Great Gatsby And Fitzgerald Dream Essays - The Great Gatsby

Great Gatsby And Fitzgerald Dream The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is set in 1922 in the New York City area. It is about the American Dream and those who attempt to reach its illusionary goals. Jay Gatsby acquires the wealth and the power of his dream but not the happiness. We have to wonder why F. Scott Fitzgerald would write such a book. Was it to reflect the society of the 1920's: where either you had money and the dream, or you were poor and lived amongst the ashes. You could have the chance of being like the phoenix and rising out of the ashes like the character Jay. This dream is different for different people. In The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power one can acquire happiness. Jay Gatsby, the central figure of the story is one character who longs for the past. Surprisingly, he devotes most of his adult life trying to recapture it, finally dying in its pursuit. In the past, Jay had a love affair with the affluent Daisy Buchannan. Knowing he could not marry her because of her social status, he leaves her to achive a comparable social status. Once he acquires this status, he moves near Daisy, and throws elaborate parties hoping, by chance, she might show up at one of them. When Daisy doesn't show up at the parties, Jay asks around to see if anyone knows her. Soon he meets Nick Carraway, a cousin of Daisy's, who agrees to arrange a meeting. Gatsby's personal dream symbolizes the larger American Dream which is available to everyone , the wealth, the status and the happiness. Tom Buchannan, Daisy's husband, realizes his world is falling apart when he is driving to New York with Nick and Jordan Baker the female golf pro. His wife Daisy, is driving with Jay in her car. Tom stops to get gas and Tom's mistress, Myrtle sees him. With jealous eyes she watches them leave thinking Jordan is Tom's wife. On the way back from New York, Daisy is driving Tom's car, Myrtle sees the car and thinks that it's Tom and she runs out in front of it. Daisy doesn't realize the woman she hit was Tom's mistress, as she continues to drive away in shock. Later in the story at the Plaza Hotel, Jay still believes Daisy loves him. He is so convinced of this that he takes the blame for Myrtle's death. Jay cannot accept that the past is gone. He is sure he can capture his dream with all his wealth. He believes he acted for a good beyond his personal interest and that should give him success. Gatsby doesn't rest until his American Dream is finally fulfilled. However, it never comes about and he ends up paying the ultimate price for it. Jay found his wealth and his power but not his ultimate happiness. The idea that money can buy everything is far off, no matter what you have you can never buy true friends or total happiness. The American Dream still holds true today. But one thing never changes: everyone desires something in life and everyone strives to get it, but as we all know, " you can't always get what you want". Gatsby is a prime example. I highly recommend this book as a great read. Quote " You can't always get what you want"

