Monopoly and American values Essay Example for Free

Monopoly and American values Essay In societies all over the world the board game Monopoly is played by children and adults. The Parker Brother’s game has been sold in 37 different languages; over 200 million copies have been sold, is claimed to be the most popular game, and has also been sold in 103 countries. In America millions have played and is a normal and acceptable â€Å"American Past Time. † From a functionalist perspective the board game teaches and expresses many of the American values such as; equal opportunity, personal achievement and success, obtaining material comfort, progress, and the idea of democracy and free enterprise. The functionalist perspective represents society as system containing various parts that all work together to achieve social solidarity. In a post-industrial society, how does the game of Monopoly socialize people to the American Values? Society sure does function together and is well structured for the benefit of citizens, government, and entrepreneurs. The board game Monopoly has many rules and norms. There have even been Monopoly Etiquette Guides written for the serious players as well as tournament players. The recommended age for play is eight years of age and older and a minimum of two players. In America most of those with siblings of children understand how wrong a game of Monopoly can turn into a big fight. The rules of the game are pretty easy to follow. The object of the game is to become the wealthiest player through buying, renting and selling property. Each player is given $1500 to begin the game. A player must be elected to be the banker and sell property, houses, hotels, and pay the $200 salary that is collected each time a player passes go. The banker is also responsible for collecting fines and taxes owed. The spaces on the board are all labeled and include; GO, Jail, Chance, Community Chest, Taxes, Free Parking, and pay rent when landing on an opponent’s improved property. Each player is represented by a token which is a symbol of the game. These include; a wheel barrow, a car, an iron, a thimble, a cowboy on a horse, a dog , a pot of gold, a top hat, a ship, a boot, or a cannon. Each player is subject to going bankrupt, therefore increasing the other player’s chance of finding wealth. American society is very similar to the game of Monopoly. Players are socialized to these ideas which represent the values of America. Equal opportunity is taught by everyone beginning with the same amount of money, $1500, as well as $200 salary collected with each rotation around the board. Personal achievement and success is demonstrated on becoming the wealthiest player and to own the most property. Striving and working for material comfort is taught through collecting a salary and improving your owned properties, as well as collecting rent. Progress is a value in America that is evaluated by members of society on a daily basis. Progress in the game Monopoly is measured by wealth and property owned and creating a monopoly on resources, buildings, and property. The last important American value taught to players is democracy and free enterprise. The consensus of Monopoly is that it is a fun game to play. The manifest function of Monopoly is to entertain a group of players whether they are children, adolescents, or adults. The latent function is teaching players to think solely of themselves and not their neighbor who they should help. Greed is taught due to the emphasis of becoming the wealthiest player. The most witnessed latent function of Monopoly being causing dishonesty, anger, and even fighting between competitors. Although there are some negatives against the game the most important role is promoting social solidarity by encouraging a better community effort. Progress takes everyone’s help not just a few. Two options were given for a research assignment at the beginning of the course. Option one was to choose a category from; film, sports, or advertising. The second option was to read a book outside of class that focuses on Wal-Mart, minimum wage jobs for women, or how fast food has created a â€Å"now† demand for all of America’s services. The option selected for a personal interest was sports. More specifically how gender plays a role in the racing world. How are women and men treated differently? A major focus will be on drag racing and how times have changed as far as who can and cannot race as demonstrated by NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) Drag Racing. In conclusion Monopoly helps teach and spread the ideas of American culture. Players are to become the wealthiest and may have a higher social status as they can win Monopoly. A study in 2005 found that American’s value self expression more than survival. (Macionis pg. 49) This is even taught through Monopoly by being able to select how you build your property and by picking your game piece to represent yourself. A comparative study found that in 1969 the goal of first year college students was to â€Å"Develop a meaningful philosophy of life† in contrast to 2005 first year college students are wanting â€Å"to be very well off financially†. (Macionis pg. 56) Today in America having wealth is sought by all citizens but few find extreme wealth. According to the values of American’s material comfort should be worked for and can be more important than survival. With the ideas of democracy and free enterprise being key concepts of the game it is not surprising to find that globally approximately 46% of the worlds countries are â€Å"politically free†. (Macionis pg. 44) Although the game has been published in 37 different languages, English is a very common first language as well as a common second language across the globe. (Macionius pg. 47) Following the same thought nearly all of the United States speaks English or Spanish in the home. (Macionius pg. 56)This allows for the further acknowledgement of the American Values to many societies. Overall the game of Monopoly socializes people of many cultures to the American values. All of the American values encourage a person to think personally rather than globally.

