The Archaic Electoral College for Presidential Elections Research Paper

The Archaic Electoral College for Presidential Elections - Research Paper Example Firstly, it is important to describe how the Electoral College method currently works. Every four years, in this indirect election method, U.S. citizens vote for Electors in their respective states who, in turn, vote for a Presidential candidate. With some exceptions, when a party receives a majority in a particular state, Electors from that party are deemed to have won the state. There are a total of 538 electors in the Electoral College system. When a party wins enough states to reach a count of at least 270 electors, the Presidential nominee from that party wins the election. So, a President wins the election by an aggregate of statewide electors rather than the total number of nationwide votes. The number of Electors in each state is equal to the total number of Senators and U.S. Representatives in it (â€Å"How the Electoral College Functions† 10). Since the number of U.S. Representatives is based on population, more populous states have more electors. The electors only t ake part in this one-time vote and are not responsible for any future legislative work. They are appointees of participating political parties and typically always vote in favour of their party’s respective candidate. Historically, on four occasions the winning president did not receive the popular vote with the latest being the 2000 elections (â€Å"How the Electoral College Functions† 17) when Al Gore lost to George W. Bush by a slim margin of Electoral College votes despite receiving a higher nationwide popular vote. Bush won 271 Electoral College votes, with a margin of only 1 vote above the minimum required.

Accounting Terminology Essay Example for Free

Accounting Terminology Essay Each of the following statements may (or may not) describe one of these technical terms. For each statement, indicate the accounting term described, or answer â€Å"None† if the statement does not correctly describe any of the terms. a. The level of sales at which revenue exactly equals costs and expenses. Break-even point. b. Costs remain unchanged despite changes in sales volume. Fixed Costs. c. The span over which output is likely to vary and assumptions about cost behavior generally remain valid. Relevant Range. d. Sales revenue less variable costs and expenses. Contribution margin. e. Unit sales price minus variable cost per unit. Unit contribution margin. f. The reduction in unit cost achieved from a higher level of output. Economics of scale. g. Costs the respond to changes in sales volume by less than a proportionate amount. Semi variable costs. h. Operating income less variable costs. â€Å"None†. Exercise 20.7 – Using Cost-Volume-Profit Formulas Exercise 21.2 – Home Depot’s Financial Statements: Incremental, Sunk, and Opportunity Costs Read the footnote in Appendix A referring to Home Depot’s decision to close all of its remaining big box stores in China. Write a short paragraph identifying the incremental, sunk and opportunity costs associated with this decision. Assume that any cost savings will be invested elsewhere in more productive stores. Incremental costs relate to the difference in costs between alternative courses of action and incremental revenues. The incremental costs that would be that would occur from either remodeling or closing Home Depot an existing location would include cost of materials, overhead from the actual physical remodel, labor that includes employee pay for rearranging and moving merchandise during a remodel if it occurred, designing and planning costs. Opportunity costs are important factors when it comes to decision making because they define the costs of taking some action in terms of the value foregone or that’s given up due to a particular action taken place. Opportunity costs of remolding would include profits on lost sales if the store is closed during remodeling, loss of current sales due to decrease in customer traffic (due to excessive noise, smell, dirt and inconveniences. Stores could potentially lose profit if they are not able to stock the full line of products or keep items stocked during a remodel. Whereas a sunk cost is an outlay that has been irrevocably incurred at some time in the past; sunk costs cannot be changed no matter what course of action is taken and are irrelevant for purposes of decision making involving the future. Sunk costs related to either remodeling of the store that would need to be taken into consideration include original costs of the current store (decorations, paint, shelves, displays, carpet) and designs that will need to be replaced or removed during either remodeling or closing. Exercise 21.6 – Incremental Analysis: Make or Buy Decision The cost to Swank Company of manufacturing 15,000 units of a particular part is $135,000, of which $60,000 is fixed and $75,000 is variable. The company can buy the part from an outside supplier for $6 per unit. Fixed costs will remain the  same regardless of Swank’s decision. Should the company buy the part or continue to manufacture it? Prepare a comparative schedule in the format illustrated in Exhibit 21-6. It would be more beneficial for the company to manufacture the part rather than buy it from an outside provider. Brief Exercise 22.9 – Flows of Costs through Manufacturing Accounts The President of Cold Moo Ice Cream Company, a chain of ice cream stores in the Midwest, was unhappy with the actual six-month profit figures for the  company recently prepared by the CFO. The president asked the CFO for a profit breakdown, by store, of the actual six-month results. When the President received the report, he was extremely upset and called the CFO, into his office. The President stated, â€Å"These reports show that each store in the chain is profitable, but our company results are unprofitable! How can this be?† The CFO pointed out that each store was allowed to set prices for ice cream based on its cost structure. However, the stores’ cost structures did not include headquarters costs of the costs of advertising and delivery of products. What are the three characteristics for operating a successful responsibility accounting system? Consider whether the accounting system at Cold Moo Ice Cream Company includes the three characteristics of a successful responsibility accounting system. How could the responsibility accounting system at Cold Moo be improved? As the Textbook states, â€Å"measuring performance along the lines of management responsibility is an important function. A responsibility accounting system holds individual managers accountable for the performance of the business centers under their control and provides top management with information useful in identifying strengths and weaknesses among units throughout the organization.† The three characteristics of a successful operating accounting system will include budgets, will measure the performance, and contain timely performance reports. â€Å"Budgets serve as performance targets for each subunit in an organization. The accounting system will measure the performance of each responsibility center, and timely performance reports are prepared that compare the actual performance of each center with the amounts budgeted.† When reports are preformed frequently, it allows center managers to be able to keep their performances on target, and helps with the evaluation of the managers. It does not appear hat Cold Moo Ice Cream is following the timely reports method of the accounting system, which is essential to ensuring the financial information is accurate as possible, and to improve this aspect should be more intertwined with the actual budget and more accurately present how the performance of the store is measured. To do so the responsibility income statement should also be presented, this  contains not only the operating results of a particular part of a business but also the revenue and expenses of each profit center within that part, which could be extremely important to see how those centers within the same area measure and stack up against one another. For the responsibility income statement to be informative and useful it should essentially and efficiently be able to detail Variable Costs, Contribution Margin, Fixed Costs, Traceable Fixed Costs and Common Fixed Costs. In addition, fixed costs that are common to both product lines amount to $125,000.00. Instructions a. Prepare Chocolatiers’ responsibility income statement for the current month. Report the responsibility margin for each product line and income from operations for the company as a whole. Also include columns showing all dollar amounts as percentages of sales. b. According to the analysis performed in part a, which product line is more profitable? Should the common fixed costs be considered when determining the profitability of individual product lines? Why or why not? According the analysis in part a, the solid product line is more profitable. When determining profitability of any product line, common fixed costs should not be considered. Only the costs that are directly traceable to the product lines should be included. Common fixed costs are not directly traceable to any product, as they are arbitrarily allocated in proportion to a chosen factor, for example, machine hour or square feet of a certain space occupied. c. Chocolatiers has $15,000.00 to be used in advertising for one of the two product lines and expects that the expenditure will result in additional sales of $50,000.00. How should the company decide which product line to advertise? The effects of this campaign will typically be in both sales and variable costs, and therefore the company should select the product line based on which product will have the highest contribution margin ratio, which is the  percentage of sales, service revenues or selling price that remains after all variable costs and variable expenses have been covered. This method takes into consideration the limited time frame of the advertising campaign, where fixed costs will most likely not be affected.

Analysis of the Failure of Superior Bank and Trust Essay example -- es

Superior Bank & Trust The thrift financial Institution Superior Bank & Trust is one of the largest. It is located in Chicago and has many branches eighteen of which can be found in the Chicago area. It is owned by one of Chicago's wealthiest families the Pritzkers and Alvin Dworman a well-known real-estate investor from New York. With assets totaling $2.3 billion and deposits of $1.6 billion Superior Bank FSB got caught up in some problems with sub prime loans. This was their main focus. Sub prime lending is lending to people who are poor credit risks. They lend money or issue credit cards at high interest rates. Many companies have prospered using this method but most have gone under due to rising default rates and early prepayments by borrowers who can refinance at lower rates. Superior Bank & Trust's failure was directly related to sub prime lending. Regulators were believed to have detected problems as early as January 1999. These regulators should have been the ones to step in and notice that things weren't going the way they should have been. Instead Superior's management is bearing the brunt of the blame in this situation. Ellen Seidman states "responsibility for the success or failure of any depository institution rests with its management, directors, and owners." This may be true but if management and financial intermediaries had been performing their tasks properly they would have n...

