Othello As A Tragic Hero - 872 Words

Known as a talented, noble general throughout all of Venice, Othello is transformed into a crazy, senseless man. William Shakespeare uses the idea of a tragic hero in almost all of his dramas. A tragic hero can be described as a person of high status who is neither completely good nor completely evil, possesses a tragic flaw, and leaves this flaw to be the reason for his/her downfall. Othello believes he can trust one of his soldiers, Iago, who is determined to seek revenge on Othello for not promoting him to be a lieutenant. Othellorsquo;s temper, insecurities, and jealousy are what causes his decline of his social and mental status. Othello can be described as a tragic hero because he is a well-known general of high status, possesses tragic flaws of insecurity, jealousy, and easily-triggered anger, and allows these flaws to lead to his own decline, as well as death. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; From the beginning of Act 1, Othello is referred to as ldquo;generalrdquo;, showing the other charact ersrsquo; respect for him. In his analysis of Othello, Berthoud says how Shakespeare presents Othello as ldquo;an Othello whose occupation involves the upholding of order and justicerdquo; (Berthoud). Cassio talks to Othello and reveals to him how the people of Venice will need Othello to go to Cyprus and defeat the Turkish fleet. However, when he is being accused of placing some sort of voodoo or poison on Desdemona, Othello states, ldquo;Rude am I in my speech/ And littleShow MoreRelatedOthello: Othello a Tragic Hero1478 Words   |  6 PagesOthello: Othello A Tragic Hero If one reads Shakespeares Othello, they can come to the conclusion that it might be one of the his most tragic plays ever written by Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet, is probably the most famous of his tragic plays, but Othello, has characteristics that, I think make it even more tragic then his other plays, and therefore for that reason, you can say that Othello is the most tragic hero. Othello is a noble man, one who has grace with the ladies but also possessesRead MoreOthello as Tragic Hero1578 Words   |  7 PagesIn what ways does Shakespeare present Othello as a typical tragic hero? Professedly, Shakespeare appears to present Othello as tragic hero, exposing his tragic flaw, which consequently leads to his downfall, through his use of language, structure and form. It could be argued ‘Othello’ appears to conform to Aristotle’s principles of tragedy, of the noble protagonist who undergoes perpetia and endures suffering, resulting in his ultimate downfall due to harmatia, which he eventually realises, providingRead MoreOthello is Not a Tragic Hero Essay1481 Words   |  6 PagesOthello has been described as one of William Shakespeare’s most popular plays because the play focuses on its themes of good and evil, military, politics, love and marriage, religion, racial prejudice, gender conflict, and sexuality; but the controversy and debate surrounding Othello is â€Å"Why is Othello a qualification for a tragedy?† Most readers are aware of the many famous deaths or acts of death within the Shakespearean plays. And when the main characters die in Shakespeare’s plays, indeedRead MoreIs Othello a Tragic Hero? Essay1479 Words   |  6 PagesTo what extent can Othello be considered a ‘tragic hero’? The extent of which Othello is a tragic hero has been open to much debate; the basis on which he is judged falls to Aristotle’s established view of the crucial elements that distinguish whether a person is truly tragic. According to Aristotle, a tragic protagonist is a nobleman or person from high status, who contributes to his own demise and illustrates a flaw or weakness in judgment. The tragic protagonist must make a fall from a highRead More Othello - The Tragic Hero Essay796 Words   |  4 Pages Othello: The Tragic Hero In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is the tragic hero. He is a character of high stature who is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. His destruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single villain, but is rather a consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments and misjudgments, and attempts for personal justificationRead MoreWhy Is Othello A Tragic Hero1465 Words   |  6 Pagestragedy his protagonists are often given flaws in their character and hence, are suitably named tragic heroes. The downfall of these protagonists is often a result of their own character flaws and unfortunately, they suffer a doomed and unhappy ending. While the tragic hero is flawed they must also be honorable and worthy of the audience’s understanding and sympathy. On a quest for righteousness the tragic hero often goes through immense s uffering which is why the audience can feel bad for him. ForRead MoreOthello as a Tragic Hero Essay723 Words   |  3 PagesOthello is a tragic hero because of his greatnesses and his weaknesses. He is a noble man who possesses all the qualities of a military leader, which he is. He has control over himself and shows courage as well as dignity. Just as Othello is a virtuous man there are some flaws within him, these flaws complete him ff as a tragic hero. Othello is often blinded by trust