Does It Really Take Too Long to Vote

When it comes to politicians we don’t like, we get lots of chances to â€Å"Throw the rascals out!† But when the elections come and the polls open, we don’t show up. Now the Government Accountability Office (GAO) says one of the main reasons Americans give for not voting may not be valid. The health of a democracy depends to a great extent on high voter turnout. Low voter turnout can be a warning sign of the peoples’ political disengagement or intentional disenfranchisement, along with a feeling that neither candidate nor party will be effective in changing public policy.  Ã‚   While healthy, â€Å"established† democracies usually have higher voter turnout than other nations, voter turnout in the U.S. tends to lower than in many similarly established democracies. In recent U.S. national elections, about 60% of the voting-eligible population has voted during presidential election years, and about 40% has voted during midterm elections. Turnout in state and local, and in odd year, primary elections is usually far lower. The nearly 50% turnout in the 2018 midterm elections was the highest midterm voter turnout ever recorded.   Especially in presidential and ​mid-term congressional elections, many non-voters claim that the process of voting simply takes too long due to long lines at the polls. However, after doing a detailed, nationwide study of polling places on Election Day 2012, the Government GAO found otherwise. Long Waits to Vote Were Rare Based on its survey of local voting jurisdictions, the GAO’s report estimates that from 78% to 83% of the jurisdictions did not collect voter wait time data, because they had never experienced wait time issues and did not have long wait times on Election Day 2012. Specifically, the GAO estimated that 78% of local jurisdictions nationwide had no polling places with wait times election officials considered to be â€Å"too long,† and only 22% of jurisdictions reported wait times officials considered too long at only a few scattered polling places on Election Day 2012. How long is ‘too long?’ â€Å"Too long† is in the eye of the waiter. Some people will stand on line for two days to buy the latest, greatest cell phone or concert tickets. But the same people will not wait 10 minutes for a table in a restaurant. So how long will people wait to choose their elected leaders? Election officials varied in their opinions of the length of time they considered as â€Å"too long† to vote. Some said 10 minutes, while others said 30 minutes was too long. â€Å"Because there is no comprehensive set of data on wait times across jurisdictions nationwide, GAO relied on election officials in the jurisdictions it surveyed to estimate wait times based on their perspectives and any data or information they collected on voter wait times,† wrote the GAO in its report. Causes of Voting Delays As a result of its survey of local election jurisdictions on Election Day 2012, the GAO identified nine common factors that affected voter wait times. Opportunities to vote before Election Day;Type of poll books (lists of registered voters) used;Methods of determining voter eligibility;Characteristics of ballots used;Amount and type of voting equipment;Level of voter education and outreach efforts;Number and training of poll workers; andAvailability and allocation of voting resources. The GAO stated, â€Å"These factors can affect voter wait times at different stages in the voting process on Election Day: ArrivalCheck-in, andMarking and submitting the ballot.† For its survey, the GAO interviewed officials of 5 local election jurisdictions that had previously experienced long voter wait times and had taken â€Å"targeted approaches† to address their specific problems. In 2 of the jurisdictions, long ballots were the primary cause of long wait times. In 1 of those 2 jurisdictions, state constitutional amendments made up five of its eight-page ballot. State law required the entire amendment to be printed on the ballot. Since the 2012 election, the state has enacted a law placing word limits on constitutional amendments. Similar ballot-length problems plague states that allow citizen-lawmaking through ballot initiatives. In another jurisdiction with ballots of similar or longer ballot length, no long wait times were reported, noted the GAO report. The authority to regulate and conduct elections is not granted by the U.S. Constitution and is shared by federal, state, and local officials. However, as the GAO states, responsibility for conducting federal elections primarily resides with about 10,500 local election jurisdictions.

Hamlet as a Living Death in the Midst of Life in Hamlet by...

