Dd307 Tma5 Essay - 2286 Words

‘Social policies aimed at reducing prejudice and intergroup conflict would do well to take account of social psychological research in this area.’ Discuss this statement, making reference to relevant research in your answer. This essays aim is to discuss the possibility of reducing prejudice and intergroup conflicts in the light of how social policies can help to achieve this goal. Since the second World War, social psychology went though major changes, and specifically effected by group influences. Before WWII psychology focused on ethnic and racial tensions, biological and cultural differences that made individuals react the way they did. After WWII the focus was on faulty, implicit generalisations that lead to racial hatred,†¦show more content†¦Sherif at al developed an approach to explain intergroup relations as the `realistic group conflict theory` (RCT) (Brown, 2007), and it has a strong empirical support, and SIT also builds upon it. According to this theory, intergroup hostility is based on the competition for tangible resources, as its motivational factors. Sherif also argued that prejudice is a consequence of conflicting or compatible group goals. RCT also has its weaknesses as SIT p oints out, namely how non-material resources like a persons identity, religion, ethnicity are playing a part in prejudice and intergroup conflicts. Tajfels cognitive SIT has been supported by many theorists, but some have shown some concerns, mainly those from the discursive psychological background, like Billig (Brown, 2007). Billig believed that social categories are dynamic, flexible and actively constructed though the use of language, while Tajfel assumed that it is fixed, stable, and universal, not culturally socially or historically specific. Billing also argued that SIT doesnt explain extreme prejudice or bigotry like the Holocaust, nor hatred and other motivations for violence. To understand the cause and effect of the holocaust would fall short in Billings view. Tajfel even he was a survivor of the holocaust, didnt investigate it in terms of SIT, did not apply the theory to this shameful historical event. Emotions like hate-talk is

Essay about Financial Analysis of General Electric

General Electric Company (GE) is a diversified technology, media and financial services company. With products and services ranging from aircrafts engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and industrial products, it serves in more than 100 countries. This analysis will use financial ratios to see just how GE is performing as a Fortune 500 company. The first thing to analyze is GE’s capacity to pay its debts as they come due or in other words its liquidity. GE consolidated liquidity position is adequate. GE’s liquidity is supported both by the firm’s consistent earnings track record and its ability to quickly divest business or assets to fit†¦show more content†¦These agencies have given the highest debt ratings to GE and GE Capital (long-term rating AAA/Aaa; short-term rating A-1+/P-1) (4). One of their strategic objectives is to maintain these ratings, as they serve to lower our cost of funds and to facilitate their access to a variety of lenders. They manage our businesses in a fashion that is consistent with maintaining these ratings. In their history, they have never violated any conditions either at GE, GECS or GE Capital. They believe that under any reasonable future economic developments, the likelihood that any such arrangements could have a significant effect on operations, cash flows or financial position is remote. Next is how the ratios relate to the firm’s stock price to its earnings, cash flow and book value per share. The ratios for GE stock are very discouraging. This stock is in the diversified industry, which has generated market-like returns over the past 5- and 10-year periods. Yet compared to its industry peers, this stock has been one of the worst performers over the past five years (10-year returns are unavailable). One should keep in mind when looking at a stock or industrys record that historic returns a re not necessarily a predictor of future performance. Persistent strength or weakness, however, may very well say something about the structure of an industry or quality of a companys management. As far as cash flow GE began stretching out itsShow MoreRelatedFinancial Analysis of General Electric98175 Words   |  393 PagesGE Works 2011 Annual Report CONTENTS 2 Letter to Shareowners 10 Business Overview 29 Board of Directors 31 Financial Section 142 Corporate Information 2011 SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED REVENUES (In $ billions) 2007 170 NBCU 155 2008 180 163 154 139 150 133 2009 2010 ï ¬ nancial and strategic highlights 2011 147 142 22% GROWTH CONTINUES 22% increase in Operating EPS excluding impact of the preferred stock redemption, and 20% rise in Operating earnings. $200B RECORD INDUSTRIALRead MoreFinancial Analysis : The General Electric Company1696 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Financial analysis gives the clear outlook of the performance parameters of an organization. It helps in evaluating and comparing the present as well past performance. This analysis is an important tool for the management, investors as well as the outsiders who deal with organization. This analysis presents the way of functioning and the direction in which an organization is moving. The analysis is done with the help of common size analysis, comparative analysis and Ratio Analysis. The analysisRead MoreGeneral Electric Company Financial Analysis1916 Words   |  8 PagesBusiness Analysis II: General Electric Company Financial Analysis Cristina Mota Crespo University of Phoenix MGT/521 Management September 26, 2012 Prof. Elsie Jimenez-Galarza General Electric Company Financial Analysis This essay is continuation of the financial evaluation from last week; we had to choose a company among the Fortune 500 in my case I chose GE Company. This Finance is about the study of money, it helps managers and senior leadership in an organizationRead MoreGeneral Electric Financial Reporting Analysis3933 Words   |  16 Pagestarget company we decided on for our financial analysis is General Electric. At first we were looking at Starbucks, as it is a rapidly growing multinational corporation, but after some research we discovered that the earnings per share growth of Starbucks is 40.2%. Therefore Starbucks did not meet the requirement set at 50% EPS growth to be considered a truly â€Å"rapidly growing company†. We then continued our research and were able to find that General Electric has current EPS growth at 59.6%, whichRead MoreTyco vs Ge1032 Words   |  5 PagesTyco versus General Electric Financial Analysis This paper will give a financial analysis of two corporate moguls: Tyco International and General Electric Corporation. Through thorough research of each company’s shareholder’s equity, preferred stock equity, market capitalization, net profit margins and other factors, this paper will review which company’s strategy has presented a greater risk to the shareholder’s investment. It will also determine whether the investors who are assuming the riskRead MoreInvestigating The Performance And Financial Position Of An Entity726 Words   |  3 Pagesstakeholders who rely on the general purpose financial reports, evaluate the performance and financial position of an entity and make decisions regarding allocation of resources. Hence, an entity will be called as an reporting entity, if there are users who would rely on the analysis provided by the GPFR. 1) Users Dependent SAC 1 Paras 19-22 broadines the factors to identify whether there are dependent users. Factors Explaination/Example Reasons why Electric is a Reporting Entity SeparationRead MoreIncome Statement By A Company Is The Information On The Financial Statement Of A Business Activity759 Words   |  4 PagesIncome Statement Analysis Income Statement by a company is the information on the financial statement of a business activity over a certain period of time usually a quarter or a year. It also explained how much revenue the business grew throughout a period of time and the cost it gained in relating to its revenue. Companies have to be able to bring money otherwise they would not be able to stay in business; therefore income statement show how well or how bad the company is doing. Revenue RevenueRead MoreExecutive Summary : General Electric Company1346 Words   |  6 PagesExecutive Summary General Electric Company (GE) is a company with various interests in service, financial and technology divisions. Even though GE is best known for products such as light bulbs, washers and dryers, refrigerators and freezers, microwave ovens and stoves; it is one of the world s most diverse companies, dabbling in virtually every industry under the sun. GE manufactures aircraft engines, water processing, locomotives, medical equipment and plastics among various other products andRead MoreGeneral Electric, A Worldwide Conglomerate Corporation1728 Words   |  7 Pages General Electric, a worldwide conglomerate corporation, was founded in 1892 in New York. Currently, the GE headquarters remains in Schenectady, New York, and have a second location in Fairfield, CT. As a publicly traded company, GE is one of the â€Å"original twelve† on the Dow Jones Index; the only one left remaining there today, 119 years later. In addition to the Dow, General Electric is also a member of the SP 500. As of 2015, the company operates through the following business divisions:Read MoreSWOT Analysis of GE1033 Words   |  5 PagesSTRENGTHS Global recognition: General Electric has ventured into the world market thus gaining global recognition for its unique goods and services. In the year 2009, Forbes magazine ranked GE as the world s largest company. Hurbert (2007) notes that General Electric s brand is the world s most recognized brand. This kind of recognition has given it a competitive edge over other companies due to its ability to attract more customers. Global strength and competitiveness:The Company’s products

Barbara Kingsolver Free Essays

Barbara Kingsolver’s novel called The Poisonwood Bible beautifully illustrates the lessons learned in a journey that is both physical and metaphysical. As this family travels from Bethlehem, Georgia to the Congo, Africa in order for Nathan, the father, to become a missionary, they each take their own journey of gargantuan proportions. As each character takes very different ideas out of their experiences in Africa, the reader too, is able to experience Africa from the vantage point of multiple narrators. We will write a custom essay sample on Barbara Kingsolver or any similar topic only for you Order Now Kingsolver asks the reader from the very beginning to take the journey with this family. â€Å"Oh, but I know better and so do you†¦Take your place then. look at what happened from every side and consider all the ways it could have gone† (Kingsolver 8). In an interview from Book Page, Kingsolver offers some explanation for looking at history. â€Å"We can never know, never look at history with anything but a narrow and distorted window,† says the author. We