Biography of Karl Marx Essay -- Karl Marx Communism biographies Essays

Biography of Karl Marx Karl Marx was a professional intellectual and philosopher. Throughout Marx's life, chance meetings with other professional intellectuals and philosophers helped guide Marx to his final destination. Although Marx died in March of 1883, some 122 years ago, his theories are still being studied, and in some cases, used in some governments. In his lifetime Marx explored many different social settings and groups. His final accumulation of work can be found in his Communist Manifesto, which he co-authored with Fredrick Engels. Although very meager at times, Marx lived an extraordinary life. Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in Trier Rheinish Prussia (Germany). Although his family was ultimately Jewish, Karl's father, Hirschel Marx, changed the family's religion to Protestant to avoid anti-Semitism. Later, to avoid further persecution, Hirschel changed his name to Heinrich 1. Young Karl was raised mostly in Prussia. Once he had graduated from the Gymnasium, today's equivalent of high school, Marx entered Bonn University to continue his education and follow in his father's footsteps as a lawyer. While at Bonn, Karl spent much of his time socializing and running up large debts. Karl was once wounded during a duel, because a debt collector2. After hearing about Karl's attitude towards higher education, Heinrich paid off his son's depts. However the injury involving the duel made Heinrich insist that Karl no longer attend Bonn, but instead move to Berlin and attend the University of Berlin. While in Berlin, Karl met a lecturer named Bruno Bauer. While under Bauer's influence, Marx was introduced to the writings of G.W.F. Hegel, whom had been a fellow lectur... ...y his wife's passing, Marx needed his eldest daughter, Eleanor, to take care of him. In January 1883 Eleanor herself passed away due to cancer of the liver. Marx, left to take care of himself, died three months later in March of 1883. Although Marx and his wife were separated by death for over two years, they now lay side by side at Highgate Cemetery in London. Notes 1 Frank E. Manuel, A Requiem for Karl Marx (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995) 12 2 V.I. Lenin, The Marxists Internet Archive, 16 September 1999, (9 March 2002) 3 Spartacus Educational, 3 March 2002 (9 March 2002) 4 Richard P. Appelbaum, Karl Marx Vol. 7 of Masters of Social Theory (Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, 1988) 5 Appelbaum, 21 6 Manuel, 35 7 Manuel, 37

Malcolm X :: essays research papers fc

1. Many believed that the "oppressed people" needed a leader or savior who could improve their life conditions, and Marcus Garvey would fit that description. Marcus Garvey was a black leader who started a "Back-to-Africa" movement in the United State. Garvey's main beliefs were that blacks would never receive justice in the countries where most of the people were white. He preached that blacks should go back to Africa, their homeland, and settle there. With Malcolm X's father strong belief in the ministry of Garveyism, Malcolm took Garvey as true; that the only way to achieve anything would be hard if the white man is ruling the country. Malcolm had to be strong while preparing for the civil rights movement; that strength would be very necessary in accomplishing anything. His father's ministry opened up the doors of truth of the harm of the white man on the blacks in America. Malcolm said that the black people would benefit in uniting the black race. Marcus Garve y was "convinced that success demanded the building of a strong economic base so that blacks will be self-sufficient" (Internet, Marcus Garvey). Because of Marcus Garvey's beliefs, many African Americans, found new strength and renewed their vision of success. Therefore, Garvey's teaching brightened up the chance for Malcolm to achieve change during the civil rights movement; providing a chance that everything would be all right and blacks would be equal to whites. Even though Marcus Garvey's helped and wanted the best for his fellow black people, he slammed fellow African-American leaders as being white puppets. Many blacks saw Marcus Garvey a lot in Malcolm X in that they both believed that the black race needs to stay just black to have real power, that the white people are the enemies, and that blacks should not mix with whites. Malcolm learned that the road would be tough because of the great power the white man has in America and that where the black man can have pow er would be where there is no white man in control, such as in Africa. 2. Martin Luther King Jr., shared more in common with Malcolm X, then any other contemporary civil rights leader. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X had more in common after Malcolm broke away from Elijah Mohammed. Before Malcolm broke away, he was an angry man who could never see anything positive and the reason why he could not see anything positive was because the whites had no "moral conscience.

