European Imperialism :: Papers

European expansion was almost a certainty. The continent was relatively poor place for agriculture, which pushed Europeans outside of Europe in search of new soil. Different countries sent explorers, like Columbus and Magellan, to find unknown trade routes to India and Asia. They stumbled onto new sources for raw materials and goods and Europe was suddenly substantially profiting. The exploration of Africa, Asia, and South America provided new wealth. It increased the standard of living for Europeans, introduced them to spices, luxurious goods, silver, and gold (class notes). Later revolutions and reformers throughout the 19th and 20th centuries transformed European society and continually provided the continent with new interests, experiences, and ideas. As a result, Europeans developed new technology, which enabled them to explore unknown territory and expand their influence overseas. European imperialism began in the 14th and 15th centuries. There were a variety of factors that allowed for expansion. First of all, because the population of Europe was low there was a potential for rapid population growth. Secondly, Europe was relatively small which made it venerable to invasion and provoked the need for strong armies. The fact that it was divided into states provoked the need for strong governments and because there was no one power that could change things in Europe they obtained a relatively strong freedom of thought. This solidarity gave Europe the power to send voyages and explorations around the globe to help find new resources. Futhermore, Europe sent explorers to find different and needed trade routes to Asia and India because the land routes were extremely long (class notes). Also, public opinion played an important role in the support of imperialism. Many people who weren't pleased with their economic and political status could migrate to new re gions to find other opportunities. Others were inspired to spread the word of Christianity and sought a new standard of living. But most importantly, Europeans were concerned with the quest for material goods and to grow rich (textbook pg. 878). There were many changes in the methods from early imperialism to late expansionism. For example, unlike "new imperialism" early European expansion focused on establishing trading posts in different countries, instead of actually taking over the land and adding empires like later imperialism.

Business Plan for Toy Shop

BUSIENSS PLAN FOR TOY SHOP BUSINESS PLAN KIDZONE TOY STORE Submitted by: Ajit Mangarulkar Vishwanath Patil Piyush Borde Kunal Dalal Yogendra Bhosale Rahul Tayade Overview of the Industry INTRODUCTION The toy industry mainly concentrated in and around the metropolitan cities of New Delhi and Mumbai in India, is characterized by small-scale establishments. Of late, the toy industry has been internationalized. The application of new materials and technologies have added value to the variety of the toys. Today, the use of toys is unlimited.They are used for decorations by adults and for education & play by children. Toys are also being used for entertainment and child development. Plastic toys, along with soft toys (mainly dolls) and board games, make up about 80% of the Indian market in value terms. The change that is discernible is the decline in Importance of board games (other than puzzles), which involve play by a group of children. Those in the trade argue that, with smaller family size today and the growing incidence of both parents working, there is little scope for board games, which families used to traditionally play together.The emphasis these days is much more on toys, with which a child can play on his/her own. Market Dynamics of the Indian Toy Trade The Indian toy market exhibits some of the characteristics common to any toy market while others have uniquely the Indian character. Individual toys have a short life cycle. There is a constant need for novelty. Consumer tastes change rapidly. Resurrection of old toys does not work – a new content has to be added or altered. These rules, in general, apply to most toy markets internationally. In addition, the Indian market has its own angularities.Toy sales in India have well defined seasonal patterns coinciding with the festival season. Generally, the time period from July to November is the high season with temporary surges in some States in December & March. Toy selling in India often involves se lling to 3 individuals simultaneously, namely the child, who will use the toy, the mother, who is concerned with safety, space to play, etc. and the father who controls the purse strings. The market is also highly price sensitive. This trend has been reinforced by the entry of large-scale imports of cheap and novel toys from China.These have mostly been unbranded, of low priced and indifferent quality toys. The past decade has seen the Indian toy industry making quick strides in terms of production and exports. At present, India produces a wide range of toys, namely plastic and mechanical activity toys, plastic and soft dolls, stuffed toys, board games, puzzles, educational games and toys, metal toys, electronic toys and games. It is estimated that the toy production in India is around INR 5. 