High Self-esteem Essay Example for Free

High Self-esteem Essay Review Questions 1. In what areas do children and adolescents define their self-esteem?: In Self Image, and in the environment they live in. 2. What are the characteristics of a person with high self-esteem?: Ambitious, optimistic about life, good communication skills, and they are very psychologically healthy and emotionally stable. 3. What are the characteristics of a person with low self-esteem?: Fail to achieve goals, poor communication skills, Are prone to anxiety, depression, hostility, loneliness, shame, and guilt, and they form unhealthy, destructive relationships with others. 4. What can a parent do, in the first two years of their child’s life, to help the child develop good self-esteem?: The first is a sense of themselves as individuals. The child learns that he exists as an individual in the world, and that his actions have observable consequences in the surrounding environment. The child learns that he has the power to manipulate the world around him—to make things happen. The second important concept a child develops during this time is a sense of trust and love that is built upon a solid bond between the child and his caregivers. 5. What are some things that have a negative effect on a child’s self-esteem?: Their self-image, fitting in, and their parents fighting at home. Critical Thinking Questions 1. Why is it difficult to define self-esteem?: It’s difficult because people don’t always know what the exact definition for the word is. 2. Is success in life a cause of high self-esteem, an effect of high self-esteem, or neither?: In my opinion, I say an effect. I say this because if you have high self-esteem, you will accomplish a lot more. Success takes a lot of work, it’s not easy to be successful now a days. 3. What are some ways that parents can help their children develop good social self-esteem?: They could teach them appropriate vocabulary. They can also start getting their kids into speaking to people in public, if they need it. They could get them to start speaking up for themselves. 4. What are some ways that parents can help their children develop good academic self-esteem?: To help them with their school work. They could also get their child a tutor, or maybe they can let them stay after school and get tutored. They could also have standards, not too high and not too low. It depends on the child’s ability on how well they can do. 5. Children will start to exhibit gender-specific behaviors in early childhood. Boys will tend to be more active and aggressive. Girls, on average, are calmer and more agreeable. Children also start to show a preference for toys and clothing that are traditional for their gender. Why do you this is?: They are starting to get to that point where they are changing. Different feelings and hormones. Maybe something is going on in their environment that they live in. Maybe they’re just starting to grow up.

The Characteristics Of Bluetooth Technology Computer Science Essay

The Characteristics Of Bluetooth Technology Computer Science Essay It is a short range communication technology to connect to devices using short-range radio frequency(RF) which is intended to replace communication that uses cabling. It is used mainly to establish wireless personal area networks (WPAN),commonly referred to as AD-HOC or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks. This technology now a days are integrated into many types of business and consumers devices such as mobile phones, PDA, laptops, headsets, vehicles, printers. This technology is globally accepted and any devices which are bluetooth enabled can communicate with other bluetooth enabled device located in proximity to one another almost everywhere in the world. Bluetooth is a low cost, low power technology which provides small wireless networks. The devices with this technology connect each other through short range,ad hoc networks known as piconets. Every time a bluetooth enabled device enter or leave radio proximity the piconets gets established automatically and dynamically. Also each device in the piconets offers a simultaneous connection up to seven other devices and that piconet can also belong to several other piconets allowing a limitless connection. This technology also has the ability to simultaneously handle data and voice transmission which provides users with a variety of uses such as printing ,synchronization with PC and laptops, accepting voice calls through hands-free headsets etc. Some of the advantages of this technology includes: Replacements for cable: this technology replaces the use of different types of cabling required to establish a connection between 2 or more different or similar devices e.g mouse, headsets, keyboard, printers etc. Wireless synchronization: It automatically synchronize with bluetooth enabled devices such as laptops via wireless connection. e.g synchronization of address book contained in laptops,cellular phones etc. Internet connectivity: any bluetooth enabled device having internet connectivity can share the internet access with other bluetooth enabled device. One acts as a modem. e.g a laptop can use a internet via a bluetooth enabled cellular phone by establishing a dialup connection through the cellular phone. Bluetooth Technology Characteristics: Bluetooth operates in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) frequency band. Many technology such as IEEE 802.11 b/g WLAN standard operate in this band. It employs frequency hoping spread spectrum (FHSS) for every transmissions, also FHSS helps to minimize the interference and transmission errors as well as provides a limited level of transmission security. This is done by the technology which detects the devices under the spectrum and avoids the frequency used by the other bluetooth enabled device. Also the communication between the devices uses 79 different radio channels by hoping frequencies at 1 MHz interval giving a high degree of interference immunity and allowing better transmission within the spectrum. This hoping provides greater performance even when other technologies are being used simultaneously with bluetooth technology. Range: the operating range depends upon the device class which include the following: Class 3 radios : supports up to 1m or 3ft. Class 2 radios : found in mobile devices-ranges from 10m or 33 ft. Class 1 radios: used in industrial sector having a vast range of 100m or 300 ft. Bluetooth low energy technology has a range of up to 200m or 600ft. Power Consumption: class 2 device uses 2.5 mW of power. The generic alternate mac/phy in version 3.0 HS enables the discovery of remote AMPs for high speed device and turns on the radio only when needed for data transfer giving a power optimization benefit as well as aiding in the security of the radios. Bluetooth low energy technology, optimizd for devices requiring maximum battery life instead of a high data transfer rate, consumes between  ½ and 1/100 the power of classic bluetooth technology. Data rate bluetooth low energy technology provides a speed of 1 Mbps of data transmission. For version 1.2 and 2.0 EDR the data rate includes 1Mbps and 3 Mbps respectivley. For version 3.0 HS up to 24 Mbps is supported. Security Aspects: bluetooth technology and associated devices are susceptible to general wireless networking threats, such as DOS attacks, eavesdropping, man-in-the-middle-attacks, message modification, and resource misappropriation. Generally the security are classified into three categories: non-secure: in this type any bluetooth device do not initiate any security measures. Service level enforced security: in this security mode two bluetooth device establish a nonsecure Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) link. Link level enforced security: in this mode authentication, authorization and optional enryption are initiated when a request of L2CAP(logical Link Control and Adaptation Protocol )connection-oriented or connectionless channel is made. This security mode is established