Business Law Essay Example for Free

Business Law Essay You are to work on this assignment alone without assistance from others; however, you may use your text, class lectures and your notes in completing the assignment. Points earned from this assignment will be added to your total point score for the semester. (See the course syllabus for the course grading scale.) Due Date Mon., Nov. 12th: This is an out-of-class assignment and is to be turned in no later than the beginning of class on the due date. The Assignment: Read the news articles and the federal regulations that follow. Answer the questions about potential claims. Please note: †¢ Your answers are to be marked on the Assignment. Mark clearly to show which answer you have selected. †¢ Write your name on the Assignment Sheet. Submit a hard copy of the entire Assignment Sheet. NTSB releases details on Lake Butler crash No charges have been filed against bus driver, although a criminal investigation continues. By ASSOCIATED PRESS Published February 3, 2006 LAKE BUTLER, FLORIDA – The truck driver who plowed into a car at a school bus stop last week killing seven children had been awake for 34 hours, except for a short nap, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board said Friday. David Rayburn, the lead NTSB investigator for the Lake Butler crash, said the 31-year-old truck driver, Alvin Wilkerson, was refusing to talk to investigators about the accident. Rayburn and Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Bill Leeper refused to release the name of Wilkerson’s attorney. Calls to Crete Carrier Corp., the Lincoln, Nebraska, trucking company Wilkerson drove for, were not immediately returned. Blood tests showed he had not been using alcohol or drugs, Leeper said. Wilkerson was not using his cell phone at the time of the accident. No charges have been filed against Wilkerson, although a criminal investigation continues. Rayburn said driver fatigue was one of main factors being looked into as the cause of the crash. â€Å"He was driving quite a bit during those 34 hours, probably too much,† Rayburn said, adding that Wilkerson was making deliveries and loading and unloading his truck. At the time of the crash, Wilkerson was driving a load of bottled water from High Springs to Jacksonville, a trip of about 85 miles. The NTSB, using an identical school bus and truck, determined the school bus should have been visible for about 3,000 feet (more than half a mile) and there was some light skid marks before hitting the car and pushing it into the school bus. The car burst into flames, killing all seven children, and forcing it under the school bus, carrying nine children. Two children from the bus remain at Shands hospital in Gainesvile in serious condition. When asked when Wilkerson saw the bus, Rayburn said, â€Å"I don’t know that he did.† Rayburn said both the bus driver and the truck driver had valid commercial licenses. He noted that the driver of the car, Nikki Mann, was only 15, and had only a learner’s permit. She was talking on her cell phone when the truck hit the back of her car. Sheriff Jerry Whitehead said the crash was not Nikki Mann’s fault. â€Å"Accidents happen. This was a tragedy. I don’t believe she was at all at fault. The truck plowed into them and killed them.† Rayburn said there were no mechanical problems with any of the vehicles involved and a recorder on the truck did not show the impact. Investigators don’t know if a dog riding in Wilkerson’s truck played any part in the collision. Rayburn said he investigated a 2004 crash in which a Crete Carrier driver had been driving excessive hours. That incident involved a multi-car pile-up on the Indiana toll road near Chicago resulting in two fatalities, including the Crete driver. NTSB records show Crete has been cited fourteen times in the last six years for driver hour violations. This tiny Union City town has been mourning since the crash last week. On Monday, the five children of Terry and Barbara Mann were buried after a service at the First Christian Church in Lake Butler. They were Nikki, 15, and adopted children Elizabeth, 15, Johnny, 13, Heaven, 3, and 20-month-old Anthony. Their cousins, twins Ashley and Amanda Finn, 13, were buried Wednesday next to the body of William Edwin Scott, 70, the grandfather of the seven children, who died of a heart attack after hearing about the accident. Fatal Accident Driver Has Long Legal History Investigators are still piecing together why an 18-wheeler slammed into the back of a car and school bus in Lake Butler yesterday, causing seven children to die. The truck that was involved in the accident was owned and operated by Crete Carrier Corp. It’s a trucking company that has a pretty good reputation for safety nationwide. But the driver who was behind the wheel had anything but that. The WESH 2 I-Team discovered that he has a long history of problems with the law. According to driving records obtained by the I-Team, Alvin Wilkerson has been cited for eight traffic violations since 1995, including two speeding tickets and two seat belt violations. He’s also been cited twice for driving with a suspended or revoked license and twice more for operating a motor vehicle in an unsafe condition. Wilkerson, age 31, was driving for Crete Carrier Corp., which is headquartered in Lincoln, Neb. Crete employs 5,400 drivers operating 5,100 tractor-trailers around the country. According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records, Crete carries a satisfactory safety rating. Even so, the I-Team discovered that in the last two years, Crete drivers have been involved in 482 crashes and 20 of those ended in fatalities. In Florida, transportation officials conducted 259 inspections of Crete trucks and drivers in the last two years alone and found 111 violations. Eight of those violations were so serious that inspectors immediately forced the trucks out of service and off the road. WESH 2 News asked Crete officials why they would hire someone with Wilkerson’s driving record, but they did not respond. A Florida Highway Patrol investigation of the accident continues. An investigator said they are checking on the truck’s systems. He said there was no indication that the truck’s brakes failed, but it appears the truck made no effort to stop before it slammed into that car full of children. Seven children, all related, perished in the crash when the car burst into flames. Their bodies were charred beyond recognition. Eight children on the school bus and the driver were transported to Shands HealthCare hospitals. Three of the children are reported in critical condition. Alvin Wilkerson suffered minor injuries and is reportedly at home.

