Private Equity Deals Essay Example for Free

Private Equity Deals Essay Private equity can be described as investing in a company through a negotiated process. Investment entails transformational, value-added and active management strategy. Private Equity investments can be undertaken following three categories. These are venture capital, Buy-out and special situation investment. Venture capital can be described as an investment to create a new company or expand a smaller company that is presently undeveloped. Buy-out investment involves acquisition of a significant portion of investment in a mature company so as to gain control or ownership of the company. Special situation investment involves changing government regulations or industry trends on investment due to availability of opportunity (Robinson and Cottrell, 2007). This paper will broadly analyze buy out investment in detail, discussing its history, growth, merits and failures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Private equity firms accrue interest on investment through any of the three ways. These include an IPO, sale or merger and recapitalisation. Private equity firms sell unlisted securities directly to investors through private offering or private equity fund which attracts different sources of contributions from small investors who prefer to invest directly to investors due to the risks associated with private equity funds. Private equity fund require a large amount of money to allow entry which cannot be afforded by most private equity firms. Moreover Private equity firms prefer to invest in firms or investors where the firm can accrue returns after a short duration unlike private equity funds which can take up to twelve years to accrue interests. Private equity firms evaluate availability of opportunity to avoid investing in a failing company which, led to heavy capital losses by the firm. The risk has been noted to be higher in venture capital funds (Lasen, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Private equity industry was begun in 1946 by the American Research and Development Corporation (ARD) to encourage private institutions provides funding to soldiers who returned from World War II. ARD aimed to provide skills and funding to the management and this would stimulate success of the companies accrue profits. The success of the industry led to permeation of few wealthy families into the industry in 1970s. The industry focussed more on debt financed leveraged buy-outs (LBOs)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Leveraged buy-out (LBO) occurs when a financial sponsor gains control of a majority of a target company’s stock ownership through the use of borrowed money or debt (Lasen, 2006). A Leveraged buy-out is a widely used strategy where a company acquires another company through significant amount of borrowed money. In most cases, the assets of the acquiring company and the company being acquired are used as security for the loans. Leveraged buyouts allow companies to make acquisitions without committing a lot of capital. In an LBO 70% debt to 30% equity ration is allowed though the debt can amount 90% top 95% of target Company total capitalisation. Private equity firm prefer to sue leveraged buyouts for two reasons. Use of debt that is widely used in US increased financial return to the private equity sponsor. Debts are exempted from taxation and hence the returns from debt are greater that from cash (Lasen, 2006; Robinson and Cottrell, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many countries for example Germany have introduced new tax laws with an aim of discouraging leveraged buyouts through reduction of tax shield effectiveness. The performance of private equity firms that used LBO as their main source of financing went into bankruptcy in 1980s and 1980s.   The insolvency was largely contributed by excessive debt financing amounting up to 97%. This led to higher interest payment that exceeded the company’s operating cash flow. Most companies were taken over by other companies and government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the recent past private equity industry has experienced a boom as noted in Great Britain as well as USA. Most pension scheme companies have invested in private equity firms and in particular LBOs. The size of private equity pool increased by 37% in 1994 in Great Britain. There is great disparity between foreign private equity pool and United States which present possibility of future growth. The rapid growth in the private equity industry has led to poor returns on capital invested. The returns from public equity deals are higher and this challenges the stability of private equity industry in using LBOs as way of financing (Clark and Whiteside, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   PED projects were initially known to have positive impact in paediatrics industry. The PED projects however are on the decline. This can be attributed to poor management and appointment of nationals who have worked in public service to oversee them yet they have little experience or knowledge that is needed. The PED has encountered pressure from fear of disappointing former and future employees and this has in most cases resulted in failure or problem in implementation of the projects (Saylor, Swenson, Reynolds and Taylor, 1999). References Clark, G. L., Whiteside, N. (2003) Pension Security in the 21st Century: Redrawing the Public-Private Debate. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Robinson, M. J., Cottrell, T. J â€Å"Investment Patterns of Informal Investors in the Alberta Private Equity Market† Journal of Small Business Management, 45, (2007):11-89. Larsen, D. L. â€Å"Challenges to the Private Equity Industry† Journal of Accountancy, 202, (2006):112-156. Saylor, C. F., Swenson, C., Reynolds, S., and Taylor, M â€Å"The Paediatric Emotional Distress Scale: a Brief Screening Measure for Young Children Exposed to Traumatic Events.† Journal of Clinical Child Psychology. 28.1. (1999): 34-70.

