Mario Puzos The Godfather free essay sample

An analysis of the 1969 novel. This paper presents an analysis of the novel by Mario Puzo, The Godfather on which the 1972 film of the same name was based. Parallels are drawn between Mafia life and aspects of family life and politics in the non-Mafia world through an examination of character, setting and themes in the novel. Today, with the popularity of The Sopranos on HBO and the widespread regard given to the film version of The Godfather, it is important to go back and review the actual text the film The Godfather was based on. The 1969 book The Godfather, by Mario Puzo, illustrates persuasively to the reader that the Mafia is not simply about crime, murder, and corruption. Rather the Mafia is an organization that has parallels with other aspects of family and political life. By understanding these parallels and the complexities of the characters described in the novel, the reader gradually comes to an uncomfortable awareness about the tensions and the difficulties in his or her own, non-Mafia family and political world. We will write a custom essay sample on Mario Puzos The Godfather or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Determinants of Demand essays

Determinants of Demand essays In economics, we have learned that price is the major factor on the quantity demanded. Many decisions and results have often depended only on prices of goods and services. However, passages of time allow factors other than price to influence demand significantly. These factors are called the determinants of demand and they include consumer tastes and preferences, market size, income, prices of related goods, and consumer expectation. Change in any one of theses determinants can cause a change in the overall demand of a good or a service. Changes in consumer tastes and preferences can have a major impact on demand for products. For example, if BMW has a new model of the 7 series that is just released, the popularity of the car will be high and thus making an increase on the demand of the product. After a period of time, especially new car models are released quite often, the tastes and preferences of the 7-series might dropped and thus causing a decrease on the demand. There is a direct relationship between the consumer tastes Changes in the market size tend to affect demand. As a market expands, it more consumers thus creating a larger potential on demand. An opposite relationship goes along if the market contracts. Markets expand and contract for several reasons. Decisions by private business are one cause of changes in market size. For example, private business like BMW can spend a great deal of money on advertising their new 7-series model on television national wide. With its effect, more people know about the new product and thus likely to enlarge the market size because there is a higher demand. Government sometimes makes decisions that would affect market size. For example, government that puts high taxes on imported cars will cause market size of imported cars to contract. Lastly, new technology is also a force that would affect market size. The new technology is making more inve...

Is the government justified in using capital punishment Research Paper

Is the government justified in using capital punishment - Research Paper Example The work that follows aims at showing that the government is not justified in using capital punishment to execute justice to offenders, though at some time it is necessary. Capital punishment is not the best method of dispensing justice to offenders. This is because it denies individuals of their constitutional rights. Various countries show their opposition to capital punishment and instead support a life sentence. A recent example is one portrayed by a number of Americans at Santa Cruz who voted against death penalty for a bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, against whom the authorities issued a death penalty (Rankin 1). The opponents, according to Russ Rankin in the Washington Times said that it is an outdated, ineffective and wasteful method of dispensing justice. In 1972, the United States suspended the use of capital punishment following a decision by the Supreme Court. This is an indication that it is not the best method of dispensing justice to offenders. Although the state r e-established death penalty, its popularity and implementation is decreasing, with only a few exceptions (Rankin 4). The method, as Rankin points has not proofed to be the best method to deter crime. On the contrary, it costs taxpayers in a state more to execute death punishment than life sentence (Rankin 5). The government is not justified to issue capital punishment because many of them may go against the rights of those convicted. For example, Lindsey Bever reporting in ‘the guardian’ talks of a 62-year old man, Graham, wrongfully sentenced to death but escapes through being shipped to a prison in California. After the US criminal justice system reinstated capital punishment since 1976, many people have lost their lives. As Bever points, it is hard to know the exact number of people who died for crimes they did not commit. As Graham reveals, discrimination reins in the American criminal justice system where people with little crimes would face execution while others with brutal offenses would be spared. In most cases, those accused of capital punishment are poor and cannot afford to fight for their rights. This happens because the people cannot hire a lawyer for themselves unless there is a counsel provision for them and most of them fight for their rights without legal documents. This is why there is a lot of discrimination in handling these cases given that those unable to pay for the cost fail to get justice. It makes it hard to justify government’s issuance of capital punishment as there is no justice rendered to those convicted. Most of the governments practicing capital punishments go against the rights of the individuals as provided in the constitution. Every individual, even those convicted to an offense have a right to life and it is against the constitution for the government to issue a capital punishment against them. However, there are circumstances under which capital punishment may seem the best method to implement justice. Depending on the weight of the offense, a government or a court may choose to execute capital punishment on the offender. For example, following the Delhi gang rape several factors made the court term the rape worthy for capital punishment. First, the court argued that those who committed the offense did it in an extremely brutal and revolting manner which raised an intense and extreme annoyance to the society (Baxi 3). The court directly links this brutal nature of the violence to the quantum of annoyance on the society.

