Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Internationalisation Strategies Taken by Xerox, Ricoh and Canon Dissertation

Internationalisation Strategies Taken by Xerox, Ricoh and Canon - Dissertation Example The case analysis highlights the approaches and strategies that these organisations had taken in the Chinese office electronics market to overcome the challenges that it poses for companies bent on internationalisation in this setting with highly peculiar characteristics. Contents Internationalisation Strategies Taken by Xerox, 1 Ricoh and Canon to Respond to Challenges 1 Posed By China's Emerging Market 1 Abstract 2 Contents 3 Chapter One 5 Introduction 5 Chapter Two 8 Literature Review 8 2.1 Internationalisation Challenges 8 2.3.1 Local Market Disadvantages 8 2.3.2 Disproportionate Operating Costs and Denial of Benefits Accorded to Domestic Firms 9 2.3.3 Cultural Distance and Market Entry Modes 10 2.3.4 Political Bargaining and Positioning 12 2.3.5 Institutional Differences and Corruption 13 2.3.6 Local Density and WFOE Performance 13 2.3.7 Organizational Capabilities 14 2.3.3 Administrative Heritage 15 2.3.4 Organisational Structure 17 2.2 Internationalisation Strategies 17 2.2.1 Exporting 19 2.2.2 International Licensing Agreements 19 2.2.3 International Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances 20 2.2.4 Wholly-Owned Foreign Enterprise 21 2.4 Doing Business in China 22 2.5 The Global Office Electronics Industry 23 Chapter Three 25 Research Design 25 3.1 Case Study Approach 25 3.2 Data Collection 26 3.3 Framework for Analysis 26 Chapter Four 28 Case Studies 28 4.1 Short-Term Challenges 28 4.1.1 Cultural Distance and Organisational Capabilities 29 4.1.2 Political Bargaining and Positioning 32 4.2 Long-Term Challenges 34 4.2.1 Administrative Heritage 35 4.2.2 Organisational Structure 37 4.3 China Strategies of Office Electronics Firms 39 4.4 Discussion 41 4.4.1 Short-Term Challenges 43 4.4.2 Long-Term Challenges 43 4.4.3...The technology for office electronics is closely associated with communications, which was perfected in the US in the 1920s. Thenceforth until the 1970s, the US was the logical world leader in this industry, after which industry leadership shifted to Western Europe. Going into the 1990s, Japan broke into the world economic elite and established dominance over this industry, including all manufacturing activities related to electronics. Now the future of this industry is in China, the world’s most populous nation with 1.3 billion people and the axis of Asia, which in turn comprises 60 per cent of the world population. Office electronics is an $88.8 billion industry worldwide as of 2004 and still growing, with Xerox, Canon and Ricoh as the global big three. The three are just part of over 600,000 multinational enterprises, represented by about 800,000 subsidiaries, that push internationalisation in the global market (Lou, 2002). Altogether, Xerox, Canon and Ricoh account for some 28 percent of the global market through operations in mostly developed countries. Such market share, large though it may be, is proving less and less secure as the office electronics industry in developed markets becomes saturated and overcrowded (Datamonitor, 2005). For continued viability and long-term growth, the companies involved have to turn their sights towards emerging markets like China where future growth opportunities lie. China is a particularly attractive market, not only for its sheer size and cheap labour advantage.

Monday, October 28, 2019

The Analysis of Unknown Citizen Essay Example for Free

The Analysis of Unknown Citizen Essay The Unknown Citizen seems to describe story about the Unknown Soldier, a term used to recognize people whose bodies are found after a battle but cannot be identified. This poem begins by the word â€Å"He was found by the Bureau of Statistics† It is describing a person referred to as, simply, He. We take this to be The Unknown Citizen, which makes sense because his name isn’t known, the ordinary average citizen in the modern industrialized urban society who has no individuality and identity. The concept of this poem suggests that the lives of many normal people are so conventional and uneventful that they might as well be unknown or anonymous. There is a message that the writer wants to be told to the readers, it is â€Å" you don’t want to end up like the Unknown Citizen†. In the final of the poem, the writer asks two questions, they are â€Å"Was he free? Was he happy?†. By asking these questions, the poet is drawing our attention to the question of freedom and happiness. It’s interesting that these two questions are referred to in the singular, as the question, as if being free and being happy were the same thing. The Unknown Citizen uses the old-fashion style, eventhough it is written in modern era. The writer, Auden, is known as a master of of the rhyming couplet (AA, BB), the simplest rhyme scheme in English. Auden is considered a modernist writer, but his work is unlike that of any other poet of the past century. The Unknown Citizen deserves a central place in our nation’s capital, considering all his huge accomplishments like having five kids. It will be right down the street from the Bureau of Statistics, a huge, drab marble building.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Free Essays: Frankenstein and the Enlightenment :: Frankenstein essays

Many people say that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein postdates the Enlightenment; that it is a looking-back on the cultural phenomenon after its completion, and a first uncertain reaction to the movement. I must disagree. There is no "after the Enlightenment." A civilization does not simply stop learning. Where is the point at which someone stands up and says, "Okay, that's enough Enlightening for now, I think we're good for another few centuries"? For better or for worse, the Enlightenment is still going on today. As the Information Age advances, we continue to invent and build. Exploration now reaches to the depths of the oceans and the nearer regions of space. We peer beyond the atom, beyond the sub-atomic particle, delving ever deeper into the secrets of science to find that ultimate point at which it converges with philosophy. The question is: do we want to? The picture on the cover of our edition of Frankenstein is Joseph Wright of Derby's An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump -- an appropriate scene, not only for how it recalls Shelley's mental state, but also for how well it illustrates precisely that doubt about the Enlightenment the novel was written to express. All around a table, at which a scientific experiment that harms a living creature is being conducted, are seated various people of differing social positions, and similarly differing reactions to the event at hand. A pair of inquisitive young men look on eagerly, a frightened woman turns her head away in abject horror, a young girl stares apprehensively, unsure of what to think. That young girl is us. And based on what we see in the air pump, we must decide whether we will become the frightened woman or the interested men. I find little room to doubt that Shelley is trying to instill some sense of fear in her reader. For not only does Victor Frankenstein loathe his own creation -- and let us not be mistaken, the work of the doctor is without question a symbol for the larger body of work of all Enlightenment scientists, seeking knowledge they do not understand in order to perform tasks previously thought impossible -- but the creation curses himself as well, speaking of the grotesqueness of his appearance and admitting freely to having willfully done evil. Perhaps in Shelley's mind this is indeed unspeakable. For my part, rather than view Frankenstein's monster as a symptom of the potential terror resulting from the advances of Enlightenment science, I look on it as a symptom as one of the advances made by Enlightenment philosophy.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

European Expansionism and the New World Order Essay

The European invasion and expansionism leave a stain to the World History, and thus traced the question where does the modern youth get their evil side. Since this Europeans invaded most part of the world if not the whole, everyone could say that each has a small drop of blood of Europeans in their system, especially in the continent of South and North America, where most of the European expeditions harbored. Because of this, wickedness of Europeans might be inside of today’s every man’s alive. The extermination of Hispaniola by the Spaniards is no less than a tragic extinction of American Natives. Exquisite execution of the poor victims ironically generates fun and excitement with those performing the impious acts, all for the name of the Almighty. In the book of Stannard, it summarizes blow by blow account of how the Europeans perform such evil acts including Spaniards who’s responsible in creating the New World in accordance to their standards and Christian beliefs and devotions. However, the creation of the so-called New World of this Europeans caused massive killings and pestilence which resulted to a depopulation of about ninety-six percent. The irony is putting a New World for the living in expense of every living thing that is degraded, demoralized, and extinct. For the most common term it is survival of the fittest supposedly performed only by animals in the wild fighting as predators for the flesh of their victims. How the old Europeans perform the survival of the fittest game for their New World? American Natives wiped out for many ungodly reasons varying from killing newly born babies to letting husbands and wife being tired and stressful that they do not get to feel the sexual urge to do procreation. Some reasons were pestilence or intentionally spreading of plague and viral diseases by scattering contaminated things to public. Some were simply letting the people starved to death. Some were being subjected to burning villages and massive killings. This character of burning people and villages originated in Europeans because they are the ones having the superiority trait and that inferiors of them deserved to be maltreated, demoralized and died inhumanely. It could be to totally eliminate habitants of such community, especially when they see that the land that they occupied were fertile, healthy and rich. For the conclusion on this chapter which talk about European Expansionism and New World Order is the additional denunciation for the late reaction of the natives as they allowed three or four decades of European invasion and American extinction before they do the movement and crusade of condemning European’s wrongdoings. Again, these movements which lead to Civil War also take part in the World History in a negative manner and reputation.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Phuket Beach Resort Essay

Case Report : Phuket Beach Hotel Executive Summary Phuket Beach Hotel has space located on second floor of the main building which was underutilized. Planet Karaoke pub was expanding in Thailand and looking for a venue in patong beach area for setting up another outlet. Planet Karaoke Pub found unused space of the hotel most suitable for their new venture. Beach Karaoke pub project does not considered salary as excess man power is available but if we considered cost of staff salary, Beach Karaoke pub becomes less attractive. There are many factors that cannot be quantified but they need to be addressed for the evaluation of the projects including Security issues. Additional security guards can be hired to maintain law and order but the costs of extra security is not provided for analysis. Recommendation Wanida should suggest an investment recommendation in favor of the Planet Karaoke Club (PKC) project. Reference : On-line segments Text Book – Financial management (Theory & Practices) Phuket Beach Hotel report