can never know the whole truth, only what’s been recorded for us and what our cultural and political predisposition understands. Leah says history is never much more than a mirror we can tilt to look at ourselves† (Kanner). Many members journey from Georgia to the Congo and from ignorance to understanding. In the first section called â€Å"The Things They Carried,† Kingsolver shows the characters packing all the necessary things that they carry into the Congo on this journey. They hide objects in their waistbands that they can’t live without, like band-aids, scissors, cake mixes, and more. The cake solidifies before they are even able to attempts to use it. Before they even get there, Leah realizes these objects weigh her down. What hey realize is that they don’t â€Å"need† any of the objects they brought with them, and that our concept of need is warped by our culture. These possessions stand out against the items of the Congo. The demonstration garden is a symbol that shows many characteristics of this journey of ignorance and understanding. Nathan’s purpose in the demonstration garden is to show the Congolese agricultural techniques. This garden is symbolic of the attitude that the family carries into the Congo. they believe that their way is superior and Africans are hopelessly backward. However, the plants that they bring are inappropriate to Africa as are the attitudes of the family. The plants are useless; they bear no fruit just like the attitudes of the family. When Mama Tataba tries to advise Nathan, he cannot heed her advice because he believes the Congolese are so backward that she doesn’t know what she is talking about. It never occurs to him that there are reasons other than â€Å"backwardness† as to why there is no agriculture in Kilanga. The journey continues as more attitudes change throughout the course of the novel. Adah believes that it is so terrible that so many children and adults die in Africa of things we can cure. So people like her have brought medicines and inoculations. However, this leads to overpopulation and food shortages and more. Another lesson the family learns on this journey is that human beings cannot change the balance of nature. Nature always finds a way to retain its own balance. Not all characters succeed in taking the journey. Nathan Price never â€Å"sees the light† of his journey. He arrogantly believes that he can change these ancient traditions to his own, and this would be for the betterment of everyone. His way of life is simply superior, but he is blind in so many ways. He actually is physically almost-blind in one eye because of an old war wound. He is figuratively blind to anyone outside his own version of his divine mission. He then loses sight temporally by ignoring Mama’s advice about the poisonwood tree. Kingsolver ultimately longs for the reader to make this journey as well, a journey to explore what really happened in the Congo. She wants the reader to question what we did in the Congo and how we respond to its destruction. This is why we hear the story from five different narrators. There is no right answer; there is only the journey of exploring the possibilities. Orleana is paralyzed at the end of the book. Rachel refuses to accept any part. Leah becomes an activist, attempting to right the wrongs of the world. Adah responds with science, wanting to figure out and understand her world. What this family’s ultimate â€Å"journey† becomes is one of arrogance and superiority to one of understanding and open-mindedness. â€Å"We aimed for no more than to have dominion over every creature that moved upon the earth. And so it came to pass that we stepped down there on a place we believed unformed, where only darkness moved on the face of the waters. Now you laugh, day and night, while you gnaw on my bones. But what else could we have thought? Only that it began and ended with us. What do we know, even now? Ask the children. Look at what they grew up to be. We can only speak of the things we carried with us, and the things we took away† (Kingsolver 10) Works Cited Kanner, Ellen, Barbara Kingsolver turns to her past to understand the present. 1998 Retrieved June 3, 2007. from First Person Book Page site http://www. bookpage. com/9811bp/barbara_kingsolver. html Kingsolver. Barbara, The Poisonwood Bible. HarperCollins, Canada. 2005. How to cite Barbara Kingsolver, Papers

The Social Structure of the 1920s free essay sample

The Roots of the 1920’s Social Life The Great War was very essential in providing the stepping stones into life during the 1920s as well as maintaining effects on the social atmosphere. In late 1918, the Great War had come to an end with the Allies achieving victory. This war had supposedly been the war to end all wars, and this victory brought confidence back home to the Americans. American troops came home at the end of 1918, and they came home to an America about to experience some of its most prosperous years. With this confidence and energy, Americans led themselves into the 1920s with optimism, activity, and economic growth that lasted through the majority of the era. The Roaring Twenties, the Golden Twenties, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Jazz Age: all names given to this famous era. America was rich. Wall Street was successful day after day with the stock market soaring. The 1920s was a time where tradition was tried and young men and women defied the traditionalist views. Along with this young and rowdy generation was the Prohibition era. Speakeasies across America were born, and bootlegging became a career for many. Americans would not give