before the connection is made between the devices. Vulnerabilities: Bluejacking: this is a threat which involves a sending of unsolicited messages or business card to bluetooth enabled devices. For this threat to work the sending and receiving device must be within the range of of 8-10m from each other. This is a method usually used for promotional purposes intent rather than with any malicious intention. This method can be quite annoying due to repetitive messages. Also this method does leave a door open for variety of social engineering attacks. In order to prevent this type of attack the device must be set into non-discoverable mode in unsecured areas. Bluesnarfing: this hacking method is done in bluetooth enabled cellular phones and what this attack does is it copies the entire contact book, calender or anything that is stored in the cellular phones memory. This threat can be minimised by setting the device in non-discoverable mode in an un-secured zone. How-ever many software are available in web which can steal information from blue-tooth enabled devices. the back door attack: this attack starts of after being in connection with bluetooth device; through pairing mechanism and if the owner does not observe their device after connection than they are unlikely to notice anything after the device are paired; allowing attacker to use any resources that a trusted relationship with that device grants access to. This means the attacker can not only retrieve data but also use features such as GPRS WAT, internet, modems etc. without the owner being notified. The cabir worm: it is a malicious software that uses the bluetooth technology to look for available bluetooth devices and send itself to them. This worm currently only effects mobile phone which uses symbian series 60 user interface platform. But this threat can be avoided by the user since the user itself has to manually accept the worm and install in order for this attack to be in effect. GPRS it is a non-voice value added service which allows Mobile Phones to be used for sending and receiving data over and internet protocol(IP) based network. It stands for General Packet Radio Services. It is a packet based radio service which is delivered as a network overlay for GSM, CDMA and TDMA networks which enables à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“always onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  connections. This eliminates the repetitive and time consuming dial up connection. It also reserves radio resources only when there is a certain data to be sent ensuring the maximum utilization of radio resources. This service enables users to use many multimedia application through mobile internet. Along with it it provides user the internet from anywhere and anytime. GPRS handles data in a series of packets which can be routed over several paths through the GSM network. The data is segmented and stored as packets before being transmitted and reassembled at the receiving end. GPRS users get the benefit of instantaneous connection setup and continuous connection to the internet after being logged-in to an APN (Access Point Name) until the user log off and the user only have to pay the data which is actually transmitted. Since this is a wireless technology so and end-to-end connection is not required because network resources and bandwidth are only used when data is actually transferred. This allows efficient use of available radio bandwidth. This reduces the cost compared to circuit switched services since communication channels gets shared and are on a as-packets-are-needed basis. GPRS data speeds ranges from 14.4 kbit/s (using one radio time-slot) to 115kbit/s (by amalgamating time slots). The average data transfer speed is at about 56 kbit/s. The improvement in the data rate allows users to take part in video conference and interact with various websites and similar application using mobile handheld devices as well as from notebook computers. GPRS is based on GSM communication and will complement existing services like SMS. It also complement blue-tooth. Advantages of GPRS: Operators offer new and improved data services to residential and business markets. Uplift the revenues from data services. Opportunity to increase the number of network users. Provides an upgrade path and baseline for UMTS End Users: high speed internet cost effective since charge is carried out only when data is transmitted and not for the duration of connection constant connectivity simultaneous use of voice and data communication Applications of GPRS include: Chat web browsing internet email file transfer file sharing Security: Security threat depend the type of traffic and data service for specific threat. The Gp interface is the logical connection between PLMNs that is used to support roaming data users. The following traffic falls under Gp : GTP : this provides a logical connection between the SGSN and GGSN of roaming partners. BGP : this provides the routing information between the operator and the GRX and/or roaming partners DNS: provides resolution for subscribers Access Point Name (APN) THREAT ON Gp includes Availability Border Gateway Bandwidth saturation : in this type of threat a malicious operator connects to the same GRX which may have the ability to generate a sufficient amount of traffic which gets directed at users border gateway such that required traffice is starved for bandwidth in or out of user PLMN. Finally denying roaming acess to and from the network. DNS flooding: in this threat the DNS server gets flooded with correct or malformed DNS queries denying subscribers to locate GGSN to use an external gateway. GTP flooding: in this threat SGSNs and GGSNs may be flooded with GTP traffic that cause them to spend their CPU cycles processing illegitimate data preventing subscribers to roam or send data out to an external network Authentication and Authorization Spoofed create PDP context Request: Spoofed update PDP context request Integrity and Confidentiality Capturing a subscribers data session WAP WAP stands for Wireless Application Protocol. It is an application environment and a set of communication protocol for witless devices which is designed to allow manufacturer, vendor and technology independent access to the internet and advanced telephony services. Basically it serves as a bridge between the mobile world and the internet as well as intranets offering the ability to deliver an unlimited range of mobile value added services to the users regardless of their network, bearer and terminal. This also enables subscriber to access the same amount of information from a pocket sized devices as they can from the desktop. The WAP specification defines a set of protocols in layers like application , session, transaction, security, and transport enabling operators and manufactures to meet the challenges in advanced wireless service differentiation and fast/flexible service creation. WAP utilizes binary transmission for greater compression of data and is optimized for long latency and low bandwidth. The light weight WAP protocol block is designed to minimize the required bandwidth and maximize the number of wireless network types that can deliver WAP content. Since WAP is based on a scalable layered architecture, each layer can develop independently of the others making it possible to introduce new bearers or to use new transport protocols without having to make any alteration in other layers. Versions of WAP WAP 1.X- WAP 1.0 was introduced way back in April 1998 which described a stack of softwares for internet access through mobile. WAP 1.1 was then introduced a year later after WAP 1.0 in 1999. WAP 1.2 which was the final update of the WAP 1.X series was introduced in June 2000 and the significant update of this was the introduction of WAP push. WAP Push: This version allows WAP content to be pushed to the mobile device with minimum user intervention since this includes a specially encoded message that includes a link to wap address. It can be used over any device which