American Express Essay Example for Free

American Express Essay Bonnie Wittenburg, the plaintiff in this case filed an age discrimination lawsuit against American Express Financial Advisors, Inc. ’s (AEFA). AEFA filed a motion for summary judgment, the district court granted and the United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit affirmed. Wittenburg started working at AEFA Equity Investment Department (EID) in November 1998 at the age of 46 (Walsh, 2011). According to the portfolio managers, Wittenburg provided outstanding service and displayed excellent investment skills and in 2000, she was name Analyst of the Year (Walsh, 2011). In 2001, AEFA hired a new Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and 2002 the CIO initiated a redesign of EID. The project would take approximately two years; add an additional three portfolio managers, a new satellite office and the merger or movement of certain funds to AEFA’s satellite office (Walsh, 2011). During a discussion regarding new hires, the CIO stated he was not averse to hiring younger managers or analysts to grow with the company (Walsh, 2011). The new design plan would include a reduction in force (RIF) which according to the CIO was necessary. The first RIF terminated Al Henderson, age 62. Henderson made a comment that Dan Rivera told him that AEFA fired him because the company wanted to retain the younger employees (Walsh, 2011). The second RIF eliminated three analyst positions but primarily focused on portfolio managers. During the second RIF, a team of managers reviewed about 25 people in the department giving each a rating of keep, maybe keep, maybe, maybe drop or drop (Walsh, 2011). They used the ratings to educate leaders about the individuals in the department and in late 2002 held a meeting to discuss employee ratings. Wittenburg received a low rating because of poor performance and negative input provided by portfolio managers but continued in her current position during the second RIF. Wittenburg along with two other analysts were terminated when the third RIF occurred; Wittenburg was 51 and the other two were 41 and 36. Wittenburg applied for a portfolio manager, she did not get the position and sued AEFA claiming Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) (Walsh, 2011). Wittenburg’s defense would rely on statements from co-workers such as â€Å"those that were younger† â€Å"not averse to hiring younger portfolio managers† and notes that indicated the analyst department would maybe add a junior person. In making a decision, the court will consider if the statements were made by decision makers or by someone who may influence the decision to terminate the plaintiff, the gap between statements and the date of termination, and if the statement itself was discriminatory or merely an opinion. The CIO’s comment regarding the company’s willingness to hire younger workers was a general comment. The statement was not discriminatory nor did it establish that age was the basis for Wittenburg’s termination over a year ago. The reference to adding a junior person did not show discriminatory intent and Wittenburg did not prove the employee equated junior person to a younger person or how such a notation related to her termination. Wittenburg admitted that Rivera was not a decision maker in the 2003 RIF and his statement made to Henderson did not relate to her termination. The court decided that these comments did not establish a pretext based on AEFA’s nondiscriminatory purpose given for her termination. A total of 31 analyst were affected by the 2002 and 2003 RIF, 17 of the analyst were 40 years old or older and of the 17, six were terminated, four resigned and seven retained their jobs (Walsh, 2011). In addition, there were four terminated, two resigned, two transferred and six retained their positions of the 14 analysts who were not in the protected class (Walsh, 2011). There were two members, ages 41 and 46, of the protected class who ranked first and second during the 2002 analyst ratings and the two analyst terminated in 2003 were both younger than Wittenburg, one was 41 and the other 36 (Walsh, 2011). Another analyst in the protected class whose age was the same as Wittenburg survived the 2003 RIF. Wittenburg’s accusation that scores were manipulated to retain younger employees during the 2002 RIF by ranking them in the â€Å"keep† category even though their scores were low was actually a moot point as she survived the 2002 RIF even though her score was low putting her in the maybe keep category. AEFA stated they needed only one Technology Sector analyst and then redistributed the workload amongst other employees, Wittenburg argues that pretext was shown however, as stated by the court, â€Å"employers often distribute a discharged employee’s duties to other employees performing related work for legitimate reasons† (Walsh, 2011). As far as the two vacancies, those were among the 10 analysts who had survived the RIF, they were not new positions (Walsh, 2011). The decision to downsize and redesign the Equity Investment Department was for the betterment of the company. Wittenburg’s argument that AEFA only relied on her 2002 performance review in making their decision to terminate does not help her case. The court noted there is nothing discriminatory in an employer choosing to rely on recent performance data in deciding which employees to RIF (Walsh, 2011). American Express had not been doing very well and the CIO explained analyst’s performance evaluations on an annual basis are important because consumers look at one-year performance and make decisions (Walsh, 2011).