up their alcohol to any sort of constitutional amendment creating an active and dangerous lifestyle of Americans during the night time. African-Americans made their mark on society during these times. The Harlem Renaissance brought out true African-American art through different visual arts, novels, dramas, short stories, and poetry. Civil rights were still non-existent for the African-Americans, but many still freely expressed themselves. Some expressed themselves through music, especially jazz. The 1920s brought about the Jazz Age. Big names such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington came to fame during this age of musical expression. America soared during the 1920s; it’s no wonder the era has been called the Roaring/Golden Twenties. Social life during this time was vastly different than any other era in American history. For instance, the daily life of Americans consisted of things that no other era has dealt with. American economy, the generational war, Prohibition, the Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age all served as cornerstones for shaping American society during the 1920s. With many different aspects going into shaping the social life of the 1920s, the economy was the basis of it all. Domestic life had changed with the simple inventions and the mass production of different household products that are still used today: vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, the hair dryer, and etcetera. The consumer lifestyle was king during this time, and it was these simple household products that were vastly consumed. The strong economy changed family life: more students in school, kids were involved in more organizations, and, of course, no worry to put food on the table. With the strong economy, the people developed the mentality of living life to its fullest. Edna St. Vincent Millay described the 1920s lifestyle well in her poem â€Å"First Fig†: â€Å"My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends, it gives a lovely light! † It was only the wealth of America and its strong economy that Americans were able to â€Å"burn the candle at both ends. † Although the Great War had come to an end, young American men came home to fight another war: a generational war. A generational difference had been formed between the rough and rowdy young generation and the traditionalist generation. Women during the Great War had tasted a bit of freedom being on their own while all of the men were across the ocean. This led to the birth of flappers during the 1920s: women who wore short skirts, bobbed their hair, and rebelled against almost any traditional rules. This new revolution would go on to affect far more than just the decade, it would go on to affect the rest of history following the 20s. The generational gap did not come about with each individual across America choosing to rebel, it spread rapidly through the media. Newspapers, magazines, and tabloids not only spread the flapper mentality, but also other national trends, ideas, and fashions. One example of media transforming the new generation was Dorothy Dix’s â€Å"Advice to Women†, one of many columns in daily newspapers for Dix. In it she wrote, â€Å"The old idea used to be that the way for a woman to help her husband was by being thrifty and industrious, by peeling the potatoes a little thinner, and making over her old hats and frocks. But the woman who makes herself nothing but a domestic drudge . . . is not a help to her husband. She is a hindrance. † Writings such as this influenced the female crowd across the country to reform the way of life for young women and wives. This kind of writing also brought about an increase in married women considering that they weren’t as dependent upon their husbands anymore. The wife often carried her own job giving the family two jobs which were needed to maintain the consumer mentality during this time. The older generation, the traditionalists, did not agree with this new way of life. However, with the new generation becoming more independent, whatever the traditionalists had to say didn’t carry much weight. The young adults of the 1920s were their own people which very much affected the social life during this time. Rebellion was not only taking place against the older generation, but also against the American government. The Prohibition Act had made its entrance into the constitution as the Eighteenth Amendment in 1920 abolishing the manufacture, transportation, and sale of liquor, beer, and wine throughout the United States. Many supported prohibition during its infant years. The big business men such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie all supported prohibition convinced that alcohol hindered the work of their employees. Along with these men were the Protestant churches fully supporting the moral values that prohibition was likely to maintain. However, the American people would not give up their alcohol. Prohibition was only able to make alcohol illegal, but it was not able to stop the distribution of alcohol. â€Å"Bootlegging† was the official name given to selling alcohol illegally. This act included those who independently made their own alcohol for themselves, but the major result of prohibition was organized crime being formed around bootlegging. The infamous Al Capone, also known as Scarface, virtually controlled the city of Chicago through his gang of bootlegging. The flow of money was so great that he was able to pay off local police and even federal agents in order to keep his business afloat. Capone even had control over the mayoral elections when his men