supports WDP like GPRS and SMS. This push version enables users the option to automatically access the WAP content with WAP 1.2 WAP 2.0: This version re-engineered WAP which was introduced in the year 2002 and was a simple version of HTML which is called XHTML. The XHTML helps reduce the bandwidth of internet pages helping user to use the saved bandwidth for other purpose. Benefits: Operators chance to increase the subscriber by improving services such as interface to voice mail and prepaid systems introduction of new application without the need for additional infrastructure or modification to the phone. Enabling the provision of end-to-end turnkey solution which create a lasting competitive advantage. Content Providers; enable content and application developers to grasp eh tag based WML(wireless Markup Language) allowing services to be written and executed within an operators network quickly and easily End Users easy and secured access to relevant internet information and services such as unified messaging and entertainment through their mobile devices. Can access the information from corporate databases. Significant freedom of choice when selecting mobile terminals and application they support allows users to receive and request information in controlled fast and low-cost environment . Applications of WAP: advertising the product directly through the mobile devices allowing the shoppers directly the link to order entry page. Establishment of virtual lan enabling users to play or share information within the grous. Downloading files. Infotainment feature: customer care and provisioning, message notification and call management, email, mapping and location service, weather and traffic alerts, sports and financial services, address book and directory services and corporate intranet application. Security concern over WAP WAP Gateway : this is the most important threat associated with WAP. In this threat WAP devices communicate to web servers through WAP gateway meaning WAP contains unencrypted data for a short period of time which can be highly confidential. In order to avoid this the WAP device must switch to a trusted and secured gateway instead of using the default WAP gateway. Also another solution includes upgrading all wap gateways such that they can work in pass-through mode. When WAP gateway works in this mode it just let pass all the encrypted traffic from mobile phone to server without being decrypted and the gateway would be just a relay for the data stream. Weak encryption algorithms: the encryption protocol encrypts data during the handshake phase which has a possibility to choose the 40bit DES encryption method. In this method, a 5 byte key is used containing 5 parity bits leaving only 35 effective key bits in the DES key. This DES key can be easily hacked through brute force potential for virus attacks: wap contains a scripting language(WMLScript) which makes easier for viruses to affect mobile phone. GSM It stands for Global System for Mobile Communication which is a globally accepted standard for digital cellular communication and most globally used mobile phone system . It is an open digital cellular technology which is used to transmit mobile voice and data services. This design was the first digital design to follow the analog period to enhance the security from analog counterparts in mobile communication. This technology supports voice calls and data transfer rate up-to 9.6kbit/s, along with the transmission of SMS. This operates in the 900MHz and 1.8 GHz bands in Europe and 1.9 GHz and 850MHz bands in the US , Australia, Canada and many south American countries. The users can access the same service when traveling abroad through GSM international roaming capability which is done after harmonizing spectrum across most part of the earth. This gives users to connect seamlessly and same number connectivity in more than 218 countries even if they have different network service provi der. Application of GSM includes: accessing the internet with GPRS being enabled.. Used in E-commerce for services like mobile banking, e-ticketing etc. Advantage of Gsm include: the consumer benefits from the ability to roam and switch carriers without replacing phones and SIM and also to network operators. High voice clarity due to the efficient use of radio frequencies which allows the system to tolerate intercell disturbances. The encryption of speech allows user information to be secured. Also pioneered low cost implementation of the short message service known as text messaging. Introduction of worldwide emergency telephone number feature. Introduction of value added feature such as GPRS EDGE. Threat includes the following: there are mainly two motivation for attackers of mobile phone systems which are: Theft Of service: cloning: In this type of attack, the attacker steals the identifying information from a legitimate phone and loads it to another phone allowing attacker to masquerade as the legitimate phone. What this does is it causes charges to be assessed against the account holder of the legitimate phone. Call Decryption: this threat is based on the encryption method of the GSM network. The attacker had found to decrypt a call with greater speed within 30 seconds with just a laptop and specific radio device back in 2007 and 2008. data Interception: in this type of attack the attacker can easily listen to the transmission of the phone using relatively unsophisticated tools in a effort to eavesdrop on the voice and data transmission occurring. To solve this problem encryption of the data in the air should be maintained.

Family as Theater in Eudora Weltys Why I Live at the P.O. Essay

Family as Theater in Eudora Welty's Why I Live at the P.O.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The outspoken narrator of Eudora Welty's "Why I Live at the P.O.," known to us only as "Sister," intends to convince us--the world at large--that her family has "turned against" her, led on by her sister, itella-Rondo. To escape her family, she explains, she has left home and now lives at the P.O., where she is postmistress. As she delivers her monologue, the narrator reveals more about herself than she intends. We see her as a self-centered young woman who enjoys picking fights and provoking melodramatic scenes in which she is the center of attention. Not too far into the story, we realize that others in the family behave as melodramatically as Sister does, and we begin to wonder why. The story's setting may provide the answer: In a small town in Mississippi, sometime after World War II and before television, entertainment is scarce. The members of this family cope with isolation and boredom by casting themselves in a continning melodrama, with each person stealing as many scenes as possible.    The first-person point of view is crucial to the theme of Welty's story. It is both quicker and funnier to show that the narrator is self-centered and melodramatic than it would be to tell it. Sister is definitely the star in the melodrama. She begins her tale with "I," and every event is made to revolve around herself, even her sister's marriage:    I was getting along fine with Mama, Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo until my sister Stella-Rondo just separated from her husband and came back home again. Mr. Whitaker! Of course I went with Mr. Whitaker first, when he first appeared here in China Grove, taking "Pose Yourself" photos, and Ste... ...eful to show us, the narrator is not the only self-centered, melodramatic member of this family. Given the family history, we can be fairly sure that things will soon be back to normal. The narrator will move back home, and the family, welcoming the diversion, will no doubt find a way of turning her homecoming into a new round of excitement.    Works Cited Prenshaw, Peggy Whitman, ed. Conversations with Eudora Welty. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 1984. Romines, Ann. "How Not to Tell a Story." Eudora Welty: Eye of the Storyteller. Ed. Dawn Trouard. Kent: Kent State UP, 1989. 