Amy Tan’s ‘Two Kinds’ and Jamaica Kincaid’s ‘Girl’ Essay

A person spends most of their developing years under the guidance of their parents or guardians. They affect how we think, how we feel, and how we act. These are among the people who hold the greatest influence. Amy Tan’s ‘Two Kinds’ and Jamaica Kincaid’s ‘Girl’ both deal with the relationship between a young girl and the guiding force in her life. Amy Tan tells of a mother’s expectation for her daughter to be a child prodigy. Jamaica Kincaid tells of an unknown person describing to a girl how to be a ‘good’ girl. Both essays illustrate an authority figure that has expectations for a young female and why and how those expectations will come about. As young children growing up without a care in the world, we cannot comprehend why authority figures dictate how we should behave. In ‘Two Kinds’, the daughter is expected to be a child prodigy because her mother believes ‘you can be anything you want in Americaà ¢â‚¬â„¢. The mother sees other children with amazing talents and thinks her child could be just as talented, if not more so. She continually places pressure on her daughter to be some kind of prodigy. The daughter is expected to be a great beauty with unmatched dance abilities, an untapped wealth of useless information, and piano-playing skills like no other. In ‘Girl’, the expectations are much lower, but just as stringent. The girl is expected to do a myriad of chores and to become a ‘lady’. She is advised on how she should act and how she can avoid being a ‘slut’. In ‘Two Kinds’, the mother has high hopes; she believes a person can be anything they want in America and she wants a daughter who excels in some area. All of the mother’s hopes lay on the daughter. Her hopes are bolstered by stories about remarkable children with incredible talents. If they can succeed are such a young age, surely her child can as well. The mother wants her daughter to be the best she can be, but she has unrealistic expectations. The girl in Jamaica Kincaid’s essays is not being held to such high hopes and dreams. The expectations placed on her are not as high, but are equally unforgiving. Her authority figure wants her to be the perfect ‘traditional’ girl. She is expected to cook, clean, iron, and not assert her independence. Children, though, are naturally independent and free-willed. For the authority figures to have their way, the girls must be obedient. Obedience and denigration are the methods in which these expectations are supposed to met. In ‘Two Kinds’, the mother states, ‘Only one kind of daughter can live in this house–obedient daughter!’ The daughter does not want to live up to outside expectations, but she does not want to disappoint her mother; part of her feels obligated to be loyal. The mother compares the daughter to other children, which makes the daughter feel worthless. The mother talks about a three-year- old who knows the capital of all the states. She forces the daughter to watch television shows featuring talented youngsters. She implies her daughter is not as good as the other children. In ‘Girl’, the girl is given two choices – be a girl or be a slut. Essentially, she is being told what she must do; there is no room for debate. In between being told what to do, though, the authority figure also reminds her she could well be on her way to becoming a slut. In both essays, the girls come full circle. They both go through a period of being told what to be and what to do. Both girls resent the pressure and expectations put on them in their adolescence, but in the end, they choose paths that lead back to their beginnings. Amy Tan’s girl spends a good portion of her youth hating practicing piano. As an adult, she plays an entire piece of music and is marveled by the beauty of it. In some respects, she becomes the child her mother wanted. Jamaica Kincaid’s girl spends a good portion of her youth protesting the label of ‘slut’ placed upon her. In the conclusion, she becomes the kind of woman she swore she was not.