Irony and Foreshadowing in Poe’s Short Stories Essay

In Poe’s short stories, he uses literary devices like irony and foreshadowing to increase reader interest in his stories. Irony and Foreshadowing helps to create suspense, anxiety, and humor in his works. They also help to capture the audience’s attention and draw them into the story. Poe’s irony and foreshadowing are integrated in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†. â€Å"The Cask of the Amontillado† is one of the best examples of irony and foreshadowing in Poe’s works. In this story, almost every detail seems to stand for something else. These ironic details foreshadow Fortunado’s horrible death. Poe’s uses irony and foreshadowing to develop suspense and mood throughout this story. The first example of irony in this story lies in the character’s name. The name Forunato is ironic because it sounds like the word fortunate. Also Fortunato translates to â€Å"fortunate one† in Italian and suggests good luck. As we know from the beginning of the story, Fortunato is not so fortunate and his future lies in the hands of Montresor. Other ironies abound in the setting of the â€Å"Cask of the Amontillado. † This story takes place in Italy during Carnival, which is a joyous and happy time full of family, friends, and food. Carnival is the last place one would think of committing a murder. This ironic setting is one of the reasons Montresor is so successful and is why Fortunato is so surprised. A more visual and humorous irony lies in Fortunato’s apparel. â€Å"The man wore motley. He had on a tight-fitting parti-striped dress, and his head was surmounted by the conical cap and bells† (Poe â€Å"Cask†). His festive outfit contrasts with the impending doom that awaits him. Also, it is ironic that Fortunato believes that he is intelligent on the subject of wines, but he is dressed as a fool. In addition to irony, forshadowing is evident in the opening paragraph of the â€Å"Cask of the Amontillado†. Montresor’s first words to the reader are: The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You, who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose, however, that gave utterance to a threat. At length I would be avenged; this was a point definitely, settled –but the very definitiveness with which it was resolved precluded the idea of risk. I must not only punish but punish with impunity (Poe â€Å"Cask†). Clearly, Montresor has serious intentions for Fortunato, and these comments foreshadow Montresor’s vengeance on Forunato at the end of the story. Montresor says he must not only punish but punish with impunity. This foreshadows how an insult drove Montresor to take justice into his own hands and implies that Forunato’s punishment was deserved. Later in the story we see how this justice is really just an excuse for murder. Another instance of foreshadowing is when Montresor and Fortunato are in the vaults, looking for the cask of Amontillado. Fortunato begins to cough and says, â€Å"Enough, the cough’s a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough† (Poe â€Å"Cask†). This foreshadows his death because Fortunato was right in that he would not die of a cough but that he would die of something much more sinister. The clueless Fortunato also mentions that he has forgotten what Montresor’s family coat of arms looks like. Montresor describes his coat of arms as â€Å"A huge human foot d’or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel† (Poe â€Å"Cask†). This symbolically foreshadows Fortunato’s death because Montresor represents the human foot crushing the serpent, which represents Fortunato. This coat of arms shows that Montresor was not the first in his family to take justice into his own hands, a hint that Fortunato does not pick up on. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† also makes good use of irony and foreshadowing. It is one of Poe’s most well-known short stories and is considered one of his best. This story shows us how important irony and foreshadowing are to a gothic tale by providing suspense and humor to Poe’s stories. One instance of irony in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† is in one of Usher’s many paintings. In this painting, Usher paints a vault for the burial of a body. This is ironic because it portrays the tomb in which Madeline will be buried. It also shows how Lady Madeline would be buried alive. This painting signifies Usher’s dark thoughts and leads us to believe that he planned to bury Lady Madeline alive. Another example of irony is when the narrator reads Usher the story the â€Å"Mad Trist†. The narrator reads this story in order to calm both his and Usher’s nerves. This is ironic because the â€Å"Mad Trist† is a parody about a medieval romance. Poe introduces this story at the greatest moment of tension in the story; the Narrator cannot sleep, a storm rages outside, and Usher is on the brink of hysteria. The narrator could not have picked a worse time to read this book. (Poe â€Å"Usher’). Probably the most ironic part of the story was the change that Lady Madeline experiences before she is buried and after she is buried. When the narrator first sees Madeline, before she is buried, she is lifeless and can barely move or talk. After she comes back from being buried alive however, she has much more of an impact on the people and things around her. When she comes back from the dead, she has enough strength to tackle and kill Usher. This shows us that Lady Madeline has grown since her death. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† is known for its Gothic elements. In this story Poe describes the house as bleak, gloomy, and close to crumbling down. When the narrator first sees the house at the beginning of the story he says, â€Å"I know not how it was — but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit† (Poe 139). The gloom and bleakness of the house foreshadows the doom and horrors that will occur inside the house later on in the story. Poe lets us know from the beginning of the story that something execrable will happen inside that house. Poe’s description of the Lady Madeline as having â€Å"affections of a partially cataleptical character† (155) predicts her early death. The word cataleptical means to be in a state in which consciousness and feeling are lost and the body assumes a death-like rigidity. Lady Madeline’s description foreshadows her death because she is described as lifeless and lost. She seems as if she was already dead. The most obvious example of foreshadowing in this story lies in the title. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† foreshadows what will happen to not only the physical House of Usher, but also the symbolic House of Usher. Symbolically, the House of Usher represents the bloodline of Ushers. When the house crumbles to the ground at the end of the story, it represents the end of the Usher bloodline. â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† and â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† give a multitude of examples of both irony and foreshadowing. Poe uses these literary devices to develop suspense and mood in these stories. Without these literary devices, his stories would seem flat and boring. Poe’s literary devices are what captured and maintained my interests thought his stories.

Principles of managing information and producing documents Essay

Assessment You should use this file to complete your Assessment. The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference Then, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number. Please note that this Assessment document has 5 pages and is made up of 4 Sections. Name: Sylvia Pratt Section 1 – Understand the purpose of information technology in a business environment 1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with), identify at least two different types of information technology that may be used when completing work tasks. The two different information technologies used are: 1. Spreadsheet 2. Word Processing 2. What are the benefits to businesses (and others) of using information technology for doing work tasks? Spreadsheet provides accurate calculation Section 2 – Understand how to manage electronic and paper-based information 1. Explain the purpose of agreeing objectives and deadlines when researching information. If possible, refer to specific examples from research tasks you have worked on to support your answer. 2. Identify the different ways of researching, organising and reporting information. 3a) For your own organisation (or one you know well), describe the procedures that need to be followed when archiving, retrieving and deleting information. Your answer should cover procedures for both electronic and paper-based information. 3b) When following the procedures outlined in Question 3a above, are there any legal requirements to consider? 4. Why is confidentiality critical when managing information? Section 3 – Understand the purpose of producing documents that are fit for purpose 1. Identify at least two reasons for producing documents that are fit for purpose. 2. Use the table below to describe some of the different types and styles of documents that are produced in a business environment, and then explain when these different options may be used. Documents When they are used Section 4 – Know the procedures to be followed when producing documents 1. In most organisations, time is taken to agree the purpose, content, layout, quality standards and deadlines for the production of documents. What are the reasons for doing this level of planning? 2. Businesses will spend time checking finished documents for accuracy and correctness. a) How is this done? b) Why is this done? 3. Explain the purpose of following confidentiality and data protection procedures when preparing documents. 4. In business environments, there is often a requirement to use notes as the basis for text and documents. a) Compare the different types of documents that can be produced from notes and include a description of the format of each document. b) Explain the procedures to be followed when preparing text from notes. Once you have completed all 4 Sections of this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Deviant Behavior essays

Deviant Behavior essays A person would be considered to be acting deviantly in society if they are violating what the significant social norm in that particular culture is. What causes humans to act certain ways is a disputed topic among researchers for some time now. There are three types of researchers that have tried to answer this question. There is the psychological answer, biological answer, and the sociological answer. With all of the studies that have been performed, no one group has come up with an exact reason to why people behave deviantly. Although, sociologists theories have not been disproved as often as the psychologists and biologists theories because their experiments are too hard to define and no one definition for deviance is agreed upon by all experimenters (Pfuhl, 40). My own curiosity to find out what the influences are behind deviant behavior is the purpose for this paper. We have already discussed this topic during class in part two, chapter four of the textbook which explains deviance and crime. This section talks more about deviance being a learned behavior. I wanted to find out more information to see if biological factors are also behind this kind of behavior. The most knowledge acquired for why people act deviantly is from the sociological perspective. There is need for more research, if possible, in the psychological and biological perspectives, but there is a lot more known in the sociological viewpoint. The reality that the definition of deviant behavior is considered different by everyone makes it complicated and unknown if a truly accurate answer can ever be found (Pfuhl 18). This is why this topic is important to the study of sociology. Sociologists have more information, and therefore may be closer to finding the cause. For this reason, my main focus in this paper is at the sociological stand point of deviance with some explanations from psychologists and biologists. The family is the l...

d day essays

d day essays D-Day, June 6 1944. Air-Power: Significant or not? A private who was aboard one of the first few gliders to reach Normandy expresses his feeling: "I experienced an interesting psychological change in the few minutes before and immediately after take off. As I had climbed aboard and strapped myself into my seat I felt tense, strange and extremely nervous. It was as if I was in a fantasy dream world and thought that at any moment I would wake up from this unreality and find that I was back in the barrack room at Bulford Camp. Whilst we laughed and sang to raise our spirits - and perhaps to show others that we were no scared - personally I knew that I was frightened to death. The very idea of carrying out a night-time airborne landing of such a small force into the midst of the German army seemed to me to be little more than a suicide mission. Yet at the moment that the glider parted company with the ground I experienced an inexplicable change. The feeling of terror vanished and was re placed by exhilaration. I felt literally on top of the world. I remember thinking, 'you've had it chum, its no good worrying anymore - the die has been cast and what is to be, will be, and there is nothing you can do about it.' I sat back and enjoyed my first trip to Europe." Yet another rifleman who was carried to the beach in the LCVP's relates one of his incidents: "I got on the gun. I set the gun up, and we're looking, we're looking. He says, "See if you can spot him." All of a sudden I spotted him, about 200 yards away, and I'd say maybe 30 or 40 feet higher than me. He wasn't firing at me. He was firing down across. So when he opened up again the Germans, when they fire, they fire fast, they don't fire like we did, because they change the barrels of their machine guns in seconds. Ours were a pain. We had to take the whole gun apart and screw the barrel off, and then put another barrel on. They would get hot if you fired like the Germans. We o...

