Monday, September 30, 2019

Othello vs. Iago Essay

â€Å"Keep your friends close, Keep your enemies closer† Jealousy is a crazy thing. It can cause people to do unthinkable things. Most fights are over their jealousy of a person. In Shakespeare’s plays there is always a fight over this of some kind. Also written by Shakespeare, it is apparent in Othello. Two characters like Iago and Othello fight a silent battle except Othello has no clue about Iago’s powerful despise and envy to him. It is clearly evident that Othello symbolizes a hero while Iago adores the role as a villain. Their inconsistent characteristics are what separate the two from each other. Throughout the beginning Acts I and II of Othello, Othello and Iago differ greatly in their integrity and devotion towards others. Othello portrays himself as frank and sincere, while on the other hand Iago acts as the good guy but in the end backstabs the people who trust him. Othello demonstrates to his self and others his honesty. For example, when Othello explains to the Duke about their nuptials between him and Desdemona he nobly says, â€Å"That I have ta’en away this old man’s daughter, It is most true; true that I have married her† (I iii 93-34). Othello delineates his trustworthiness because he doesn’t try to keep the marriage a secret and tells the Duke up-front when he asks. In addition, he is straightforward to others when Iago warns Othello about Brabantio finding out about the marriage and tells him to go inside and he says, â€Å"Not i. I must be found. My parts, my title, and my perfect soul Shall manifest me rightly. Is it they?† (I ii 35-37). The general of the Venetian army is confident in himself that his service and stately fall will cause everything to calm down, he is also certain of his worthiness to Desdemona and that he deserves to have her and her love. Iago is pleased with his deceitful plans and sits back and savors the many lies he has told. For example, Iago shows his despise in integrity by whispering to himself that, â€Å"I am not what I am â€Å"(I i 71) and to Roderigo, â€Å"I follow him to serve my turn upon on him† (I i 45). Iago is acting like someone he is not to get the life he desires and is taking advantage of Othello just to proclaim his revenge for him and Othello does not know about it. Furthermore, when they defeated the Turks and decided to celebrate, Othello takes Desdemona up to their room, and Iago comes up with a plan for Roderigo to win back Desdemona by telling him, â€Å"Do you find some occasion to anger Cassio, either by speaking to loud or tainting his discipline, or from what  other course you may please, which the time shall more favorably minister† (II i 288-292). Iago is getting Roderigo to fight Cassio to dishonor him and is lying to Roderigo because he is telling him that this is how he can get Desdemona back but in reality Iago Is getting everyone who loves and trusts’ him only to turn them against each other for his own enjoyment. Integrity is shown through Othello because of his actions and the way he perceives difficult situations, but through Iago he displays no integrity to him or the others around him. While both of these characters may juxtapose in integrity they also greatly contrast in their devotion to the people in their life. Othello’s relationship with Desdemona is so affectionate and deep that he would do anything for her even though they had just recently wed. For instance, when Othello comes back from being lost at sea he shows his profound loyalty toward Desdemona by saying, â€Å"If it were not to die, ‘Twere now to be most happy, for I fear My soul hath her content so absolute that not another comfort like this Succeeds in unknown fate† (II i 205-209). If Othello were to die, he would die happy because he does not think that he will ever be as happy again, he believes that she is the only woman for him. In addition, he also proves his dedication to Desdemona when Brabantio tells Othello to keep an eye on her because Desdemona lied to her father and she might lie to Othello but in defense he says, â€Å"My life upon her faith† (I iii 335). Othello believes in Desdemona and is willing to bet his life on it and he would do anything for his wife just to show how much he loves her. Iago has malicious plans for getting revenge on Othello by committing his time in Roderigo so he can do his dirty work for him. For example, Iago takes advantage of Roderigo’s vulnerability over Desdemona getting married to Othello when Roderigo is in love with her by scheming up a plan for him to, â€Å"Put money in thy purse Follow thon the war; defeat thy favor with an usurped beard† (I iii 382-384). Iago’s continued pursue of Roderigo’s trust displays his dedication to Othello’s downfall and Roderigo’s foolishness allows Iago to trick him into doing absolute ly ridiculous favors and giving him more money â€Å"for Desdemona†. In addition, Iago hates Othello for various reasons and he says that, â€Å"in following him, I follow but myself. Heaven is my judge not I for love and duty but seeming so for my peculiar end† (I i 64-66). Iago manifests the fact that he despises the Moor although Othello has not committed anything against him  knowingly and perseveringly pursues Othello to bring about his collapse. Othello and Iago both compare in their dedication towards others but not for alike reasons. Throughout the beginning of the story, Iago and Othello develop distinct characteristics that show differences between them. Iago is always trying to hinder the moor, while Othello continues his expression of honest virtues. Iago relishes his deceit and manipulation of others, rather than to show he is a leader. These two show a part of life that will never go away. There are multiple differences between Othello and Iago but they both share a comparison in knowledge and understanding.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Solving the Water Problem with the Help of LifeStraws