my first ride in a cop car :: essays research papers

The first time I rode in a police car was about a year ago in Myrtle Beach. My friend Richard and I were there for about a week before senior week. On about our third day we found a seller of questionable goods and Richard bought some of his merchandise. Little did we know that it would come back to bite us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On our way back to our hotel Richard, in his eternal wisdom, said, â€Å"Hey I‘ve got it, let’s go get trashed and wander around!† Of course, I’m always one to get along. So I said, â€Å"Okay!†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We met some lovely young ladies, two blondes and a red head, that we had seen earlier on our way to a club and asked them, â€Å"Hey girls, we’re headed out, you wanna come with?† The reply was not what we expected, one of the blondes, Ashlee, I believe, said â€Å"What do you boys plan on doing?† I replied, â€Å"We’re probably gonna go lick shots and do some other stuff.† The red head, Brianna, then says, in a definite Boston accent, â€Å"Why don’t youse guys come wit us to our hotel?† I give Richard a questioning look and say jokingly, â€Å"Hey man, what if they’re rapists?† Rich then gives me an â€Å"are you a dumbass† look and whispers, â€Å"Do I look like I give a fuck?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While we were headed to the girls’ hotel we saw our â€Å"friend† from earlier. He stopped us and asked, â€Å"Hey’d you guys like the stuff from the other day?† Both of us shook our heads. â€Å"Want to get some more?† this question was followed by a display of his merchandise. Richard said, â€Å"Okay hook us up.† After money exchanged hands we were once again on our way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About ten minutes later we arrived at the girl’s hotel and went up to their room. As we entered the other blond, he name was Justice, casually says, â€Å"Just ignore the mess.† All of a sudden, I blurt out, in my best gay impersonation, â€Å"Oh my god this is so messy!† when in reality the room was spotless. This out burst gets a very mixed response, I get laughs from the blondes, Ashlee and Justice, but I think Brianna was confused. Richard just hit me and said, â€Å"Shut the hell up man.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a couple of hours of recreational time, Richard yells at me â€Å"Come on man, we gotta go!† We get up to leave and halfway out the door one of the girls, probably Brianna, calls after us, â€Å"Give us a ring!† I reply, â€Å"Yeah okay.