How to Keep Your Christmas Tree From Drying Out

How to Keep Your Christmas Tree From Drying Out Whether you buy your Christmas tree from a lot or hike deep into the woods to cut your own, youll need to keep it fresh if you want it to last the holiday season. Maintaining your evergreen will ensure that it looks its best and prevent potential safety hazards. It will also make cleanup easier when Christmas is over and its time to say goodbye to the tree. Select a Long-Lasting Tree Consider the kind of tree you want. Most  fresh cut trees, if properly cared for (using the steps below), should last at least five weeks before completely drying out. Some species hold their moisture content longer than others. The  trees  that retain moisture the longest are the Fraser fir, Noble fir, and Douglas fir. The Eastern red cedar and Atlantic white cedar rapidly lose moisture and should be used only for a week or two. 'Refresh' Your Tree If youre buying a tree from a lot, odds are the evergreen was harvested days or weeks earlier and has already begun drying out. When  a tree is harvested, the sliced trunk oozes with pitch,  sealing  the transport cells that provide water to the needles. You will need to refresh  your Christmas  tree and open up the clogged cells so that the tree can deliver appropriate moisture to the foliage. Using a tree saw, make a straight cut along the bottom of the trunk- taking at least one inch off the original harvest cut- and immediately place the new cut in water. This will improve water uptake once the tree is on its stand. Even if your tree is freshly cut, you should still place the base in a bucket of water until youre ready to bring it inside. Use the Proper Stand The average Christmas tree is about six to seven feet tall and has a trunk diameter of four to six inches. A standard tree stand should be able to accommodate it. Trees are thirsty and can absorb a gallon of water a day, so look for a stand that holds 1 to 1.5 gallons. Water the new tree until water uptake stops and continue to maintain the level of the stands full mark. Keep the water at that mark through the season. There are dozens of Christmas tree stands for sale, ranging from basic metal models that sell for about $15 to elaborate self-leveling plastic units that cost more than $100. How much you choose to spend will depend on your budget, the size of your tree, and how much effort you want to put into making sure your tree is straight and stable. Keep Your Tree Hydrated Always keep the base of your tree submerged in regular tap water. When the stands water remains topped-up, the tree cut will not form a resinous clot over the cut end and the tree will be able to absorb water and retain moisture. You dont need to add anything to the tree water, say tree experts, such as commercially prepared mixes, aspirin, sugar, or other additives. Research has shown that plain water will keep a tree fresh. To make watering your tree easier, consider buying a funnel and a three- to  four-foot  tube. Slip the tube over the funnel outlet, extend the tubing down into the tree stand, and water without bending over or disturbing the tree skirt. Hide this system in an out-of-the-way part of the tree. Practice Safety Keeping your tree fresh does more than maintain its appearance. Its also a good way to prevent fires caused by strings of tree lights or other electric decorations. Maintain all electric accessories on and around the tree. Check for worn Christmas tree light  electrical cords and always unplug the complete system at night. Remember that miniature lights produce less heat than large lights and reduce the drying effect on the tree, which lessens the chance of starting a  fire. Additional safety tips are available from the National Fire Prevention Association. Dispose of Your Tree Properly Take the tree down before it dries completely and becomes a fire hazard. A tree that is totally dry will have brittle greenish gray needles. Be sure to remove all ornaments, lights, tinsel, and other decor before taking down the tree. Many municipalities have laws dictating how to dispose of a tree; you may have to bag the tree for curbside disposal or drop it off for recycling. Check your citys website for details.

222#5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

222#5 - Assignment Example In some cases temperatures were seen to rise above 100 degrees in summer (the Texas tribune). An increased number of inmates also adds pressure to the already under paid and overworked correctional officers. Thus they have to work longer hours with the minimal pay and this leads to turnover or the conducting illegal businesses in prison. High turnover presents a couple of challenges to the correctional facilities. In a research done on turnover, high turnover in newly employed staff showed that the resources used in recruiting and training the staff do not produce the required returns. Therefore, this results to fewer resources required to promote other staff retention and betterment of inmate programs. Available officers therefore end up working overtime which further translates to fatigue and burn out. In a report by Oklahoma watch, prison staff have been reported to be involved in car accidents due to fatigue (watch). The major step needed to be taken is increase of the personnel wages. This will act as a motivator and less will be forced to turnover. This step should be followed by improvement of the working conditions, air conditioning, better housing and reduced overtime. Reducing the number of inmates is also key. This can be done by moving small crime inmates to community rehabilitation centres instead of placing them in correctional facilities. This will reduce the number of inmates to be supervised by one officer. The Texas Tribune,. Prison Officials Seek Ways To Recruit, Retain Officers, By Brandi Grissom. N.p., 2015. Web. 20 Apr.

Economics goverment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Economics goverment - Essay Example While the partnership entailed several economic benefits such as enhanced efficiencies, it became problematic because of the perceived coordination of pricing and other behavior that were feared to lead to anticompetitive practices. Joint ventures are investigated by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) based on the provisions of the Hart-Scott-Rodino pre merger notification act of 1976. The said investigation was a requirement before the venture was finally consummated. There was not court proceeding, without any formal depositions or accounts by both parties of their positions before the court, as well as public disclosure of documents. The investigations merely involved the examination of a huge number of documents. After this type intensive antitrust investigation, FTC finally provided the stamp of approval and the joint venture proceeded, although with some modifications. The first legal issue in the GM-Toyota joint venture pertains to its impact on the market. Particularly, there is the perceived likelihood of cooperative behavior wherein the parties - both dominant players in the auto industry - would cooperate that can disadvantage the position of the consumers (Kwoka, p.50). For example, the level of partnership provides an opportunity for both companies to fix pricing. Ultimately - in this respect - the investigators were concerned that the venture would adversely impact the competition in the market or moderate competitive behavior if a complete consolidation of operations between these two companies was realized. The second and final issue in the investigation concerns the appropriate treatment of Japanese production. Under the so-called â€Å"voluntary restraint agreement or VRA, Japanese car import is subject to a quota: 1.68 million car export to the United States within the period of two years (p. 51). The legal implication of the joint venture is numerous. First, there is the debate whether the

Electronic communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Electronic communication - Essay Example It is with no doubt that the technology has lowered the cost of operation and increased profit margins and business productivity, however, its rapid growth and extensive use has brought along potentially harmful threats to the technology itself and to its users. The paper examines the potential threats related to electronic communication and recommends possible responds to such threats. Introduction Electronic communication, a form of communication involving the transfer of images, signals, data and signs through electromagnetic energy, radio, wire or photo-optical system was discovered in 1998 and its popularity has grown drastically ever since. (Kranakis, 2008) The technology has significantly improved and enhanced the speed, reliability and accuracy in communication including globalization of various business and organizations utilizing the technology. A part from the vast and evident advantages of electronic communication, there are a number of threats associated with overrelianc e on the technology. The use of loop holes in the technology by cyber criminals posses as the most critical threat among others. Malicious actors such as hackers have the habit of utilizing easily accessible tools to compromise and intercept electronic communication thus putting the user and the target infrastructure at high risk. (Kranakis, 2008) The threats associated with electronic communication presents a potential danger to a business organization’s assets including the data of the organization and the users, user authentication information and the physical infrastructures like the network and the computer systems. The assaults and severity associated with such threats as spam, viruses and network attacks have risen to the extent that it threatens the viability of electronic communication. Apart from the leakage of confidential user data, such attacks and threats causes increased and unpredictable hardware and software costs, disruption to email delivery and depletion o f IT resources. The threats associated with electronic communication can be widely categorized in to two including the following. System and Application Threats There is a possibility that data and information sent through electronic communication can be intercepted, copied and modified by unauthorized persons through such attacks as man-in-the-middle attack. This compromises privacy and exposes the user to great danger in case sensitive information such as banking details are exploited. In case of a hospital, the modification of intercepted patient information can endanger the patient’s health or worse off, life. (Melliar-Smith & Chuang, 2012) Password theft and unauthorized computer and network access by hackers or other actors with malicious intentions also posses as a dangerous threat associated with electronic communication. Hackers use special software and Trojans to attack and compromise the security of a target thus gaining unrestricted access to sensitive data and in formation which can be used against the business organization. Such security breach can do massive damage to a company’s reputation besides its competitive advantage in case sensitive and confidential information is lost in the process. In addition, intellectual property may also be lost in case of a security breach involving