Role of the United States Government Essay Example for Free

Role of the United States Government Essay Introduction In the recent past, we cannot deny that the media industry has experienced monumental growth both in terms of revenues and global expansion. Like other businesses, such as banking and manufacturing, the media business has enjoyed globalized operations to expand and grow, becoming one of the biggest conglomerates in the world. World media has proactively employed information technology and advancement in communication to expand their operations spanning several nations and continents. The news sector of world media seems to have captured most audience. Big corporations such as Cable News Network (CNN), Fox News, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and CBS dominate the news corporations with a worldwide reach. In the same regard, entertainment media, such as movies and television shows have also experienced immense growth. Companies from the U.S., for instance Walt Disney, Time Warner, News Corporation and New York Times Company are some of the biggest companies in world media market. U.S. firms have been able to pose formidable media entities in print and digital media services. They have also played an active role in asserting the views of the West with respect to the world issues and, therefore, becoming key players in the global media industry. Thus, for such commendable growth to be witnessed, the United States government must have, in one way or another, assisted these firms to grow and expand to the global market. While the U.S. government has always maintained zero interference in media, such policy is by itself is an active role. This essay will discusses the role of the United States government in assisting U.S. firms expand to the international market. Neoliberal Policies of the 1980s One of the most profound roles of the government in allowing growth in media and globalization is the neoliberal policies and stances adopted in the 1980s. The U.S. government with other likeminded governments, such as the United Kingdom, adopted neoliberal policies in the media industry. The term neoliberal is a multifaceted ideology with different meanings under dissimilar circumstances. However, Pickard (2007) argues that the term simply refers to efforts towards privatization, liberalization, deregulation and globalization of an industry. The U.S. government sought to allow the media industry propelling itself as guided by economics and other drivers of business. Privatization Drive Neoliberal polices first allowed and encouraged the privatization of media companies. With regard to this, private investors took up media operations an introduced new ways of running such businesses. Efficiency and competition became the norm and advertising transformed into a target of the competition. Similarly, foreign investors accepted the lure of privately run media corporations and thus created domestic competition that was unrivalled elsewhere in the world. Such competition led to mergers and buyouts; as a result, a few giants were left to compete in the market. Soon, the expansion in the U.S. was only possible in slight increments and, hence, expansion to the global market was paramount. Such magnificent growth in the United States motivated other nations, especially in the European Union, adopt similar policies (McChesney 2001). Open and competitive market gave the U.S. conglomerates an opportunity to invest in other countries. Today, the biggest media firms in the world are the American firms that expanded after privatizations of businesses. Loosening of Restrictions on Ownership Structures Additionally, neoliberal policies reduced restrictions in antitrust laws and cross ownership of business (Yong 2012). This allowed media businesses to undertake both horizontal and vertical integration. Horizontal integration is where a business diversifies its operation by owning subsidiaries of different sectors (Deloitte 2012). For instance, Time Warner is known print media, news networks and movie productions houses. On the other hand, vertical integration can be defined as businesses owning a business with one main stream of business or practice. Thus, loosening of cross ownership restrictions gave room for business to expand to different units and to the global market. A new approach to media business that emerged was the convergence of business. Convergence of business is where two, proportionately big firms, join to share audience as well as brand names (McChesney 2001). A notable case of convergence in the U.S. media