The risk of drinking contaminated or unsafe water is high for people who do not have the means of providing themselves and their families the privilege of safe and clean water. Water-borne diseases that affect these vulnerable groups include cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, and Brainerd diarrhea (Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases, 2005). Vulnerable groups have not been clearly identified as even those with the money and those with access to safe water are being affected by these diseases but, it is rational to point out that those without proper systems or access to safe drinking water such as the poor in the developing countries are at higher risk for the abovementioned diseases. It is the desire and advocacy of the governments all over the world and the United Nations to pursue their efforts of â€Å"halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015† (UN Department of Public Information, 2005). It is with these great hopes that the said actors have launched the â€Å"Water for Life† decade last March 22, 2005 in sync with the World Water Day (UN Department of Public Information, 2005). In line with all these abovementioned problem and advocacy, it is but timely that the concept of LifeStraw ® has been developed and are now in being utilized for use in places where access to safe water remains to be a big problem. LifeStraw ® is a â€Å"complimentary point-of-use water filters†¦ that will help people obtain safe drinking water at home and outside† (â€Å"LifeStraw ® at a glance†). Its main purpose is to be a tool that will act as a filter for unsafe drinking water making it fit for consumption and reduces the risk of water-borne diseases for the people. However, a piece of LifeStraw ® comes with a price as there are materials and labor which has to be compensated for its production. It is a cost that is needed to continue the production of such and would have to be considered by people using it and those who are advocating for clean water. It would be confiscatory in nature to require the maker of LifeStraw ® to continuously produce the said product without being paid. The cost for the production of such was pegged at $3—a cost that would be way below the benefits it could bring. Being equipped with the knowledge of business ethics and being socially-aware and socially-responsible students and individuals, we would like to personally make our contributions in the purchase and distribution of such LifeStraw ® for the poor and the vulnerable. The life of a LifeStraw ® would last up to three years and this would already make a big difference in the lives of those who would be given the chance to own one. We plan to purchase 200 pieces of LifeStraw ® to be distributed to individuals and families. The organizations and agencies concerned would first have to be identified so as to organize the solicitation that would have to be released by our group. Groups would be identified in consideration of their financial capability and the interest they would have to express on this charity work they would be involved in. After the groups have been identified, their contact numbers would have to be obtained through websites and public dictionaries and this would be used to ask them to receive the letter we have for them as well as the contact person. Letter would be sent out after confirmation from the agencies that they are interested in such endeavor. A formal letter is ready for mailing and the interested agencies would be briefed about the advantages the LifeStraw ® will bring to the families and the good intention that our group has in engaging in such endeavor. Further information dissemination or information drive through the use of media or the least costly means would have to be employed such as website postings. It is expected that with the information campaign, the organizations would be able to access the necessary information for the intentions of our group and further linkages be established. Trust should also be established by providing personal networks and contact persons in each organization and would be highly appreciated by the group. With the money collected, the group will purchase 200 pieces of LifeStraw ® for distribution to the most vulnerable groups. This will be identified in cooperation with certain groups. It is also the plan of the group, as feasible, to ask for a thank you note from the families who have been blessed with the opportunity of owning a LifeStraw ® that will be sent to the organizations who have helped us and to acknowledge the effort they have exerted on giving these families and individuals a better living condition. Otherwise, a simple thank you note would have to be given from the group stating our utmost gratitude for the given assistance. The problem of unsafe drinking water would be ameliorated by the abovementioned steps that our group would like to take. However, it is still with much concern that someone or other individuals and groups would continuously exert the initiative to make the advocacy a continuous one until the targets of the governments and the UN would be reached. Further collaboration with other organizations would have to be considered as the State is a good vehicle for continuing and providing social welfare services in cooperation with private entities and the civil society. References Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases. (2005). Preventing bacterial waterborne diseases. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/waterbornediseases_t.htm. LifeStraw ® at a glance. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw.htm. UN Department of Public Information. (2005). Access to safe water priority as UN marks beginning of international decade. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/envdev829.doc.htm.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Passage Analysis Essay †The Lord Of The Flies by William Golding Essay

