The Great Depression Essay Example for Free

The Great Depression Essay A time of great hardship came to the people of Australia from 1929 to 1932. This time was known as the Great Depression were the economy of the state drops. Australia is not the only nation affected and many other nations as well. However, Australia is said to have been one of the most affect and hardest-hit country due to its high dependence on exports. â€Å"Australia’s dependence o n the world market left her extraordinarily vulnerable to world market fluctuations† (Spenceley, p. 14). Since the Great Depression was a time of crisis not only for Australia but for the whole world, Australia was affected greater than other nations. As a result, more and more people loss their jobs. By that time, even the women and youth tried to find ways to earn money. It was a time of hardship, hunger and conflict. Even before the time of the Great depression unemployment rate in Australia is high reaching around 10%. At the time the stock market crash at Wall Street in October 1929, the unemployment rate rocketed reaching 20%. The unemployment rate reaches its peak in the year 1932 were 32% Australians were jobless (culture.gov.au, n.d.). It is said that the fall on export prices, sales, overseas loans and residential construction lead to the Great Depression. Still, economist is debating on the ultimate cause that triggered the event. The Great Depression created a devastating effect on the Australian economy. This also led to many illegal or rather unusual ways of making money including gambling and prostitution. Even the minors, man or woman take part in making money. Mostly young men were involved in small gambling and young women in amateur prostitution. Education was also greatly affected since most children were forced to leave school at the age of thirteen or fourteen. The time of the Great Depression was hard particularly for working women since they are required to do the house chores with their exhausted body. Job was easier that time for young workers but it was short lived, until they reach the age of sixteen to twenty one. During those times, the abilities of the government were questioned by many Australian citizens and many organizations gained popularity through their acts showing their dissatisfaction to the government. In order to bring new investment, the country relied heavily on borrowing money from different countries and the monetary policy of the country was controlled by privately owned banks. The government also had to sell off gold reserves whenever the banks refuse to extend the overdrafts of the country. Still, unemployment continued to increase as the government instituted employment projects. Until now, many factors that triggered the Great Depression that is present. Thus, those hard times are not just in vain since we, the new generation, were able to learn from the past and incorporate the steps that our forefathers used during those hard times. Today, in cases of crisis and unemployment due to the fall of company’s we go back to the basic goal for working, just as in the time of the Great Depression, to provide food and necessities for our family. Reference   Spenceley, G.   (1981). The Depression Decade. Thomas Nelson, Australia. The Great Depression (n.d). Available online from culture.gov.au

The Great Gatsby :: The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is a mysterious man living in the West Egg district of Long Island. Gatsby is extremely wealthy and owns a mansion with a large swimming pool, a fancy car, and dozens of servants. Every Saturday night, he throws extravagant parties which many people, most of whom haven't even been invited, attend. No one really knows anything about Gatsby, except that he is rich and generous. However, many rumors are created about him. Some say that he was a German spy during the war and some say that he killed a man. As the summer progresses, Nick Carraway the narrator who is also Gatsby's neighbor, learns more about who Gatsby really is, or rather who he isn't and reasons why he lives his life as he does. Nick doesn't approve of Gatsby's lifestyle and the way he earns his money, but nevertheless he sees Gatsby as superior to those who surround him. Nick admires the romantic hope that motivates Gatsby to pursue his drea ms. Jay Gatsby's greatness is a result of his naive belief that he can make his dreams a reality. In the beginning of the novel, Nick sums up Gatsby's character and the reasons why he respects him. "...Gatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn. If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about him...This responsiveness had nothing to do with that flabby impressionability which is dignified under the name if the 'creative temperament'--it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which is not likely I shall ever find again."(6) Nick makes it very clear that he doesn't agree with the way Gatsby makes and uses his money. Although Nick comes from a very wealthy family himself, he was taught to work hard for his money. Nevertheless, he does find himself admiring Gatsby. He values Gatsby's hope, no matter how false it is, that one day he will have a life with the woman whom he loves. Wealthy people often use their money to get everything they have always wanted for themselves, but Gatsby uses his money to get everything that he thinks Daisy has always wanted in hopes of winning her back.