94-104. Welty, Eudora. The Eye of the Story: Selected Essays and Reviews. New York: Vintage, 1979. ---. One Writer's Beginnings. New York: Warner, 1984. ---. "Why I Live at the P.O." The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. New York: Harcourt, 1980. 46-56. Family as Theater in Eudora Welty's Why I Live at the P.O. Essay Family as Theater in Eudora Welty's Why I Live at the P.O.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The outspoken narrator of Eudora Welty's "Why I Live at the P.O.," known to us only as "Sister," intends to convince us--the world at large--that her family has "turned against" her, led on by her sister, itella-Rondo. To escape her family, she explains, she has left home and now lives at the P.O., where she is postmistress. As she delivers her monologue, the narrator reveals more about herself than she intends. We see her as a self-centered young woman who enjoys picking fights and provoking melodramatic scenes in which she is the center of attention. Not too far into the story, we realize that others in the family behave as melodramatically as Sister does, and we begin to wonder why. The story's setting may provide the answer: In a small town in Mississippi, sometime after World War II and before television, entertainment is scarce. The members of this family cope with isolation and boredom by casting themselves in a continning melodrama, with each person stealing as many scenes as possible.    The first-person point of view is crucial to the theme of Welty's story. It is both quicker and funnier to show that the narrator is self-centered and melodramatic than it would be to tell it. Sister is definitely the star in the melodrama. She begins her tale with "I," and every event is made to revolve around herself, even her sister's marriage:    I was getting along fine with Mama, Papa-Daddy and Uncle Rondo until my sister Stella-Rondo just separated from her husband and came back home again. Mr. Whitaker! Of course I went with Mr. Whitaker first, when he first appeared here in China Grove, taking "Pose Yourself" photos, and Ste... ...eful to show us, the narrator is not the only self-centered, melodramatic member of this family. Given the family history, we can be fairly sure that things will soon be back to normal. The narrator will move back home, and the family, welcoming the diversion, will no doubt find a way of turning her homecoming into a new round of excitement.    Works Cited Prenshaw, Peggy Whitman, ed. Conversations with Eudora Welty. Jackson: UP of Mississippi, 1984. Romines, Ann. "How Not to Tell a Story." Eudora Welty: Eye of the Storyteller. Ed. Dawn Trouard. Kent: Kent State UP, 1989. 94-104. Welty, Eudora. The Eye of the Story: Selected Essays and Reviews. New York: Vintage, 1979. ---. One Writer's Beginnings. New York: Warner, 1984. ---. "Why I Live at the P.O." The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty. New York: Harcourt, 1980. 46-56.

Analysis of Shawshank Redemption Essay -- Essays on Film, Movies

The movie of the Shawshank Redemption is based on a short story by Steven King. The movie shows how prison life affects prisoners during their sentence in jail and after when they are released. The director concentrates mostly on the personal cost of adapting to prison life and how some convicts, once they conform, lose the ability to survive beyond the barbed wire and iron bars. As a character puts it, ‘These [prison] walls are funny. First you hate them, then you get used to them, then you start to depend on them.’ The director shows us to what extent prisoners can be made to ‘depend on them’. The two episodes that I will analyse are examples of two different ‘paths’ prisoners can take once released from prison. One is to survive and live their life, another is to give up and end it. In the movie Red, a prisoner at Shawshank says, ‘get busy living or get busy dying’. This quote plays an important role in the movie because Red and Brooks, two important characters who get out of jail have to make the choice to either ‘get busy living or get busy dying’. Red and Brooks are characters with many similar traits and have gone through many of the same circumstances. Both entered the confines of Shawshank Prison youths but left its walls as old men. They have seen many prisoners come in and out. They spent decades behind the dull enclosure and got used to it. They have adapted themselves to the concepts of routine, forced conformity, power abuse and have lost all elements of individuality within themselves. Red says â€Å"you come here for your life and that’s exactly what they take from you†. The episodes of the release of both men contri... ...ds hug, the camera pulls back, revealing the wide, distant horizon of the blue Pacific with no end in sight. No longer are the Red and Andy confined by walls and iron bars nor watched on by guards. Both are free. Brooks had attained the limits at prison, he had become institutionalised and once released had found the only way out was death. Red, on the other hand, had hoped, and hope had led him to freedom, to happiness, to redemption. Through the themes and the cinematic decisions applied in these two episodes the director has made these vital to the understanding of the movie. He has given two examples of the extreme situations to which prisoners go depending on their emotions. One of the emotions is yet one of the main themes of the movie, hope, and in my opinion it has been brought up extremely effectively.

Problem of Proliferation :: essays research papers

The Problem of Proliferation There is a controversy as to the meaning of proliferation. Proliferation is the process of deadly weapons being bought and sold in the market place of corruption and greed. Government leaders are playing a deadly game by implementing creation of foreign policies that are set to obtain goals, yet sponsor actions that contradict those goals. The chapter argues that we must be able to evaluate the facts and separate them from our emotions concerning the situation. The Problem of Defining Proliferation Henry Sokolski stated in 1993 that even the intelligence community has not been able to define the term proliferation adequately. The military, intelligence agencies, terrorist organizations and diplomats will all define the term differently because of their different perspectives. Although there is controversy in the exact meaning, I feel that the basic meaning is evident, which is nations who do not possess the deadly weapons of mass destruction attempt to obtain them by illegal methods. The Threat of Nuclear Proliferation Nuclear proliferation is the most feared form of proliferation, while terrorism is the most feared force that is suspected of having the ideological motivation ant the ways that the knowledge and resources are obtained to make it a real threat. A non-proliferation treaty was signed by a group of nations whom called themselves the â€Å"Nuclear Club.† This group considers themselves as being the arbitrators of the control of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. There are states who argue this saying that they have the right to possess the weapons for their security. Scott Sagan argues this idea fearing that it may cause a chain reaction with other nations obtaining and even making their own nuclear weapons. Proof of this theory was made clear when explosions occurred during testing of weapons by Pakistan and India in May of 1998. The contradictions have been made evident and public in several articles and reports. In in 1995 the United States Department of Strategic Command suggested that the U.S. should give, as part of it’s persona that it will become â€Å"irrational and vindictive if it’s vital interest are attacted†. USA Today, in 1997 contained two articles in the same paper that contradicted each other. One of the articles stated that Chinese Military is developing high-tech weapons to win a war against the United States and the other was the US may sell nuclear technology to China. In 1998 Joseph Douglas Jr.