The Global Financial Crisis On Gcc Countries Economics Essay

The Global Financial Crisis On Gcc Countries Economics Essay The global financial crises that erupted in 2008 affected all countries, rich and poor, to varying degrees, worldwide (Iqbal 2008). Financial markets around the world became more volatile and the economic slowdown created a ripple effect beginning with the United States and Europe into several more economically integrated countries (Nabibi 2009). In a short span of time, severe economic losses were reported by banks, real estate, and equity markets. Blackstone chief executive officer (CEO) Steve Schwarzman stated in the Davos World Economic Forum that the global economic meltdown destroyed 40 percent of the worlds wealth (Conway 2009). The crisis began in September 2007 and concentrated in US real estate termed as the subprime crisis and eventually developed into what economists called the credit crunch in 2008 (Nabibi 2009). As American and European banks incurred losses because of exposure to sub-prime assets, their capital was reduced and affected their capacity to lend. Moreover, corporate and household borrowers began to deleverage (Al Maraj 2008). As major financial institutions went bankrupt and household wealth eroded, investor and consumer confidence went down significantly (Woertz 2008). Quick policy responses from governments of the West was able to prevent their economies from plummeting into depression, but the U.S. experienced one of its worst recessions since the Second World War (United Nations 2009a). While economists have said that no country was spared as a result of the global financial crisis, the effects were disparate among different economies. For instance, the more severe losses were exper ienced by highly integrated economies and had minimal impact on Arab economies which are less integrated (Behrendt, Haq and Kamel 2009). However, the global economic slowdown also resulted to the decline in demand for oil, which claims a significant chunk in the exports of countries composing the Gulf Cooperation Council or GCC (Nabibi 2009). The initial impact of the crisis was the sudden plunge of oil prices, coupled with the depletion of half of local stock markets by half, and the loss of value of investments in the global market. The decrease in oil prices affected the oil-exporting GCC countries which are also the most globalized in the region (Fakir 2009). The domino effect came later unemployment, decline in remittances, reduced government income, reduced trade and investment and reduced social service allocations (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] 2010). On the other hand, GCC decision makers and finance ministers have reiterated that strict monetary oversight ha s shielded their economies from the worst effects of the global crisis (Tzannatos 2009). The finance ministers stated that the abundant liquidity is enough to assuage investor concerns and highlight the stability of the monetary system of the GCC (Al Jazeera 2008).   Nevertheless, these effects cannot be generalized for all the GCC countries given their diversity (Nabibi 2009). Countries that are more exposed to global capital, investment and consumption demand face a greater risk of being affected by the crisis than others. For instance, Dubai in the UAE, which depend heavily on international capital, tourism and real estate, seems to be more adversely affected than other countries. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia, which has only 25 per cent foreign workers compared to much higher proportions in the other GCC economies might be much less affected than others (Rajan and Narayana 2009). The crisis seems to have visibly hit the GCC economies in the beginning of 2009. However, both the depth and intensity of crisis and the possibility of turnaround are not clear. This paper examines the impact of the global financial crisis on the six countries who are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 2 Objectives This study seeks to: 1. Assess the impact of the recession on key industries in the GCC economies; 2. Assess the impact of the recession on employment and other social services; 3. Identify the measures undertaken by various stakeholders to mitigate the adverse effects. 3 Topic Area The central topic of this study is the 2008 global financial crisis, which is one of the most significant economic phenomena that caused turmoil in countries all over the world. To some economists, it demonstrated the volatility and instability of increasingly integrated economies under a globalized world. As many have observed, the countries which were greatest hit by the crisis were those which were highly globalized (Nabibi 2009).    The implications of the crisis for the GCC are significant. In the Arab region, GCC countries are the most globalized, so logically, the erosion of corporate wealth in the US and Europe would have an accompanying impact on the GCC economies. Indeed, as the World Bank (2009) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) studies have shown, stock markets in all of the GCC countries experienced a significant decline because of the withdrawal of investment from foreign financial institutions. Moreover, privately-funded and domestic projects have been cancelled or abandoned, resulting to a great number of people being laid off and without jobs (Tzannatos 2009; Rajan and Narayana 2009). Despite pronouncements from government decision makers, the effects of the downturn on GCC economies seemed evident (Woertz 2008). Many organizations such as the World Bank and the ILO conducted impact assessments to determine the effect of the financial crisis on trade and industry in the GCC (Iqbal 2008 ). Understanding how it impacts the GCC economies and determining the effectiveness of the policy responses by governments shed light on how best to strengthen economies to mitigate the effects of the global financial crisis. After all, it seems