Macroeconomic – Government Policies in Reducing Inflation and Unemployment

MACRO-ECONOMIC| Discuss the role of government policy in reducing unemployment and inflation. In your discussion make use of the diagrammatic representation of the macroeconomy developed in lectures in Term 2| Unemployment and inflation are factors that have negative effects on the performance of the economy as a whole. Therefore, policies to achieve low and stable price in? ation, a high and stable level of employment are big macroeconomics issues of our time.This essay focuses on discussing the role of government policy on reducing unemployment and inflation in relation to Keynesian and Monetarist approaches, including examples of impacts of expansionary fiscal and monetary policies on New Zealand economy. Fiscal policy is a demand side policy used by the government to help direct the economy by altering the level of expenditure and/or rate of taxes. Expansionary fiscal policy refers to increase government expenditure or a lower tax in order to inject into or withdraw from the circ ular flow of money respectively, this results a raise in aggregate demand and thus national income.On the other hand, deflationary (contractionary) fiscal policy is used by the government as a tool to control the pressures of inflation by reducing expenditure or increasing taxes, which thus reduce aggregate demand and preventing excessive inflation. Fiscal policy is used by Keynesians to increase/decrease public expenditure and cut/increase taxes during a recession/boom. When they decrease taxes and increase public expenditure, it encourages people to spend, thus raise consumer expenditure.This contributes the reduced unemployment (due to the increased public spending creating more demand and more jobs to increase the supply of goods and services), but an increased inflation (due to the increased spending and wage demands). On the other hand, when Keynesians use fiscal policy to increase taxes and reduce public spending, they cause higher levels of unemployment and lower levels of i nflation. This deflationary fiscal policy is usually used during a boom period.Figure 1 : Keynesians traditionally emphasises the role of fiscal policy as the key tool of economic management and views monetary policy simply as a backup to fiscal policy. They would argue that direct interest rate changes could be used to control aggregate demand. Whereas, Monetarism does not believe that government should intervene by managing the level of aggregate demand, they rather prefer the use of monetary policy to achieve a long-run view of price stability.Monetary policy involves manipulating the interest rate charged by the central bank for lending money to the banking system in an economy, which influences greatly a vast number of macroeconomic variables. In the UK, the government set the policy targets, but the Bank of England and the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) are given authority and freedom to set interest rates, which is formally once every month. Contractionary monetary policy ma y be used to reduce price in? ation by increasing the interest rate.Because banks have to pay more to borrow from the central bank they will increase the interest rates they charge their own customers for loans to recover the increased cost. Banks will also raise interest rates to encourage people to save more in bank deposit accounts so they can reduce their own borrowing from the central bank. As interest rates rise, consumers may save more and borrow less to spend on goods and services. Firms may also reduce the amount of money they borrow to invest in new equipment.A reduction in capital investment by ? rms will reduce their ability to increase output in the future. Higher interest rates may therefore reduce economic growth and increase unemployment. Expansionary monetary policy may be used during an economic recession to boost demand and employment by cutting interest rates. However, increasing demand can push up prices and may increase consumer spending on imported goods and s ervices. In some cases, lower interest rates may be ineffective in boosting demand.Therefore in March 2009 the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee announced that in addition to setting Bank Rate, it would start to inject money directly into the economy by purchasing assets such as government bonds or other securities – often known as quantitative easing. This means that the instrument of monetary policy shifts towards the quantity of money provided rather than the price at which the Bank lends or borrows money (Bank of England website) Fiscal and Monetary policies come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages.The most likely argument against its implementation is the substantial lag that accompanies both these policies, for example the time from when the policy has been implemented till the time its impact is felt in the economy. The following section will indicate how the expansionary Fiscal and Monetary Policies impact price stability (inflation rate: 1-3%) and full employment objectives of New Zealand. Both monetary and fiscal policies have a significant impact on inflation.An Expansionary Monetary policy results in lowering the interest rate (OCR) as previously mentioned that in turn increases the quantity of goods and services demanded at any given price level, hence contributing to shifting aggregate demand to the right. In a climate of recession, where money supply is limited, Inflation is not a significant factor in the decision making of the NZ government or the RBNZ Governor; on the contrary increase in inflation is rather seen as positive sign of growth during recession as it indicates an increase in demand.This is further evident by the recessionary climate resulting in a drop in inflation as quoted â€Å"Inflation is set to plunge over the next year, starting with a 0. 5% fall expected for Q4 2008. Retail spending is expected to be down significantly for November, as weak core sales were amplified by lower spending on fuel (petrol p rices fell by 16% in the month). Car sales could see a technical bounce after plunging by 14. 5% in October, but they will remain at very depressed levels. † The above quote underlies the fact that in the current environment an increase in inflation will be seen as a positive sign.The expansionary fiscal and monetary policy pursued presently fare well in a recessionary climate, however if they are pursued over a long period of time, then they could lead to creating an inflationary gap. An inflationary gap occurs when aggregate demand exceeds supply. This can thus result in â€Å"Overheating the economy† i. e. Actual GDP exceeds Potential GDP and leads to a significant Trade deficit and unemployment as well. Figure 2: Inflationary Gap The aim of full employment objective is to keep the level of unemployment in check. The increase of unemployment is accompanied with a recession, due to primarily a drop in aggregate demand.The impact of the expansionary fiscal and monetary policy as mentioned above results in increasing aggregate demand thus essentially resulting in people demanding and consuming more, which results in people buying more goods and services that consequently results in reducing unemployment as demand exceeds supply as opposed to the current scenario, and thus resulting in more people being employed to meet demand. The impact of this expansionary policy may lead to an increase in inflation; however in the short run there exists a trade-off relationship between unemployment and inflation as can be seen in the figure below.Figure 3: Philips Curve describing Inverse Relation of Inflation and Unemployment In conclusion, fiscal and monetary policies are tools used by most national governments to control the economy, including the term of reducing inflation and unemployment. Inflation and unemployment are factors that could give negative impact on the economy if either of them is high. Government needs to predict precisely the situation of t he economy to issue the right fiscal or monetary policies. It usually takes at least several months for policies to take fully effect. References: Lipsey ; Chrystal, 2011. Economics. 12th ed.United States: Oxford University Press. Bank of England, 2013. Monetary Policy .. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www. bankofengland. co. uk/monetarypolicy/Pages/default. aspx. [Accessed 03 April 2013]. Biz/ed, 2013. Keynesian ; Monetarist attitudes to monetary policy. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www. bized. co. uk/virtual/bank/economics/mpol/inflation/cures/further1. htm. [Accessed 03 April 2013]. FDS. OUP. COM. The role of government in an economy. [ONLINE]. Available at: http://fds. oup. com/www. oup. com/pdf/13/9780199154869. pdf [Accessed 03 April 2013]. Tutor2u, 2013. Inflationary Gaps. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www. utor2u. net/economics/content/topics/inflation/inflationary_gaps. htm. [Accessed 03 April 2013]. Scoop News . 2009. Inflation expectations eased in NZ in early 09 [ONLINE] Av ailable at:http://www. scoop. co. nz/stories/BU0902/S00494. htm. [Accessed 03 April 2013]. Action Forex. 2009. Australian ; New Zealand Weekly: 2009 Inflation Profile Revised Down [ONLINE] Available at:http://www. actionforex. com/fundamental-analysis/weekly-forex-fundamentals/australian-;-new-zealand-weekly:-2009-inflation-profile-revised-down-2009011675377/. [Accessed 03 April 2013]. Reserve Bank of New Zealand, 2009.