Impacts of Technology on Human Creativity Introduction Research Paper

Impacts of Technology on Human Creativity Introduction - Research Paper Example Technology has made it too easy for human to acquire the different necessities automatically without taking time to think of how different machineries work. However, technology entails inventing new designs and models, thus it requires some creativity. Additionally, advancement in technology results in emergence of new problems whose resolution requires application of creativity. For example, invention of a new machinery involves coming up with new ideas and it upkeep requires some sense of creativity. This paper will focus on the positive and negative impacts of technology on the human creativity. Use of technology enable us to multitask thus achieve several accomplishments in a limited period. Technology entails using different senses especially visual audio and perceptual at a go. For example, a simple task like typing a creative piece of work requires vision, use of hands, and rationality. Use of technology for purpose such as advertisement and digital imagery require creativity. For example, coming up with a catchy product advert require one to think of new ideas of making it appealing so that it can have a competitive advantage over other similar products (Boden, 2012). Another positive impact of technology is that it enables humans to combine several ideas at a go encouraging increased creativity. For example, a program like JAPE, which processes jokes, requires the user to be creative enough to combine different templates (Boden, 2012). Technology helps us save time that can be used to enhance creativity. A good example is in designing by mechanical engineering. Before the invention of computers, mechanical engineers had to use pencils and paper to draw designs. Designing a simple 3-dimensiom widget design required one to take not less than five hours. With the invention of CAD software in addition to the PC’s, designing the same process takes less than an hour giving mechanical engineers at least four extra hours to be creative (Desrochers, 2002 ). Technology has enabled first and easy access of a wide range of information and resources making creativity less costly. A good example is writing a manuscript or a book. Previously, doing such an activity require a lot of time doing the writing, editing, publishing, printing, and publicizing the material. However, using computer and printing technology requires less effort and time making it possible for writers to air their creative view and ideas efficiently (Boden, 2012). Technology has also enabled collaborative teamwork across different professionals. This enables sharing of ideas creating room for more creativity. For example, development of ultrasonic instruments for surgery required combining ideologies in medicine and engendering (Desrochers, 2002). Technology has also had it negative impacts. It has increasingly made students less creative, lethargic, and irrational. Most teachers and lecturers post their notes and assignments online and expect the students to give the ir feedback online. Students no longer go to libraries or refer to textbook but prefer taking the shortcut of copy and paste. In such cases, the technology does not help students learn more or come up with new ideas thus they end up becoming less creative as compared to using textbooks which requires attentiveness and rationality (Boden, 2012). Additionally, technological inventions such as mini cameras, graphing

