Environmental Protection Agency and Texas

Environmental Protection Agency and Texas The Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, is a federal agency charged with monitoring and maintaining a healthy environment in America. Many credit U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson with spurring interest in the environmental movement, he created Earth Day in the spring of 1970 which led to the creation of the EPA in December of that year. The EPA monitors a huge array of environmental issues in America. The agency scrutinizes everything from the fuel standards to mercury levels in lakes and landfill regulations. Natural resource programs were established in Texas at the turn of the 20th century, motivated initially by concerns over the management of water resources and water rights. In parallel with developments in the rest of the nation, and at the federal level, state natural-resource efforts broadened at mid-century to include the protection of air and water resources, and later to the regulation of generating hazardous and non-hazardous waste. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality strives to protect our states public health and natural resources consistent with sustainable economic development. Their goal is clean air, clean water, and the safe management of waste. TCEQ for short, essentially is Texass version of the EPA. Texas has had a rough relationship with the Environmental Protection Agency. Texas legislators and business owners have refused EPA monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions and air permit requirements in the state. Reasons for this vary and include claims of states rights and rejection of EPA rulings on the dangers of six greenhouse gases. In May 2011, the Texas House passed a measure asking federal legislators to prevent the EPA from regulating emissions in the state under the Clean Air Act. The state lost similar legal battles in 2010 and 2011. The state has spent approximately $1.4 million on the cases so far, chiefly centered on air quality and climate issues that it says are intended to protect public health. The EPA has five main goals: Addressing climate change and improving air quality, Protecting Americas waters, cleaning up communities and advancing sustainable development, ensuring the safety of chemicals and preventing pollution, and protecting human health and the environment by enforcing laws and assuring compliance. Air pollution, one of the EPAs main concerns, comes from many different sources: stationary sources such as factories, power plants, and smelters and smaller sources such as dry cleaners and degreasing operations; mobile sources such as cars, buses, planes, trucks, and trains; and naturally occurring sources such as windblown dust, and volcanic eruptions, all contribute to air pollution. The Clean Air Act establishes a number of permitting programs designed to carry out the goals of the act. Some of these programs are directly implemented by EPAs South Central Region also known as Region 6, but most are carried out by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Air Quality can be affected in many ways by the pollution emitted from these sources. These pollution sources can also emit a wide variety of pollutants. The number one air pollutant is Carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide or CO is a colorless, odorless gas formed by the incomplete reaction of air with fuel. CO pollution occurs primarily from emissions produced by fossil fuel powered engines, including motor vehicles and non-road engines and vehicles. Higher levels of CO generally occur in areas with heavy traffic congestion. Other sources of CO emissions include industrial processes, residential wood burning, and natural sources such as forest fires. Oil and gas facilities in Texas released more than 20 million pounds of illegal sulfur dioxide emissions, which contribute to smog and acidification of water and soil, during breakdowns and maintenance activities in 2014 and 68 million pounds in 2015. The states enforcement of air pollution limits in permits has been poor. When Texas does impose penalties for violations, the fines are often small in comparison to the cost to public health and the profits generated by the industry. Another main pollution concern is water. Texas is the second-biggest water polluter in the country, in terms of pounds released. But when the toxicity of the pollution is factored in, Texas jumps to the top of the list. The top overall water polluter in Texas was the Pilgrims Pride chicken-processing plant in Mount Pleasant, which in 2012 dumped 2.8 million pounds of toxic chemicals into the Tankersley River in Northeast Texas. Working on these issues in Texas isnt easy, with powerful polluter lobbies that are used to getting what they want from state legislators and regulators. The only feasible way to promote solutions to the government and win is by forming an organization. Starting small and then expanding by getting more and more concerned citizens involved would go a long way. The organization would have to build traction and earn its place amongst the large companies and government agencies. The citizens, once organized into a force could boycott companies not in compliance wi th EPA or the communitys standards, sue large corporations for any number of shortcomings, and in short make change happen. The people hold more power together than they ever do individually and it will take cooperation on an extraordinary scale for such an idea to exist. There are five main U.S. environmental laws. These include the Clean Air Act which divides the country into air quality regions and sets goals for the concentration of various pollutants in the air. After that is the Clean Water Act, its goals are to eliminate discharge