The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

The Story of an Hour by Kate ChopinOne of the best essays in the college reading list is the essay that shows how the student's story has been written out in an essay. The type of person a person is and how that person expresses their story is what will be told in the essay.Just as English writing requires context to be set up with words, the essay needs to be interpreted in the context of a person. Without having this context, the reader will not get the sense of who that person is or what they are really trying to say. Essays need to be able to address what the individual is trying to convey and in order to do this they need to have the essay built around the person.Students often choose to write their essay on a single topic in English composition, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. It is important however, to understand that no matter which topic is chosen, that it is still a piece of writing that is to be interpreted. An essay is made up of the statement of ideas that you want to express, the form of your writing and the manner in which you are addressing the reader. An essay that is not constructed correctly will not stand out.You can determine what your character or story is trying to convey in an essay by knowing your reader. This is the person you are trying to reach with the essay. If you are trying to make a point to the point that your are getting across then it is important to determine what they are looking for and where they are coming from. Once you know what your reader is looking for you can take steps to be sure that they are getting the message you are trying to get across.If you want to build up to something big in the piece you are going to need to show that you understand the point you are trying to make in the piece, or you will be making the reader come to you instead of you coming to them. There are two ways you can do this. The first is to spend some time letting your reader know who they are and why they are reading, so that yo u can see where you need to go with the piece.The second is to pull them into different settings with the essay. This means showing them how the people of different cultures interact in different places. By doing this you can make the reader feel like they are moving through a world they do not actually inhabit.Essays can vary in length but are usually short, five to seven hundred words. Essays can also vary in length, depending on whether or not they are to be a case study or they are more comprehensive accounts of what the writer has done. The size of the essay can help to create the image of the writer. An essay is a representation of a person and you can make your piece stand out by giving it a look that will help to create a compelling piece.

Research proposal on open innovation or discontinuous innovation

Background Innovations have sometimes been considered as routine parts of organisational operations. In this regard, new product developments or shifts in company functions are often done systematically and will result in better performance of what the company has been doing before.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Research proposal on open innovation or discontinuous innovation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, once in a while, a company may make a revolutionary discovery that could dramatically alter the core function of the firm or even create a new industry in its place. These kinds of innovations are known as discontinuous innovations. The major challenge with discontinuous innovations is that their benefits cannot be easily detected. In fact, most organisations that have commissioned market researchers and consultants to investigate the degree of acceptance of their product have often found that those radical innovations posses very little public support (Christensen, 1997). A case in point was the fax machine invented by Xerox. When this firm commissioned market research on acceptability of their new product, they actually got negative ratings for it. If the administrators of this firm solely relied on the market sentiments at that time, then they would not have revolutionised the document imaging industry as we know it today. Not only do discontinuous innovations pose the latter challenge, it is likely that they may result in radical cannibalism. This term refers to the eventual elimination of old product and service offerings following the invention of a new form of technology. One such example is the discovery and growth of digital photography thus leading to the decline of chemical photography. Kodak Company has had to embrace digital photography which competed with its older product category i.e. chemical photography. It was a risk that had to be taken and eventu ally shrunk the market size of its former products. Furthermore, a discontinuous innovation may fulfil most of the functions that the previous technology could but may not always have the qualities that the previous invention had (Anthony, et. al., 2008). Given all these challenges, it is difficult to ascertain whether discontinuous innovations can translate into long term income growth.