Case: Walter Hundhausen Gmbh

Size up Germany’s foundry Industry? Is WH well positioned in it now and in the future?The beginning of the new millennium has presented Walter Hundhausen (WH) with a big hurdle to jump. The German economy is experiencing economic stagnation, an aging population and a German labour market that is filled with many intrusive government regulations. The German economy has been growing at an average rate of 0.6 percent per year for the last 4 years; making it one of the slowest growing economies in the Euro Zone.However, study’s suggests in 2004, the domestic economy is expected to grow above 2 percent. Moreover, one-third of Germany’s economy is comprised of exports. In performing a Pest Analysis (see Diagram 1 below), there are many macro factors affecting the German Foundry Industry.MACRO FORCESThe acronym stands for Political, Economic, Social and Technological concerns that could affect the strategic development of the casting foundry industry in Germany. By iden tifying PEST influences it helps gage the external environment in which the casting foundry industry operates. PoliticalStrict Layoff Regulations: Government regulations had strict policies in place on how organizations could layoff employees. Before employees were laid-off, management had to advise the Works Council and they had to agree to the nature and timing of the plan. In addition, the management team had to develop a social plan for each employee on how the layoff would affect them and what remedies the organization would put in place for them. If a  social plan was not presented, employees could claim for compensation through the courts. This could prove to be costly in time, money and reputation.National Bargaining on Wages: The current German industrial relations policy was based on a duel model. One part dealt with the collective bargaining, while the other dealt with codetermination. The collective bargaining agreement dealt with minimums and maximums, with respect to wages and salaries and working hours. Codetermination was an actual Act or Law that provided labourers in Germany with three levels of representation; Supervisory Board, Works Council and Labour Director. However, in the end, all collective bargaining agreements could be adjusted and then ratified through this process.Social Market Economy: The political climate in the country is based on the social market economy, where employers and unions worked as partners to better the organization as a whole. However, in reality, the balance of power lay in the hands of the union. Unions negotiated national and regional wages and hours of operations; in addition, they also negotiated paid time-off. In 2004, the average individual worked 1,542 hours. The standard legislated work week was set at 60 hours with a minimum paid leave of 24 days. That translates to 2,832 hours per year. Despite the legislation, the average individual worked 54 percent less than was legislated in 2004.Ordnung Princip al: This is Germany’s version of the Triple Bottom Line, where economy, society and the government all participate in the mechanism for workers democracy. New Environmental Legislation: The government imposed a new ecological tax in 2000 that focused on waste reduction as opposed to waste recycling. This added costs in the form of time and money to the WH casting process. From an economic perspective, the government wanted the industry to focus on the externalities and reduce them or remove them totally.EconomicalDomestic Growth: The last three years (2001 to 2004), the German economy was growing at an average rate of 0.6 percent per year. Germany had been experiencing the slowest growth in the Euro zone. This affected many organizations in Germany, particularly mid-sized companies that were not big enough to fully utilize economies of scale. Future Growth: The economy in Germany has been slated to grow around 2 percent for the year 2004.This represent an increase of 1.4 perc ent over the previous year and that may not  seem big, but relatively speaking that is a 233% increases from year over year. Increase in Value of the Euro: Another concern at the macro level is the appreciation of the Euro against other currencies, most notably the American dollar. As the Euro increased, the cost of WH’s products also increased. However, the opportunity to purchase at a lower price scrap iron and steel from non-European countries has also increased. As the Euro appreciates in value, it can now purchase raw materials at a lower cost.SocialAging Population: The current labour shortage in Germany is creating a nightmare in the casting industry. In order to attract and retain employees, organizations were paying a premium over scheduled tariffs. These costs were substantial, as many companies were running multiple shifts in order to keep up with demand. Reduction in Full-Time Employment: The current macro environment suggests a reduction in the number of full-t ime resources, because of the high labour costs. However, because of the aging population, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find qualified workers.Sounds counter intuitive; a reduction of full-time staff to cut costs, but many companies in the industry are paying premiums over scheduled tariffs in order to keep their current workforce. Strong Social Employment Contracts: The Germany foundry industry has a strong employment contract system, where employers are responsible for the well being of their workers. The contract is enforced by the Works Council and the Labour Director who is part of the origination. Their main objective is to resolve disputes through intensive informal contacts.Strong Union Presence: The dual model in the industry consists of a collective bargaining agreement and codetermination. This dual system gives the unions a strong position within the foundry industry. Their presence has lead to numerous bouts of conflict with management when negotiating collective agreements and in some cases these disagreements lead to long and bitter strikes.TechnicalAbove Average R&D Investment: R&D is a major competent in the casting foundry industry. R&D creates better products and above all reduces costs through the automation of the casting process. Moreover, by being a Tier 1 supplier, customers are expecting better products and lower costs year over  year. Frequent Technology Changes: In the casting process, technology changes occur frequently, in order to maintain lower sand-to-metal ratios and scrap ratios. Largest European Foundry: Being the largest casting foundry in Europe, economies of scale can have significant cost savings, as the organization can purchase large amounts of scrap iron and steel.Close Proximity to Clients: By being close to customers, shipping costs and delivery times are reduced substantially; giving the local casting foundry a cost advantage over their long distance competitors. Efficient Sand Casting Process: T he casting process is highly integrated and labour intensive. By having a disjointed process, the cost of the process will be high and the products produced would be of an inferior quality. A process that is tightly controlled and automated will reduce unnecessary waste and cut costs in the form of wages and raw material.MICRO FORCESBelow are the specific micro forces that will influence how WH reacts to the environmental issues assessed above.SupplyThe cost of raw materials was increasing 23 percent year over year (see Diagram 2 below). Raw materials have been the single most expensive cost to WH. Diagram 3 below, illustrates the cost of raw materials to revenues and the cost of wages and salaries to revenues. As for wages and salaries, they have been holding steady. Moreover, the trend seems to be downward sloping (see Diagram 3, below).Total revenues have been increasing steadily since 2001; with a significant increase occurring in 2004 (see Diagram 4, below).Year over Year Incre ase in Revenues 2001 2002 2003 2004Total Revenues 97 99 103 117 2.06% 4.04% 13.59%However, in 2004, the index price of scrap iron and steel has been averaging around 191.00, that is a 43 percent increase, year over year. The trend seems to be heading higher, potentially breaking the 250.00 barrier (see Diagram 5, below).Average 81.25 99.91667 99.91667 111.5 133.75 191.25CompetitionCompetition from non-OEM organizations was growing. However, customers today are more sophisticated and understand that quality plays an important role in the decision to purchase a product versus purchasing a product on price alone. The real threat will come from organizations in the casting industry from Eastern