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The problem
Majority of the American citizens bear the costs of government operations while a small group
of individuals get the governmental rewards.
Supporting points
i.
A small group of individuals mainly the wealthy businesses individuals that are not
affected by the economic hardships of the country.
ii.
How the larger group that comprise of the middle class and the less fortunate American
members are affected.
iii. Causes of the economic hardships that have resulted to the cause of a few selected
individuals benefiting while others bearing the cost.
Solution
Regulating the economic rules and standard to ensure equal distribution of resources to minimize
economic hardships of larger part of the America’s population.
Main arguments in favor of the proposed solution
i.
Maintaining equal distribution of resources by the government.
ii.
Setting rules and regulations that will favour both the wealthy and the middleclass
individuals.
Work Cited
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Span, C. Michelle Wolf Roasts Trump Administration, (April, 2018).
https://www.nytimes.com/video/business/media/100000005874923/michelle-wolf-roaststrump-administration.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbusiness
George Aisch, Alicia Parlapiano. What Do You Think Is the Most Important
Problem Facing This Country Today?’ the New York Times current news on business
problems facing, (February, 2017).
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/27/us/politics/most-important-problemgallup-polling-question.html
Surname 1
The problem
Majority of the American citizens bear the costs of government operations while a small group
of individuals get the governmental rewards.
Supporting points
i.
A small group of individuals mainly the wealthy businesses individuals that are not affected by the economic hardships of the country.
ii.
How the larger group that comprise of the middle class and the less fortunate American
members are affected.
iii. Causes of the economic hardships that have resulted to the cause of a few selected individuals benefiting while others bearing the cost.
Solution
Regulating the economic rules and standard to ensure equal distribution of resources to minimize
economic hardships of larger part of the America’s population.
Main arguments in favor of the proposed solution
i.
Maintaining equal distribution of resources by the government.
ii.
Setting rules and regulations that will favour both the wealthy and the middleclass individuals.
Work Cited
Surname 2
Span, C. Michelle Wolf Roasts Trump Administration, (April, 2018).
https://www.nytimes.com/video/business/media/100000005874923/michelle-wolf-roaststrump-administration.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fbusiness
George Aisch, Alicia Parlapiano. What Do You Think Is the Most Important
Problem Facing This Country Today?’ the New York Times current news on business
problems facing, (February, 2017). https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/02/27/us/politics/most-important-problem-gallup-polling-question.html
From Professor
It appears that you have found four articles related to CEOS and social issues. That's good. Your
statement of the problem, however, seems unfocused and provides no suggestion that you will be
proposing anything related to CEOS. I suggest that you redefine the problem so that it specifically refers to the absence of CEO leadership. The solution, more CEO leadership, would naturally follow as a solution.
In presenting your solution, try to come up with a better summary statement that "contribute
much"---that's too vague. And do you have a suggestion about how to compel CEOs to address
social issues?
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Sample Essay #1
What's worse than the empty calories in sugary soda drinks? It's
cheap, empty calories in sugary soda drinks.
Obesity poses a growing public health problem, one in which
soda consumption plays a major role. We can't make sodas
nutritionally rich. But we can do the next best thing: make them
more expensive. I propose a penny-per-ounce federal tax on
sugared soda drinks. This would deter consumption while raising
revenue to support obesity-related public health programs.
Soda consumption is not the sole cause of obesity but studies
suggest that it significantly contributes to the obesity problem. The
sugars in sodas supply empty calories, energy that the body can't
use and is converted into fat. In the past 50 years, the average
amount of sugar consumed per capita in America has increased
by 24 pounds a year.(2)
This dismal trend has affected children to a frightening extent.