certain that the global financial crisis of 2008 was not the first to its kind and will not be the last. 4 Literature Review   Studies and statistics assessing the impact of the global financial crisis on Arab countries have mixed results. Some have stated that the impact, while present, has been minimal (Behrendt, Haq, and Kamel 2009; Khamis 2010) while others have hypothesized of a more lingering adverse impact for oil-exporting economies such as those in the GCC (Nabibi 2009; Bloomberg 2010). The initial pathway for the effects of the crisis to become transmitted into the GCC was its financial markets. It began with the regional stock markets characterized by high volatility. Financial institutions as well as real estate developers, which comprise among the largely publicly-listed corporations in the GCC were adversely affected, especially Dubai (Nabibi 2009). Moreover, due to real estate speculations effect of increasing defaults on mortgages, many commercial banks in the Middle East region were hurt. Despite having a limited exposure to the global financial markets, banks in GCC countries maintained large investments and loaned very large sums to private entities for the purpose of investment (Center for Strategic Research 2009). As stock prices plummeted, several banks experienced massive default loans and loss of asset values (Khamis 2010). Although the banking sector experienced shock waves, the Islamic banks on the other hand were insulated (Iqbal 2008). Because the y are protected from toxic financial assets and prohibit speculation, the first impact of the global financial crisis shielded them. In addition, sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) also suffered heavy losses as a result of the global financial crisis. The heavier losses were recorded by those which have significant investments in the US stock market, financial institutions, insurance companies, and banks. Estimates put losses at over 200b USD for the year 2008 alone (United Nations 2009b). Aside from the financial sector, the effects of the global financial crisis have also impacted the real economy (Woertz 2008). In real estate, projects which are ongoing or are in the planning stage are likely to be suspended because of financial squeeze. Financing for large construction projects will not be so feasible. This is why one of the largest-hit of the global financial crisis is Dubai where the real estate sector is heavily dependent on speculation and debt financing (Rajan and Narayana 2010). Revenue generation among countries has also generally decreased. Figures from the ILO in 2009 reveal that real GDP growth has shrunk from 6 percent in 2007 to 4 percent in 2009. There is great indication that the crisis will have a more sustainable effect on the region within the years to come. Moreover, due to high inflation, increasing national debt, and prolonged volatility of markets will render more GCC countries vulnerable to the economic slowdown (Center for Strategic Research 2009). Analysts have been keen to point out that the significant drop of oil prices and demand for oil will be the biggest obstacle for the GCC economies. From a barrel price of 140USD in July 2008, oil prices have dropped to merely 40USD per barrel in January 2009. This significant drop increases the threat of negative fiscal balances for Oman, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to losses in oil revenue. Hence, the projected growth among GCC countries may be set back a few years more because of downward trend of oil prices (Behrendt, Haq, and Kamel 2009). The slowdown of the European economy may also force GCC countries to reduce production, which will eventually lead to further decline of real GDP in oil-exporting countries (Bloomberg 2010). Saudi Arabia was also severely hit, with its GDP down from 4.2 percent in 2008 to 0.7 percent in 2009 (United Nations 2010a, p. 74).Moreover, without sound governance, the current practice of oil-exporting countries of maintaining high fiscal spending despi te declining oil revenues will further hamper growth (Nabibi 2009). Analysis and predictions over the impact of the global financial crisis on the GCC economies are mixed. While they unanimously state that the global crisis has had an adverse effect on GCC countries, some have stated that the impact is negligible (Khamis 2010) and is not adverse enough to threaten the stability of the region. Behrendt, Haq, and Kamel (2009) opined that the GCC economies are in a relatively well position and can ably cope with the challenges of the global economic turmoil because of many reasons. Firstly, the GCC region has abundant liquidity from incomes out of high commodity prices. Secondly, sound economic management has enabled GCC economies to weather the economic slowdown quite well. Thirdly, the economies of GCC countries are weakly integrated to the global economy as compared to other regions. Smith (2008) said that while there have been negative effects experienced by GCC economies, they are manageable compared to what has been suffered by other countries. The effects of the global financial crisis have also been diverse in degree. For instance, the Oxford Business Group (2009) opined that by and large, the banking sector in Saudi Arabia has demonstrated a high degree of resilience and was insulated from the problems which confronted commercial banks in other GCC countries. Moreover, the Saudi economy in general was found to better than other countries to avoid any negative impact (p. 61) on the following grounds. First, Saudis banks have focused on domestic demand, thereby keeping exposure to the US subprime assets at arms length. Second, Saudis mortgage industry is relatively underdeveloped, and therefore a minimal impact on its real estate sector was experienced in comparison to other GCC countries. Thirdly, the sector still maintains a large and underbanked deposit base to draw from (Oxford Business Group 2009). Among the GCC economies, the