and can not see a person for who they really are. He trusts the people around him even when they mean to afflict harm upon him. ThroughRead More Othello the Tragic Hero Essay912 Words   |  4 Pagestrait takes people over, controls their thoughts and persuades them to do stupid things. William Shakespeare portrayed this flaw extremly well in the play Othello. IN the play, Othello, is a character who seems almost perfect, but his flaw jealousy is brought out but his trusted companion Iago. This trait makes Othello the tragic hero due to the fact that he sacrifices his life in good name. When being accused of â€Å"witchcraft† by Barbantio ( Desdemonas father) and senators he Read MoreShakespeare s Othello As A Tragic Hero1517 Words   |  7 Pageswonder, who is Aristotle and why does he label Shakespeare’s play, Othello, as a tragedy? Aristotle is a famous Greek philosopher who defines Shakespeare’s character, Othello, as a tragic hero. Many parts in Othello tell the readers that the play is a tragedy, such as jealousy, arguing, and death, which makes the play famous and delightful to read. Aristotle has identified many common traits or characteristics that a tragic hero requires. In Shakespeare s play, Aristotle defines many featuresRead MoreOthello : An Aristotelian Tragedy And Tragic Hero1604 Words   |  7 PagesOthello, an Aristotelian Tragedy and Tragic Hero When reading a story, specifically a tragedy, what stands out? Tragedy often enables its audience to reflect on personal values that might be in conflict with civil ideas, on the claims of minorities that it neglected or excluded from public life, on its on irrational prejudices toward the foreign of the unknown (Kennedy Gioia, 2103, p. 857). Readers feel sympathy for the characters, especially the tragic hero. Othello, the Moor of Venice is

Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay

Tradition; it is the back bone of every culture and civilization. It is what keeps the beliefs, philosophies, and activities of societies alive, to be passed down from generation to generation. However not all traditions are practiced with pure intentions. Some activities become so routine, people don’t know a life outside of them. Societies become so accustomed to â€Å"tradition† that they will participate in pastimes without questioning the ethics or morals of the situation. Ultimately when tradition takes the place of a rationalizing mind the outcome can be incredibly dangerous. The role of tradition is an underlying theme in the short story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, forcing readers to ask themselves â€Å"At what point do†¦show more content†¦Now that all the papers are handed out the men begin to unfold the slips of paper to reveal blank pieces of paper. However one man is left with a paper with a black dot on it. The man unlucky enough to receiv e this slip of paper is Bill Hutchinson. Promptly Tessie Hutchinson, Bill’s wife, begins to panic saying he didn’t have enough time to pick his paper. Being a reasonable official Mr. Summers allows Hutchinson and each of his family members to reselect a paper. Bill, his two sons, one daughter, and wife Tessie each take a paper and Tessie Hutchinson is left with the paper with the black dot. The townspeople begin to clear a space around Tessie Hutchinson. One of the younger boys from earlier in the story hands her son a stone. While she screams â€Å"It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,† the townspeople begin stoning her, the lottery â€Å"winner†. Shirley Jackson’s use of characters is very detrimental to keeping the theme of the story lively. Whether they play a minor or significant role to the story each character reveals a lot of information about the tradition of the lottery and its intentions, varying from subtle to obvious details. On e of the most important characters is Old Man Warner, an elderly man who is very conservative about the preservation of this tradition He holds it dearly to his heart, despite the fact that this tradition is slowly deteriorating in villages around him. Old Man Warner represents the stubborn nature of all the townspeople who are reluctant toShow MoreRelatedTradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson1774 Words   |  8 PagesAmerica’s most beloved short stories, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, leaves readers with excitement and perhaps a small sense of doubt. Doubt could be an aspect of the reader’s mind due to the gory fact of the cultural tradition in the small farming town of the story. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† displays the theme of unwavering ritualistic tradition and the use of symbolism throughout the story. This means the village is unable to move past their tradition while symbolism is shown through character’sR ead MoreIgnornance of Tradition in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1014 Words   |  5 Pages Tradition, defined as the handing down of information, beliefs, and customs by word of mouth or by example from one generation to another without written instruction. (Tradition) Tradition is a core trait of humanity, from the time before recorded history to present, humanity has followed traditions or customs that have been passed down from generation to generation. More often than not communities all over the world blindly follow these practices with little regard to who startedRead MoreThe Meaning of a Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson574 Words   |  2 PagesShirley Jackson wrote many books in her life, but she was well known by people for her story â€Å"The Lottery† (Hicks). â€Å"The Lottery† was published on June 28, 1948, in the New Yorker magazine (Schilb). The story sets in the morning of June 27th in a small town. The townspeople gather in t he square to conduct their annual tradition, the Lottery. The winner of the lottery will stoned to death by the society. Although there is no main character in the story, the story develops within other important elementsRead MoreTraditions in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay576 Words   |  3 PagesThesis: After a long period of time passes people forget the true meaning of their traditions by slowly disregarding as the years pass. I. The first part of the traditional ritual that is changed is the chips of wood. A. Chips of wood, Mr. Summers had argued, had been all very well when the village was tiny... B. Its perceived as though there is no regard to how the ancestors of this village put on the lottery. II. The second part of the traditional ritual that is changed is the recitalRead MoreTradition in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay1769 Words   |  8 PagesTradition in â€Å"The Lottery† There are many things that people do every day without questioning why they do them. These are our habits and traditions, and though for the most part they are unimportant they can be a crucial part of our culture and our interactions with each other. Sometimes there are traditions that can cause harm or are morally unacceptable. What should be done in this case? Edmund Burke, a nineteenth century politician and author, argues that it is best to stick with traditionRead MoreTraditions in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson Essay464 Words   |  2 Pages Shirley Jacksons story, The Lottery is about a group of towns people who meet every year on the 27th of June. On this day a stoning takes place, as it washes away the sins of everyone that lived in the village. However, should the tradition of the stoning be changed when it becomes your time? On this day every year the people of the village began to gather in the square, around ten oclock (Jackson) to prepare for the stoning. This event would take about two hours as there wereRead MoreEssay on â€Å"The Lottery† by Shirley Jackson: A Brutal Tradition608 Words   |  3 Pagesthe oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people,† capturing the main message of the short story â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, perfectly, because of the themes of peer pressure and tradition present throughout the story. In this story, the people of a small village gather for their annual tradition, a lottery, in which one person is picked at random out of a box containing each of the villagers’ names. The village, which is not specifically named, seemsRead MoreTradition Stays Put in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson1053 Words   |  4 PagesTradition Stays Put Easily regarded as one of America’s most beloved short stories, â€Å"The Lottery,† by Shirley Jackson, leaves readers with excitement and perhaps a small sense of doubt. Doubt could be an aspect of the reader’s mind due to the gory fact of the cultural tradition in the small farming town of the story. Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery† displays the theme of unwavering ritualistic tradition and symbolism. This means the village is unable to move past their tradition while symbolismRead More Theme of Tradition in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Essay1322 Words   |  6 PagesThe Lottery by Shirley Jackson Americans day after day live much of their lives following time-honored traditions that are passed down from one generation to another. From simple everyday cooking and raising children, to holidays and other family rituals, tradition plays a significant role on how they go by there everyday lives. In Shirley Jacksons short story, The Lottery, the citizens of a small farming town follow one such tradition. A point is made regarding human nature in relationRead MoreTraditions in The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner1176 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the world there have been bazaar rituals or traditions that don’t usually happen in the United States. To us it may seem wrong and cruel but to those countries seems to be the right thing to do because that is what they believe in. Some countries do their rituals or traditions like every single year. Most of them are somewhat similar or different but still have the same aspect. There are many people who still follow these traditions or try to escape to another place so they can be free

Importance of Superannuation Contributions in Corporate Finance