International law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International law - Essay Example 2002). Under the principle of restrictive sovereign immunity, states will only be immune from suit if it is exercising government functions but not when it is doing private acts or entering into commercial transactions (Tunks M. 2002). When the immunity of the state from suit is restricted, the immunity of its officials is also restricted. Accordingly, there are three distinct principles that involve the idea of the immunity of the head of state and other government officials who are visiting other countries like the United States. These three principles are the state sovereign immunity principle, the diplomatic immunity principle and the head of state immunity principle (Tunks 2002). The origins of the principle of head-of-state immunity derives from the idea that the state and its rulers are one and the same ( Mallory J. 1986). As the alter ego of the state, the state officials are therefore accorded with some degree of immunity which, like that of the immunity of the state itself, is subject to restrictions. Although there are some decided cases involving the immunity of state officials from prosecution for international offences, this area had remain gray for most part. If we take a closer look at the laws and treaties governing the United States and its visiting foreign state officials, there has not really been a clear cut policy of government on the extent of the immunity enjoyed by state officials form prosecution for international offences (Bederman D. 2001). We shall discuss this principle more thoroughly in the later part of the paper. On the other hand, diplomatic immunity is anchored on the principle that diplomats are representatives of their country and that without such immunity; they will not be able to carry out property their official functions. Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the purpose of diplomatic immunity was clearly

Prophylatic Mechanical Therapy in the Prevention of Neuropathic Dissertation

Prophylatic Mechanical Therapy in the Prevention of Neuropathic Ulcerations - Dissertation Example An affective prophylactic measure therefore, assumes high priority in dealing with neuropathy and ulceration. Mechanical prophylactic methods namely special shoes, insoles, orthotic devices, gait patterns, canes and clutches aim to redistribute plantar pressure and have been used traditionally. However, the evidences supporting the affectivity of these methods are still rare. This literature review aims to make a critical analysis of the reported affectivity of mechanical prophylactic methods in preventing first incidence of ulceration in an individual with peripheral sensory neuropathy. A thorough study of the literature available for the mechanical prophylactic devices was made using peer reviewed articles from academic journals and each of these was evaluated for its relevance to the specific condition being studied. It was found that of the wide variety of methods used, some have been reported to be highly affective, but for many others systematic studies are lacking. Further res earch is recommended for evaluating each of these mechanical prophylactic methods. {Key Words: Diabetic Ulcer, Neuropathy, Plantar Pressure, forefoot, Hindfoot, Offloading, orthotic devices, shoes, insoles, casts} Can the use of prophylactic mechanical therapy be beneficial in the prevention of neuropathic ulcerations I. INTRODUCTION: Neuropathy, the general term for peripheral sensory neuropathy, is a disease involving functional impairment of the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system comprises of nerve roots, plexus, and autonomic, sensory & motors nerves connecting the various organs of the body to the central nervous system, i.e. the brain and spinal cord. A damage or dysfunction to one or more... The immediate cause of neuropathic root ulcerations being elevated plantar pressure, prophylactic measures aim to reduce the plantar pressure. Mechanical methods are one of the most important among the several methods that have been recommended for prevention of the disease. These methods involve the use of various devices and means that ultimately aim to facilitate plantar pressure offloading of the vulnerable foot primarily by redistributing the foot load. Reports are available from many randomized control trials (RCTs) and prospective studies which provide the proof of various pressure reducing devices being effective in preventing foot ulcerations. The major mechanical prophylactic methods reported for neuropathic foot ulcerations include use of padded hosiery, special shoes, Orthoses or special insoles and casts. Other than this gait alterations and bed rest are also recommended for off loading and thereby reducing pressure. Types of Mechanical Prophylactic Methods and their evi dence of their efficacy in preventing neuropathic ulcerationsA.  Hosiery: Padded hosiery (figure 4) is recommended for diabetic patients at risk of neuropathic ulcerations. An early study describing the experimental use of padded hosiery was reported in 1989 (Veves et al., 653). The padded socks designed by an American hosiery manufacturer Thor-Lo, were made of acrylic (85%) and nylon (15%). Their claim that the socks reduce pressure on athlete’s feet was evaluated by Veves and colleagues.(Veves et al., 653).

International law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

International law - Essay Example 2002). Under the principle of restrictive sovereign immunity, states will only be immune from suit if it is exercising government functions but not when it is doing private acts or entering into commercial transactions (Tunks M. 2002). When the immunity of the state from suit is restricted, the immunity of its officials is also restricted. Accordingly, there are three distinct principles that involve the idea of the immunity of the head of state and other government officials who are visiting other countries like the United States. These three principles are the state sovereign immunity principle, the diplomatic immunity principle and the head of state immunity principle (Tunks 2002). The origins of the principle of head-of-state immunity derives from the idea that the state and its rulers are one and the same ( Mallory J. 1986). As the alter ego of the state, the state officials are therefore accorded with some degree of immunity which, like that of the immunity of the state itself, is subject to restrictions. Although there are some decided cases involving the immunity of state officials from prosecution for international offences, this area had remain gray for most part. If we take a closer look at the laws and treaties governing the United States and its visiting foreign state officials, there has not really been a clear cut policy of government on the extent of the immunity enjoyed by state officials form prosecution for international offences (Bederman D. 2001). We shall discuss this principle more thoroughly in the later part of the paper. On the other hand, diplomatic immunity is anchored on the principle that diplomats are representatives of their country and that without such immunity; they will not be able to carry out property their official functions. Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the purpose of diplomatic immunity was clearly

Social media plan Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social media plan - Coursework Example E-communication is a computerized system that enables financial transaction be able to be completed in a fast manner and with proper confidentiality. It is mostly used by customers while paying for a particular service (Kevin, 2011).In our case study which is the Jet Chatter Company the role of social media will be to target the market by ensuring the information about which service is open and when the arrival and departure time is for the next plane The plan is to understand how the jet company can use social media to its advantage without missing it. It can use it to inform passengers on the delayed or also on the new packages that the business has. It is important to note that the solution of the social media is to ensure that communication is efficient and received in a far wider area. It is for this reason social media should be embraced. Social media canals be used as an inquiry desk and complains area this can help lessen the time taken by customers and employees in going to the offices physically and this will help in adjusting and ensuring that information is received in a timely manner. It enhances customer education regarding the issues facing and going on in the jet chatter company. When customers are aware of what they are doing it is easier to update them on other issues and this will boost on the companies transparency. In the Jet Chatter Company it is important to understand the services that should be offered by the social media unit. Through the use of social media they can use to empower customers to interact and also understand other services that are needed for the business to include. Feedback are important for any business to grow and it for this fact that the management of the Jet management group should be serious enough to ensure that a lot is considered so as to receive as many complaints as