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Research questions An analysis of a discontinuous innovation’s perceptions by the public is essential in assessing its financial impact. How do firms deal with market research in order to understand consumer needs with regard to their new innovation? Waiting for discontinuous innovation to occur may minimise their likelihood of its occurrence hence its ability to generate revenue (Brentani, 2000). In what ways do managers make deliberate effor ts to inculcate a culture of discontinuous innovation that would cause new revenue streams. Organisational stakeholders are almost always likely to resist development of a disruptive technology. Which kinds of strategies can be utilised in minimising or avoiding resistance to these innovations so as to foster long term changes? Methodology In response to research question one, a case study analysis of previous discontinuous inventers will be done. Inventions such as Hewlett Placard’s inkjet printer, Xerox’s fax machine and Chrysler’s minivan will be analysed and each firm’s approach and dealings with market research will be done. Question number two will require an analysis of literature on change culture so as to curve out a pattern of discontinuous change innovation. Consequently, common approaches will be identified and expounded. For question number three interviews of managers from these three firms during the time of the innovations will be done so as to identity the various methods that individuals from these organisations used in order to foster disruptive change. References Christensen, C. (1997). The innovator’s dilemma: when disruptive technologies cause great firms to fail. Boston: Harvard business school press Brentani, U. (2000). Innovative versus incremental new business services: different keys for achieving success. Production innovation management, 3(18), 169-187 Anthony, S.. Sinfield, J., Johnson, M. Altman, E. (2008). Innovator’s guide to growth-putting disruptive innovation to work. Boston: Harvard business school press This research paper on Research proposal on open innovation or discontinuous innovation was written and submitted by user L1l1ana to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Inventors or Muckers Who Worked for Thomas Edison

The Inventors or Muckers Who Worked for Thomas Edison Already by the time he moved to Menlo Park in 1876, Thomas Edison had gathered many of the men who would work with him for the rest of their lives. By the time Edison built his West Orange lab complex, men came from all over the United States and Europe to work with the famous inventor. Often these young muckers, as Edison called them, were fresh out of college or technical training. Unlike most inventors, Edison depended upon dozens of muckers to build and test his ideas. In return, they received only workmens wages. However, the inventor said, it was not the money they want, but the chance for their ambition to work. The average work week was six days for a total of 55 hours. Nevertheless, if Edison had a bright idea, days at work would extend far into the night. By having several teams going at once, Edison could invent several products at the same time. Still, each project took hundreds of hours of hard work. Inventions could always be improved, so several projects took years of effort. The alkaline storage battery, for example, kept muckers busy for almost a decade. As Edison himself said, Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.   What was it like to work for Edison? One mucker said that he could wither one with his biting sarcasm or ridicule one into extinction. On the other hand, as electrician, Arthur Kennelly stated, The privilege which I had being with this great man for six years was the greatest inspiration of my life. Historians have called the research and development laboratory Edisons greatest invention. In time, other companies such as General Electric built their own laboratories inspired by the West Orange lab. Mucker and Famous Inventor Lewis Howard Latimer  (1848-1928) Although Latimer never worked directly for Edison at any of his laboratories, his many talents deserve special mention. The son of an escaped slave, Latimer overcame poverty and racism in his scientific career. While working for Hiram S. Maxim, a competitor with Edison, Latimer patented his own improved method to make carbon filaments. From 1884 to 1896, he worked in New York City for the Edison Electric Light Company as an engineer, draftsman, and legal expert. Latimer later joined the Edison Pioneers, a group of old Edison employees - its only African American member. Since he never worked with Edison at the Menlo Park or West Orange laboratories, however, he is not technically a mucker. As far as we know, there were no African American muckers.   Mucker and Plastics Pioneer: Jonas Aylsworth (18-1916) A gifted chemist, Aylsworth began working at the West Orange labs when they opened in 1887. Much of his work involved testing materials for phonograph recordings. He left around 1891 only to return ten years later, working both for Edison and in his own laboratory. He patented condensite, a mixture of phenol and formaldehyde, for use in Edison Diamond Disc records. His work with interpenetrating polymers came decades before other scientists made similar discoveries with plastics.   