ITCs cigarette Business Essay Example

ITCs cigarette Business Essay Example ITCs cigarette Business Essay ITCs cigarette Business Essay High incidence of taxation continuously has been a deterrent to ITCs cigarette Business. Taxes amount to over 80% of the value added in the cigarette industry, hence making cigarettes increasingly unaffordable to the Indian tobacco consumer. There are about 200 million tobacco consumers in India, and of them, fewer than 14% can afford cigarettes, although cigarettes contributes 90% of total Central and State revenues generated from tobacco sector. Non-cigarette forms of tobacco consumption, constituting nearly 85% of tobacco consumption in the country, contribute barely 10% of Government revenues because of the difficulty of tax collection and the low tax yields that characterize this largely unorganized sector. There has been a prolonged punitive and discriminatory taxation regime at Central and State levels have made cigarettes unaffordable to the majority of tobacco consumers. Also, Non-cigarette forms of tobacco products are largely produced in the unorganized sector characterized by lower rates of tax and ineffective enforcement. As a result, there is a growing migration to lower value forms of tobacco consumption. Just to illustrate, in 2003, the effective excise duty on most tobacco products other than cigarettes is equivalent to about 12% of the net value of the product whereas on cigarettes this component is as high as 140%. Moreover in 2003, VAT was introduced on cigarettes already subject to a plethora of taxes. The export prospects were affected by the uncertainty and diminished market presence caused by the crop holidays in Andhra Pradesh. As a result, the export attractiveness of Indian tobaccos is caught up in a vicious cycle to the growing detriment of the tobacco farmers. Also, small base of domestic cigarette consumption discourages investment in RD and quality enhancement of tobacco varieties thereby sub-optimizing the export potential of tobacco. There was also threat from contraband trade of cigarettes aided with loopholes in the regulatory framework and lack of effective enforcement. In 2004-05, severe restrictions were imposed on the cigarettes industry with respect to advertisement, sale and consumption of tobacco products with the implementation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade, Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA). All these in totality made cigarette business less profitable and more challenging. As a result, ITC started diversifying into multiple businesses. While exploring new opportunities, for long term growth, ITC depended on its multiple strengths synergies that it could bring about from its existing businesses. We discuss few of such businesses in detail in the following sections. The mill at Bhadrachalam produces 240,000 TPY of papers and boards and has three board machines and two smaller paper machines. The mill produces paperboards for the packaging and graphics segments with a product range that includes Cyber XLPac (folding box boards), Pearl/Saphire Graphik (solid bleached boards) high value boards and the Ecoviron range of recycled boards. It also makes liquid packaging boards for Tetrapak in India. One of the big innovations at this mill has been the commissioning of an Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) fibre line. This is a state-of-the-art line which meets the effluent norms set by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India and thus ties in with the Environment theme in its Triple Bottomline. The Tribeni Tissues unit was initially part of the Wiggins Teape Company, UK from 1961 to 1988. In 1992, it merged with ITC Ltd. The mill and its paper machines were refurbished with the latest technology. It has a capacity of 33,000 TPY with a product range that includes cigarette tissues, fine papers, packaging papers and specialties. The range from papers produced is quite diverse including Cigarette Tissues and Components, Laminating Base Tissue, Acid-Free and Anti-Rust Tissues, Low Grammage Printing Papers, Di cor Papers to Insulation Grade and Medical Grade Papers. The unit is ISO 9001:2000 version and ISO 14001 accredited. ITC has another paperboard facility at Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu which was acquired from BILT Industrial Packaging Company in 2004. This mill manufactures Coated Duplex boards Greyback and Whiteback made with 100% recycled materials and has a single board machine with 90,000 TPY of capacity. The products are continuously monitored for quality using a Siemens DCS system and Measurex QCS system. Quality as in other ITC units is a big focus and the mill has continuously demonstrated quality having achieved ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications. The delivery of rolls and sheets is ensured by a modern Finishing House with short turnaround times. Eco Naturo and Eco Naturo-HS are the two grades of Coated Duplex Grey Back board made from this unit. For almost the first time in India, a customer has the option to buy a higher bulk and stiffness of Greyback Board (GD2 grade) for his carton requirements. The unit at Bollarum near Hyderabad produces 5000 TPY of Cast Coated Papers and Boards, 10,000 TPY of Poly Extrusion coated boards and 10000 TPY of C2S art boards and Ivory cards. It is the market leader in South Asia in carton boards and ranks second in turnover within the Indian paper industry. Most leading Fast Moving Consumer Goods Brands in India use paperboard manufactured at this location. Exports constitute about 20% of sales and cater to international markets in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Iran, Australia, UAE, Turkey, China, Singapore, UK, Greece, Germany and USA. The unit is ISO 9001:2000 series accredited.

Casino taxes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Casino taxes - Essay Example Casino taxes The basic casino gaming tax laws which are to be followed by all states including Nevada and New Jersey are the following: Winnings from all types of gambling are taxable and should be declared as income on the tax return, while the losses from gambling are to be deducted as an itemized deduction for the spare time players, restricted to the amount of winnings declared. Players who are professional gamblers must hold a file as self-employed business using Schedule C. Schedule C is an Internal Revenue Service form used to file profits and losses by a company (What is Schedule C, 2011). The worth of comps received is considered as gaming winnings and are included in the total winnings. Though, the person is allowed to deduct the losses to counterbalance the income from the comps. The winnings and losses are reported only in the year of occurrence. Excessive losses are not to be carried forward or backward to balance winnings in other years. Married couples who file a joint return shou ld combine their winnings losses, and account only one figure for both. According to the instructions issued by IRS, lumping is unacceptable. Lumping is either reporting only one final win figure and no losses, or reporting nothing if the net value from gambling is a negative. A person must report total of the winning sessions individually from the total of the losing sessions. The Internal Revenue Service requires an accurate record to be maintained to substantiate ones wins and losses. The records must contain at least the following information: the date and type of person’s particular wager; the name of the gaming organization or establishment with its location and address; the names of the other people, if any, present with the player; the amount the person won or lost. A report containing wagering tickets or receipts; W-2Gs; credit card records such as cash advances; cancelled checks; receipts provided by the gambling establishment and bank withdrawals is also require by the IRS to substantiate a person’s diary. A person does not submit these records with return but will be needed if the person is to be audited. As casinos and card rooms are subjected to the money-laundering rules therefore they must report cumulative cash transactions of ten thousand dollars or more in one day to the IRS. They can also make out such reports for amounts as low as two thousand dollars if they are doubtful and apprehensive. Once a casino has a person’s SSN and ID on record, they may issue these Cash Transaction Reports (CTRs) without his/her knowledge. Though the basic rules of casino gaming taxes are almost the same for every state but there are some differences as well. The revenues generated from the taxes in Nevada are used by the local governments and state general fund. In New Jersey the casino revenues provide financial assistance to the disabled and elderly. (State Tax Systems: recreational gambling, 2010) Casino gaming taxes in Nevada: A licens e fee is imposed at both local and state level. The range of County license fees is from $10 to $50 per month, whereas, the range of State monthly license fees is from 3% to 6.25% of the gross revenues. Range of Annual state license fees is from $100 to $6,000 for each year depending on size of the organization. Annually, an additional $80 fee is imposed on every slot machine for an unrestricted state license. Quarterly fee ranges from $45 to $225 plus 90 per machine for a restricted state licence fee (Rafool, 2004). Annually, $ 250 tax is imposed each slot machine. Casino entertainment tax equals to 10% of amounts