Experiment to Find the Acceleration Due to Gravity Using Free

Experiment to Find the Acceleration Due to Gravity Using Free Fall Essay As the title suggests, this experiment is to find the acceleration any object under free fall will undergo when travelling towards the earth. We presume in this experiment that we are unaware of the constant g and the basis of this experiment is to rediscover this value. Apparatus The principle behind the circuit is fairly simple. The ball is held through magnetism to the electromagnet; however when the magnetic field is no longer being created i.e. the switch is opened, the ball falls. When the switch is opened, the timer also starts as the switch is connected to one of its inputs. The ball strikes the metallic plate as it falls and breaks the contact between the metal plate and the rest of the circuit. The plate switch is also connected to the timer which then stops timing. In this way the time taken for the ball to fall a certain height is measured and hence its acceleration. The height fallen by the ball is measured by moving the plate switch up and down a wooden pole and measuring through use of a tape measure the distance between it and the bottom of the ball. All distances given in the data were from the top of the metallic plate to the bottom of the steel ball. The distance had to be standardised as the rate of acceleration depends upon the exact distance fallen in a certain amount of time. If we had not worked out two standard points that all our measurements were taken from we would not have been able to calculate the acceleration of the ball to an accurate degree. The acceleration acting upon the ball as it falls towards the earth is due to gravity. It is therefore prudent to show some understanding of the physics of the experiment before we actually look at the data itself. All following material is taken from Explaining Physics A-Level Edition by Stephen Pople. Gravity is a force of attraction between any two masses. This force is unusual as it is the only force discovered that has no repulsive effect unlike for example, magnetism which can attract and repel other masses. The Earth is surrounded by a gravitational field which exerts a force on any mass in it. In terms of this experiment the ball is attracted towards the earth as it falls. I read that experiments done in the past have shown that at a particular place all bodies falling freely under gravity in a vacuum or where air resistance is negligible have the same constant acceleration irrespective of their masses. This is why for this experiment the mass of the ball is irrelevant as long as it remains constant throughout the experiment. This is due to the fact that acceleration due to gravity is a constant for all objects irrespective of mass where air resistance is negligible. If we wish to find the acceleration due to gravity we only need to know the displacement of the ball and the time taken for it to fall that distance. This value is taken as 9.8m/s/s; that is to say that the velocity of any body travelling downwards will increase by 9.8m/s every second neglecting the effect of air resistance. As a result, my initial prediction is that the time taken for the ball to hit the plate will increase as the distance increases and as a result the acceleration will increase. This prediction is based upon the evidence found in the textbook mentioned above but also through initial examination of the data. For this experiment my partner and I decided to attach the metal plate switch at 20cm intervals from 20-200cm so a wider range of results could be calculated. We wished also to see if we could obtain the terminal velocity of an object in free fall i.e. the speed at which it will stop accelerating but the distance between the ball and the switch was not great enough. The final graph I will plot will be the displacement of the ball bearing over the time taken to open the switch squared. The two values should show positive correlation as if we arrange the equation from the textbook: S=ut + 1/2at s/t = u/t + 1/2 a Therefore: s/t = u/t + 1/2 a We know that intital velocity is Zero so: s/t = 1/2 a This rather conveniently allows us to find the acceleration due to gravity by simply doubling the gradient. g = 2( s/t) We see now how it is possible to obtain a value for g as I have data on both the displacement of the ball bearing and the time taken for it to fall that distance. An initial graph without reference to the data should be virtually straight line taking experimental error into account, perhaps looking roughly so: I have shown here the time squared for an object to fall over 50cm. I have taken g to be 10 which I have read is an approximate value. We see here that the time taken to fall increases proportionally to the displacement. I believe this will be true for the actual data also but need to plot this also. Displacement (cm) Time1(s) Time2(s) Time3(s) Average time(s) Average time Squared(s) 20 0.145 0.201 0.202 0.183 0.033 40 0.291 0.291 0.290 0.291 0.084 60 0.351 0.349 0.350 0.350 0.123 80 0.403 0.405 0.405 0.404 0.163 100 0.454 0.454 0.454 0.454 0.206 120 0.496 0.497 0.497 0.497 0.247 140 0.538 0.537 0.537 0.537 0.289 160 0.569 0.575 0.575 0.573 0.328 180 0.610 0.610 0.610 0.610 0.372 200 0.632 0.632 0.633 0.632 0.400 The highlighted result is the one I see as anomalous; I will explain later the major sources for error in the experiment. We see that the graph is almost a straight line showing that my initial prediction was correct in that the time squared had a positive correlation with the distance travelled. Let us presume now that we do not know that g is 9.8m/s/s and work it out based upon data on the graph. We know from my previous rearrangement of the equation in the textbook that the acceleration is the gradient doubled. To work out the gradient we must divide the change (delta) of they Y axis by the change of the X axis. When plotting the gradient it is wide to take it over the widest range possible to take all results into account. As a result I have decided to take the results from the extreme points of both the displacement and time. This is why I took the displacement over two metres instead of one to obtain a wider range of results. The data is taken from 20-200 cm. This is 180cm. However the modern convention is to measure length in metres which gives us a change of 1.8 m. The change along the X-axis is equal to 0.4-0.033 which comes to 0.367 If we divide 1.8 by 0.367 the result comes to 4.905 which we know is half the acceleration. If we double this value we find that (barring experimental error) the acceleration of the ball was 9.809 m/s/s which if we round up to 9.81m/s/s we find that it is very close to the conventional value for g. This does not leave us much room for experimental error as the variance between the value I obtained and the value stated in any textbook is 0.1m/s/s. However I believe there were sources of error for this experiment in general which I will now outline irrespective of the fact that they did not affect my own. The most significant factor when measuring g is that air resistance will act upon the ball. Explaining Physics tells us that we can neglect this factor as the ball itself is very dense. However, air must provide some resistance to the ball falling and could conceivably affect an experiment especially as air resistance isnt the same from one moment to the next for example, someone could open a window and cause an air current to act upon the ball. The only real remedy for this factor is to perform the experiment in a vacuum. A less likely factor to affect the experiment is the fact that the ball may display residual magnetic properties through repeatedly being attached to the electromagnet. The atoms within the ball could well have been ordered to make the ball itself be attracted to the electromagnet after the switch was thrown. Even if current was no longer flowing through the wires around the core, a weak magnetic field may have been apparent in the ball causing it to be attracted towards the iron core due to previous use. While iron is magnetically soft and would probably not have magnetic properties once the switch was opened the ball is made of steel which can retain magnetic properties. A solution for this problem would be to demagnetise the steel ball by either using a demagnetising tool or by simply heating it up by placing it in a naked flame for several seconds. One improvement I would have like to make to the experiment concerned the metal plate switch. I realised that it took a certain amount of time to actually break the contact between the plate itself and the rest of the circuit which could affect the overall time recorded by the Digital voltmeter. I believe it would be more efficient for a light sensor and a laser to replace the plate switch so the ball could fall uninterrupted and the time recorded would be more accurate. This is due to the fact that breaking a light beam can occur almost instantaneously while a metal plate is more difficult to move. If I had more time I would have liked to increase the distance over which the ball fell. This would not only provide a more accurate value for g but would also allow me to calculate the terminal velocity of a given mass. Ideally it would be interesting to see how the gravitational field of the earth varied in different locations, perhaps by obtaining data on the acceleration of the ball in various geographical locations. It would then be possible to see how g can vary due to the fact that the mass of the earth is not a constant all across the surface.

Varieties of English: Effects on Teaching English

Varieties of English: Effects on Teaching English The Varieties of English and Its Affects on Teaching English as a Foreign Language English is considered to be the most important language and has gained importance internationally. The English is treated as a means of communicating in the areas of the economy, technology, science, arts, tourism, and sports. English language can be described as a truly global language that people all over the use more than any other language and it functions as an international or world language and it serves as lingua franca for facilitating communication between people who do not share the same first (or even second) language (Harmer, 2007). Since English is considered to be the most important tool for communication globally, the understanding of its varieties also becomes necessary. To give clear view of the use of English in different countries, Kachru (1992) presents the three concentric circles of language. The inner circle represents the places where English is used as first or native language such as Britain, the USA, Australia etc. According to Crystal (2006), there are 400 million native speakers of English language. The outer circle includes the places, such as India, Nigeria, the Philippines, Singapore etc, where English is used as an official language or second language. Crystal (2006) states that there are 400 million speak English as a second language. The Expanding circle represents the countries where English plays no special status but widely used as a lingua franca or medium of international communication and studied as a foreign language, for example, Japan, Egypt, Mexico, Indonesia etc. There are around 600-700 million people use English as a foreign language around the world (Crystal, 2006). These circles clearly show the high status of Englis h language as it becomes an official or second language in more than 100 countries. There are about 2 billion people, one third of the world population speak English all over the world. Varieties of world English include American English. British English, Singapore English (Singalish), Indian English, Australian English, Philippine English, Scottish English, Spanglish, Taglish etc. The existence of different varieties of English around world is because of the spread of English. The spread of English is the result of a number of historical and pragmatic factors (McCrum, 2010). The first factor is the expansion and the influence of British colonization to many parts of the world in the nineteenth century. The second factor is the great influence of United States in world economy and military and Harmer (2013) states that these influences make English to become one of the main language of international businesses. Thirdly, according to Crystal (2003), American technology takes a leading role in the world technology. Besides, the great deal of advertising, broadcasting, popular music and literature around the world use English to express the ideas around the world. Moreover, in education, the most of the academic discourse use English language and it can be one of the main reasons why many countries use English as the foreign language or medium of instruction in schools. Therefore, it is obvious that English becomes a global language as it is the most commonly used in many important fields such as business, education, media, science and technology. According to Greenbaum and Quirk (1991), there are five reasons why varieties of English has evolved: regional, social group, field of discourse, medium and attitudes. The variation occurs in the distinctive features of English which include spelling, pronunciation, lexis, grammar and preferred usages. The varieties of English, as shown in the verbal structures, which express the variations in the aspects are commonly seen in all the varieties around the world. Pronunciation and morphology can be classified in accordance with the frequency of variation seen in the non-standard forms of the English language. The variation in vocabulary is restricted to two types. First, the presence of archaic words and second, the presence of flora and fauna words. The phonological, morphological and syntactical features are the three main features which show the variations in the English language as compared to be the standard form of the language. Out of all the countries around the world, Britain and America are the two main countries that have used a standard form of English. In Britain, the standard form is called as received pronunciation (RP), and in America, the standard form is called by various names, but most common being- general American and network American. Maximum people in America, use General American while speaking. Whereas, a very few people in Britain, use Received Pronunciation while speaking. Other than these two standard forms of English are considered to be the varieties of English. The varieties of English (Fairclough,2014) spoken out of Britain and America are called to be overseas or extraterritorial varieties. English is considered to be an official and often native language. English fulfills the function of a lingua franca (ELF). Many countries, like Nigeria, have used English as a lingua franca (which means a general means of communication). More attention shall be given to the varieties in ELT from various perspectives like grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary (Pennycook.2014). The variations are least at the level of grammar. Thus, are not to be addressed in the English language classroom in detail. But if we talk about pronunciation, the case is totally different. It requires to be studied in detail. The role of varieties of English in ELT to some extent also depends on the teacher. It has been seen that the prospective teachers of ELT are not prepared properly for coping up with the variety-related problems that arise in the classroom. Due to lack of proper training, teachers hesitate to include varieties of English in ELT as they consider it a complex thing (Llurda, 2016). Also, varieties are not considered important by teachers as they usually are not important in exams. The challenges of variation of English language in ELT context can be overcome by strengthening the regional and social varieties in the areas where English is used traditionally as the traditional language by the majority of the population, by growing the self-confidence of the native and non-native users of English to use the regional varieties in the English language without sticking to the norms of using the traditional language as standard as exposing students to as many varieties of English as possible would do more to ensure intelligibility than trying to impose a single standard on everyone (DSouza, 1999) and by adopting ELF in the ELT, due to globalization as English learners will most likely to communicate in English with other non-native ELF speakers in ELF interactions. Although it is impossible and unnecessary to teach all varieties of English in the classroom, students should be given proper training to be able to understand the speakers from different geographical and social differences which needs to include more exposure to varieties and variety-related training in ELT to create awareness, for example, teaching listening skill with the recordings of different speakers with different accents. To conclude, because of the spread of English in British colonization and the influence of USA in economic and military and a wide use of English language in different areas to share the ideas with the world such as media, technology, science and education can make English to become global language. As English become global language, there are many users of English around the world and this lead to different varieties of English. The existence of varieties of English influence in teaching English as the role of varieties in the ELT classroom has gained major importance and thus, can be said to be the most promising way to provide users of English an education which makes them highly competent in terms of communication globally.