Natural Environment and Early Human Development Essay

In order to support the idea of nurture influences on early human development, psychologists have done some researches on several factors of early human development. One of these factors is motor development. All children go through the same stages which begin with rolling over and end by walking. However, it seems that motor behaviours can be improved by practice or encouragement. This belief is supported by Zelazo and Kolb (1972) who did an experiment where infants, who were given stepping practice during the first two months, began walking five to seven weeks earlier than babies who had no practice. Such a result can be considered as an environmental influence. Another factor, which has been researched, is speech development. Speech can be improved by more talking with babies or rewarding them for making speech sounds. Kagan (1979) claimed that children, who were reared in middle-class American homes, begin to speak one year earlier than children reared in some villages such as San Marcos due to the fact that these children, culturally, have little â€Å"verbal interaction† with adults. This research assures the importance of the environments, nurture, in early human development. In conclusion, psychologists and scientist have been arguing as to whether nature or nurture has more influence on early human development. As a result both heredity or the nature and environment or nurture are important factors in shaping human personality, but environment is the more important one. Because nature only goes so far whereas further growth and development is formed by the environment’s influence on early human development.

Organization and Leadership Analysis Essay

The Company chosen for this analysis is Cummins Inc. and I am confident the description that follows will give a better understanding of the organization for any third party considering a career with this organization. Clessie Lyle Cummins built his first steam engine in rural Indiana with the backing of banker William G. Irwin in the year 1919. These men together built the first company that would take advantage of the technology developed by the German Engineer Rudolf Diesel in the late 1880’s. From that early beginning thru today Cummins Inc. has been a world leader in Diesel power engines and service products with sales and service locations in 197 countries and gross sales of over nineteen billion dollars  in 2015 (Cruikshank, 1997). I have Chosen Ericka Rodriguez Eastern Distribution Center Site Material’s Leader for this analysis. I chose both the company and one of its leaders as they have carved a niche for themselves in the field of diesel technologies and s ervice products. It has been an inspiration to learn from the leader ship style portrayed by Ms. Rodriguez. Organization Description The Company chosen for this analysis is Cummins Inc. and I am confident the description that follows will give a better understanding of the organization for any third party considering a career with this organization. Clessie Lyle Cummins built his first steam engine in rural Indiana with the backing of banker William G. Irwin in the year 1919. These men together built the first company that would take advantage of the technology developed by the German Engineer Rudolf Diesel in the late 1880’s. From that early beginning thru today Cummins Inc. has been a world leader in Diesel power engines and service products with sales and service locations in 197 countries and gross sales of over nineteen billion dollars in 2015 (Cruikshank, 1997). I have Chosen Ericka Rodriguez Eastern Distribution Center Site Material’s Leader for this analysis. I chose both the company and one of its leaders as they have carved a niche for themselves in the field of diesel technologies and serv ice products. It has been an inspiration to learn from the leader ship style portrayed by Ms. Rodriguez. Organization Description Cummins Inc. was founded over ninety years ago with a vision of revolutionizing the concept of how diesel power was produced and serviced. This organization has been the global leader in diesel technologies and services for over 75 years and its products have been emulated by several other global companies. These advances were only achieved by the whole hearted dedication of its workforce. The customers and stakeholders show immense support of Cummins Inc. and it is because of their belief that Cummins Inc. is the leading enterprise in the diesel technology and service ecosystem. Customer are now able to obtain the power needed in the quantities needed over a variety of business fields. They have facilitated the process of selling and servicing there markets ensuring the success of  the company for years to come. Cummins Inc. has three overarching business objectives: 1.) Achieve Financial target over the quarters. To succeed and grow into the future, we must demonstrate performance by consistently meeting or succeeding our financial targets. 