Film review communication 240 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Film review communication 240 - Essay Example This makes the 112 minute film a must watch for everyone as it teaches about mobs, loan sharks, crime and above all the value of friendship. The main actors are Charlie (Harvey Keitel) and Johnny boy (Robert De Niro). A review of this film will reveal the integration of mafia in the society and their influence on individuals, the value of friendship and love and how the three can get intertwined even in the simplest of society members. The story surrounds the lives of Johnny boy who is a gambler and owes a lot of money to the loan sharks all of which has been used in his small time gambling problem and Charlie who is involved with the New York Mafia and also collects debts for his uncle Giovanni (Cesare Danova) who is in the mafia. The friendship between the two prevents Charlie from moving to join the New York Mafia because he feels responsible over the reckless Johnny boy and also because he is secretly having an affair with Johnny’s cousin Teresa. Charlie and Johnny are sho t at by Michael (Richard Romanus) who is a local loan shark who Johnny owes money to while trying to get out of town but they survive though Charlie’s shot hand causes them to have a crash. ... Teresa, for example, looks and acts like a weakling and there is no doubt that she is epileptic. The same can be said of Charlie who is composed, businesslike and suits the role of a debt collector and also friend. Johnny boy just seems lost and out of touch and it therefore does not come as a surprise to the viewer when he insults the loan arks instead of humbling himself. The cinematography of the film cannot be any better. When it comes to the lighting for example it is a bit dark in the gambling houses where Johnny boy visits and full of noise. When Charlie and Johnny are shot at and crash, the same cinematography effects displayed make it appear real, the movement during the crash and the mood when the ambulance arrives together with the lighting all makes it perfect. Compared to the other films and works of the director Martin Scorsese, mean streets is just the best and most enjoyed and positively rated film. This may be attributed to the fact that it is based on real life expe riences and the settings of the film are from the vivid memories of the director. The fact is that in this film, Scorsese wrote the script while on the streets of Little Italy and even acted in it himself may also be a cause of such a captivating movie. Conclusion Based on the above positive review of this film, it is evident that it paved way for the modern dramas involving crime. The viewer cannot regret the decision to sit for over an hour deeply engrossed in this exemplary literary work and hence can be recommended to all. All these positive reviews are in addition to the fact that with a budget of $500,000, the movie was not expensive to

Btec Business Essay Example for Free

Btec Business Essay Im not sure about this figure, with th0d Returned on capital employed Net profit (after appropriations) X 100 = 44160 = 29. 61% Capital employed 149160 This figure shows you how much money will be returned back into the business depending on how much they have invested. Not investing money into the business means you will not be making profit. I am not sure if 29. 61% is a good figure but it must be a good figure if the capital employed is ? 149,160. Maybe if the percentage is higher they employ more capital and they can re-invest more. Liquidity ratios-Current ratio Current assets: 1 = 70160 = 4. 53:1 Current liabilities 15500 Every ? 1 that they owe they own ? 4. 53 worth of assets. For SIGNature ltd the ratio is good, meaning not too much stock or owing too much to debtors. Acid test ratio Current assets assets: 1 = 70160 1200 = 4. 4:1 Current liabilities 15500 Every ? 1 they owe to suppliers or banks they will have ? 4. 41 of current assets. This means they have enough money to pay for costs like heating, lighting, telephone, courier charges and insurance. Average stock Kept over the year X 365 = 6000 = 9. 3 days Cost of goods sold 521700 Efficiency Ratios-Rate of stock turnover Every 9 to8 days they make a sale; this figure is not good because when running a business like SIGNature ltd you would like to be making sales more often. Debtors X 365 = 41000 = 28. 69 days Credit sales 521700 Debtor’s payment period A debtor’s payment is just about monthly meaning credit customers pay them every 28. 69 days, SIGNature should monitor their debtors and check how much they buy, when they pay back the full amount and which debtors are not paying in the 30 day period. Creditors X 365 = 15500 = 24. 11 days Credit purchases 234675 Creditor’s payment period 24 days is how long SIGNature takes to pay for credit purchases and they do pay their credit in good time. If you dont to your credit suppliers respond you may be charged additional interest, penalties and surcharges. Your debt may be referred to a private debt collection agency. Conclusion In this task I have performed ratio analysis and measured the profitability and efficiency of SIGNature and analysed the performance of a business using suitable ratios.

Miami Film Noir :: Film Cinema Movies

MIAMI NOIR We have much to learn from Mike Davis, CITY OF QUARTZ (Vintage, 1992) who discusses the paradoxical effects that the representations of Los Angeles in hardboiled novels and their translation into film noir cinema had on the image and myth of that city. Together they radically reworked the metaphorical figure of the city, using the crisis of the middle class (rarely the workers or the poor) to expose how the dream had become nightmare. . . . It is hard to exaggerate the damage which noir's dystopianization of Los Angeles, together with the exiles' [European intellectuals living and working in L.A.] denunciation of its counterfeit urbanity, inflicted upon the accumulated ideological capital of the region's boosters. Noir, often in illicit alliance with San Francisco or New York elitism, made Los Angeles the city that American intellectuals love to hate (although, paradoxically, this seems only to increase its fascination for postwar European intellectuals). As Richard Lehan has emphasized, "probably no city in the Western world has a more negative image". . . . It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the paramount axis of cultural conflict in Los Angeles has always been about the construction/interpretation of the city myth, which en ters the material landscape as a design for speculation and domination (Davis, 20-21). Miami, most notably in the works of Elmore Leonard and Charles Willeford, and in the Television series MIAMI VICE, has received some of the same treatment, belatedly, or in a post- or neo- noir modality of the genre. . As Davis noted, "noir was like a transformational grammar turning each charming ingredient of the boosters' arcadia into a sinister equivalent" (38). We need to sort out those aspects of this noir/booster conflict that are generic and those that are specific to Miami. Boosterism is a fundamental feature of Miami's existence. The same paradoxes of attraction are an important part of Florida tourism. However, noir carries with it a state of mind, an atmosphere and mood, that are specific to the genre and may or may not have anything to do with the spirit of place specific to our zone. In any case, we should keep in mind that a book about the mythical America of crime writers includes some discussion of the Miami River setting. The Interviewer, John Williams, spoke with James Hall, author of the hard-boiled SQUALL LINE, as they rode in Hall's boat on the bay near the river's mouth.

Interpretation Project

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him† (Lucas, New Kings James Version). Jesus shares Insight for humanity prior to HIS return, In efforts that mankind may be prepared to receive the Lord and not be deceived. If people use consideration when interpreting God's meaning and not personal interpretations, the true message can be revealed. According to Journey into God's Word, â€Å"We believe that the way to approach the Bible (I. E. , the way we listen to God) should match how God gives us the Bible (I. E. , chose to speaks' (Devalue & Hayes, 2008, p. 0). This short story ay be viewed as Jesus being Like a thief and coming at an unexpected time; discovered. Jesus provides all humanity with the necessary preparations for the end times. Jesus reveals His love and concern for humanity by revealing signs of the tribulation. â€Å"Nation will rise against nation†¦ There will be famines and earthquakes†¦ † (Ma tt. 24:7). These are given in efforts to bring awareness that until these pass, the end is not here. Jesus will be returning at an unknown day, hour, and season. His return is not even known to â€Å"†¦ Angels, nor the Son, only the Father† (Matt. 4:36). He includes warnings and precautions. Jesus warns against false teachings, and prophets that will arise and claim to be the messiah. Man is to be cautious that he is not lead astray by the â€Å"thief† that will come to deceive. Jesus uses the parable of the thief and the master of the house. If mankind knows when His return will be, man would most likely live in darkness until the time approached. Then deception would be avoided by waiting for the very day and hour of His return and many may not accept Him until the last minute and not spread the Gospel until the end times.As stories are mentioned, people read the parable regarding the fig tree and fleet on the prophecy spoken in Daniel; these are pieces of the a rmor of God to keep the â€Å"elect† from being deceived by the true deceiver. â€Å"So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation'†¦ † (Matt. 24:15,). People who know God will know this is the â€Å"thief† that has come to steal salvation. As many become like the parable of the fig tree, they become fruitless and the Word of God will have been spoken and not heard. This is when the time to watch that The Lord will be arriving soon after these things has been fulfilled.He then shares with us the story of Noah. This story is included to reveal the swiftness of His return. Any who have lived an ungodly life â€Å"as determined by the Son of Man† will be cast among the hypocrites (Matt. 24:51). Jesus desires humanity to accept the gift of salvation and live unto Him; only by adhering to these warnings can mankind be prepared for the Lord's return.