of all pollutants and to restore and maintain the quality of the nations waters so they are fishable and swimmable. Another is the Safe Drinking Water Act which is in place to ensure water is consumable and looks clean. The SDWA also protects the quality of underground water sources. Next comes the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act which manages the generation, storage, transport, treatment and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes from operating facilities, and minimize waste disposal to land. Finally, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act covers the clean-up of abandoned hazardous waste sites and spills, and provides for community right-to-know of industrial waste management practices. Texas is usually going head to head with the Environmental Protection Agency arguing over a regulation of some manner. The EPA usually is the winner in these arguments from limits on greenhouse gas emissions to restrictions on air pollution that crosses state lines. During the Obama administration Texas, has sued the EPA and the federal government more than 50 times over environmental concerns. These lawsuits seem petty and wasteful of tax payers money to some. While others are glad that Texas is still up for sticking it to big government and making sure that they are not over reaching on boundaries trying to use powers that congress has not given them. Texas is continuously in court with the EPA because the EPA is encroaching on Texass management of air quality standards. The EPA is only doing so because Texas is doing the bare minimum to reduce pollution. It is doing what is required within the regulations so that it remains in compliance with the acts. However, it is still so litt le that then the EPA has to try and force Texas to do more than just the bare minimum and that invokes a lawsuit because they do not have jurisdiction to do such a thing. It is asinine and a poor representation of what our state government is capable of but with all of the major corporations backing the state Texas will continue in this manner. Congress would need to amend the acts to give the EPA more power in the matter. This however, is unlikely because that would-be encroachment on states rights. The fact of the matter is the Texas Government does not want to do it so therefore it will do everything in its power not to. Unless a major power switch were to occur or perhaps a major push via the citizens of Texas this charade will continue. It all amounts to unnecessary spending just to allow big business freedom to do as it wishes at the cost of the populations health and in increase in their wallet size. Texas would much rather figure out its environmental issues on its own. A state set in its ways, it is not about to let the federal government have compete dictation over any of its policies. Beneficial or not Texas will conduct itself as it sees fit. Interference or forced control will meet opposition immediately at no consideration of expense. The wins Texas has acquired against the federal government has made it proud even though the losses fairly outweigh them. Texas may never agree with EPA on its regulations but the choices made by Texas now will largely effect environmental consequences for years to come. Works Cited Dawson, B. (2010, August 5). Texas officials say they wont implement EPAs climate rules. Retrieved from Texas Climate News: http://texasclimatenews.org/?p=357 EPA in Texas. (2016, December 23). Retrieved from EPA: United States Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/tx%20 Everything You Need to Know About the EPA. (2017). Retrieved from StateImpact: https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/tag/epa/ History of the TCEQ and Its Predecessor Agencies. (2016, January 26). Retrieved from Texas Commision On Environmental Quality: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/about/tceqhistory.html Satija, N. (2014, April 29). Supreme Courts Air Pollution Ruling Goes Against Texas. Retrieved from The Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2014/04/29/texas-loses-fight-against-epa-air-pollution-rule/ Satija, N., Carbonell, L., McCrimmon, R. (2017, January 17). Texas vs. the Feds A Look at the Lawsuits. Retrieved from The Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/01/17/texas-federal-government-lawsuits/ The States Water by Region . (n.d.). Retrieved from Texas Parks Wildlife: http://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/water/environconcerns/regions/

Occupational Health and Safety in New Zealand

Hand in your reading list/bibliography to class in Week 5 (Gag 19) Hand in Full Assignment Week 5 (Thursday 21 at pm in assignments box) Value: 40% of final mark Format: Essay style format, typed or word processed, well presented with high standard of grammar & punctuation. Please attach BOTH coversheet and marking schedule to the front of your essay.Length: 2,000 words maximum + bibliography (you are allowed a maximum of under or over this figure – this will be strictly adhered to) N.B. the word count for each assignment must be entered on the cover sheet Topic: ‘Although well-defined differences exist among the fields of advertising, marketing, and public relations, there is an Increasing realization that an organization's goals and objectives can be best accomplished through an Integrated approach, not Just through marketing but through all communication functions. (Wilcox et al. 201 3) This integrated approach is often called Integrated Marketing Communications (MIMI C). Describe why this integrated approach is gaining momentum, highlighting the various communication functions, and those areas in which an overlap or integration can realize significantly better results both tactically and strategically for both brands and organizations.