Sugared beverages now account for 10% of the caloric intake of
children and teenagers in America.(1) Kelly D. Brownell, a Yale
professor, and Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, of the national Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, wrote in an article in The New
England Journal of Medicine last year: "In the mid-1990s,
children's intake of sugared beverages surpassed that of milk. For
each extra can or glass of sugared beverage consumed per day,
the likelihood of a child's becoming obese increases by 60%."(2)
Inexpensive soda is especially prevalent in low-income
neighborhoods. Dr. Richard F. Daines, New York State's health
commissioner, said that in his own middle-class neighborhood,
"you won't see a single soda billboard." But in Harlem, sodas
seem to be everywhere: "This is cheap, it's heavily advertised, it
tastes really good."(3) He added, "We plunge kids into that
environment and we say, if you have a problem, you lack selfcontrol."(3)
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Defenders of the industry argue that sodas should not be singled
out and made to carry the blame for the nation's obesity
problems. J. Justin Wilson, who is an analyst with the Center for
Consumer Freedom, said, "Soda has calories, and food with
calories causes people to put on weight when consumed in
excess. But there is no unique link between soda and obesity."(1)
But this argument ignores the fact that sugared beverages are the
number one source of calories in our diet today.(1)
These drinks won't seem quite as sweet if they cost more. New
York State's governor has proposed a penny-per-ounce tax on
sugared beverages, a tax that I advocate extending nationally. Dr.
Daines supports the tax, but suggests that it be called simply a
"beverage tax" rather than a "fat tax."(3)
A beverage tax on sugared sodas would lower consumption. On
this point, both advocates of the tax and its opponents agree. The
beverage industry projects a 7.8% decline for every 6.8%
increase in price.(2) This projection is even greater than the
findings in a recent Yale study, in which a 10% price increase
resulted in a 7.8% drop in consumption.(2)
The tax would also generate sorely needed revenue for the
government. A penny-per-ounce tax would bring in $1.2 billion
annually just in New York State.(2) A lighter tax, assessing a
quarter-of-a-cent-per-ounce tax (3 cents on a 12-ounce sugared
soda) and extended nationwide, would raise an estimated $51.6
billion over a decade, according to estimates made by the Joint
Committee on Taxation.(1) The calculation was made when the
tax was considered as a source of funds for health-care reform.(1)
Opponents of the tax cannot claim that a beverage tax would
open an entirely new area to taxation. Some states already have
a tax on sodas: Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, and
West Virginia.(1)
Would the tax be regressive, falling disproportionately on the
poor? The American Beverage Association is sponsoring
commercials that depict homemakers worried that they will no
longer be able to afford adequate food for their families if they
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have to pay a tax on sodas. Jane Brody, the health columnist for
The New York Times, counters that it is "those who find it hardest
to make ends meet" who would benefit the most from the tax
because "these are the people who can least afford to waste
hard-earned dollars on empty calories that undermine their
health."(2)
A soda tax can be likened to the tax on tobacco: it's not a matter
of morality, but one of public health. Our experience on the
tobacco front shows that public policy can make a fairly dramatic
difference in encouraging healthier behavior. Americans smoke at
half the rate they once did and half of all smokers have quit---and
it is the tobacco companies who finance antismoking
campaigns.(1)
We have not yet seen Coke and Pepsi financing anti-soda
advertising campaigns. But we do see these companies
diversifying, promoting sports drinks, energy drinks, and
sweetened teas---all of which are sugary beverages, too, and
would be subject to the beverage tax I propose.(2)
Obesity is too large a problem to be amenable to a single fix. The
beverage tax isn't a panacea, but it would help to get pricing
signals better aligned with the public's long-term health interests.
Yale's Kelly Bronwell said, "What you want is to reverse the fact
that healthy food is too expensive and unhealthy food is too
cheap, and the soda tax is a start. Unless food marketing
changes, it's hard to believe that anything else can work."(1)
CITATIONS
1. "Is Soda the New Tobacco?" The New York Times. 13
February 2010.
2. "A Tax to Combat America's Sugary Diet." The New York
Times.
3. "Health Official Willing to Go to the Mat Over Obesity and
Sugared Sodas." The New York Times.
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The following essay was written by a student in 2013 who
received an A grade. Notice the impressive use of many good
sources (which were very recent when this was submitted).
Sample Essay #2
A woman sits at the back of a club, listening to the band and
watching the other patrons dance. Every few minutes, she
reaches into her pocket, pulls out a device that resembles an
oversized pen, raises it to her mouth, and blows a cloud of vapor
as a relieved look spreads across her face. She is using a device
that has become popular among tobacco smokers: the ecigarette.