Analyse Zara Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Analyse Zara - Case Study Example Other firms also choose to outsource with the objective of enabling the firm reduce its costs through specialization and creating efficiency in the labor and resources of the firm (Porter 1996). Other firms also in the efforts to achieve the same try to gain control over the whole firms through as many departments as possible. This they are likely to achieve by the analysis of its value chain. Such firms are said to have gained such controls over the total production process by initiating in-house production hence and achievement of shorter lead times in production and supplies. Zara is one of the fastest growing cloth retailers and it holds a number of shares in the giant Spanish Inditex Group (Folpe 2000). This part of the group in the clothing industry in Spain has developed a unique business model which has enabled it to qualify as one of the vertically integrated retailers. This it has achieved through the identification of its lines of competition over the rest of the retailers . It shapes such competitive edges into strategic issues an act which has enabled the industry to obtain control of every step of the value chain while only outsourcing only cloths with a longer shelf/fashion lifetime (Birger and Stires 2006). The competitiveness and an organization’s focus on strategic issues in the modern business environment has become of age in strategic management of such organizations. A renowned author in this field is Porter through his five forces of competition where he introduced the ideas of competitive strategy, competitive forces and competitive advantage. This model is based on the fact that an organization’s internal environment that is the resources, capabilities, value addition to the value chain are the components of the organization that are most of the time used to account for its core competencies (Birger and Stires 2006). According to Porter’s model; cost and differentiation are the initial two competitive forces that resu lt into competitive advantage to any given organization. Low cost strategy is derived from the vast cost leadership strategy that is coupled with efficiency and stringent controls to costs (Folpe 2000). For example the high profitability and growth that is witnessed in the Zara industry over time is as a result of lower costs of advertising while adopting a flat organizational structure with superior organization systems and well laid down logistics coupled with efficient use of capital. All these are directed towards provision of efficiency (Porter 1996). The company also adopts differentiation as a competitive forces and strategy to make a difference in its operations. As a source of advantage differentiation ensures that unique brands of the products are offered as well as technology, customer service and products all these aimed at making the firm gain a bigger share of the market. Zara industry as one of the famous and fast growing firms in Spain is based on its strengths and s peed in designing and merchandising the products in stores. As compared to other firms in the turbulent fashion industry, Zara products are able to reach the stores in a record time of only 5 weeks as opposed to nine months of other firms in the industry (Folpe 2000). This fast response to the market is achievable due to the differentiation strategy in the