Sex, Gender, And Sexuality - 1391 Words

SEX, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY 1 Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Joel M. Queen Oklahoma State University Sex, Gender, and Sexuality When you go on with your daily lives and norms, you tend to not give much attention to what kind of roles certain genders play or how we perceive certain gender to perform said roles. Lorber mentions in the early part of her argument that we seem to treat sex, gender, and sexuality and the norms that come with them like fish and water (Lorber, 1994) . We have almost become numb to the norms and expectations that come along with certain genders and roles. However, when we see something out of the norm or missing, we notice it. Whether we keep it to ourselves or point it out, that is up to the individual.†¦show more content†¦They share the house cleaning duties for sure, but you could fairly say she does more of the chores more frequently. My dad on the other hand, spent most of his afternoon doing yard work and mowing the lawn and even helped me replace a belt on my truck. To be fair, my mom has helped out occasionally with simple yard work chores, but she was not outside for hours doing yard work and changing a belt. Watching and hearing my parents do these chores for so long, it just became the norm; I became numb to it. I know my parents are not the only parents out there like this, I am sure most parents are like my with the same process. Gender in Stratification. The way Lorber explains gender being a part of a stratification system is her basically saying people view and rank men above women. Actions that women are usually devalued and overlooked, while actions by men are praised more even if the action done by the man and woman are the same exact thing (Lorber, 1994). In Western civilization scenarios, men are usually what we call A and the women are what we call Not-A (Lorber, 1994). The Not-A s are also usually seen as deviant or bad which results in minorities being in the Not-A group. To make the path even more windy, by looking at society in a stratification way, men and women in the working class and strictly wor king class, are typically more equal regarding actions and accomplishments (Lorber, 1994).When you think about how gender is a

The Baroque Movement - 1088 Words

The baroque movement was a movement that aimed to elevate the church and its teachings, at least at first. It began around 1600 when the Vatican decided to try to make Rome into the greatest city in the world in order to edify God and the church. Another aim was to combat the spread of Protestantism, which had begun to flourish in parts of Europe after Martin Luther staged his first protests of the Catholic church. There was a consistent theme of all things dramatic throughout this period. They sought to appeal to people’s senses and emotions in displaying and painting scenes with a highly dramatic flair. In addition, they also sought to edify the church and state by building things in a bigger scale than ever before. One can see this in the palaces and cathedrals built during this time. So, in short, artists and architects not only painted dramatically, but also built dramatically until the end of this period around 1700. One of the most prominent artists of this period and also of all time is Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. Rembrandt was born in Leiden, Netherlands in 1606. After attending elementary school for a short time, he went to study at the Latin School in Leiden, but it is unclear whether he finished or not. What is known, however, is that he trained under two master painters: Jacob van Swanenburgh and Pieter Lastman. After completing all of his studies, Rembrandt went back to Leiden and began to paint his own works. His works can be divided into 5 distinctShow MoreRelatedRenaissance vs Baroque1102 Words   |  5 Pagesculture of the Renaissance and Baroque Eras are reflected in artwork from the eras. Renaissance art seems to the moment before an event took place and the Baroque art is characterized by great drama, rich deep color, and intense light and dark shadows. Baroque artists chose the most dramatic point, the moment when the action was occurring. For example Michelangelo designed hi s David composed and still before he fights against Goliath. In Berninis David in the Baroque era is caught in the motion ofRead MoreWgu Iwt1 Task 11405 Words   |  6 Pagesmathematician and astronomer. A2 – Baroque The Baroque style first showed up in Rome in the late 1500’s. Baroque art style is very large in scale and very dramatic. This style came out of the Renaissance art that were viewed as restrained. This period took the Renaissance style and put it in motion. Later in the Baroque period, around the 1700’s, the style became more relaxed and became considered the Rococo style. A few ideals created a cultural drive that formed the Baroque style. One ideal was thatRead MoreThe Classical Era Of Music1153 Words   |  5 Pagescomposers and put their own ideas to use and sometimes created ground breaking movements. The movement between the Baroque era and the