2.) Be the first choice of customers. Cummins success depends solely on our customers. As we succeed in our ability to help them, they will view Cummins as a partner in their success and we will then become their first choice in our competitive market place. 3.) Be a great place to work. The ability of Cummins Inc. to achieve these objectives is based on our workforce. Cummins Inc. must be able to attract, develop and retain the skills need to pursue the first two objectives (Hanafee, 2011). Aspiring to fulfill their objectives helped Cummins Inc. maintain its position in the diesel power and service market and over time ensuring its success. The commitment to customers, communities, and partners they serve, and the employees with diverse employment cult ure has positioned Cummins Inc. to maintain that global first choice power leader status. Leadership Practices I interpret Ms. Rodriguez leadership style as situational, she is skilled at mentoring individuals, sharing her vision, and motivating her employees. She has portrayed situational leadership style and this can be rationalized from the following three examples: 1.) Coaching – Ms. Rodriguez has portrayed this attribute, and has successfully been able to lead her group in achieving the strategic objectives of the organization. She coaches her employees by providing detailed instructions while encouraging her subordinates, requesting feedback and explaining the decision making process to them. She gives specific feedback to all individuals on their metrics and how there metrics can be achieved to meet overall organizational objectives and goals. Situational leaders reduce their involvement in daily activities as the dynamics of her group changes and matures. Ms. Rodriquez gives her people the freedom to do their work. The most productive work can be accomplished by people given th e space needed and are entrusted by the organization to be of the highest quality. Ms. Rodriquez is a leader of the highest integrity, though she is portrays a situational leader she does not change her approach to take advantage of the situation. She is seen to adapt to the is most appropriate practice after considering factors such as level  of maturity, organizational structure and culture, and the business metrics. She works with integrity and is not motivated by a desire to capitalize on a weakness of her team or organization 2.) Flexibility- The fundamental nature of a situational leader is to move their style in the business environment of an organization and encourage the thoughts of innovative employees. Ms. Rodriguez is more adaptable to the various changes that occur and welcomes innovation in her group. Rather than abiding by the typical views of a leader and not adapting to change. She is a risk taker and seems to enjoy the freshest concepts brought to her attention. She faces many challenges but still enjoys her work and the people who work for her. The people who work for her are likely influenced by her nature and work ethic and will mirror this behavior and expectations in their own work. 3.) Courage- Ms. Rodriguez as a situational leader is never afraid to take on new challenges because of the fear of incurring losses. She portrays a clear vision and takes complete charge of where and how the team is moving forward. She takes it upon herself to mentor, lead, delegate responsibilities to employees on a personal level and have each person accountable for their metric within the organization. This leadership style allows her to determine and embrace most behaviors and strategies to get the goal achieved. Her projects humility at various levels and as a key leader does not claim to have all the answers. She encourages participation of all level of employees and makes sure that her group has ample scope of engagement and remains close with them. The above mentioned attributes lead me to conclude that she is a true leader, and because of this leadership many employees at different sites across Cummins Inc. would like to work here. Ms. Rodriguez treats her employees as family. Cummins Inc. offers diverse career opportunities for people to enhance their skills and ensure growth not only for the company but employees as well. She recognizes that investing in vast amount of resources for overall development for her work force will only enhance the employee experience as a whole. This spirt of family acknowledges that she has the full support of her team which ensures good will amongst her them Relationship Between Leadership and Organizational Culture A leader’s beliefs and values shape the culture of any organization. Talented people from around the world come to work at Cummins Inc. because of the diversity it represents. The opportunity to eclipse other companies in an atmosphere that has numerous opportunities, a fast pace, and leaders that motivate, inspire and invent new technologies. Cummins Inc. offers uncommon career advancement opportunities regardless of the ethics, gender, and race. Employees chosen to work from Cummins Inc. are results oriented, entrepreneurial and independent. . People do not join a company simple