How useful is Joseph Fletcher’s “Situation Ethics” as a guide to human behaviour? Essay

Rudolf Bultmann claimed that Jesus Christ had no ethics except for â€Å"Love thy neighbour as thyself†. This is what the Anglican Joseph Fletcher based his theory of Situation Ethics on. Fletcher opposed the idea of Legalistic and Antinomian Ethics. Legalistic ethics is where there are absolute rules to what should and should not be done. Fletcher said that Legalism couldn’t accommodate the â€Å"exceptions to the rule† and that rejecting a particular aspect of the law than you surely must reject it all. For example the law â€Å"Do not kill† may require more laws to allow killing in self defence, killing in war, killing unborn babies etc. and doing this contradicts the law in the first place. Antinomian Ethics means â€Å"against law† and people using this approach do not live by an ethical system at all. Fletcher is against this not only because it is unprincipled but also on the basis of existentialist ethics, which argues that reality is composed of singular event and moments in time and Antinomian ethics follows no predictable direction from one situation to another. Situation ethics is based purely on agape love for all. That every ethical decision we make should be made on the premise that â€Å"the end justifies the means†, and that the most loving action with a pure motive is the best one. He claims that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount should be our moral code rather than the Old Testament’s Ten Commandments. Jesus’ ethics of â€Å"love thy neighbour as thyself† can be related to every ethical dilemma, whether modern or old. â€Å"Jesus said nothing about birth control, large or small families, childlessness, homosexuality, masturbation, fornication, premarital intercourse, sterilisation, artificial insemination, abortion, sex, foreplay, petting and courtship. Whether any form of sex (Hetero, Homo or Auto) is good or evil depends on whether love is fully served.† (Fletcher quoted by Jenkins) Fletcher pointed out that even Jesus broke Jewish law if love was better served by doing so. â€Å"Christ Jesus †¦ abolished the law with its commandments and legal claims.† Ephesians 2:13-15 Christians of all denominations can use Fletcher’s theory, which is an advantage as religious disputes and anger between the Protestants and Catholics is such a divide in the Christian religion. Situation ethics could help break down the barriers and unite a faith once again, as situation ethics main principle is love. Fletcher developed six fundamental principles. These are: 1) No actions are intrinsically right or wrong. Nothing is good in and of itself except for love. Actions are good if they help people and bad if they don’t. One cannot expect to live responsibly with moral absolutes. 2) Good actions should not be done for reward (E.g. experiencing a good feeling or seeking altruistic deeds in return) but should be done for their own sake. Jesus and Paul taught love as the highest principle above the Law. 3) Justice is love at work in the community. 4) Love is practical and not selective. We should show love to all, even our enemies. Christian love is unconditional. 5) Love is the end – never a means to something else. 6) Humans have the responsibility of freedom. They are not bound by any Law. With this comes the responsibility to ‘do the most loving thing’ in every situation. â€Å"Fletcher claims that it is a mistake to generalise. You can’t say ‘Is it ever right to lie to your family?’ The answer must be, ‘I don’t know, give me an example.’ A concrete situation is needed, not a generalisation. ‘It all depends’ may well be the watchword of the Situationist.† (Vardy & Grosch p.130) There are many benefits to Situation Ethics. The Bible does not cover many modern topics such as abortion, artificial insemination etc and situation Ethics allows us to work out which is the most loving action with the most loving end. It is also true to the Gospel representation of Jesus and what rules he lived by rather than living by the Old Testament or Jewish laws such as the Ten Commandments, which Jesus came to amend. Situation ethics is flexible, practical and allows for certain actions if the motive is pure and loving for others. It allows the evaluation of actions to choose the least wrong out of two wrong actions, which a legalist cannot do. There are however many criticisms which mostly come down to the problem of knowing what the most loving action is. As we cannot predict actions of other or even actions of our own, it is difficult to know whether the most loving end will actually come or whether an unseen factor may emerge and change the outcome. Selfish people also may twist situation ethics to suit themselves. Agape love is only an ideal to follow as closely as possible not to live by, as it is difficult to see things from an objective point of view. How can we be sure that an action comes out of Agape? Who is to decide whether an action is pure by motive? Can God only decide this at Judgement Day? Another very important criticism is that it can be argued that Hitler was killing Jews out of love for the Arian race and the future of the world. Does Situation ethics allow for such actions that have been dubbed â€Å"Wrong, and that’s that.† such as the Holocaust, September the Eleventh and the Bali bombing? Although the arguments for situation ethics are very convincing and useful for everyday life, the criticisms cannot be ignored, as they are very plausible and important for world issues and topics. A way that considers both Situation ethics and legalism and is somewhere in between is Proportionalism. Proportionalists believe moral rules can only be overridden if there is a proportionate reason in a particular situation. This includes both Natural law (killing, stealing, lying, cheating) and the Situational ethics view. Proportionalists believe that these laws should be adhered to unless there are good reasons not to. This allows for flexibility and a certain amount of relativism whilst still using the fundamental aspects of the Bible. An evil like pain, death or mutilation is, in itself, pre-moral or non-moral, and should never be described as ‘moral’. It is the act as a whole, which is right or wrong, and it is the person, or the person in his or her acting, who is morally good or morally bad. (Bernard Hoose quoted by Vardy & Grosch) I conclude that Fletcher’s situation ethics is highly useful for Christians in everyday life for all the reasons above. However I do believe that there has to be a balance and in my opinion it seems that Proportionalism is the best and most moral route to follow. It contains principles of both Situation ethics and Legalism and seems to make the most sense.

Contemporary Ethical Issues In Marketing Essays

Contemporary Ethical Issues In Marketing Essays Contemporary Ethical Issues In Marketing Paper Contemporary Ethical Issues In Marketing Paper Essay Topic: Marketing Ethics relate to moral evaluations of decisions and actions as right or wrong on the basis of commonly accepted principles of behaviour. Marketing ethics are moral principles that define right and wrong behaviour in marketing. The most basic ethical issues have been formalised through laws and regulations to provide conformity to the standards of society. At the very least, marketers are expected to conform to these laws and regulations. However, it is important to realise that marketing ethics go beyond legal issues, ethical marketing decisions, ethics foster mutual trust among individuals and in marketing relationships. Ethical issues typically arise because of conflicts among individuals personal moral philosophies and the marketing strategies, policies, and organisational environment in which they work, they may stem from conflicts between a marketers attempts to achieve organisational objectives and customers desire for safe and reliable products. There is little doubt that ethical considerations are a powerful influence on consumer purchasing decisions e. g. Nike with its cheap labour sourcing policies. If a brand gets its ethical stance wrong it can be very bad for business. Brands like the Body Shop have shown that showing you are ethical can do wonders for business. Whether its specific issues such as environmental impact, exploitation of child labour or a more general pressure on corporations to give something back to society through charitable donations, contributions to local communities or support for the sports and arts, every brands are needing to take a conscious decision as to what sort of ethical stance to take. For example: The Reliant Robin became highly controversial in the 1970s after consumer advocates (Thats Life on BBC television) Claimed that Reliant had saved money in the design of the cars steering system and that Relaints ran a greater risk of being involved in accidents. Similarly, organisation objectives that call for increased profits or market share may pressure marketers to steel competitors secrets, knowingly put an unsafe product on the market, or some other questionable activity. For example: In South Korea, Lucky Goldstar Group markets a detergent packaged in an orange box with a whirlpool design just like- Procter Gambles Tide brand. The product is called Tie, and Procter : Gamble does not make it or license it to Goldstar. Obviously, the attempt to develop a Tide look-alike without Procter Gambles permission creates an ethical issue. A number of recently publicised incidents in marketing, such as deceptive or objectionable advertising, misleading packaging, questionable selling practices, manipulation, corruption, and pollution, have raised, questions as to whether specific marketing practices are acceptable and beneficial to society. The issues of what is acceptable in marketing practices and what obligations marketers have to society are issues of marketing ethics and social responsibility. Although it is a very important concern in marketing decisions, ethics may be one of the most misunderstood and controversial concepts in marketing. No one has yet discovered a universally accepted approach to dealing with marketing ethics. However, this concept and its application need to be examined in order to foster marketing decisions that are acceptable and beneficial to society. To be a credible leader in wellbeing, we must demonstrate a responsible approach to the wellbeing of all our stakeholders including our people, suppliers, the communities we serve and the wider environment. Boots is about products and advice that enhance personal wellbeing. Were working to enhance our reputation as a well managed, ethical and socially responsible company. As leaders in wellbeing we intend to reinforce our key role in the UKs primary healthcare Boots approach to Corporate Social Responsibility The issue of Ethical Trading is extremely important. The Boots Company is working alongside other leading retailers and the British Retail Consortium to develop guidance and codes of practice. Boots is also a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, an independent organisation involving government, non-governmental organisations and retailers working together to agree common standards and a common approach. Specifically, with regard to conditions of employment for the workers in the Far East who produce goods for sale in Boots stores, the company insists on only doing business with those manufacturers, which meet certain, predetermined standards. For example, pay scales are monitored to see that they are above average and facilities, which are increasingly being provided for workers who live on the premises dormitories, three nutritious meals a day, recreational amenities are all of a competitive standard. Importantly, systems have been put in place to check that employers are conforming to their local government labour laws and that their factories comply with the legal age of employment A strong sense of social responsibility is part of the Boots heritage. Today its reflected in their values and behaviors and made explicit in their statement of business purpose. Example of a recent marketing campaign is the re-launch of the companys No. 7 Brand of cosmetics. The product was perceived to be good quality but drab and old-fashioned. In 1995 it was decided to re-launch the No. 7 brand as a premium product. Recent developments had allowed a substantial range of ethical claims to be made for the products such as not tested on animals and hypoallergenic. Two thirds of the colour range was new and every possible innovation incorporated. There was extensive customer testing against competitors in the new market to ensure that products in the range out performed their rivals. New ways of marketing products are constantly emerging. Whilst Boots continues to use tried and tested methods such as TV press and advertising, new communication channels mean that there is a wider array of tools Boots can use to get messages across to their customers. Some examples include Internet and Direct Mail through the Boots Advantage Card (which is the biggest loyalty scheme in Europe). Boots prides it self on being an ethical business it demonstrates this in all its marketing. The Body Shop is well known for its ethical stances, The Body Shop believes fair trade can make a positive difference in peoples lives and Community Trade is the Body Shops fair trade principles in practice. The Community Trade programme is aimed at small producer communities around the world who supply the Body Shop with accessories and natural ingredients. Community Trade ensures a fair deal for the producers and their communities enabling them to work together to make a difference to their own lives and have more control over their futures. Fair prices help producers to feed, clothe and educate their families and allow money to go back into the community to supply basic needs such as water, health and education. Money earned through trade with The Body Shop has enabled producers to build wells in their villages, educate thousands of people about AIDS and HIV and provide schooling for hundreds of children. When you enter any of The Body Shop stores or attend a The Body Shop at Home party, the staff will be able to point out Community Traded products and accessories and products that have Community Traded ingredients in them. Through all The Body Shops marketing communications and promotional materials you will always find the Community Trade logo, which in their catalogue and on their products highlights those with Community Traded components in them. For a company like The Body Shop there is another important factor to consider; their high profile role as an advocate of social and environmental causes. If a company wants the license to campaign on public issues, it must demonstrate its own commitment to reflection and self-improvement on issues like environmental protection, animal protection and human rights. The Body Shop Mission Statement dedicates the Companys business to the pursuit of social and environmental change. Underpinning the Mission Statement is The Body Shop Trading Charter, which addresses the three principal concerns of social responsibility, environmental sustainability and animal protection. Both documents describe The Body Shops key aims regarding its relationships with stakeholders, as well as with the environment. They commit the Company to strive towards balancing the financial needs and human needs of stakeholders, and describe the key principles that the Company aims to integrate into its trading practices: respect for human and civil rights; creation and support of long-term, sustainable trading relationships with communities in need; reflection of environmental sustainability in the Companys purchasing; and the commitment not to purchase materials or products that transgress the Companys animal protection policies. The Body Shops ethics are rooted in the personal beliefs and agenda that Anita and Gordon Roddick brought with them into the business. They are fundamental to the way The Body Shop operates, our reason for being. The Body Shop is committed to maintaining high standards of social and ethical business performance. It is also committed to the principles of integrity, transparency and continuous improvement through an integrated framework of accountability and active engagement with stakeholders. Regardless of the reasons behind specific ethical issues, once the issues are identified, marketers and organisations must decide how to deal with them. This is essential to become familiar with many of the ethical issues that may arise in marketing so that they can be identified and resolved when they occur. Examination of a few issues that could develop in the different marketing mix elements, can provide some direction and lead to an understanding of the ethical problems that marketers must confront. When examining both of the organisations above in the marketing mix I found that both companies are very ethical in there own brand product lines, Boots have Botanicals made from only natural ingredients, and The Body Shop also use natural ingredients and are totally against testing on animals. The Boots company may be more expensive than other chemists own brands, this is because they pay people who work for them in the 3rd world a wage that they can live on and provide them with food shelter, Body Shop uses money raised from there sales to help provide for the people in poorer countries and they also use environmentally friendly light bulbs in there shops. Boots and The Body Shop have shops on the high street they are both recognizably more expensive than other chemists such as superdrug, but both The Body Shop Boots offer more ethical products. Boots advertises how ethical it is on TV, it also has an Advantage Card loyalty scheme, The Body Shop does not advertise on TV, most people already know the body shop stance on ethical issues, but if you go into a shop there are posters and leaflets explaining what they stand for.