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

As Christians we do have responsibilities for other people Essay Example

As Christians we do have responsibilities for other people Essay Example As Christians we do have responsibilities for other people Essay As Christians we do have responsibilities for other people Essay As Christians we do have responsibilities for other people. We should love, care and help our neighbours.Christians believe that God created everyone equal, and that we were all created in the image of God (Genesis chapter 1), because of this we also believe that we have the duty to care for others as well as ourselves. To be a Christian, we have to be stewards of the earth. Stewards look after the world God created, this includes humans as we live in it.In the New Testament we have several teachings where Jesus encourages us to love our neighbours. We see that we help all kinds of people regarding their religion or what they look like in The Good Samaritan when a Samaritan helps a man who has been beaten up and had his money stolen, and the man is a Levite and he would probably expect the least amount of help from a Samaritan as their people dont like each other. The Samaritan bandaged the mans wounds and took him to an inn and told them to look after him with my money. We learn fro m this parable that we should help our neighbour when they are in trouble or they need it.Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength is the great commandment. You cannot keep this commandment if you do not respect other humans, as they are also Gods creation. Love all your neighbour as yourself and you will keep Gods wishes.In another parable The Sheep and Goats Jesus explains that Christians will be judged on the last day on how they helped those in need. There are examples of giving food to the hungry , visiting a sick person, welcoming a stranger. Those people who have done these things will go to heaven As you did it to one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me and those who havent will go to hell. We learn that everything we do to our neighbours we do to God and if you dont help your neighbours , you do not help God.We believe in the Incarnation, that Jesus Christ is really and truly God and he was on Earth and in flesh. Jesus loved, cared and helped everyone he could and we should follow in his footsteps.Catechism 2258 Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly- to destroy an innocent human being. In this catechism the Roman Catholic church tells us that life is sacred because God gave us life. We should cherish our lives and the life of others by helping them. Life is a precious gift from God; we should live our lives to the fullest. To show God we appreciate his gift we should also help others live their lives to the fullest. As a member of the Catholic Church your relationship with God should always be getting stronger, like confirmation and to prove your faith and to get closer to God you have to help others and you have to take that responsibility.Catechism 2069 One cannot honour another person without blessing God his creator. One cannot adore God without loving all men, his creatures. If you believe and say you are a Christian, you cannot ignore the needs of others. If you ignore the needs of others you are a hypocrite. This catechism is about putting your words into actions Actions speaks louder than words. We learn from the papal documents that we have the responsibility to protect the dignity of human lives. We need to work for the kingdom of God by helping others. We must help others and reject discrimination and show basic equality. In the Decree on the Apostle of Lay People we learn that Lay people share in the mission of the church to spread the Kingdom of God all over the earth. Lay people believe that kindness and love to others is the point on which all people will be judged.A great Christian example to follow is Oscar Romero. He was born in Ciudad Barrios, a town in the m ountainous east of El Salvador, on 15 August 1917..He went to a seminary in San Miguel, then to the capital San Salvador, and from there to Rome. He was ordained in 1942. In January 1944 he was across the city. In 1970, he became auxiliary bishop of San Salvador, and there he busied himself with administration.. In 1974, he became bishop of a rural diocese, Santiago de Maria. Three years later, in February 1977, Oscar Romero became archbishop of San Salvador.In that month soldiers in the town square of the capital attacked crowds of protesters. Then, on 12 March 1977, a priest was murdered, in Aguilares. He recognized that power lay in the hands of violent men, and that they murdered with impunity. The wealthy sanctioned the violence that maintained them. Death squads committed murder in the cities while soldiers killed as they wished in the countryside. More and more Romero committed himself to the poor and the persecuted,, his church began to document the abuse of human rights, an d to establish the truth in a country governed by lies, where men and women simply disappeared without account.But when a succession of priests were murdered Romero found in their deaths testimony of a church incarnated in the problems of its people. On 24 March 1980, he was suddenly shot dead while celebrating mass in the chapel of the hospital where he lived. Oscar Romero devoted his time to help those who were poor and were persecuted, he did not have to do anything but he chose to and thats why he is a good example to follow. Christians should show more often that life is sacred by helping other people like Oscar Romero.

Monday, October 21, 2019

The Great Flood - Gilgamesh vs. The Hebrew Scriptures essays

The Great Flood - Gilgamesh vs. The Hebrew Scriptures essays Upon reading The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Old Testament: Hebrew Views on God and History we find embedded into each of the texts a story of the great flood. In analyzing the two pieces we see that the stories are very similar. This is very interesting since they were written within several hundred years of each other. The similarities and the differences within the stories shed light on what types of belief systems the ancient Mesopotamian civilizations had as well as giving us an idea of what might have been important to the people. As we look at the two texts, the storyline of both texts is based on the same historically significant event. In each of these stories these aspects are the same. The first is that each man in the stories was contacted by his God/Gods and told that they were angry at mankind. Because of their anger the gods decided that they were going to send a flood to destroy them. These gods, taking pity upon specific men, gave Utnapishtim and Noah instructions to build large boats in which they were to save their families and a male and female of every thing living. Each man obeyed the words of his god, built the boat, covered it in pitch to protect it from the water, filled it with the supplies, and an instance of every living thing. The story goes onto give an account of a terrible storm with torrential rain; which created such a flood that man, plant, and animal kind were destroyed. When the rains had stopped and the sun returned, both boats settled on an underwater mountain top. Utnapishtim and Noah both sent out a series of three birds to help them to know when the waters had receded enough for them to leave the boat. Upon leaving the boat both men offered sacrifices to his god for allowing them to survive. As a reward for their obedience both men were blessed. Although the stories are very similar there are many differences within the story which set each group of peoples apa ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

10 Steps to Training Your Brain for Peak Performance

10 Steps to Training Your Brain for Peak Performance You can get the greatest job in the world and be set up to have the greatest career you’ve always dreamed of. Think you’re done? Well, you could be. You could rest on your laurels and coast for the rest of your working days. Or you could stay sharp, keep learning, and put yourself in the path for even bigger things. How to do that? Simple. Whether you’re trying to stay sharp to get ahead or just trying to improve your memory and general mental performance, here are a few strategies to train your brain.1. Feed  it well.There is such a thing as brain food. What we eat does affect our memory and function. Get your neural circuits set up for success by eating fish high in omega fatty acids, cut back on the sugar, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Taking a handful of vitamin supplements won’t hurt either. Try B-vitamins, C, E, omegas, choline, and other antioxidants.2. Exercise daily.Exercise increases blood flow and oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Twenty minutes of walking, cycling, swimming, or dancing a day can really improve your cognitive capacity. Plus it makes you look and feel better!3. Play games.Strategy, role-playing, and verbal games, even challenging crossword puzzles or Sudoku can engage your prefrontal cortex and help you build memory, self-awareness, incentive and reward processing.4. Practice meditation.Meditation can be a magic reset button for the brain. Awaken your cells and focus your mind and find yourself better prepared to face the day. Even 15 minutes a day can really make a difference.5.  Get enough sleep.Getting enough rest is absolutely crucial to peak function. If you’re not sleeping enough, you’re compromising your ability to assimilate new information. Give yourself and your brain a chance to rest. Shoot for a minimum of 7 hours a night.6. Keep learning.The day you stop learning is the day you stagnate. Start with things that interest you most, then read up as much as you can. See k out online or in-person lectures, or resources on television or the internet. And read a good book! Even one you don’t expect to be as interested in. You’ll never know where it might take you!7. Trigger your memoriesThumb through old pictures and try to recall what you were doing, eating, wearing, as well as the names of all the people. Digging back for details like these can really stimulate your memory apparatus.8. Turn off the GPS.Remember the good old days of having to write out directions and then find your way to your destination without a voice in your ear telling you to â€Å"Turn right† in 100 feet? It’s actually very useful exercise to let your brain figure out on its own how to get from point A to B. And you’ll figure out your bearings that much faster in a new place.9. Memorize something.Whether a poem or a favorite song, expanding your brain by memorizing something can really help get your brain back in shape. It will also help you t o build your vocabulary.10. Lay off the booze.Drinking in moderation is fine, but alcohol is a depressant and can slow down mental functions. If you need to be at top form, put down the martinis for a day or two. You’ll likely sleep and think much better!

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Hart-Devlin Debate Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Hart-Devlin Debate - Term Paper Example They often defined right or wrong in the society, and people often stand to those principles. The law is not enacted when one is not moral or does not act in a certain moral way. The reparations of not being moral are often individual. Morality and laws often contradict in their formation and implementation. Moralities develop after a while, are not easy to alter, and are often a mindset that people have. Laws on the other hand, are easily amended and do not require a lot of time. The well-known debate between hart and Devlin addressed the relationship between law and principles. The debate sought to address several issues in criminal law. The issues at hand are mainly how homosexuality was a part of criminal law (Curzon pg 36). Laws and morality have been debated on for many years. The line between the two is often thin, and some morals turn out to be ethical issues. Laws are often enforced by the administration of a country. Morals on the other hand, are often supported by the admi nistration but by the society at large. In 1957, the Wolfenden commission met to discuss a few issues. The committee aimed at decriminalization homosexual activities of men who acted in private. The debate questioned the relations that existed between morality and the law. The commission members questioned the extent to which criminal law was limited immensely. They did not understand how morality and criminal law intertwined. The commission had an extremely weighty argument that formed the basis of the debate to date (Lee pg 160). Devlin’s view The commission felt that if the actions of an individual did not harm the society then the offence was not significant. They felt the law would be justified to allow liberty of preferences even though the actions were considered immoral by the society. According to the committee, the role of the legal system consisted of defending the members of the society. The court was to protect the rights of the public from unpleasant and harmful acts. The court has no right to enforce any form of moral decision on an individual (Lee pg 161).What an individual does is purely personal, and no one has the right to interfere. There are various categories of harm in the society. It is not a criminal offence to hurt a person’s feeling. Devlin did not agree with this report and published an article to disclaim this. He argued that the law was not only meant for persons but for the public at large. The society has a lot of people, and it needs protection. The needs of an individual are less than society’s. The society morals cannot be compromised because of the rights of one individual in society. He argued that morality should come on its own. Devlin asserted that principles ought to stem from a sober mind what should be done to improve the society at large (Curzon pg 43). The society has the biggest role to play in the governing of the country. One individual’s actions affect the society at large. The action s of such individuals should therefore, be taken into account and in protecting the rights of one individual, lawmakers risk tarnishing the reputation of the society. In Devlin’s view, lawmakers have to consider a person’s liberty. They also have to take into account the fact that the society is constantly changing. The way the public views social customs and the liberty of an individual to act in private is also changing. Not everyone accepted the thought that Devlin had and one person in particular sought to challenge the thought. The man who challenged this thought went by the name Hart. He did not agree with what Devlin had said and responded through a radio broadcasting. He later published an article in the magazine in contradiction to Devlin’

Friday, October 18, 2019

The entry strategy mode for NEXT to Expand into China Essay

The entry strategy mode for NEXT to Expand into China - Essay Example Their sufficient answers equipped me with in-depth knowledge and better understanding of NEXT Plc, the fashion industry, and the Chinese clothing market. Their shared knowledge enabled me to critically analyse the issue in consideration. NEXT Plc is the UK third-largest clothing retailer operating through 400 retail stores across the UK and Ireland, more than 50 stores in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Next_plc). It is a prominent retailer, whose strategy is aimed at capturing new markets through global expansion. This research project investigates the current literature on the internationalisation process and reviews alternative modes of market entry strategy. Various primary and secondary sources provide the necessary data to sufficiently asses the internal health and the external market of NEXT PLC. These data are then carefully analysed in order to gauge the company's capability to expand internationally. Alternative expansion options are evaluated and recommended for the company's successful expansion into the Chinese market. The research concludes that the Chinese market is a fertile ground for the expansion of a foreign apparel retailer. However, the existence of various environmental, industry specific-forces, and the current resources limitations of the Inditex group, requires the establishment and employment of an optimal expansion strategy. It should be noted that due to certain limitations imposed by environmental and internal factors, the findings of this research cannot be utilized in terms of all market expansions, although they can be amply used as an example for further theory building in the area related to the Chinese market entry and expansion strategies. Table of Contents 1.1 Background to Study The rapid growth of the textile industry in China which is facilitated by the continuous economic reforms, improving living standards, and increasing demand conditions has been widely recognized (USINFO, 2004). Furthermore, the emergence of the Chinese middle class gives way to the development of a very attractive and large market (Wang et al., 2004). However, the earlier attempts to enter the Chinese market reveal that various multinational corporations (MNCs) have not fully gained adequate knowledge of the population. Their generalisations have underestimated Chinese consumers by treating them as a homogeneous group (Jagersma & Van Gorp, 2003). In reality, China's unique political andsocial environment creates a very fragmented market with the existence of various segments (Wang et al., 2004). 1.2 Research Aim and Objectives Based on the findings of the study, the researcher will attempt to draw recommendations for NEXT PLC on its entry and expansion to the Chinese market. Several objectives are set to support the research process: Define and investigate present and future key environmental factors present in the Chinese market which are likely to affect the performance and success of NEXT Plc should it decide to operate in the geographic region; Assess the financial and strategic capability of NEXT Plc to expand in the new market; Evaluate alternatives for the successful market expansion and identify main issues involved; and Recommend the best option