UAE has been the most affected by the crisis. Between 2008 and 2009, real GDP growth fell from 7.4 to 0.5 percent. This was due to a severe contraction in domestic demand, notably in Dubai. In the UAE, the real estate sector represents 16 percent of GDP, so the slowdown in this sector had a severe impact on growth. Around 80 percent of Dubais workforce is composed of expatriates, and due to the layoffs, consumption has been significantly reduced (United Nations 2010a, p. 73). GCC economies responded to the effects of the global crisis by adopting measures and policies to mitigate its adverse consequences. Most GCC countries reproduced the policy responses of Western governments such as fiscal stimulation and stricter financial guidelines and regulations. The responses varied relatively depending on the circumstances of their economy. As the first impact of the global crisis directly hit financial institutions and the stock markets, GCC countries first policy responses was directed at supporting the banking sector by providing liquidity and credit support. Oil exporters such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE fortified their banking systems by providing deposit guarantees for commercial banks (Woertz 2008). The effects of the global financial crisis on the banking sector have been buffered by several policy measures undertaken by GCC governments and their central banks. Some of the key measures taken since early September 2008 are as follows: reducing the Repo rate four-fold from 5.5 to 2.5 percent, reducing capital reserve requirement for banks, and injecting 3bUSD to enhance liquidity (Saudi Arabia); reducing Repo benchmark to 1.5 percent, injecting 32b USD in the financial and banking sector to ensure liquidity (UAE); reducing discount rates by 50 percent and guaranteeing of deposits (Kuwait) (Iqbal 2008). 5 Research Questions   The central question which this study answers is: What is the impact of the global financial crisis on the GCC countries? The following sub-questions will also be addressed, to wit: 1. What effect did the global financial crisis have on the financial markets, export demand, and government revenue in GCC countries? 2. How did the global financial crisis affect social indicators such as poverty and unemployment in GCC Countries? 3. What policy responses were made by GCC countries to counter the effects of the financial crisis? Research Hypotheses 1. The global financial crisis had a negative impact on the financial markets, export demand, assets, tourism, and remittances in the GCC countries. The impact of the crisis however went at varying degrees across countries. 2. The crisis led to an increase in unemployment and to the decrease of budget allocation for social services. 6 Methodology Overview of approach   This study follows a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and data analysis in order to achieve its goals. Because this study wants to determine the impact of the global financial countries on the economies of the GCC countries, the use of statistics is indispensable. Hence, the use of statistical evidence and the analysis of statistical data will form the bulk of the quantitative aspect of this study. The use of quantitative methods will provide generalization and predictions which are important to this study. On the other hand, there is a need to give the study a more in-depth character in order to fully understand the impact of the global financial crisis in its own context (Strauss and Corbin 2003). It is assumed that statistical research may not be able to take into full account the effects of the financial crisis. In order to have the best of both paradigms, qualitative and quantitative approaches are combined in this research in order to provide insights that neither approaches alone can provide (Patton 2005). Data Collection   Qualitative and quantitative forms of data will be gathered for the purposes of this study. 1. Key informant interviews Key informant interviews are qualitative in-depth interviews with individuals who are knowledgeable about the topic of interest. The purpose of conducting key informant interviews is to gain access to information which people who have first-hand knowledge only possess. In the context of the research objectives already outlined, key informant interviews can provide information about how the global financial crisis has affected GCC countries from a limited number of economic analysis or experts who have been able to observe and track the consequences of the global financial crisis in their respective countries. In particular, five (5) key informant interviews will be conducted. Participants will be individuals who are highly qualified to provide information about the effects of the global economic crisis: professors, economic analysts, or business experts. Face-to-face interviews or Internet correspondence will be conducted. Interviews will be transcribed and interpreted accordingly. 2. Statistical reports and other documentary evidence As stated earlier, the use of statistical data is indispensable to this study. To track the effects of the global financial crisis on key areas of the six GCC economies, official reports and statistics from authoritative sources will be used such as the World Bank, International Labor Organization, the OECD, and International Monetary Fund. Moreover, secondary sources such as newspaper articles, in-house reports, and other pertinent documents will be used to verify or illuminate findings. Data Analysis   Data from the key informant interviews will be analyzed for recurring themes, patterns, and ideas. Statistical data from reports and documentary evidence will be analyzed using descriptive statistics. Interpretation   Because qualitative data tends to be subjective, findings from the key informant interviews will be cross-checked and verified with secondary sources. In order to reduce the probability of bias, results from the interviews will be substantiated with findings from statistical analysis performed on the reports and documentary evidence. 7 Expected Results   Out of the mixed-methods approach that this study will undertake in determining the impact of the global financial crisis, the following results are expected: 1. A detailed presentation of the key economic and social indicators in significant areas of six GCC countries highlighting improvement or decline; 2. An in-depth presentation of interview findings from well-known and expert informants that will substantiate or illuminate on the findings from statistical sources. 3. Key policy responses made by governments are identified and recommendations for improvement are also outlined.