The Definition of Mother Tongue Plus the Worlds Top 20

The Definition of Mother Tongue Plus the World's Top 20 The term mother tongue refers to a persons native language - that is, a language learned from birth. Also called a  first language, dominant language, home language, and native tongue  (although these terms are not  necessarily  synonymous).   Contemporary linguists and educators commonly use the term L1 to refer to a first or native language (the mother tongue) and the term L2 to refer to a second language or a foreign language thats being studied. Use of the Term Mother Tongue [T]he general usage of the term mother tongue...denotes not only the language one learns from ones mother, but also the speakers dominant and home language; i.e., not only the first language according to the time of acquisition, but the first with regard to its importance and the speakers ability to master its linguistic and communicative aspects. For example, if a language school advertises that all its teachers are native speakers of English, we would most likely complain if we later learned that although the teachers do have some vague childhood memories of the time when they talked to their mothers in English, they, however, grew up in some non-English-speaking country and are fluent in a second language only. Similarly, in translation theory, the claim that one should translate only into ones mother tongue is in fact a claim that one should only translate into ones first and dominant language. The vagueness of this term has led some researchers to claim...that different connotative meanings of the term mother tongue vary according to the intended usage of the word and that differences in understanding the term can have far-reaching and often political consequences. (Pokorn, N. Challenging the Traditional Axioms: Translation Into a Non-Mother Tongue. John Benjamins, 2005.) Culture and Mother Tongue It is the language community of the mother tongue, the language spoken in a region, which enables the process of enculturation, the growing of an individual into a particular system of linguistic perception of the world and participation in the centuries-old history of linguistic production. (Tulasiewicz, W. and A. Adams, What Is Mother Tongue? Teaching the Mother Tongue in a Multilingual Europe. Continuum, 2005.) Cultural power can...backfire when the choices of those who embrace Americanness in language, accent, dress, or choice of entertainment stir resentment in those who do not. Every time an Indian adopts an American accent and curbs his mother tongue influence, as the call centers label it, hoping to land a job, it seems more deviant, and frustrating, to have only an Indian accent.(Giridharadas, Anand. America Sees Little Return From Knockoff Power. The New York Times, June 4, 2010.) Myth and Ideology The notion of mother tongue is thus a mixture of myth and ideology. The family is not necessarily the place where languages are transmitted, and sometimes we observe breaks in transmission, often translated by a change of language, with children acquiring as first language the one that dominates in the milieu. This phenomenon...concerns all multilingual situations and most of the situations of migration.(Calvet, Louis Jean. Towards an Ecology of World Languages. Polity Press, 2006.) Top 20 Mother Tongues The mother tongue of more than three billion people is one of 20: Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese, Javanese, German, Wu Chinese, Korean, French, Telugu, Marathi, Turkish, Tamil, Vietnamese, and Urdu. English is the lingua franca of the digital age, and those who use it as a second language may outnumber its native speakers by hundreds of millions. On every continent, people are forsaking their ancestral tongues for the dominant language of their region’s majority. Assimilation confers inarguable benefits, especially as internet use proliferates and rural youth gravitate to cities. But the loss of languages passed down for millennia, along with their unique arts and cosmologies, may have consequences that won’t be understood until it is too late to reverse them.(Thurman, Judith. A Loss for Words. The New Yorker, March 30, 2015.) A Lighter Side of the Mother Tongue Gibs friend: Forget her, I hear she only likes intellectuals.Gib: So? Im intellectual and stuff.Gibs friend: Youre flunking English. Thats your mother tongue and stuff.(The Sure Thing, 1985)

Kickstart Your Freelance Writing Career

Kickstart Your Freelance Writing Career Kickstart Your Freelance Writing Career Kickstart Your Freelance Writing Career By Daniel Scocco Have you ever considered making some money with your writing skills? If you have youll be pleased to know that our Freelance Writing Course is open for enrollment again. Its basically a 6-week program that aims to give you all the information and tools you need to start a freelance writing career online. Here are the six modules youll go through: Maximizing Your Writing Productivity to Multiply Your Profits Website Setup, Promotion and Guest Blogging Writing Content For The Web, A Totally Different Beast Finding Clients and Developing High Paying Jobs Running A Freelance Writing Business Efficiently Using Social Media To Promote Yourself and Land More Writing Jobs On top of that youll get access to a members-only forum, a section with a list of online tools you can use to boost your productivity, an aggregator of online writing jobs from all over the web, and a bunch of bonuses you can download right away. Over 1000 students joined the course in previous editions, and heres what some of them said about it: What you supplied has far exceeded my expectations, both in content and value for money. I congratulate you on a job well done. (Margaret Huggins, Australia) I want to share with you how much I enjoyed and benefited from the Freelance Writing Course. There are two things in particular that made the course beneficial for me. The first one was the private forums and your active participation in them. Second was the fact that I could work through the course materials at my own pace. I should also mention that you guys definitely deliver more than you promise. The bonus materials that you made available are quite valuable.(Shlomo Skinner, Israel) I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed the online course. I have been researching content on how to establish a freelance writing career since earlier this year and your course provided information that I just havent been able to find anywhere else. Thanks for taking the time to develop this in a straight-forward and manageable fashion. (Yvonne Smith, United States) If you want to get the details and enroll visit the course page here. Enrollment closes within a week, so dont miss out! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. HadThat vs. WhichLetter Writing 101