Mucker and Friend until the End: John Ott (1850-1931) Like his younger brother Fred, Ott worked with Edison in Newark as a machinist in the 1870s. Both brothers followed Edison to Menlo Park in 1876, where John was Edisons principal model and instrument maker. After the move to West Orange in 1887, he served as superintendent of the machine shop until a terrible fall in 1895 left him severely injured. Ott held 22 patents, some with Edison. He died only one day after the inventor; his crutches and wheelchair were placed by Edisons casket at Mrs. Edisons request.   Mucker  Reginald Fessenden  (1866-1931) Canadian-born Fessenden had been trained as an electrician. So when Edison wanted to make him a chemist, he protested. Edison replied, I have had a lot of chemists... but none of them can get results. Fessenden turned out to be an excellent chemist, working with insulation for electrical wires. He left the West Orange lab around 1889 and patented several inventions of his own, including patents for telephony and telegraphy. In 1906, he became the first person to broadcast words and music over radio waves.   Mucker and Film Pioneer: William Kennedy Laurie Dickson (1860-1935) Along with most of the West Orange crew in the 1890s, Dickson worked mainly on Edisons failed iron ore mine in western New Jersey. However, his skill as staff photographer led him to assist Edison in his work with motion pictures. Historians still argue over who was more important to the development of films, Dickson or Edison. Together, though, they accomplished more than they did on their own later. The fast pace of work at the lab left Dickson much afflicted by brain exhaustion. In 1893, he suffered a nervous breakdown. By the next year, he was already working for a competing company while still on Edisons payroll. The two parted bitterly the next year and Dickson returned to his native Britain to work for the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company.   Mucker and Sound Recording Expert: Walter Miller (1870-1941) Born in nearby East Orange, Miller started working as a 17-year-old apprentice boy at the West Orange lab soon after it opened in 1887. Many muckers worked here a few years and then moved on, but Miller stayed at West Orange his entire career. He proved himself in many different jobs. As manager of the Recording Department and Edisons primary recording expert, he ran the New York City studio where recordings were made. Meanwhile, he also carried on experimental recordings in West Orange. With Jonas Aylsworth (mentioned above), he earned several patents covering how to duplicate records. He retired from Thomas A. Edison, Incorporated in 1937.

The Current Position of Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Current Position of Starbucks - Essay Example Though profit maximization, sales maximization makes the backbone of every company’s objective, Starbucks have over insisted on this and failed to maximize its quality management and customer needs. The replacement of comfy seats with stands, stylish coffee cups with general cups, stuffy environments and supply of sandwiches whose smell overpowered the sweet scent of brewed coffee is also another strategy that led to the drastic decline of the company’s sales. This shows a complete diversion of the company’s mission and goal. Waitresses and waiters have also been overburdened; they no longer appreciate their work. They feel that the goal they were working hard to achieve and sustain has suddenly changed (Mulcaster, 2009). Brewing of coffee was the major idea behind Starbucks formation. However this idea has changed to automatic making of coffee that customers complain about. The quality of coffee is not felt anymore and so is the social effect of the stores. The employees’ attachment with the customers has reduced due to the tall coffee making machines that destruct the customers view when coffee is made (Mintzberg et al., 2003). ...ategy to help them cope up with the food crisis problems, such as decreasing its prices, or even changing the type of cups to small ones that were affordable just like its competitors deed. Nonetheless, this company did not take into concern efforts made by its competitors. Many stores came up with new strategies to combat Starbuck’s increased sales. The strategy then employed by this company was to open even more stores in the US. However they failed to carry along their distinctive character with them, such as brewing coffee, presence of comfy seats, and ensuring that the sweet aroma of coffee was still intact. As a result the decline of its shares in the stock exchange was inevitable. This is because there is no one who would like to be associated with a declining firm which translates to low di vidends due to the low profits and sales realized. Though Starbucks Company still has the capabilities and resources that can help it to still lead in the coffee world, the environment in which it is running its business is too tight. First the economy has changed. Food prices have hiked, meaning that the disposable income of the consumers is low. They will therefore not opt to take expensive coffee. In addition, its competitors are doing all they can to make sure that they also increase their sales and also penetrate the market just as Starbucks is doing. They are thus growing at the same level. The company’s employees are also getting tired of the introduction of new products. Not that it is wrong, but because their opinion is not taken into concern. They feel that they are not part of the company anymore. However, Starbuck Company can be able to reinstate itself once more and be on the lead in coffee roasting and retailing.