European that will eventually become tier 1 suppliers. One of the challenges facing WH is the current workforce in Germany. WH has been experiencing a high degree of absence due to leaves and sick days.The above graph (see Diagram 6) illustrates by department where the greatest number of absences are occurring. The stars indicate the average per department and in 2004, there was an increase in the number of absences in Core Marketing, Finishing and Heat Treatment. Finishing can be explained because of the nature of the work itself. It is one of the most difficult  parts of the casting process. Some of the other notable information to mention, is when the automated casting process is operating efficiently, sick days and leaves are kept to a minimum.For example, pouring and melting in 2003 experienced numerous mechanical problems, thus the department experienced a higher level of absences as opposed to 2004, when the process was operating with little interruptions, sick days and leaves decreased substantially. Moreover, for the first 6 months of 2004, the average cost of the total days off work amounted to 3.39 million, which represents 8.7 percent of the overall company’s revenues (see Diagram 7, below).DemandThe biggest threat facing WH is their ability to reduce costs. Their customers are demanding lower prices and the organiza tion has been responding, by investing heavily in R&D to improve the casting process. However, if they do not get the costs of the casting process under control, they will not be able to meet the increasing demand from the motor vehicle industry. The motor vehicle industry in 2004 purchased a total of 68% of the total industry’s output. Diagram 8, below illustrates the percentage increase or decrease year over year by industry and the tonnage sold by industry. Clearly, the industry that has been adding value to WH has been the motor vehicle industry. On average, over the last three years, the motor vehicle industry has increased 13 percent.If the motor vehicle industry continues on their current growth path, by the end of 2005, WH will have reached plant capacity of 95,000 tonnes per year (see Diagram 9, below). The forecast includes a 13 percent increase in motor vehicle tonnage per year and holds the other two industries with no growth or decline in tonnes required.PEST Con clusionThe rising cost of scrap iron and steel, a stagnate Germany economy, the German labour market and its regulations are proving extremely difficult for WH to deal with. In addition, WH is reaching plant capacity and they have not been able to control rising costs to date. For the last three years, wages and raw material purchases have been well over budget. SWOT ANALYSISA SWOT analysis was completed for WH to evaluate their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (see Diagram 10, below). The analysis identifies the key internal and external factors that will hinder or help WH achieve their stated goals and objectives.One of the key factors to WH success was their ability to understand their customer’s business needs and create new products for them. This was one area in the casting foundry industry that separated WH from their competitors; WH was and still is â€Å"Best in Class†, when it comes to product innovation. One area of improvement would be to e liminate or reduce the number of products that have low margins.By producing these low margin products, WH is tying up valuable resources both in time, money and material. One of the greatest threats WH will encounter is the surging casting foundries from Eastern European countries, such as Spain, Turkey and Poland. Currently, many of the Eastern European organizations either small or big are not OEM rated. However, with time and additional investment dollars, these organizations will be able to compete against WH on price.PORTERS FIVE FORCESOne final assessment was completed to determine the profitability or attractiveness of the casting foundry industry in Germany. By utilizing Porters Five Force model, a more realistic assessment of the competitive rivalry that exists in the market can be determined. This will give WH insight as to the attractiveness of the industry and determine what course of action (if any) is required.The analysis clearly demonstrated that the industry is hig hly profitable (see Diagram 11, above). The Barriers to Entry are high, making it difficult for organizations to enter. Entry requires a high initial capital investment and ongoing R&D dollars. Moreover, the bargaining power of the Buyer is Low, because switching costs are high. Substitutes products are available, but in the motor vehicle industry highly unlikely to be used.The  bargaining power of Suppliers is strong, because there is strong union presence and the raw material is based on world supply and demand prices. In short, the competitive rivalry within the Casting Foundry Industry is high, suggesting that the industry is profitable. Furthermore, with high exist barriers, because of the high fixed costs, it makes it extremely difficult to exit the industry, and thus remaining organizations will continue to suffer and lose more market share.Question 1A:  Is WH well positioned in it now and in the future?Not with their current casting process. Clearly, WH’s core com petency lies in their ability to produce exactly what the customer needs and then takes that knowledge one step further by producing new products that customers ends up wanting; WH creates demand for their new more profitable products. Moreover, WH links their internal logistical and informational systems with their customers. Basically, WH becomes an extension of their customers. The future for WH would be to outsource some non core activities of their value chain to 3rd parties in the casting foundry industry; perhaps in Eastern Europe, such as Poland, where wages are less and employment is more bountiful.In conclusion, with the current trends in the casting foundry industry, where growth is expected to increase 2% per year in tonnage and 3% per year in value, WH does not have the current structure to capitalize on this growth opportunity. Pricing has also become an issue and they are trying to go head to head with their customers and asking them to pick up the additional surcharg es on the price of scrap steel and iron. Moreover, with the additional investment in R&D, costs have not decreased. Revenues have been steadily rising, but so have costs and costs have outpaced revenues. This is evident, as WH is expected to lose 6 million in 2004, making it the worst loss in the company’s 4 year history.Question 2:  Is the alternative that WH’s management called â€Å"strategic change† really strategic? Justify you answer.In order to justify the answer, one must first define what strategic change is. According to Joseph N. Fry, one of the authors of Strategic Analysis  and Action he suggests that it is a tool for building, communicating and maintain the direction of the business. As for Lawrence G. Hrebiniak, he suggests that strategic change is all about execution. In his book, Making Strategy Work, he suggested that without a careful, planned approach to execution, strategic goals cannot be attained.Albeit, in both examples above, little reference is made to the actual strategy, but in reality both authors agree that the strategy is important, but the execution of the strategy is key to success. An analogy that can be used to illustrate their point of view would be a golfer that needs to fade a shot around a tree. The strategy has been set, the trajectory of ball flight has been visualized; wind and all other factors have been taken into consideration. What’s left is the actual striking of the ball. However, if the golfers’ core competency is to hit a draw, rather than a fade, the strategy has little to do with the result of the execution.One of WH alternative is to shut down Line 2, reduce employment by 114 workers and increase sales through a radical marketing campaign that started in 2003. However, the radical marketing campaign emphasizes a differentiation strategy as opposed to a price strategy as indicated by Klaas. The key to their current success is WH’s ability to understand their custo mer’s business needs and create specific casting moulds for them. In addition, WH has been able to develop new products with higher margins for their customers and then sell those products back to their customers; push marketing.By adopting a low cost strategy, rivals in the industry will eventually out price WH and take market share away from them. One of the reasons why WH can be out priced in the market is that their