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 242

Assignment Example investigation before discipline, proof of guilt, reasonable penalty, absence of discrimination, and fair investigation imply that an employee may have been wrongly terminated. 3. The Fair Labor Standard Act describes two categories of employees; exempt and non-exempt. According to the legislation, exempt employees are not governed by this act and must be paid a fixed salary and meet certain criteria in relation to the job content. Non-exempt employees are covered by the act and are entitle to overtime pay. 4. Job evaluation refers to the process of determining the relative worth of one job to another. Performance evaluation refers to a process of determining, documenting, and evaluating and employee’s job performance. 5. The Lead policy ascribes to an organization’s pay structure that is set to remain ahead of the market for an annum. The match policy sets an organization compensation structure to bare similarity to that of the market. The lag policy sets the pay structure of an organization behind that of its market competitors. 9. Training focuses on the current job while development focuses on current and future jobs at the organization. Training has a shorter time frame compared to development in that it is immediate while development takes on a long term time frame. The scope of training aims at individual employees while development targets at the work group organization. The goal of training is at fixing a current skill deficit among employees while development prepares employees for future work demands. An example of training is onboarding where freshly hired management level employees are imparted with skills to perform the immediate tasks placed on them. An example of a development program for employees is off-site training where employees get to attend seminars and course offered outside the organization, which can assist them to come up with creative solutions towards ongoing