E-cigarettes are a technological advancement for the lifestyle of a
smoker. These devices use a liquid nicotine solution instead of
tobacco, which when heated delivers the nicotine to the user, who
then exhales a cloud of water vapor instead of smoke, often
referred to as "vaping."(5) The woman's use of the e-cigarette in
the example above presents a complex problem to the owners of
the club and the patrons inside; should they kick her out for
smoking indoors, even though the byproduct of her activities is
vapor, not smoke? Authorities are not sure when or if they can
enforce the laws affecting where a person can or cannot smoke:
How do you demand they stub out a cigarette when there's no
flame.(5)
A reason for the lack of laws regarding e-cigarettes is that their
long-term effects are unknown and largely untested. Critics of ecigarettes argue that these devices, if used at all, should be tools
to help a person quit a smoking habit, and even then, the smoker
should use only thoroughly tested products like Nicorette gum and
prescription patches.(7) Despite the arguments surrounding ecigarettes, both sides believe that there should be an increased
amount of time and effort to study the effects (or lack thereof) of
these products.
A major argument for widespread and unconventional use of
cigarettes' electronic counterpart is that the vapor inhaled and
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exhaled by the smoker is completely harmless. The U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a study on the matter
in 2009 and found that e-cigarette emissions contained
"carcinogens and toxic chemicals, including the ingredients found
in anti-freeze."(1) In addition, many of the chemicals that
compose the vapor can be found on California's Proposition 65
list of chemicals known to cause cancer and birth defects,
including formaldehyde, lead, and of course, nicotine.(3) The list
of these chemicals (and many others) was compiled to protect
Californians from harmful substances, and at least ten of these
chemicals are found in e-cigarette vapor.
With the lack of regulation paralleling that of the tobacco industry,
e-cigarette companies seem poised to make their products
appealing to young people. The strict codes that keep the
marketing campaigns of tobacco companies in line are not
enforced upon e-cigarette manufacturers. The potency of ecigarettes allows them heightened presence in the public eye and
many worry that this may lead to a pathway to nicotine addiction
for children.(8) Unregulated advertisements could lead children or
young people into believing that using e-cigarettes is a safe
alternative to traditional tobacco use, when they are still full of
addictive nicotine. Companies are turning out e-cigarettes with
novelty flavors like vanilla and even Mountain Dew, with the
intention to coerce young people into using their products.(4)
Companies know that adding "fun" flavors to their product will give
users and potential customers the idea that smoking an ecigarette is fun, and the "fun" aspect appeals to the younger
demographic. In 2012 the Centers of Disease Control and
Prevention found that "1.8 middle and high school students said
they had tried e-cigarettes."(6)
Along with the fear of the rise in e-cigarette use among young
people is the fear that e-cigarettes will act as a "gateway" to other
tobacco products. The same organization mentioned above found
that e-cigarette use among middle and high school students rose
from 1.4% to 2.7% and 4.7% to 10% from 2011 to 2012,
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respectively.(2) These increasing numbers worry anti-tobacco
advocates, as does the pervasive market for the products. Ecigarettes are being bought and sold over the internet, giving
anyone with a credit card the ability to obtain the product,
regardless of age.(2) The marketing that paints the e-cigarette
user as cool, fashionable, and/or sexy may inspire young people
to pursue the more dangerous, and thus "cooler" alternative to ecigarettes: real tobacco products.
In light of all this controversy, the FDA needs to put its foot down
and regulate the market for distribution, sale, and advertisement
of e-cigarettes by treating them equally with their tobacco-filled
equivalents. These companies are glamorizing their products
through ads and promotions the same way big tobacco did in the
days before strict government regulation; the current lack of
regulation is undoing years of public health policy that limited the
pervasiveness of smoking.(5) In addition, the same strict age
restrictions need to be applied to e-cigarette sales, in a society
where their use has doubled among teens in the past year
alone.(4) The "fun" flavors of chocolate, vanilla, and the like must
be streamlined or banned so children will not view vaping as a fun
activity.