Historical Macbeth Compared To Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- essays re

Although most of Shakespeare's play " Mac Beth " is not historically accurate, MacBeth's life is the subject of the tragedy. There are characters and events that are based on true events and real persons but, Shakespeare's "MacBeth " differs significantly from history's MacBeth. The first example of a difference between the Shakespeare "MacBeth" and historical Mac Beth is the death of Duncan I. In Shakespeare's " Mac Beth ", Duncan I was murdered by MacBeth. A prophecy said to Mac Beth by one of the three witches "All hail, MacBeth, that shalt be King hereafter1 ." was what prompted Gruoch, MacBeth's wife to plot the murder of Duncan I as he slept in their castle. In history, Mac Beth established himself as the King of Scots after killing his cousin Duncan I, in battle near Elgin not as in Shakespeare's play by killing him in his sleep. Duncan I was killed on August 14, 1040. Mac Beth then reigned as king for seventeen years.As previously stated Duncan I and Mac Beth were cousins, a fact not brought out in the play. Shakespeare loosely based the play," Mac Beth " on events he found in Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland. " Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland, are the materials that furnished Shakespeare with his plot2. The chronicles were an account of the history of the country of which they came from. Another major difference, is that Duncan I was ...

Filipino Fashion Essay

Just when you think that Filipinas do not know how to strut on the catwalk, Filipinas do not just have the passion to wear designed clothes; Filipinas are natural fashionistas. Tracing its origins, Filipinos had long since been very innovative and creative in the kind of clothes that they wear. The early settlers wore bahag, a loincloth commonly used by Filipino men before the European colonizers arrived. This is mostly used by indigenous tribes in the mountains, and until now, is still used in the Cordilllera Mountain. But this is not being looked down upon as a lowly garment as it is made of well-chosen materials, woven in intricate designs that are unique with each individual wearing it. The Barong Tagalog and Baro’t Saya are the country’s national costume. The barong is made of a variety of fabrics like the pià ±a fabric, jusi, and banana fabric. This is worn by men during official and special personal occasions. Nowadays, the barong has now been modernized with the polo barong, â€Å"gusot-mayaman† (â€Å"gusot† means â€Å"wrinkled† and â€Å"mayaman† means â€Å"wealthy†), linen barongs and shirt-jack barongs. Barong Tagalog The baro’t saya is the national dress and is worn by women. This is characterized by having a huge paà ±uelo or shawl around the shoulders, and the terno, having the butterfly sleeves popularized by former First Lady Imelda Marcos. As the years passed, the influence of the West and the influence of the East on local fashion has made Filipino fashion an ecclectic one. Some of the popular Filipino fashion designers we have today include Mich Dulce, Rafe Totengco, and Monique Lhuillier.

History Controlled Assessment Essay

Controlled Assessment Before 1914, some women were discriminated against and were seen as second class citizens. The ideal job for the working class women were found in and around the home, which was greatly related to domestic jobs. They were known as â€Å"domestic servants† as they had to do all of the house chores and obey the orders of the house owners, for example, the mother, the father, the son or even the daughter. They had a really low paid job as they had no skill in which they could rely on to get a job, meaning that they were forced to stick with the domestic jobs. However, they were guaranteed food, shelter and clothes, depending on the generosity of the employer the servant would gain more or less. In this controlled assessment I will be talking about 5 sources that explain to us how women’s lives were affected by World War I. During the World War, some British women’s lives had completely altered. Looking at the source, it tells us that the munitions girls were always good company. It also tells us that they were very generous and kind, since the girls offered to pay for the soldier. The source is a secondary source as it was an interview for a book made up of personal memories, which was written in 1990. Also, this interview was with H.V. Shawyer, a soldier during WWI. The purpose of this source is to educate people that want to know people’s personal memories and how their lives were changed by the war. This source is reliable as it was created for a book, made to educate people and since it is a book, it will contain many similar stories relating to the war and the munitions girls. Source 4 is a primary source and is a poster. It’s also an image of a woman ploughing on a farm. The source implies to us that women can do most things that are meant for men to do; therefore women are equal to men in most ways. The poster was created in 1917, which was during WWI. It was created by the Government, who were seeking recruits for the Women’s Land Army. Since the men were at the World War, the Government called for the women to take over the men’s jobs but were only paid minimum wage. For example, out of 260,000 women needed for the jobs, only 48,000 volunteered. This is because the jobs the women faced did not appeal to them, meaning that most of the women wouldn’t take up the jobs. The purpose of this propaganda poster was to persuade women to join the Women’s Land Army since the men were too busy at the war. This third source was taken from a website focused at GCSE History students, most likely created by a historian. It was created in 2006 and is aimed at GCSE History students; it is also a secondary source as it was created after the World War occurred so it also gains the benefit of hindsight. The purpose of this source was to inform and educate GCSE students studying for History. This source is quite trustworthy since it’s from BBC, a trusted website. Also, it was most likely created by experienced Historians, willing to educate students for their exams. It is also quite useful as it informs you about World War I, and how it proved to be a turning point for women. This next source I will be talking about is a secondary source and is a letter. It is taken from a letter by Mrs H. Felstead, who was writing it in to the Imperial War Museum. It was a letter created in 1976. The Imperial War Museum asked for memories from women that were involved in the War. The source was created to inform people on what women gained during the war. The source is actually fairly reliable as it informs us on what women gained during the War; however, there isn’t enough knowledge on who she is so this makes the source fairly reliable. This source is quite useful to somebody studying on how women’s lives were affected during the War as it gives us personal stories from these women, and is written from their own point of view. The last source I will be talking about is a secondary source and is an extract from a History book talking about women’s rights. The source was created in 1932 and is an extract from a History book. The source was also created by a woman named Sylvia Pankhurst. The source was created to persuade people to allow women’s rights, such as the vote. However, this is not enough as Sylvia wanted more women’s rights. The source is fairly reliable as she is trying to campaign for women’s rights by using detailed facts about women, however, she could be lying by creating false facts to help gain rights for women. The source is also quite useful to women wanting to know about women’s rights and who campaigned to gain women’s rights.