Causes of people purchasing fast food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Causes of people purchasing fast food - Essay Example However, if a person eats this food regularly and has a diet mostly made up ofthis junk food, then it can cause health problems such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. According to Readers Digest magazine (2012), health studies show that â€Å"over 60 percent of Canadian adults and 31.5 percent of Canadians aged 2 to 17 are overweight or obese.†(Readers Digest, 2012), It cannot be disputed that fast food plays a key role in these shocking statistics. The main causes for people choosing to eat fast food over cooking healthy meals are availability, convenience, low prices, and advertising. Because fast food is now available in many locations around the clock, it is now a part of many Canadians’ everyday meal plans because a wide variety of fast food restaurants are available to the public throughout the day and night. In Canada, there are over 62,600 fast food service outlets, and many of them are accessible 24 hours a day (Statistics Canada, 2009). Because of th e numerous food outlets that are available, many consumers now eat whenever they feel the urge to and not necessarily when the body requires food. In addition, fast food is not only available in restaurants but also in elementary schools, secondary schools, and universities. For example, many elementary schools have weekly pizza and McDonalds days, while a vast amount of universities proudly display the number of Starbucks and Tim Hortons located on campus. This availability allows students of all ages to routinely purchase fast food instead of learning how to eat healthily. As a result of fast food being obtainable anytime and toand night, and to all age groups, it is clear that availability is one of the key reasons for consumers eating fast food. Another major cause of people choosing to eat fast food is due to the convenience that it provides. It is quick and easy to locate any fast food restaurant simply through using a computer, phone, or telephone book. There are even apps fo r electronic devices to locate the nearest fast food restaurant. For instance, if an individual is driving to work and is feeling, then a simple push of a button on a phone or GPS to locate ‘nearest food’ will result in a location being found. Also, if you are driving and have little time available, you do not even need to get out of your car. Many establishments have full menus available at drive through locations, which makes it extremely easy and quick to pick up a meal on-the-go. This convenience allows fast food to fit easily into the hectic daily schedules of people who do not have the time to prepare healthy and nutritious meals or those who do not want to go to the hassle of making a meal. Consumers are also drawn towards fast food because of the low prices available. With the tight financial economy today, saving money is important for many families, and inexpensive fast food fits many budgets. Thousands of dollars are spent daily to purchase this unhealthy yet tasty product. In fact, 40 percent of the money spent on food in Canada in 2009 went to fast food outlets. This percentage converts to $58.4 billion dollars spent on fast food in a single year (Statistics Canada, 2009). One of the reasons why so much money is spent on fast food is that it is much cheaper to eat a full meal at a fast food restaurant rather than another location with a healthier option that likely includes fresh produce. If a consumer eats at