Why Do Countries Trade with Each Other

Why do countries trade with each other? Show, using examples, why this may be to do with principle of comparative advantage. Introduction In 1776 Adam Smith stated, â€Å"If a foreign country can supply us with a commodity cheaper than we ourselves can make it, better buy it of them with some part of the produce of our own industry, employed in a way in which we have some advantage. † This sentence shows basic principle on which the world trade is based. Countries buy and sell goods abroad to achieve the best possible cost-effectiveness.Long-distance trade dates back to the ancient times and today it is the heart of the world economy. It is a crucial factor in economic growth of every state. Source of prosperity and development in industrialized world. Statistically speaking, countries with high per capita values of export and import tend to have relatively rich and prosperous societies. International trade is a necessity deriving from the diversity of international community. Countries have different weather, natural resources, population, educational level of workforce, infrastructure.All these thing make cost of producing particular commodities different in each country. And that difference causes international trade to be reasonable. In my essay I’ll try to justify why countries trade with each other by pointing out and explaining particular aspects of foreign trade. Natural Resources and Factor of Endowment The most obvious and visible cause for international trade is a difference in location of natural resources and factor of endowment. Factor of endowment is amount  of  labor,  land,  money  and  entrepreneurship  that could be exploited for  manufacturing  within a country.Every country is unique, therefore they have different economic potentials. Some countries naturally have more natural resources, higher population, bigger territory than the others. Uneven location of resources causes limited possibilities of productio n within countries. For example France has basically no oil resources on its own yet it is the world 13th biggest consumer (CIA, 2010). That means that it has to import almost all it requires. They are importing it from countries that have oil surplus that they can exchange. Population is also a crucial factor.More populated nations are more likely to produce huge surplus of commodities that they can subsequently sell. Like China which huge industry sector produce number of goods big enough to sell all over the world. In order to cultivate the land, grow particular plants, practice animal husbandry very specific climate and soil fertility is needed. For instance citrus fruits can develop only in climates with a cool winter. Relatively few countries can claim to have weather like this, yet we can buy oranges and limes all over the world.These examples show that some countries do not have physical possibility to produce certain goods and have to import them. This is especially noticea ble in industrialized western societies which historically have very big demand on tropical goods such as spices, fabrics, fruits etc. Specialization Heckscher-Ohlin theory indicates that countries specializes in the production of goods that it is adopted to produce. It directly derives from differences in factor of endowment I described before.Countries have different production capacity some are rich in capital and poor in labour power, others have a lot of people but not much capital, some have a lot of raw materials, another have skilled man power. Principle of specialization is closely related to the division of labour. Whole country adopts a role of producer of certain good when the others do the same with different goods. Of course it is just a simplification because some commodities like for instance cars are produced in many different countries. One country can be specialized in production of many different goods.But in general every country produce a certain range of produ cts in high volume. That give them the opportunity to invest as much capital and labour as it is possible to develop the production and conduct research. That helps achieving higher efficiency of production and exploit economy of scale. Economy of scale is basically decreasing average cost of production per unit by expanding scale of output. By specialization economy is capable to produce high surplus and sell it abroad afterwards. Since when costs of production decreases, supply increases.To visualize the point I’ll present and theoretical example. Country â€Å"A† is very capital-abundant but is poor in labour and country â€Å"B† is poor in capital, but has a lot of labour force. Country â€Å"A† country can form capital-intensive industries that will have great efficiency thanks to scale of the production. It will produce surplus and then exchange it with country â€Å"B† which specialized itself in labour-intensive industries. By that means, p roduction of both capital and labour intensive goods will be higher and of better quality. Great real world example is Dutch agriculture.Holland is a medium populated country with only 61st place in the world in terms of population (CIA, 2012). Yet its agriculture which employs only 2% of the population provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and exports. After United states and France it is world third largest exporter of foodstuffs. That is thanks to huge investments in new technologies and mechanized agriculture. Comparative Advantage Both reasons for trading that I described in previous paragraphs boil down to one absolute cause for world trade to occur, comparative advantage.Country has a comparative advantage when it has an ability to produce particular good at lower marginal and opportunity cost. Because of limited production capacity no country is able to produce every needed product. To produce particular good or service, economy sometimes has to give up o n producing others. That means that a country has to specialize on producing goods that is has comparative advantage on. For instance let’s assume that Poland can produce both cars and grow carrots at relatively low cost but at the same time Ukraine can grow carrots with a bit higher cost than Poland, but can’t produce cars.That means that Poland has absolute advantage on both goods but opportunity cost of producing a car in Poland is significantly higher than in Ukraine. By investing work force and capital in cultivation of carrots Poland misses an opportunity to produce more cars which can bring higher revenue to the polish economy. In that way Ukraine has a comparative advantage on production of carrots because Ukrainian economy do not lose opportunity to produce anything, by investing in carrot agricultural production. This example explains why it is sometime worthwhile for countries to export goods that they are capable of producing.This can lead everyone to produ cing only those goods that one can produce most efficiently. Good example of comparative advantage in contemporary world is the fact that on span of last few India became a major supplier of phone answering services for USA. Even though obviously Americans have better skill in English language and are able to provide this service independently , relatively high skilled American labour force is needed in another efforts. Opportunity cost of having that service provided by Americans is to apparently to high. That’s why it is transferred to India. ConclusionConclusion that derives from previous points is that world trade is inevitable and necessary mean in contemporary world. Factor of Endowments paragraph clearly states that countries are endowed with resources extremely unevenly. 81% of Petroleum reserves which is currently one of the most desired and needed commodities is localized in only 12 countries(OPEC,2011). Concerning that most of the world countries do not have oil re sources big enough to satisfy domestic demand, they have to import it. This is not only oil supply problem, many goods are able to be produced, mined etc. only in certain areas.This is in my opinion the most visible and crucial reason why countries trade. Secondly over the years people understood that specialization and intensification of production can bring huge profit. Economy of scale make per unit production cheaper but involve bigger effort. That’s why it is easier to focus on big production of only some range of goods why importing others. And of course comparative advantage principle which in mathematical way, shows how by division of production between countries and a proper assessment of opportunity cost every country can trade with one another with profit.These three examples of reasons why do countries trade should explain concept of international trade clearly enough and show its benefits and inevitability in contemporary world. Bibliography Smith, A, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, (1776) Sokoloff, Engerman, History Lessons: Institutions, Factors Endowments, and Paths of Development in the New World, The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Available from: http://www. jstor. org/stable/2646928? seq=8 [Accessed 29th October 2012]McKenzie, Lionel, Specialization and Efficiency in World Production. , The Review of Economic Studies21 ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Smith, A. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. (1776), p. 364. [ 2 ]. Business Dictionary, Factor of Endowment Definition. Available from: http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/factor-endowment. html [Accessed 28 October 2012] [ 3 ]. The Economist, Economies of scale and scope. Available from: http://www. economist. com/node/12446567 [Accessed 29th October 2012]

