Friday, November 29, 2019

Pest Analysis Virtual Banking free essay sample

This PEST analysis is conducted at a macro level to examine the technological advancements which would propel and prove viable for Nexity to launch into the Virtual Banking industry in the 21 century. Political Factors In 1999, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), and others sponsored and submitted a bill to congress to be reviewed so as to change the export controls on encryption software or tools which could be used globally or exported out of country (Encryption rights in the U. S. and encryption export restraints. 1999). This bill which eventually was approved in year 2000 would allow clients of virtual banks to transcend physical barriers to invest and maintain accounts in the U. S. without the fear for the security of their transactions or the need for physical presence either locally or while away from the U. S. This would also allow global U. S companies to conduct the banking through the internet from their branch offices out of the U. We will write a custom essay sample on Pest Analysis Virtual Banking or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page S thus increasing the potential number of clients. To further regulate and provide a secure environment, Webtrust was launched with guidelines and audit processes for all e-commerce entities (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Inc. and Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountant 1999). This e-commerce certification was spear headed by American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Inc. and Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and endorsed by US Federal Trade Commission to provide seal of trust for participating merchants. The certification program will authenticate the trade and security process of Nexity, as such allowing users to be confident of the services offered by Nexity. Though changes in laws and governance of virtual banking services assured users of their transactions, there was a lurking issue with the dawn of the millennium. The Millennium bug or commonly known as â€Å"Y2k bug†, was first mentioned on a Usenet newsgroup occurred Saturday, January 19, 1985 by Usenet poster Spencer Bolles (Wikipedia. org n. d. ). A poll was conducted by CNN/USA Today/Gallup in partnership with the National science Foundation to reflect consumer believes and understanding of the Millennium Bug. The poll conducted in May, 1999 showed that 21% of people who believed that the Millennium bug would bring about major problems and 30% would withdraw a large amount of cash to be stored away. Though the numbers are not the majority, it clearly explains there are concerns, and it would be greater for services delivered from virtual platforms. Furthermore, there would be exposure to risk and cost in identifying if there are problems with the technology if launched prior to start of the millennium. Economical Factors Nexity would require strategic partnerships which will enable it to launch itself into the market without huge investments costs in technology development and a quick development turn-around time for its launch. Fiserv Inc who was providing software and technology backbone for Financial Systems leveraging on their technological advancements through rapid acquisitions of 73 companies since 1984 till 1998 and a corporate clientele of 400 over 60 countries in late 1999 proved to be a potential reliable partner. Part of Fiserv’s business-unit director’s compensation was in relation to the bi-yearly feedbacks of their client’s and this identifies their willing intent to improve and provide better for their products and for the clients. Mote, Dave n. d. ) While the server end of the financial systems are could be handled by strategic technology partner like Fiserv, the client end of Fiserv’s virtual banking system depended on third party solutions provided by web-browser development companies, like Netscape and Microsoft whose products were the dominant browsers, Netscape Browser and MS Internet Explorer, holding 24. 68% and 75. 31% of browser market share respectively (WebSideStory n. d. ). Thus allowing Nexity to completely eliminate the cost of client-end development and pre-deploy their client-end to almost any computer which was used during 1999 to roam the internet, making Microsoft and Netscape a strategic partner as well. In 1998, with the amendment to the Banking circular 203 and the issuance of SOP 98-1 (Statement of Position 98-1) that allowed banks to capitalize on stage 2 of the software development cost meant that the earnings and margin of the bank will not be as severely impacted. SOP 98-1 allowed the capitalized software costs derived through development or purchasing to be amortized on a straight line basis or alternative basis that can closely represent the use of the software. Instead of taking a hit of the total development costs to the profit margin of the bank during the development phase before putting the software to use, the bank is now able to defer the costs in the balance sheet and match the costs to the period of use over the expected lifecycle of the software. Social Factors Through a survey conducted by ZDNet InternetTrak, the banking sector was expecting increase of 42% of e-banking participants by end of 1999, which would place the potential number of clients to 12. 8 million users. (Levin and Nash 1999). Furthermore, in survey conducted by The Strategis Group, a Washington-based market research firm, 50% of the United States’ adults had access to the internet and The International Data Corporation, another market research firm, projected that by end of 2003 the number of users would exceed 177 million (The New York Times Business 1999).