industry was the convergence between AOL and Time Warner. While other convergences have also been experienced, the economic results have been mixed. The AOL merger experienced difficult economic conditions that they later preferred to de-converge. In all loosen restrictions on laws has provided for media to explore all sorts of business arrangement. Zero Government Intervention The United States government has always taken pride in itself as one of the most liberal government in the world. The term liberal has been used in the sense that the government adopts a hands-off policy towards the content and the manner in which media houses are run. To this end, the responsibility of ensuring that content and information dissemination is done in a responsible way rests with the media firms. Global Expansion of US Media Industries 5 Such a non regulated media demands that media firms seek professionalism in passing information. Pickard (2007) argues that a media free of government intervention has to go an extra mile in order to gain public acceptance. The U.S. media firm has employed professionalism in reporting and entertaining the public. Democracy and open space that the U.S. government has maintained has allowed media firms expressing varied opinion on different issues. Further, the freedom of expression that has been assured by the constitution and protected by the government has fostered a media that can be termed ‘the peoples’ ‘watchdog’. Thus the government has opened up itself for scrutiny by privately owned media firms in a move that improves on transparency (Reportlinker.org 2012). Such a responsible media has made other nations around the world to envy such media firms. American news networks such as CNN and Fox News broadcast to a lmost every corner of the globe. Many countries have these news broadcasts translated as their differences languages. These firms have been deemed as independent and professional media houses. Such acceptance is due to the good perception that these media firms enjoy back home. The U.S. government, by providing free space, has allowed U.S. media firms being accepted all over the world and, thus, facilitated the expansion. Conclusion From all of the information, it can be concluded that the United States media firms are one of the biggest non-financial conglomerates in the world. Companies such as Vivendi, Sony, AOL Time Warner and Viacom report billions of dollars in revenues. While the firm may appear to operate like other old conglomerates, the companies did not exist two decades ago. The American government played a vital role in fostering media firm expansions. The first change that the government implemented was the introduction of the neoliberal policies that the Global Expansion of US Media Industries 6 government instituted in the 1980s. These policies first allowed private ownership of media firms. Privatization of media firms allowed private investors running media firms and employ sound business practices. Either, privatization of media firms allowed foreign investors seeking stake in these firms and pursuing expansion. Global expansion was a result of massive expansion and competition. The second role hat neoliberal policies played was the loosening of media ownership restrictions. This allowed media houses practicing both vertical and horizontal integration as practiced in other sectors. The final and perhaps the most important role that the government has played is establishing independence of the media. The U.S. government has adopted a policy where the government has fully eliminated itself from the media business. Independence of media has created public trust within the country and beyond. This allows media houses broadcasting and disseminating information in the regions other than the United States. References Deloitte 2012, Where the true growth lies; the market for digital media, Deloitte ConsultingLLP. McChesney, R 2001, Global media, neoliberalism imperialism, viewed 22 October 2012, . Pickard, V 2007, Neoliberal visions and revisions in global communications policy from NWICO to WSIS, Journal of Communication Inquiry, vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 118-139. Reportlinker.org 2012, Media industry: market research reports, statistics and analysis, viewed 22 October 2012, http://www.reportlinker.com/ci02088/Media.html. Yong, D 2012, The political Eeconomies of media: the transformation of the global media industries, viewed 22 October 2012, http://www.bloomsburyacademic.com/view/PoliticalEconomiesMedia_9781849664264/c hapter-ba-9781849664264-chapter-008.xml.