Silver Lining in the Sky A Story

Silver Lining in the Sky A Story Silver Lining in the Sky We often come to here the proverb that life is not bed of roses. It may seem the old and overused statement, but, it really is true. We often judge happiness pleasure in lives by economic prosperity, which does not holds true for all the cases. People may have a lot of money, but, are still unhappy and have forlorn because they feel that money cannot buy everything for them. and in case of lack of prosperity, the life itself became difficult because a person fails to fulfill his dreams and cannot buy or get according to his wishes. People may have experiences that may change affect their whole life and transform them to a completely different one. Such experiences can either make a person a sad loser or transform him to a successful and wise person, these results are dependent on the personality of the person and how he sees his situation o r world. I have listened about and observed a person who with the power of optimism and hopefulness changed his miserable and depressed life into the a shining example for everyone. This narrative is about one of the sons of our maid Zainab, who used to work in our since our childhood. I have not seen anyone so honest and dedicated in her life, as Zainab. When I was toddler, she was a middle aged woman and had two sons and one daughter. With the time she spent I our home and the long time for which she worked, she was considered the most entrusted servant of our house and we use to leave our house in her supervision alone and go for hours, but, never found anything misplaced or stolen. The long detail about Zainab is actually related to her son also. My mom told me that Zainab was not always the same poor and unfortunate women. She herself belonged to an uneducated and mediocre family, but, her husband was a really rich man and against the Arabic traditions, he married Zainab without consultation from his family, that’s why his family stayed away from him forever. Her husband used to work as the successful broker in stock exchange, but, unluckily, he invested in a unsuccessful company hoping that later it will bring more money to him, but his plan failed and he lost all money. This happened after eight years of his marriage with Zainab. A few weeks after that the family was travelling and they got into accident, her husband died on spot her elder son Khalid apparently bruised his legs only. The death of Khalid’s mother came as real loss for the family, with no sources of income and lack of education, unfortunately Zainab had to go to peoples home and work as maid. She used to work her in several homes to feed them. Khalid was seven, when his mother started working as maid. Initially he got really depressed, when he had to see his mother sweeping the floors of others because he himself led the life, where people used to do work for them. Khalid became really quiet after the death of his father and also really sensitive. Being the eldest he realized that he has to take care of his siblings, but, still the difference in lifestyle and daily routine put a lot of pressure on the nerves of the child. He was always a happy and confident child, but, he started having nightmares and never wanted to leave his mother’s side. He used to wonder why all this happened to him and his family. It was the time he started getting lazy and also started complaining about pain in his legs. Initially everyone felt that he could not adjust in accordance with the present circumstances. His complaining did not stop and with the passage of time deformation in his legs were observed. Later his mother took him to doctor. After looking at his condition, the dr. inquired, whether Khalid was vaccinated for polio, the mother denied any such knowledge. After tests, it was revealed that Khalid had polio and had become paralyzed for his life. It was another shock for the family, but, his strong hearted mother always consoled him and taught his to see silver lining in the sky. With the passage of time Khalid learned that life without hope s useless. But, he was still young boy at that time. Lives without father and also as a paralyzed person seem to be really difficult for him. The real shock came after world. When his father lost his fortune, most of their acquaintances left them on their ow n, like they had contact ad acquaintances with them only because of their fortune. Even their family friends left them. He used to wonder, why people stopped meeting them and coming to their house. He didn’t realize anything until his father died and they were left alone in the world and without any financial aid. Soon after his mother started working as the maid for people, the remaining people stopped their contact and even forbade their children to play with them. They also have to shift in a smaller place, which was in a slum. Their new friends and acquaintances were the people of that slum. When he got polio, even his new friends started teasing him for his present condition and used to call him by the names of handicap, disfigured and game legged. Hearing such words and being called by his fellows was a real pain for him. He was also fond of soccer before his disability; the pain that he cannot play soccer for ever brought