Contemporary hospitality managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary hospitality managment - Essay Example Regardless f the size, type or duration f a project, a good plan will you from beginning to end and it will help increase the likelihood that your project will be successfully managed and completed. "Planning is the process f establishing aims and objectives and choosing a course f action to ensure that they are achieved. This process serves to bridge the gap between where an organisation currently is and where it would like to be." (Tiernan, 2001: 117) But, as Firth's model says, planning cannot be seen as independent part f management. Firth likened the relationship between planning and control to a pair f scissors - the scissors cannot work unless there are two blades. "The control process involves measuring progress towards planned performance and, where necessary, applying corrective measures so that performance can be improved. Therefore, control is concerned with making sure that goals and objectives are attained. It is strongly related to planning in that for control to occur objectives and plans have to be available against which to measure performance. Similarly, planning cannot function effectively if there are no control mechanisms to correct deviations from plans." (Tiernan, 2001: 289) In Hallam Hotel case, as planning is a basic element involved in getting the proper output f an operation, it needs to be discussed and explained in depth. Here I will observe a brief structural analysis f planning as regards the hotel management aspect. There are three main types f planning: 1. Strategic planning involves issues f strategic direction and normally takes place at the top level f organisation. Strategic planning is usually used for a long - term orientation s basic mission establishing organisational, standards and objectives. For the Hilton Group, where I am currently employed, the main strategic direction would be spreading, increasing and multiplying the number f hotels over a specific timeframe e.g. Hilton Airport under construction on Malahide road. As an example f planning organisational standards and objectives I would call the decision f top management f Hilton Group to divide the Hilton hotels into two categories: "premium" and "select" where each f them is getting its own standards. 2. Tactical planning focuses on the current operations f the various parts f the organisation and has a medium - term orientation. This type f planning takes place at middle - management level. It serves for formulating tactical plans (which are strongly related to strategic plans) to achieve strategic objectives and outlining roles and responsibilities to meet specific targets. An example f tactical planning would be interpreting a plan to divide Hilton hotels into two categories taken by top management f Hilton Group that I can observe in Hilton Dublin. When Hilton Dublin was awarded with "premium" category our General Manager was given a list f specific standards to be achieved. As a result f outlining roles and responsibilities each department got its own tasks to be done by certain

Case study analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Case study analysis - Essay Example For resorts, these technological advantages opened new opportunities in terms of involvement in time-sharing projects and the development of new properties such as recreation-focused hotel and higher-end housing. In Florida the lodging industry was experiencing the period of changes of substantial net growth with the resorts’ occupancy to remain considerably higher than in any other region of U.S. Being a part of Playa Dorada, Inc. located in Deerfield Beach, Florida, the Tennis Club lived its high times with 26,6% of all visitors to be involved in such activity. However, the current director Douglas Hall recognized the two main issues that were worth attention: lack of capacity and pricing structure. In this context, the main concerns were to tackle such problems to enable more visitors use tennis courts. Despite the twenty-three courts available for the visitors, most of them were occupied in the most used hours. As a solution to the problem, Hall thought of building extra courts as the same cost, however, they would bring a net loss to the company. In addition, new courts would need duplication of facilities that along with service staff would bring greater cost to the resort. Whil e the issue with capacity was hard to resolve, the pricing structure could be used by Hall as shifting of the situation. Through special pricing schemes, promotions and additional services, the Tennis Club could implement changes per court charge, such as doubles play. Despite the reduction in revenue in doubles play, more guests would be able to use the court. Through implementation of fewer charges for hard-surface court, the company would make it more cost affordable. In addition, the tennis and discount plans would also shift the use of hard-surface courts for the adult clients to play while younger players would be offered 50% off after two hours of play on hard-surface court. To make the tennis courts available to more people, there is a reason to think over the cause

Of Paradise and Power by Robert Kagan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Of Paradise and Power by Robert Kagan - Essay Example They self-identify as tough. In the end, Kagan claims America is much more technologically advanced and that it can attack safely other countries because it has the means to do so with technological warfare. However, as has been seen over the last few years in Iraq, American military power can get very tied up and may not always be very effective; it can sometimes limited in its ability to reshape a society or political system or deal with an intractable ethnic conflict. That said, I really do believe that Kagan’s argument more or less makes sense and that the Europeans need to take a more proactive, robust role in the world today in order to help solve all the problems and conflicts. This theory has inspired me to potentially work as a diplomat in the future. I started out thinking about conflict in an idealistic way, but now am much more realistic about these sorts of things. It’s important to ask the question when thinking about conflict and politics, What is power? Kagan suggests it is purely military force. The US is the lone power in the world with the ability to conduct expeditionary warfare on multiple fronts across the globe whenever it wants to. As was demonstrated in the Balkans in the 1990s, Europeans aren’t able to project a credible military force even within Europe. Therefore the Europeans resort to the only thing they have for managing international conflicts, international institutions such as the UN. The success of European integration and solving the "German problem" has a lot of Europeans.