Theories of myth

Theories of myth Mythology involves sociological or even philosophical the studying of myths. Myths involve characters such as supernatural heroes or gods. Within sacred stories, the characters involved are priests and rulers. Myths have been used extensively in explanation of the world formation and establishment process of taboos, customs and institutions (Csapo, 2005). Scholars have been trying to explain myths in the past decades using theories. Claims by Euhemerism theory have demonstrated myths to be fuzzy accounts of authentic or real historical events. According to Csapo (2005), explanations show that storytellers carry out repeated elaborations upon historical measures. Such repetitions made the myth figures to gain the position of gods. For example, a wind-god development emanating from a kingly historical account, teaching his followers on wind-interpretation and use of sails. Prodicus and Herodotus made such claims in the 5th century BC. The origin of this theorys name is from the 320 BC novelist called Euhemerus. This novelist made claims of the Greek gods evolving from legends humans. Explanations of allegory theory suggest that myths started as allegories. For example, in relation to one theory myths started as natural phenomena allegories. For instance, historically representation of Apollo was fire while Poseidon represented water, among others. Another theory explains that myths started as allegories of spiritual or philosophical concepts. For example, Athena represented wise judgment, while Aphrodite represented desire. Sanskritist Max Muller in 19th century believed that myths originated from nature, but came to be literally interpreted gradually. For example, poetry described a sea to be raging and literally this was taken to interpret the sea as a raging god. Personification theory as explained by some scholars, myths originated from personification of forces and objects which are inanimate. In their regard, these scholars observed people of ancient days worshipped natural phenomena such as air, fire. With time this described the natural phenomena as gods. For example, mythopoeic thought described ancients to observe things as persons but not as mere objects. Thereby, they described events of nature to be actions of natural gods, hence myths evolution. Cosmogonic or creation myths relates to supernatural stories giving explanations to humanity, life, earth or universe existence (Csapo, 2005). Generally, myths tend to broadly share the same themes. Myths commonly involve fractioning of worldly things from primordial chaos. Such aspects include father and mother separation gods or emergence of land from an infinite and from timeless ocean Among the Finnish, people believed that the world was made from a broken egg. Descriptions reveal that a bird was flying over the sea as it searched for a place set-up her nest and lay eggs. The birds search was futile everywhere. The only thing in existence was water. After that, the bird identified the 1st dry place to some it was a boat, others it was an island, and others a floating body such as a wizard. However, the dry place was unstable to set-up a nest hence a large wave broke those eggs, their parts being spread all around. Upper part of the egg formed the sky, yolk formed the sun and lower egg parts formed the earth. The first human being was vainamoinem born to air maiden Ilmatar impregnated by the sea. Vainamoinem gave orders for trees plantation and initiated the human culture. This myth relates to the allegory theory which explains representations of natural phenomena (Csapo, 2005). Upper part of the egg in this myth represents the sky yolk represents the sun while the lower part represents the earth. The allegories here are the sun, the sky and the earth. On the other hand, among the Hindu, universe existence is governed by Trimurti of brahma. Brahma is the creator Vishnu is the sustainer while shiva is the destroyer. The first Avatar generated from water. Hindus believe universe creation originated from the word Aum. The word stands for the sacred sound uttered by every person during birth. Their belief states that creation cycle has no beginning, neither preservation nor destruction. A Brahmas day takes 4.32billion years and the night too. Their belief is that nights and days follow in cycles. To them time is represented as Kala. This Hindu myth relates to the euhemerism theory where people try to explain the existence of natural phenomena (Csapo, 2005). The Hindus have applied the historic events, explaining each occurrence with natural phenomena. As this myth continues to be told repetitively, the myth figures have developed to take the positions of gods. In this reference, the Hindus god is Brahma emanating from Hindus accounts t o historical events, explaining where the universe originated from. In conclusion, as drawn the discussion, I believe that myths have been associated with several purposes. Myths are believed to shape or establish behavior models. Figures of myth are normally sacred hence positioning them playing the role models on humans. Similarly, myths uphold current social institutions and structures. Myths serve the purpose of justifying social customs in claims that sacred beings established them. Additionally, myths act as a good source of entertainment and also providing human beings with experiences which are religious in nature. Myths unraveling repetitions detaches people from modernity to mythical era presenting them nearer to the Devine. For example, a society can reenact healings done by gods in ancient days in order to heal an individual in the present. References Csapo, E. (2005). Theories of mythology. London, UK: Wiley-Blackwell Publishers.