Feminism in Anne Bradstreets Poems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Feminism in Anne Bradstreets Poems - Essay Example Through poems, poets express their deepest feelings and thoughts, about the personal, social and political situations of their times. In the past, it was considered that only men are capable of writing poetry, as it takes guts and courage to express the bold and revolutionary thoughts, ideas and feelings openly. Hence, when a woman living in the 17th century, used poetry as a medium to express her deepest and the darkest fears, agonies, hopes and dreams, then it left an unforgettable mark in the history of poetry. The woman who left an indelible mark in the world of literature through her poems which mirrored her deep sentiments and protest against the Puritan ways that restricted women from living a free and respectable life, was Anne Bradstreet (Martin, â€Å"An American† 5). When Anne Bradstreet’s poems were reclaimed by American woman writer in 1960’s, then her free thinking and her feelings about woman’s position in the society, made her to be known a s a feminist poet (Frost 117). However, feminism in Anne Bradstreet’s poetry was not expressed boldly and ‘loudly’, but was visible in a subtle way through language that was socially acceptable, polished and pious in nature. Even though Anne Bradstreet was a free thinker and believed in equality of women, it can be said that in initial part of her life, feminism was visible more in her intellectual curiosity about God and her bold spiritual quest (which was not expected of women in her time), than through an outright reference to women’s freedom and equality in her poems. However, when she sensed rejection and suppression of her art by people, due to her being a female, then the feminist in her was awakened. Hence, it won’t be wrong to say that it was the love and passion of her art that awakened the feminist in Anne Bradstreet, and made her to revolt against the Puritan restrictions and limitations forced on women in her time. Feminist At Heart Wom en who are well aware of their rights and fight against the cruel and selfish behavior of men towards them are called as feminists. However, rather than showing her opposition and revolt in her actions and poetry, Anne Bradstreet chose to express her true feelings in mild ways which were in sync with the Puritan America and social standards of her time (Frost 117). Hence, feminism in Anne Bradstreet’s poetry was expressed in subtle ways initially. Rather than writing about her experience of the external world and what she felt and knew about it, Anne Bradstreet’s poetry was a way of escapism from the reality of her life (Rich xiv). She avoided using her personal life experiences as a subject of her poems. It was not common for women of her time (Puritan) to think of anything apart from her limited world of her family, husband, children, household chores and duties (Rich xiv). ‘Independence’ of women was considered a ‘prideful monster’ in the P uritan doctrines (Martin, â€Å"Shakespeare’s Sisters† 19). However, Anne Bradstreet was an educated and very well read woman (Rich xi). She was intellectually aware and gained knowledge about the subjects like theology, history and literature (Rich xi). This made her to show curiosity about the topics which were considered the domain of men and hence, she got the reputation of being a modern woman who had spirit to go beyond the limited world that was forced on women of her time (Rich xvi). Hence, her thinking ability and the spirit to go

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Strategic Plan Assignment

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Strategic Plan - Assignment Example The second reason is the indications that the program will seek to improve the resilience and safety of water infrastructure, as well as the communities. The program also provides a guideline that will facilitate transportation of trade commodities on the coastal channels of the nation as well as inland waterways. The plan will also protect, restore and manage aquatic ecosystems that will benefit the entire country (US Army Corps of Engineers, 2014). After an assessment of the likely advantages of the project, I realize that it is suitable for sustainable water resources management in the country. However, there is a need that the public supports the program to ensure that it succeeds. GPRA requires that strategic plans have six components, which U.S. Army Corps of Engineers fully submitted. The first requirement is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers should have a comprehensive mission statement. For this case, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a statement that is to deliver vital engineering for military and public management services. The mission also seeks to provide partnerships in peace and war to energize the American economy and strengthen the security of the country (General Accounting Ofï ¬ ce, 1997). The second requirement by GPRA is that the agency should have long-term objectives and goals for all critical functions of operations. The next item is the organization should provide strategies that will ensure the attainment of the set goals and objectives as well as those that it targets annually. Considerably, the strategic plan of the institution will occur for both long and short-term projects. There are also mechanisms laid down that will ensure tha t the set objectives become a reality. At the same time, there are relationships between the long-term plans and the annual goals. The latter point is in line with GPRA’s fourth requirement of the institution.An analysis of the strategic plan indicates that it adheres to the fifth element of GPRA, which is the identification of critical factors that are external to the agency and may affect attainments of the set plans. In addition, there is the need that all strategic plans have a description of the program evaluations used to revise or establish the strategic plans. Considerably, the program is appropriate because it satisfies all the six fields that GPRA requires and works in accordance with the constitution. For this case, the plan is in line with Paperwork Reduction Act 1995 as well as the Clinger-Cohen Act that aim to increase efficiency. For this case, there is a consideration that the public should support the project because of the provision for the fifth element of the GPRA requirements.   

Behaviour 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Behaviour 2 - Essay Example It was noted that majority of the fuel starved households belong to the lower income group of the society which also signifies the high charged electricity services of UK. In comparison to UK, Qatar is a country providing free electricity to their citizens and is also having sufficient electricity to maintain their national and corporate requirements. On the contrary, UK has maintained the belief that charging electricity and other energy sources will help in realising the value of fuel and also develop optimum usage of the resources (Middlemiss and Gillard, 2015). However, the slow decrease in the rate of fuel poverty does not justify the policy of the UK Energy Sector. It was noted in the Annual Fuel Poverty Statistics Report 2014 that the cumulative gap of fuel poverty is expected to increase to  £1.1 billion in the year 2014 from  £1 billion in 2012 (Department of energy and climate change, 2014a). The average electricity bill being paid by a small flat or house (2000kWH consumption of electricity) in UK is  £67 per month and the yearly bill is  £802 and the average electricity bill for a medium house (3200kWH consumption of electricity) is  £ 1163 (Department of energy and climate change, 2014b). According to the LIHC measure, it has been highlighted that almost foreign students have to pay around 5 to 12% of their total income for electricity income which is quite costly in comparison to the free electricity service provided in Qatar. The cost of living for the immigrant students has increased because of high end electricity charges imposed by Governed and other service providers in order to restrict the use of energy (Lawson, Williams and Wooliscroft, 2015). This section of the assignment highlights the results that are obtained after analysis of SPSS data. The data is obtained from the responses of the questionnaires. The main aim of the survey is to measure the effect of financial cost of energy on the

Country Case Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Country Case Report - Essay Example Also India is the direct neighbor of Pakistan and this makes matters more interesting and viable for investing within the industries of Pakistan on a longer basis. However the affect that terrorism has had in the post-9/11 era has really thwarted the economic upsurge of Pakistan and thus trade investors and finance stakeholders are always skeptical for one reason or the other. The Pakistani Rupee has been devalued many times but since the early 2000s, it has been consistently stable when one compares the same with the United States Dollar. Democracy returned to Pakistan in the year 2002 and its economic graph started to rise ever since. Much stability is present within the economic actors of the state and there seems to be less tension than was present a decade back. Investors are given the confidence to invest within Pakistan in a free and more open manner and there are assured time and again as per their respective investments. Recently international observers remarked Pakistan’s Karachi Stock Exchange as the most viable for investors within 2007 – which speaks highly of the confidence that the investors, brokers and stakeholders have had in the past and even in the present times. This speaks volumes of the right and adequate steps taken by the government of the time as they understood that Pakistan would only be able to make it big within the international economic domains if there is more room for the trade investors, financial concerns and production industries. When it comes to Pakistan’s global participation, one finds that it has played an active role at nearly all the fronts within the international domains. In fact Pakistan is a key ally in the War against Terror and has supported United States, United Kingdom and the allied forces on a consistent basis. Pakistan has been a member of United Nations ever since it achieved independence. Till recently, it was a member of the Commonwealth but since Pakistan imposed emergency in

Operation management of McDonalds Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operation management of McDonalds - Assignment Example This essay discusses that while the meanings of â€Å"operation† and â€Å"management† taken separately are commonly understood, when the two are combined an entirely different idea is formed. This field of business that seeks to define and standardise things could not itself be fully summed up in one comprehensive idea. Lawson perceptively pointed out that operations management is conceived of according to varying levels of scope and significance. Operations management has been variably defined as: (1) â€Å"The design, operation and improvement of the systems that create and deliver the firm’s primary product and service combinations†; (2) â€Å"The design, operation and improvement of the internal and external systems, resources, and technologies that create and deliver the firm’s primary product and service combinations†; and â€Å"The design, operation and improvement of the internal and external systems, resources, and technologies tha t create product and service combinations in any type of organization†. Mosby, Crumbaker & Urban observed that operations management is focused mainly on making sure that the firm’s business operations function efficiently and effectively, towards greater reliability and availability of the firm’s systems and services. Among the many duties and responsibilities which the operations manager is expected to fulfil, which generally fall within a five broad roles and responsibilities. ... These are identified and categorized by Operations Manager.com (2011) as: (1) Logistics management; (2) Budget management; (3) Operational strategizing; (4) Management of support services; and (5) Management of third party relations. According to Pycraft, Singh and Phihlela (2000), the exact responsibilities and role of operations management will depend primarily upon the nature of the organization’s business. In general, the classes of activities that operations managers directly discharge, which apply to all types of operations, include: (1) Understanding the operation’s strategic objectives; (2) Developing an operations strategy for the organization; (3) Designing the operation’s products, services and processes; (4) Planning and controlling the operation; and (5) Improving the performance of the operation (p. 31) In a survey conducted by Professor Arnoud de Meyer and reported in Pycraft, et al (2000, p. 33), a factory manager’s work was analysed and th e following breakdown was arrived at: Table 1: Breakdown of factory manager’s work Activity % of time Degree of change (1 = spending less time 7 = spending more time) Direct supervision and support Consulting with plant staff Consulting with upper management Consulting with sales and marketing Communicating with customers Communicating with suppliers Consulting with Research and Development Dealing with the community Training (as trainer) Training (as trainee) 22 16 12 10 7 7 5 5 4 4 3.5 3.9 4.0 4.8 4.8 4.4 4.7 4.5 4.6 4.6 Source: Pycraft, Singh & Phihlela, 2000, p.33 The foregoing table highlights the many varied concerns of the operations manager today. No longer is the manager confined to the manufacturing shopfloor and limited to ensuring that the right number of units are produced. The