Analysis of Finlands Government Budget

Analysis of Finlands Government Budget Abstract A Government Budget is an administration report introducing the governments proposed incomes and spending for a financial year that is regularly passed by the assembly, affirmed by the president and exhibited by the Finance Minister to the country. (4) The purpose of this project is to compare the Finnish government budget from the years 2013 and 2014, analyse them and evaluate if the latest budget has managed to stabilise the national economy. Keywords Government budget, GDP, inflation, private and public Sector Introduction A government budget shows the expectations of a government’s revenues and spending in annual basis. The purpose of a government budget is to balance the national economy equilibrium. There are three types of government budgets Balanced, surplus and deficit budget. A budget is balanced when a government’s revenue and expenditure are equal. It is surplus when the expected revenues exceed expenditure, and it is deficit when the expected expenditure is bigger than the revenues. GDP, gross-domestic product, is a tool for measuring national production. It can be measured in three ways by production approach, income approach, and expenditure approach (Y = C + I + G + (X − M)). However, the GDP doesn’t take a stance on measuring wealth, volunteer services, or how beneficial or harmful the production is or has been to the economy, environment or nation. The gross-domestic product visualises the size of the national production and hence is a good tool for understanding, analysing, planning and controlling the economy. In this assignment, we will be looking at GDP as a measurement tool in stabilising the national economy. Introduction of the country and its economy Finland has a highly industrialised, mixed economy with a ‘per capita’ output equal to that of other western economies such as France, Germany, Sweden or the United Kingdom. The largest sector of the economy is services at 66 percent, followed by manufacturing and refining at 31.4 percent. Primary production is 2.9 percent. With respect to foreign trade, the key economic sector is manufacturing. The largest industries are electronics (21.6 percent), machinery, vehicles and other engineered metal products (21.1 percent), forest industry (13.1 percent), and chemicals (10.9 percent). Finland has timber and several mineral and freshwater resources. Forestry, paper factories, and the agricultural sector (on which taxpayers spend around 2 billion euros annually) are politically sensitive to rural residents. The capital region generates around a third of the GDP. Finland is highly integrated in the global economy, and international trade makes a third of the annual GDP. Exports within The European Union make up to 60 percent of the total trade. The largest trade flows are with Germany, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, Netherlands and China. Trade policy is managed by the European Union, where Finland has traditionally been among the free trade supporters. Finland has been ranked on third place in the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) 2013-2014 and tops the sub-rankings related to education. This has helped the economy to become the most innovative of the world (GCI). High firm competitiveness has also led to a balanced international creditor position. (1) 2.1 Private sector, income tax and unemployment Finlands income is generated by the approximately 1.8 million private sector workers, who make an average 25.1 euros per hour. The middle income workers tax wedge is 46 % and effective marginal tax rates are very high. Value-added tax is 24% for most items. Capital gains tax is 28% and corporate tax is 26%, which is about the EU median. (1) The population ages rapidly, while labour mobility is hampered and structural unemployment high. Finland’s export market share is briskly deteriorating due to falling structural demand for some of its main products and lost global (price) competitiveness. Part of the production has moved abroad The unemployment rate was 9.50% in 2014, slight growth from 2013 (8,8 %). The employment rate is (persons aged 15–64) 68.6%. 2.2 Public sector State and municipal politicians have struggled to cut their consumption, which is very high at 58 % in comparison to GDP. Much of the taxes are spent on public sector employees, many of which are jobs-for-life and amount to 550 000 state and municipal employees, which makes 10% of the whole population in Finland. (1) Finland’s institutions belong to those best performing in the world. Public institutions function well and are thoroughly transparent. Moreover, government officials tend to respond adequately to risks and are often able to find multi-party consensus on difficult reforms. Budgets of 2013 and 2014 Finland has been a part of Eurozone recession in recent years. It was estimated that the current recession would end in 2013 but the growth would remain slow. The reason for the low growth lies in financial and debt crisis. The work output is not growing, structural change has affected existing production capacity and the amount of new investments is low. This chapter focuses on the details budget changes between 2013 and 2014. The Finnish GDP was 210 billion euros in 2013 referring to chart 1. In 2013, the prediction of the decrease in GDP volume is 0.5 %. The decrease in the outcome is due to decreasing investment and export rates. In budget of year 2014 the total output increased by 1.2% by domestic consumption and export. This was mainly due to gradual recovery of the Eurozone. Real GDP growth differs and can be seen from chart 2. (3) Chart 1: GDP changes. (3) Figure 1: Changes in market prices GDP from year 2010 to estimated 2015. Chart 2. Real GDP growth. (6) Revenues and detailed budgets per sector can be seen in following figures 2 and 3. Figure 2. Revenues and expenditures of year 2013. (3) Figure 3. Revenues and expenditures of year 2014. (3) As referred to the comparison of the 2013 and 2014 budgets, there is a decrease of 200 million â‚ ¬ in the budget of 2014. The government is trying to stabilise the economy by increasing revenue from taxes and selling stocks. There has been a main increase in budgeting in the sectors of health and society together with foreign affairs. Budget has been decreased for most of the sectors. Notable change is that the budget for the president has been cut with more than 3 million. Taxes On-budget revenue for 2014, excluding net borrowing, is estimated at around EUR 46.9 billion. Tax receipts account for around 85 % of all on-budget revenue. It was estimated that central government tax revenue will increase by approximately 2.5 %. That means approximately 1.0 billion increases in tax revenue compared to 2013 budget. Corporate income tax reform was implemented in 2014 together with divided taxation to support economic growth, employment and entrepreneurship. Corporate income tax was lowered 4.5% to 20%. It was estimated that the lowering of the corporate tax rate, reduces central government’s imputed tax revenue by 870 million euros. By lowering the corporate income tax rate the economic growth was estimated to be boosted and as a consequence tax base will be expanded. Also it helps the Finnish production to stay in Finland rather than moving abroad for avoiding large taxes. Tax revenue loss is also compensated with removing and limiting tax subsidies. (3) Dividend taxation was amended. Earlier 70% of dividend income was treated as taxable income and after amending the figure is 85%. For non-publicly listed companies the income will be taxed in full as capital income. Changes to dividend taxation are expected to increase central government tax revenue by