50 billion in the organized sector and INR 12. 50 billion in the unorganized sector with nearly 20% annual average growth rate.There are more than 3000 units in the small-scale sector including large number of units in the cottage sector. Some large/MNCs’ toy units like the Mattel, Lego and Funskool are also present in India. With international quality toys available in India now, the average spending on toys has increased substantially and this process is supported by an increase in disposable income at the customer end. Introduction â€Å"To every child, presenting a toy creates a special attachment between the two. † We intend to satisfy the needs of the children mainly aged below 10yrs. y having an â€Å"KIDZONE† as a part of organized retail, catering to almost all the trifling requirements of kids. Service will be one of our main focus areas wherein we intend to have a â€Å"play n feel the toys† zone attracting the kids to enjoy with toys. This facility will give a real feeling of amusement to children, hence attracting the kids and parents towards it. Thereafter we will also provide a babysitting facility for parents shopping throughout the mall and in the meantime the trifling needs of babies will be taken care of.Secondly, we will focus on disintermediation of procurement channel by directly sourcing the finished products from the toy manufacturers mainly from China & other manufacturers from India. Most importantly we are looking forward to revolutionize the toy industry by having merged quality with fun wherein all the safety issues would be taken care ensuring the source of playfulness not becoming a hysterical item. Above all our long term goal is to make our retail outlets as a brand name well recognized in toy industry and increase the organized retail market share in toys segment.Management Team Vishwanath Patil – Ajit Mangarulkar – Piyush Borde – Yogendra Bhosale – Kunal Dalal – Marketing Plan SWOT Analysis Strengths: Our business would impart touch & feel factor to the child We would impart child caring facility in our store where the parents can leave their child and go for shopping which will in turn lead to sales by having child for more hours in shops & can be addicted or fascinated to any of the toy Large & Growing Population (Market Size data to found out) – Age group between 0-8 years Maximum Loyalty towards shopDemonstration Effect Higher Margins due to large imports from China, Hong Kong & other countries Wide range of products to choose Fewer bargains for the products Increase in disposable income of middle class Weakness Emotional attachment towards toy which leads to non repetitive buying Price sensitivity market Safety Issue in terms of lead contain, sharpness of toys etc Individual toy have shorter life cycle & consumer taste changes rapidly Opportunity Untapped organized sector which consists of only 10% of total toy industry. Better support from governmentDemand for Educational toy in the market Threats Due to large expansion of Mall Culture, there is increase in competition from the players Big Fish with deep pockets will able to sell products at competitive price (Entry of global brands) Marketing Mix The marketing mix is often summarized as the four P’s – Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Product The type of product that would be placed in the store will be dependent on the age group. During the initial period the store would cater to age group of from the day child is born to 8 years.The later as the store expands and capital is generated the store would cater to toys catering to people with age more than 8 years and toys for adult. The product that will be defined within age group is as follows 0-24 months: Teethers, squeaks, Tomy, balls, soft toys, baby education toys and others. Photos of some of products are given below. 2 years to 4 years: puzzles, cars, Helicopters Photos of some of products are shown below 4years to 6 years: Magic tricks, electronic cars and helicopters, electronic gadgets and toys of film stars and other famous personality, famous cartoon character, Barbie & others.Photos of some of products are shown below: 6years to 8 years: Tricycles, Bicycles, and other ride on toys. Apart from that the musical toys and electrical operated toys will also be placed in the shelves 8 years to 10 years: Board room games, chess and other family games would be the major attraction The stuffed toys and Plush toys would be all time major attraction towards the customers. The above mentioned is only a part of whole list of offerings offered by the store. The main unique selling proposition would be the Indian touch in toys.We will also try to procure the toys of famous personalities –all time legends like Shahrukh Khan from film industry, Dhirubhai Ambani from business,  Narayan Karthikeyan from F1 racing like all the famous personalities in their respective fields will be incorporated as toys. The toys projected in any of Bollywood and Hollywood industry will also be major attraction for the customers. We