The Effects of Education on Youth Smoking Essay

The Effects of Education on Youth Smoking - Essay Example Moreover, legislation has been passed around the globe which seeks to reduce the impact that certain marketing strategies can have on adolescent for instances. Legislation has recently it has United States which is that cartoon characters or other visually suggestive marketing strategies, such as Joe Camel, it should not be used due to the fact that the underage individuals to engage with cigarette merely because the marketing is specifically targeted to their demographic. Even though these changes have taken place, the sad reality is that young people continue to start smoking cigarettes each and every day. This is all particular importance not only due to the fact that children are just as susceptible to the health impacts that cigarettes entail as adults, it is also of high importance due to the fact that once a young person begin smoking, they are oftentimes likely to continue this habit well into adulthood; oftentimes until they develop a severe medical condition which can take their life. As a means of understanding this reality, the following analysis will focus upon the reasons for why young people begin smoking as a means of seeking to diminish these causal forces that exist within society and promoting a more healthful nation. A great deal of research has indicated that one of the causal reasons for adolescents to begin smoking has to do with whether or not their parents smoke. As such, a statistically higher level of likelihood exists for those adolescents whose parents, or parent as the case may be, smoke as compared to those you do not have such an influence within the home. Naturally, a further reason for why this is a factor has to do with the fact that individual adolescents whose parents/parent smoke are presented with the widespread availability of cigarettes all through their youth (Sohn, 2014).

Rights To Equal Pay Sociology Essay

Rights To Equal Pay Sociology Essay It used to be very common for employers to pay men more than women even when they do exactly the same job. Before the 1950s, most Canadians accepted that men should be paid more than women for doing the same work because men were supposed to be responsible for supporting their families and women were not. Men were the breadwinners and women were responsible for running the home. But times changed. After the Second World War, many countries agreed that it was very important to create an international agreement that people, regardless of what country they live in, should be protected from discrimination and should have the same basic human rights. The United Nations created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, and Canada was one of the many countries that signed it. One of the rights in the Declaration was: Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. During the 1950s, the federal government and the provinces passed equal pay laws to create this right in Canada. The federal government passed An Act to Promote Equal Pay for Female Employees in 1956. This law also applied in the Northwest Territories. Most of these laws prohibited employers from paying women less than men for doing the same work, and most were part of employment or labour standards legislation. Because of the large number of AmRameshn women taking jobs in the war industries during World War II, the National War Labor Board urged employers in 1942 to voluntarily make adjustments which equalize wage or salary rates paid to females with the rates paid to males for comparable quality and quantity of work on the same or similar operations. Until the early 1960s, newspapers published separate job listings for men and women. Jobs were categorized according to sex, with the higher level jobs listed almost exclusively under Help Wanted-Male. In some cases the ads ran identical jobs under male and female listings-but with separate pay scales. Separate, of course, meant unequal: between 1950 and 1960, women with full time jobs earned on average between 59-64 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earned in the same job. It wasnt until the passage of the Equal Pay Act on June 10, 1963 (effective June 11, 1964) that it became illegal to pay women lower rates for the same job strictly on the basis of their sex. Demonstrable differences in seniority, merit, the quality or quantity of work, or other considerations might merit different pay, but gender could no longer be viewed as a drawback on ones resumà ©. Unfortunately, this right was not very helpful. It was very hard for women to use this right to make sure that they actually got paid as much as men for doing essentially the same work. Sometimes, the difference in pay was not in wages, but in benefits or bonuses, and employers could hide a difference in pay by calling it a benefit or a bonus. Sometimes, the work performed by a female employee was not completely the same as the work performed by a male employee. For example, often male jobs had different job titles than female jobs. Employers could argue that the difference in job title meant that the work was not the same. Or the male job might have slightly different duties. Any small difference in the work could allow an employer to pay men and women very differently. By the 1970s, people were talking about a different idea of equal pay. Women were still earning a lot less than men. More and more single mothers were trying to support their children on their own, and more and more women and mothers were living in poverty. In response to these problems, some people said that the problem was not so much that women and men were being paid differently for doing similar work, but that men and women do not do similar work at all. They work in entirely different occupations. For example, more women than men work in nursing, more men than women work as mechanics. They said that problem is that womens work is just not considered as valuable as mens work simply because it is done by women and that leads to low pay. Cases: Two landmark court cases served to strengthen and further define the Equal Pay Act: Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co. (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit Ruled that jobs need to