Country Case Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Country Case Report - Essay Example Also India is the direct neighbor of Pakistan and this makes matters more interesting and viable for investing within the industries of Pakistan on a longer basis. However the affect that terrorism has had in the post-9/11 era has really thwarted the economic upsurge of Pakistan and thus trade investors and finance stakeholders are always skeptical for one reason or the other. The Pakistani Rupee has been devalued many times but since the early 2000s, it has been consistently stable when one compares the same with the United States Dollar. Democracy returned to Pakistan in the year 2002 and its economic graph started to rise ever since. Much stability is present within the economic actors of the state and there seems to be less tension than was present a decade back. Investors are given the confidence to invest within Pakistan in a free and more open manner and there are assured time and again as per their respective investments. Recently international observers remarked Pakistan’s Karachi Stock Exchange as the most viable for investors within 2007 – which speaks highly of the confidence that the investors, brokers and stakeholders have had in the past and even in the present times. This speaks volumes of the right and adequate steps taken by the government of the time as they understood that Pakistan would only be able to make it big within the international economic domains if there is more room for the trade investors, financial concerns and production industries. When it comes to Pakistan’s global participation, one finds that it has played an active role at nearly all the fronts within the international domains. In fact Pakistan is a key ally in the War against Terror and has supported United States, United Kingdom and the allied forces on a consistent basis. Pakistan has been a member of United Nations ever since it achieved independence. Till recently, it was a member of the Commonwealth but since Pakistan imposed emergency in

Assessment item 3 . Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assessment item 3 . Report - Essay Example For instance, a study conducted among students at Loyola University of Chicago revealed that communication could facilitate a specific target that aims to change or reform something, which in this case was a campaign for social justice. The process involved using communication in order to advance the project, with undergraduate students applying communication theories into practice to facilitate talk and action, which resulted in a campus-wide initiative that spurred dialogue, debate, and consensus building. (Cissna 2009, p497) With the positive outcome of the project, it became clear that the theories that were put into practice successfully achieved the purpose and objectives of the students involved. This may be a very specific or small example, but that it demonstrated the potency of effective and systematic communication at work. Sluijsmans, Dochy and Moerkerke (1999) emphasized that, â€Å"students in modern organizations should be able to analyse information, to improve their problem-solving skills and communication and to reflect on their own role in the learning process.† (p293) II. ... Also, from the students’ end, the interest is also generated out of the desire to please and impress by how well a specific project or report is delivered in front of his or her classmates. One of such students remarked that â€Å"peer assessment is one of the most nerve-wracking class activities because one has to get the approval of not just one individual but a bunch of people.† (Personal Correspondence) Seger, Dochy and Cascallar (2003) succinctly defined peer assessment as the â€Å"arrangement for learners and/or workers to consider and specify the level, value or quality of a product or a performance of other equal-status learners and/or workers.† (p65) A research by Mizoguchi, Dillenbourg and Zhu (2006) on the subject reported that it has become a very popular instructional assessment method as it reached a particular level of reliability and effectiveness because it supposedly â€Å"improve the high-order thinking and learning motivation of students.â⠂¬  (p298) Unarguably, scholars and academics are quite enthusiastic about this learning model, which can be integrated in a number of classroom activities such as in writing, drafting portfolio, presentations, test performance, and even those that involve behaviors, and a number of others. It is safe to say the possibilities are endless to a creative teacher. Specific benefits of peer assessment, from the perspective of students, are as follows: Students learn in a non-threatening and often friendly environment. About 60 percent of students are, according to Irons and Alexander (2004), content to allow averaged final student assessments to be used summatively, but only if these were moderated by the teacher. (p93) There would be more feedback generated for a specific work or task done not just from the

Theories of communication Essay Example for Free

Theories of communication Essay Theories of communication Argyles theory of communication is a cycle of six concepts, which repeats its self through every conversation, emailing, phone call, and text, through all the ways we communicate. The 6 following steps are: An idea occurs-A thought goes through your head. Example: A midwife thinking to tell a student midwife to go and do the observations on the patient that has just come in Message coded- turning your thoughts and feelings in to communication thinking about Your body posture, tone of voice, body language, gestures, pictures, writing and posture. Example- the midwife now needs to think how to say to the student midwife she needs to do the observations and how she is going to come across, like her tone of voice, her facial expressions, body language , does she need to write it and her posture. Message sent- have communicated what you want to say. Example- The midwife has now told the student midwife to go and do observations on the lady that has come in, the way she wanted to come across. Message received- is when the person or audience has received what the sender had tried to communicate. Example- The student midwife has received what the midwife has communicated. Message decoded- now they have to take what has been said and try to decode it so they understand what they have communicated. Example- the student midwife is now trying to understand and decode what the midwife has said about doing observations on the patient that has just come in. Message understood- the audience or the person targeted at has understood what has been communicated. Example- the student midwife has understood that she needs to go and do the observations on the patient that has just come in. This works with a response as well for example: Idea occurs- thinking of a response- example: the student midwife is thinking of a response to say to the midwife. Message coded- thinking how you are going to communicate your response- Example-student midwife thinks how she is going to communicate her response. Message sent- you have communicated your response- Example- The student midwife has communicated what she wants to say to the midwife. Message received- the response has been received- example- The midwife has received the student midwife’s response Message decoded- take the response and try to understand it, attempt to decode it-  Example – the midwife now needs to decode what the student midwife has said so she can understand it. Message understood- they have understood the response- Example- the midwife has understood the student midwife will go and do the observations on the patient that has just come in. Bruce Tuckman’s 1965. Forming, storming, norming and performing- team development model Bruce Tuckman’s theory was a helpful explanation of team development and behaviour. He believed that there was stages when a team come together and they was the forming, storming, norming, and performing there is also adjourning and transforming also known as the mourning stage These stages worked like this: The first stage is forming and this was the team being assembled, at the beginning each individual tend to behave independently, until they start shaping in to a team. The team is coming together and trying to figure out why they are there or what they have to do. They spend time collecting information and bonding. The second stage is the storming stage, in this stage the team are aware of the task and begin to suggest different ideas and what they are going to do and how it works. This is just the stage of ideas and talking about the task. This is also when a team leader may be formed to lead the group. Time is spent addressing the task working out what they have to do and then brainstorming all their ideas for the task. The third stage is the norming stage, this is where the team finish the storming stage and move towards working on the task after putting all their ideas together and agreeing on what they are going to do and work out an effective plan, allowing the contribution of each member. At this point team leader can also take a step back as each individual team member takes more responsibility. In this stage time is used putting ideas together and agreeing and moving towards working on the task. The fourth stage is the performing, performing their ideas to complete the task given and have a final piece, this is the bit where they actually do it and try to complete it. The time is spent completing the task, working together. The last stage is the adjourning and transforming also known as mourning. This is the final stage; this is the breakup of the team, where the team leave as they have completed the task given. Example of Bruce Tuckman’s theory: classroom of year ones on their 1st day. The year ones have been put into a group, this  is where they meet and talk for the first time, this would be the forming stage, as the group is being formed and shaped. The teacher then gave them a task. Each child had to give an idea to help to complete the task, this is the storming stage as different ideas where put together to help complete the task. The year ones then had to decide all together what ideas they liked and agree on which one they was going to use for the task, this is the norming stage where they all decide and agree and start to work on the task, also having to agree on the rules which is given for the task. The fifth stage is the performing stage where they all perform the task given and the decisions are collaborative for the final piece. The final stage is the adjourning and transforming stage where the children go home after completing their task and the group is broken up as the task is now finished.