The Criticality Of Retaining Skilled Employees Management Essay

The Criticality Of Retaining Skilled Employees Management Essay Introduction: Purpose of the report: The report is intended to analyse the key factors involved in employee retention and also focus of the measures to be taken up by the employer for reducing the attrition rate of skilled workers. The solutions discussed suggested in the report could be possibly applied in the case of Keeping Suzanne Chalmers. The commentary also aims to discuss further the reasons of the employee leaving the company. Scope: The information in the report ranges from examining the factors for Suzanne Chalmers quitting the job to the measures taken by Thomas Chan to stop the attrition. Further the analysis in the commentary will discuss in general the reasons responsible for such situations in organisations. Background: The credentials of the report would be the case study of Suzanne Chalmers a top talent in the area of internet protocol working at API who decided to quit the organisation even though was offered options like higher salary, larger working space, unpaid leave for two or three months complete with paid benefits and increase in share options. Limitations: The report revolves around the employee retention of Suzanne Chalmers and the tactics tried by the employer Thomas Chan and is limited for being offered only a few number of reasons to stay back in the employment. The analysis of the case is based and compared on the theories of four drive and the theory of expectancy. Summary of the issue: The case of Suzanne Chalmers working at Advanced Photonics Inc. as a software engineer in internet protocol is a typical example of the issue faced by many employers in the current market were in employees who are talented for the job and hold key position in the company after earning many accolades for outstanding performance over years and responsible for finishing projects contributing a fortune to the company deciding to leave the company on a very short notice without proper reasons. The summary of the report discusses about the means and ways the employer can practice to hold the employee back at work and other reasons accounting for the employee to decide to leave the job and possible solutions around the issue. It also confers about the resolutions tried by the employee in the case of Suzanne further converses about the employee behavior in general towards their job and the responsibilities entrusted onto them by the employer. The expectations of the employee and employer in general have also been mentioned in the report. In the case of Suzanne Chalmers the employee quits the organisation at a stage of her career were she is under the age of 40 years just like many other employees who quit the company. It is also noted that the reason is not stress or long hours. The vice president of Advanced Photonics Inc thought that the reason was more money. The generous share options which had skyrocketed on the stock market giving many employees more money than they can make use off. It has been observed that their finance independence gave them less reason to remain with the organisation. It was noted that the employee after quitting the organisation and taking a break returned back to market and joined a start-up software firm in the same locality. The meeting between the vice president and the employee is discussed further moving to the solutions for retaining employees in general. The motivation factors for the employees in an organisation have been elaborated in the report. The report would also discuss emotions of the workforce as well as values and attitudes of management. Importance of employee turnover: Abbasi and Hollman (2000) sought to determine the impact of employee turnover on organizations and found that excessive employee turnover often engenders far-reaching consequences and, at the extreme, may jeopardize efforts to attain organizational objectives. In addition, Abbasi and Hollman (2000) indicated that when an organization loses a critical employee, there is negative impact on innovation, consistency in providing service to guests may be jeopardized, and major delays in the delivery of services to customers may occur. The study also showed that a decline in the standard of service provided to guests could also adversely affect the satisfaction of internal and external customers and consequently, the profitability of the organization. As part of the process of developing and implementing strategies to maintain and increase competitiveness, organizations face the challenge of retaining their best employees. As such, this research was designed to analyze and determine the most effective ways for one employer to retain its critical employees. The company in this study has been successful at maintaining a relatively low turnover ratio, but the employees who left the organization have been critical employees, thus presenting a significant challenge. The results of this research effort potentially could be used as a framework for guiding employee retention in other large, complex organizations. Criticality of Retaining Skilled Employees: Fitz-enz (2002) stated that the average company loses approximately $1 million with every 10 managerial and professional employees who leave the organization. As mentioned previously, the combined direct and indirect costs associated with one employee ranges from a minimum of one years pay and benefits to a maximum of two years pay and benefits. Thus, there is significant economic impact when an organization loses any of its critical employees, especially given the knowledge that is lost with the employees departure. It will become significantly more important in the years ahead to recognize the commitment of individuals to an organization, as well as the organizations need to create an environment in which one would be willing to stay (Harris, 2000). Organizations will need to either create an intellectual capital environment where the transmission of knowledge takes place throughout the structure, or continue to lose important individual knowledge that has been developed during the length of service (Harris, 2000). This deep knowledge is what many believe will help to meet the needs and expectations of the customers and to create and sustain a competitive advantage within the global economy in which organizations are competing in today. The critical factors derived out of eminent motivation theories and the implications for developing and implementing employee retention practices can be described as follows: Needs of the Employee Employees have multiple needs based on their individual, family, and cultural values. In addition, these needs depend on the current and desired economic, political, and social status; career aspiration; the need to balance career, family, education, community, religion and other factors; and a general feeling of ones satisfaction with the current and desired state of being. Work Environment Employees want to work in an environment that is productive, respectful, provides a feeling of inclusiveness, and offers friendly setting. Responsibilities Given that one feels competent to perform in a more challenging capacity and has previously demonstrated such competencies, an employee may feel a need to seek additional responsibilities