be substantially equal but not identical to fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act. An employer cannot, for example, change the job titles of women workers in order to pay them less than men. Corning Glass Works v. Brennan (1974), U.S. Supreme Court Ruled that employers cannot justify paying women lower wages because that is what they traditionally received under the going market rate. A wage differential occurring simply because men would not work at the low rates paid women was unacceptable. The blatant discrimination apparent in these court cases seems archaic today, as does the practice of sex-segregated job listings. The workplace has changed radically in the decades since the passage of the Equal Pay Act. The right to equal pay for work of equal value is a response to this concern. It prevents employers from paying work done by men differently than work done by women, even when the work is dissimilar, if the work is of equal value to the employer. This right is much more complicated than the right to equal pay for the same or substantially similar work because it requires a way of figuring out when dissimilar jobs have the same value to the employer. Others, like Ontario and Quebec, have enacted special laws, called pay equity laws that require all employers to take positive steps to make sure that they pay male and female employees equally for work of equal value, even if no one makes a complaint. Still other jurisdictions, like Saskatchewan and Manitoba, have pay equity or equal laws or policies that apply only to public sector employers and employees. This reflects a belief that public sector employers are better able than private sector employers (especially small private sector employers) to take on the complicated task of figuring out what work in the organization is equal in value. But what has not changed radically, however, is womens pay. The wage gap has narrowed, but it is still significant. Women earned 59% of the wages men earned in 1963; in 2012 they earned 80.9% of mens wages-an improvement of about half a penny per dollar earned every year. Why is there still such a disparity? Articles supporting this clause: Article 39(d) in the Constitution of India 1949: 39.Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State: The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing (a) that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means to livelihood; (b) that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good; (c) that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment; (d) that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women; (e) that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength; (f) that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment Article 15 in The Constitution Of India 1949: 15. Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth (1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them (2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to (a) access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and palaces of public entertainment; or (b) the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public (3) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children (4) Nothing in this article or in clause ( 2 ) of Article 29 shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Issues: The issues regarding not equally paying men and women for equal work are- It is a human rights issue- If the work of a woman is valued less simply because she is a woman, her individual dignity is injured. It is an economic development issue- To promote equal treatment is equivalent to promote the nations productive potential. It is a human resources issue- Increasing salaries of undervalued workers can be more profitable as it increases morale and productivity, as well as reduces turnover and attracts talent. Concept of Equal Pay: 1. Equal pay for equal work This implies that men and women receive equal pay for the same or similar work. 2.Equal pay for work of equal value This implies that men and women receive equal pay for different jobs Discrimination based on sex: 1. Stereotypes and prejudices with regard to womens work; 2. Occupational segregation by gender; 3. Traditional undervaluing of womens job; 4. Traditional job evaluation methods designed on the basis of requirements of male-dominated jobs; 5.Weaker bargaining power on the part of female workers. When is unequal pay justified: Suppose there are two employees working for the same organization-Ramesh and Suresh. 1-If Ramesh had more experience or a higher educational degree than Suresh, their employer would not have to give them equal wages. Their jobs would not be considered substantially equal because they have different levels of education or experience. 2-Their employer could pay Suresh a higher wage if Ramesh works in Gomti Nagar, North Carolina and Suresh works in New York City. Employee must generally work in the same establishment for them to be considered to have substantially equal jobs. 3-If Ramesh supervises other employees but Suresh does not, their employer could pay Ramesh at a higher rate of pay. Ramesh has significantly more responsibility than Suresh does and therefore their jobs can not be considered substantially equal. 4-If Suresh must travel from job site to job site everyday, while Rameshs job allows her to work in the home office everyday, their jobs differ substantially and Suresh may receive a higher salary. Gender Pay Gap in Numbers: In most countries, womens wages for work of equal value represent on average between 70-90% of mens. In 2010, the OECD reported a gender wage gap in the medium full-time earnings of 17.6% across its members. In the EU, women earn on average 17.5% less than men during their lifetimes. In 2009 in the US, the womens to mens earnings ratio for 25-34 yr olds was 89% and for 45-54 yr olds was 74%. In case you thought the gender gap is restricted to the lower levels of workers, a survey done by the World Economic Forum (WEF) last year showed that there is a yawning gender gap in the corporate sector too. The average annual income of a woman is $1,185, less than a third of a mans $3,698 in corporate India. Articles Published Regarding Such Discrimination: Traditionally, women have not enjoyed equal access