products, including David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Stephen Gerrard etc. Weaknesses High prices in some products * Online customer service not â€Å"helpful† or easy to find * Not utilizing Reebok * Stiff competition and similar big brands means customers have high brand switching * The products can sometimes be costly due to innovative technology or production method * E-commerce is limited to USA Opportunities * Entering the Asian market, China is the fastest growing economy in the world. * Entering the female market * Social trend and popularity of social media sites such as Facebook, allowing Adidas to interact directly and build relationships with potential and current customers. Sponsorship of global sports events which improves the company’s global brand. These include an 11 year sponsorship on the NBA, the 2012 GB Olympic Games and the continued sponsorship of the FIFA WC. * Tie-up with emerging sports teams/clubs/players internationally * Collaborate with other online retailers to offer Adidas products Threats * Nike competition. Nike has strong reputation in the footwear and apparel industry * Global economic downturn. * Increase in the Price of Raw materials * Competition from designers such as Hugo Boss and Lacoste. * fake imitations affect brand image