main competitors from Eastern Europe, such as Poland, have a much lower wage structures. To conclude, WH’s alternative does not fit the traditional definition of a strategic change. After reviewing the data and the definition, the answer remains a resolute no. The reason for the decision is that strategic change must take into consideration other aspects of the organization.The changes suggested by Klaas will not delivery the strategy in a controlled manner that is efficient and effective to implement. Strategic management is not about delivering one si ngle project or addressing one particular issue, but a process that governs the entire organization and how the entire  organization is affected by the strategic change (see Diagram 12, above). The so called alternative â€Å"strategic change† in the end will not deliver any real value to the organization, thus further suggesting that this is not a strategic change. Strategic change at the end of the day must deliver real value, not perceived value.In Germany that value takes on the form of a stakeholder, rather than a shareholder. Thus, by simply focusing on profits and ignoring the human costs of the layoffs, WH will not execute this strategy with any conviction or success. Both Fry and Hrebiniak realize that the process is complicated and contains many moving parts. In short, there is no magic bullet. Simply cutting workers and installing automated processes does not guarantee costs reductions and increased revenues.Question 3:  How much â€Å"flexibility† did t he company have in dealing with its problem?The reality of the situation is that WH only had perceived flexibility. With economic stagnation, an aging population, tight employment regulations and a shortage of workers, WH has limited flexibility in being able to deal with the problem. Moreover, with the increase in tariffs, raw materials and energy, WH has even less flexibility in addressing their current problem. WH was able to negotiate concessions with the Works Council; however, the concessions came with a hefty price. The Works Council’s goal was to save jobs in the short term for the promise of better pay in the long term. Thus, WH was able to negotiate special agreements to break the current collective agreement.WH negotiated for more free hours, less pay and forgone holidays and vacation pay, but had no control over dismissal’s and working exemptions; the Works Council held the balance of power in these two categories. For example, if employment dropped below 5 70 permanent employees, the regional tariff rates would come into effect and they did. The Works Council’s position for long term better pay may present a problem with a few of the alternatives being suggested by WH.The Works Council may not approve any of the alternatives that involve significant layoffs and pay reductions. These alternatives are in direct conflict with their own goals and objectives. In conclusion, perceived flexibility is much different than actual flexibility. WH may think they can suggest an alternative that  makes sense for them, but the reality is that without buy in from the Works Council, the strategy will surely fail to execute.Question 4:  What could management do to address the problem?WH management must develop a Strategic Management Process. The new strategic management process is to be undertaken by the executives at WH and GMH. The executives will review and interpret the Germany foundry industry and determine the direction for WH. At this point in the process the executives will set the Corporate Strategy (strategic direction) and priorities, while understanding and taking into consideration resources and budget constraints (see diagram 13, below).The seconds step is to create the â€Å"right† Corporate Structure with the proper incentives and controls to ensure that the Corporate Strategy can be achieved. The final step is to ensure that the Business Units understand the objectives set forth and have the necessary resources in place to achieve their goals and objectives. It is the business unit who is responsible for ensuring that they have the correct skills and capabilities in place in order to achieve the Corporate Strategy. Once the strategic management process has been developed, the next critical step in the process is to formulate a well defined plan that has clear and focused goals and objectives. These goals and objectives must be measurable, attainable and realistic.Moreover, the plan must address how these achievements will affect the overall organization, but more importantly, if the goals and objectives are not meet, what are consequences to the organization. This process must be open and transparent that will ensure that buy in will occur quickly. In conclusion, the execution of these key activities is the heart of any successful strategic management process. In addition, WH must ensure that the Works Council understands that the long term success of WH is in everyone’s best interest. The Works Council’s long term goal is for better pay for its workers, without WH, their goals and objectives will never be realized.Question 5:  What had management done so far?Management has accomplished a lot to date. They sold WH to GMH who had experience in purchasing distressed companies and providing them with fresh equity and motivating their work force. In addition, in 2003, WH implemented a radical marketing plan that increased revenues by approximately 13.6 % in 200 4. WH invested heavily in operations, by trying to automate the sand casting process. WH believed that they could further reduce the operating costs by automating a lot of the high touch processes.WH has also outsourced the finishing process, as this is one of the most costly processes in the sand casting process. WH hired a consultant by the name of Knight Wendling who was hired to improve productivity and reduce costs. His first mandate was to get customer to pay a scrap surcharge and eliminate unprofitable products. By the middle of 2004, 91 percent of customers were paying the surcharge and he eliminated 5,000 tonnes of products that were generating low contributions. Finally, in 2004 WH made some major changes to their current management structure and sent out a new message to their workers, that management was looking for fresh ideas that would make a difference.Question 6:  What actions were left open to WH’s management and would they make sense?One action that was l eft open was continuing with the Radical Marketing Plan that WH started in 2003. The marketing plan would continue to increase sales by 8.2 million and contribution by 5.2 million in 2005. However, one of the major issues with this action was that costs were also increasing and the increase in revenues and contributions was being offset by the rising cost of scrap iron and steel and wages. The rising costs, coupled with WH’s increase in prices were opening the doors to some of their direct competitors in Eastern Europe, such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.This plan would only make sense if they could get the Works Council to increase the number of hours that employee’s could work and reduce the minimum number of workers required, before tariffs are enforced. Moreover, this approach would make sense, if WH could convince the Works Council that their short term objective to keep as many employees as  possible is actually going to hurt their long term goal of better pay for their workers. If WH and the Works Council could overlook their short term objectives and focus on their long term objectives, everyone would be better off.Question 7:  How could it pursue the remaining actions?WH could simply divest the entire operations and payout the 15.3 million owed to the workers ( 25,000 * 612 workers). However, this may not be in the best interest of the entire organization as an environmental assessment must be completed before the land gets rezoned. Worst case scenario, if the land is contaminated the purchaser may request that the seller clean the land before title change and this could cost GMH considerable money.The opportunity cost of closing down the plant would be the 15.3 million, thus the company could take that money and reinvest it into WH. Currently, WH is losing 6.2 million per year, if they continue losing this amount of money, that would buy them 3 additional years and then WH could simply sell the business. WH would have to create a strategic plan that takes into consideration all the options associated with investing additional capital. More so, they will need buy in from the Works Council. Without their buy in strategic plans will prove useless.