to basic human rights, protections, resources, and services. Unfortunately, gender inequality is still present in every society and remains as a huge barrier for the world. There are also two terms which explain different types of discrimination and give us courage to further push for womens rights. First, sexism is a form of discrimination and stereotyping that oppresses women. Second, patriarchy is a system where males are dominant. It is so common in many societies and also within families. Consequently, some violence against women is seen mostly in these types of communities and families. Recent acts of violence pertaining to womens rights are: violence within family, rape, sexual abuse, torture, etc. Some of the other issues commonly asked to be recognized as part of womens rights are: bodily integrity and autonomy, the right to vote (universal suffrage), hold public office, work, fair salary or equal pay, own property and to enter into legal contracts, education, serve in the military, to have marital, parental and religious rights. Efforts done and progress all over the world: In India, the Constitution recognized the principle of Equal Pay for Equal Work for both men and women, and Right to Work through Article 39(d) and 41. As far back as 1976 the Equal Remuneration Act came into effect and yet unequal pay dogs working women in India. From small businesses to large organisations to the unorganized sector, women are paid lesser wages than men for the same work. There have been major international efforts focused at eradicating these inequalities. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the main international human rights treaty for women adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1979. In The Convention CEDAW, it is often described as an international bill of rights for women. The detailed document defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for international action to end such discrimination. In 2010, more than four decades after the US had enacted a law in 1963 to end wage discrimination on the basis of sex, President Barack Obama had to bring in yet another legislation to give women the right to seek remedy against wage discrimination since, in the US women earn only 77 cents per dollar earned by men. In 1963 women were paid 59 cents per every dollar earned by men. Obviously, the progress from 59 cents to 77 cents has been a slow crawl to say the least. Advantages of implementing such a clause: More effective use of skills. Positive impact on female workers. Better human resource management throughout the organization. Better working relationships among employees. Positive effects on the reputation and attractiveness of the business. Success Stories Due To This Clause: To prohibit discrimination on account of sex in the payment of wages by employers engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce. [S. 1409] (Avalon Project, 2006) Prior to the Equal Pay Act, men and women were not treated fairly within regards to wages. It was not unheard of for a man to make twice the salary for doing the same job a woman was capable of doing. With the passing of the Equal Pay Act, women are now a driving force in some of the biggest and most successful companies in the world. Anne Mulcahy, the CEO of the Xerox Corporation, led her company to over $15 million in revenue for 2005 with a 13% profit increase since 2004. Xerox ranks number 4 in the list of Fortune 500 computer and office equipment companies, surpassing powerhouses such as Apple, Pitney Bowes, and Gateway, companies all with men at the helm. (Fortune 500, 2006) Without the enactment of the Equal Pay Act, Anne Mulcahy may never have gotten the chance to advance to her current position. Talent Tree, a staffing company based out of Houston, Texas, is run by a woman by the name of Brenda Harris. Brenda began as CEO of Talent Tree in 2004 after working for the company for 21 years, beginning as a Staffing Manager. Since Brenda has been at the helm of Talent Tree, the company has seen its first profit in several years and was able to afford a company paid trip to Mexico to reward the branches of Talent Tree who contributed to the success of the company in 2005. Brenda has brought back a sense of family and teamwork to Talent Tree with strong but fair leadership, and because of her, the company is on the road to a success it has not seen in some time. (Talent Tree Names New President, 2004) Brenda has also made Talent Tree an excellent company to work for where diversity is strong and women are treated as equal to men, with compensation decided based on skill and experience, not based on gender, race, or any other minority factor. Although the Equal Pay Act of 1963 has allowed women such as Brenda Harris and Anne Mulcahy to become successful in what has been known as a mans world, there is still discrimination against women and many other minorities when it comes to wages. The Equal Pay Act has, in recent years, been the influence for other similar laws such as The Fair Pay Act (S. 840) and the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 841) to help combat this discrimination. The Paycheck Fairness Act holds penalties for violations of compensation laws. Unfortunately, some employers do not take these laws seriously as the penalties are not that severe. Changing the penalties to have a more detrimental affect on employers who violate compensation laws will hopefully help to decrease the violations. (Federal Legislation, n.d.). Conclusion: Laws are meant to protect society from unjust and unfair behavior, and the passing of such clauses as Equal Pay for Equal Work for Both Men and Women has done an outstanding job of protecting women and other minorities from being treated unfairly in the workplace with regard to wages and other compensation. Women are just as capable as men of making successful contributions to companies and therefore have every right to receive equal compensation. This law ensures that compensation is fair and equal to everyone. Although there have been a number of violations over the years, the violations are few and far between and will only decrease as more and more companies are realizing that it takes talent and skill, not gender, to be a success. POWER TO WOMEN, POWER TO ALL OF US!