on the brand name it offers, it is the culture and atmosphere that binds the work place together. People thrive under the growth, guidance and opportunities that an organization provides. Each employee wants to connect with an organization that facilitates, engages, and cares for its employees and their families. It is impossible to invest employee time and energy to the best interests of the organization without proper support to their families. Cummins rewards exceptional performance are direct results of exemplary employees and customer success. Ms. Rodriguez is always encouraging first class performance from her group and helps them understand the value of the hard work. She redirects her groups work when necessary to make sure the work is aligned with the company culture and strategy for long the term health of Cummins Inc. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a strategic planning tool used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats revolving around a corporation. This analysis involves determining the objective of the corporation and identifying the internal and external environmental factors expected to benefit or burden the achievement of company objectives. After the business identifies that objective a SWOT analysis is performed to examine the strengths and weaknesses(Internal factors) and then considers the opportunities posed by business conditions(external factors) By identifying the company strengths, a company will be better able to think of strategies that will take advantage of new opportunities. Identifying current weaknesses and the threats, a company will be able to identify changes needed to improve and protect its current operations. Organizational Strengths The strengths identified for Cummins are summarized in that they are a market leader for diesel technologies and products? One of the most important strength is that the company has a strong and loyal customer base across the globe. Its ability to reach around the globe with its master and regional distribution centers is clearly an advantage against their competitors. A second important strength is the yearly improvements made in the research in new diesel technologies. I emphasize yearly because competitors can take multiple years to produce results that Cummins Inc. routinely makes year over year. Lastly Cummins Inc. financial stability and security is a major strength. The company consistently maintains market position, financial disciplines and operational strengths to contend with cyclical nature of its business. The Financial Stability of Cummins Inc. is a key strength of this organization with Moody’s assigning an A2 rating. Moody’s determined that Cummins will maintain its market status, operational durability, and the financial self-restraint necessary to deal with the substantial cyclical nature of its business. Cummins Inc. recognizes that the cyclicality in the market it serves and maintains a high degree of financial discipline that is characterized my low levels of debt and a healthy liquidity profile (Park, 2014). Organizational Weaknesses Weaknesses that have been identified at Cummins Inc. are the weak profit margins on Diesel engine filters. A low profit margin will leave little room for them to lower their selling prices. Which is sometimes necessary to gain a competitive edge against competitors. A low margin means little funds available for profits and expenses. Reducing your selling price without a corresponding and proportionate reduction in the cost of goods sold will further reduce the funds available for expenses and profits. The biggest disadvantage for Cummins Inc. is that of a low profit margin is poor operational efficiency. Profit margins are lower than the industry average are indicative of a need to improve performance. The lack of improvement results in a lower level lower than would normally be attainable. Heavy dependence on a few suppliers is also another weakness with the Cummins Inc., strategy. The supplier will have the opportunity to take advantage of the company. When they are at the opportune time they may drive up prices because they understand that they are the supplier of choice at Cummins Inc.  even though they are contracted to do otherwise. Cummins will also be vulnerable to losing company technologies and research because suppliers are part of that information flow during the development process. Lastly a significant disadvantage is the supplier capable of meeting the future capacity of the company. Suppliers may withhold this information until product launch and once the launch of the new product is complete there may become capacity constraints with their production lines. Organizational Opportunities With the Cummins product Market environment consistently changing due to continuous improved product offerings need to adapt and change to what the customer wants. To be able to maintain the growth and profits of the business it is of vital importance to safeguard and diversify its product range. Possible opportunities to explore are capitalizing on