The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop - Research Paper Example Although the main character in the poem is a fish, the situations described therein are not only applicable to the fish itself but is reflective of the struggles of common human beings. Therefore, the discussions in this paper will be dealing with the literary devices used in the poem as well as their relations to the poet. Elizabeth Bishop clearly describes the fish in her poem and brings her readers to think about common things in life observed everyday as a way of bringing connections from the fish to the reader. She brings out common observances as a way of saying, â€Å"This is not simply a talk about a fish but this is also about us†. First and foremost, the author calls the attention of her readers to the â€Å"tremendous fish† that she caught by describing how the fish hung from her hook, looking â€Å"battered and venerable and homely†. In real life, there are so many people with such situations- people who have been through a lot of troubled times but b y overcoming, they have gained a respectable status. The word â€Å"homely† expresses the thought of the poet of this circumstance as a common predicament and not an extraordinary situation and therefore, makes a common ground for the fish and the reader. Early in life, Bishop experienced several troubles herself and was introduced to the words ‘struggles’, ‘trials’, ‘tests’, ‘grief’, ‘disappointments’ and many other difficulties even when she was still unable to understand words. While she was merely eight months old, Bishops’ father died from a disease he has been suffering for six years. This became the start of her troubled life because although her mother was a respectable woman, she was greatly distressed with the death of her husband which led her to get in and out of the mental hospital for the rest of her life (harvardsquarelibrary.org, Miller). As a result, Bishop had a short-lived relationship with her mother because she eventually died when the poet was but five years old. Nevertheless, she tells of memories about her mother such as the boat ride they had when she was around three years old wherein one of the live swans bit her mother’s finger when she tried to give it some peanuts. On another occasion, she picked up a â€Å"woman’s black cotton stocking† which represents an intimate clothing and she was reprimanded of her curiosity by her mother. As a result, she became indignant of her mother and did not have such a good relationship from then on (Miller). From the accounts above, it is clear that even at a young age, Bishop has been through tough times and she sees herself in the fish but as mentioned earlier, she also sees other people’s lives in the fish. She then describes the physical appearance of the fish, commenting on its skin. Bishop uses simile not only to give a vivid description but also to bring the reader from the setting wher e the speaker is fishing to the world beyond it where other people are living. Similes such as â€Å"his brown skin hung like strips†, â€Å"like ancient wallpaper† and â€Å"like full blown roses† give color to the images presented and make the fish an interesting character contrary to what really happens in daily life. Such commonality and vivid descriptions come together as attractions to the reader to consider what the poet is saying. Sure