will try to innovate and help suppliers to also make customized product if possible and thereby increasing the revenues.The key to business will be continuous innovation in all product ranges. Price: The price of the product sell in the shop will depend on the sourcing and also the total cost of procurement. In the initial years of opening of shop we will not be having competitive pricing but the prices would be at par with other competitors in the market. After years of experience in the business and due to strong hold with the suppliers, we will be having a bargaining power with the suppliers and will try to sell product at lower prices compared to competitor.We will be having Lowest Prices in the Town in one of product everyday to attract as many customers as possible. Moreover the product would be selling at par with our costing, so we won’t be able to generate from the product sold at lowest prices. The whole list of prices with the name of the product is attached in the annexure 8. Place: The majority of the product would be procured from China and also some of the product would be procured from India itself. The main source from India would be Chennai, Noida and Mumbai. The sourcing from China would be in terms of imports via sea route.The cost of procuring of the product is already been included in the financials. The time for procurement of goods would be taking near around 28 days from the day of placing of order from China and the procurement from Chennai or Noida will take maximum four days and from Mumbai it would take one day lead time. The toys would be stock in the store itself; there won’t be any special storage place or another location of the toys. The toys would be readily available to the customers on demand if stock is available. Promotion:The less effort would be required in terms of promotion as the store will be located in Thane East But still promotion will be required to create a buzz in the city which would be carried out be two means. 1) Print Ads in local newspaper. As maximum people in Maharashtra are habituated of reading of local newspaper, so the ads would be given in local newspaper on repetitive basis. The ads will also be given in other non local newspaper but frequency of ads would differ in both the cases. 2) Advertisement would be carried out in radio stations. Continuous announcement would be given in all leading radio stations like Radio Mirchi and Big FM. ) Distributions of pamphlets would also be one of the marketing strategies for carrying out promotion. As in the initial period it is not possible to be present in all the malls, so distribution of pamphlets in all the malls will be carried out on weekly basis. 4) All this promotion will in turn lead to Word of mouth marketing 5) In later stages of business the viral marketing will also be carried out. OPERATION PLAN Location The location selected for opening an outlet is THANE (Maharashtra). Thane is the largest city in the state of Maharashtra and the The city is witn essing a major construction boom and population increase.A rising centre of education, information technology and scientific industries, Thane remains the cultural and commercial heart of Maharashtra, and much of western India. The main reason behind selection of this city is the city is developing stage & we witness tremendous opportunity in the coming years. The real estate boom will be going to come in the city so we don’t won’t to miss the opportunity to be there within couple of years. The reason for selection of the city is its proximity to MUMBAI. The proximity to the city will help in reducing the transportation cost and increasing overall efficiency and savings in operations.Type of Building The location of the shop would be in the shop in Thane (East). Amount of Space The amount of space needed would be around 2000 sq feet of area which would be more or less compared to any retail chains. The amount of space needed would be targeted in malls in the basement n ear around the entry of Reliance and Big Bazaar shops. We targeted the basement due to its cost effectiveness. The shop would be lease for 5 year period for the initial purpose and then if needed would be bought out. The general lease rental of the area in Thane (East) is around Rs. 30000 per month. Other DetailsThe business hours of the shop would last from 10am to 10pm as major. We see the timings to be getting extended at weekends. Moreover the timing would be subjected to the change. Lead Time The main source of supplier would be from the Shantou in China and from Shanghai in China. The other supplier from India would be the Hanung toys in Noida, Mattel Inc. in Chennai and also the Funskool India Ltd in Chennai. The cost of transport of freight from China to India ranges from 428 USD to 600 USD depending on the date of ordering. The other cost of transportation from Mumbai to Thane would be around 2000 INR.The cost of procurement of consignment from Mumbai to Thane would be is 3 000INR and from Delhi/Noida it is around 8000 INR. So the lead time if calculated to import from toys from China would be around one month and from procurement