the growth and expansion of diesel technologies. Product growth in this area can be a key imitative. Cummins takes the lead with these technologies. Cummins should also be able to, because of significant capital reserves, undergo strategic acquisitions and synergies, for example overseas dealerships that are privately owned and also undertake strategic alliance with competitors like Parker-Racor Corp for an interdependency that will cater to a wider consumer base. Organizational Threats The outlook for Cummins still looks positive but there are also are threats to the business that need monitored and/or addressed. China has enjoyed rapid growth for the past few years but is has been noted that diesel trucks purchased in China are down ten percent. China is the second largest market behind the United States in sales and any prolonged sales weakness there would have a large impact on Cummins Yearly performance. Secondly, with the long term in mind, emerging technologies in artificial intelligence could pose another threat. Self driven vehicles may possess a significant long term danger to Cummins. While this seems far off, one has to consider the limitations of human driven trucks. Simply put is that automating a truck fleet would put less trucks on the road because you would not have down time as you do now with humans. Leadership Evaluation My choice for the Leadership Evaluation is situational leadership theory, it is representative of the leadership form characterized by Ericka Rodriguez for her organization. It is pertinent from this background characterization and can be attributed to its overall success of the leadership qualities she exhibits. Leadership Strengths The scholarly sources that I have chosen are listed below: 1. Blanchard, K. (2010). Leading At A Higher Level. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Blanchard Management Corporation. 2. Hanafee, S. (2011). Red, black and global: The transformation of Cummins, 1995-2010. Columbus, IN: Cummins. 3. Winkler, I. (2009). Contemporary Leadership Theories Enhancing the Understanding of the Complexity, Subjectivity and Dynamic of Leadership. Heidelberg: Physica-Verlag Heidelberg. Cummins Inc. is prospering by becoming the leading diesel engine builder and service provider in addition to maximizing its workforce and develop world class business leaders. Under Ms. Rodriguez the Eastern Distribution Center has grown from a regional parts Distribution center to a facility services the globe. She exhibits situational leadership style and are justified from the following instances; 1.) Coaching, participating, directing- Ms. Rodriguez has portrayed these attributes, and still successfully directs all her employees into achieving the strategic goals of Cummins Inc. She coaches, encourages, inputs solicitation, and explains why she has made certain decisions. She gives out specific instructions about what the objectives are and how the goals are achieved. As a situational leader Ms. Rodriquez gradually reduces her involvement in the day to day activities of her employees. She works with the highest integrity and never appears motivated by a desire to capitalize on the weaknesses of the team or Cummins Inc. She gives her employees the freedom to do their work to the best of their abilities. She does not change her approach to merely take advantage of the situation as she visualizes it but rather to take advantage by adapting to how the employees  visualizes and coaching accordingly(Winkler, 2009). 2.) Flexibility- A fundamental nature of a situational leader is to be able to flow with the changes in the environment of an organization and encourages thoughts from different people. These are the people who take risk. They enjoy new concepts, take challenges and enjoy their chosen profession. Employees enjoy working under Ms. Rodriguez. These employees are more than likely influenced by her working style (Blanchard, 2010). 3.) Ms. Rodriguez consistently encourages improvement of performance in her group and helps them to better understand the value of hard work and consistently motivates them to direct their work towards the strategies of the organization with humility and grace. Leadership Weaknesses Leadership: Situational leadership style exhibited by MS Rodriguez has certain perceived weaknesses. The Situational leadership style may be exhibited as a management technique instead of a leadership style. A vision of a manager maybe limited but a leader has a broad vision. This is a drawback that Ms. Rodriquez on occasion portrays a lack of long-term vision. The lack of vision has allowed competitors to capitalize in servicing our customers. Awareness: Ms. Rodriquez is a situational leader who can be manipulative. She fails to understand the perception of her employees. This perception may lead to the employees considering Ms. Rodriquez as a dictator. This form of leadership is unacceptable in the company culture of Cummins Inc. This will reduce the credibility and trust of the employees towards Ms. Rodriguez. It will be to her benefit if she