Question: Discuss about the Importance of Superannuation Contributions. Answer: Introduction This report aims to provide an understanding of the importance of superannuation contributions in the tertiary sector employees. In this context, the report discusses the factors that should be taken into consideration by the tertiary sector employees when they are placing their superannuation contributions in the defined benefit plan or investment choice plan. The superannuation is described as an organizational pension program that is developed by business corporations for promoting employees welfare. The major benefit of superannuation pension program to the employees is that funds deposited in the account are not subjected to any tax implications till the withdrawal or retirement of employees. There has been increasing emphasizes of business corporations to incorporate superannuation in the employees benefit plan for encouraging them to save for their future years. The government of various countries is focusing on minimizing the contributions to be made into superannuation pensi on program by employers for ensuring employees welfare (Graney, 2004). The comparison of defined benefit plan and investment choice plan is discussed in the present report in order to analyze their benefits for employees. Also, the report examines the issues relating to the concept of time value of money while taking decisions regarding the selection of superannuation contributions to be done in defined benefit or investment choice plan. In addition to this, the report discusses the role of efficient-market hypothesis for pension fund manager in selection of a portfolio. Factors to be considered by Tertiary Sector Employees to place their superannuation contributions in the Defined benefit or Investment Choice plan The tertiary sector is referred to as service sector and comes after the secondary manufacturing and primary raw materials economic sectors. The tertiary sector employees are the service sector employees and they receive superannuation contributions on the basis of their appointment. The superannuation contributions refer to the retirement pension plan that is determined by an organization for its employees benefits. The superannuation contributions are made either by the company known as defied benefit plan or by the employees referred to as defined contribution plan. The funds deposited in the retirement plan through superannuation contributions are subjected to grow in value till the retirement of employees. The minimum contribution to the superannuation was initially 3 per cent but has increased to about 9 per cent for the tertiary sector employees. The superannuation contributions plan is highly beneficial for the employees as it is supported by the government and thus employers have to pay a minimum percentage of salary proportion to the retirement scheme for employees (Smith and Koken, 2011). The minimum mandatory contribution made by the employers on behalf of employees is referred to as superannuation guarantee. Also, the employees are compelled to contribute a minimum percentage of their income to retirement plan under superannuation guarantee. The main reason behind the mandatory contribution in superannuation by employers and employees is to remove any unnecessary burden on the social security system by saving the funds for the employees future life period. The superannuation and mutual funds have thus become biggest investors in financial system of Australia due to large amount of funds contributed by employers and employees in this scheme. The organization known as Uni Super Ltd is known for managing the superannuation plan for tertiary sector employees within Australia (CCH Australia Staff, 2012). There are two major types of investment choice under the superannuation contributions that are, Defined Benefit Plan and Investment Choice plan (Graney, 2004). The benef its offered under both the above mentioned investment choice is explained as follows: Defined benefit plan is referred to as retirement plan offered to employees by the employers in which employers are required to provide a specified amount of funds to the employees as their pension funds. The specified amount of funds promised to be provided by the employer is calculated through a formula incorporating the use of employees salary, age and employment period. The tertiary service sector employees can determine their superannuation in advance in the defined benefit plan as it is determined on the basis of a formula (Kolb, 2009). The funds invested in the defined benefit plan are allocated to different assets as decided by the trustees of UniSuper Ltd. The main benefit for tertiary sector employees adopting the define benefit plan is that it is associated with less risk as the final payment received by the employees is fixed without the effect of performance of asset portfolio. However, this also proves to be drawback of the benefit plan as employees cant gain funds high er than the minimum payout determined by the formula (Reilly and Estreicher, 2010). On the contrary, investment choice plan provides investment choices to the employees and thus employees can select the best possible strategies for their investment as per their needs. The employees are provided the complete authority to decide about the type of assets or portfolios in which the superannuation contributions are to be done (Reilly and Estreicher, 2010). The employees are offered the following fur types