Classical era was a movement of almost all changes. Changes from the melody to the form of the composition. The Classical era following the Baroque era was full of changes, differing from one another drastically. The Baroque period began around the 1600’s until around the 1750’s. The Baroque era of music was one of the most revolutionary periods in music history. ThisRead MoreComparison/Contrast Renaisssance and Baroque Essay967 Words   |  4 PagesThe baroque and renaissance periods are two different periods. The renaissance period rolled into the baroque era. There were changes made over the years from the baroque to the renaissance period. Differences in style accumulated along with views of art and music. Baroque era covers the period between 1600 and 1750 beginning with Monte Verdi (birth of opera) and ended with deaths of Bach and Handel. The term baroque music is borrowed from the art history. It follows the Renaissance era (1400-1600)Read MorePart III Study Guide Essay1711 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Baroque Dates: 1600 -1750 1.   What does â€Å"musical style† mean? Genre is the type of music. Style is how you sing it. 2. What was going historically during this era?   What was life like? The Baroque was a period of absolute monarchs. The monarchs had total control over every aspect of their realms: the economy, the books, the style of art, and even life and death. Louis XIV became the model and he set the stage for many things going on during this period. In many parts of Europe, a strict socialRead More The Baroque Era Essays1269 Words   |  6 Pages THE BAROQUE AGE Social and Cultural Background nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Baroque is a term borrowed from the visual arts and one that is used in many different senses. The Baroque Era applies to the years between 1600 and 1750. The most famous composers of this time were Bach, Handel, Vivaldi and Teleman. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Politically it was an age of magnificent absolute Monarch’s. The most magnificent of all was Louis XIV of France. Louis ruled from 1634 until 1713. DuringRead MoreAnalysis Of The Violin Concerto The Four Seasons811 Words   |  4 Pagesconcertos, most of which were written for violin. Born in Venice, Italy Vivaldi is considered one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era and obtained the title of â€Å"father of the concerto† for his numerous concerto pieces. His music was so impactful that even in this day and age, it is widely popular and considered a staple in the genre of classical music. The Baroque era lasted from 1600 to 1750 and is considered an era in which composers and artists alike â€Å"became increasingly interested inRead MoreExploring The Idea Of The Baroque Art Era1331 Words   |  6 PagesFor my Installation piece I have decided to explore the idea of The Baroque Art Era. The Baroque is a period of artistic style that concentrated on exaggerated processes and lavish designs. Starting in Rome in the early 1600’s, The Baroque style began after the Roman Church was in the middle of monumental internal reform, attempting to address the representation of the arts within the society of the time. They believed that a change in the way art was delivered to the masses was necessary to reachRead MoreThe History Of Western Music1381 Words   |  6 PagesThe History of Western Music Throughout history all cultures have been influenced by music. Before the Baroque era in music there were many forms of western music. Most of this music was monophonic, sung in chant used mostly for religious purposes. During the previous millennia most music was sung in chant form with very little accompaniment, save a harp or a violin. In these times music was a simple art, sung by the people to praise the Lord. Eventually polyphonic music developed, first startingRead MoreMusic of the Baroque1009 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Unit 3 – Music of the Baroque 1. Name two important visual artists (such as painters) and also two important writers of literature (such as poets) from the Baroque Period. Do not name musicians. (Visual Artists) - Peter Paul Rubens Artemisia Gentileschi / (Writers)- John Fletcher and Francis Beaumont 2. Write a paragraph about â€Å"The Baroque Style†. The baroque style was very well suited to the wishes of the aristocracy, who were enormously rich and powerful during the seventeenth and eighteenth

Overpopulation Essay - 1469 Words