Communication management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Communication management - Essay Example The authors argue that the innovation sector demands new standards for international business and needs effective management of innovation to plan, implement, and assess innovation programs (Caywood, 2012:29). Efficient innovation management is also required to develop innovation capability and organise resources and potential for innovation. This occurs at both intra and inter-organisational standards. Communication has evolved to become a major determinant of successful innovation. Consequently, the new discipline of innovation communication enables the successful introduction of new products and services, the nurturing of stakeholder partnerships, and the enhancement of corporate image in the long-term. The modern business environment demands that corporations create a sound array of communication tools as a central component of their strategic innovation management operations. The authors have provided a critical appraisal of emerging techniques and strategies of integrating communication as a facilitator of strategic innovation. While reading the book, it is easy to realise that the provision of a holistic outlook to narrow the chasm between communication management and innovation management, at decision-making and operational levels, is a key theme (Grunig, 2013:18). The authors provide a valuable input to the dynamic discipline of communication by contributing numerous views to the latest studies on innovation communication, communication management, and strategic open innovation. The authors also offer important advice for managers at all levels who are interested in comprehending the variety of ways in which they can optimise communication to augment successful innovation. Positioning is a popular subject in marketing and communications. It is common to see and hear references to the positioning of ideologies, identities, political affiliations, ideas, products, etc. However, a majority of

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Annotated list of resources Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

List of resources - Annotated Bibliography Example I think that it would be a reliable source for parents or educators seeking such programs. Raz-Kids is, essentially, an online library and reading program all in one, intended for young readers in the range of K through 6. They offer to improve children’s reading through reading for practice, recording the student reading, listening for modeled fluency, and checking comprehension through quizzes assigned to them. Children are encouraged to read, â€Å"†¦The right books for the right students.† ("Raz-kids.com: Online leveled," 2012) This can give the instructors the opportunity to properly track progress. By having the opportunity to have the library of the books in the â€Å"level† with a subscription, children can log in and read from anywhere that they have internet access. This side is adequate in its presentation. It is intended to be kid-friendly with bright colors, but internal access beyond the overview and sample pages is denied without opening an account with the site. This, in my opinion, makes this resource, by no means less credible, but less likely my first choice when reviewing such sites. So with no disrespect intended it is just less essay to give a truly genuine opinion of the overall potential of this particular program The San Diego Zoo website offers a section dedicated to kids, of all ages, that have games, activities, and articles that designed for the young. However, they do not offer a reading program per say, but they have â€Å"kits† available that educators can purchase filled with interactive, hands on activities, as well as, reading and science activities. The overall intention is to teach children those vital skills but, also, inspire children toward science and conservation. The lessons plans provided include skills tests for each section in the form of language arts, arts, and early science skills.("San

The Negro in the American Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Negro in the American Revolution - Essay Example In the northern states slavery was completely abolished by 1840. Very often we witness the change in treatment of historical events by official history, presented in the school and university textbooks. This is quite natural and understandable as histories are written by people, who are inevitably influenced by their background, political or cultural preferences. But witnessing such changes with so different approaches and learning the events we just can't but seek witnesses' memories to be able to make conclusions ourselves. For some time the position of Black people in the Revolutionary War was explained as their wish to help, however it was not so. The Negro's role in the Revolution can best be understood by realizing that his major allegiance was not to place nor to his people, but to a principle. Whoever invoked the image of liberty, be he American or British, could count on a ready response from the Blacks Published in 1961, "The Negro in the American Revolution" remains the most inclusive chronicle of the many roles performed by African Americans during the American Revolution. For the first time Quarles addresses the diplomatic reverberations which were the result of the British evacuation of African Americans shortly before the war. Benjamin Quarles's initial concern in his book is to attract more attention to the Negro as an overlooked participator during the revolution period. Quarles supposed that the American Negroes saw and understand the independence movement through their own longing for liberty, and were induced to action not by allegiance to a definite banner or place, but rather by a newly aroused expectation of personal independence and private "unalienable rights". Quarles says that it was reasonable, that a Negro became closer to the side that gave the best promise of liberty, even when it was made by the British, exactly the nation that the white colonists were revolt ing against under wail of enslavement. With the help of comprehensive research and many specific examples to portray the feelings and emotions of Negroes as a whole, Quarles proves this thesis with success. The Negro's significant role in the Revolutionary War originates from the inevitable fact that both sides needed black manpower. And both sides proposed the Negro his liberty as a reward. The author of this valuable book does not pay much attention to the outstanding sense of the Revolutionary period reality and shows us the state of America's society. In the Revolutionary war the American Black People were participators and symbols. They took active part in the battle actions and were active behind the lines; in their hopes and in the gains they inscribed within the war period, they embodied the aim of that liberty in the name of which the fight was waged. According to the author, "the Negro's role in the Revolution can best be understood by realizing that his major loyalty was not to a place nor to a people, but to a principle. Insofar as he had freedom of choice, he was likely to join the side that made him the quickest and best offer in terms of those "unalienable rights" of which Mr. Jefferson had spoken. Whoever invoked the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Annotated list of resources Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

List of resources - Annotated Bibliography Example I think that it would be a reliable source for parents or educators seeking such programs. Raz-Kids is, essentially, an online library and reading program all in one, intended for young readers in the range of K through 6. They offer to improve children’s reading through reading for practice, recording the student reading, listening for modeled fluency, and checking comprehension through quizzes assigned to them. Children are encouraged to read, â€Å"†¦The right books for the right students.† ("Raz-kids.com: Online leveled," 2012) This can give the instructors the opportunity to properly track progress. By having the opportunity to have the library of the books in the â€Å"level† with a subscription, children can log in and read from anywhere that they have internet access. This side is adequate in its presentation. It is intended to be kid-friendly with bright colors, but internal access beyond the overview and sample pages is denied without opening an account with the site. This, in my opinion, makes this resource, by no means less credible, but less likely my first choice when reviewing such sites. So with no disrespect intended it is just less essay to give a truly genuine opinion of the overall potential of this particular program The San Diego Zoo website offers a section dedicated to kids, of all ages, that have games, activities, and articles that designed for the young. However, they do not offer a reading program per say, but they have â€Å"kits† available that educators can purchase filled with interactive, hands on activities, as well as, reading and science activities. The overall intention is to teach children those vital skills but, also, inspire children toward science and conservation. The lessons plans provided include skills tests for each section in the form of language arts, arts, and early science skills.("San

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Explain links between economic development and destruction of forests Essay

Explain links between economic development and destruction of forests in the Third World. Explain how development can be designed to protect forests. Describe - Essay Example The research on the ecological situation of the world clearly shows that the largest and most significant causes of pollution are the industrial and commercial activities of humans. These activities are taking place at an accelerating rate in countries which are seeking to develop themselves into economic powers such as India and China. Whenever fossil fuels are used to drive automobiles, run industries or provide energy to offices and homes, a significant amount of harmful gasses are created which are released into the atmosphere. While a certain amount of atmospheric pollution can be controlled and nature has the magnificent ability to manage excess carbon dioxide (CO2), the present rate of creation of these compounds in developing countries is simply too much for nature to handle (Quammen, 1998). The deforestation of the world is certainly adding to the problem since different locations around the world in LDCs and MDCs are suffering from humans encroaching on forest regions. As India develops into the back office of the world, its Gir forest is being destroyed to make room for mango farms, peanut groves and lime quarries for the cement that is to be used in multistory offices in Mumbai and Bangalore. The UN reports that the rate of deforestation has only increased in the world since 15.4 million hectares per annum are being taken away from our forests. In South America alone, every year 6.2 million hectares of forest land is destroyed to make room for the population (Quammen, 1998). The situation has come to a point where 95% of the forest land of Brazil is gone and 92% of the forests of the Philippines are gone. Costa Rica was a country known for its biodiversity but she has also lost more than 90% of her forests. If the situation continues as it has in the past, by the middle of the present century, there would be no forests left in these developing countries except in

Monday, October 14, 2019

Functional Areas - Staff at R. Bethels Essay Example for Free

Functional Areas Staff at R. Bethels Essay R. Bethels have two owners, a manager and three other members of staff. The manager looks after the day to day running of the shop and helps run the business. The owners complete the paper work of the business and look after the financial side. Human Resources At R. Bethels, human resources is for: * Recruiting and dismissing * Providing good working conditions * Negotiating with trade unions * Health and safety The owners of R. Bethels are in charge of human resources. They will employ and dismiss employees. They will decide how much they get paid and how often they get paid. The manager will make the phone calls to employees, open and run the shop and to advertise available jobs. It is important that the manager does this in order to employ the correct people. Employing the correct people is good for motivation, quality of work and customer satisfaction. The Owners of R. Bethels may not do things to provide good working conditions all the time but he will decide what are good working conditions and tell members of his staff how to make these conditions available. This is so that people will want to work for R. Bethels. They will negotiate with trade unions in order to give their employees decent pay and good working conditions. They will also decide how to handle health and safety issues and improve them as and when they need to. R. Bethels need to be a healthy and safe environment so that people are able and willing to work for R. Bethels. As R. Bethels is a small business, training may not always matter but the owners will be in charge of it if it is needed. This would be needed for motivation, job satisfaction and an increase in profit through happy and satisfied customers. Finance Finance department covers: * Recording financial matters * Preparing accounts * Paying wages and salaries * Obtaining capital and other resources The owners deal with the companys finances. They will record and file all of the financial documents. This is important, as when R. Bethels need a financial document e.g. a sale they have just made, it will be easy to find. The owners will decide on who gets what amount of money per week or per annum and they will hand out the wages to the employees. They will also prepare accounts in order to sort out money, which comes in and goes out of the business. R. Bethels need capital in order to trade properly, the manager or the owners may sort this out. Administration and ICT Support Function R. Bethelss administration and ICT support is for: * Cleaning and maintenance * Health and safety * security * Clerical services * Word processing The manager will deal with clerical services and possibly computers and Internet. The clerical services are things like answering the phone and typing up letters. The manager would do this or the owners would, depending the circumstances. These are needed in order to keep in touch with customers, banks, other companies, etc. The employees would deal with cleaning and maintenance in order to keep things clean and in working order. The manager and the employees would share out the duties of everything else in order to keep the business a safe place to work. Marketing and sales Marketing is needed to enable R. Bethels to find out what customers need. This helps increase sales in order to increase their profit. As the manager at R. Bethels will have more time than the employees and the owners, he will be able to cover marketing. The owners and the employees will also be able to do this if they have any spare time, if they need to. The manager will ring up restaurants companies in order to advertise the companys products that are available. He will take time with customers to show them how to cook and serving ideas for the fish. When the customers want buy a product, they will be served by the manager or the employees and the money will be handed into the till machine. Customer services This deals with: * Keeping customers happy * Dealing fairly with complaints * Responding to enquiries * Offering credit * After sales service * Advice and information * Reliability * Good products, fairly priced R. Bethels may not be able to deal with all of the things in this list, because of the size of their business. The owners will decide how these things are sorted out but all of the staff at R. Bethels will have to help meet them. R. Bethels will try their best to keep customers happy. Keeping customers happy is what customer services are needed for. Research and development Research and Development is all about researching products and how customers respond to the business. If there are any things that need improving, R. Bethels will talk to their supplier and sort it out. At R. Bethels, the manager and the employees will do the research but the employees and the owners will sort out the product development. R and D is an important function because R. Bethels can have an advantage over their rivals and they can have a more desired product. At R. Bethels, the business lifestyle will be totally different to that of Dominos. At the moment there are only five people who are involved in the business, if and when this changes the lifestyle of the business will probably change too possibly in a dramatic way.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Reflective Essay on Developing Care Skills