is more transparent towards her employees (Hanafee, 2011). External factors: The decision making of Ms. Rodriguez may be affected by certain external factors. A situational leader is successful if they take into consideration external factors. There is a fair chance that there will change be in the situation with a change in leadership. It is the capability of the leader to adapt to this change and then adapt to these new circumstances. This capability is lacking in Ms. Rodriquez. Recommendations for Leadership Development I would suggest the use of situational leadership projected by Ericka Rodriquez, Eastern Distribution Center Site Materials Leader, on the fact that under her leadership productivity and employees moral has increased immensely since her hiring. I respect her strategies and completely take into account the knowledge that I have learned in the process of completing this assignment. The knowledge that I have attained can be summarized as follows- 1.) Delegation: Ms. Rodriquez is a considerate leader. Her decision making style is seasoned. She is a flexible leader but on occasion lacks the broad visions necessary to be a complete leader. A broad vision is essential to maintaining a business that is organized and efficient. Engaging with employees is also crucial for the essential for the continued success of Cummins Inc. This organization must work as a team. 2.) Ms. Rodriquez should adopt different styles of leadership according to the requirement. She must be able to provide confidence to the employees in times when Cummins Inc. is not attaining its organizational goals. Her employees will find confidence in these situations if she addresses these situations effectively. The will build and maintain a positive mental feeling (Northouse, 2013). 3.) Ms. Rodriquez leadership style must maintain an open commutatively rather than portrayed as a dictator. Situational leaders have a tendency to be manipulative. Ms. Rodriquez must reduce her dictatorship and take into consideration employees ideas. This will help keep her employees motivated (Brackett, 2011). These strategies of situational leadership are implemented will ensure the viability and sustainability of the Eastern Distribution Center for Cummins Inc. References Bass, B. M., Bass, R., & Bass, B. M. (2008). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications. Blanchard, K. (2010). Leading At A Higher Level. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Blanchard Management Corporation. Blanchard, K. H., Zigarmi, P., & Zigarmi, D. (1985). Leadership and the one minute manager: Increasing effectiveness through situational leadership. New York: Morrow. Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., & Salovey, P. (2011). Emotional intelligence: Implications for personal, social, academic, and workplace success. Social & Personality Psychology Compass, 5(1), 88-103. Connolly, R., Pico, M., Henderson, K., Bodine, T., & Blankenship, S. (2012). Strategies for success. Training, 49(4), 48-52 Cruikshank, J. L., & Sicilia, D. B. (1997). The engine that could: Seventy-five years of values-driven change at Cummins Engine Company. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Darling, J. L. (2011). The key for effective stress management: Importance of responsive leadership in organizational development. Organization Development Journal, 29(1), 9-26. Graeff, C. L. (1983, April 1). The Situational Leadership Theory: A Critical View. Retrieved March 9, 2015, from http://amr.aom.org/content/8/2/285.short GURUFOCUS. (2014, December 14th). Cummins Inc Financial Strength Rank. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gurufocus.com%2Fterm%2Frank_balancesheet%2FCMI%2FFinancial%252BStrength%2FCummins%252Binc Hanafee, S. (2011). Red, black and global: The transformation of Cummins, 1995-2010. Columbus, IN: Cummins. Hargis, M. (2011). Developing leaders: Examining the role of transactional and transformational leadership across business contexts. Organization Development Journal, 29(3), 51-66. Lanz, K. (2013 ). The art of self-awareness. Training Journal, 65-69. Momeni, N. (2009). The relation between managers’ emotional intelligence and the organizational climate they create. Public Personnel Management, 38(2), 35-48. Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice Sixth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Nyman, M., & Thach, L. (2013). Coaching as a new leadership development option. Supervision, 74(2), 23-26. Park, J. B., & Jankowits, R. P. (2014, December 8). Moody’s raises Cummins’ rating to A2; outlook is stable. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moodys.com%2Fresearch%2FMoodys-raises-Cummins-rating-to-A2-outlook-is-stable–PR_313739. Rooke, D. R. (2005). 7 Transformations of leadership. Harvard Business Review, 83(4), 66-76. Winkler, I. (2009). Contemporary Leadership Theories Enhancing the Understanding of the Complexity, Subjectivity and Dynamic of Leadership. Heidelberg: Physica-Verlag Heidelberg. Zenger, J. (2013). Developing lea ders. Leadership Excellence, 30(8), 24.