Every year, approximately six to eight million unwanted animals enter U.S. shelters every year. Even worse, only half ever leave alive. Three to four million cats and dogs are euthanized each year. Well over quarter-million a month, 68,000 a week, 405 each hour, one every nine seconds. (Geyerr, 2015). Every local animal shelter is filled to capacity with cats and dogs of all ages and breeds. Some are surrendered, most are lost or abandoned, but all are unwanted. Euthanasia in animal shelters is the leading cause of death of healthy dogs and cats. While the reasons for this crisis are multi-faceted, they re not complex. And, the problems that cause animals to become homeless and end up in animal shelters are preventable. An†¦show more content†¦There are other benefits to spaying and neutering your pet. Such as, increased lifespan, health wellness, reduced roaming, improved mood, and reduced bad behavior or marking (inappropriate urination). There are 30 to 40 mill ion community cats and only 2% are spayed or neutered. This population is estimated to be responsible for up to 80% of the kittens born ito the u.s. each year. Community cats are either friendly strays most likely lost or abandoned family pets or feral (unsocialized and born in the wild). These cats usually live in colonies or communities and do not have owners. (HSUS, n.d.) These communities are usually sustained and fed by compassionate individuals, many of who participate in the Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program which stops the breeding cycle and improves the lives of community cats. These animals are humanely trapped and taken to a veterinarian to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and ear tipped. Ear tipping is the universal sign that a cat has been altered and returned to their outdoor home. There is a campaign targeted towards those who are looking for an animal, called â€Å"Adopt Don’t Shop†. This campaign educates people about the benefits of adopting from a shelter instead of buying from a breeder. Breeders are another cause of the overpopulation crisis. Not all breeders are the same, but all of them do it for personalShow MoreRelatedOverpopulation Essay1193 Words   |  5 PagesOverpopulation can be described as a situation where the number of people exhausts the resources in a closed environment such that it can no longer support that population. I would like to begin with a scenario given by Anne Morse and Steven Mosher of the Population Research Institute- Imagine that someone locked us in our offices. Nothing allowed in or out. We would use the available resources very quickly. The office would have too many people for its natural resources. Should we start eliminatingRead More Overpopulation of the Earth Essay1698 Words   |  7 PagesOverp opulation of the Earth The little animatronic children at Disney World were right, it is â€Å"a small world after all†; maybe even too small. At the beginning of the present century there were approximately 1.7 billion people in the world(Southwick pg.159). Today, there are nearly 6 billion people in the world. The world’s population has more than tripled in the span of a hundred years. Given that the earth’s population is constantly on the rise and seeing as how our natural resources areRead MoreOverpopulation Essay906 Words   |  4 Pagestake appropriate measures. If the current rate of population growth remains the same, then earth will run out of the land and resources we consume to maintain our lifestyles. The term overpopulation is normally associated with a specific number that represents a large number of people. However, overpopulation is the phenomenon that occurs whenever the environment can no longer sustain the demands of the species that inhabit it and the carrying capacity is exceeded. The carrying capacity is theRead MoreOverpopulation Essay1395 Words   |  6 Pagesput yourself in this room, close quarters and hungry. You see a rat over in the corner. Would you fight for it? You probably said no, but that is because you are not starving, and no one is inside of your personal space for now. The world’s overpopulation crisis will lead to an apocalyptic end with conflict over land and food. The problem originated from the beginning of time. When God said, â€Å"Be fruitful, and multiply†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Genesis 1:28, The New King James Version). Multiply the world has. The UnitedRead MoreEssay On Overpopulation1030 Words   |  5 PagesHuman overpopulation occurs when the ecological footprint of a human population in a specific location exceeds the carrying capacity of the place occupied by that group. Overpopulation can further be viewed, in a long term perspective, as existing when a population cannot be maintained given the rapid depletion of nonrenewable resources or given the degradation of the of the environment to give support to the population. Overpopulation is a problem that needs to be solved. Concern about overpopulationRead MoreEssay On Overpopulation1140 Words   |  5 Pagesaccept in this country all migrants. The overpopulated world will soon suffer from this impact due to the lack of food, energy, and jobs. There is no life without a food source, we need to have enough food to sustain us until, our untimely demise. Overpopulation will lead to water shortage and will decline food production and depend on the birth rate around the nation so countries will experience sooner than others. The larger the population the scarce the source of food becomes (Moses, 2015). Over theRead MoreEssay on Overpopulation3073 Words   |  13 PagesOverpopulation It is the worlds one crime its babes grow dull, Its poor are ox-like, limp and leaden-eyed. Not that they starve, but starve so dreamlessly, Not that they sow, but that they seldom reap, Not