from India only it would take around one week from farthest place i. e. Chennai in India for procurement of toys. Sales Estimation Due to prime location of the shop in the malls we expect the sales to be reaching high in the weekends and also in the festivals. This figure comes from the fact that out of 15000 people visiting Thane East daily on an average, around 82% are parents and remaining are youth.So out of 82% of total population we average that around 35% of parents would be with child who comes for the shopping. As mentioned that we shall be a unique adventure in the shop as a playing area specially allotted for the kids to play with the toys which ever they want out of majority of samples placed in playing area. The other advantage is that the child would be taken care of specially trained employees and all this pack age would come for free. We expect the shopping time taken by any parents would be around 1 hour.So we provide facility for parents to leave their child to play in the shop and if they want they can buy the toy. We rely on the fact provided by the doctors that one hour is enough for a child up to 6 years to get addicted with the toy. Hence as a child gets addicted to play with the toy, they would force parents for purchase of same toy. We only expect 75 customers to get converted out of minimum 1500 people visiting per hour (which is around just 5% of total customers visited in the mall. ) The other occasion for increase in the sales would be the festivals and also the Valentine’s Day for the youth.The shop target customer is up to 14 years but due to presence of Splush toys and also teddies and fur toys which stand attraction for the youth, so we expect the sales to increase in valentine day. Personnel In order to manage the day to day operations we along with three partners have decided to keep the following personnel for smooth operations. In order to reduce our fixed expenses we have restricted ourselves to six employees in the initial three months of our operations. However with time and requirement we shall keep increasing the strength. Number of employees: * Store Facilitators-02 Store Manager-01 * Housekeeper-01 Financial Details Projected start up cost Projected start up cost| | Security Deposits Monthly RentSalary to StaffPurchase of ToysFurniture and StationaryReserved| 100000 30000 20000250000 50000 50000| Total Start Up Cost| 500000| Sources of Fund 50% fund from Partners50 % fund from State Bank of India| 250000250000| Total Fund Raised| 500000| Projected Balance Sheet Liabilities| Rs. | Assets| Rs. | Capital| 500000| Furniture ComputerStockCash DepositeCurrent assets| 50000 20000250000 50000100000 30000| Total | 500000| Total| 500000|

Jespersen vs. Harrahs Case Analysis Essay

Facts: Darlene Jespersen was a bartender at Harrah’s Casino in Reno in the sports bar. She was frequently praised by her supervisors and customers for being an outstanding employee. When Jespersen first started her job at Harrah’s the female bartenders were not required to wear makeup but were encouraged to. Jespersen tried to wear makeup to work a few times but decided that she did not like it due to the fact it made her feel sick, degraded, exposed and violated. She also believed that it interfered with her ability to deal with unruly customers because it â€Å"took away [her] credibility as an individual and as a person.† After 20 years of working for the company, Harrah’s implemented the â€Å"Personal Best† program contained certain appearance standards that applied equally to men and women. Women were now required to wear makeup and when Jespersen refused, she was fired. Jespersen sued Harrah’s under Title VII. Argument for Jespersen: Jespersen refused to wear makeup to work because the cost-in time, money and personal dignity. Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 employers are free to adopt different appearance standards for each sex, but these standards may not impose a greater burden on one sex than the other. Women were required to wear makeup and men were not which allowed men to save hundreds of dollars and hours of time. Harrah’s had no right to fire Jespersen because the rule only applied to women. Argument for Harrah’s: Employers are allowed to impose different appearance rules on women than men as long as the overall burden upon the employees is the same. Harrah’s rules did not impose a heavier burden on women than on men. Outcome: Jespersen appealed the judgment of the United States District Court for District of Nevada granting defendant employer summary judgment in the employee’s sex discrimination action filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The final outcome was that the original judgment granting Harrah’s summary judgment was affirmed because Jespersen failed to present sufficient evidence to survive summary judgment on her claim. My Opinion: I agree with the final outcome of this case. Jespersen did not have enough evidence to prove that by Harrah’s requiring her to wear makeup was indeed sexual stereotyping. The â€Å"Personal Best† program had plenty of restrictions and requirements for men as well as women.