History and Description of a Subordinate Group Member Essay

Throughout the history of North America, there has been one ethnic group who has given up almost everything to the European settlers. Land, home, resources, and dignity were stolen from Native Americans. The long history of the American Indian is being written, even today. Approximately forty thousand years ago, the earliest ancestors of Native Americans migrated across the Bering Strait from Asia on pack ice (Hoerder, 2005). The population rose steadily, and by the time the first substantial settlement of Europeans was established in the New World, Native Americans lived throughout the continent. In the search for more farmland, European immigrants quickly pushed the native population out of their traditional homelands. This migration began the crowding of other native bands, forcing eastern natives to move beyond the Ohio River, thus starting a series of relocations for the Native Americans that continued through the next two centuries. Less than fifty years after the end of the American Revolution, many of the tribes in the northeastern United States sold their land under pressure from the newcomers. Before 1850, these natives migrated west of the Mississippi River. If you traveled to Oklahoma today you would find the same bloodlines that once roamed the New England hills (â€Å"Indians† The Reader’s Companion to American History, 1991). Wanting to live apart from the natives and expecting them to remain controlled, reservations were established, including an Indian Territory (est. 1825) in present-day Oklahoma. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was enacted to populate these newly established areas. President Jackson ordered the forced migration of Native Americans from multiple southeastern tribes. Approximately 4,000 Cherokee Indians perished in 1838-1839 on their 800-mile march, or during their succeeding internment. This tragic event has become known as the â€Å"Trail of Tears†. (American Indian Policy, 2002) Trying to â€Å"Americanize† instead of segregate the Indians, in 1887, Congress passed the Dawes Act, which broke up reservations and gave land to individual Indian families. The idea of the Dawes Act was to assimilate Indians by giving them land from which they could profit. What followed were laws, over the next few decades, which dissolved tribal governments and placed Native Americans completely under the jurisdiction of U.  S. laws (American Indian Policy, 2002). The reservation system is one distinctive aspect of the Native American culture that materialized from their relationship with other Americans. The United States has 310 reservations within its borders. The federal government owns 298 reservations and 12 belong to the states in which they are located. A total of 437,431 Indians resided on reservations or trust lands. That is approximately 22 percent of the Native Americans defined by the 1990 census (Shumway & Jackson, 1995). The United States has proven itself unreliable on its policies and treatment of Native Americans. The government teeters between a policy of segregation, under which Indians are treated as a self-sustaining culture, and assimilation policies, which try to integrate Indian and European cultures. The United States acknowledged Indian sovereignty and established treaties with them. Unlike foreign nations, Indians shared the continent with the quickly growing nation who needed resources, and were quick to form treaties, giving Indians land rights and territorial sovereignty but repeatedly found ways to revoke those privileges.

Capital structure and payout policy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Capital structure and payout policy - Term Paper Example Introduction Background Starbucks Corporation is an international company that deals with coffee products, with its headquarters based in Seattle Washington, America. During its commencement in 1971, the company was a retailer and a local coffee roaster; but it has since stretched out swiftly. It has Italian-style coffeehouse chain and it is the world’s largest coffeehouse company, with presence in more than 60 countries and more than 20,000 stores (Starbucks Corporation 2011 3). It deals with coffee beans, salads, hot and cold drinks, hot and cold sandwiches, snacks, mugs and tumblers, and sweet pastries. In addition, Starbucks distributes some of its brand through grocery stores, including coffee and ice cream. Its other products include markets films, music, and books through the Hear Music and the Starbucks Entertainment division. Scores of the company’s products are either location specific or seasonal. Starbuck’s most remarkable expansion, when it used to o pen new stores days on end, was in the 1990s till 2000s. The company started establishing oversees stores in 1990s; and currently, roughly third of its stores are oversees (Starbucks 2). Identification of problem Starbucks mainly obtain its capital from equity and debt sources. However, the company must struggle to strike a good balance between equity and debt; because, if it uses too much debt, then it may be obligated to pay too much interest and subject it to the risk of bankruptcy. Furthermore, such a scenario could limit its payout