that they serve, but have no gods to serve, Not that they die but that they die like sheep. VACHEL LINDSAY No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main... Any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind: And thereforeRead MoreHuman Overpopulation Essay1969 Words   |  8 Pagesthe severity of the issue but shows that no country will escape. A war for water would cause Israels financial and political backers, the Western World, to step forward, directly involving themselves in one of the many issues caused by overpopulation. Overpopulation will affect the economy also. â€Å"When women have too many children which they can’t care for, the ripple effects are both local and global,† says Amy Coen, head of the US-based Population Action International. Experts predict that thereRead MoreHuman Overpopulation Essay1109 Words   |  5 PagesHuman Overpopulation Increasing human overpopulation throughout the world is one of the biggest global issues addressed in the 21st century. This concept negatively affects almost every aspect of society: extinction of plants/animals or habitats, over use of natural resources, climate change, and other environmental problems (â€Å"As World’s Human†). This continual predicament needs to be corrected by intensified human productive abilities and a global law that will stimulate positive outcomes acrossRead MoreOverpopulation and Environmental Degradation Essay1784 Words   |  8 PagesJessica Carling 10/28/2010 Tues/Thur. 2:00 - 3:15 Overpopulation and Environmental Degradation The planet on which we live is dying, harsh: yes, but true. The sustaining capacity of the globe is shrinking a little bit every year and soon, if the population trend continues at the current rate the sustaining capacity will have reached its peak. The ignorance of humanity has lead all to believe that the planets resources

Jackie Brown One Worth Betting on Free Essays

Isaac Rexford ENG 1102M Spenser Simrill Jackie Brown: One Worth Betting On The film Jackie Brown begins with a predominant focus on Jackie herself, one of the film’s main characters by a panning shot following Jackie in the first scene. Jackie’s initial focus is very much related to the film’s plot. As the plot develops, Jackie finds herself in the center of a situation where a guns sells man (Ordell) refuses to let Jackie run her mouth to the authorities, while the authorities already know all about Ordell’s business and simply want a name from Jackie due to the fact they have been unable to arrest Ordell due to his unknown identity. We will write a custom essay sample on Jackie Brown: One Worth Betting on or any similar topic only for you Order Now But getting just a name is not that simple; and, Jackie’s no fool. She hatches an intricate plot of her own not only to protect herself from the authorities and prevent future incarceration, but in order to steal Ordell’s $500 thousand fortune. In a surprising turn of events, Jackie’s ability to negotiate and get what is in her favor really demonstrates the power Jackie has invested in herself to get what she wants. Jackie’s Trouble From The Start From the start the audience is made aware that Jackie had it in with Ordell the first time she is confronted by two detectives, Nicolet and Dargus. They take her in for questioning like normal, already having some knowledge of Ordell, but all they want from Jackie is a name. The camera itself emphasizes the scene with an array of close-ups of Jackie and the two detectives as they carry on this conversation in this first scene. The two parties, Jackie and the detectives, are battling back and forth; Jackie resisting their every attempt to seize information from her. This unfortunate meeting leads Jackie to meet a fellow named Max, who assists her in her real goal: getting Ordell’s fortune. But for now she is happy to get the detectives off her back and on to her next problem: Ordell. The time finally arrives and one evening after a meeting with Max Jackie comes into a confrontation with Ordell. Like stated earlier, Jackie is no fool and picked up a pistol from Max, if my suspicion’s correct, in case the conversation between her and Ordell became a little heated. In the confrontation the lights are off and the audience is not able to see a single thing; but the conversation between the two continues loud and clear. Jackie’s Power Jackie’s first show of power is shown in the scene where Ordell comes to â€Å"visit. Jackie had caught on that Ordell was the one who murdered Beaumont so she steals a pistol from Max. Above, a closeup is shown of Max just realizing his pistol had been taken. It is confirmed he knew it was Jackie at the time as he shows up knocking on her door the next day. This screen shot shows the true power of Jackie, that she is will ing to do anything to get what she wants. In the split image, Jackie is seen in the darkness with Ordell’s hand around her throat. At that moment she presses a gun steadily against Ordell’s penis, as he says â€Å"It feels like a gun pressed against my dick. Later in the scene Jackie essentially interrogates Ordell, with a gun pointed to his face the entire