Elizabeth Key and Her History-Changing Lawsuit

Elizabeth Key and Her History-Changing Lawsuit Elizabeth Key (1630 - after 1665) is a key figure in the history of American chattel slavery. She won her freedom in a lawsuit in 17th century colonial Virginia, and her lawsuit may have helped inspire laws making slavery a hereditary condition. Heritage Elizabeth Key was born in 1630, in Warwick County, Virginia. Her mother was a slave from Africa who is unnamed in the record. Her father was an English planter living in Virginia, Thomas Key, who arrived in Virginia before 1616. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses, the colonial legislature. Accepting Paternity In 1636, a civil case was brought against Thomas Key, alleging that he had fathered Elizabeth. Such suits were common to get a father to accept responsibility to support a child born out of marriage, or to ensure that the father would help to get the child an apprenticeship. Key first denied paternity of the child, claiming that a â€Å"Turk† had fathered the child. (A â€Å"Turk† would have been a non-Christian, which could affect the slave status of the child.) He then accepted paternity and had her baptized as a Christian. Transfer to Higginson At about the same time, he was planning to go to England- perhaps the suit was filed to ensure that he accepted paternity before he left- and he placed the 6-year-old Elizabeth with Humphrey Higginson, who was her godfather. Key specified a term of indenture of nine years, which would bring her to the age of 15, a common time for indenture terms or apprentice terms to expire. In the agreement, he specified that after 9 years, Higginson was to take Elizabeth with him, give her a â€Å"portion,† and then free her to make her own way in the world. Also included in the instructions was that Higginson treat her like a daughter; as later testimony put it, â€Å"user her more Respectfully than a Common servant or slave.† Key then sailed for England, where he died later that year. Colonel Mottram When Elizabeth was about ten years old, Higginson transferred her to a Colonel John Mottram, a justice of the peace- whether it was a transfer or sale is not clear- and he then moved to what is now Northumberland County, Virginia, becoming the first European settler there. He founded a plantation he called Coan Hall. About 1650, Col. Mottram arranged for 20 indentured servants to be brought from England. One of those was William Grinstead, a young lawyer who indentured himself to pay for his passage and work that off during the term of indenture. Grinstead did legal work for Mottram. He also met and fell in love with Elizabeth Key, still held as a bond servant to Mottram, though it was by that time 5 or more years beyond the term of the original agreement between Key and Higginson. Even though Virginia law at that time forbid indentured servants from marrying, having sexual relations or having children, a son, John, was born to Elizabeth Key and William Grinstead. Filing Suit for Freedom In 1655, Mottram died. Those settling the estate assumed that Elizabeth and her son John were slaves for life. Elizabeth and William filed suit in court to recognize both Elizabeth and her son as already free. At the time, the legal situation was ambiguous, with some tradition assuming all â€Å"Negros† were slaves no matter the status of their parents, and other tradition assuming English common law where bondage status followed that of the father. Some other cases held that black Christians could not be slaves for life. The law was especially ambiguous if only one parent was an English subject. The suit was based on two factors: first, that her father was a free Englishman, and under English common law whether one was free or in bondage followed the status of the father; and second, that she had been â€Å"long since Christened† and was a practicing Christian. A number of people testified. One resurrected that old claim that Elizabeth’s father was a â€Å"Turk,† which would have meant neither parent was an English subject. But other witnesses testified that from a very early time, it was common knowledge that Elizabeth’s father was Thomas Key. The key witness was an 80-year-old former servant of Key, Elizabeth Newman. The record also showed that she had been called Black Bess or Black Besse. The court found in her favor and granted her freedom, but an appeal court found that she was not free, because she was a â€Å"Negro.