Monday, November 25, 2019

30 Rhetorical Devices †And How to Use Them

30 Rhetorical Devices - And How to Use Them 30 Rhetorical Devices - And How to Use Them Rhetorical devices are as useful in writing as they are in life. Also known as persuasive devices, stylistic devices, or simply rhetoric, rhetorical devices are techniques or language used  to convey a point or convince an audience. And they're used by everyone - politicians, businesspeople, and even, you guessed it, your favorite novelists.You may already know some of them: similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia. Others, maybe not (bdelygmia, we’re talking to you). But at the end of the day, you’ve probably run into all of these devices some time or another. Perhaps, you’ve even used them yourself. And if you haven’t, don’t let their elaborate Greek names fool you - they’re pretty easy to implement, too. But before you dive in, let’s identify the different categories of rhetorical devices out there.Types of Rhetorical DevicesAlthough there exists plenty of overlap between rhetorical and literary devices, there’s one significant d ifference between the two. While the latter are employed to express ideas with artistic depth, rhetoric is designed to appeal to one’s sensibilities in four specific ways:Logos, an appeal to logic;Pathos, an appeal to emotion;Ethos, an appeal to ethics; or,Kairos, an appeal to time.These categories haven’t changed since the Ancient Greeks first identified them thousands of years ago. This makes sense, however, because the ways we make decisions haven’t changed, either: with our brain, our heart, our morals, or the feeling that we’re running out of time. What's the difference between rhetorical and literary devices? Find out here. So without further ado, here is a list of rhetorical devices designed to tug at those strings, and convince a listener to give you what you want - or a reader to continue reading your book. (Source: 20th Century Fox)Wham! Pow! Crunch! These are all examples of onomatopoeia, a word for a sound that phonetically resembles the sound itself. Which means the finale of the 1966 Batman is the most onomatopoeic film scene of all time.24) PersonificationIt’s a lot easier for humans to understand a concept when it’s directly related to them. And since rhetoric is used to convey your point more effectively, there’s naturally a rhetorical device for that: personification, which assigns human characteristics to an abstract concept.Personification is present in almost all forms of literature, especially mythology, where concepts like war, love, and wisdom are given humanity in the form of gods such as Ares, Venus, Saraswati. But anthropomorphism, which assigns human characteristics to animals, is almost as common, in everything from Peter Rabbit and Winnie-the-Pooh to The Hobbit and Watership Down.25) PleonasmDid you know that being redundant can actually be rhet orically useful? Certain words are so overused that they’ve lost meaning - darkness, nice, etc. However, â€Å"black darkness† or â€Å"pleasantly nice† reinvigorate that meaning, even if the phrases are technically redundant. Redundant phrases like these are called pleonasms, and they are persuasively rhetorical.26) Rhetorical comparisonsSome of the most prevalent rhetorical devices are figures of speech that compare one thing to another. Two of these, you surely know: the simile and the metaphor.  But there is a third, hypocatastasis, that is just as common†¦ and useful.The distinctions between the three are pretty simple. A simile compares two things explicitly: â€Å"You are like a monster.† A metaphor compares them by asserting that they’re the same: â€Å"You are a monster.† And with hypocatastasis, the comparison itself is implied: â€Å"Monster!†If you can't get enough rhetorical comparisons, check out these 90+ exampl es of metaphors in literature and pop culture!27) Rhetorical questionYou’ve probably heard of a rhetorical question, too: a question asked to make a point rather than to be answered. Technically, this figure of speech is called interrogatio, but there are plenty of other rhetorical devices that take the form of questions.If you pose a rhetorical question just to answer it yourself, that’s anthypophora (or hypophora†¦ they mean the same thing). And if your rhetorical question infers or asks for a large audience’s opinion (â€Å"Friends, Romans, countrymen Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?†) that’s anacoenosis - though it generally doesn’t warrant an answer, either. Do you know the three different types of rhetorical questions? 28) SynecdocheYou know how a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle isn’t necessarily a square? If you referred to all rectangles as â€Å"squares,† you’d have a synecdoche: a rhetorical device in which part of one thing is used to represent its whole. This differs slightly from metonymy, which refers to one thing by something related to it that is nevertheless not part of it. If you referred to an old king as â€Å"greybeard,† that would be the former. If you referred to him as â€Å"the crown,† it would be the latter.29) TmesisHave you ever, in a fit of outrage, referred to something un-effing-believable? If you have, congratulations on discovering a surprisingly useful rhetorical device: tmesis, the separation of one word into two parts, with a third word placed in between for emphasis.30) ZeugmaZeugma, often used synonymously with syllepsis, is a grammatical trick that can be used rhetorically as well: placing two nouns with very different meani ngs in the same position in a sentence. Mark Twain was a master at this:â€Å"They covered themselves with dust and glory."This might feel a bit like a list of fancy names for things you already do. If so, that’s great! You’re already well on your way to mastering the art of rhetoric. And, now that you know the specifics, you can take the next step: implementing it in your writing and swaying readers onto your side.Leave any thoughts or questions about rhetorical devices in the comments below!