Reflective Essay on Developing Care Skills Part B Value 1 : Caring One of the values that I had learnt is caring. Caring meant concern about others. Caring for others starts from taking initiative to approach people with sincerity, care for them, to know them and care for their feelings. If everybody in this world does not care about each other, they will become selfish and do not have friends. Therefore, we must care for each other, so that everyone in every corner of the world is able to feel the warmth. As a future nurse, I must be more caring for my patients. I should not only be concerned about the diseases on the patients, but also concerned about psychological reactions of the patients. I believe that one warm word, a gentle attitude, a friendly expression can encourage patients to speak out the truth and this may facilitate the nurses to find out patients’ psychological problems. By this, I believe that I can understand my patients very well. During my Primary 3, I always asked my classmates why they did not want to make friend with me and they told me I was very selfish and arrogant. I knew that they always bad- mouthed about me. I knew the reason, but I did not bother it. I was so stubborn and did not want to change it. For me, I thought that it was not my fault. I blamed them for ignoring my feeling. In childhood, I was this kind of person, a very rebellious person. Time to time, I realized that I was quite lonely. At this time, I was very upset. Consequently, I told my dad about my problem. My dad was listening to my complaint patiently and he even did not scold me. He just smiled and told me I must change my attitude towards people around me. He wanted me to imagine the feeling if I have a friend with a bad attitude like me. He also told me that people will treat us for what we had done for them. He wanted me to be more caring about others’ feelings. I agreed to what he said. From that time, I just realized th at how bad I was. I did not want to continue to be like that anymore. I want to change! I want to be a caring person. I must care about people’s feelings. My dad and my classmates had changed me. After changing the attitude, I gained back my friends. The happiness was beyond description. Till today, I am still very grateful to them. Without them, I think I was still behaving like what I had done before. Value 2 : Responsible Another value that I had learnt is responsible. Responsible meant to complete the duty with a high spirit. Someone who is responsible will not make any excuses. In any case, we will always be faced with several factors beyond our control and irresponsible people tend to blame on these factors, take them as an excuse. To be a responsible people, we should make sure that we do not go the same way. As a future nurse, I must be responsible to my patient. By this, I must fully grasp my patient’s condition, care and treatment. Be a responsible nurse, I must closely observe patient’s symptoms and signs and identify changes in the disease as well as provide an effective intervention for medical diagnosis. I must not only alleviate the suffering of the patient, but also obtain the patients trust, give the patient a sense of security. It was happening during my secondary school time. It was still fresh in my memory. He is the one whom I admired the most. He is just a cleaner, but his spirit cannot get out of my mind. I truly admired his hardworking from my bottom heart. He had given me a deep impression until today I still cannot forget him. The first time I saw him was on the way going home from school. I still remembered it was raining cat and dog that day. People on the street all dressed in a raincoat and hurried home under the umbrella. At this time, I saw a huge rubbish heap next to my house. There was a man standing there. â€Å"Who is in there? It was raining heavily. It should not be a cleaner at there, right? † I mumble. With questions, I walked past. I cannot believe that I saw an uncle with a dusty face, wearing a tattered raincoat. He was very carefully cleaning up the rubbish. I was surprised by his action. I had never seen a cleaner still working in the heavy rain before. â€Å"Uncle, why ar e you still working in the heavy rain? You can do it tomorrow. Why are you working so hard?† I asked him. â€Å"No, I am just unhappy if I do not clean it by today. Then, there will be more bacteria growing and it was smelly as well as affecting our health.† he answered. This time, I was stunned. He was very responsible in his job. Since then, I have never seen him, but his spirit had inspired me to be a responsible person. Part C During my life journey, I had learnt the value of caring. I learnt I should care about my health. Health is the valuable asset. For having a healthy lifestyle, I must care about my eating habits. First of all, I must eat at least two servings of vegetables and one serving of fruits every day. Eating more vegetables and fruits can gain vitamins, strengthen the immune system and even reduce the chance of illness. On the other hand, breakfast is the most important meal, if we do not eat breakfast, we will lack of energy for the day and over time it will be harmful to the body. Moreover, a snack is a big killer. Snack contains much of salts, sugar and chemical components which may cause a lot of problems to our body. I also must exercise at least twice a week in order to achieve the effect of exercise. I also had learnt the value of responsible. Be a responsible person, I do not smoke. Smoking is harmful to our health and it may even causes lung cancer and other diseases. Not only that, I also must have a good mind state to evaluate myself properly and deal with the pressures of my life. I must be an optimistic, cheerful and open-minded attitude to life. On the other hand, I must also set a target to establish good relationships with people around me and also actively participate in social activities. This will help me to maintain my mental balance. Furthermore, I also practice meditation every day. Meditation can promote blood circulation and even relieve the stress. It is a good way to make myself to calm down. Part D During my clinical attachment in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, I met a patient named Mr. Khoo. He is a Chinese and his dialect is Cantonese. He now aged 60. I am also a Cantonese. So, sometimes I spoke Cantonese with him. He was admitted to the hospital because of foot ulcers which was caused by diabetes mellitus. Before he was admitted to the hospital, he stayed in Ren Ci Community Hospital. His left leg was amputated. During our conversation throughout one week time, he had told me his life experience. He had suffered from diabetes for 5 years. He had eaten a lot of hypoglycemic drugs. He told me that he did not take care of his health condition since young. He liked to drink Coke. He basically did not do any exercises. Due to long-term work at the grassroots level and slept late, so he accustomed not to get up early in the morning. Due to sitting in the office for a whole day or business meetings, he basically did not participate in any sports. He also told me he liked to eat meat. Duri ng the past, he had always eaten lamb stew as his supper before going to sleep and he usually did not take his breakfast the next morning. Due to the long-term excessive meat, plus he did not like to eat vegetables, fruits, beans and his daily staple food are meat, so his weight in the past 10 years has severely excessive. He suffered from diabetes because of the previous living conditions. From his life experience, I noticed that healthy lifestyle plays a vital role in our life. (1419 words)

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Philosophy Examined :: Detrminism Conflicts

Assignment: Comment on the Following Statements 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Out of the people edited in Abel or discussed by Palmer, the following are hard determinists†¦ Well, Palmer only discusses two hard determinists: B.F. Skinner, and Sigmund Freud. Out of the texts read in Abel, Abel discusses Skinner and D’Holbach as hard determinists. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hard determinism conflicts with some of our ordinary beliefs and experiences. For example: On the one hand, we are raised to believe that we are free, that we posses freedom of thought and action. If we come to a fork in the road, we can either go left or right, either choice is a free choice. A hard determinist would have us believe that our actions are determined, hence, unfree. If the hard determinists theory were in fact true, then, if we were to come to a fork in the road, what use would it be to choose the right, or the left path? For out decision has already been determined, according to the hard determinist point of view. Frankly, I find the idea of hard determinism utterly ridiculous, and incredibly hard to defend. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If hard determinism is true, then people cannot be held responsible for their actions. This statement is true. For if hard determinism is true, then our actions are determined. Meaning that we have no control over our own actions. Therefore, we cannot be held responsible for out actions, because, we are not responsible for them, for they were determined. If this is indeed true, then the worlds judicial systems have been making mistakes for several thousands of years. 4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is possible to interpret Freud as being committed to hard determinism. It is also possible to interpret Freud as believing in freedom. This statement is making two claims, which may be interpreted differently by different people. Thus needing some explanation. It is true that Freud was committed to hard determinism, for he believed that the majority of a person’s actions are motivated through the subconscious mind, the subconscious being a driving force in the decision. Subconscious decisions are not free, for the person is not aware of the force of the subconscious. The second part of the above statement is in a sense, true. Freud, being committed to hard-determinism, could not believe it direct freedom. However, Freud did believe that a person could change, thus gaining some control over their actions, and that in a sense, is freedom (i.e. the case of the woman who kept choosing partners who beat her).