People are "vaping" indoors, outdoors, in cars, in bed, and
virtually anywhere they want because there is no government
entity that is telling them not to. Without regulation, e-cigarettes
will be everywhere and their supposed "harmlessness" will be
engrained in the minds of the nation's youth, much like those who
believed the same about traditional cigarettes in the early 20th
century and earlier.
CITATIONS
1. American Cancer Society. (2010, April 9). "Policy Guidance
Document Regarding E-Cigarettes." American Cancer Society
Cancer Action Network press release. 9 April 2010. Retrieved
from http://www.ttac.org/tcn/tfp/2010/may2010/pdfs/Policy_Guidance_E-Cigarettes.pdf
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2. "E-Cigarette Use Rises Among Youth, Study Says." Wall Street
Journal. 5 September 2013.
3. Glantz, Stanton."10 chemicals identified so far in e-cig vapor
that are on the California Prop 65 list of carcinogens and
reproductive toxins." Center for Tobacco Control, University of
California, San Francisco. 20 July 2013. Retrieved from
http://www.tobacco.ucsf.edu/10-chemicals-identified-so-far-e-cigvapor-are-california-prop-65-list-carcinogens-and-reproductive
4. "Regulation push catching up with electronic cigarettes."
Chicago Tribune. 15 November 2013.
5. "Confounding a Smoking Ban, and Bouncers." The New York
Times. 7 August 2013.
6. "40 AGs Urge Tight Regulation of E-cigarettes." Wall Street
Journal. 24 September 2013.
7. "A Tool to Quit Smoking Has Some Unlikely Critics." The New
York Times. 7 November 2011.
8. "Judge Orders F.D.A. to Stop Blocking Imports of E-Cigarettes
from China." The New York Times. 14 January 2010.
Guidelines for the Essay
A well-supported, but opinionated, essay
Many student essay assignments ask that you prepare an informative
essay, and you are expected to hide your opinion about the topic and
take a strictly neutral approach to the subject.
This assignment is not an informative essay, but a persuasive essay. You
will select a significant social problem that relates to business, a problem
that you personally care about and you will propose one solution that, in
your opinion, is the best one for addressing the problem.
If the paper consists entirely of your opinions and nothing else, it will
not be persuasive. Your opinion must be supported with expert opinion
from authorities, from facts, and from logical reasoning. You must show
where you obtained the expert opinion and the facts that you cite. The
more sources that are used to back your points, the stronger the paper.
Preparing the paper involves three steps:
1. Selecting an unsolved business-government-and-society problem;
finding at least two articles from either the New York Times or the Wall
Street Journal that report on it, or from both; and then thinking of a
solution that you will advocate in your paper.
2. Preparing a brief outline of your main points with at least one source
reference placed by every point in the outline.
3. Writing the essay, which will be limited to 900 words.
Selecting a topic
The essay should take on a topic that involves a major problem that
involves one business or group of businesses and currently affects
American society. Please stick to the United States for this assignment.
It should be a problem that affects a significant number of people----and
it should be a problem that has not been solved.
The problem needs to involve the actions of business firms in some way--and also to have an undesirable effect upon "society." If a company
reports a quarterly loss, that does not constitute a problem that faces
American society. However, if a company with many employees----like
General Motors----asks the federal government for financial assistance
to avoid closing its doors, this presents a business-government-andsociety problem.
The essay will not only identify the problem, it will also offer one
specific proposal to change government policy, government regulation,
or business practices that would help to reduce or eliminate the
problem. It must be a solution that is not already in place.
Only one solution should be offered---not two solutions, not three
solutions, only one. Limiting the solution to one is necessary in order to
describe and support it well in a short paper.
The essay should clearly state both the problem and the one proposed
solution in the first paragraph and use the remainder of the essay to fill
in details.
It should rely on fresh research that presents supporting quotations from
authorities who are knowledgeable about the subject.
Examples of major business-government-and-society problems:
Problem: High rates of obesity in low-income neighborhoods
Proposal: Provide grants to small grocery stores in these neighborhoods
for installing refrigeration units for fresh vegetables and fruit.