† General Assembly and Retrial Then Grinstead filed a petition for Key with the Virginia General Assembly. The Assembly formed a committee to investigate the facts, and found â€Å"That by the Comon Law the Child of a Woman slave begot by a freeman ought to be free† and also noted that she had been christened and was â€Å"able to give a very good account of her fayth.† The Assembly returned the case to a lower court. There, on July 21, 1656, the court found that Elizabeth Key and her son John were in fact free persons. The court also required that the Mottram estate give her â€Å"Corn Clothes and Satisfaction† for her having served many years beyond the end of her term of service. The court formally â€Å"transferred† to Grinstead â€Å"a maid servant†. That same day, a marriage ceremony was performed and recorded for Elizabeth and William. Life in Freedom Elizabeth had a second son by Grinstead, named William Grinstead II. (Neither son’s birth date is recorded.) Grinstead died in 1661, after only five years of marriage. Elizabeth then married another English settler named John Parse or Pearce. When he died, he left 500 acres to Elizabeth and her sons, which allowed them to live out their lives in peace. There are many descendants of Elizabeth and William Grinstead, including a number of famous people (the actor Johnny Depp is one). Later Laws Before the case, there was, as outlined above, some ambiguity in the legal status of the child of a woman who was in bondage and a free father. The assumption of the Mottram estate that Elizabeth and John were slaves for life was not without precedent. But the idea that all of African descent were permanently in bondage was not universal. Some wills and agreements by owners specified terms of service for African slaves, and also specified land or other goods to be granted at the end of the term of service to aid in their new life as fully free persons. For example, a woman, Jone Johnson, daughter of one Anthony Johnson identified as a Negro, was given 100 acres of land by the Indian ruler Debeada in 1657. Key’s suit won her freedom and established the precedence of the English common law about a child born to a free, English father. In response, Virginia and other states passed laws to override the common law’s assumptions. Slavery in America became more solidly a race-based and hereditary system. Virginia passed these laws: 1660: the term of indentured servitude was limited to five years- for servants from a Christian country1662: a child’s status as free or bond (slave) status was to follow the mother’s status, contrary to English common law1667: being a Christian did not alter status of bondage1670: prohibited Africans from importing any bonded laborers from anywhere (Africa or England included)1681: children of a European mother and African father were to be in bondage to age 30 In Maryland: 1661: a law was passed making all African Americans in the colony slaves, and all African Americans slaves at birth whatever the status of the parents1664: a new law outlawed marriages between European or English women and African (Negro/black) men Note: while the term â€Å"black† or â€Å"Negro† was sometimes used for Africans from the beginning of the presence of people of African descent in colonial America, the term â€Å"white† came into legal usage in Virginia about 1691, with a law referring to â€Å"English or other white women.† Before that, each nationality was described. In 1640, for instance, a court case described a â€Å"Dutchman,† a â€Å"Scotch man† and a â€Å"Negro,† all bond servants who escaped to Maryland. An earlier case, 1625, referred to a â€Å"Negro,† a â€Å"Frenchman,† and â€Å"a Portugall.† More about the early history of black or African women in what is now the United States, including how laws and treatment evolved: Timeline of African American History and Women Also known as: Elizabeth Key Grinstead; due to spelling variations common at the time, last name was variously Key, Keye, Kay and Kaye; married name was variously Grinstead, Greensted, Grimstead, and other spellings; final married name was Parse or Pearce Background, Family: Mother: not namedFather: Thomas Key (or Keye or Kay or Kaye) Marriage, Children: husband: William Grinstead (or Greensted or Grimstead or other spellings) (married July 21, 1656; indentured servant and lawyer)children:John GrinsteadWilliam Grinstead IIhusband: John Parce or Pearce (married about 1661)

The 10 Most Bizarre Easter Traditions