approximately 200 million euros. An essential part of increased tax revenue consists of increase in excise duties. It was estimated that increases in taxation of tobacco, alcoholic beverages and soft drinks will increase tax revenue by 230 million euros. Increases in taxation of electricity and transport fuels were estimated to increase central government tax revenue by 195 million euros. In addition, tax for old electricity power plants without carbon dioxide emissions was introduced. Power plant tax aims to collect 50 million tax revenues. (3) Value-added tax rates were increased from the beginning of 2013 by one per cent. General tax rate is now 24 % but tax rate is lowered for some goods and services. For example value-added tax rate for food and restaurants is 14 % and 10 % for medicines, public transport and accommodation. Chart 3. Value added tax rates in 2014. (3) Education As a reserve funds measure, the college list and the focal government exchange record of the managerial extension of the Ministry of Education and Culture will be solidified for 2013. An aggregate of EUR 60 million will be allotted to diminishing class sizes in essential instruction. An aggregate of EUR 58 million will be allotted in 2013 for the repair of dampness and mould-harmed school structures and for instructive establishment foundation costs. Health Health insurance repayments are to be increased in 2013 to around EUR 4.9 billion. Government investment funds measures are controlled and will have a general impact of about EUR 143 million one year from now. The greatest sparing, EUR 103 million, identifies with repayments for restorative costs. Also, government consumption for health insurance pay will diminish all EUR 40 million, as the maintenance for travel costs will be raised. Transportation EUR 28 million in assignments is proposed for ecological backing to vessel ventures, as a gift for a vessel to be finished in 2013, taking into account an approval given in 2010.29. Moreover, A total of EUR 27 million will be dispensed in 2013 for the procurement of another icebreaker. Spending on significant public sectors Figure 4 shows the spending comparison in percentages of all tax revenues on public sectors. This section will inspect the spending in detail for the most significant sectors. Figure 4. Tax euros spent comparison for years 2013 and 2014. In the education sector, student grant is tied to an index starting from 1 August 2014 and the amount of the state guarantee for study loan per month is raised by 100 euros. Study loan deduction system is proposed to be replaced by a study loan credit system which encourages more effective completion of studies. In the upper secondary school and polytechnic, the immigrants will have a possibility to get student financial aid starting from fall 2014. In the social and health care services however, 10 million euros will be allocated to improving support services for family care. Annually, 54.5 million euros will be allocated to implementation of the Act on Supporting the Functional Capacity of the Older Population and on Social and Health Care Services for Older Persons. In the transportations sector, 1.601 million euros will be reserved for traffic route investments and 767 million euros is reserved for daily maintenance of the traffic routes. Finances General government in Finland consists of central government, local government, employee pension funds and other social funds. The decrease of total output in recent years will affect the general government financial standing in the next years and so the general government will continue to show deficit. Central and local government show clear deficit, employee pension sector surplus and other social security funds are in balance. The Budget for 2014 shows a deficit of 7.1 billion euros. In terms of national accounts, the central government deficit is expected to be around 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2014. The budgeted estimate for central government debt at year-end 2014 is close to 100 billion euros. In 2013 budget deficit was 7.0 billion which was about 2.8 per cent of GDP in that year. Central government debt at year-end 2013 was 96 billion euros. The Government aims to balance central government finances and to bring the government debt-to-GDP ratio into a downturn by the end of the parliamentary term. In order to achieve the goals, the Government has decided on measures decreasing expenditure and increasing revenue. The measures will be implemented gradually by 2015 and they will improve the central government’s financial standing by approximately 4.8 billion euros starting from 2017. The measures include lowering corporate income tax rate, reform of divided income taxation, local government reform, social and health care service structure reform and housing policy reform. The measures also include increasing young people’s access to education and employment as well as employment of people with partial capability for working. The Government will assess the achievement of objectives annually. If central government debt relative to total output does not take a downturn, the Government has to commit further measures. European Union Finland is expected to contribute an estimated 1.974 million euros to the EU budget and the European Development Fund in 2014. Finland’s contributions will be 5 million euros lower than contributions in the 2013 Budget. Finland is expected to receive 912 million euros from the EU budget in 2014, which is 306 million euros less than receipts in the 2013 budget. The income decrease is primarily due to the fact that the payments for rural development in 2014 are expected to be delayed during the first programme year. The income payments will be balanced out in coming years The economic sanctions the European Union has set on Russia due to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the results of the slight collapse of the Russian economy is affecting the Finnish economy both directly and indirectly. Similar situation was seen during the collapse of Soviet Union in 1991, when the Finnish economy was even more dependant of its Eastern neighbour. Inflation Chart 3. Shows the inflation rate (6) In 2014 total exports remained at the same level as the year before, while imports decreased by one per cent. According to the preliminary statistics the value of exports was 55.8 billion euros and the value of imports 57.6 billion euros. (1) Binding expenditure ceilings set at the beginning of each administration’s four-year term prevent the government from running large deficits. Government debt is relatively low, borrowing is based on long-term bonds, bond yields are very low and net public assets are very large. Despite the depression in the western countries, there has been a positive trend in growing consumer confidence during 2014. Inflation rates continued its dropping trend, as on 2013 it was 2.2 % and 2014 1.7 %. Still, wages and salaries grew by 1.3 % the same year. (4) 4. Conclusion The economic outlook for 2014 was weak. Furthermore, Finland had to deal with declining export sectors, a relatively fast ageing population, and private sector indebtedness. However, in overall, Finland’s public finances and banking system are solid, institutions are strong, and the business sectors are competitive. Finland’s strengths are competitive business sector and highly educated workforce, healthy public finances, strong institutions and qualified government officials. The dangerous weaknesses come from the ageing, rigid labour market and waning export sectors. For the first time in three years, the GDP increased on 2014. It can be said that there has been a turn for better in planning and controlling the economy via the government budget.