Koss management Case Essay

1. Why might Koss management have placed so much trust in Sachdeva, along with minimal supervision and monitoring? Koss management might have placed so much trust in Sachdeva because she was is such a high position. She worked in the company as Vice President, when you are that high on the totem pole, you are given trust that you know what you are doing and that you want what is best for the company. Companies don’t hand out positions to people that have no clue as to what they are doing as well as someone that they believe will ruin the company. The same thing goes along with having minimal supervision and monitoring. She was a Vice President, someone that was supposed to be trusted, someone who was a leader, someone who was supposed to set an example. It just goes to show you that it is not always the person on the bottom of chain that needs to be watched. It is easier for higher up management and owners to sneak money away than the one who have minimal access to records and bank statements. 2. What was Grant Thornton’s obligation to uncover the fraud? Grant Thornton was Koss’s internal auditor. An internal auditor is defined as â€Å"An independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization’s operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes.† (p. 23-24) As the auditor for this business, Grant was supposed to make sure that every piece of financial information was in its right place as well as wrote and calculated right. Clearly Thornton did not do his job the right way. By looking at the numbers provided, any auditor could see that something is not right in the company. After seeing it, the auditor would address the issue and deal with it the proper way. I have a feeling he knew all along what was going on but was too afraid to open his mouth. 3. Why should Sachdeva’s lavish lifestyle have raised suspicions? Why might it have been ignored or explained away by her professional colleagues? Sachdeva’s lavish lifestyle should have raised red flags soon after it started to happen. It should  because most people that work in a company roughly know how much each person makes. After seeing her spend the money she was someone should have investigated a little more. I mean it is possible for a Vice President of a company to be rich, but for a life style to go to the extreme as spending $1.4 million on a shopping spree is questionable. One of the number one ways to detect fraud is by a change in lifestyles. Her new lifestyle could have been ignored because of her job title. No one wants to question their boss, let alone someone higher up in management. By doing that, all you are asking for is to get fired. In the book it says that people assumed she used family money or her husbands, but not one person questioned her about it. (p. 116) No one wanted to be the one that was questioning the boss. It is much easier to turn and look the other way than stand up in what you b elieve. 4. How could management, the audit committee, and the auditors have been more professionally skeptical in this situation? The audit committee and the auditors could have checked financial more often than what they did. When they noticed that the income was dropping quite a bit each year, they should have started looking at documents more closely as well as more often. The audit committee is supposed to speak with management on their findings. Well instead of talking to the President and Vice President, they should have only talked to the President. There was really no communication in this business when it came down to financials. It was basically whatever Sachdeva said was right. No one stepped up to double check her work and no one questioned it. Being a bigger company, more than one person should have defiantly doubled checked the financial statement. 5. What was the audit committee’s responsibility to notice that something looked amiss in the financial statements? The audit committee’s responsibility was to look over the accounting and financial reporting process as well as the financial statement audits; appoint, compensate and oversee the external auditor; and to ensure that the company has a whistleblower program. (p. 52) At first glance the committee could notice that something was not right with the company’s financial records. But nothing was done and nothing was said. 6. Sachdeva paid for her purchases using corporate credit cards. What internal controls could the company have used to prevent inappropriate use of the credit cards? One thing internal controls could have done was make Sachdeva turn in receipts along with a credit card statement at the end of each  month. By doing this, every dollar spent on company card can be accounted for. You can see not only where the money is going but what the money is spent on as well as the date and time it was spent. This is just one simple way to keep fraud down. Many companies require this every month with their employees. For every transaction where a receipt cannot be present is deducted from their pay check. Another thing the company could have done is set a limit on the card. By setting a limit, you can make sure amounts are not being spent that shouldn’t be. 7. Some reports have described Sachdeva as having a very dominating personality, and revelations were made about the fact that she would often be verbally abusive of her subordinates in front of top level managers at Koss. How should top-level managers have responded to this behavior? What actions could the subordinates have taken to respond to this behavior? Top-level management should have put a stop to it right at the start. By allowing it to happen, shows her that it was ok. If they would have stated something in writing and verbally, she may have either stopped or possibly could have be let go. Also by allowing this to happen, shows other employees that it is completely ok to act the way to other employees as well as people above her. Some actions that defiantly should have been taken would be to sit her down and just talk to her and let her know that it is not acceptable in the company, especially to her bosses. The next action would be like I said to have something in writing and have her sign it. Not only does this cover the company’s butt, but you have the proof that you said something to her. By doing this, she cannot come back and say that she wasn’t aware she was verbally abusing anyone and that nothing was brought up to her. References Rittenburg, Larry. Johnstone, Karla. Gramling, Audrey. (2012) Auditing: A Business Risk Approach 8e. Mason: South-Western, Cengage Learning.