Friday, November 22, 2019

Career Management Program Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Career Management Program - Article Example To have a clear concise and succinct career management program, it is recommended to the top management of the Vision Plus Limited to initiate certain measures that would reduce the employee turnover ratio and would enhance the quality of work .De-stressing of the pressurized and frustrated employees is the immediate need. The company should prepare its work force for the challenge that it sets for them. So, a dedicated module of training and development is highly recommended. The employees should also have clear view of their career path and so more career oriented workshops are highly essential. The company can also seriously consider the options like decentralization and more levels of hierarchies as it would have two fold objectives, more career prospects for front line executives and reduced work pressures for the higher levels of supervisors. The Vision Plus Limited has been deeply affected by the high employee-turnover ratio along with the falling market share and the reducing profitability. The company has the turnover ratio at 60% where as the market share has reduced by 20% in last four years. There have been repeated complaints against the organization and has been making the newspaper headlines for all the wrong reasons time and again. The morale of the employees are at all time low and most of the better performers have already left or on the verge of leaving (serving the notice period). Also, it has failed to recruit the best of the lots in spite of numerous campus drives in the trying times of job cuts and financial slowdown and has been remarked as one of the leading worst employers in one of the surveys. The company named ‘Vision Plus Limited’, established in 1995, has been one of the leading sales firm of financial products within few years of its incorporation. But since the year 2005, the acquired market share of the company is on the decreasing side. The prime reason identified for such falling

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Composition with Twelve Tones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Composition with Twelve Tones - Essay Example The researcher states that it was in the early 19th century (between 1911 and 1922) that Schoenberg was searching for something new, something that may replace the traditional and old scheme of composition of music pieces. He believed that the old music was using just one or two tones as the core elements of its compositions. These two elements according to him were the tone / tonality and dissonance. According to Schoenberg these elements were stretched and used throughout the composition which he did not appreciate. As a result Schoenberg came up with a new idea that all the twelve tones must be utilized while composing music. Through it he was assure of the fact that no single tone will get the significance and all tones will be heard and balance each other in any composition. If we try to understand ‘The method of composing with twelve tones grew out of necessity†¦such a change became necessary when there occurred simultaneously, a development which ended in what I cal l the emancipation of the dissonance’, Schoenberg actually pointed out towards the surplus use of dissonance in the late 19th century by the composers like Strauss, Debussy and Wagner. These composers used dissonance freely as the basic element of music. This was indeed a thorough change in the techniques of compositions and thus it ended in what Schoenberg’s has stated as ‘Emancipation of the dissonance’. It has been noticed that the majority of the Schoenberg’s twelve tone composition portrays some characteristics which summons the forms of large scale tones. The music composition included all the major and minor keys from A to G. However his prediction regarding the popularity of the twelve tone composition did not come to reality. He thought that with the formation of the twelve tone composition he can spread and sustain the Germanic Music for the coming ten decades. Actually it did not happen. Schoenberg’s twelve tone system gained popul arity in the 20th century only. However at present musicians are unaware of the system and does not even aware of what twelve tone composition (Taylor & Melchior, 1993). With the formation of the twelve tones composition there was a simultaneous development in the music composition which was called the emancipation of dissonance. Emancipation of dissonance is also a concept in music composition which was formulated by Arnold Schoenberg  and some other composers. In this emancipation he declared no difference or change in dissonance or consonance. According to Schoenberg, just like any other feature of life, music is also historically foreseeable. With this assumption and his establishment of the twelve tone composition he thought that he can hold German music for the coming 100 years. His representation was classical and portrayed a sequence in which principle of evolution was symbolized by chromatic scale. He further assumed the twelve tone composition as a replacement for functi onal tonality. The development of twelve tone composition was considered to bring a change in music style whereas the change was brought to an end with the development of emancipation of dissonance. However for the use of twelve tone composition he emphasized on not using or avoiding traditional dissonance or simple consonance (Encyclop?dia Britannica, 2013). It is evidenced from Music literature that Schoenberg was very