his more pain in the heart. The main issue was that due to lack of finances, he did not have clutches or wheelchair. It means that he was totally dependent on the other for his movements and the daily routine. Most pain came from the fact that, in the slums people were illiterate and had no knowledge of disease polio. Most of the people thought that it was an infectiou s disease and told their children not to visit Khalid again. How much pain the little boy might have suffered after losing fortune, father and later his friends, who were the only hope at that difficult time? In that time of despair, his mother used to tell him that how they were facing difficulties because she was not educated and did not have awareness about the necessity and essentiality of vaccination. He learned from his mother that a person can bring positive change in his life by studying because it is only education that can bring prosperity and happiness in their lives. He started taking interest in studies, with the help of one of his employers, Zainab sent her son to a public school. Initially the little boy also got rejected from most of his fellow students, but, his hope and vision of future did not let him go astray. Whenever he felt dejected, his mother was always there to console him. In spite of behavior of his fellow students, he continued to work hard and gave proper attention to his studies. He never felt ashamed that he as to ask a question again and again because he did not get that first time. His attitude helped him to clear his concepts, which later helped him in increase in his knowledge. At the end of that academic year, Khalid got second position in his class. It was after that, he felt that behavior of his fellow students started changing with him. He was listened to and was respected by his fellow students. This made him realize that how education can help him to earn respect. But, still that was not the end of his misfortunes, the time in which he was supposed to take admission in high school, his youngest sister got really ill and the money that had been set aside for his admission in high school was spent on his sister’s treatment. His sister was playing when she tripped while running and a piece of metal entered her arm near wrist. That was a really deep cut and she lost a lot of blood. He used to love his youngest sister a lot and could not see her in such pain. He started thinking that due to lack of money he could not get admission in high school and his beloved sister could not get better treatment. They had to take their sister out of hospital early because they did not have enough money. In her home her stitches got infected, but, they could not take her to hospital. Later the infection spread in her whole arm and they had to cut it, in order to save rest of her body. This was another shock for Khalid, as he felt really helpless because he could not help his sister. He even thought of leaving further education, but, again the hope that his education can help them to survive in this world helped him to continue struggling. Khalid was really bright student and watching this, my father gave money for his admission in highs school. In high school, he worked even harder and passed with distinction. This gave him opportunity to take admission in college with scholarship. He got admission in the college with scholar ship and chose accounting as the major. In spite of being the difficult subject, his hard work helped him to make it easier for him. This path was also not easy for him. Here also, he had to bear the typical attitude of the people towards handicapped. Some totally rejected him and some gave more than necessary attention to him. He always wanted to be treated as normal people, but, his wish was never fulfilled. He showed even better result here and later on scholarship got admission in Chartered Accountancy course. The path was although difficult for him, but was not possible to achieve. He believed that his hard work could help him to achieve whatever he wanted. But, in meantime, his mother got ill and they lost their source of finances temporarily. In order to feed his family and get money for her treatment, he had to take tuitions. But, the expensive were more and the tuitions that he used to give students could not get him enough money. Because of this pressure, he had to leave studies temporarily. He requested for his semester to be frozen and took a minor job at an office. This job along with the tuitions enabled him to give proper treatment to his mother. After the period of six months his mother got recovered and went on her previous job. He continued his studies, but, still gave tuitions because it helped his sibling to get a slightly better living. His efforts and hard work gave his fruits when he passed Chartered Accountancy exam with distinction. His excellent educational record and personal traits like perseverance and hard work helped him to get job in on of the top accountancy firms of the country. He got two promotions in the time of five years and now he is working as a successful professional and his  family is leading really good life with better lifestyle. Their family still visits us occasionally and the company and the life of Khalid taught me that nothing is difficult in life. We may face difficulties and misfortunes, but, instead of giving importance to them, we should keep our focus on the silver lining in the sky. Khalid once said that his disability proved to be an actual opportunity in disguise. Because before this disability, he was not serious and determined about doing anything good with his life, later, with the encouragement of his mother he learned the importance of education and hope. He believes that life without hope is nothing. After watching him and listening about his journey, I came to realize that the difficulties in life cannot stop a person from doing anything good because when there is hope and will there is always a promise of better future.