and be rewarded in a fair and equitable manner. Supervision Managers and other leaders more frequently than others feel a need to teach, coach, and develop others. In addition, these individuals would seek to influence the organizations goals, objectives and the strategies designed to achieve the mission of the organisation. Fairness and Equity Employees want to be treated and regarded in a fair and equitable manner regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, geographic location, or other similarly defined categories, With increased effort and higher performances employees also expect to be regarded more significantly than counterparts who provide output at or below the norm. The employees effort and performance at a particular level is influenced by their individual goals and objectives and which would vary by each individual. An outcome or reward that is perceived to be highly significant and important can result in a higher level of effort and performance by the individual employee. Effort Even though employees may exert higher levels of effort into a position based on a perceived significant reward, this could be a short-term success if the task itself does not challenge or provides satisfaction to the employee. Employee Development Employees prefer to function in environments that provide a challenge, offers new learning opportunities, significantly contributes to the organisations success, offers opportunities for advancement and personal development based on success and demonstrated interest in a particular area. Feedback Individuals prefer to have timely and open feedback from their supervisors. This feedback should be an ongoing process during the year and not limited to formal performance reviews once or twice per year. In addition, the feedback should be from both the employee and the supervisor. Employee Retention at Advanced Photonics Inc : As implicated in the case study Thomas Chan the vice president at the organisation has observed that employees even though were under 40 years, which is too early to retire quitting the job at API. It has also been witnessed that it is not for reasons like stress or long hours but the organisations share options that skyrocketed on the stock market which left many employees at API with more money than they could possibly spend. It has also left the employees to be millionaires giving them financial independence leaving fewer reasons to stay in employed at API. In this particular case Thomas was approached by Suzanne Chalmers who has been employed at API for four years in the field of internet protocol as a software engineer supporting the software that directed fibre optic light through APIs routers. It is also mentioned that internet protocol is a very specialized work and Chalmers was one of the top talents in that area. Theory of Expectancy and Four Drive Theory: Four Drive Theory: As it is known that emotions play a significant role in employee motivation which is not supported by many theories and researchers. But, the four drive theory emphasizes the concept and relevance of emotions in employee motivation. The theory was developed by Harvard Business School professors Paul Lawrence and Nitin Nohria. According to Steven M, Mara O, Tony T (P. 178, 2009), a motivation theory that is based on the innate drives to acquire, bond, learn and defend, and that incorporates both emotions and rationality. It has been derived that employees with higher emotional intelligence are more sensitive to competing demands from the four drives, and are better able to avoid impulsive behaviour from those drives, and can judge the best way to act to fulfill those drive demands in a social context. Recommendations of the practical implications of the theory are explained in two parts. First being that best workplaces for employee motivation and wellbeing offer co nditions that help employees fulfill all four drives. Employees continually seek fulfillment of their innate drives, so successful companies provide sufficient rewards, learning opportunities, social interaction and so forth for all employees. The second recommendation is that fulfillment of the four drives must be kept in balance; that is, organisations should avoid too much or too little opportunity to fulfill each drive. The reason for this recommendation is that the four drives compensate each other. Expectancy Theory of Motivation: This theory offers an elegant model based on rational logic to predict the chosen direction, level and persistence of motivation. According to Steven M, Mara O, Tony T (P. 178, 2009), expectancy theory is a motivation theory based on the idea that work effort is directed toward behaviors that people believe will lead to desired outcomes. The concept also says that work effort is directed toward behaviors that people believe will lead to desired outcomes. One of the appealing characteristics of expectancy theory is that it provides clear guidelines for increasing employee motivation. The Expectancy Theory of Motivation was developed, by Victor Vroom of the Yale School of Management, in the year 1964. He was of the opinion that people made a conscious choice while deciding whether or not to perform at the workplace. However the choice that was made by the employee depended entirely on the employees level of motivation which in turn was a function of th ree factors which are effort, performance and outcome. Current trend of Employee job satisfaction and Suzanne Chalmers: In the current generation employee is not completely satisfied with higher salary packages but is looking for more than that and stressing on innovative ways of retaining the employee. The reasons for choosing an organisation for employment can be categorized as location of company, compensation, the job, company reputation, career development, career path, job security, organisational culture, challenge, training and development, empowerment and attractive benefits. Like wise potential reasons for employee to leave the organisation can be classified as salary, lack of challenge and opportunity, lack of career advancement opportunities, ineffective leadership, inadequate emphasis on teamwork, not having the opportunity for a flexible work schedule, too long of a commute, lack of trust in senior management, inadequate opportunity for training and development and low overall job satisfaction. The case of Suzanne Chalmers can be listed for lack of challenge and opportunity and lack of c areer advancement. The employer took care of everything but lacked on the above mentioned factors leaving the employee with no other choice but to quit the job. Conclusion: If the organisations take up better employee retention plans and offer employees with more valued reasons to stay back with the organisation. The firms can possibly come up with innovative employee retention programs by offering the employees with better location of the company or the branch which is closer to their living place, compensation, better job matching their qualification, career development, career path, job security, organisational culture, challenge in job, training and development, empowerment and attractive benefits. Applying the thoughts of Four Drive theory has been proved to be very important in the current situation as emotions play a major role in motivation of employees.