time. The image above displays the transition of power between Jackie and Ordell, in this case Jackie stripping Ordell of his. Jackie continues to keep the gun pointed to Ordell as she, by change of plan, questions him instead. As it plays out, Ordell is now the one with a gun pointed to his dome and his hands up high in defense. Jackie astonishingly creates a turn of events from this scene alone; she essentially takes the authority from Ordell and places it in her own hands to aid in her own plot: getting Ordell’s money. Jackie’s methods of achieving this, however were the most cunning and sneaky among the best. Jackie really lures Ordell into a trap and uses the element of surprise to sneak the gun on him; at the time speaking with a soft voice, alleviating Ordell of all his suspicion so that he would come close to Jackie thinking she wasn’t a threat; as it is shown he was terribly mistaken! As shown in the image above, Jackie sits with her feet facing away from Ordell and closed, with the gun in her hand, resting on her knees and the gun pointed straight ahead at Ordell. In conclusion, Jackie’s persona is demonstrated very well in the character. Jackie really does serve as an example of a hard working black woman who’s just trying to live comfortably in society. Furthermore, the film itself really helps the audience notice these facts, with its use of closeups and panning during eventful scenes in the film. Regarding this one select scene as the most important, the movie itself shows a transition of power and authority from the main characters who first held the authority like Ordell and Lewis for example, to characters like Jackie who hold the power up towards the end. How to cite Jackie Brown: One Worth Betting on, Essay examples

Downsizing and Organizational Restructuring

Question: Discuss about theDownsizing and Organizational Restructuring. Answer: Introduction Organizations are formed to provide goods and services in order to make profit. With this as the case profit maximization has been the number one goal for organizations (K?osowski, 2012). Basically, with the significant rise in competition levels in almost every industry, organizations will do anything to maintain their profit margins. Sometimes organizations operation costs can exceed its revenues, a situation which can lead to losses. An organization can incur losses irrespective of its size or market share. Even the biggest organizations in the world have incurred losses at one time or another .A number of factors can make an organization to incur losses including economic changes in a country, inefficient operation processes that lead to high levels of wastage and over employment in an organization, which occurs when the number of employees exceed the amount of work available. This is likely to hike the wage bill for the organization beyond manageable levels. It can also be as a result of unnecessary spending on employees motivation packages (Williams, 2011). There are number of strategies that such organizations can result to, inorder to reverse this trend. Downsizing and restructuring are among these strategies. Downsizing refers to the process by which organizations reduce the number of employees working for them on permanent basis. This can be done through a number of ways such as forced early retirement, or termination of contracts of employment for a number of employees in the organization in order to lower the wage bill to manageable levels. On the other hand restructuring refers to the act of bringing changes to an organization such as changing the internal structures, introducing new and more efficient processes, merging of departments among other changes in order to make an organization more efficient and reduce its operational costs (Appelo, 2011). Research and Analysis The need for organizations to cut down on expenses sometimes might be a matter between life and death. Although there are a number of strategies that organizations can use to achieve this, most organizations prefer downsizing and restructuring as methods of improving efficiency, competitiveness and productivity levels (Ross and Murdick, 2011). A research conducted in the 1990s by Cameron and Sarah on Auto Industry Firms in United States of America established that deterioration in the firms competitive levels lead to massive employee lay-offs across the country. An approximate number of 1000 firms had implemented the processes while a great deal of others indicated that they would result to downsizing in future. This was followed by layoff of more than three times this number of employees in the subsequent years. It has been found out that these two processes have significant impact on employees motivation and engagement as analyzed below. Absenteeism Employee absenteeism from work has been very common in the recent years .It has been associated with unsatisfactory working conditions including employee benefits and remuneration packages. Absenteeism occurs when an employee chooses not to come to work for a single day or a number of days. Increased instances of absenteeism can have significant impact on the performance levels