terrorized polling places, took opposition ballots by gun, and abducted voters and election workers. Capone’s chosen mayor won. Capone wasn’t the only crime lord around though; rival gangs fought against Capone to gain control of Chicago. These gang wars led to bloodshed and mayhem all throughout Chicago. From 1926 to 1930, more than 300 mobsters were killed in various shootouts and bombings in the Chicago area. Gangs centered on bootlegging were found all across America striking fear into the American people. Capone and those like him had to have a major source of alcohol sales other than individual homes, and they did. Speakeasies exploded in their number during the 1920s which had a major impact on social life. It was here that alcohol was sold on a large scale. These were essentially bars, but they were illegal and not easy to get into. In a passage from Studs Terkel’s Hard Times, Alec Wilder recalls the New York City establishments he frequented during Prohibition: â€Å"As soon as you walked in the door, you were a special person, you belonged to a special society. When I’d bring a person in, it was like dispensing largesse. I was a big man. You had to know somebody who knew somebody. It had that marvelous movie-like quality, unreality. And the food was great. † This â€Å"special person† mentality attracted many young Americans to the speakeasies. The sale of alcohol was accompanied with an upbeat atmosphere. Many locations had live music along with an area for dancing. From the inside, many speakeasies would not appear to be illegal considering how the people were loose and loud and uncaring that what they were doing was illegal. Speakeasies were the night end of the burning candle. The social life described so far has mainly been focused on the white Americans, but the African-American society experienced its own social advancement. The Harlem Renaissance was birthed in the 1920s, and it was the time when African-American artists of all different branches expanded. Literature, art, and music were used by the African-Americans to challenge the racism and stereotypes that were very prevalent during this time. One of the most memorable writers from this time was Langston Hughes. This African-American man helped in shaping the minds of aspiring African-American writers. Langston Hughes said in his essay â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain†, â€Å"An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose. † Hughes urged the African-American writers to never try to write like white people; rather, they should openly express themselves through their art. African-Americans were not equal to the white Americans, but Hughes instilled into the African-American community that they did not want to be like the white Americans; instead, they were to be their own people and express their own hearts. The Harlem Renaissance included the Jazz Age as well. Jazz and blues were one of the primary ways for African-Americans to express themselves. They were even able to perform among whites. The aforementioned speakeasies were the primary holds for the performances of different jazz and blues artists as mentioned in Jazz: The First Century: â€Å"Speakeasies, brothels, nightclubs, movie houses, and dance halls were proliferating – all of them craving musical entertainment. † The jazz style of music served well at speakeasies creating an upbeat atmosphere that provided well for the upbeat crowd. Among the most famous African-American musicians during this time were Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong. Duke Ellington said, â€Å"The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back yard on a hot night or something said long ago. † What Ellington said fit perfectly into what Hughes stood for and tried so hard to instill in the African-American society. Jazz focused not on what was current among the white folks, but it focused on the past generations and accomplishments of the African-Americans. The great prosperity and upbeat social life did not last to the end of the 1920s. The economy once again laid the foundation of the social life when the stock market crashed in October of 1929. By mid-November, the previous unemployment count of 700,000 had risen to 3 million. A crashing economy would drastically change the lifestyle that so many had acquired during the last ten years. The consumer lifestyle was dead. America would be coming off some of its most prosperous years into some of its worst economic years. It would not be until 1941 when America entered into the Second World War that America would re-establish itself as being an economic powerhouse. Though the 1920s ended with such disparity, the era affected American history in such a way that the effects are still prevalent today. Flappers  were the epitome of feminism and brought about the drastic change in women’s role in society. The flappers established women with a sense of independence. The Harlem Renaissance laid the foundations for the Civil Rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr. ; a movement that took place thirty years later. And because of that, equality has not only been established for African-Americans in the United States, but equality has been established for all races in the United States. The Jazz Age revolutionized music in America. The jazz music of the 1920s has lived to the modern day and will most likely never die.  The roots of the 1920s social life not only affected society in its current state, but those same roots have grown throughout the past ninety years of America. The 1920s revolutionized life in America.