Hamlet as a Living Death in the Midst of Life in Hamlet by Wlliam Shakespeare In claiming that Hamlet is a living death in the midst of life, Knight depicts Hamlet as a character who is entirely a corrupting force in the lives of others, rather than a morally superior character attempting to orchestrate justice. In that Hamlet is secluded and absolutely isolated from those who experience life, Knight condemns Hamlet to the title of being an emotionless element of malevolence. It is important however to consider Hamlet’s circumstance before labelling him as an ‘element of evil’. This title portrays a being that has no conscience and feels little, if any, emotion; it could be argued however, that†¦show more content†¦Knight focuses on the contrast between Hamlet and the court and its guests in the opening scene, as it is clear to see that Hamlet in comparison can be seen as a morbid figure, and the crowd a mass figure of life. The court is a joyful place, it is full of exhilaration, however Hamlet is brooding, contemplative and in such grief and despair that he does not want to celebrate. In this seclusion, Shakespeare makes Hamlet a different element altogether, and in comparison with the court, could be perceived as a living death by those perhaps less sympathetic to Hamlets dilemma. Claudius is clearly a well-organized man, and he has sensible ideas about not letting recollections of the past obstruct the promise of the future; ‘So much for him. - / Now for ourself, and for this time of meeting.’ The requirement for a leader to be strong, is a preoccupation present not only in an Elizabethan society, but of any society; Claudius, as a politician, can not afford to be scrupulous, and it is through this obligation of emotional detachment and public reputation in Claudius that the audience is able to associate more with Hamlet and his dilemma than with Claudius and his. Another such example of this would be Machiavelli; it was a focus on practical success and public image, even at the expense of traditional moral values, that earned Machiavellis schemes