Friday, October 11, 2019

Bond and Market Capitalization Rate

330-s2013-prac9 1. An American put option gives its holder the right to _________. A. buy the underlying asset at the exercise price on or before the expiration date B. buy the underlying asset at the exercise price only at the expiration date C. sell the underlying asset at the exercise price on or before the expiration date D. sell the underlying asset at the exercise price only at the expiration date 2. An American call option gives the buyer the right to _________. A. buy the underlying asset at the exercise price on or before the expiration date B. buy the underlying asset at the exercise price only at the expiration date C. ell the underlying asset at the exercise price on or before the expiration date D. sell the underlying asset at the exercise price only at the expiration date 3. A European call option gives the buyer the right to _________. A. buy the underlying asset at the exercise price on or before the expiration date B. buy the underlying asset at the exercise price on ly at the expiration date C. sell the underlying asset at the exercise price on or before the expiration date D. sell the underlying asset at the exercise price only at the expiration date 4. You purchase one IBM July 120 call contract for a premium of $5.You hold the option until the expiration date when IBM stock sells for $123 per share. You will realize a ______ on the investment. A. $200 profit B. $200 loss C. $300 profit D. $300 loss 5. At contract maturity the value of a call option is ___________ where X equals the option's strike price and ST is the stock price at contract expiration. A. Max(0, ST – X) B. Min(0, ST – X) C. Max(0, X – ST) D. Min(0, X – ST) 1 1. C 2. A 3. B 4. B 5. A Long Call Profit = Max[0,($123 – $120)(100)] – $500 = -$200 1. A firm that has an ROE of 12% is considering cutting its dividend payout.The stockholders of the firm desire a dividend yield of 4% and a capital gain yield of 9%. Given this information which of the following statement(s) is/are correct? I. All else equal the firm's growth rate will accelerate after the payout change II. All else equal the firm's stock price will go up after the payout change III. All else equal the firm's P/E ratio will increase after the payout change A. I onlyB. I and II onlyC. II and III onlyD. I, II and III 2. A firm cuts its dividend payout ratio. As a result you know that the firm's _______. A. return on assets will increaseB. arnings retention ratio will increase C. earnings growth rate will fallD. stock price will fall 3. An underpriced stock provides an expected return which is ____________ the required return based on the capital asset pricing model (CAPM). A. less thanB. equal toC. greater thanD. greater than or equal to 4. Stockholders of Dog's R Us Pet Supply expect a 12% rate of return on their stock. Management has consistently been generating a ROE of 15% over the last 5 years but now believes that ROE will be 12% for the next five year s. Given this the firm's optimal dividend payout ratio is now ______.A. 0%B. 100%C. between 0% and 50%D. between 50% and 100% 5. The constant growth dividend discount model (DDM) can be used only when the ___________. A. growth rate is less than or equal to the required returnB. growth rate is greater than or equal to the required return C. growth rate is less than the required returnD. growth rate is greater than the required return 6. Suppose that in 2009 the expected dividends of the stocks in a broad market index equaled $240 million when the discount rate was 8% and the expected growth rate of the dividends equaled 6%.Using the constant growth formula for valuation, if interest rates increase to 9% the value of the market will change by _____. A. -10%B. -20%C. -25%D. -33% 7. You are considering acquiring a common share of Sahali Shopping Center Corporation that you would like to hold for one year. You expect to receive both $1. 25 in dividends and $35 from the sale of the share at the end of the year. The maximum price you would pay for a share today is __________ if you wanted to earn a 12% return. A. $31. 25B. $32. 37C. $38. 47D. $41. 32 8. Eagle Brand Arrowheads has expected earnings of $1. 5 per share and a market capitalization rate of 12%. Earnings are expected to grow at 5% per year indefinitely. The firm has a 40% plowback ratio. By how much does the firm's ROE exceed the market capitalization rate? A. 0. 5%B. 1. 0%C. 1. 5%D. 2. 0% 9. A preferred share of Coquihalla Corporation will pay a dividend of $8. 00 in the upcoming year, and every year thereafter, i. e. , dividends are not expected to grow. You require a return of 7% on this stock. Using the constant growth DDM to calculate the intrinsic value, a preferred share of Coquihalla Corporation is worth _________. A. $13. 50B. $45. 50C. $91. 0D. $114. 29 10. Brevik Builders has an expected ROE of 25%. Its dividend growth rate will be __________ if it follows a policy of paying 30% of earning in t he form of dividends. A. 5. 0%B. 15. 0%C. 17. 5%D. 45. 0% 11. Cache Creek Manufacturing Company is expected to pay a dividend of $3. 36 in the upcoming year. Dividends are expected to grow at 8% per year. The riskfree rate of return is 4% and the expected return on the market portfolio is 14%. Investors use the CAPM to compute the market capitalization rate, and the constant growth DDM to determine the value of the stock. The stock's current price is $84. 0. Using the constant growth DDM, the market capitalization rate is _________. A. 9%B. 12%C. 14%D. 18% 12. Ace Ventura, Inc. has expected earnings of $5 per share for next year. The firm's ROE is 15% and its earnings retention ratio is 40%. If the firm's market capitalization rate is 10%, what is the present value of its growth opportunities? A. $25B. $50C. $75D. $100 13. Flanders, Inc. has expected earnings of $4 per share for next year. The firm's ROE is 8% and its earnings retention ratio is 40%. If the firm's market capitalizat ion rate is 15%, what is the present value of its growth opportunities?A. -$6. 33B. $0C. $20. 34D. $26. 67 14. Cache Creek Manufacturing Company is expected to pay a dividend of $4. 20 in the upcoming year. Dividends are expected to grow at the rate of 8% per year. The riskfree rate of return is 4% and the expected return on the market portfolio is 14%. Investors use the CAPM to compute the market capitalization rate on the stock, and the constant growth DDM to determine the intrinsic value of the stock. The stock is trading in the market today at $84. 00. Using the constant growth DDM and the CAPM, the beta of the stock is _________. A. 1. 4B. 0. 9C. 0. 8D. 0. 5 15.Westsyde Tool Company is expected to pay a dividend of $2. 00 in the upcoming year. The risk-free rate of return is 6% and the expected return on the market portfolio is 12%. Analysts expect the price of Westsyde Tool Company shares to be $29 a year from now. The beta of Westsyde Tool Company's stock is 1. 20. Using a on eperiod valuation model, the intrinsic value of Westsyde Tool Company stock today is _________. A. $24. 29B. $27. 39C. $31. 13D. $34. 52 16. Todd Mountain development Corporation is expected to pay a dividend of $2. 50 in the upcoming year. Dividends are expected to grow at the rate of 8% per year.The risk-free rate of return is 5% and the expected return on the market portfolio is 12%. The stock of Todd Mountain Development Corporation has a beta of 0. 75. Using the CAPM, the return you should require on the stock is _________. A. 7. 25%B. 10. 25%C. 14. 75%D. 21. 00% 17. Interior Airline is expected to pay a dividend of $3 in the upcoming year. Dividends are expected to grow at the rate of 10% per year. The risk-free rate of return is 4% and the expected return on the market portfolio is 13%. The stock of Interior Airline has a beta of 4. 00. Using the constant growth DDM, the intrinsic value of the stock is _________.A. $10. 00B. $22. 73C. $27. 78D. $41. 67 18. Everything equal, w hich variable is negatively related to intrinsic value of a company? A. D1B. D0C. gD. k 19. A common stock pays an annual dividend per share of $1. 80. The risk-free rate is 5 percent and the risk premium for this stock is 4 percent. If the annual dividend is expected to remain at $1. 80 per share, what is the value of the stock? A. $17. 78B. $20. 00C. $40. 00D. None of the above 20. A stock is priced at $45 per share. The stock has earnings per share of $3. 00 and a market capitalization rate of 14%. What is the stock's PVGO?A. $23. 57B. $15. 00C. $19. 78D. $21. 34 21. If a firm has a free cash flow equal to $50 million and that cash flow is expected to grow at 3% forever, what is the total firm value given a WACC of 9. 5%? A. $679 millionB. $715 millionC. $769 millionD. $803 million 22. Next year's earnings are estimated to be $5. 00. The company plans to reinvest 20% of its earnings at 15%. If the cost of equity is 9%, what is the present value of growth opportunities? A. $9. 09B . $10. 10C. $11. 11D. $12. 21 1. A2. B3. C4. B5. C6. D7. B8. A9. D10. C11. B12. A13. A14. B15. B16. B17. A18. D19. B20. A21. C22.C 1. Consider two bonds, A and B. Both bonds presently are selling at their par value of $1,000. Each pay interest of $120 annually. Bond A will mature in 5 years while bond B will mature in 6 years. If the yields to maturity on the two bonds change from 12% to 14%, _________. A. both bonds will increase in value but bond A will increase more than bond B B. both bonds will increase in value but bond B will increase more than bond A C. both bonds will decrease in value but bond A will decrease more than bond B D. both bonds will decrease in value but bond B will decrease more than bond A 2.Everything else equal the __________ the maturity of a bond and the __________ the coupon the greater the sensitivity of the bond's price to interest rate changes. A. longer; higher B. longer; lower C. shorter; higher D. shorter; lower 3. A __________ bond is a bond where the issuer has an option to retire the bond before maturity at a specific price after a specific date. A. callable B. coupon C. puttable D. treasury 4. In an era of particularly low interest rates, which of the following bonds is most likely to be called? A. Zero coupon bonds B. Coupon bonds selling at a discount C. Coupon bonds selling at a premium D.Floating rate bonds 5. A coupon bond which pays interest of 4% annually, has a par value of $1,000, matures in 5 years, and is selling today at $785. The actual yield to maturity on this bond is _________. A. 7. 2% B. 8. 8% C. 9. 1% D. 9. 6% 6. A coupon bond which pays interest of $60 annually, has a par value of $1,000, matures in 5 years, and is selling today at a $75. 25 discount from par value. The current yield on this bond is _________. A. 6. 00% B. 6. 49% C. 6. 73% D. 7. 00% 7. A coupon bond which pays interest semi-annually has a par value of $1,000, matures in 8 years, and has a yield to maturity of 6%.If the coupon rate is 7 %, the intrinsic value of the bond today will be __________ (to the nearest dollar). A. $1,000 B. $1,063 C. $1,081 D. $1,100 8. A treasury bond due in one year has a yield of 6. 3% while a treasury bond due in 5 years has a yield of 8. 8%. A bond due in 5 years issued by High Country Marketing Corporation has a yield of 9. 6% while a bond due in one year issued by High Country Marketing Corporation has a yield of 6. 8%. The default risk premiums on the one-year and 5-year bonds issued by High Country Marketing Corp. are respectively __________ and _________. A. 0. 4%, 0. 3% B. 0. 4%, 0. % C. 0. 5%, 0. 5% D. 0. 5%, 0. 8% 9. A zero-coupon bond has a yield to maturity of 5% and a par value of $1,000. If the bond matures in 16 years, it should sell for a price of __________ today. A. $458. 00 B. $641. 00 C. $789. 00 D. $1,100. 00 10. You can be sure that a bond will sell at a premium to par when _________. A. its coupon rate is greater than its yield to maturity B. its coupon rate is le ss than its yield to maturity C. its coupon rate equal to its yield to maturity D. its coupon rate is less than its conversion value 11. Consider a 7-year bond with a 9% coupon and a yield to maturity of 12%.If interest rates remain constant, one year from now the price of this bond will be _________. A. higher B. lower C. the same D. indeterminate 12. The yield to maturity on a bond is ________. I. above the coupon rate when the bond sells at a discount, and below the coupon rate when the bond sells at a premium II. the discount rate that will set the present value of the payments equal to the bond price III. equal to the true compound return on investment only if all interest payments received are reinvested at the yield to maturity A. I only B. II only C. I and II only D. I, II and III 13.Assuming semiannual compounding, a 20-year zero coupon bond with a par value of $1,000 and a required return of 12% would be priced at _________. A. $97 B. $104 C. $364 D. $732 14. The yield to maturity of an 10-year zero coupon bond, with a par value of $1,000 and a market price of $625, is _____. A. 4. 8% B. 6. 1% C. 7. 7% D. 10. 4% 15. If the quote for a Treasury bond is listed in the newspaper as 98:09 bid, 98:13 ask, the actual price for you to purchase this bond given a $10,000 par value is _____________. A. $9,828. 12 B. $9,809. 38 C. $9,840. 62 D. $9,813. 42 16. The price on a treasury bond is 104:21 with a yield to maturity of 3. 5%. The price on a comparable maturity corporate bond is 103:11 with a yield to maturity of 4. 59%. What is the approximate percentage value of the credit risk of the corporate bond? A. 1. 14% B. 3. 45% C. 4. 59% D. 8. 04% 17. You buy an 8 year $1000 par value bond today that has a 6% yield and a 6% annual payment coupon. In one year promised yields have risen to 7%. Your one year holding period return was ___. A. 0. 61% B. -5. 39% C. 1. 28% D. -3. 25% 18. If the coupon rate on a bond is 4. 50% and the bond is selling at a premium, which of the following is the most likely yield to maturity on the bond?A. 4. 30% B. 4. 50% C. 5. 20% D. 5. 50% 19. All other things equal, which of the following has the longest duration? A. A 30 year bond with a 10% coupon B. A 20 year bond with a 9% coupon C. A 20 year bond with a 7% coupon D. A 10 year zero coupon bond 20. All other things equal, which of the following has the shortest duration? A. A 30 year bond with a 10% coupon B. A 20 year bond with a 9% coupon C. A 20 year bond with a 7% coupon D. A 10 year zero coupon bond 21. (Challenge question) A pension fund must pay out $1 million next year, $2 million the following year and then $3 million the year after that.If the discount rate is 8% what is the duration of this set of payments? A. 2. 00 years B. 2. 15 years C. 2. 29 years D. 2. 53 years 22. All other things equal, which of the following has the longest duration? A. A 20 year bond with a 10% coupon yielding 10% B. A 20 year bond with a 10% coupon yielding 11% C. A 20 yea r zero coupon bond yielding 10% D. A 20 year zero coupon bond yielding 11% 23. Because of convexity, when interest rates change the actual bond price will ____________ the bond price predicted by duration. A. always be higher than B. sometimes be higher than C. always be lower than D. ometimes be lower than 24. Duration is a concept that is useful in assessing a bond's _________. A. credit risk B. liquidity risk C. price volatility D. convexity risk 25. A pension fund has an average duration of its liabilities equal to 15 years. The fund is looking at 5 year maturity zero coupon bonds and 4% yield perpetuities to immunize its interest rate risk. How much of its portfolio should it allocate to the zero coupon bonds to immunize if there are no other assets funding the plan? A. 52% B. 48% C. 33% D. 25% 26. You own a bond that has a duration of 6 years. Interest rates are urrently 7% but you believe the Fed is about to increase interest rates by 25 basis points. Your predicted price cha nge on this bond is ________. A. +1. 40% B. -1. 40% C. -2. 51% D. +2. 51% 27. A bank has an average duration of its liabilities equal to 2 years. The bank's average duration of its assets is 3. 5 years. The bank's market value of equity is at risk if _______________________. A. interest rates fall B. credit spreads fall C. interest rates rise D. the price of all fixed income securities rises 28. Banks and other financial institutions can best manage interest rate risk by _____________. A. aximizing the duration of assets and minimizing the duration of liabilities B. minimizing the duration of assets and maximizing the duration of liabilities C. matching the durations of their assets and liabilities D. matching the maturities of their assets and liabilities 29. The duration of a portfolio of bonds can be calculated as _______________. A. the coupon weighted average of the durations of the individual bonds in the portfolio B. the yield weighted average of the durations of the individu al bonds in the portfolio C. the value weighed average of the durations of the individual bonds in the portfolio D. verages of the durations of the longest and shortest duration bonds in the portfolio 30. Rank the interest sensitivity of the following from most sensitive to an interest rate change to the least sensitive. I. 8% coupon, noncallable 20 year maturity, par bond II. 9% coupon, currently callable 20 year maturity, premium bond III. Zero coupon, 30 year maturity bond A. I, II, III B. II, III, I C. III, I, II D. III, II, I 31. A bank has $50 million in assets, $47 million in liabilities and $3 million in shareholders' equity. If the duration of its liabilities are 1. and the bank wants to immunize its net worth against interest rate risk and thus set the duration of equity equal to zero, it should select assets with an average duration of _________. A. 1. 22 B. 1. 50 C. 1. 60 D. 2. 00 A bond pays annual interest. Its coupon rate is 9%. Its value at maturity is $1,000. It mat ures in four years. Its yield to maturity is currently 6%. 32. The duration of this bond is _______ years. A. 2. 44 B. 3. 23 C. 3. 56 D. 4. 10 33. The modified duration of this bond is ______ years. A. 4. 00 B. 3. 56 C. 3. 36 D. 3. 05 34. A bond with a 9-year duration is worth $1,080. 0 and its yield to maturity is 8%. If the yield to maturity falls to 7. 84%, you would predict that the new value of the bond will be _________. A. $1,035 B. $1,036 C. $1,094 D. $1,124 35. When interest rates increase, the duration of a 20-year bond selling at a premium _________. A. increases B. decreases C. remains the same D. increases at first, then declines 36. Duration facilitates the comparison of bonds with differing ___________ A. default risk B. conversion ratios C. maturities D. yields to maturity 37. The historical yield spread between the AA bond and the AAA bond has been 25 basis points.Currently the spread is only 9 basis points. If you believe the spread will soon return to its historic al levels you should ________________________. A. buy the AA and short the AAA B. buy both the AA and the AAA C. buy the AAA and short the AA D. short both the AA and the AAA 38. The duration of a bond normally increases with an increase in _________. I. term-to-maturity II. yield-to-maturity. III. coupon rate A. I only B. I and II only C. II and III only D. I, II and III 39. Compute the modified duration of a 9% coupon, 3-year corporate bond with a yield to maturity of 12%. A. 2. 45 B. 2. 75 C. 2. 88 D. 3. 00 40.An 8%, 30-year bond has a yield-to-maturity of 10% and a modified duration of 8. 0 years. If the market yield drops by 15 basis points, there will be a __________ in the bond's price. A. 1. 15% decrease B. 1. 20% increase C. 1. 53% increase D. 2. 43% decrease 41. To create a portfolio with a duration of 4 years using a 5 year zero-coupon bond and a 3 year 8% annual coupon bond with a yield to maturity of 10%, one would have to invest ________ of the portfolio value in the z ero-coupon bond. A. 50% B. 55% C. 60% D. 75% 42. Which of the following set of conditions will result in a bond with the greatest price volatility?A. A high coupon and a short maturity. B. A high coupon and a long maturity. C. A low coupon and a short maturity. D. A low coupon and a long maturity. 43. An investor who expects declining interest rates would maximize their capital gain by purchasing a bond that has a ___ coupon and a ___ term to maturity. A. low; long B. high; short C. high; long D. zero; long 44. A zero coupon bond is selling at a deep discount price of $430. 00. It matures in 13 years. If the yield to maturity of the bond is 6. 7%, what is the duration of the bond? A. 6. 7 years B. 8. 0 years C. 10 years D. 13 years 45.Convexity implies that duration predictions _______. I. underestimate the % increase in bond price when the yield falls II. underestimate the % decrease in bond price when the yield rises III. overestimates the % increase in bond price when the yield f alls IV. overestimates the % decrease in bond price when the yield rises A. I and III only B. II and IV only C. I and IV only D. II and III only 1. D2. B3. A4. C5. D6. B7. B8. D9. A10. A11. A12. D13. A14. A15. C16. A17. A18. A19. A20. D21. C22. C23. A24. C25. A27. C28. C29. C30. C31. A32. C33. C34. C35. B36. C37. C38. A39. A40. B41. B42. D43. D44. D45. C