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Essay Example for Free

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Essay A good sales-person is one who possesses personality traits that is in their innate nature to interact with others. These are often difficult to teach but can be developed with time, depending upon the individual’s motivation to excel in their field of work. This forms the intrinsic motivation. However, the motivational tendencies of an individual sales-person alone are insufficient as it is also dependent upon extrinsic motivational factors. (Luke Ali 2011). It is a force that can spur or discourage an individual from achieving the fullest potential in any field. It can take the form of monetary or non-monetary benefits, which encompasses the extrinsic motivation of the sales-person (Luke Ali 2011). Knowing the fact that monetary incentives have been deeply entrenched as the basic method of reward for employees; it must not be assumed that relying on this method solely will be effective. Companies have to consider immaterial benefits to motivate its staffs. What is motivation? Motivation is to initiate action on a certain task. It is to expand a certain amount of effort on that particular task and to persist in expanding effort over a period of time. Therefore motivation is a driving force that pushes people to work, put in effort in their work and working harder than the rest. How to motivate your sales force to have great performance? It’s not just about the paycheck. Effective incentive compensation management is based on an understanding of basic human motivation—on the importance of trust, self-esteem, social recognition and improved chances to fulfill one’s potential (Bakosh 2007, 3). Leadership Many people assume salespeople are motivated by money, and while this is largely true, its absurd to think they are motivated only by money. Salespeople are still human and while commission bonuses and sales spiffs will probably remain an important part of most sales compensation plans, studies consistently show that financial incentives never have the same lasting impact as an employee who is passionate about his work and it is a simply not possible to be passionate about something that you think is inferior. Besides instilling natural passion into your sales team, a salesperson who truly believes in his product or service is far more likely to sell with integrity. Good teamwork is crucial to job satisfaction because it gives employees a sense of accomplishment when the objective is attained. Inspirational sales leaders are well aware that different individuals have different motivations and needs, and they vary their own style accordingly. An especially effective leader with consciously assesses each sales representative’s â€Å"ideal level of energy†, and creates productive â€Å"stretch† for each person according to the level of tension at which each performs at his or her personal best. He inspires some representatives mostly through positive reinforcement—â€Å"you can do it, you’re the best†Ã¢â‚¬â€and others mostly through constructive criticism, each according to their individual profit le and preference. Compensation Plans A well-designed compensation plan is crucial for the success of a company, and must not be overlooked. It has the ability to motivate or de-motivate an employee. In truth, it is valid to imply that, in this context, an effective plan can inspire the sales-person to generate more revenue for the success of a sales company .Hence, when designing the plan it involves the consideration of multi-factorial elements (Growth Process Group 2011). Every step has a purpose and needs to be taken into account. The sales behaviour goals are often misinterpreted by organisations, hence resulting in the failure to motivate their employees. Lastly, the design guidelines encompass the classification of the job and its entitled incentives (Growth Process Group 2011). Compensation Plans †¢Salaries are fixed amounts per month or year for performing a role. †¢Commission is a payment based on the value of sales achieved. This constantly motivates the sales-person especially since his income is strictly dependent on his sales. †¢Salary-plus-commission plans offer an incentive above a basic salary that provides a high-degree of flexibility securing salary and profits but also surpass one’s performance (Tokarev Sergey 2010). †¢Bonuses is based on one’s achievement and not working hard alone. It is the results that matters and bonuses should not be restricted to keep employees from producing results. (Lee Ann Obringer 2011) †¢Long-term incentive plans like profit-sharing plan reward employee for their performance over a continued period of time. This helps retain, motivates employees and even improve their commitment. Maslow’s hierarchy needs Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory that illustrates that lower-needs need to first be satisfied before higher-needs can be pursued in a hierarchal sequence. Therefore, after a need is satisfied, it will cease to motivate an individual who will inevitably seek for the next higher-need. Each level requires different actions to meet these needs in order to effectively motivate. In relation to the compensation plans above, monetary benefits may only fulfil the lower needs for an individual. Ultimately, when these needs are achieved, it’s effectiveness in motivating individuals will gradually dwindle. Non-monetary benefits will then be necessary to satisfy the individual’s higher needs, in accordance to Maslow’s hierarchical system. Only through this, can companies sustain long-term motivational effects for its employees. In relation to the compensation plans above, monetary benefits may only fulfil in the lower needs for an individual temporarily. Ultimately, when these needs are achieved, non-monetary benefits will take precedence to satisfy the individual’s higher needs, in accordance to Maslow’s hierarchical system. Only through this, can it sustain long-term motivation effects. Yet, it is necessary to be weary that while Maslow’s theory has helped in the understanding of the application of compensation plans, applying this concept workplace can be tacky as different employees can be driven by different needs. Furthermore, there are insufficient evidences to substantiate the support of the hierarchy theory because its relevance to one job might not apply likewise to another (NetMBA 2010). A sales force specific hierarchy of motivational factors- Maslow hierarchy of motivation. By understanding how an integrated and holistic approach to motivation works the importance of trust, of self-esteem, of social recognition, of improved chances to fulfill one’s potential—traditional incentive compensation management strategies can be rethought and implemented in ways that improve the performance of the sales force and help the entire company achieve high performance (Bakosh 2007, 3).