Present Value

Selling price The selling price would equal to the sum of the potential profits realizable by the purchased asset. In order to present a proper amount with respect to the time value and including the market risk and risk premium, the profits have to be discounted to the present value using the appropriate discount rate. The sum of the discounted cash flows for the next two years of the asset’s useful life is $299,021.75. The same number represents a fair price for purchasing the asset, as it includes potential benefits realizable by the investment, as well as accounts for the possible risks on the basis of the fixed discount rate. Price adjustment under higher rates and inflationThe higher inflation rate would require the appropriate price markup. Market interest rates as well as the risk rates are higher under the growing inflation. Therefore, the price of the asset will be increased, by marking the adjusting the dollar value using the appropriate inflation rate.LocationIf th e asset would be located in the area with unstable governmental and economic situation, it would cost less. The unexpected and sharp market prices fluctuations could alter the projected profit margins. The implementation of long-term contracts would be under a threat. However, with only two years of potential profits, the latter argument does not represent the most critical issue in determining the price level. The risks associated with the potential benefits are significantly higher than in the case of operating in a stable economy. Consequently, the asset would lose some of its value, and its selling price would be lower.BondsThe goal of the firm is to maximize present shareholder value. This goal implies that projects should be undertaken that result in the positive net present value, that is the present value of the expected cash inflow less the present value of the required capital expenditures. Using net present value as a measure, capital budgeting involves selecting those pr ojects that increase the value of the firm because they have a positive NPV. The timing and growth rate of the incoming cash flow is important only to the extent of its impact on NPV. The increase in the net present value means the decrease in the discount rate. This data can be observed in the financial plan section, using cash flows, where the present value of a cash flow stream is equal to the sum of the present values of the individual cash flows. Moreover, in determination of the net present value cost of capital percentage can be used.The cost of capital for any investment is the rate of return capital providers would expect to receive if they would invest their capital elsewhere (opportunity cost).  The annual financial reports for the two companies suggest at a first glance that Cisco systems would be a more sound investment, as it represents a more favourable income statement balance. General Motors Company shows very low profits for the last periods, however its profit m argins are steadily growing. A significant loss, which negatively affects the current credit rating of the company, is realized in prior periods due to discontinuing operations and losses on requisitions. However, the company’s liquidity shows a close to industry’s median value. General Motors shows a more confident overall stability of business operation, while Cisco system greatly depends on innovation and research and development, which is associated with greater costs and bigger risk involved.However, the business indicates less dependency on fixed costs, which allows to attain not only technological or innovative advantage on the market, but also to win better trading bargains offering more favourable prices to customers. The business operations of Cisco largely depend on the appropriate timing and immediate reaction.Cisco should have a higher discount rate than General Motors, because it requires a more profound analysis for determining the potential performance of the company. The higher risks associated with the investment should be accordingly accounted for including the calculation of the market rate and the risk premium. General Motors offers lower returns but higher stability, which means less risk. Making a long term investment in bonds with the same pay rate would be more sound and reasonable for General Motors Company, as it provides a less risky opportunity of return. However, its benefits are limited compared to the potential suggested by the Cisco systems company.