Monday, November 18, 2019

Property and Trust Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Property and Trust - Case Study Example Beneficial ownership is of two types joint tenants and tenants in common. If they are joint tenants, then the property cannot be sold without the agreement of the joint tenants. If the property is owned as tenants in common, each of them will have a share in the property that they can dispose off as they wish and the discretionary powers vested with them are that they can decide how much each share will be. These people can will their share in case of their death. Transactions involving real estate whether buying or selling shall be recorded in writing. The important stages in this process are the agreement, the exchange of contracts and the completion. An agreement is defined as where the buyer inspects the property and agrees to pay the price to the seller. In the absence of an agreement the general rule is that everything attached to the property will automatically becomes the property of the buyer. The solicitors and conveyancers will carry out the legal procedure in regard to sa le of property. In this process the seller's solicitor obtains the seller's title deeds prepares a contract and sends it to the buyer's solicitor. Solicitors do not make any enquiries as to the state of repair of the property. The solicitors of both the buyer and seller will exchange the signed contract. The deposit is paid at this stage and the contract becomes binding, subsequently, the completion date is fixed. The Buyer's Solicitors send the Stamp Duty Land Transaction Return to the Revenue with payment of any stamp duty. The Deeds have then to be registered at the Land Registry. Certain fees such as the Value Added Tax on the fees, money payable to the Local Authority and Water Authority, money payable to Land Charges Registry for searches and copies of the Deeds, Land Registry Dealings fees and Stamp Duty Land Tax are to be complied with1. In our present case the property is purchased by the five friends jointly and thus they became "Tenants in Common". In this context, the members can transfer their share of property to whomsoever they wish to through a will. Friends or relatives, who are buying together often, choose to be tenants in common. Thus in other words each of the members owns a specific share of property but does not necessarily have to have equal shares. The share in the property of any member, who dies, does not automatically devolve on to the other legal owners. It goes to the person who was nominated in the will or if there is no will it passes on to the next of kin. Tenancy in common refers to a form of shared ownership where two or more persons own land without the right of survivorship. Tenancy in common is often implemented in cases where property owners are engaged in an attempt to reduce inheritance taxes. If the property was owned as a tenancy in common, then the question of who inherits the dece ased person's share is determined by the terms of their will or in the absence of a will by the laws of intestacy. In case the property was held under joined tenancy the surviving owner inherits automatically and this is not subject to the will or law of intestacy. When the property was owned solely by the deceased or jointly by owners who have died, the terms of their will determines who inherits however, if there is no wi

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Isolation of Bacteria from Sewage water