capability, hence keeping away investors, which again limits its shareholding capability. Therefore, it is important to analyze the company’s capital structure, as it plays a crucial role in regards to its dividend payout, risk of bankruptcy among other issues. Analysis of issues Capital structure means the manner in which a particular company combines its sources of capital, which are used to finance its long-term assets, including debt and e quity. Gearing or leverages is used to measure the proportion of the company’s debt capital. However, the company’s capital structure is affected by a number of factors, and the optimal financing mix should be its target. Difficulty, however, arises, in trying to establish the exact optimal capital structure, since this process is not a science. In order for Starbuck to establish its optimal capital structure, it has to give consideration to all the factors that are believed to play some crucial role in establishing an optimal mix. In addition, it is important to consider the fact that a trade-off between return and risk has a strong impact on the capital structure. In other words, this means that excessive debt will increase the company’s earnings risk, though this will lead to higher potential returns. Furthermore, if the company maintains high debt capital, the stock price will decline due to the higher risk related to high level of debts. On the other hand, the stock becomes more attractive to the investors, if it has a high potential of returns, which will again send the stock’s prices upwards. As such, the optimal capital structure for Starbuck is the one that establishes a balance between return and risk, hence helping attain its overall goal of maximizing the prices of its stock. It is, therefore, very crucial for the management of Starbuck to ensure it maintains the lowest cost of capital and at the same time maximizes the shareholder’s wealth. Capital structure i

Domestic partner benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Domestic partner benefits - Essay Example Further requirements were then added for the partners to continue sharing financial obligations and that they  are  over eighteen (Badgett 2006).. A domestic partnership denotes a much that may be or may not be recognized by law as compared to  marriage. According to  Wikipedia, public and private employers in America provide health insurance and other benefits to spouses and same-sex partners of their employees. The employee receiving benefits for his or her spouse may sometimes be forced to pay tax for the benefits. The qualifications for benefits for domestic partners vary from one employer to the next. Different employers have different benchmarks for those that are suitable for these benefits and those that are not. Domestic partner benefits can be categorized into two: same sex partners and opposite sex partners. It is up to employers to determine which  partnership  to include. Some employers only  recognize  same-sex or different-sex couples, while others acce pt both categories. Employers ought to compensate their employees through more than salaries and wages. They should provide benefits such as health insurance. A growing number of employers are now offering domestic partner benefits to gay, lesbians, bisexual and transgender employees and the  partner’s children. These benefits include health benefits (dental,  sight  and medical); retirement benefits (pension plans); bereavement leave; travel assistance; adoption assistance; education and  tuition  assistance and disability and life insurance. Employers  are known  to create their own definitions of domestic partners. This is to  enable  them to know who is eligible for benefits and who is not.  Same sex  unions were usually left out of this consideration. Employers have since begun offering benefits to  same sex  partners. Employers have traditionally offered benefits, such as health insurance, to the spouses and legal dependants of their employees. In 1982, the first  employer  to break ranks and  offer  domestic partner benefits to its  lesbian  and  gay  employees was a New York City weekly  publication  called the Village Voice. Today, the Human Rights Campaign (a nonprofit organization devoted to working for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equal rights) claims that employees who  offer  these benefits stand at more than 2,500. In an effort to promote equality in the workplace, more and more employers are choosing to  offer  benefits to domestic partners. However, these efforts to  bring  more  equality  to the workplace are not without  consequence. Before adopting policies that  afford  domestic partners the same benefits that  are afforded  spouses, employers must carefully consider the benefits and risks to such an  approach (Badgett 2006).. Cost of domestic partner benefits According to Michael E. Hamrick (2009), lack of information has made it difficult to  es timate  the overall  cost  of domestic partner benefits. Some employers believe that the cost for providing benefits for domestic partners is much higher than providing benefits for married couples. An  excellent  example comes from a small group  plan  in California. It paid 17.1% more in the same year for