of an organization as well as its reputation (Balogun, 2007)Organizational restructuring can lead to a change in employees roles and responsibilities, transfer from one department to another as well as change in working hours for an employee. To a large extent this can affect an employees degree of commitment to their organization. Organizational restructuring can also lead to elimination of other benefits enjoyed by employees and which might have been a motivating factor. This can lead to rise in levels of absenteeism among employees (Williams, 2011). Drop in Productivity Levels Every organization has its way of analyzing and measuring its employees productivity levels. Productivity is the measure of employee efficiency in their assigned tasks. High productivity refers to productivity that is above the acceptable levels. On the contrary low productivity refers to productivity that is below the acceptable levels. Organizational restructuring and downsizing have been found to be catalysts for low productivity among employees. If an employee is not satisfied with their assigned duties and responsibilities especially after restructuring their productivity levels are likely to drop (Cascio, 2012). Any news about an organizations intention to downsize and restructure can lead to a lot of fear and psychological disturbance on employees. This can lower their productivity. Change in roles and transfer from one department to another as a result of restructuring can also affect them psychologically leading to a drop in productivity. Reduced Employee Engagement Employers usually expect employees to be fully engaged in all matters that are related to their duties and responsibilities as well as their organization. They also expect them to show high levels of commitment to the organization. Employee engagement has been defined as the relationship existing between employees and their employer or their organization. It means the extent to which employees are committed to their organization and willing to protect its public image and interests. Employee engagement is very important for an organization. In the event that there is an intended or actual restructuring and downsizing in an organization, employee engagement is likely going to be affected. Their commitment to the organization will also be reduced. Additionally their willingness to protect the interests of their organization will drop significantly (sconce and McKinley, 2007). Lack of Involvement in their Work This refers to the physical and emotional involvement of employees in what they are doing. Lack of involvement can be displayed in form of reduced productivity and not adhering to work place rules and regulations as well as employees lack of passion (Burke Cooper, 2009). Downsizing and restructuring can lead to this. Conclusion Sometimes it can be hard to entirely prevent an organization from running into losses. This is because sometimes losses can be as a result of factors beyond the control of an organization. Making losses for repeated periods can ruin the reputation of an organization to a large extent. It can also make it unable to catch up with competitors. Such organizations can restructure or downsize so that they can save themselves from more losses. However, these two strategies are not the best solutions for cutting expenses especially because of the negative impact they have on employees. Recommendations Although there may be a positive outcome for on organization after downsizing and restructuring, the effect can be detrimental especially on the employees who are forced out of employment. Because of this organizations should result to using other strategies that do not have much impact on employees. Instead of downsizing an organization can chose to offer employee on part time basis without necessarily having to make them suffer for a problem that is not theirs. They can also recommend such employees to other organizations that might be having vacancies or reprieve them of their duties temporarily until when their organization improves financially. References Appelo, J. (2011).Management 3.0: leading Agile developers, developing Agile leaders. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Addison-Wesley Balogun, J. (2007). The Practice of Organizational Restructuring:.European Management Journal, 25(2), pp.81-91. Burke, R. J., Cooper, C. L. (2009). The organization in crisis: downsizing, restructuring, and privatization. Malden, Blackwell Publishers Cascio, W. F. (2012). Responsible restructuring: creative and profitable alternatives to layoffs. San Francisco, CA, Berrett-Koehler. https://www.books24x7.com/marc.asp?bookid=4604. K?osowski, S. (2012).The application of organizational restructuring in enterprise strategic management process.Management, 16(2). Ross, J. and Murdick, R. (2011). What are the Principles of "Principles of Management"?.The Academy of Management Review, 2(1), p.143. Sronce, R. and McKinley, W. (2007).Perceptions of Organizational Downsizing.Journal of Leadership amp; Organizational Studies, 12(4), pp.89-108. Williams, C. (2011).Management. Mason, OH, South-Western Cengage Learning.