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Akeelah and the Bee

Akeelah was very successful in her Spelling Bee competitions. How many different learning skills are there in this movie to help all the spellers learn? Akeelah’s learning skills are what help her move further and further into the spelling bee. Basically, everyone in this movie has a different way of studying or learning. Akeelah, is a smart 11 year old girl who attends Crenshaw Middle School. She didn’t need to study for her spelling test, because she didn’t make mistakes on her tests. Akeelah doesn’t really fit in at school, she’s afraid of acting like she’s smarter than her friends or classmates.Before she goes for the Crenshaw School wide Spelling Bee, she studies alone. This makes her a Intrapersonal Learner in the beinging of the story. The principle wanted Dr. Larabee to coach her for the Regional Spelling Bee. Akeelah tells her principle no that does not need to be coached. She wanted to study alone. When Akeelah finally agrees to mee t with Dr. Larabee. She still very standoffish. She acted stubborn and hardheaded that she doesn’t need any help. So she ends up study by herself for the District Spelling Bee. She was very scared and nervous when she goes on the stage to spell because of all the people.She won tenth and made to the Regional Bee. There at the District Spelling Bee she befriends Javier a Mexican boy and fellow speller. He invites her to a spelling club at his school. The spelling club conducts itself outside on a basketball court as they pass the ball to each other to spell words. That makes me think that Javier is a Body/ Kinesthetic learner because he learns through body sensation moves around by playing basketball and spelling words. He also falls into Naturalistic learner because he’s outside while playing basketball and spelling words.Akeelah falls under the same two category but she does it a little different. She bounces the balls as she spells each letter. Another reason why I f eel this way is because she likes to be outside when studies her words. She overcomes her stage fright at the Regional Spelling Bee she’s a lot more confident. This is where I noticed that Akeelah is Verbal/ Linguistic learner. I then noticed another habit that she taps her hand on her leg as she says each letter. Just like when she was bouncing the basketball, again another example of her being a Body/ Kinesthetic learner.Dr. Larabee gives her a jump rope to spell the words as she spells, because she keeps time to spell better. This would make her musical/ rhythm because she’s keeping the rhythm as she jumps even when she taps on the side of her leg. Akeelah finally decides to apologize to Dr. Larabee so he can coach her. He doesn’t only want her to learn the words but life lessons as well. Dr. Larabee seems to be a Verbal/ Linguistic learner because he is a teacher and he communicates well through language and is a good speller. He was a former spelling bee co mpetitor when he was younger.Dr. Larabee also seems to be a Intrapersonal learner like Akeelah towards the end of the movie. The reason why I feel this way is because ,he wants to be alone doesn’t want to teach Akeelah any more. Dr. Larabee feels that teaching her is unpredictable. He gives her 5,000 flashcards to learn on her own. Akeelah gets overwhelmed with all those words, that she loses her motivation. With all the help of the neighborhood she learned all the words. As she was learning all these words she was using her jump rope outside going up and down the street.This is another example of her being a Body/ Kinesthetic and a Naturalistic learner. Because she moving her body and she’s outside while she does it. She makes it to National Spelling bee in Washington, D. C. Everything goes great because of her using a fake jump rope on stage to spell her words. The two finalist were Akeelah and Dylan, a Chinese boy who has won second place in the last two National Sp elling Bee’s. He is very contemptuous of her. Dylan’s father will not settle for second best.Dylan seems to be a Visual/ Spatial learner because he memorizes his words instead of learning them. They both win the National Championship. Mnemonic devices were used by all the spellers in this movie, because they would learn the spelling words. Then they use them when they would need them. For example they would use the word when they were ask to spell it In conclusion, most of the characters’ in this movie all had different learning style’s. But was also about the pursuit to pursuit to excellence the speller’s used. The difference between cramming and learning.