The Effects of Divorce on Children Essay -- Impact of Divorce on Child

Divorce is becoming a worldwide phenomenon, significantly affecting children’s well-being. It radically changes their future causing detrimental effects. According to (Julio CÃ ¡ceres-Delpiano and Eugenio Giolito, 2008) nearly 50% of marriages end with divorce. 90% of children who lived in the USA in the 1960s stayed with their own biological parents, whereas today it makes up only 40% (Hetherington, E. Mavis, and Margaret Stanley-Hagan, 1999). Such an unfavorable problem has been increasing, because in 1969, the legislation of California State changed the divorce laws, where spouses could leave without providing causes (Child Study Center, 2001). This resolution was accepted by the other states and later, the number of divorced people has been steadily growing. Such a typical situation is common for most countries in the world, which negatively affects children’s individuality. However, remarkably little amount of people can conceive the impact of marital separation c aused to offspring. (? passive) Many children after separation of parents are exposed to a number of changes in the future. They have to be getting used to a further living area, feelings and circumstances. Their response to divorce can vary and depends on age, gender and personal characteristics. This essay will show the effects of divorce on children under various aspects such as educational, psychological and social impact. In addition, it will contain data about the divorce rate in the US and present disparate reactions of children. It will also include adequate recommendations for parents as to how act to children after divorce, in order to minimize the adverse effect on children. Increasing divorce rate: During the 1960s and 1980s in the USA, there were signi... ...d become more successful. Works Cited Hetherington, E. Mavis, and Margaret Stanley-Hagan. "The Adjustment of Children with Divorced Parents: A Risk and Resiliency Perspective." Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry & Allied Disciplines 40, no. 1 (January 1999): 129. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011). Sobolewski, Juliana M., and Paul R. Amato. 2007. "Parents' Discord and Divorce, Parent-Child Relationships and Subjective Well-Being in Early Adulthood: Is Feeling Close to Two Parents Always Better than Feeling Close to One?." Social Forces 85, no. 3: 1105-1124. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011). Shansky, Janet. 2002. "NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF DIVORCE ON CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT." Journal of Pastoral Counseling 37, 73. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 8, 2011).