Changes In Global Trade And Financial Flows Economics Essay

Changes In Global Trade And Financial Flows Economics Essay Globalisation is the increasing level of economic integration between countries leading to the surfacing of a new market place. Globalisation has resulted in a reduction in trade protection. This is because of the increased interaction between countries has led to the possibility to purchase goods with similar quality to those developed locally, but for a cheaper price. Financial flows throughout the global economy have immensely increased due to more interaction. In the early 1970s industrial development took place in developing countries, so companies moved production oversees, allowing for lower production costs mainly due to cheap labour. In 1983 the financial system was de-regulated and the exchange rate was floated. This means that the value of the Australian dollar is determined by the supply and demand of the currency. This led to greater accessibility of Australian firms to world capital markets and reduced exporting costs. But this increased the instability of the exchange rate. In the late 1980s Australian manufacturers were persuaded to export to the international market through tariffs, subsidies, local content schemes and quotas. This was in order for them to survive in the large international market. There have been major changes in trade patterns that reflect changes in the global economy. An example is the growth of China being directly related to the demand of raw materials. The increased volume of trade between countries can also be attributed to advances in technologies and new trade agreements such as the Australia United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA). Trade growth is also due to the increase in demand of the resources that Australia has high amounts of. The constantly growing Asian economies demand raw materials that Australian companies extract from the land support growth in certain industries. An example of this is the trade between Australia and China. China is in demand of resource commodities in order to expand their infrastructure and support the 8% growth rate. Explain why globalisation has resulted in a reduction of trade protection Trade protection is a form of regulation that is imposed by a government in order to protect certain industries from cheaper oversees alternatives. Globalisation has resulted in a reduction of trade protection. This is because of increased production possibilities in developing countries that have lower wage rates than developing countries, leading to lower costs and greater profits. The removal of trade barriers can occur because a certain country can: Produce a good not available in another country Produce a good for a cheaper price than goods produced locally Produce a good more efficiently, allowing another country to focus on goods that they can produce efficiently Produce a good that is of better quality because of development of technical skills. However, there are trade protection rules in place in order to protect certain industries and to reduce effects of off shoring on domestic markets. Reasons for protection include: Infant Industries: These are industries that are at the beginning of the product lifecycle and have yet to establish themselves in the market. Therefore they have not yet experienced economies of scale (have not produced enough so that the cost of producing is lower in bulk). Because of this it is very difficult for them to compete with large foreign competitors, who take advantage of economies of scale and offer their products at lower prices, domestically. Although this is a reason for protection, if it is not removed at the correct time the industry may become reliant on government protection and never mature. Therefore a balance must be found between protection and allowing domestic industries to mature. Dumping: This refers to the selling of goods in export markets for a cheaper price than the cost of production. This creates revenue for the exporters that are dumping, but destroys the market for the importing company as they cannot compete with the cheap prices. Dumping is prohibited because of its potential to destroy industries quickly. Dumping may occur because a company wishes to: Gain market share, to reduce excess stock or to deliberately destroy competitive, domestic producers. Dumping also affects employment levels, because consumers will purchase the cheaper good, as the law of demand states the lower the price, the more demand there will be. Domestic Employment: Cheap imports reduce the market share of producers because of consumers purchasing cheaper products. As a result of this unemployment may occur in a certain industry because they may not compete. There may be structural change in the domestic economy because of this inability to compete. An example of this is in the United States in the 1980s where consumers preferred cheaper Japanese alternatives, therefore employment in the car industry decreased rapidly and the structure of the domestic economy changed to specialisation in the computer industry. Explain how trading blocs have impacted on protection levels Trading blocs are intergovernmental, multilateral agreements between countries within an area that decrease regulation on each others exports. Trading blocs have impacted on levels of protection. Since trading blocs are intergovernmental agreements, there must be deregulation in order to achieve maximum trade efficiency. An increase in the amounts of trading blocs internationally has led to a decrease in protection levels between countries in the trading blocs. An example of a trading bloc that has eliminated all trade barriers between the members is the European Union. This was established in 1993 and, although there is minimum regulation, there remains a common tariff between the members. The reasons that countries would want to join a trading bloc are: Improved growth, increased efficiency through importing cheaper goods and services, increased competition, economies of scale (larger markets due to free trade, investment in production due to increased trade and increased technolog y. Explain the consequences of deregulation on financial markets Deregulation of financial markets is where the banks have regulations removed from them. Between the years of 1983 and 1985 the financial system was deregulated by: The cessation of interest rate constraints on banks. This allowed banks to, more efficiently, fight for business (in the form of deposits and loans). Floating the Australian dollar: This is where the value of the currency is determined by the supply and demand of that certain currency. This changes the cost to import from or export to Australia, because the value of the dollar fluctuates. There is an inverse relation between the value of the dollar and the cost to import/export from/to Australia. Granting 40 foreign exchange licenses: This allowed foreign banks to enter the Australian financial system, and was done in order to boost competitiveness in the financial sector. In order to make the Australian banks more competitive, the procedure to set up domestic institutions was made more simple. The consequences of de-regulation are to do with the effects of speculation on appreciation and depreciation of the currency. When there is speculation that the value of the Australian dollar will rise, more people will purchase when it is still low. This increased demand will then cause the dollar to rise because of the floating exchange rate (as shown above). This in turn will have a negative effect on exports from Australia because the currency is worth more in comparison to others. An example is if the USA are importing goods from Australia with the Australian dollar buying 40 US cents. There will be more exports from Australia at this exchange rate in comparison to when 1 Australian dollar will by 1 US Dollar. Outline the role of the WTO, IMF and the World Bank in the global Economy The World Trade Organisation is a global establishment that supervises and implements rules controlling global trade. It is at the middle of decreasing trade protection and barriers. The trade policies that are determined by the WTO and multilateral agreements have expanded world trade; therefore it is seen as a symbol of globalisation. The accomplishment of the WTO in decreasing obstructions to trade and encouraging globalisation can be attributed to a reduction in mainly tariffs and quotas. This is done by: Enforcing international agreements and trade rules: Controlling trade disputes Observing trade policies Supervise trade negotiations While many countries have based their development on export and support globalisation entirely, there are many opponents to globalisation that have hindered the WTOs protection reduction scheme through protesting. This is known as the anti-globalisation process and is undertaken by numerous individuals/organisations because they are opposed to transnational corporations having un-regulated power and specifically because of profit maximisation leading to reducing costs which may lead to a more dangerous work place. The success of the WTO is measured by world trade figures. The amount of merchandise trade exports in 1990 was 14 times bigger than in 1950. The International Monetary fund is an establishment that has been set up with the intention to help countries finance trade and assist with balance of payments. Its prime intention is to guarantee steadiness of the worldwide financial structure, the system of exchange rates and worldwide payments that allows countries and its people to purchase goods and services from each other. In short it promotes globalisation. This is completed by loaning funds to nations in crisis to aid them in paying debts, imports and stabilising currencies. Examples of nations needing financial aid are Russia in 1998, many countries in Asia in 1998 and Argentina in 2003. The countries that obtain help from the IMF usually have conditions imposed on them. The types of conditions that the IMF imposes include: An increase in taxes Decreasing financial assistance on food and fuel Requiring members to disclose monetary and fiscal policies Since these reduce the living conditions of the impoverished, the IMF is frequently perceived as supporting global capital at the expense of the poor. It is, in addition, criticised for pushing nations at the beginning of the economic life cycle to open their economies, float their currencies, and reduce manufacturing and trade barriers. Since there are lags, it takes a while for the income levels to rise and demonstrate the benefits of these actions undertaken by the IMF. The World Bank is built as an organisation for financially supporting long standing expansion scheme for developing nations. The loans that are made towards these developing nations have a very low interest rate and are commonly referred to as soft loans. It not only lends money cheaply to developing nations, but also enforces procedures in order to endorse trade, boost exports and deregulation. An example of this is where some farmers in certain impoverished nations are persuaded to harvest produce for global demand, rather than for neighbouring areas. This may be done in order to boost profits from exports for the entire country. Although this may have a negative impact on local areas because rather than having those supplies used for the locals, they are used, instead for use in exports. Analyse how the global credit crisis has changed global trade and financial flows The global credit crisis has affected global trade and financial flows within the economy greatly. The following trade statistics show the trade numbers between the years 2005-08. Year Imports Exports 2004 9.5 10.5 2005 6 6.5 2006 6.5 8.5 2007 2 6 2008 -12 1.5 The trend of the data can be analysed in the following graph. Results taken from World Trade Organisation website: http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/its2010_e/its10_toc_e.htm From the results above it can be seen that between the years 2004 and 2008 there was a drastic decrease in the export and import numbers internationally from 10.5% to -12%. This was due to the effects of the Global Credit Crisis. This will be shown below The global credit crisis began having major impacts in 2007, and still has major impacts on most economies in 2010. The global credit crisis began in the 1980s, where gigantic companies produced mechanical goods. At the end of the decade these firms identified that much more money could be made by investing into the financial industry. An example of a company that took part in this exercise was GE, who by the 90s, was making 10 times more money in investment, than in the production of goods. Due to the amount of cheap loans available, they borrowed much and became in debt. This money was then used to invest in financial bubbles. At first hefty profits were made, and many companies followed suit and by 2005 there was 14 so much money invested in speculation, that in value it equalled 14 times the value of the American economy. Debt began being offered to low income earners to in order to make more money and they could not pay it off. This had an incredible impact on the rest of the wo rld, showing the theory that when America sneezes, everybody catches a cold. Australia was one of the less affected countries due to its link with China. The global credit crisis had a large effect on global trade and financial flows. They include: Less demand for goods and services: Since there was far less demand, the price of elastic goods and service will go down, translating into less production, leading to greater unemployment. From this unemployment, there will be less household income therefore less goods and services will be bought. It was like a never ending circle. Less availability of credit: After the banks had gone bankrupt, there was no body to lend money to consumers, meaning spending was minimal. Rapidly decreasing Gross Domestic Product -Australia has developed a foreign debt of almost $A500 billion from borrowing money in order to fix the extended account deficit. There have been major changes in trade patterns that reflect the changes in the global economy. The rapid growth of China and the export of their manufactured goods, have led to a massive increase of raw materials demanded of certain countries like Australia. Results show that in 2003 the exports from Australia to China were triple what they were in 1990. This ever growing link between Asia and Australia has such a large importance that one of the objectives of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) is to have Australia join so that free trade can occur between them. In conclusion it can be said that the structure and target of Australian trade is greatly affected by the trends of the global economy.