of investment strategies in the investment choice plan as follows: Secure Fund: These consist of securities with fixed interest and cash. Stable Fund: It consists of bonds and also some opportunities to invest in domestic and overseas share. Choice of Trustees: It includes domestic and overseas shares, property assets, private equities and investment in infrastructure. Shares Funds: It consists of completely investing in domestic and overseas shares (Maginn et al., 2007). The employees can select from either of the above mentioned strategies on the basis of risk and return factors associated with each of the options. Thus, the employees who select to invest their superannuation contribution under the investment choice plan have to analyze the risks and return characteristics of each of the strategies. The final payment received under this plan is not fixed and cannot be determined in advance as it is dependent on the investment strategy selected by the employees. Therefore, all these factors need to be considered by the tertiary sector employees at the time of deciding their superannuation contributions in the defined benefit plan or investment choice plan. The employees who possess sound knowledge of investing in risky portfolio can select investment choice plan while who have limited knowledge of funds investment should invest in defined benefit plan (Graney, 2004). Issues Relating To the Concept of the Time Value of Money in This Decision-Making Process The concept of time value of money is very important at the time of taking critical financial decisions. This concept helps a finance manager to take critical decisions in relation to investment and financing. The tertiary sector employees can take decisions relating to place their superannuation contributions in the defined benefit plan or investment choice plan. The concept of time value of money will help in determining the cash flows that will be arise at a future period of time. This is done though using two methods that are, compounding the present money to future date or discounting the future money to present date. As such, this concept can be taken into account by the employees while selecting whether they have to receive money in lump sum or in definite payouts at fixed intervals of time from their pension plan (Gitman et al., 2015). The decisions can be taken easily using the concept of time value of money that helps in comparing the value of present and future money. As discussed above, defined benefit plan involves providing definite payout to employees at the time of their retirement that is calculated on the basis of a fixed formula. Thus, employees can use the concept of time value of money while calculating the future amount that they are likely to receive in the future period of time through compounding the present money to future date through the technique of compounding provided by the concept of time of value of money (Wendt, 2015). On the other hand, the investment choice plan the amount received by the employees from the pension plan is related to the performance of the portfolio in which they select to invest. The employees can utilize the concept of time value of money to determine the future cash flows that they are likely to receive from investing in different type of assets. The amount obtained from investment choice plan is dependent on the risk and return characteristics of the type of portfolio selected by the employees. The time value of money will help in assessing the possible return that can be generated from selecting a specific strategy under investment choice plan and thus deciding the worth of money in the future period of time. The future value of the periodic cash flows that will be received under investment choice plan can be easily determined through the use of time value of money. Therefore, the employees can analyze the future cash flows that they will receive under defined benefit or investment choice plan and thus can take decisions relating to place their superannuation contributions in the defined benefit or investment choice plan (Petty et al., 2015). If the efficient-market hypothesis is true, the pension fund manager might as well select a portfolio with a pin. Explain why this is not the case The efficient market hypothesis (EMH) is an investment theory as per which the price of an asset at a time determines all its information. Thus, the theory of efficient-market hypothesis assumes that investors receive all the available information about assets in the same manner. Thus, as per the theory investors are likely to receive equal returns with equal amount of investment done on an asset as they receive same information. The theory has been a subject of debate since its establishment as the view provided by the theory that markets operate efficiently and price of assets states all the information available about them is severely criticized. This is because is this is case it would be rather impossible to beat the market and as such investors would not be able to gain higher returns (Bergen, 2011). The role of pension fund manager is very important in order to ensure that pension plans of employees operate in an effective manner. The main responsibility of pension fund manage r is to provide