The Isolation of Bacteria from Sewage water The Isolation of Bacteria from Sewage water for the decomposition of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) plastic films Chapter I- Introduction BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Plastic is lightweight, durable and impermeable. These qualities have made plastic a preferable material for society. But the abundant production of plastic due to the great demand of society means an excessive deal of disposal as well. The use of these lightweight, inexpensive materials are as single-use items that will go to the garbage dump within a year, where they’ll persist for centuries. This imposes a threat to the health of people, animals, and the environment. Most plastic bags are made from polyethylene (PE) which is a polymer consisting of long chains of the monomer ethylene (Burd, 2008). A molecule of Polyethylene is made up of a long chain of carbon atoms with one hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is one kind of Polyethylene material that is used for making plastic products such as shopping bags, shampoo bottles, etc. (Freudenrich, Ph.D, 2011). HDPE plastic bags have a high melting point and tensile strength, making it difficult to be decomposed, which is a problem in maintaining the cleanliness of the environment. Wastewater comes from two major sources: human sewage and process waste from manufacturing industries. Waste water treatment involves containing naturally occurring bacteria and microbes at a high concentration in tanks to form active sludge. The bacteria in the sludge feed on the carbon molecules from the waste in order to grow, thus, cleansing the waste water (Davies B.Sc, Ph.D, 2005) Previous studies have also shown that plastics that end up in landfills degrade due to certain types of carbon-thriving bacterium that break down the plastic into simpler and safer forms such as water and alcohol. Since High Density Polyethylene plastic is basically made up of carbon molecules, and sewage water contains various bacterium that are used for wastewater treatments it can be concluded that certain bacterium in sewage water can be utilized in degrading HDPE plastic bags. GENERAL PROBLEM What is the effect of the isolated bacteria from the sewage water to the HDPE plastic in terms of weight? SUB PROBLEMS 1. How many types of decomposing bacteria can be found in the sewage water? 2. What would be the most effective decomposing bacteria for HDPE plastic that may be found in sewage water? 3. How much weight loss will HDPE plastic have with the help of these decomposing bacteria? OBJECTIVES 1. To identify and isolate the PE- degrading bacteria in sewage water. 2. To discover a way to utilize bacteria in decomposing plastic waste. 3. To identify strains of bacteria that is not considered as PE degrading bacteria SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study shows the importance of the presence of bacteria in sewage water. It may not be the reason for people to avoid the contamination of bodies of water but it may be an assurance that HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) plastic films will degrade through the existence and exposure of cultured bacteria in sewage water. The strains of bacteria will be isolated and identified then will be used to decompose plastic and make sure that the strain of bacteria is the main cause for its degradation and weight loss. It is common knowledge to know that PE degrading bacteria are present in landfill but there are questions to people if PE degrading bacteria are consistently present in bodies of water, and if the strains of bacteria that inhabit water largely affect the decomposition of plastic films, these questions will be answered after the experimentation. The study can be more interesting if the resulting isolated bacteria are not described as PE degrading bacteria. It will be a new disco very because the identified bacteria will be considered as a new medium for decomposition. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS In the said study, the researchers are focused in isolating bacteria and using it as a decomposer of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) plastic bags. They are limited to utilizing samples from sewage water, with the assumption that it contains various kinds of microorganisms, as a source of the bacteria that they will need in decomposing the said plastic. The researchers are also limited to using High-density Polyethylene bags which is known for its high density and strong tensile strength. Furthermore, due to its high density, this kind of plastic is not easily decomposed making it as a problem in maintaining the cleanliness of the environment. Chapter II- Review of Related Literature Plastic Plastic is a lightweight, impermeable and durable material. It has many uses to society most commonly for packaging and storage. It is presented in a variety of ways depending on the mixture and the chemical bonds. The chemical bonds of plastic make it slow down the degrading process making the high production of this material harmful to the environment. It is harmful especially when it is not disposed properly. Most plastics have organic polymers. Most of these polymers have either chains of carbon dioxide alone or with oxygen, sulphur and or nitrogen. Polyethylene Polyethylene is the most common plastic used today. Approximately 80 million tons of it is produced yearly. Its main use is for packaging. It commonly has a long carbon chain with two hydrogen atoms attached to each carbon atom in the chain. It is chemically synthesized from ethylene, which is a compound usually made from petroleum or natural gas. HDPE When there are no long chains of polyethylene branching from the carbon atoms the polyethylene is now classified as linear polyethylene. It is more costly than LDPE but even though it is costly it is sturdier. Linear polyethylene is made by a procedure called Ziegler-Natta Polymerization. Water Water has the chemical equation H2O. It covers 71% of the earth’s surface. It is in liquid form at standard pressure and temperature. Water is also a necessity of all biotic forms in the earth. Water moves continually through the water cycle. Sewage Water Sewage water is carried waste in the form of solution or suspension. It is from man’s waste from his daily activities. Classes of sewage include sanitary, commercial, industrial, agricultural and surface runoff. The wastewater from residences and institutions, carrying body wastes (primarily feces, urine and semen), washing water, food preparation wastes, laundry wastes, and other waste products of normal living, are classed as domestic or sanitary sewage. Liquid-carried wastes from stores and service establishments serving the immediate community, termed commercial wastes, are included in the sanitary or domestic sewage category if their characteristics are similar to household flows. Wastes that result from an industrial process or the production or manufacture of goods are classed as industrial wastewater. Their flows and strengths are usually more varied, intense, and concentrated than those of sanitary sewage. Surface runoff, also known as storm flow or overland flow, is that portion of precipitation that runs rapidly over the ground surface to a defined channel. Precipitation absorbs gases and particulates from the atmosphere, dissolves and leaches materials from vegetation and soil, suspends matter from the land, washes spills and debris from urban streets and highways, and carries all these pollutants as wastes in its flow to a collection point. Bacteria Bacteria are from the Kingdom of Prokaryotes. They are very abundant in the earth and are one of the very first life forms to exist. Usually a few millimetres long and are spherical, rod or spiral in form. They may be found in almost every habitat. They play a big role in recycling nutrients like in the conversion of compounds and in the fixation of nitrogen. These bacteria can adapt to environmental conditions very well and survive wherever they are placed. CHAPTER III- MATERIALS AND METHODS In making this experiment, the researchers must prepare the following materials the sample bottle must be prepared for the collection of sewage water. It has to be properly labeled to avoid misuse/confusion. The researchers will get the plastic films from a plastic processor and distributor. The next steps would be with a help of a certified scientist. In the isolation of the bacteria, either way for a dilute sample such as water you would probably have to concentrate the sample. It is best to have a few liters of sample. First filter out the particulate matter with a 20 uM filter, then you can use water sampling nitrocellulose filter disc of 0.2 um. This probably needs a vacuum pump to draw the water through. You can then rinse this disc or swab it with a moist swab and use a series of dilutions to inoculate agar plates. Take a 10 ul drop and spread it out over the agar plate using a sterilized spreader. The agar i use for water samples is mostly very dilute in nutrients so that I do not have an overgrowth of one type of bacteria. I have used 1/5th strength nutrient agar, that is the nutrients do not dilute the agar strength. There are a whole variety of water based agars but the ISP2 media diluted to 1/4 strength was one of the best.. You can also take some of the waste water and filter it and use it for making wastewater agar to see if this will produce any colonies or try adding a very small amount of diluted nutrients. As above you can also use a host of diagnostic agars to see if there are any particular groups of organisms in the water. Another factor is the temperature of incubation. This is probably the best temperature to isolate the most organisms. Use room temperature incubati on or 10C incubation to isolate the widest variety of organisms. If you use 37C you will probably only select out a few organisms. The researchers may try some under anaerobic conditions also if they have anaerobic jars. Generally at low temperatures colonies might not develop for a few weeks, so after a day you might have to wrap your plates with parafilm or keep them in moist conditions to prevent them drying out. Flowchart