International Tribunal Courts, Truth Commissions, and Reparations Commi

I. Introduction No one can possibly deny or ignore the overwhelming amount of mass atrocities that took place during the twentieth century. From the â€Å"Great Purge† orchestrated by Stalin in the former Soviet Union to the Holocaust of World War II led by the Nazis, South Africa’s apartheid, Argentina’s â€Å"Dirty War†, and the tactics of terror, repression, and torture used by many military regimes, not to mention Rwanda’s Genocide (Minow, 1998, p. 1). More surprisingly, these unspeakable and horrifying events took place during the past century. However, such unforgettable atrocities helped to raise consciousness among the international community, which led to the formation of needed international norms to protect, avoid, and prevent similar atrocities from ever happening again. In addition, several mechanisms were developed by the international community with the finality to repair, reconcile, and prosecute perpetrators. Such mechanisms include International Tribunals, Truth Commissions, Reparations, among others (Minow, 1998). But, how successful have these mechanisms been at achieving such intended goals? Professor Minow provides a compelling answer to this question in her book titled â€Å"Between Vengeance and Forgiveness†. Minow explores the formal responses of some nations to mass atrocities and argues that the acknowledgment of past event is of vital importance in the process of forgiveness, reconciliation, and reconstruction of a society as whole. In addition to that, she notes the importance of Truth Commission, International Tribunals, and Reparations for past damages. Nevertheless, she recognizes that such mechanisms have limitations that might, in some cases, hinder a nation’s healing process. Thus, the author concludes that ... ...logical change. However, such reconciliation cannot emerge without a truthful acknowledgement of past events that permit victims to get closure as well as a shared vision of the future. Additionally, the reconciliation and the healing process of a society entail forgiveness that can only be granted by the victim himself. But what if a society is not ready to forgive or let go of the past? The unwillingness of a society as a whole to forgive hinders the process of reconciliation. In the absence of this willingness to forgive, truth commission could become compromised, reluctant, or simply turned into merely platforms to criticize old regimes. Chile, Uganda, and Chad are some examples where truth commissions were less effective in achieving their intended purpose of reconciliation due to the unwillingness of the society to forgive past actions (Avruch, 2010, p.35).

Political Magazine: The Nations Essay -- Expository Politics Essays

Political Magazine: The Nations In 1865, a small political magazine was founded and given the name The Nation. This magazine was not meant to be a mainstream magazine that tries not to offend anyone. Rather The Nation was originally intended to provide the facts of the current issues and avoid exaggeration and political alliance with any party or sect. (The Nation’s founding prospectus, 1865) Nearly 140 years later, The Nation continues to raise eyebrows with its bold publications and political slant. Upon examining The Nation’s printed editorials and comments and the magazine’s website, it can easily be found that The Nation is a clearly liberal magazine as it has been for quite some time. In the February 18, 2002, edition of The Nation, the â€Å"Comment† section was overflowing with evidence of the magazines liberal stance. The entire column â€Å"Little but War Itself† was devoted to the disappointment of the magazine in President Bush and his State of the Union address. As the article points out, Bush seems to be an extremely meek President who does not want to say anything too risky. The author of this article, Robert L. Borosage writes, â€Å"Emboldened by success in war, Bush had little to offer but war itself† (4). This quote clearly illustrates how Borosage sees Bush as lacking the backbone to take any real stance despite his enormous approval rate brought on by the success of the United States in the War on Terrorism. Later in this article, Borosage describes Bush’s plans for the future as featuring â€Å"permanent tax cut for corporations, cuts not linked to new investment or new jobs – a simple payback to his contri butors† (4). This harsh criticism of President Bush depicts him as being more worried about returning p... ...is article could not scream the political orientation of The Nation any louder than it already does. This letter is written in the form of an open letter from Michael Moore to President Bush. The letter bluntly accuses Bush and his administration of being completely wrapped up in the Enron scandal not just involved in the scandal. It even goes so far as to say Bush allowed Enron officials to interview and pick government officials that would influence Enron and its business affairs. When reading a political news source it is important to know the political orientation of the source. The political orientation of a publication can usually be determined through examination of the opinions incorporated into the editorials and comments published. In the case of The Nation, the vast majority of articles presented offer a liberal view of the issue being discussed.