maximum benefits to employees with their pension scheme after their regiment by investing in right type of assets. Thus, they have to select a portfolio for their employees that are likely to provide them maximum returns in the future. Thus, developing a portfolio associated with minimum risk and maximum performance is the main reasonability of a pension fund manager (Fiestas et al., 2010). However, if the financial economic theory of efficient-market hypothesis is true, then generating a portfolio with maximum returns would be relatively an easy task for pension fund manager. The pension fund manager can easily select assets that are likely to yield maximum returns as the asset prices reflect all the possible information about them. However, this is not the case, a pension fund manager have to develop a portfolio that can provide maximum returns by diversification of the market risk. As such, a pension fund manger have to invest in different type of assets that have low co-relation between them in order to diversify the investment risk and maximize the returns generated from a portfolio. The selection of right type of assets under a portfolio is the most difficult task for a pension fund manager. Lower the co-relation between assets, lesser is the risk because if one asset provides lower returns then other assets can yield higher returns. However, if the efficient-mark et hypothesis is believed to be true than pension fund manager have not to diversify the risk of a portfolio as all assets generate same type of returns (Wendt, 2015). Conclusion Thus, it is inferred from the overall discussion held in the report that tertiary sector employees should carefully analyze the future cash flows that can be generated through placing their superannuation contributions in the defined benefit or investment choice plan through the use of time value of money. The pension fund manager has to select a portfolio for their clients that will provide them maximum returns and is associated with less risk. References Bergen, J.V. 2011. Efficient Market Hypothesis: Is The Stock Market Efficient? Retrieved May 13, 2014, from Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/investopedia/2011/01/12/efficient-market-hypothesis-is-the-stock-market-efficient/#4a55338176a6 CCH Australia Staff. 2012. Australian Master Tax Guide. CCH Australia Limited. Fiestas, H.V. et al. 2010. Better Returns in a Better World: Responsible investment - overcoming the barriers and seeing the returns. Oxfam. Gitman, L. J. et al. 2015. Principles of Managerial Finance. Pearson Higher Education AU. Graney, P. J. 2004. Retirement Savings Plans. Nova Publishers. Kolb, R.W. 2009. Corporate Retirement Security: Social and Ethical Issues. John Wiley Sons. Maginn, J. L. et al. 2007. Managing Investment Portfolios: A Dynamic Process. John Wiley Sons. Petty, J. W. et al. 2015. Financial Management: Principles and Applications. Pearson Higher Education AU. Reilly, D. and Estreicher, S. 2010. Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation: Proceedings of the New York University 59th Annual Conference on Labor. Kluwer Law International. Smith, B. and Koken, E. 2011. The Superannuation Handbook 2008-09. John Wiley Sons. Wendt, K. 2015. Responsible Investment Banking: Risk Management Frameworks, Sustainable Financial Innovation and Softlaw Standards. Springer.

The Kitchen Was A Mess Essays - , Term Papers

Sean Perkins 1/23/19 Austin "The Kitchen Was A Mess" Slowly my eyes opened like mini garage doors. My pupils slid over to the side of my bed and gazed at my Galaxy S7 Edge. I saw the abbreviation Sat. and dozed back off into sleep, upset that I had forgotten to turn off my alarm for school during the week. Just as I was returning to a comforting sigh of rest my mind jolted me awake! It was as if fingernails were being drug across a chalkboard, such an excruciating sound for an alarm clock (it's the only thing annoying enough to wake me up, though). Turning it off, I puzzled over what could have possessed me to set an alarm for a wonderful sleeping in' Saturday morning? Then my eyes widened "Oh no no no nooo!" Rushing to get dressed I could still smell the popcorn, mint chocolate chip ice cream and pepperoni pizza from the night before. Such indulgence was the like for me when left alone to fend for myself without the guidance of my parents. And similarly looking like the yellow brick road in the Wizard of Oz, I followed slices of pizza crusts, an empty popcorn bag and candy wrappers that led me to the final room of mass destruction, the kitchen! Traipsing through the battlefield of potato chips and half eaten snack food, my eyes caught the time. Yikes! My parents were returning from a relaxing few days away and the one thing they left for me to do is to have the kitchen as clean as they left it. Opps. Anxiety crept into my throat, "Oh shit!" I only had 30 minutes to clean up this jumble of chaos. Into turbo mode I went through the area focusing on throwing items into the trash, rinsing dishes and putting them in the dishwasher, sweeping/mopping the floor. I received a text from my Mom saying they were 10 mins out and as I gazed over my awesome work I realized I had time to jump back into bed and catch up with my dreams of white sandy beaches.