Martin Luther :: Reformation Christianity Religion Protestantism

Martin Luther This essay is concerned with Martin Luther (1483-1546), and his concept of Christianity. Luther began his ecclesiastical career as an Augustinian Monk in the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, Luther was initially loyal to the papacy, and even after many theological conflicts, he attempted to bring about his reconciliation with the Church. But this was a paradox not to endure because in his later years, Luther waged a continual battle with the papacy. Luther was to become a professor of biblical exegesis at Wittenberg where, in 1957, he posted his critique of the Roman Catholic Church's teachings and practices. This is otherwise known as The Ninety-Five Theses, which is usually considered to be the original document of the Reformation. Basically, this document was an indictment of the venality of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the widespread practice of selling indulgences in association with the sacrament of penance. Luther's beliefs on the matter was that after confessio n, absolution relied upon the sinner's faith and God's Divine Grace rather than the intervention of a priest. At this point, Luther did not advocate an actual separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Instead, Luther felt his suggested reforms York-3 could be implemented within Catholicism. If this had taken place, the Protestant Reformation would probably not of ever seen the light of day--nor would it have been necessary. But the theological practices being what they were in the Roman Church, there was little chance at that time for any great variations to occur within its folds. The Church of Rome was thoroughly monolithic and set in its ways and was not about to mutate into something else. If a metamorphosis had occurred within the Roman Catholic Church, Luther would have had a different destiny. But Luther's fate was sealed, and his job was cut out for him. Concerning Luther and the Reformation, Paul Tillich states: "The turning point of the Reformation and of church history in general is the experience of an Augustinian monk in his monastic cell--Martin Luther. Martin Luther did not merely teach different doctrines; others had done that also, such as Wyclif. But none of the others who protested against the Roman system were able to break through it. The only man who really made a breakthrough, and whose breakthrough has transformed the surface of the earth, was Martin Luther. . . . He is one of the few great prophets of the Christian Church, and his greatness is overwhelming, even if it was limited by some of his personal traits and his later development.