What Is Justic

What is Justice? Justice is defined in the dictionary as â€Å"the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness†. However it’s interpreted differently by different people what some people think is a just, others and disagree and believe otherwise. I believe justice is when some is held accountable for the atrocity they have committed. When it comes to the death penalty though many society believe it is just to murder someone for the crime they commit, it is my believe death penalty cannot be just.The purpose of punishment is to teach a lesson so that you can learn from your mistake. There are different forms of punishment for different crimes punishment is needed to discourage people from committing a crime. There is a positive and negative punishment. A positive punishment is when you try to help the person and help them understand and may sometimes include rehabilitation. The negative punishment is: killing the person and shaming the person. The Maori way is a positive way of punishment. And the Portion’s way is a negative punishment.In the â€Å"Maori Way† the punishment wasn’t bad like the puritan. In the â€Å"Maori way† instead of sending him to jail they gave him a second chance to change. In the Maori Way it more about in the justice side because they didn’t put him in jail or kill him they gave him a chance to pay back his grandmother by getting a job and cooking for her. in the Maori Way the kid learns from his mistake which is the whole point of punishment. The old puritan society the punishments dealt to those who committed crimes were harsh.The puritan’s punishment’s had shame in it as part of the punishment. In the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† as a story shame and guilt, and how they affect people in the town. Nathaniel Hawthorne intended Hester Prynne's punishment to have to personify her guilt towards herself. It also shows how she responds to the guilt when she faced it. It is also expresses how often guilt can rip people apart from the inside out. The main protagonist was given a shameful punishment for committing adultery.In her case she was given a scarlet letter â€Å"A†. Puritans practice is very strict religion they believe that god has chosen who will go to heaven and hell from before birth and that the only way to ascend to heaven is to be the best person you can be. The death penalty is the short way out and it also does not solve the problem. By killing the person he/ she doesn’t learn anything for suffer. By killing someone will not bring back the person or really get you closer. And who are we do decide who gets to like or not.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

International Banks Functions and Regulations Essay

International Banks Functions and Regulations - Essay Example This research will begin with the overview of international banks. A proper definition of International Banks mainly depicts a facility, which permits various funding organizations belonging to diverse regions of the nations throughout the globe to perform credit and debit operations. It also facilitates these funding organizations to participate in offering various loan provision services to various foreign inhabitants and establishments. Depending on the services, the international banks usually avails various sorts of exemptions in terms of reserve requirements and imposed tax rates that set by the respective governments. It is worth mentioning that direct as well as indirect support from the above-discussed funding organizations such as ‘International Banking Facility’ (IBF) eventually leads towards bringing about greater efficiency and effectiveness in the operational procedures of multiple international banks. After acquiring a brief idea about the international ba nks, it can be apparently observed that these banks offer a wide variety of services to both domestic and international clients. A few of these services have been described in the following. One of the services, which offer by international banks, is the ‘letter of credit’ service. This service is basically provided in the cases of products or services that purchase by individuals or organizations from the international banks. In relation to this particular service, the banks issue a document, which acts as an assurance of payment to the seller of the goods or the services, even if the buying individuals or organizations fail to comply with the payment process. It would be vital to mention that the banks issuing the ‘letter of credit’ document will certainly make the buyers liable for making payments to the sellers.

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Ancient Chinese Contributions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ancient Chinese Contributions - Essay Example China is the motherhood of various objects that have become an integral part of every house and office. The inventions suggested by ancient China concern every sphere of human life. They are created to make human life more interesting and convenient. Each of the above-mentioned inventions is very significant and useful for the whole world. Moreover, each of them has an interesting and unique history that is worth paying attention to. Every person saw or played with a kite at least once in his/her life. The first kites were applied by Chinese people. It happened approximately two thousand and eight hundred years ago. It is known that this object was created by Chinese philosophers – Mozi and Lu Ban (Backus 2002). It happened in the fifth century BC. However, the usage of kites was not the same as today. They were applied as a message for a rescue mission. Sometimes kites were used by Chinese people for various purposes – measuring distances, signalling, military communic ation, testing the wind and lifting people. Today people resort to the use of compass in order not to be lost at the forest or in any other unknown place. It is a good device to use in order to find out the right direction. However, today a few people know about the initial role of compass. It was created by Chinese people in order to fulfil various religious purposes. ... In fact, it is the father of modern calculators. Before the invention of abacus people had to use fingers and hands. It was not very convenient. So, China gave the world a better way to count various things. This invention appeared about 3000 B.C. (Challen 2005). This device consisted of beads and wood. It was not very difficult to carry or hold abacus. It is applied even today, when there are computers and calculators at all offices. However, it is still rather convenient to use abacus, because it helps to keep track of numbers.

Monday, October 7, 2019

Lions Clubs international Public Relations Plan Assignment

Lions Clubs international Public Relations Plan - Assignment Example Additionally, this public relations plan will set about assisting the Lions Club International with achieving issues highlighted in its Strategic Plan though by strengthening its public relations communications and creating a greater awareness of the organisations achievements in the community. As Cutlip et al (200) recommend the plan has as its core aim to strategically position Lions Clubs International in high visibility outlets which will serve to increase the understanding and image of Lions Clubs International. In 1917, an insurance agent from Chicago by the name of Melvin Jones, understanding the potential of a unified purpose, conceived of the notion of joining many small independent service organisations under one umbrella to provide "Service to Humanity" (LCI 2005, screen1). From its humble beginnings the Lions Club International (LCI) has grown to become the largest service club in the world with a membership of almost 1.4 million people in 197 countries united to provide "service without personal reward" ("Lions Fact" 2005, PDF 4). LCI is devoid of political or religious affiliation; this autonomy has allowed the organization to concentrate on developing programming true to its mission and vision without a distinction being drawn in regard to "race, creed, nationality, religion or politics." Upon its initial expansion within the United States in 1919, a member from Denver Colorado suggested that the LCI not only represented "fraternity, good fellowship, strength of character and purpose", but in envisioning the use of the name LIONS as an acronym created what he saw as a more exact definition of citizenship: "Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation's Safety" which was adopted as the club's slogan. The motto as stated above is "We serve." (LCI 2005, screen1). Since it's beginnings in 1917 LCI has spread globally. Spreading from the United States to Canada in 1920, the club then expanded to China, Mexico and Cuba in 1926/7. The spread to Central and South America began in 1936. Australia saw its first Lions Club in 1947, and the following year clubs throughout Europe were established. In 1952 the first club in Japan was chartered, and by the 1960's LCI formed clubs in Africa. After 40 years LCI was truly a global organisation with membership on every continent. LCI in Britain began in 1950. Queen Elizabeth had sent an emissary to Canada to thank the Canadian Lions for sending money to assist the children orphaned during the World War II blitz. The Windsor Ontario LCI hosted the first British Club which was chartered on March 1, 1950 in London. The charter President of this first club was Lord Leconfield. The clubs soon spread throughout Britain and the rest of the UK. Glasgow saw the

Saturday, October 5, 2019

The Stasi Officer in The Lives of Others Movie Review

The Stasi Officer in The Lives of Others - Movie Review Example They submit secret reports on their co-workers, bosses, friends, neighbors, and even family members. Some do so voluntarily, but many are bribed or blackmailed into collaboration. When the movie begins, the interrogator, Wiesler, seeks a confession from a political prisoner. The accused is made to sit on his hands and is forced to stay awake. Wiesler informs his victim that merely to question the integrity of the Stasi is itself a serious crime. When the necessary confession has been obtained, Wiesler places the cloth from the seat the prisoner has been sitting on in a bottle for the use of tracker dogs. The tape recording of this scene is used to lecture recruits in the art of interrogation. In the process, Weisler is asked a question about the possibility that a victim is innocent. He puts a little cross beside the inquirer's name. At the end of his lecture, an old school friend, Lieutenant-Colonel Anton Grubitz, now head of the Stasi's Cultural Department arrives. Grubitz takes Wiesler to the theatre and suggests that he take an interest in a potentially dissident playwright, Georg Dreyman, whose beautiful girlfriend, Christa-Marie Sieland is appearing in his new play. An influential cultural minister (Bruno Hempf) has designs on the actress and intends to use the Stasi to tarnish the playwright. Wiesler is assigned to the case by his old friend and proceeds to bug the writer's flat and put him under 24-hour surveillance with an eye toward getting him out of the way. As the Captain listens to Dreyman and his girlfriend he begins to like them. Later on, he comes to doubt what he is doing and to suspect the patriotism of those around him. He develops human sympathies for people his superior believes to be suffering from a sickness known as 'anthropocentrism'. He finally becomes moved to question the state tyranny to whose service he has dedicated his whole life. Finally, he provides false reports to his boss, Lt. Col. Anton Grubitz, until the publication of Dreyman's article about suicides raises questions about the few secretly anti-Communist writers who have not already been forced to commit suicide by threats from the secret police. Eventually, Grubitz authorizes a search of the couple's apartment. Since Dreyman has hidden the typewriter under a floorboard, the search reveals nothing. Then Grubitz arrests Christa-Maria, assigns interrogation to Wiesler, who threatens to end her career if she will not talk, so she does. The secret police then organize a second search. However, Wiesler quickly goes to the apartment and disposes of the typewriter before the second search. When the search team arrives, Christa-Maria cannot face her partner, so she leaves the apartment, walks into a passing truck, and dies. Dreyman, however, is in the clear. Realizing that Wiesler has either extracted a false confession or is responsible for the incriminating typewriter, Grubitz demotes him to letter opening or mailman. The events in the story take place in 1984-1985. Mikhail Gorbachev is chosen as the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, and three years later the Berlin wall falls. Fast forward to 1991, Dreyman leaves the performance of a play and accidentally runs into the culture minister, Bruno Hempf, who in turn tells him to his surprise that he was under constant surveillance. He then goes to the archives of the former East German government to examine

Friday, October 4, 2019

Short Story Analysis Sheet Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short Story Analysis Sheet - Coursework Example Hazel is hell bent on continuing her winning streak at an annual race event held on May Day (Bambara 1-2). However, she has to juggle caring for her brother Raymond and race preparations while simultaneously dealing with insensitive remarks about Raymond’s mental handicap. At the story’s conclusion, Hazel emerges victorious and finds new respect for Gretchen and Raymond’s Down syndrome (Bambara 4). The author uses flashbacks throughout the story. For example, Hazel remembers taking Mary Louise under her wing when the latter was new to the neighborhood. In addition, she recounts her distaste for Cynthia Procter’s pretentiousness when she remembers the latter’s lie about not adequately preparing for a spelling bee event (Bambara 2). Bambara’s description of events is believable because she addresses challenges that face children in real-life; for example, jealousy and rivalry between young girls, as they strive to prove their superiority. The kind of conflict, central to the Raymond’s Run, is a sort of inner conflict of the protagonist. From the first glance it may seem that the whole story is about confrontation of two athletes, Squeky and Gretchen, but things are much more complicated, and the existing conflict between girls is an external one. Upon the deeper reflection the reader recognizes that twenty year old Squeky struggles to find her place in life, as she strives to do more than just watch Raymond. This girl uses running as a tool to construct another identity of the more confident and successful individual. However, her passion in running does not meet parental expectations, as they find Squeky’s hobby impair her girlishness. A vivid example of that conflict is Squeky’s refusal to take part in maypole dancing with such an argumentation: â€Å"a poor Black girl who really can’t afford to buy shoes and a new dress you only wear once.† (Bambara 1). Hazel Deborah Parker, or Squeky,

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Difference Between America and South Korea Health Care Essay Example for Free