KILLER ANGELS :: essays research papers

This books message was that the South was not an evil empire history made it out to be. The book portraits slavery as the major reason the civil war was started. The South was against freeing the slaves, and the North fought for the latter. The book also stated that the south was dependent on the slaves and fought to keep their society enact. Killer Angels was informative, very fascinating, and I disliked it. I learned many things from it. I learned from the book that the Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War. Before the battle of Gettysburg the South had won most major battles. Gettysburg is defined as a major victory in the war for the North. The winning of this battle gave the North momentum as defined in the book resulting in the North winning virtually every battle for the next two years. The Battle of Gettysburg greatly depleted ammunition and soldiers from both armies; because of the North’s industrialization they were able to replace men and ammunition faster than the South giving them a grater advantage. The book portrayed Confederate General Robert E. Lee as an intellectual who’s opinion of slavery was not partisan or predigest, but he believed that in the present state of their development they were not yet able to coexist equally or civilized with Anglo America. The author focuses on General Lee. and whether or not his decision to leave the U.S. military and join the Confederate Army was based upon selfish loyalty to a state flag†. And the author comes to the conclusion that Lee was a hero of great character who stood by what he believed in. The book also portrayed General Lee narcissistically. His over confidence in his army’s past victory’s compelled him to order his army to charge the North’s army from and unfortified position, up a hill in order to take control of a fortified position held by the North. And after failing numerous times he continued to do so. He even ordered his armory to charge over more than a mile of open field, resulting in the systematic bombardment of his troops; by the time the South’s army reached the North’s position their numbers were minute compared to the opposing army’s. This book focused more on details and moods, save the tactics that were used in the early battle.

Career Self-Reflection Essay

Medical regulatory and legal compliance are important areas of health records management. Consider how deeply you might be interested in overseeing these aspects of patient information in your professional work. From what you have learned about compliance issues so far, highlight the choices that best reflect your career interests and explain your reasons: 1. I would enjoy the authority for seeing that documents within patient files are complete, legible, and organized appropriately. †¢ True True †¢ False because: There are times when patient records are unreadable and there should be someone with the ability to go back over the records and make sure that the doctor can read the information provided. 2. I would enjoy the authority for ensuring that patient files are filed accurately. †¢ True True †¢ False because: Patient files should be filed in an appropriate manner to provide easy access to the doctor or others that need to know precisely where the fiule is at any given time. 3. I would enjoy the authority for developing procedures to track and circulate medical records effectively. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I have provided feedback at my place of employment on tracking procedures for patient files because there have been several times when the doctor has come looking for a chart and no one knew where the chart was or who had it and that is not appropriate. 4. I would enjoy the authority for training office employees to follow records management standards. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I have been proctor for my fellow employees on several occasions and I enjoy watching them grow in their positions. 5. I would enjoy the authority for keeping up with changes in filing policies and compliance standards. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I would enjoy the filing policies but the compliance standards are a different story. I have stated several times I believe state inspectors should have to work in a nursing facility for one week before they set some of their standards because some of them have no clue what goes on in a nursing facility on a daily basis. 6. I would enjoy the authority for investigating reports of suspected violations of policies and standards. †¢ True true †¢ False because: I am very passionate about privacy. Patient rights and patient privacy should be held in high regard. Not everyone needs to know a patients business.