Elizabeth Barrett Brownings Poetic Style Essays -- Essays Papers

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Poetic Style Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poetry has been the subject of much criticism. Her elusive style prompted many critics to question Barrett's method of writing. In fact, some critics, like Alethea Hayter, go so far as to propose that an "honest critique of her work must admit that she often wrote very bad poetry indeed" (15). Accusations against Barrett's work were often targeted at her tendency for anonymity, her excessive development of thoughts, unsuccessful forced rhymes, and more often than any other of her familiarities, her tendency to create her own words. Despite being relatively shunned by the world of poetry, Barrett persisted in writing poetry, even though the majority of her writing time just might have been spent on defending her work rather than writing it. John Forster has remarked, "She uses all her thoughts and feelings for whatever she does. The art of knowing what to leave out she has not attained"(19). In defense of her work Barrett writes in a letter to her husband, Robert Browning, "I do not say everything I think (as has been said of me by master-critics) but I take every means to say what I think"(19). Hayter recognizes that Barrett's work was surely not lacking revision, but was the product of constant reconsideration. She was said to have revised after every printing. For Barrett, the main focus of revising was to iron out metre, find perfectly fitting words for her lines, and to produce literature that read with the movement of natural speech. However, Hayter admits that this consistent going over of her work to find "just the right word" was what weakened Barrett's work and formed it into rather exhaustive explanations of what she purposed to convey to her re... ...of women's talk Arose and fell and tossed about a spray Of English S's, soft as a silent hush, And, not withstanding, quite as audible As louder phrases thrown out by men"(26). Saintsbury, who earlier criticized Barrett's rhyming technique, confessed that her ear for metre was, in fact, wonderful (24). Elizabeth Barrett Browning was one of the braver literary pioneers. Choosing to utilize the vocabulary she favored rather than submit to the harsh criticisms of those who held the power to make or break her is an applaudable novelty about her. Many writers, having been successful in their literary exploits, are susceptible to accusations that their work was catered to critics. Surely, this cannot and should not be said of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Works Cited Donaldson, Sandra, Critical Essays on Elizabeth Barrett Browning; G.K. Hall & Co., New York, NY.