The 10 Most Bizarre Easter Traditions Whips, water, and fire – not exactly the things you might think of when you think of Easter traditions. In a few days, the U.S. will be filled with children dyeing eggs, eating chocolate bunnies, and making trails out of jellybeans. Still, Easter is one of the few holidays that is celebrated worldwide. Because of this, there are some very unique ways of celebrating Easter that may shock you. 1. Knock-knock, Who’s There? Louisiana Egg Knocking Even though it’s a part of the U.S., parts of Louisiana are more foreign that countries outside of our borders. In some of the deepest parts of the bayou, Easter celebrations begin with an egg-knocking ceremony. Teams of competitors tie their eggs with strings and knock them together. The person whose egg cracks first loses, and the game is played until there is an â€Å"Egg King.† 2. Go Fly A Kite In Bermuda, the weeks leading up to Easter are marked by building kites which are only flown on Easter Day. These kites are made of anything that local kite-makers can find, from crates to ties and old clothing. One of the most important elements of the Bermuda Easter kites is the â€Å"hummer,† which makes a loud buzzing sound when the kite is in flight. 3. Whips and Water? In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, whipping and water are just normal parts of the Easter festivities. On the Monday after Easter, men craft colorful whips from Willow branches and give the women in their lives playful lashes. The whipping is supposed to keep women beautiful and fertile for another year, and also acts as a flirtation device. But, the women aren’t without recourse. The next day, they retaliate by throwing water on the heads of their attackers. 4. A Fair Egg Exchange In places where Hungarian is spoken (Translyvania, Southern Slovakia, and parts of Serbia), there is also a tradition of pouring water. In these countries, the day after Easter is called â€Å"Watering Monday.† Men will traditionally visit families with women and girls and sprinkle them with perfume in exchange for the Easter eggs. 5. Trick or Easter In Finland and Sweden, the one tradition most Americans think of as Halloween-ish are celebrated at Easter. Children in these countries often carry pussy willows on Palm Sunday instead of palms. Then, the day after Easter, they decorate the pussy willows in colorful paint and knock on doors. The community gives children candy in exchange for the beautiful decorations. 6. Light it Up In a number of countries, Easter is celebrated by huge bonfires. Often, children (especially teenage boys) run through town gathering any scrapwood that they can find. These fires act as a competition, with the boy who has the largest fire as the winner. In Italy, the Scoppio del carro lights a fire from shards from the Holy Sepulchre which in turn sets off a huge fireworks display. 7. Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’ In England, Ireland, and Scotland, children participate in egg rolling as a part of their Easter fun. The goal is to roll an egg the farthest which makes the owner of the egg the Easter victor. There is also a superstition that eggs that don’t make it down the hill intact must be crushed completely, or the egg may be used by witches to do evil magic. 8. Pace Egg Plays Although this particular tradition fell out of style for a while, in recent years the Pace Egg Plays have become a fun part of Easter for many English, Irish, and Scots. These plays date back to the Crusades and revolve around the fictitious antics of St. George and a troublemaker named Old Tosspot. Watchers are encouraged to give Easter eggs to the two characters in exchange to see their traveling show. 9. A Man-Made Holiday In Russia, men aren’t allowed to cook, clean, or otherwise work on Easter. In fact, there is a tradition that says men shouldn’t even be allowed in the kitchen at all. If a man does, it’s said that his beard and moustache will immediately turn grey and he will age before his time. 10. Egg-Zellent In Bessieres, France, there is a tradition of feeding the whole town with a single omelet. According to legend, Napoleon stopped in the little village one night and ordered and omelet. He was so pleased with his meal that he asked all the villagers to bring their eggs so that the chef could create a meal for the whole town. Now, the feast is made from 15,000 eggs and 25,000 kilos of oil each year. Easter doesnt seem so boring now, right? This year you can try something new, celebrating Easter abroad or at least trying the weird Easter traditions with your friends in US. Have the Happy Easter, and tell us your stories!