SCSU Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

Southern Connecticut State University is a public university with an acceptance rate of 66%. Part of the Connecticut State Colleges Universities, Southern Connecticut State University is located in New Haven, just a few minutes from  Yale University. At the baccalaureate level, psychology and business are among the most popular majors. Academics are supported by a 14-to-1 student / faculty ratio. On the athletic front, the Southern Owls compete in the NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference and the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Considering applying to Southern Connecticut State University? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Southern Connecticut State University had an acceptance rate of 66%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 66 students were admitted, making SCSUs admissions process somewhat competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 8,983 Percent Admitted 66% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 26% SAT Scores and Requirements Southern Connecticut State University requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 98% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 470 580 Math 450 550 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of Southern Connecticut State Universitys admitted students fall within the  bottom 29% nationally  on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to SCSU scored between 470 and 580, while 25% scored below 470 and 25% scored above 580. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 450 and 550, while 25% scored below 450 and 25% scored above 550. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1130 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Southern Connecticut State University. Requirements Southern does not require the optional SAT essay section. Note that SCSU participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. ACT Scores and Requirements SCSU requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 3% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 22 23 Math 17 22 Composite 18 24 This admissions data tells us that most of Southern Connecticut State Universitys admitted students fall within the  bottom 40% nationally  on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to SCSU received a composite ACT score between 18 and 24, while 25% scored above 24 and 25% scored below 18. Requirements Southern Connecticut State University does not require the optional ACT writing section. Unlike many universities, Southern superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered. GPA Southern Connecticut State University does not provide data about admitted students high school GPAs. However, the school does indicate that an average candidate to Southern may have a high school GPA in the B range. Admissions Chances Southern Connecticut State University, which accepts two-thirds of applicants, has a somewhat competitive admissions pool. However, Southern also has a  holistic admissions  process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. A  strong application  essay  and  a  glowing letter of recommendation  can strengthen your application, as can participation in  meaningful extracurricular activities  and a  rigorous course schedule. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their grades and test scores are outside Southern Connecticut State Universitys average range. If You Like SCSU, You May Also Like These Schools Quinnipiac UniversityYale UniversityBoston CollegeBrown UniversityUniversity of ConnecticutUniversity of Rhode IslandUniversity of New HavenPace University All admissions data has been sourced from National Center for Education Statistics and Southern Connecticut State University Undergraduate Admissions Office.