Children in the Third World Essay -- World Poverty Essays

Children in the Third World We live in an imperfect world where poverty is a reality. Forty thousand children die per year of starvation. Over 1 billion cities face unemployment and poverty day to day. Three-fourth's of the world's largest poverty population live in the Third World Countries, which includes underdeveloped countries, mainly Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Originally the term "Third World" meant all those not supporting communism and the Western countries. Now, it is a term used to describe the poor countries of the world. These countries face hunger, diseases, illiteracy, and poor health care on a day to day basis. They have high population increases, the death rates have lowered over the years, but the birth rates are still high. Because of these increases in population and the low amount of resources available to accommodate these people, hunger is a rapidly increasing problem for the Third World. "The average spending per capita is $660 in a developing country, $13,100 in a developed country, and $19,800 in the United States." "60% of the Third World lives in extreme poverty." "I knew that poverty exists, but it never occurred to me that most of the people in this world live in poverty." (Junior Padma Krishnan) That is the problem with people today, many do not realize what a reality poverty is. That is the key word, "Reality." Many sit back and watch the commercials on children starving in Kenya or the bloated stomachs of the malnourished or undernourished in Somalia, but how many actually think about what a problem this is? What is being done to help these people? Is it fair for those in America who make millions of dollars a year to ignore this and allow these children to starve? Children by far suff... ...s imported from the poor countries, and we buy more food from 36 of the 40 countries. Is this something that we , as Americans, can be proud of? The horrific conditions experienced by the people of the third world are conditions that we can only begin to try to understand. Twenty five percent of children will die before their fifth birthday, and those who live will live without many things they need and are entitled to. Children are the future," they need to be tomorrow's solutions, not tomorrow's problems. There are many people out there working to eliminate poverty and improve living conditions for those in the third world countries, but they cannot do it alone. Everyone should take it upon themselves to do something. It may seem like an impossible to solve, but if everyone would work together, poverty would be lost and the third world would be a better place. Children in the Third World Essay -- World Poverty Essays Children in the Third World We live in an imperfect world where poverty is a reality. Forty thousand children die per year of starvation. Over 1 billion cities face unemployment and poverty day to day. Three-fourth's of the world's largest poverty population live in the Third World Countries, which includes underdeveloped countries, mainly Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Originally the term "Third World" meant all those not supporting communism and the Western countries. Now, it is a term used to describe the poor countries of the world. These countries face hunger, diseases, illiteracy, and poor health care on a day to day basis. They have high population increases, the death rates have lowered over the years, but the birth rates are still high. Because of these increases in population and the low amount of resources available to accommodate these people, hunger is a rapidly increasing problem for the Third World. "The average spending per capita is $660 in a developing country, $13,100 in a developed country, and $19,800 in the United States." "60% of the Third World lives in extreme poverty." "I knew that poverty exists, but it never occurred to me that most of the people in this world live in poverty." (Junior Padma Krishnan) That is the problem with people today, many do not realize what a reality poverty is. That is the key word, "Reality." Many sit back and watch the commercials on children starving in Kenya or the bloated stomachs of the malnourished or undernourished in Somalia, but how many actually think about what a problem this is? What is being done to help these people? Is it fair for those in America who make millions of dollars a year to ignore this and allow these children to starve? Children by far suff... ...s imported from the poor countries, and we buy more food from 36 of the 40 countries. Is this something that we , as Americans, can be proud of? The horrific conditions experienced by the people of the third world are conditions that we can only begin to try to understand. Twenty five percent of children will die before their fifth birthday, and those who live will live without many things they need and are entitled to. Children are the future," they need to be tomorrow's solutions, not tomorrow's problems. There are many people out there working to eliminate poverty and improve living conditions for those in the third world countries, but they cannot do it alone. Everyone should take it upon themselves to do something. It may seem like an impossible to solve, but if everyone would work together, poverty would be lost and the third world would be a better place.

Examination Day and Harrison Bergeron Essay

The short stories â€Å"Examination Day† by Henry Seslar and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut, both examine the idea of a world where governments have total control over its citizens. The main characters in the stories are Dickie Jordan and Harrison Bergeron. In â€Å"Examination Day† discrimination against intelligence is portrayed through Dickie who is eliminated because his â€Å"intelligence quotient [was] above the Government regulation.† This quote depicts the governments authority in its society and how the government eradicated the people who questioned them through an intelligence exam. The irony of this examination is that success was seen as negative. Whereas, â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† explores the theme of forced equality in American society in the not so distant future. Right in the introduction, the three main issues concerned throughout the story are given, † Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better lookin g than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else. All this equality was due to the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution.† Thus, absolute equality in intelligence, physical beauty, and athleticism have been ratified into law by the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to the Constitution, respectively. Both stories share a conflict in regards to person versus society and both the protagonists die at the end. In â€Å"Examination Day† Dickie is on his own when it comes to the test given by the government. Before the test when Dickie asks his father what the test is for, his father tells him†the Government wants to know how smart [Dickie] is.† Later on, the story ends with an automated message from the government with the reason for his death and preferred funeral arrangements. In â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† Harrison knew better than to follow government regulations and tried to make a difference. In the end, he was killed as â€Å"Diana Moon Glampers, the Handicapper General, came into the studio with a  double-barreled gauged shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor.† This quote shows the government’s control over what is accepted and what happens to those who exceed government regulation. Harrison wanted an end to the absolute equality so he stood up for the citizens of the country who did not realize how absurd their society was becoming; in the end, he died trying to make a difference. In â€Å"Examination Day† the setting invokes sympathetic feelings towards Dickie. Dickie , a week after his twelfth birthday, was sent from his â€Å"little apartment† to the â€Å"great pillared lobby† within the â€Å"polished† governmental building. This contrast of settings invokes sympathy for Dickie because he is limited to living in a small home while all the money is used by the government to develop large, modern government buildings. Also, Dickie is taken to a place that is foreign to him, with large intimidating architectural masses which makes him seem insignificant and isolated. The story compares the â€Å"dim† and â€Å"cold† room within the government building to the â€Å"warm†, â€Å"bright† house that Dickie lives in. The cold, clinical description of the government building is symbolic of distinction being taken away from humanity. It demonstrates the idea that Dickie is being taken from the comfort of his home and into the control of a frightening, overpowering government. Contrary to Harrison in â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† who is a fourteen year old boy that poses such a terrible threat that he has been shackled with more handicaps than anyone else. Giant earphones instead of the small ear radio his dad has. Large glasses to obscure his vision and give him headaches. So many weights that he â€Å"looked like a walking junkyard.† On top of it all, he is so handsome that they gave him a clown nose, shaved off his eyebrows, and blacked out his teeth. Also, Harrison is so frightening that he is arrested â€Å"on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.† The government’s news bulletin describes him as â€Å"a genius and an athlete, [†¦] under-handicapped, and should be regarded as extremely dangerous.† In conclusion, both â€Å"Examination Day† and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† examine the idea of a world where the government has total control over the government and individuals living within the government.