Problem: Consumers continue to prefer purchasing gasoline-powered
vehicles rather than electric vehicles that are less damaging to the
environment
Proposal: Provide a much larger federal rebate than has ever been
offered before for electric vehicles---$20,000 per purchase
Problem: Beef production on a mass scale in giant feedlots produces air
pollution that is closely linked to global warming
Proposal: Use tax policy to encourage production of beef and dairy
products on small, traditional farms
These problems and solutions are suggested only for purposes of
illustration. The range of possible problems is virtually unlimited, and so
too are possible solutions (and you can propose a different solution to
any of the problems identified above, if you select one of these
problems---but remember: only ONE solution).
Sources
You're expected to find relevant supporting materials that were not read
for class. Even if you should select a topic related to one of the course
readings or a news article introduced in class, your paper should not
have any references to the texts or articles that have been used (nor
should you use any sources used in the essays that follow below in this
handout). You're expected to find fresh material.
Two requirements: 1. The essay should cite at least two articles from
either the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. 2. At least one of
those two articles should have been published since the beginning of the
semester.
Sources from other publications can be used, too, but only as an addition
to the minimum-of-two-New-York-Times-or-Wall-Street-Journalstories, not as a substitute.
Keep in mind that every factual statement should have a source. And
every statement of opinion will be strengthened if you can find an expert
authority who has made a statement that supports your position.
The more sources that are used to back your points, the stronger the
paper.
You can't go wrong using New York Times and Wall Street Journal
articles. But if you would like to use additional material, please do not
use material from the web in which the web page was not formally
published with a clear date of publication. The only exception would be
websites operated by the federal government (their URL always ends in
".gov") or by a state government.
Sources
Every factual statement should have a published source.
The source should be in the form of a text document and available on the
Web. Videos, podcasts, and interviews that you conduct yourself are not
suitable for this assignment.
Every statement of your opinion will be strengthened if you can find an
expert authority who has made a similar statement and use that expert as
a source, too. The more sources that are used to support your points, the
stronger the paper.
All sources should be as recent as possible to eliminate the possibility
that the facts have changed since publication.
The following are not suitable as cited sources: Wikipedia articles;
textbooks of any kind, in any course; corporate profiles.
The Outline
Below is the outline for Sample Paper #1. It shows main points that will
be used in the first half of the paper, concerning the problem, and it
shows the main points that will be used in the second half, concerning
the solution. (It was prepared in Spring 2010, when the sources had been
published recently.)
Following each main point, include in parentheses the citation's number
in the citation list.
The outline should be simple: only two levels (identify by using roman
numerals for the top level and capital letters for subpoints; you won't be
able to indent the second level in the web form).
Each entry should be brief
I. Introduction
II. Problem: sugary soda drinks contribute to nation's obesity epidemic
A. Sugar consumption up (2)
B. Children consume increased amounts of sugar (2)
C. Inexpensive soda consumed especially in low-income areas (3)
D: Counterargument: sodas not directly linked to obesity (1)
III. Proposed solution: penny-per-ounce federal tax on sugared sodas
A. Proposed in New York state (3)
B. Would lower consumption (2)
C. Would generate revenue (1)
D. Counterarguments: new kind of tax and regressive(1)(2)
E.Soda tax would be similar to tobacco tax (1)
IV. Conclusion
CITATIONS
1. "Is Soda the New Tobacco?" The New York Times. 13 February 2010.
2. "A Tax to Combat America's Sugary Diet." The New York Times.
3. "Health Official Willing to Go to the Mat Over Obesity and Sugared
Sodas." The New York Times.
Below is the essay that is based on this outline. Please note that one, and
only one, solution is proposed. Your paper should also have one, and
only one, proposed solution.
Also please note that the only direct quotations consist of the exact
language of experts who were quoted in the original sources. Do not
directly quote a journalist who is not a recognized expert. Paraphrase
instead. (One exception you'll notice: Jane Brody, a New York Times
columnist who has long specialized in health-related journalism and is
the author of many respected books in this field, should be treated as an
expert.)
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