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Three Most Important Things I Learned in Economics Class :: Class Reflection

The three most important things I learned in Economics Class The first important concept I learned was the ‘goals of monetary policy’. The primary goal of a central bank is price stability (low and stable inflation). Some of the Feds (short for the Federal Reserve Bank) other concerns are: †¢ high employment †¢ economic growth †¢ stability of financial markets †¢ interest rate stability †¢ stability in foreign exchange markets The Fed desires to maintain high employment because the condition of high unemployment, the alternative, creates idle workers and idle resources. This leads to closed factories, unused equipment and materials, ultimately decreasing our GDP. Now, let me further explain that the goal for high unemployment is not an unemployment level of zero, rather a level above zero where labor demand equals labor supply. This is known as the ‘natural rate of unemployment’. Economic growth focuses on encouraging firms to invest or encouraging people to save, which in turn creates funds for firms to invest. It runs hand-in-hand with the goal of high employment because in order for firms to be comfortable investing in assets such as plants and equipment, unemployment must be low. Hereby, the people and resources will be available to spur economic growth. If financial markets are instable, it will lead to sharp contraction of economic activity. For example, in this most recent financial crisis, a deterioration in financial institutions’ balance sheets, along with asset price decline and interest rate hikes increased market uncertainty thus, worsening what is called ‘adverse selection and moral hazard’. This is a serious dilemma created before business transactions occur which information is misleading and promotes doing business with the ‘most undesirable’ clients by a financial institution. In turn, these ‘most undesirable’ clients later engage in undesirable behavior. All of this leads to a decline in economic activity, more adverse selection and moral hazards, a banking crisis and further declining in economic activity. Ultimately, the banking crisis came and unanticipated price level increases and even further declines in economic activity. Interest-rate stability is very important for the Fed to control because otherwise consumers, like you and I, will be reluctant to buy things like houses due to the fluctuation which will make it harder to plan for the future. The value of the US dollar relevant to other currencies is a major consideration for the Federal Reserve. If they prevent large changes in the value of the dollar, firms and individuals can comfortably plan ahead to purchase or sell goods abroad.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Different Ideas of Beauty

Exploring the different ideas of Beauty. Within a span of four months, we have explored the idea of beauty and the various definitions of it. We have learned that beauty can be interpreted in various way and found in anything. Like the saying goes â€Å"beauty is the eye of the beholder,† the notion of what is beautiful can be very subjective depending on the ones personal preferences at the same time we can have a collective evaluation and agree on something that every one considers to have some sense of artistic feel to it.In Edmund Burke’s book the philosophical enquiry, he share his ideas on â€Å"what is beautiful,† when explaining the traits of the sublime. In his philosophical work on the sublime and the beautiful, he tries to explain the distinctive qualities of the two categories, thus giving a new idea of beauty to explore apart from the conventional kind. He explores the sense of beauty one finds in the vastness of things. Beauty in the fear of the unk nown and greatness.Burke’s philosophy shakes the conventional aesthetic attitudes of the people. For example, normally when we think of beauty, we associate it with things that provide us pleasure, however, burke forces us to get in touch with our other senses. He claims that the â€Å"Awe† moments created by things with great magnitudes and power, enforcing fear and excitement, the sense of an overwhelming feeling of astonishment can also be considered to be beautiful.Additionally, studying the shock of the new, I personally have learned to appreciate and for a aesthetic attitude towards the visual art. Art is a means of communication for the artist to their audience. I learned that the notion of beauty can id different within this field as well, that not all art works are pleasing in to the eye.Apart from the collaboration of the colors, brush strokes, and frames, it is also the messages and the context the painting was created in that draws the people to it, regardl ess of if the painting is something anything that has a grotesque attribute. This leads to the poems of Mary Oliver, we read. Here she talks about beauty in nature, even in death, which is very peculiar. From this course, and the reading materials, I have learned that finding beauty in things, associating the term with anything is a difficult task.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Pilipinong Pamilya Pantawid Program Essay