Allowances Available to Members of US Congress

Allowances Available to Members of US Congress If they choose to accept them, all members of the United States Congress are given various allowances intended to cover personal expenses related carrying out their duties. The allowances are provided in addition to the members’ salaries, benefits and allowed outside income. The salary for most senators, representatives, delegates, and the resident commissioner from Puerto Rico is $174,000. The Speaker of the House receives a salary of $223,500. The president pro tempore of the Senate and the majority and minority leaders in the House and Senate receive $193,400. The pay of members of Congress has long been a subject of debate, confusion, and misinformation. Members are paid a salary only during the terms for which they are elected. They do not, as has been widely claimed in social media, receive â€Å"their full salaries for life.† In addition, members do not get additional pay for service on committees, and they are not eligible for housing or per diem allowances for expenses incurred in Washington, DC. Lastly, neither the members of Congress nor their families are exempt from having to pay off their student loans. The salaries of members of Congress have not changed since 2009. Article I, Section 6, of the U.S. Constitution, authorizes compensation for members of Congress â€Å"ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.† Adjustments are governed by the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 and the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report,  Congressional Salaries and Allowances, the allowances are provided to cover official office expenses, including staff, mail, travel between a Members district or state and Washington, D.C., and other goods and services. Outside Earned Income Representatives and senators are allowed to accept up to 15% of their base salary in permitted â€Å"outside earned income.† Since 2016, the limit on outside income has been $27,495. Since 1991, representatives and senators have been prohibited from accepting honoraria- payment for professional services that are usually rendered free of charge. In the House of Representatives The Members Representational Allowance (MRA) In the  House of Representatives, the Members Representational Allowance (MRA) is made available to help members defray expenses resulting from three specific components of their representational duties: the personal expenses component, the office expenses component, and the mailing expenses component. Use of the MRA allowance is subject to a number of restrictions. For example, members may not use MRA funds to pay or help pay any personal or campaign-related expenses. Members are also prohibited (unless authorized by the House Ethics Committee) from using campaign funds or committee funds to pay for expenses related to official congressional duties; maintaining an unofficial office account; accepting funds or assistance from a private source for an official activity; or using personal funds to pay for franked mail. In addition, each member is responsible for paying any expenses that are in excess of the authorized MRA level or that are not reimbursable under regulations of the Committee on House Administration. Each member receives the same amount of MRA funds for personal expenses. Allowances for office expenses vary from member to member based on the distance between the members home district and Washington, D.C., and the average rent for office space in the members home district. Allowances for mailing vary based on the number of residential mailing addresses in the members home district as reported by the  U.S. Census Bureau. The House sets the funding levels for the MRA annually as part of the  federal budget process. According to the CRS report, the House-passed fiscal year 2017 legislative branch appropriations bill set this funding at $562.6 million. In 2016, each member’s MRA increased by 1% from the 2015 level, and the  MRAs range from $1,207,510 to $1,383,709, with an average of $1,268,520. Most of each members annual MRA allowance is used to pay their office personnel. In 2016, for example, the office personnel allowance for each member was $944,671. Each member is allowed to use their MRA to employ up to  18 full-time, permanent employees. Some primary responsibilities of the congressional staffs in both the House and Senate include analysis and preparation of proposed legislation, legal research, government policy analysis, scheduling, constituent correspondence, and  speech writing. All members are required to provide a quarterly report detailing exactly how they spent their MRA allowances. All House MRA expenditures are reported in the quarterly  Statement of Disbursements of the House. In the Senate The Senators Official Personnel and Office Expense Account In the  U.S. Senate, the Senators Official Personnel and Office Expense Account (SOPOEA) is made up three separate allowances: the administrative and clerical assistance allowance, the legislative assistance allowance, and the official office expense allowance. All senators receive the same amount for the legislative assistance allowance. The size of the administrative and clerical assistance allowance and the office expense allowance vary based on the population of the state the senators represent, the distance between their Washington, D.C.  office  and their home states, and limits authorized by the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration. The combined total of the three SOPOEA allowances can be used at the discretion of each Senator to pay for any type of official expenses they incur,  including travel, office personnel or office supplies. However, expenses for mailing are currently limited to $50,000 per fiscal year. The size of the SOPOEA allowances is adjusted and authorized within the Contingent Expenses of the Senate account in the annual legislative branch  appropriations bills  enacted as part of the annual federal budget process. The allowance is provided for the fiscal year. The preliminary list of SOPOEA levels contained in the Senate report accompanying the fiscal year 2017 legislative branch appropriations bill shows a range of $3,043,454 to $4,815,203. The average allowance is $3,306,570. Senators are prohibited from using any portion of their SOPOEA allowance for any personal or political purposes, including campaigning. Payment of any amount spent in excess of a senators SOPOEA allowance must be paid by the senator. Unlike in the House, the size of senators administrative and clerical assistance staff is not specified. Instead, senators are free to structure their staffs as they choose, as long as they do not spend more than provided to them in the administrative and clerical assistance component of their SOPOEA allowance. By law, all SOPOEA expenditures of each senator are published in the  Semiannual Report of the Secretary of the Senate,