Stereotyping of Hispanics in Hollywoods Films Essay -- Movies Films E

Stereotyping of Hispanics in Hollywood's Films "[Cinema] manipulates the human psychology, sociology, religion, and morality of the people..."(Cine-Aztlan 175). I has been said to be used by capitalists and socialists as a powerful weapon in the struggle for social justice. In all the Hollywood films and documentaries about Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, none have escapes stereotypes. And it hasn't gone unnoticed. Thomas Martinez states that the "symbolic function of advertising in one level of understanding the racist implications of the mass media, especially regarding the Mexicans and Mexican-Americans"(Camplis, in Noriega 284). To completely understand Latino's struggle for liberation, the term "Raza" has come up repeatedly in the vocabulary for freedom on an encompassing scale. The term is used to incorporate the experiences of Native Americans, Mexicans and others of Latin American descent in this country in the search and struggle for liberation politically, philosophically, and aesthetically. Another term recognizable in the struggle for liberation is "Chicano", which represents the need for people of Mexican descent to come to grips with the elemental fact of their identity..."(Camplis, in Noriega 286). Chicanos and other Latin Americans all have a distinct culture that shouldn't have to be conformed to or assimilated with American "standards". So, Cubans took a different approach to the whole notion of change or be segregated. Cuba...

Synthesis of Tavris, Goodman, and Underwood :: Culture Sex Cultural Essays

Synthesis of Tavris, Goodman, and Underwood We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve been unknowingly manipulated by a group of people. It’s human nature to follow. Often times, for instance a gang shooting or the Holocaust in the 1940s, the outcome of blind following reminds that human nature can be atrocious. But do you think every German Nazi who contributed to the mass murders was an evil person? No, most were lead to believe that they were doing a good thing. Hitler was a powerful orator who convinced millions of people to support him. Why should anyone have thought something was wrong if there were millions of people who thought it was just fine? Hollywood is almost as evil and just as persuasive as Hitler was; and when an individual becomes a fraction of any group whether it be Hollywood’s audience or a collection of colleagues, the individual’s plight to remain at hand, is almost always defeated. In Tavris’ (2002) essay she explains why she thinks people act differently alone than in a group. She uses the examples of Kitty Genovese and Rodney King to illustrate that people are not willing to be courageous among other people. She claims that it is not the individual’s fault, but that is the ‘nature of groups’ that leave the individual barren of their usually present morals. We don’t want to wrongly intervene to spare our ego,, or we diffuse the responsibility on others who are around us assuming that another has already taken the initiative. She recommends that people inform themselves of the anomaly of what she calls â€Å"group-think† in hopes that education will empower them; even if they’re in a group. In Goodman’s (2002) Essay ‘Countering the Culture of Sex’ she discusses the common topic of the effects of sex in the media. She asserts that it isn’t enough to blame the media. W should transform the problem into the solution by having Hollywood realistically portray the aftermath of sexual encounters. By doing this, she hopes, will reduce the amount of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Teenagers should be more aware of the consequences and less enamored with the romanticized image of sex; Goodman believes Hollywood is the answer. Using the example of Kitty Genovese, the woman who was witnessed being stabbed to death by a whole apartment building, Tavris (2002) says â€Å"Something happens to individuals when they collect in a group.