Biomed Case Essay

(Biomed), the family business in Thailand. On the other hand, as the new general manager of Biomed, he had some concerns about the first major decisions he was about to make and implement upon his return. Biomeds parent company, Thai Drugs Co., Ltd. (Thai Drugs), had just revised Biomeds market strategy, and the follow-on to this was the need to realign the sales compensation system to fit with the new strategy. Chiemchanya was charged with this task, and he saw high company risk and high personal risk in this situation. Teaching objectives The overarching objective behind this case is to get students to recognize the path to designing an appropriate sales compensation plan (market strategy ( sales roles and goals ( compensation plan both level and mix). The second objective is to have students work through what is required to successfully implement such a change since, whenever management tinkers with someones wallet, there is the potential for trouble.  The third objective is to h ave students realize that compensation cannot do everything in terms of aligning a new sales program with a new strategy. Sales managers have to realize that the compensation plan is not the quick fix. Other changes may be required to training, hiring, etc. to have complete alignment between the sales program and the go-to-market strategy. The case can be successfully used in undergraduate and MBA sales management courses and can also be used on executive development programs.  One idea would be to team teach this case with an organizational behavior faculty member who could focus on the change issues. This could unfold over two classes. Suggested Assignment Questions Its not necessary to revisit Biomeds go-to-market strategy, but it is necessary to become completely familiar with its premise and goals. Given this market strategy, what would you propose for a sales compensation plan What steps did you go through to get to this recommendation How will you successfully implement this change Remember you are tinkering with someones wallet. As a sales executive, is changing the compensation plan all that Chiemchanya has to do in order to tie the sales program to the new strategy TEAC HING STRATEGY This case almost teaches itself, as students should be able to develop a logical path from the new market strategy to the new compensation plan. They should also recognize the implementation challenges. It may be slightly more difficult for students to understand that compensation may not be the only component that needs to be revisited within the sales management program. Getting Started The key to getting started is to have students realize that the new go-to-market strategy is a given. The senior executive team has made the decisions and has passed these on to Chiemchanya. No time should be spent revisiting the strategy, but a bit of time needs to be spent making sure that the key components of the strategy are understood. An optional way to get started is to ask students who have worked in sales exactly how they were paid and why they think the compensation plans that emerge in the discussion are different. Then the instructor can move into the issue above. The Sales Compensation Plan At least 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the class time should be spent here. This is a case where you can have students lay out their proposed compensation plan and then have them justify the plan by helping them create the logic path of market strategy and goals ( role of the sales force ( tasks and goals for the sales person ( a compensation plan that supports the achievement of these goals. The way that the case is written should encourage this thinking, but if such a process does not emerge from the discussion, then it becomes the instructors task to introduce it. The concepts are all explored in the case (the old plan to give a basic structure and to allow students to calculate the level of compensation for a typical sales rep the market strategy the sales role the sales tasks and goals). It might have been more challenging for  students to devise some of these, however, this cannot be done in one class and the key learning is around the process/steps to a successful plan. Implementation We cannot let students stop with the design of the plan. The next section of the class has to focus on how to successfully implement the plan. This involves figuring out what the reaction of various salespeople might be as there will be a variety of reactions. For example, reps who are already focusing on drugstores, and selling the identified subset of products at good prices will see this as a no-brainer. The opposite is also true. This is also an opportunity to reinforce the difficulty of implementing changes that can potentially alter someones take-home pay. It also raises the issue of the role of the first-level sales manager as part of the change process. Chiemchanya has to get this person on board or he is going nowhere. Other Sales Management Program Changes Even if there are only a few minutes left in class, the question needs to be raised as to whether anything else needs to be addressed within the sales management program. The more obvious ones include some training to get salespeople comfortable with the new role perhaps an assessment of sales people, in terms of their suitability for the new role the increased need for coaching, at least in the short run, to get reps focused and behaving differently and the potential role that recognition could play in bringing about behavioral change. An option here is to have the case extend over two classes, with the sales compensation plan addressed in the first class and the implementation and other changes addressed in the second class. This could then be topped off by a brief lecture on sales compensation. CASE ANALYSIS The Sales Compensation Plan Whats a bit different with this teachin g note is that we have the actual process that the company followed to redesign the compensation plan. In general, this provides the analysis for core of the case. The authors of the teaching note have added some comments in italics, which reflect on some of the process. Of course the instructor can challenge any of the ideas presented and put things forward differently in class. 1. Target Total Cash Compensation (TTCC) The first step was to define the TTCC. This is the amount that a sales representative would earn if he (all sales reps were male) achieved expected performance. TTCC should be comparable to industry norms, attractive enough to recruit new candidates, and it should meet management goals. TTCC included both cash  and non-cash components. Base salary Sales commission and bonuses Benefits Contests/special rewards Recognition events Expense reimbursement The instructor can start a discussion as to which of these components should fall under the rubric of compensation. The focus of most of the discussion should be on a) and b). In this case, it was assumed that the current TTCC was appropriate. The current compensation plan generates a TTCC as shown below. ComponentBase Salary with Commission and BonusBase SalaryBase Salary/YearTHB60,000Commission RatePerformance To GoalCommission rate1st Commission RateUp to 1001.52nd Commission RateSales beyond 1003Quarterly BonusPerformanceBonusQ1Achieve 100 of Q1 YTD GoalTHB3,000Q2Achieve 100 of Q1-2 YTD GoalTHB4,000Q3Achieve 100 of Q1-3 YTD GoalTHB5,000Q4Achieve 100 of Q1-4 YTD GoalTHB6,000Bonus for previous quarters are retro-backed when YTD goal is achieved  Sales Volume YTD (THB)Expense THB /day0 500,000380500,000 1,000,0004201,000,000 2,000,0004602,000,000 and above500 This is an unusual plan since expenses are not flat, based on territory variables such as size, nor simply reimbursed. They increase with performance. This could be viewed in two ways. First, the argument could be that reps who are selling more are spending more to get these sales. Second, it could be argued that the increased expenses were some form of bonus that could end up in the sales reps pocket if it wasnt spent. Current TTCC Expected performance is annual sales of THB2,000,000 per sales representative, therefore a) Base salary THB60,000/year b) Sales commission and bonus A sales representative who achieves 100 per cent target (assume THB2 million) will receive 1.5 per cent of sales. 1.5 2,000,000 THB30,000 A sales representative who achieves 100 per cent target will receive all quarterly bonuses. 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 THB18,000 Total Sales Compensation THB48,000 c) Benefits The sales force receives the same benefits as other Thai Drugs employees. d) Contests/special rewards Currently there are no contests or special rewards. e) Recognition events Currently there are no recognition events. Change in TTCC components a)Base salary and b) Sales commission and bonus The company believed that a base salary component was necessary for Biomeds sales representatives, especially if the reps were to buy into the new plan. Also, since Biomeds strategy was to focus on building good customer relationshi ps, a salary component would encourage sales reps to think about the long term. The sales commission and bonus component was also viewed as necessary. The base salary and commission/bonus component, when combined, was to increase when compared to the current plan. Since the TTCC was to remain the same, this increase would come from expense reimbursement discussed later. Regarding the weight of salary/commission/bonus, this issue will be discussed in the next step (Compensation Mix). c)Benefits The benefits would remain the same.  d)Contests/special rewards In the past, Biomed never rewarded sales representatives by offering, e.g., a holiday trip. However, holiday trips can be a very effective motivating tool both before the trip and after. Moreover, it was felt that the motivational effect of holiday trips could last longer than cash of the same value. Biomed proposed that a holiday trip should be included into the new plan. It would be rewarded only for exceptional performance of the whole team. Thus it should not be included to the TTCC figure since TTCC is the target for sales representatives reaching expected performance. e)Recognition events Since Biomed is a small company with 11 sales representatives, it was suggested that large recognition events might not be appropriate. Small team meetings could be used to recognize excellent performers. f)Expense reimbursement The company decided to change the expense allowance to be a true expense. The change was to adjust the allowance to a flat THB400 per day. This results in an annual expense allowance of THB96,000. Since the original expense figure is THB98,400, the 2,400 was to be added into the base salary/commission/bonus component of TTCC. Biomed thought that this change had two benefits. First, since the expense and sales compensation would be separated, the compensation plan would be easier for the sales reps to understand. Secondly, it was viewed as promoting equity since all reps would receive equal expenses.

Telecommuting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Telecommuting - Essay Example Telecommuting has been touted as the wave of the future as far as workplace trends go. This is due to the large number of individuals and corporations that are opting for this method of work against the physical work at the office model. Telecommuting basically is the idea where one works outside the confines of the conventional office space (Amigoni, 2009, 3). There are various benefits that have been attained by firms that have adopted this method as part of their human resources management strategy. While some have had success other firms have experienced a negative effect with their bid to try and adopt telecommuting policies. A recent incidence may have brought the issues that are raised by telecommuting to the fore and this was with the recently appointed chief executive (CEO) of Yahoo banning the telecommuting policy of the company. Discussions have been raised on whether this was a good move or not? What may have called for her action? How does this affect the future producti vity of Yahoo as a company? There are a number of advantages that a company may stand to gain from adopting a telecommuting policy. Various different studies have been conducted that have looked at the improvements that a firm may get from having a section of its workers telecommuting to work. Some of these studies have found that telecommuting helps boost the performance of the workers and this has been attributed to a number of factors. One of these factors is the amount of time that is saved by workers who do not have to commute to work every day. Each day there is an increasing number of hours that workers spend on the road on their way to and from work. These hours can be better spent working on their various tasks if they telecommute. This savings are also in the fact that a large percentage of the workers are now not forced to endure traffic jams that also consume a lot of the time which limits the workers productivity. If this time is spent doing company related tasks and as signments they can help improve greatly on the output of the company (Johnson, 2001, 169). The other idea is in the fact that those who telecommute to work have been found to have an increased amount of productivity as compared to their colleagues who do not telecommute.  

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 54

Case Study - Essay Example This will help in determining how the function focuses the dynamism of the course work. This leads to the determination of accountability measures. I will let students know how I will measure the success rates and share awareness of what they will work towards. This helps them avoid a drift off from the objective. It is helpful to rewrite the measures on clear understanding and referring back to them. Establishing group norms and agreements gives each student a choice to contribute while providing accountability for all. Even though, the class approaches are used with most adult groups, using them on children inspires more friendly norms while offering students opportunities of growth. Children based on their ages might foresee things such as respect for each other and respective idea. Several mechanisms support successful collaboration of the student goals and child welfare prospects. Some unfortunate consequences lead students to ostensibly serve systems to receive inadequate education services. Focus groups help in advancing education goals while students learn how systems within classrooms work collaboratively. The approach reports the successful practices and barriers for the identification of participants affecting the educational principles functioning in the lives of children under my care (Montiel 282). One of the barriers is shared individual accountability for the work while the groups allow wholesome assessments. It is prudent to complete individual tasks and reconvene to expedite the sharing of individual works and synthesizing information. Accountability is one of the factors of working groups where the teacher finds effective and creative ways in monitoring multiple groups that work within the classroom (Montiel 284). The assignment rules are helpful, and students work to analyze the education objectives. Collaborative learning method allows the students to learn through ways that stakeholders come together. This element