Essentials of Corporate Fraud Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Essentials of Corporate Fraud - Assignment Example Extortion; refers to the deliberate action of a person to commit theft by seeking to obtain property or services through advancing threats to others (Coenen 2008). One specific element of extortion that the credit manager may have participated in is exposing secrets or thought facts, which may be true or untrue with the intention of subjecting anyone to hatred, contempt or mockery or to damage the individual’s credit or business. The manager’s operations can be vetted to detect any instances of fraud. A board of vetting can be hired or instituted to assess the extent of his actions, especially to track his dealings with the applicants. The credit manager’s transactions with the credit applicants can be evaluated through a credit assessment report. It will can a brief description of the two parties’ submission during the process of credit application and evaluation. The report has to be signed by both the manager and the client. It will state whether the client has been subjected to any form of extortion or not. The clients/ customers/ applicants of loans can be given an avenue of reporting their grievances to the company. Such avenues can be in form of a quality check/ control for the services offered to them by the credit manager. Through such avenues, they can reveal instances of extortion or attempts of the same to the company. c. Suppose there was no direct evidence of fraud detected in the credit manager’s operations, there will be no action to be taken on this case, against him. He is well known as a very hard worker, who lives close to the branch and frequently works late into the evening. He also has not taken any vacations in three years in spite of the bank policy that all employees take a least a weeks vacation every year.  

Employment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Employment - Coursework Example Other professionals will find themselves locked into an arms race with their competitors, and companies will have to provide their teams with the best equipment or face serious defeat. The advancements in medicine will reduce the population of potential employers lost through disease, and increased child care cost will force most employees to find ways of bettering their wages, either through job hoping, or making themselves marketable. Workers will telecommute; enabling them to use time spent commuting into productive work. The choices available for reemployment will be endless due to new, upcoming jobs including computer programmer, day care provider, environmental engineer, and elder specialist. People will be working during the weekends, in the evenings and on holidays (Roger Backhouse).   Inflation Inflation is expected to increase in the next five years, because the rising prices of commodities is not lasting a short time. Prospects of currency shifts and high commodity price s will cause the inflation to increase. In my view, the current market imbalances will continue keeping commodity prices rising in the next five years, with the inflationary pressures hitting emerging markets more, since a bigger share of their consumption is commodities. New emerging markets have in the past been a source of disinflation for most of the developed economies, because cheap imports from countries like China decreased inflation in the US and Europe, but that dynamic will be changed with higher commodity prices. The developed world policy makers will also try making their economies competitive through a cheaper currency, which in my view; will cause higher inflation for net importers like United States. In addition, emerging economies will let their currencies appreciate with a bid to combat inflation causing exportation of inflation to countries that buy their goods (Roger Backhouse). Interest rates Suppressing interests now will lead to disproportionate rise after fiv e years. In addition, the proposed low rate encourages depositors, who can relocate their money elsewhere, leading to more pressure for a rise. In my opinion, the monetary system is in a complete mess characterized by cons and quick solutions to serious economic problems. Currently no single borrower or saver can be immune. There is a lot of fake currency with no fixed value, and the trend seems to be escalating with time. Although there are few exceptions including gold silver coins and liberty dollars. With the currency and legal system plus savings and pension, most people are enslaved. There is no longer money, and people are just dealing with negative and positive numbers, which are illusions of debt and credit, of which we have no control. Probably, we can introduce some feel in the monetary system by nailing the currency to stabilize the unstable financial environment. The question, therefore, is how one can plan and be successful with their finances. This, therefore, makes i nterest rate speculation meaningless (Roger Backhouse). Level of taxation The middle class has been the category of tax payers who have mostly felt the weight of the tax mans demands. With increasing government spending, and demand for more infrastructures, the level of taxation is expected to go up, because the government will have to meet its high budget, while at the same time provide necessary social facilities for its citizens. The expected rise in inflation would also mean the governments would be faced with the challenge of getting the