Video Game Violence Make Teens and Children More Aggressive Essay

The term violence is a broad word that has many different views depending on what it is associated with. When it comes to teens and children, violence can be anything from pushing, shoving, and fighting too. Violence has and always will be an ongoing problem around the world. Everything that can be done to prevent it will benefit our society. Today’s video games and featured television shows have become much more graphic than they have ever been, showing brutal images that can be accessed by all ages. Video games have become one of children’s favorite leisure activities, and they spend long amounts of time playing them. It has been shown that children with high exposure to such violent games have a much higher score of serious violence (Freedman 2002). After playing these games for long and countless hours, children begin to view these behaviors as acceptable while out with their friends or in public. Violence is any action that may cause harm to another such as pushing, fighting, language, wrestling, and killing. Violent video games have a strong positive correlation with aggressive behaviors because of intense graphics, lack of effective parental control, and the amount of time playing these games. Aggressive Minds. Video games that are made these days are completely different from how they were made a decade ago. The games are much more detailed and realistic, and they give you the feeling that you are actually in the game. Elizabeth Carll, PhD in Psychology says â€Å"A comprehensive analysis of violence in interactive video game research suggests exposure increases aggressive behavior, aggressive thoughts, angry feeling, and physiological arousal and decreases helpful behavior†. Children that have played thes... ...ngs, E., Karas, T., Winsler, A., Way, E., Madigan, A., & Tyler, S. (2009). Young children's video/computer game use: relations with school performance and behavior. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 30(10), 638-649. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. JAMA and Archives Journals (2007, July 4). Study Examines Video Game Play Among Adolescents. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 18, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702161141.htm Straus, M. (1972). Measuring Intrafamily Conflict and Violence: The Conflict Tactics (CT) Scales. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/pss/351733. Violent Video Game Campaign (1998-2011). Are you worried about the increasingly violent and graphic content in video games? Retrieved February 18, 2011. Van Horn, R. (1999). Violence and Video Games. Phi Delta Kappan, 81(2), 173. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Immigrants in Singapore

Name: Clara Soo Wen Lin (4) Class: 2E History Holiday SEQ Assignment Question 1(a) Immigrants came to early Singapore due to push factors such as famines and droughts as well as natural disasters and starvation, and the desire to seek protection and safety. India was overpopulated and the immigrants faced many droughts and natural disasters in their homeland. After droughts wiped out their crops and resulted in famine, many would be forced to find jobs in the city in order to earn a living to feed their families. However, jobs were scarce which caused many of them to seek employment outside of India. With the prospect of finding jobs outside, this would at least give them a chance to survive. Similarly in China, with famines and droughts being a common occurrence, accompanied by the shortage of fertile land for crop cultivation, a huge portion of the population who worked as labourers or farmers resulted in starving. Furthermore, there was much disorder and unrest in China as the people were trying to overthrow the corrupted Qing government, resulting in many Chinese seeking protection and safety outside China. On the coastal areas in the Malay Archipelago, pirate attacks were frequents; in war-torn areas in Sumatra, Java and Malaya, life was extremely unsafe, which was why many Malays were â€Å"pushed† to leave their homeland. Therefore, the first reason why immigrants came to early Singapore was because of push factors such as famines and droughts as well as natural disasters and starvation, and the desire to seek protection and safety. Pull factors which brought many immigrants to Singapore was because Singapore can provide more job and business opportunities as well as better living conditions, the free immigration policies and not to forget that Singapore was a free trading port. As news of the founding of Singapore spread to neighbouring countries and even the countries as far away as India and China, many traders and shippers were attracted to Singapore where they could enjoy freedom of trade, which meant that they did not have to pay any customs duties or taxes on goods they brought into, or out of, Singapore. Singapore also served as a efficient trading centre where the British traders could sell their goods to people throughout Southeast Asia. Large numbers of people from the Malay Archipelago, Southeast Asia, India, China and other parts of the world flocked to Singapore to trade or to look for work because of the free immigration policies which meant that the immigrants were allowed to come and go as they pleased. As there was no warfare in Singapore then, it provided the Malays with a peaceful and safe place to settle down into. In this manner, Singapore in the 19th century was like a magnet which attracted many immigrants due to the many pull factors such as free immigration policies, freedom of trade, more job and business opportunities as well as better living conditions. Question 1(b) I agree to a large extent that the success of Singapore as a prosperous trading centre depended solely on the contributions of the migrant workers who came to Singapore in the 19th century. To shape Singapore into what it is today – a successful and prosperous trading centre – was mainly due to the presence of trade activities and revenue earned. However, it did not depend on the immigrants solely as Farquhar and Raffles were key figures in solving the problems brought about by the migrant workers along with their contributions to Singapore. The Malays contributed to trade by bringing in straits produce like coffee, birds’ nests, spices and rice from the East Indies to Singapore. Straits produce are the products that are grown in the East Indies. These Straits produce helped to widen the variety of goods being traded between Singapore and other countries. Therefore, trade was enhanced. In the aspect of education, some Malays who were educated worked as journalists or teachers. One famous example is Munshi Abdullah who could speak many languages and also wrote books about the early Singapore. Malays were also expert boat-builders. Besides making boats for traders, they also served as sailors and officers on the ships. Others worked as policemen, fishermen and watchmen. The Chinese also made many contributions from middlemen to merchants and planters. Some Chinese businessmen acted as middlemen between the British and the non-English speaking traders. They bought straits produce from the Asians and sold them to the British. Most of the middlemen were Peranakans. Among them were Tan Kim Seng and Tan Tock Seng. Some Chinese were shopkeepers who sold daily needs like cloth, medicine and provisions. Hoo Ah Kay was a shopkeeper who supplied ships with bread and vegetables. He also owned a bakery and an accessories shop. He owned a large gambier plantation and he was the first businessman who produced cash crops in large amount. Other than the above mentioned, Chinese also served as skilled labourers like carpenters, barbers and goldsmiths. Those who were unskilled worked as hawkers, servants, coolies and rickshaw-pullers. In terms of business, North Indians became milkmen who sold milk to other Indians or Europeans. They reared cows, goat and buffaloes to get their milk. Others were shopkeepers who provided daily needs like food, cloth and laundry services. Besides these, The Indian Muslims served as moneychangers and also moneylenders. Lastly, we also have the Sikhs who were good policemen and watchmen because of their strength and body size. The thieves were scared of their Beards and turbans. Europeans had the knowledge of trade and commerce. They setup companies, which had connections with Europe with their capital. They sold the goods that were made in Europe and shipped the goods that they bought from Asia back to Europe. Among them were Alexander Guthrie and Edward Boustead. The European merchants gave their opinions and pointed out the weaknesses of the government here. Some of them volunteered to be unpaid judges. They helped to maintain law and order in this way. Even though the immigrants played a significant role in contributing to Singapore to aid her development, they also created many problems for the settlement. Singapore became a lawless society, where secret societies were rampant because many of the Chinese who voluntarily joined were lonely in a new settlement and sought for friendship, protection as well as help and assistance that they believed the secret societies could provide them with. These people committed many crimes, from gang robberies to obstruction to justice and even to the extent of murder. They were a powerful group of people as the inefficient police force was ill-equipped in the 1800s and they could not understand the language of the Chinese secret societies. This resulted in insecurities of the residents in Singapore and may result in traders doubting the security of Singapore and not coming here to trade. This would implicated our port prosperity and bring down our revenue earned. Other key figures such as Raffles and Farquhar also have to be credited for their share of contribution to the development of Singapore. Raffles drew up a Town Plan during his visit to Singapore in 1822 as he found that the settlement had grown in a most disorderly manner. The town was divided into different areas for government, business and residential. Different races also settled in different areas of town, which could help reduce conflict between the different races who practised different cultures. Farquhar, on the other hand, firstly helped to get the traders from the places nearby to come to Singapore and trade as not many people knew about the settlement in Singapore. He invited the immigrants from Malacca to come and trade and stationed an office at St. John’s Island to inform the trading ships passing by about the settlement in Singapore. Apart from setting a stable foundation for the trading port, he also took care of problems such as the lack of building materials, food, tools and other necessities, the pests that roamed all over the settlement and also tried to solve the problem of common occurrences of crimes and robberies by setting up a small police force. Therefore, in conclusion, I agree to a large extent that the success of Singapore as a prosperous trading centre depended solely on the contributions of the migrant workers . The migrant workers contributed in different areas, mainly building the settlement, promoting trade, working for the government and also serving the community. Their contributions went a long way in helping the people and improving their lives in the long run. Without the hark word of these migrant workers, the fact that Singapore became a successful port would not have been made possible. On the other hand, I would have to disagree that success of Singapore was only due to the immigrants' contributions. Other key figures such as Raffles and Farquhar played a significant role in guiding Singapore through, hand-in-hand with the immigrants.