America Needs Tort Reform Essays -- How to Fix the Tort System

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, â€Å"The tort system is truly broken and in bad need of repair.† Tort cases are becoming an extremely common fight in the nation’s legal system. Since 1986, 38 of the 50 United States have adopted some sort of tort reform. However, with the many flaws of the tort system today, the suffering American economy will continue to fall behind if the American public does not insist on fighting for justice in the legal system. The governing bodies of these states must continue to seek reform and propose strategies to fix the corruption in the tort system. The legal system set up by the founding fathers will experience corruption in the negligence of these governing bodies. Tort law is a branch of civil law that establishes rights to a person when a damaging act is done to either a person or one’s property. Crimes involving tort occur when negligence or intentional civil wrong is done and it does not arise out of a contract or statute. A tort is an act that injures a person mentally, physically, emotionally, or any other way. Acts of tort also include damage to ones property or reputation. Crimes of tort typically seek compensation which usually results in a dollar amount to cover the cost of the damage. Through the tort system, victims seek reimbursement for a wrongdoing done against them, holding the person legally responsible and hoping to prevent the wrong from again occurring. However, because compensation is involved in cases of tort, the system has begun to become more corrupt and the legal system is beginning to experience abuse. Victims are mistreating the legal system and seeking unreasonable reimbursements to cover their injuries. The people United ... ...e/161666/>. "Medical Liability Crisis Fact Sheet." American College of Emergency Physicians. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. . News Staff. "Fear of Malpractice Lawsuits Prompts Doctors to Work Less." Scientific Blogging Science 2.0. ION Publications, 28 Jan. 2010. Web. 11 Feb. 2014. . â€Å"Small Businesses: How the Threat of Lawsuits Impacts Their Operations." Harris International. Harris International Inc., 10 May 2007. Web. 8 Feb. 2014. . Weiss, Larry D. "AAEM President's Message: Tort Reform: Our Permanent Issue." Medscape Today. WebMD, 08 Aug. 2008. Web. 14 Feb. 2014. .

All the World by William Shakespeare Essay

William Shakespeare has been considered the greatest poet of all times. Only school educated, this great poet acquired fame because he had an extraordinary power of observation which he tempered with his brilliant imagination that gave a creative boost to his art. He was also gifted with unique taste of music which helped him to compose beautiful songs and sonnets. His imagination and observation along with a keen ear towards tone and rhythm rendered a sonorous and lyrical quality to his verses- something which was missing in other poets of his times. Shakespeare wrote several comedies, tragedies and poems depicting his profound wisdom and psychological understanding of human nature. The poem ‘All World’s a Stage’ is typical example of Shakespearean genius as he metaphorically compares the world to a stage where every human makes an entry like a stage actor, plays different roles and, when time declares, leaves the stage eventually. The poem is beautiful example of his vision of life. The first stage of life is infancy. The poet here describes a baby crying and throwing out in the mother’s arm calling for attention. In the second stage of life, the baby is now a school-going child who is unhappy and complaining as is unwilling to go to school but is forced to do so. The third stage in life is that of a lover. Young man in this age is full of deep sighs missing his beloved. He is preoccupied with her thoughts so much so that he sits writing long poems in praise of her beauty. The fourth stage in his life is that of a sincere and ambitious career-oriented professional. A this age he is competitive, jealous for opportunities, desires recognition even if it involves risk or great danger. Next comes the middle-aged man, well-fed, highly experienced and full of wisdom. He has great sayings ready for every occasion and a remedy for every problem. The sixth stage is that of a retired old man. He is thin and dressed comfortably, wearing specs and a small purse with him. He is wearing a hose of his youthful times which he has saved till now which helps him in walking. He is grouchy, complaining like a child carrying a pipe in mouth The last stage of life is when man has grown, weak, feeble and lacks strength and vitality. His life is at an end and he has nothing to look forward to. All he has before him is a memory of good old days. He sits reminiscing those times without teeth, eye-sight, taste and everything (hopes, desires, aspirations, etc), patiently waiting for his death.