Contemporary Strategic Management

Question: Discuss about the Contemporary Strategic Management. Answer: Introduction: Content of this report has been objectified on the internal environmental factors of BHP Billiton. The purpose of this report is more than different accomplishment dimension of strength, weakness, opportunity and threat as this report has aligned both the findings of external and internal analysis of the company's environment. This report has mainly given focus on the exploration of the competencies that can help BHP Billiton to hold a strong position in the competitive market as well as the areas of improvement. Furthermore, the report has discussed the future potentialities of the company along with the disclaimer of the fact that weak points of this company can cause a serious threat in the upcoming business scenario. The inclusion of the recommendation, based on the current business context of the company, has shaped this report to obtain a perfect concept on the strategic management and its importance for the successful business plan. Internal Environmental Analysis: An organization must be aware of its strengths and weaknesses so that it can follow up its business strategies accordingly with the requirements (David David, 2016); thus, the research on the internal environmental factors of BHP Billiton is valid for this report. Swot analysis of an organization is followed to accomplish an internal analysis, where it focuses on the strength, weakness, opportunity and threat, these four elements. Strength is the competencies of an organization that make the organization competitively viable (Hill, Jones Schilling, 2014); whereas, weaknesses of an organization makes that company aware of the deficiencies that should be replenished. Opportunity gives an idea of how the organization extends its market embracing the potential resources and other skills. The dimension of threat in SWOT analysis gives the organization an account of the looming threats. Findings of SWOT analysis on the BHP Billiton are as follows: Stable market position: BHP Billiton is a renowned organization in the mining and metal industry. The company operates more than 100 ventures around 25 countries. Business strategies and efficient organizational structure have helped this organization to operate productive resources in different countries across the globe. Worldwide recognition of this group along with functional and practical leadership style has helped this organization to fetch advantage in the competitive market scenario. Diversified revenue sources: BHP Billiton yields its revenue from different lines of business as it operates its business from various sectors; not only the business line, has geographical diversification also helped this organization to return whatever the investors have invested in them. BHP generates its revenues through nine different business segments. In this context, Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, R. E. (2012), mentioned if an organization can have the competitive advantage if it deals with different market segmentation because the company can insulate the entire group against any adverse market condition. Centralized Activities: BHP Billiton has strategized its marketing by focusing on client satisfaction. To fulfill the demand of the market as well as clients they have segregated their marketing operations among three centralized offices located in Singapore, Hauge, and Antwerp. These three offices are responsible for production to the delivery to the customers. As suggested by, Barney and Hesterl (2015), if an organization controls its business by centralized marketing, efficiency and expertise get enhanced because every office manages end to end marketing operations with the help of synchronization with other offices. Moreover, successful logistics and the fine structured trading system offer higher quality of products and standard service. Weakness: Safety issues: Certain matters have questioned the reputation and employee concern of the BHP Billiton. For instance, its operation in Western Australia has survived some fatal incidents concerning to the health and safety issues. The policies regarding the over duty, Mining safety, traffic management, contractor management must be revised to hold its leading position in the market (Grant et al. 2014). Lack of corporate communication: Organizations are required to adopt new strategies of communication with the changing environment to counter the competition thrown by other companies (Eden Ackermann, 2013). In this matter, BHP Billiton has been left behind as the staffs are not proactive to communicate or respond by using new technologies or platform for effective communication. Opportunities: Expansion of the market: BHP has many projects in the queue that will help the company to make the international ventures more strong. As per several reports, the organization is positively looking to hold agreements with Canada for extension of potash operations, a joint venture with Rio Tinto and Indonesian Coal Project. Therefore, it is clear that the company has to attempt every scope to establish a functional, cost-effective and successful business across the globe. Environmental lookout: BHP Billiton has agreed to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas emission. This approach can give the company recognition for maintaining the environmental responsibility. As mentioned by, Mullins et al. ( 2012), environment has become a new concern for the organization and showing responsibility to the sustainable development gives the additional advantage. Threats: Reducing demand and increasing cost: Increasing the cost of the suppliers, labors along with shipping charges is posing a serious threat to the BHP Billiton. Inflation and employee issues are major concern behind the restricted development and growth of the company. Also, the slowdown in the Chinese economy has greatly affected the demand for natural resources that has, in turn, constricted the business and profit margin of BHP as it depends heavily on this country. Increasing competition: The number of competitors grows with passing years; Newmont Mining, ThyssenKrupp are among others that are giving BHP major competition in the mining industry (Lodhia Martin, 2014). Such competition affects the market share of an organization by lowering the profit margin of that company (Ball et al. 2012). Apart from that, political disturbances and economic fluctuations also possess the threat to the sustainable development. Analysis on the Findings: Some both positive and negative sides have been obtained from the internal and external research on BHP Billiton. From the external analysis it has been obtained that this company has many overseas ventures; thus, it is prone to face different economic, political and legal provisions concerned to the different countries. On addition, BHP faces less bargaining power from the buyers; whereas, bargaining power of the suppliers is very high. Moreover, strong competition is present among the competitors. From the internal analysis, it has been evaluated that stable position across the world and positive response to the investors are the strength for BHP. New entrants can be a threat for the company; however, there is huge opportunity to expand the market by tying up with other international giant ventures (Hubbard, Rice Galvin, 2014). Apart from that, safety issues of the employees and environmental concern have weakened the reputation of BHP. Recommendation: Recommendations for BHP are as following: BHP must ensure that appropriate measures have been taken in concern to the employees heath provision. BHP should not negotiate with the environmental concerns. It should focus on the upgradation of its system accordingly with the technological modification. BHP should follow sustainable management to obtain competitive advantages over increasing threat of rivalries. Conclusion: Hence, it can be said that this report has successfully fulfilled all the requirements to establish a clear concept of the strategic development for BHP Billiton. Prior to incorporation of all the information, both internal and external analysis has been conducted. This report has focused mainly on the internal analysis and to complete the internal research SWOT analysis has been done. This study has helped to acknowledge the strength of BHP as well as the negative points. Potential opportunities have also been discussed along with the threats that could restrict the growth of the organization. Analysis of the findings obtained from both the internal and external analysis has made this report academically viable; whereas, a recommendation can be beneficial for the organization to hold sustainable development. Reference list: Ball, D., Geringer, M., Minor, M., McNett, J. (2012).International business. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Barney, J. B., Hesterly, W. (2015).Strategic management and competitive advantage concepts and cases. Pearson. David, F., David, F. R. (2016). Strategic Management: A Competitive Advantage Approach, Concepts and Cases. Eden, C., Ackermann, F. (2013).Making strategy: The journey of strategic management. Sage. Grant, R., Butler, B., Orr, S., Murray, P. A. (2014).Contemporary strategic management: an Australasian perspective. John Wiley Sons Australia, Ltd. Hill, C. W., Jones, G. R., Schilling, M. A. (2014).Strategic management: theory: an integrated approach. Cengage Learning. Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E. (2012).Strategic management cases: competitiveness and globalization. Cengage Learning. Hubbard, G., Rice, J., Galvin, P. (2014).Strategic management. Pearson Australia. Lodhia, S., Martin, N. (2014). Corporate sustainability indicators: an Australian mining case study.Journal of Cleaner Production,84, 107-115. Mullins, J., Walker, O. C., Boyd Jr, H. W. (2012).Marketing management: A strategic decision-making approach. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.