These are the main findings of the recently completed assessment of the CCT – the first in a series of evaluations being done on the program – presented today by the World Bank in a public forum held in Quezon City led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with support from AusAID and the ADB Titled â€Å"Philippines Conditional Cash Transfer Program, Impact Evaluation 2012† the report confirms that children of Pantawid Pamilya beneficiaries are enrolling and attending schools, with improved health due to regular visits to health stations, and pregnant mothers getting proper care. I am pleased to know that the children of poor families are indeed enjoying better and improving access to education and better health services through Pantawid Pamilya,†Ã‚  said DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman. Along with other government programs aimed to reduce poverty, Pantawid Pamilya ensures that no one gets left behind in terms achieving holistic and inclusive growth†Among the Pantawid barangays (villages) surveyed, the report lists the following findings comparing enrolment and school attendance between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries: * In Pantawid barangays, 76 percent of preschoolers are enrolled in daycare, compared to 65 percent in non-Pantawid barangays; * Among school children at age 6-11, 98 percent of children in Pantawid barangays are enrolled in school, as against 93 percent in non-Pantawid barangays; and * Children in Pantawid barangays from age 6-14 also have higher school attendance (95-96 percent) as compared to children in non-Pantawid barangays (91 percent). The assessment is based on a the analysis of poor 1,418 households eligible for the Pantawid program from a survey covering 3,742 households in the provinces of Lanao del Norte, Mountain Province, Negros Occidental, and Occidental Mindoro. (Currently, there are more than 3 million poor families with more than 6 million children benefitting from the program). Pantawid Pamilya provides cash grants to poor households to encourage them to keep their children of age 0-14 in school and have regular health checks. Also, pregnant mothers are required to avail of proper medical care and their deliveries attended to by health professionals. Mothers are also required to attend family development sessions where they discuss topics on parenting and accessing social services in the community. In health, the study found that: * 64 percent of pregnant mothers in Pantawid barangays had antenatal care as against 54 percent in non-Pantawid barangays; * 85 percent of children in Pantawid barangays age 6-14 have undergone deworming as against 80 percent in non-Pantawid barangays; * 81 percent of children in Pantawid barangays at age 0-5 have taken Vitamin A supplements as against 75 percent in non-Pantawid barangays. According to Ms. Junko Onishi, World Bank’s social protection specialist, Pantawid Pamilya has contributed to reduction in the severe stunting among poor children 6-36 months of age in Pantawid barangays. Stunting in the first two years of life is known to cause irreversible damage later in life including lower educational attainment, reduced adult income, and decreased offspring birth weight. Therefore, reduction in severe stunting among poor children at this age will have long-term benefits, Ms. Onishi said. â€Å"This reduction in severe stunting indicates that CCT is enabling families to better care for their children,† said Ms. Onishi, who presented the highlights of the impact evaluation during the forum. â€Å"More parents in Pantawid barangays (villages) are feeding their children with high-protein food including eggs and fish, leading to improved nutritional status.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Poor households under the program spend 38 percent more in education per capita   and 34 percent more on medical expenses per capita than their non-Pantawid counterparts. This trend indicates a shift in the spending pattern among CCT beneficiaries towards greater investments in health and educ ation of their children,†Ã‚  said Mr. Nazmul Chaudhury, World Bank’s country sector coordinator for human development, and one of the authors of the report. The study recommends that coordination among health service providers needs to be strengthened to ensure that beneficiary mothers and children get the services they require and to ensure continuity of care. Also, the study suggests exploring the possibility of extending coverage from the current five years, increasing the grant amount for older children, and improving school facilities and services. The impact evaluation study was funded by the World Bank and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). The study was led by the World Bank and   the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),   in coordination with AusAID and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The study aims to present empirical evidence on the key outcomes of Pantawid Pamilya. source:   Joint Press Release by World Bank and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (2013/03/1)| DSWD says No to Epal and Yes to Empowering Pantawid Pamilya Beneficiaries| | | Written by Pantawid Pamilya Social Marketing Unit   Ã‚  | Thursday, 31 January 2013 08:44| ShareThisNo more threats. No more epal. These are the main thrusts of Bawal Ang Epal Dito Campaign of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to be launched from January to May 2013 to protect the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, from undue politicking and interventions that may affect the program’s integrity. Bawal Ang Epal Dito confronts the issues of external pressures and eliminates the misconception of the beneficiaries about the control of politicians or parties over Pantawid Pamilya.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The California Dream in Nathanael Wests The Day of the Locu essays