The American Dream Is Sublime Motivation

â€Å"You can have anything you want, if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose† said one of America’s founding father’s, Abraham Lincoln. America, the land of the free, the home of the brave. A country where it doesn’t matter what color of skin a person has, how tall or short they are, or what family they came from; but what does matter is values, and the amount of courage people have. The opportunities in America are endless, and for that reason, people in other countries would do anything to live the American Dream .People will journey far and wide, traverse the entire continent, suffer all manner of pain and suffering, if they believe that, in the end, they will be rewarded, and there is nothing quite like survival to motivate people. The ancient tale of â€Å"The American Dream† has been pursued by many, but only few make it all th e way. The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the two poems, â€Å"Dream Deferred†, by Langston Hughes, and â€Å"American Dream of Reality†, by Ivy S. , Loganville, all portray the American dream. Today, many oversee life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness instead they all think of fame, fortune, and respect.But even though not everyone can achieve these, without dreams or goals what would America be? The American dream is sublime motivation for accomplishing ones goals and producing achievements, however when tainted with wealth the dream becomes devoid and hollow. The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald embodies many themes, however the most evident one relates to the corruption of the American Dream in the 1920’s where the â€Å"Dream† had been corrupted by the pursuit of wealth. When the American Dream was pure, motivation and ambition were key aspects to achieving life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.In Gatsby’s earli er days he upheld towards the pure American Dream. â€Å"No wasting time at Shafters, No more smoking or chewing, Read one improving book or magazine per week, Save $3. 00 per week, Be better to parents† (Fitzgerald, 182). This is where Gatsby describes his newly revised schedule and how he prepares to become a better person. Though, in the story Gatsby destroys the true American Dream through his materialism. He no longer strives for the more precious things in life, but chases after Daisy’s love. Gatsby became corrupted because his main goal was to have Daisy, and from here money was everything to him and all he wanted to do was impress Daisy. Daisy symbolizes wealth and takes on the characteristics of money, â€Å"Her voice is full of money†(Fitzgerald, 127). His mansion and parties were all part of the plan to try and win Daisy over, the tainted dream was so empty that having accouterments of wealth could provoke feelings of love. â€Å"He’s the man who fixed the World Series back in 1919† (Fitzgerald, 78). The dream became so focused on money that any means of a obtaining it were overlooked, even if it was unprincipled. Ignorance and the ideal of looking out for oneself is prevalent.Where as, in the pure American Dream striving to accomplish ones own personal goal is ones main focus. One should use the American Dream for motivation and hope that one can achieve ones personal goal. The American Dream should not be centered on money and other materialistic things like Gatsby, but on a real goal that has true value. Imagine a bleak and empty future with nothing to look forward to, and in which not even a single good intention manifests into something any more tangible than a wish. Langston Hughes asks the profound question: What happens to a dream deferred?The truth is that if a person if forced to delay his or her dreams, only negativity can be found. The poem depicts certain human emotions when one cannot reach their goal s or dreams. In other words the poem asks: If your dreams remain out of reach, do you shrivel, drawing inward as hope becomes less and less? Or does the inaccessibility of your dreams create tension? Does the distance of the dream create frustration and anger, corrupting the soul and eventually creating an explosion of action or emotion? Langston Hughes uses a unique style, language, and diction to portray his point about dreams. Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun? †(2-3) This symbolizes a hardening, from a grape to a raisin. If a dream is destroyed it hardens the heart. It becomes useless just the like the dried up raisin. Hughes also suggests that maybe unrealized dreams are a â€Å"heavy load† which symbolizes a burden, something to heavy to bear, something that weighs a person down always. This poem is like the American Dream, if you do not pursue your dream right away it may slip away from you and eventually it will be gone. The American Dream can be fulfille d through hard word work and passion, it will not come easy.Everyone has the opportunity to grasp the chance to become successful through dreams and goals. Langston Hughes realized the importance of dreams and having those dreams torn apart. His poem, â€Å"Dream Deferred†, uses strong images to create a picture of a negative and destructive outcome for a dreamer left unable to dream. â€Å"Nothing can stop a man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude†, Thomas Jefferson. â€Å"So this is where all the dreaming takes me, to a cold, empty reality†, this is the opening line of the poem â€Å"The Dream of Reality†, by Ivy S. , Loganville.Most dreams are meant to be dreams for a reason, but no matter how unreal it may seem, anything is possible with hard work and determination. Many Americans under estimate their power they hold within themselves to accomplish goals, and assume t hey can never amount to what they â€Å"dreamt† to be. Reality strikes millions of people like a ton of bricks every day. â€Å"I’m barefoot and the streets are rough, paved with broken glass, but that’s okay, cause the land is flowing with milk and honey, bread and butter, and justice. † Life is not a promising thing, even though you may have a dream, that doesn’t mean you will fulfill them.Those who find this out quickly enough face the real, cold, harsh world. At those times, the simpler things in life have to be realized. America lets its people roam free, it gives its people food to live, and it gives it’s people protection. A lot of countries have none of these things, concluding why America has so many immigrants, because they want to experience the â€Å"American Dream†. The American Dream is a great experience, but like â€Å"The Dream of Reality†, it doesn’t always workout as people â€Å"dream† it to be . â€Å"With sleep still in my eyes, shivering, confused, I must’ve overslept, now it’s time to wake up†.Dreaming is one of the best things a person can do and everyone has to have dreams, but sometimes when you open your eyes too the real world things seem to change, either for the better or the worse. Without dreams, what can someone’s future look like? If there is no goal to shoot for, what keeps people motivated to try and achieve something each and every day? Everyone needs a dream; it’s what keeps the viscous circle of life moving. The ancient tale of â€Å"The American Dream† has been pursued by many, but only few make it all the way. Though, with hard work and etermination the possibilities are endless. America is one of the very few places that give people an opportunity for success, and when people take advantage of it, good things can happen. The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the two poems, â€Å"Dream Defer red†, by Langston Hughes, and â€Å"American Dream of Reality†, by Ivy S. , Loganville, all portray the American dream. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are often times overlooked for fame and fortune, but when it comes down to it money doesn’t make you happy, it’s the simpler things that can bring happiness into someone’s life.