City Demographics and Crime Profile Essay

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the United States. According to 2009 census, the city had a population of approximately 2. 2 million people and the city occupies a space of 600 square miles. Houston is a multi-cultural state due to the fact that the city is a host to many academic institutions and many industries. Houston city has large number of young population and this has been contributed to by an influx of immigrants in the state. More than 90 languages are spoken in Houston (Miller, and Larry, 2008) The city is ranked third among the cities with large number of Hispanics and Mexican-American in the United States. The city scores high number of Hispanics in the state of Texas. The city also has high numbers of illegal emigrants who mostly reside in the Greater Houston area. Houston has the largest number of Nigerian-American population in United States and they constitute more than 2% of the population. The city a median household income of $36,616 where as the median income for a family is 40,443. emales have a median income of $27,371 while men has a median of $32,084. 16 percent of families and 19 percent of the population live below the poverty line. The city is home to many emigrants from Asia with more than 30,000 emigrants in 2007. Crime in Houston increases as one goes to the outer highways. It is therefore advised that people walk with care when taking highways in the outskirts of the city since harassment tend to be more common in areas that are outlining Interstate Hig hway 45from Southern Beltway to the northern belt. Crimes in these areas include shootings, muggings, and robberies. Many people in Houston tend to ignore threats but people are mostly advised that some to accomplish their threats. The most notorious district that people are advised to avoid is the Westchase which consist of Hillcroft past Westheimer and Daury Ashford. Mission Bend is safe and all is required is caution. Richmond and the West Oaks area hwy 6 all the way to 1 Stebner Airline is generally safe (Miller, and Larry, 2008). Staying in Hotels near Williowbrook, Tombal, Cy-Fair, Spring and the surrounding area is relatively safer since there are fewer panhandlers as compared to areas around Galleria. Bellaire and West University are also good areas but people are advised to avoid Beechnut, Chimney Rock and 610. The more one moves from town, the it becomes risky to walk at night. Areas such as Wards, Gulfton, Fondren South West and Sharptown are risky at night and it even advised to walk with caution during the day. Houston was ranked 46th city in United States in murder cases as per 2005 and the rate of murder per capita rate is 16. 3. The murder rate for the city is ranked third among cities in the United States with a population of more than 1,000,000. Even though cases of murder have been on the increase, non-violent crimes have significantly reduced by 2% in 2005. Some media sources have attributed the increasing crime rate on the aftermaths of Katrina. Houston is also one of the major drug hubs in the United States; traffickers use the city to supply marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and MDMA to distributors in other cities in the United States. Houston is in top position in state of Texas in auto-theft. In 2007 alone, 31,000 motor vehicles were stolen in the metropolitan area of Houston (Wallman, 2006) Due to the mix in population in the city, there is high rate of crimes and this has given the police department to control crime. Illegal emigrants in Houston makes crime rates hard to control.