Business, a Practical Introduction Essay

1. Scarcity increases the demand for a product, and increases the price that consumers are willing to pay for it. Scarcity of an item allows a seller to raise prices, while a surplus of an item means prices will decrease. 2. Macroeconomists would be concerned with issues such as job growth and unemployment, growth in industrial production, and the consumer price index. 3. Under a socialist economic system, businesses and industries can be state-owned or privately owned, depending on the country. 4. A downside to capitalism is the issue of income inequality. There is a considerable difference between the highest and lowest incomes, as indicated by the 2010 income information reported in the textbook for this course. Median pay for a chief executive of a company whose stock was listed on Standard and Poor’s index was $9 million. Median pay for private sector workers was $40,500. 5. The model of perfect competition was created by Adam Smith. According to Smith, in perfect competition, the market has many small sellers who sell interchangeable products to many informed buyers, and no seller is large enough to dictate the price of the product. 6. The term consumer sovereignty is the idea that consumers influence the marketplace through the decisions of which products they choose to buy or not to buy. 7. The business cycle runs through a pattern of expansion, peak, contraction, and trough. Expansion, when economic activity speeds up, is triggered by a rise in investment spending, government spending, or exports. 8. Deflation is defined as a general decline in the prices of most goods and services. 9. An economic bubble is a situation in which prices for securities, especially stocks, rise far above their actual value. 10. TARP is the Troubled Assets Relief Program, signed into law in October 2008. This $700 billion program was created to purchase bank assets in order to strengthen the financial sector. This was outgoing President Bush’s last â€Å"screw you† to the people of America. It might have worked to stabilize the banks if the amount was double, and if it offered relief to businesses as well.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl When I had heard that New York Times’ Crime Columnist, Marilyn Stasio, had written about former Entertainment Weekly critic, Gillian Flynn’s newest thriller, the best-selling crime novel of the summer, Gone Girl, I was compelled to see what she had written. Stasio begins by setting Flynn’s newest piece on a pedestal of literary genius. Her use of the English language made it as tempting as bait to a fish: â€Å"Gillian Flynn’s latest novel of psychological suspense will confound anyone trying to keep up with her quicksilver mind and diabolical rules of play. She goes on later in the article to comment of her fearless ability to strip dense pretenses from her characters and lay them bare across the pages of the novel for all her readers to see. I was sold at â€Å"psychological. † The article commends the author on her clever usage of a double narration technique. This, ties in with Flynn’s supposed unique abi lity which allows us, the readers, to closely view the elaborate maze of a book that she has created. If you don’t pay attention to where everything is headed, you’ll be lost before you can flip the page.The specific uses of the two narrators (who are also the main characters) are one of the only things that I agree upon with Stasio. One of the narrators gives us his confused perspective of the main plot which only leads us to a red herring. We are fed a selective amount and quality of information that creates a neon sign in our head that says, â€Å"HE KILLED HER. † The other narrator, just as useful, gives us disturbing accounts of events that, as Stasio says, are â€Å"instances of marital discord [that] might flare into a homicidal rage. If nothing else reeled me in, the words â€Å"homicidal† and â€Å"rage† definitely led me to believe the story would inevitably lead to a climactic ending that mirrored something that could only be found in a Saw movie. I was left as a man is left disappointed at an altar. I felt as if I had wasted a good portion of my life on something that didn’t deserve to scrape dirt off the bottom of my shoes. The story turned out to be one of those classic rich girl abductions where she is returned unharmed as if nothing ever happened.And as an added twist, she turns out to be an attention craving psychopath with problems that stem from her perfect parents who are successful writers. The subject of every one of their stories is based off their daughter. Anything she does wrong, the subject of their book does correctly. This is one of many things that should have led to a gut-wrenching finish, but instead led to one homicide and a cliff hanger that could mean absolutely anything: â€Å"I really truly wish he hadn’t said that.I keep thinking about it. I can’t stop. / I don’t have anything else to add I just wanted to make sure I had the last word. I think I’ve ear ned that† (Gone Girl 430). After finishing the first chapter of the novel, I realized that Stasio had summarized all of it in the second paragraph of her article. This epiphany was followed by another brutal five chapters of pre-examined reading. Stasio might not realize it but, she has taken away the only pleasure one could have from reading this novel.The beginning is so innocently written that you would think that our main character could never kill his wife, no matter all the evidence that piled up. It would be possible to ignore the smile he gives the press when they told them about his wife. It would be possible to ignore him increasing his wife’s life insurance before she disappears. It would be possible to ignore his young and pretty girlfriend. But you simply cannot ignore Stasio’s plot spoiling review. â€Å"Diabolical†¦underhanded†¦trickery†¦devilish way† are all words Stasio uses to describe Flynn’s new novel.The only word I can come up with to describe Stasio’s article is â€Å"hypocrite! † Stasio’s perspective on the novel seems filled with excitement and satisfaction, but the truth is upon closer inspection, you can tell that she really couldn’t find anything kind to say, (not that I blame her). My problem with it was how she led me to believe the book would be worth spending valuable time reading. Truth be told, I would rather jump off a bridge. It would definitely be more thrilling than Gone Girl. Maybe Stasio could lead them to believe someone pushed me.

Roman Empire Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Roman Empire - Annotated Bibliography Example He taught Ancient history as well as Latin at the University of Willamette since 2006 to 2007. He taught a quite popular course on the Ancient Magic as well as on Roman Africa, a well received course as well. The author’s main focus is the growth of Rome from scratch into a big empire. He looks at its positioning, technology, the government and strategies employed for growth. Points supporting the growth of Rome include its position which was steep. The author uses this point to show how easy it was to defend the city against the attacks from enemies hence facilitating growth. Rome was ruled by a series of Kings who got advised by the senate that constituted of leading family heads in Rome. This point shows the leadership that lead to the growth of Rome. The way of life in Rome involved trade with centers being Rome cities. Cities were carefully planned by Roman engineers. This point shows how the economy grew hence the growth of the empire (Nice,

Wsj article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wsj - Article Example The Realty Advisory Board on Labor relations therefore, has planned for negotiations with the local 32BJ to deal with the striking workers and to re-adjust their business strategy to end the strike. This is because strategy is meant to fill in the need of organizations for a sense of dynamic direction, focus and cohesiveness. Members of the union and other New York City building workers rallied for a wage increase and voted for authorization of strike if the negotiations broke down. A security guard Michael Dawson stated â€Å"we should not be struggling in the richest city.† This means New York is a competitive market place hence for the union to operate successfully they should learn on how to adapt to a continuously changing business environment. In addition the business policies should be dynamic, continuous and goal oriented. For instance in the article the striking workers demanded for increased wages to protect health and pension benefits which is also a goal the union tends to achieve. A change in any one of the major components in the strategic management model can necessitate a change in the others

Aircraft inspection either a 100 hourly inspection or annual Research Paper

Aircraft inspection either a 100 hourly inspection or annual inspection student comes up with the type of scenerio - Research Paper Example This involved inspection of the aircraft’s conformity to prescribed regulations. Conformity inspection involved review of designated data and all document required as per the stipulations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As a matter of fact, conformity inspection sought to ensure that JPY had correctly undertook all processes and tests required by FAA. Additionally, it involved inspection of the parts to ensure they are in compliance with design data. Initial investigations involved evaluation of the existing documents for conformity before comparing the engine’s current condition to conformity requirements. Finally, the areas with problems were identified and appropriate course of action adopted. Of interest were the permanent records provided by JPY and these included the following: 1. The aircraft’s log book: confirmation for valid seal from FAA and existence of validly filled information 2. Aircraft Worthiness Certificate documentation. This cert ifies that the aircraft owner and operator have maintained the aircraft in airworthy condition. Additionally, it allows understanding of the persons allowed to perform maintenance, preventive maintenance, or any alterations on the aircraft. Conventionally, two conditions have to be met before the aircraft is considered â€Å"airworthy†. 3. A supplemental type certificate (STC) is a type certificate (TC) issued when an applicant has received FAA approval to modify an aircraft from its original design.  Ã‚  The STC, which incorporates by reference the related TC, approves not only the modification but also how that modification affects the original design. These are useful in not only knowing the modifications but also the effect that the modification had on the aircraft’s original design. 4. The Type Certificate Data sheet :) that is, when the aircraft configuration and the components installed are consistent with the drawing, specifications, and other data that are p art of the TC, and include any supplemental TC and field-approved alterations incorporated into the aircraft. 5. The Pilot’s Operating hand book provides useful information on weight and balance, operating ranges of the aircraft and airworthiness of the aircraft. 6. Also , included with the aircrafts documentation came the weight and balance certificate Description of the scenario The aircraft was brought was availed for repair by JPY. The process was initiated through a call from JPY to our maintenance department complaint being magneto issues encountered earlier. JPY had initially thought the issue had been resolved but it suddenly recurred and hence the need for further inspection and correction. The first meeting between us and JPY was held on the 23rd of November, 2013 at 1654 Entrance Drive New Braunfels Texas on the Flight Ramp outside the hanger’s main entrance. JPY flew the aircraft from Karnes County Airport to our facility. During the meeting, a comprehensiv e discussion of the problems encountered with JPY’s Cessna 320B were discussed, in addition to various documentations for the aircraft being handed over for inspection. The log books revealed that the aircraft was due for 100-hourly