Difference Between America and South Korea Health Care Essay Each country has a different procedure when it comes to their health care and their care with pre and postnatal. Some countries can spend a great amount of money on their health care (such as the United States) but still might not have the best health care in the world. Others have special arrangements that new mothers and infants can go through to make sure that they start off their life in a good and healthy environment. In this paper I am going to compare and contrast the infant health care and the overall prenatal care in the United States and South Korea by referencing multiple articles and textbooks that focus on this subject. Both countries have various ways in which they handle their health system and the care of their newborns. There are many factors that determine the health of a newborn such as the nutrition that the soon to be mother consumes, the environment that the mother and the child live in, and the hospital that the child is born in. Throughout the years each of these countries have been putting time and money into their health system with the goal of having the most outstanding health care system in the world. Their progress can be recorded in many different ways which will be discussed within this paper. Also the United States and South Korea both have very different systems when dealing with prenatal and infant care. One way that the infant care of a country is measured is through the mortality rate of the infants. In fact (Bae et al. , 2011), â€Å"Neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR) are two of the most important indices reflecting the level of public health of a country† (Abstract Section Para. 1). Without measuring and keeping track of these mortality rates, researches would not be able to figure out what countries are working towards a better health care service and which countries need help. Even though the United States is a developed country, and unlike less developed countries, it should have a high mortality rate. In all actuality the United States has one of the worst mortality rates compared to other counties. According to Levine and Munsch (2012), â€Å"Despite the wealth and the availability of (but not always access to) world-class edical facilities, the United States has the same or worse infant mortality rates compared with 37 other industrialized countries (Hoover Institution, 2007)† (p. 176). There are reasons for the high mortality rate, such as the fact there are many different races, ethnicities, and social statuses within the United States. Race and ethnicity do have an input in a person’s health and their life style. Some races (such as Asians) have a higher life expectancy and a lower mortality rate throughout their race because of the way that they are raised and the traditions that they fallow. The social statuses of the expecting mothers also have an impact on the future children because when the parent is part of a higher social status, it is assumed that they have a higher level of education and therefore know more about how they should care for themselves and their infants. The opposite goes for people who are part of a lower social status. The United States has been lowering the number of infant mortality rates by putting programs in affect to try and help out the health system. Some of these programs are (Bae et al. , 2011), †¦execution of Medicaid (1965), Medicare (1965), Supplemental Security Income (social health care security programs for children and pregnant women of the lower income group), provision of State Children’s Health Insurance Programs, Children Vaccine Program, Health Start Program (1991, Early Head Start Program, full day care service, parent education, case management, Community Resource Assistant)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Discussion Section para. ) and much more. The United States has more programs to help reduce the risk of infant mortality and various diseases, they are also working on other ways to help out the infant mortality rate by focusing on premature and low-birth weight babies. According to Levine and Munsch (2012), â€Å"Birth data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2007a) for 2005 found that the rate of premature births in the United States is 12. 7% or 525,000 babies annually† (p. 178). This number is high for premature births and these programs that are being put into place should help lower it. Even with all of these programs working toward a better health system, South Korea has less of an infant mortality rate. South Korea has improved its health system throughout the years and it has shown in their child care. Their country includes programs such as (Bae et al. , 2011), †¦tests for inborn error of metabolism and care for sick infants (1991), registration of pre-term and congenital abnormal neonates and medical expense support 2000), early diagnosis of deafness (2007), campaign for preventing blindness of preschoolers (2000), prevention of maternal hepatitis B infection (2002†¦(Discussion Section Para. 1) and much more. There are also more programs that are scheduled to appear throughout the fallowing years. As mentioned before it is easier for South Korea to keep their infant mortality rate down because they do not have to focus on many different nati onalities in their country, most of the population in South Korea are Korean. If you compare the two countries and the programs that they are producing it is shown the South Korea has been receiving more advances in the 2000’s while the United States had a breakthrough in their health care in the 1900’s. Copyright  © 2011 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences. This chart shows that South Korea started off with a higher mortality rate and it had a drastic decline. The United States had a decline in the 1900’s and during the 2000’s it started to stabilize. Copyright  © 2011 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences. This Chart gives a better understanding as to where the United States and South Korea stand with other countries. Neither of them are the best or the worst country, however they are on opposite sides of the scale. It is expected for the United States to have a lower mortality rate because of the amount of money put into their health care system, but according to the chart this does not appear to be true. South Korea has a lot of respect when it comes to their infants. They see their children as the future to their country and they are willing to do anything to make sure that their infants are well taken care of. This is shown through the data on the chart above because South Korea is closer to the bottom of the scale instead of the top. Both South Korea and the United States have a different hospital system. South Korea has a post-natal care facility called a sanhujoriwon. According to Yeon-soo (2013), Dozens of mothers and newborns stay together in such facilities and more than half of the places operate as non-medical institutions, leading to occasional problems with hygienic management. To prevent mass infection among babies at sanhujoriwons, the government recently beefed up disease surveillance of workers there and instituted a standard terms of use (Para. 2) South Korea is the only country that has these facilities available for their new mothers. Many pregnant women from all over the world come to South Korea just to get this treatment after they give birth. However, this facility is expensive, so not everyone can afford this luxury. According to Yeon-soo (2013), â€Å"The cost of using an upscale sanhujoriwon is 5 million (4,730 U.  S. dollars) to 10 million won (9,460 dollars) for a two-week stay, but the facility is so popular that a reservation might not be possible if not made six to seven months prior to childbirth† (para. 4). That is the price for the most expensive and luxurious places; other places can be thousands of dollars cheaper. In these facilities the nurses make sure that the patients get the right exercise (such as light yoga) and eat the correct food so that their recovery after birth will be as pleasant and beneficial as possible. They also care for the newborn and make sure that they get the nutrients that they need in the first couple of weeks. This helps out the new mother because they have time to relax and recover while their baby is getting the necessary care that is needed. When the mother is ready to go home after a couple of weeks they have a better time adjusting to their new life with a baby because they had the rest and help that they needed. In the United States they do not have these same accommodations but they to do have systems to help out the new mother. The United States has many medical professionals to help with neonatal and postnatal care. Some of those occupations include (Link, Jakubeez, Temple, 2013), â€Å"†¦neonatologist, neonatal nurse practitioners, bedside nurses, a clinical pharmacist, neonatal respiratory therapists, a nutritionist, a social worker, medical residents, and medical students† (Backgroud Section Para. 1). With a hospital consisting of these medical professionals the patients are likely to get the help that they need while going through the birthing process. Also many hospitals are expanding in the United States to include more room for neonatal care. The Hillcrest Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio expanded their hospital and included (Link, Jakubeez, Temple, 2013),†¦Ã¢â‚¬ a new 24 bed level 3 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and additional beds to accommodate high-risk maternal medicine patients† (Background Section para. 1). They expanded their hospital so that they could care for more patients at once; also so that the patients got the opportunity to receive the best care available to them. Usually after a mother gives birth (depending on the birthing method), the mother will stay at the hospital for a couple of days, and then return home. While at the hospital the nurses will help the mother with nursing, feeding, and changing the child. They will also make sure that the mother is recovering well after the birthing process. Both in the United States and in South Korea, they have programs to help mothers and infants after birth. However, the system in South Korea is more advanced because it keeps the mother and infants for a longer period of time which is more beneficial to their health. Nutrition to a pregnant women is a very important factor. If the mother does not get the correct nutrition than they are putting themselves at risks for multiple diseases. Also they are not only putting themselves at risk but they are also putting their unborn baby at risk. Some diseases that the mother can catch from bad nutrition are gestational diabetes, gestational hyptertension, and preeclampsia. Gestational diabetes when not looked after turns into gestational hyptertension; the worst out of the three that were mentioned is preeclampsia. This is because (Sizer Whitney, 2011), â€Å"Preeclampsia affects almost all of the mother’s organs—the circulatory system, liver, kidneys, and brain† (p. 508). If all of these organs are affected than the baby is at a serious risk of getting hurt. Most of these diseases will disappear after giving birth, but it raises the risk for the mother to catch another serious disease, such as type two diabetes. When a pregnant women is diagnosed with having gestational diabetes they are more likely to catch type two diabetes later on in life. It might not be right away but it could happen a couple of years later. Also they are more likely to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes again if they ever become pregnant again. Being overweight and pregnant is a big risk during pregnancy. In fact (Chen et al. , 2013), â€Å"Metabolic impairments in maternal obesity and gestational diabetes (GDM) induce an abnormal environment in peripheral blood and cause vascular structure alterations which affect the placental development and function† (Abstract section Para. 1). As mentioned before it does not only affect the mother but it also affects the unborn child, but it also affects the child after they are born. Using APA, 2013), â€Å"The historical poor outcomes of pre-gestational diabetes are testimony to the harmful effects of high glucose in early pregnancy as manifest by congenital malformations and in later pregnancy as evidenced by LGA [large-for-gestational-age] and its consequences. † (para. 2). The reason why this is more of a problem in the United States is because they have a higher obesity record than South Korea has. So more women throughout the United States are developing these diseases than women in South Korea. (Amamoto et al. 005) â€Å"Comparison of body mass index (BMI) distributions in Japan and Korea showed the highest value in the normal category (74%) together with a very low obesity rate (1. 2%)† (Results section para. 1). Since South Korea has a low obesity rate within their, they are less likely to give birth to large babies. However, the opposite goes for Women who live in the United States and are obese. This is a problem because (Sizer Whitney, 2011), â€Å"The infant of an obese mother may be larger than normal and may be large even if born prematurely. The large early baby may not be recognized as premature and thus may not receive the special medical care required† (p. 492). A premature baby might not be completely developed and need medical assistance after the birth. If the doctors don’t know that the baby has developmental problems than the newborn runs the risk of dying. This could also explained for the high mortality rate in the United States since they have a higher rate of obesity and it is difficult to label a child as premature and unhealthy if they are at a healthy weight. The environment that the pregnant women is living in is very crucial to her and her unborn child’s health. There are many illnesses that a woman can pass on to her child from environments that are hazards. When a mother is in her embryonic stage her baby is at a point of rapid development. This is a very crucial stage because the baby is starting to grow their organs, however they are also more likely to catch a disease which could cause a deformity during this stage. If the mother catches a disease than they are more likely during this stage to pass it to their baby which could cause a miscarriage or deformities. The issue of the environment is more of a problem for South Korea because of all the pollution that is in the air. South Korea is a very overpopulated country (especially in Seoul) and with all the cars and factories the air gets easily polluted. According to Sizer and Whitney (2011), â€Å"Pregnant women who are exposed to contaminants such as lead often bear low-birthweight infants with delayed mental and psychomotor developments† (p. 04). This is also an issue in some part of the United States, but it depends on where the person lives. If a pregnant women lives next to a factory that produces hazardous smoke than they are more likely to give birth to a baby with deformities. However, in South Korea many pregnant women are exposed to polluted air for most of their pregnancy and some of their babies are born with serious skin pro blems. There is air pollution everywhere a pregnant women goes but if the pollution is high than they are putting the baby more at risk. There are many factors that play into the prenatal and postnatal health. South Korea and the United States both work hard to make their health system the best that it can be. They have many programs in place and many more programs to come in the future. They are working on their hospitals to make sure they are as convenient as possible so that the mothers and newborns can have the best possible health care. Both countries are working towards lowering their mortality rate and lessening the amount of premature and low-birth-weight children. There is also the nutrition and the environment that the mother is exposed too. A simple factor as being obese can cause serious damage to the mother and the unborn child. Many expecting mothers do not understand that concept so they do not see the risk in it. Of course one country has a better health care system then the other, however they both have pros and cons to their countries. The United States has more funds to deal with and has more medical professionals working in their hospitals so that their patients can receive the best care possible. The negative aspect of the United States is that they have a high obesity rate and a high mortality rate. They also need to work on more programs to lower their mortality rate so that they can have the best possible health care. South Korea has excellent postnatal care, which many people around the world want to experience and be a part of. Also they have a low level of obesity so they are not as likely as the United States to get the diseases that come along with being overweight. The negative aspect of Korea is that their environment is not the best because of the pollution that is surrounding the air. South Korea is an overpopulated country so the air is filled with pollutants that are not good for a pregnant woman and can cause low-birth weight and birth defects. Overall both countries have areas in their health care system that they have to work on and areas outside of their health care system that they need to address. However, as of right now South Korea has a more exceptional health care system than the United States, especially when it comes to infant care.