I Need To Know Where I Came From To Know Where I Am Going Essay example

Growing up I learned the stories of my ancestors and how all of them were immigrants. I felt a need to learn their stories because I thought â€Å"I need to know where I came from to know where I am going†. I believe I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors and my accomplishments are not my own but resulted due to what they accomplished in their lives. I view my family history as building blocks with each generation improving, if only in millimeters. My ancestors came from Germany, Sweden and Bohemia. Three of my great-grandparents were immigrants. My parents both knew their grandparents and had a relationship I find it amazing to be so close to the immigrant generation yet so far away. I say far away because the language and customs are gone. We are completely â€Å"American† but in writing this paper I realized the values of the old countries remain alive and well within the current generation. The maternal side of my family contains Swedish and Bohemian ethnicities. My maternal grandmother was 100% ethnic Swedish. My great-grandparents arrived in America in between 1874 and 1888. The section on parenting issues for parents of color in Diller (2011) while my grandparents were not people of color they were immigrants which made them different. I wonder what experience my grandmother had growing up in a home with parents who were born in another country, spoke a different language and had different customs. I knew Grandma was raised by immigrant parents but I never thought how that would affect their parenting style and if the children were teased because their parents were different and how their parents helped the children deal with it. I now wish I had spoken to my grandmother about this and how it was to grow up in... ...ow my great-grandfather’s ethnic identity, his self-image of being German, was impacted (Diller, 2011). I can’t begin to understand how my great-grandfather must have felt during this time knowing the country he chose to become a part of and was a upright citizen in thought he was suspect in some way just because he was German. Knowing someone in my family was forced to assimilate, to give up his native language to take on English the language of the domnianat culture, made me angry and sad (Diller, 2011). I myself would personally love to be able to speak German along with the other native languages of my ancestors. I know the values I have written about provide mere snapshots of the cultural values of my ancestors but I believe they impact the way I live my life and view the world. So how does all of this affect my identity and place in American society?

How Does R. Dahl Illustrate Conflict Between Appearance and Reality in 3 of the 5 Short Stories?

How does R. Dahl illustrate conflict between appearance and reality in 3 of the 5 short stories? The Landlady appears to be very nice, friendly and kind, which we can read in the text: â€Å"She was about forty-five or fifty years old†¦ she gave him a warm welcoming smile† and â€Å"she seemed terribly nice! †. As we follow the plot, the reality of her is that she is probably a serial killer and maybe has a psychic illness. The character of Mary Maloney is similar to the character of the Landlady. They’re both killers, but there is a little difference between them, because we think the Landlady is a serial killer and she prepares to kill him, as Mrs. Maloney didn’t really prepare to kill her husband, however she prepared to set up a convincing alibi. She gave a nip of whisky to every policeman: â€Å"Why don’t you have one yourself. You must be awfully tired. Please do. You’ve been very good to me. † And just after that, she offered the lamb, which she killed her husband with: â€Å"Why don’t you eat up that lamb that’s in the oven? . But there is another difference; the Landlady actually wants to kill the boy as Mrs. Maloney killed her husband by impulse. The appearance and reality of the Man from the South. He seems to be a rich, good looking person. That’s the first impression of him, he is wearing a suit: â€Å"Just then I noticed a small, oldish man walking briskly around the edge of the pool. He was immaculately d ressed in a white suit and he walked very quickly with little bouncing strides, pushing himself high up on to his toes with each step. He had on a large creamy Panama hat, and he came bouncing along the side of the pool, looking at the people and the chairs†, and just after that the reality comes: â€Å"He stopped beside me and smiled, showing two rows of very small, uneven teeth, slightly tarnished†. The culmination point of the appearance and the reality in the Lamb to the Slaughter is when Patrick Maloney did an unusual thing: â€Å"He lifted the glass and drained it in one swallow although there was still half of it, at least half of it, left†. Their household appears to represent a domestic ideal- comfortable, middle-class, with a traditional division of responsibility, ordered and strong on routine: â€Å"Now and again she would glance up at the clock, but without anxiety, merely to please herself with the thought that each minute gone by made it bearer the time when he would come† and â€Å"When the clock said ten minutes to five, she began to listen, and few moments later, punctually as always she heard the tyres on the gravel outside, and the car door lamming, the foot-steps passing the window, the key turning in the lock† which tells us, that she is waiting for him every day. She killed him by impulse, but then she set up a convincing alibi, and that’s the reality of her.