Marketing case write up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Marketing case write up - Essay Example McGraw intends to retain Oscar Mayer’s (OM) reputation within Kraft Foods as the fastest growing profit maker, and hopefully achieve a +4% volume growth and +15% profit growth for the coming year. His division has two business lines: the traditional OM meat-based products line and the recently acquired/fast growing Louis Rich (LR) turkey-based products line. He has to tailor his strategy which would balance the interests of both lines and yet, achieve his targets. Strengths: OM products enjoyed customer confidence for nearly 100 years, and contribute a massive 82% or $110 MM of the total profits. Acquisition of LR and investment in its line of white meat products has proven to be a strategically wise decision, as shown by the strong volume growth of its products. Weaknesses: There is a significant shift in consumer preference towards less fat/salt food products, i.e., the LR line, while OM line has been giving the maximum profits; its prices are out of tune with the market. Investment costs for acquisitions and/or A&P to buttress LR business will further depress OM business and depress short-term profits; competition from unbranded products will add to the pressure on pricing and bottom line. LR products are susceptible to copying. In terms of convenience, taste, price and customer satisfaction factors, there is a greater negative bias on OM products. OM’s frozen product ‘stuff n burger’ has not been an outstanding success. Opportunities: LR product line business is showing promise of further growth, albeit at the expense of OM product line. LR can add further range to its existing products through in-house R&D efforts that are already underway. Or, it can acquire one or more mid-size firms dealing in white meat products to complement present facilities and products. Threats: Consumers are shifting to healthier and more convenient foods, directly impacting OM range. LR range of products is easy to copy and competition from branded as well

Public Defense v. Private Defense Research Paper

Public Defense v. Private Defense - Research Paper Example (Hoffman,2004) The main hurdle in respect of a public defender is the fact that since there would be a huge load of cases, the time spent on individual cases would be lesser. Further, contrary to the private defense there would lesser access to important tools, like private investigators. Even though, this can be curtailed by the funding of the public defender’s office. (Hoffman,2004) Clearly, in respect of the private defender there would significant time as well as resources to spend on a client; since the client would be willing to pay the private defender would be willing to pay for the same. (McDonald, 1983) Another important element which needs to be taken into account is the fact that the amount which would be received by a public defender would be significantly lesser than that paid to the private defense. It is important to point out that it is generally said that such a difference in pay would not affect the quality of service, however, it is important to note that i f the lesser time being given to each client, plus the resources that are available to a public defense are taken in their collectivity, it would mean that there would be an adverse effect on the case which is inevitable. There are public defenders that are more than willing and considerate to take into account the fact that the client is unable to pay and therefore provide him effective services. Another problem in respect of a public defender is the fact that cases cannot be rejected by them and so if a case qualifies it cannot be refused unless there is a good legal reason to it, one of them being conflict of interest. On the contrary private attorney do not have to assign a reason for refusing the case and can do so even if he decides on the basis of chances of success. (Harmon, 2002) It is important to point out to the fact that the monetary element is also to be taken into account in respect of public and private defense. (Hoffman,2004) There have been various surveys which ha ve been conducted in order to evaluate which one is better. On the basis of an evaluation private lawyers have been found to be handling more serious cases that is, cases concerning severe crimes. (Beattie, 1935) The general phenomenon in respect of the pros and cons is the fact that the general act of the people is to secure money and get legal representation if the concerned offence is a serious one and/or the conviction is on the higher side. (McDonald, 1983) As far as a minor offence is concerned the general pros and cons are not taken into account, contrary to when a person who is facing a long prison sentence, who would prefer the time that is given by private defense and therefore arrange for the money. (Hoffman,2004) Another important element of lack of resources is the fact that the public attorney due to the lack of time cannot put adequate amount of research as well as detailed study which can be evaluated and analysed upon by the private defense. (Beattie, 1935) However, an important edge that can be cited to have been attained by general public defense is that of the experience and the repetitive amount of cases in which the general notion and the legal principles remain the same whereby most of the contentions that are to be raised by the defense can be easily prepared for and be presented and the practical experience can be seen as well as cited in respect of the same by the