Roberto Gomez Bolaños, Influential Mexican TV Writer

Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os (February 21, 1929–November 28, 2014) was a Mexican writer and actor known around the world for his characters â€Å"El Chavo del Ocho† and â€Å"El Chapulà ­n Colorado,† among many others. He was involved in Mexican television for more than 40 years, and generations of children all over the Spanish-speaking world grew up watching his programs. He was affectionately known as Chespirito. Fast Facts: Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os Known For: More than 40 years of writing, acting, and producing for Mexican televisionBorn: February 21, 1929 in Mexico CityParents: Francisco Gà ³mez Linares and Elsa Bolaà ±os-CachoDied: November 28, 2014 in Cancun, Mexico.Television Programs: El Chavo del Ocho and El Chapulà ­n ColoradoSpouse(s): Graciela Fernà ¡ndez (1968–1989), Florinda Meza (2004–to his death)Children: Roberto, Graciela, Marcela, Paulina, Teresa, Cecilia Early Life Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os was born into a middle-class family in Mexico City on February 21, 1929. He was the second of the three children of Francisco Gà ³mez Linares, a noted painter and illustrator, and Elsa Bolaà ±os-Cacho, a bilingual secretary. He was obsessed with soccer and boxing as a child and did have some success with boxing as an adolescent, but he was too small to turn professional. Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os studied engineering at the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico but never worked in the field. He began writing for an advertising agency at the age of 22, but soon he was writing screenplays and scripts for radio, television shows, and movies. Between 1960 and 1965, Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os wrote for the two top shows on Mexican television, â€Å"Comicos y Canciones† (Comics and Songs) and â€Å"El Estudio de Pedro Vargas† (Pedro Vargas’ Study). It was about this time that he earned the admiring nickname â€Å"Chespirito† from the director Agustà ­n P. Delgado; it is a version of â€Å"Shakespearito,† or â€Å"Little Shakespeare.† Writing and Acting In 1968, Chespirito signed a contract with the newly formed network TIM—Television Independiente de Mexico. Among the terms of his contract was a half-hour slot on Saturday afternoons over which he had complete autonomy—he could do with it whatever he wanted. The brief, hilarious sketches he wrote and produced were so popular that the network switched his time to Monday night and gave him a whole hour. It was during this show, simply called â€Å"Chespirito,† that his two most beloved characters, â€Å"El Chavo del Ocho† (â€Å"The Boy From No. Eight†) and â€Å"El Chapulà ­n Colorado† (The Crimson Grasshopper) made their debut. The Chavo and the Chapulà ­n These two characters were so popular with the viewing public that the network gave them each their own weekly half-hour series; although slapstick and low-budget, the programs had an affectionate center and were wildly popular among adults and children. First produced by Televisa in 1971, El Chavo del Ocho is about a freckle-faced 8-year-old orphan boy, played by Chespirito well into his 60s, who lives in a wooden barrel and gets into adventures with his group of friends. Chavo, a truth-bearing simpleton who dreams of tasty sandwiches, and the other characters in the series, Don Ramon, Quico,  and other people from the neighborhood, are iconic, beloved, and classic characters of Mexican television. El Chapulà ­n Colorado, or the Crimson Grasshopper, was first televised in 1970 and is about is a cocky but dimwitted superhero who foils the bad guys through sheer luck and honesty. His weapon of choice is a squeaky toy version of Thors Hammer, called chipote chillà ³n or loud bang, and he took â€Å"chiquitolina† pills that shrank him to about eight inches tall. The program opened with the words More agile than a turtle, stronger than a mouse, nobler than a lettuce, his coat of arms is a heart, it’s the Crimson Grasshopper! American cartoonist Matt Groening created his Bumblebee Man, a character in the animated show The Simpsons, as an affectionate version of El Chapulà ­n Colorado.   These two shows were immensely popular, and by 1973 they were being transmitted to all of Latin America. In Mexico, it is estimated that 50 to 60 percent of all televisions in the country were tuned into the shows when they aired. Chespirito kept the Monday night time slot and for 25 years, most of Mexico watched his programs. Although the shows ended in the 1990s, reruns are still shown regularly all over Latin America. Other Projects A tireless worker, Chespirito also appeared in more than 20 movies and hundreds of stage performances. When he took the cast of â€Å"Chespirito† on a tour of stadiums to reprise their famous roles on stage, the shows sold out, including two consecutive dates at the Santiago stadium, which seats 80,000 people. He wrote several soap operas, movie scripts, and books, including a book of poetry. Although he started out writing music as a hobby, Chespirito was a gifted composer and wrote the theme songs for many Mexican telenovelas—including Alguna Vez Tendremos Alas (We will have wings some day) and La Dueà ±a (The Owner). In his later years, he became more politically active, campaigning for certain candidates and vocally opposing an initiative to legalize abortion in Mexico. Chespirito received countless awards. In 2003 he was awarded the keys to the city of Cicero, Illinois. Mexico even released a series of postage stamps in his honor. He joined Twitter in 2011 to stay in touch with his fans. At the time of his death, he had more than six million followers. Marriage and Family Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os married Graciela Fernà ¡ndez in 1968 and together they had six children (Roberto, Graciela, Marcela, Paulina, Teresa, and Cecilia). They divorced in 1989. In 2004 he married actress Florinda Meza, who played Doà ±a Florida on El Chavo del Ocho. Death and Legacy Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os died of heart failure at his home in Cancun, Mexico on November 28, 2014. His movies, soap operas, plays, and books all found great success, but it is for his hundreds of television programs that Chespirito is best remembered. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto wrote of him, Mexico has lost an icon whose work transcended generations and borders. Chespirito will always be known as a pioneer of Latin American television and one of the most creative writers and actors ever to work in the field.   Sources Lopez, Elias E. Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os, Mexico’s Comedic Artist ‘Chespirito,’ Dies at 85. The New York Times, 28 November 2014.Miranda, Carolina A. Roberto Gomez Bolaà ±os Dies at 85; Mexican Comedian Known as Chespirito. The Los Angeles Times, 28 November 2014.Rott, Nathan. Mexican TV Icon Roberto Gà ³mez Bolaà ±os Dies at 85. All Things Considered, 2014.