Gender and Sexual Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender and Sexual Studies - Essay Example Thirdly, racism and ethnic background are important aspects governing the professions (Kempadoo 10). Sex workers and domestic workers move from their native countries in search of better economic activity (Kempadoo and Mahdavi). In other words, sex work and domestic work are used to generate income that is aimed at the family’s welfare and survival (Kempadoo 4). Fourthly, some of the participants in the professions are victims of human trafficking and are often mistreated and beaten in carrying out their duties (Mahdavi 63). Fifthly, a considerable number of those who were interviewed detest their work and practice it as they lack a better option (Mahdavi 77). Finally, most of the participants are young women from countries with poor economic conditions resulting from globalization (Mahdavi 63). Misperceptions about These Careers. Most professions in the world have prevalent misconceptions which spread across the globe. The first misconception about domestic work and sex work is that people tend to think that all the partakers of the profession were forced, therefore conclude that all transnational workers were trafficked and recruited into the professions against their will (Mahdavi 62). Most certainly, there are those who are victims of this crime, but on the contrary there are those who willingly engage in these jobs. The second misperception views sex work and domestic work as an identity rather than sources of income. This notion has impeded the recognition of sex work and domestic work as labor thereby prevents probable protections that can strengthen labor laws relating to the professions. Last but not least, there is a worldwide misconception that ending trafficking is relying on the demand for sex. (Mahdavi 63). This is wrong since it assumes that trafficking is synonymous to sex work and domestic work (Mahdavi 63). Reasons for Heightened Vulnerability in this Profession. Consequentially, sex workers and domestic workers are prone to abuse from their employers, family members and other people in the environment. Some cases have been reported however, most of them are not reported to the relevant authorities. There are various reasons to resulting to this. On one, side, sex workers work in a male dominated world, and they are often mistreated and viewed as objects of pleasure (Mahdavi 63). Both professions lack legitimacy and recognition thus increasing vulnerability of the workers (Kempadoo 3). The society has tainted the profession and do not accord the much needed respect. These workers work in a poor working environment, face identity issues in society and suffer from human rights abuse (Mahdavi 3). These women migrate from their home countries in order to stay away from economic problems and opt to go through hardships so long as they can generate income (Mahdavi 76). Additionally, sex workers and domestic workers are prone to abuse since people tend to think they are in a desperate situation. Since they are in a despe rate situation, they have to accept all manner of abuse from the people they interact with. These two industries are marred by high levels of racism and ethnicity hence workers from some parts of the world are prone to discrimination (Mahdavi 81). There are no clear policies with regards to domestic work and sex work. As a result, the perpetrators will continue abusing sex and domestic work

Business Financing and the Capital Structure Research Paper

Business Financing and the Capital Structure - Research Paper Example Concept of working capital management Working capital management is fundamentally described as a managerial technique to preserve the financial health of a company in repaying its short-term debts and simultaneously, sufficing the need for short-term operating expenses. Advantages of working capital management can be viewed in terms of increased earnings of a company. Contradictorily, the conceptual framework is often criticised to offer only short-term financial planning assistances to the users. Notably, working-capital ratio and inventory-turnover ratio can be regarded as the two vital instruments to assess the viability of working capital management strategies applied by a company (Rehn, 2012). Financial instruments that are used as marketable securities to park excess cash Marketable securities are mostly favored by investors owing to their high liquidity benefits. In this regard, Treasury bills, commercial papers, bankers’ acceptances and other forms of government bonds as well as common stocks can be noted as the financial instruments used as marketable securities by investors to park excess cash (Chudson, 1945). Question 2 Selection of equities and debts to raise business capital depend on diverse factors, which mainly include the micro-economic performance of the economy and the liquidity position along with the risk taking ability of the company. Equities raise the liability of the company to repay investors, but only if the total liabilities of the company are accounted to be inferior to the assets held, i.e. when profit is obtained. Another advantage of using equities is that the interests paid by the company to its equity shareholders are accounted as an organizational expense, which further allows a certain percentage of tax leverage to the company. However, concerning the shareholders’ interests to invest in equities, various factors can be identified as disruptive (Komaromi, 2006). For instance, the purchase decision of equities of ten depends on the probability of business earning profits, and hence, investors tend to purchase equities when businesses are at their growth stage. Again, current fluctuations may also be identified to impose significant effects on the investors’ behavior towards purchasing equities. Concerning the current market scenario in the US, fluctuations can be apparently observed in the equities market, owing to its macro-economic volatility (Reuters, 2013). Therefore, a company must ensure its growth phase as well as preserve good liquidity position to market its equities and obtain adequate capital. On the other hand, debts do not involve uncertainty on the basis of investors’ decisions and behaviors. Therefore, businesses may not be required to ensure a growth phase while obtaining debts through short-term or long-term modes. It is worth mentioning in this context that although a business need not face the risk of uncertainty in capital allocation, it might require ensuri ng healthy liquidity ratio (Komaromi, 2006). Additionally, interest rate fluctuations observed in the current performance of the US may also have a negative implication for a company to opt for fund raising through debts. To be precise, the interest rates in the US are observed currently as rising and are further expected to rise in the near future, which might increase liabilities of the company deciding upon raising funds through debts (Conerly, 2013). Apparently, both the fund raising options have certain

Analyze Oath of the Horatii Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyze Oath of the Horatii - Essay Example Their mothers and sisters are fearful for the warrior’s lives as depicted at the bottom right of the painting. The legend depicts one of the Horatii sisters to be engaged to one of the Curatii brothers. During the contest, two of the Horatii brothers were instantly killed, but Publius feigned flight and managed to kill his wounded pursuers piecemeal. The sister wept with sorrow, upon hearing that her brother Publius had killed her lover. Seeing her tears, Publius the surviving Horatius brother was horrified that she was cursing Rome, stabbed his sister calling upon death on any Roman woman who mourned the enemy (Livy, 1978). The painting by David depicts heroism. In this case, the painting  shows the three sons as they give the salute and  swear to protect their city.  In line with this, the French government used the painting as a means of pre-French revolution propaganda, to promote a sense of nationalism. The main aim of the government was to bring its citizens together  and build loyalty for their country. Hence, Jacques-Louis David created the painting in order to inspire feelings of heroism and loyalty within the French people. The Horatius brothers are risking their lives in order to protect their city of Rome, despite the woeful and sorrowful faces of the women. David attempts to give his people a sense of sacrifice.  Through his painting,  the Oath of the Horatii is aimed at promoting loyalty and sacrifice for the country eventually leading to the rise of outstanding heroes during the French Revolution. Hence, the painting required the French to take arms and swear to protect their country as the brothers did in the painting (â€Å"The Oath of the Horatii,† 2011). Jacques-Louis David presented the first work of art in a new style called the rococo style. The painting has a broad and basic composition, with the full-scale figures

Personal Statement Essay Example for Free

Personal Statement Essay The sound of the thunderous crowd in the background seemed to fade away as I approached the stage. Droplets of sweat began to run down my face as my sympathetic nervous system kicked into gear, sherona grant stand up I began to shake and become weak but gained a lot of confidence and I walked upon the stage and held my head high and looked into the crowd and turned around and received my diploma and then on to getting accepted into universities and making my mother a proud woman has been an amazing feeling so I want to continue to place a smile on her heart and a memory on her forehead to show her that I am an success story. A dream can lay waste only if there is no kick start to reality. In the sleep state there is no conscious being but once you are awoken from the formality of death, only being that you were in darkness for nine months and light is at its standing ovation your passage way is a wide and broad path either you take the path less traveled or you take the most traveled path. I chose to uphold a different light I chose the path less traveled, amongst millions I stand out because of my kindled soul encamping the dark world bringing forward a sense of light to the wilderness. My confidence does not over power my personality, I am a very relaxed person and in the humble state you can only wait upon things to take its place and move freely in your life. In the bible it states faith without work is dead and god helps those that helps themselves. I’m attending Florida a amp; m university at this moment and I do not think this is the place for me I prefer to attend a university like point university because it has a Christian environment that I need to get closer to god along with my personal experience with god. I went to a high school that had Christian values and the school taught me patience in every way possible. From the research I did I believe Point University fits who I am as a whole in the mission, values, goals statements states that Point University is a school that educate students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world. They statements begin to breakdown how and what will be done to show the teachings of Christ and how the student has grown and will learn through the teachings of the teachers and how the atmosphere will flow. Academic background comes from when I first started school in Jamaica and then when I came to America I always been a person about business and never gave up no matter how hard a subject was for me. I have volunteered at plenty of place I was a volunteer at a hospital named memorial regional hospital, I was also a water girl for my schools football team and I was an active member of my church with the youth department. I have been put down and told that because of certain things I will not make it but god was judged so who am I not to be judged I will never give up my dreams that I have because of my pride and who I am which is a strong willed person. I am a person that does not care what another person has to say about me because god created me to be who I am a strong, persistent and hard working person. Point University seems to be a place where there is no playing just strictly business and support from staff no matter if you mess up. I’m interested in attending Point University to grow spiritually and finish my education in the biological studies to become a doctor. My personal motto states no matter how long it takes you to achieve a goal as long as you get it is all that matters. A change has to be made in your life and this change of wanting to attend a Christian school will be a better one for me instead of a school with no order. My achievements in my academic career have been my main focus but god should always be my number one choice and then all other things will be added onto my life. As I reflect back over my experiences, I have come to realize that medicine is not only a career, but also a lifelong relationship and strong commitment to my future. I believe that I am equipped with qualities needed to excel as a future student and as a future doctor. Whether it be the patience learned while attending school or growing in god I will come out with something worth the wait. Also the compassion radiated while learning and helping others while I obtain my career or the stamina needed to compete and learn all material given to me I know without a doubt that I am and will be a student and a doctor.