The California Dream in Nathanael Wests The Day of the Locu essays All four of Wests novels are in some way or another a reaction to the Great Depression. Of these four novels, The Day of the Locust has been the most influential. At the time of its publication, it was not appreciated very much, nor was it understood. It was not until the 1950s that it became a valued novel, and nowadays it is regarded as one of the best Hollywood novels ever. In The Day of the Locust, West makes clear that besides the American Dream, there is also a California Dream. The two are closely linked together. According to the Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture, the American Dream is the idea that the US is a place where everyone has the chance of becoming rich and successful. The California Dream, however, is more or less the Hollywood image, anyone can make it in Hollywood. Jim Tejani explains in his essay: Into this admixture of cultural tumult, West arrived in 1938. Its mood and nuance were to become the subject of his lifes final work, initially entitled The Cheated but renamed The Day of the Locust. By the time West started writing the novel, he had not been living in California for a long period of time, but his impressions must have been so striking that he was able to judge it quite strongly. Wests commentary on the California Dream is the main theme of the novel, it brings an apocalyptic message. Tejani also has a v iew on this: Observing the ascendant film and mass cultures of the thirties, West confronted in California the empty promise of consumerism and predicted that the resulting alienation and boredom would midwife society's destruction. Turning to the novel itself, the apocalyptic message is very much present. The title of the novel reveals much of this. The Longman Dictionary explains that the locust is an Asian and African insect which flies [...] in large groups, eating and destroying crops over ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Management and leadership development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Management and leadership development - Essay Example Emphasis is given on the operationalisation of management and leadership development into practice. Appropriate literature is used for highlighting the key issues of the study’s subject. At the next level, the article of the Emerald Group Publishing Limited (2010) ‘Changing Face of Leadership’ is used in order to show the key aspects of the operationalisation of leadership management in practice, as derived through the approach used by the article’s authors. It is concluded that the operationalization of leadership management into practice can be a challenging task – not just because of the requirements of these plans but also because of their implications for the leaders and the organizations. Leadership development is a multi-dimensional plan. When such plan is to be developed within a particular organization, it is important that its implications and its expected benefits are estimated and evaluated. The requirements of the specific plan need also to be taken into account, aiming to reduce the chances of failures when initiating such project. The leadership development affects the organizational life, in terms of the organization’s daily operational activities but also in terms of the context of its strategic choices. These issues are highlighted in the literature. Different approaches have been used for explaining the aspects of operationalisation of leadership development in organizations of different structural and operational characteristics. In accordance with Ryan (2007) the leadership development can lead to the establishment of inequality within the organization; it is explained that leadership is not equally developed across the departments of a particular organization. In certain teams of the organization, leadership plays a key role; in those teams, a significant amount of resources is likely to be invested on leadership development; in other organizational teams – referring to groups of individuals in different

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Oedipus and his destiny Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oedipus and his destiny - Essay Example Throughout the conclusion section of the tragedy, it is clear that if not cautious, perceptions on fate can determine what actions we partake into to direct us to our destiny. Oedipus seems to have lost his track of events that brought him happiness and laments that his inability to discern where good things are makes him miserable. Belief in fate as foretold by a prophet that he’d kill his father and commit incest with his mother appear to be grave concerns on his fate-dependent destiny. In several instances, Oedipus recedes into self blame where he almost rushes to label himself worthless following all the predicaments that he has faced â€Å"†¦now Ive exposed my guilt, horrendous guilt†¦, â€Å"(Sophocles, Oedipus the King, Line 1517). It becomes difficult for him to once again understand why all the anguish and agony have to fall on his path of existence. Despite the fact that has been through many difficult moments, Oedipus is particularly having trouble to come to terms with the death of his wife (who also happens to be his mother). From the beginning of the excerpt, it appears that something else was troubling the restless man wh en he enters into the scene. Apparently, his wife was also having some seriously tormenting moments of her life before she opts for the noose as a way to find relieve from her adversaries. The emphasis of her bitter gesticulations near her matrimonial bed must have a direct connection with the actions of Oedipus, who is also disturbed. It gets clearer that Oedipus must have contributed to the trouble of the dead woman when he admits that that it won’t happen again that she could continue facing the hard life that he subjected her to. In Sophocles, Oedipus the King (Line1406), Oedipus laments and discloses his part in the tragic death of his wife by saying â€Å"youll see no more the pain I suffered, all the pain I caused!† His destiny in the unfamiliar path of