â€Å"†¦. he was thin and bony, and his hair was red beneath the black cap. His face was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness. Out of this face stared two light blue eyes, frustrated now, and turning, or ready to turn, to anger.† This is a description of Jack’s physical self. Apart from the fact that his eyes were to turn red because of frustration, Jack sounds like an adorably cute twelve year old. Just like we are always told to never judge a book by its cover, we should never judge a person based on their physical appearance. Jack Merridew is far from an adorable kid. Behind those pretty light blue eyes lies not a human being but a snake, a dog, an ape. An evil prehistoric man, as described on pages 48 and 49. This passage is important because it plays as an introduction of Jack’s true personality, element that is essential in the rest of the novel. In this passage, it is said that Jack is seduced by the sound of pig footsteps on the ground, showing how obsessed he will become later in the book about death. The fact that in this passage he does not succeed at achieving his goal, and becomes frustrated, contributes to the brutality in his future hunts and the creation of a celebration dance. It also contributes to Jack’s realization that he cannot do this alone, bringing the rest of the hunters in to his world of mad savagery. The passage is significant to the whole plot of the book, since it explains the involvement of the other boys in the killing scenes and Jack’s blood driven personality. The scenery described in the passage is also important. It achieves its goal in demonstrating the difficulties presented when being inside the jungle. The dense air that is trapped in between the trees, under their branches makes it a hard place to breathe in. The tangled creepers, branches and bushes in general, make the jungle a hard place to walk through. Another important aspect of the jungle description in the passage, are the pig runs. These will be important in the future of the book since they are the only â€Å"clearing† in the thick jungle and witnesses of the deaths that will occur on them. As said before, the true personality of Jack comes afloat, for the first time in the book in this passage. The way he is described as a snake, is symbolic to the strong evil force in him. Symbolic of how, later on, in the book, he betrayes Ralph and stops at nothing to achieve what he wants. Complete power over the island and its inhabitants. The description of him as a dog is symbolic of his actions. How he just goes ahead with what his instincts tell him, and not really thinking about the consequences of his actions. He is just driven by the fun and freedom these momentarily provide. And last, but not least, his description of being like an ape symbolizes the decrease of civilization in each and every one of the boys. It is a visual comparison of Jack to a prehistoric animal. How he is going back into the basics of mankind. In conclusion to all the reasons presented, on why this passage is significant in the story of Lord of the Flies, it is to be summarized into just one phrase. This passage is simply an excellent introduction to one of the most influencial characters in the novel; Jack Merridew.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Spreading the Truth or Lies in Disguise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Spreading the Truth or Lies in Disguise - Essay Example This definition of public diplomacy is concise because it contains three elements that mark its specific role in the over-all practice of international relations and that would serve as a limiting aspect of the study contained in this paper. Government-Sponsored It is â€Å"government-sponsored.† This term limits the scope of the practice of public diplomacy to that which is carried out by the government. While private corporations and institutions also carry out activities that achieve the same objective of informing or influencing public opinion, it could be said that the more important activity of public diplomacy, especially in recent years, is that which nations and states carry out. In the United States, for example, public diplomacy is carried out by the Department of State through its U.S. Information Agency, with the help of many other public and private institutions, such as universities, cultural associations, aid agencies, and its military, among others. In the Uni ted Kingdom, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office carry it out with the help of the British Council, the BBC World Service and private think tanks such as the Foreign Policy Centre, again among many other institutions equipped for the task. Every government carries out a substantial amount of public diplomacy which is different from the common understanding of diplomacy because the normal channels of top-level government relations are not enough for any state to handle the scope and amount of work needed to pursue its strategic interests. Traditionally, international relations to pursue a nation’s strategic interests involved only the political, economic and military aspects. Lately, however,... The report covers the growing importance of public diplomacy highlights the importance of consistency and a unity between the starting and end points of the exercise to communicate a message. The starting point, the government in the case of public diplomacy, originates and packages the message and chooses the medium or media through which the message is transmitted. The end point, the foreign audience or external public, is the intended recipient of the message. However, while the internal public is not included in this equation, they also play an important role, since the factors that contributed to the growing popularity of public diplomacy are also the same factors that affect its utility or not. This paper makes a concluison that this is the reason why there must be consistency between the reality and the message and media used. The message need not be an idealization of reality, but realistic enough so that it could be perceived as objective and sincere. The support of the internal or local public is crucial in this regard, because any messages of inconsistency from this public can do great harm to the message crafted by those who carry out the work of public diplomacy. There is likewise a need to respect the foreign audience’s response. When they do not absorb the message nor change public opinion or, perhaps even worsen it, public diplomacy becomes more crucial and important. Its goal should not be to get everyone to think alike, but rather to help others develop a balanced view of how a country sees its goals as mutually beneficial. Public diplomacy can effect a change in strategic goals if needed.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Renchong.Li's Personal Statement for Postgraduate Application

Renchong.Li's for Postgraduate Application - Personal Statement Example always been one of my ambitions, which has driven me to apply for a chance of pursuing a postgraduate degree in Money, Banking and Finance in your institution. My request for a chance to pursue a master’s programme in Money, Banking and Finance is not based on a desire for a title of a master programme graduate, but rather on my zeal to delve into Finance thus actualizing my career objectives. In effect, this programme would equip me with profession-related skills that would aid me in various systems-level decisions on issues pertaining to Finance. It would also benefit me in the development and creative utilization of computational and analytical techniques for solving financial-related problems, over and above gaining the broader skills, knowledge and background essential in becoming efficient in my profession, particularly in the modern-day rapidly changing global economy. My academic background has immensely equipped me with invaluable fundamental knowledge, which will be of great assistance on my enrolment for this programme. I possess a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Finance, which is perhaps the primary strongest facet of my application. I have a good studying ability – my Grade Point Average is above 3.0. This is a clear indication that I have a sharp mind that is able to organize reason as well as other complex facts in a precise order for good results in Finance. I am also a resourceful and dynamic person with interpersonal and negotiation skills, an approachable and sociable person, one who is open minded and excellent in networking in addition to being an excellent team player. I believe that over and above increasing my knowledge in Finance, pursuing a postgraduate degree in Money, Banking and Finance would give me the chance of sharpening these skills further. Moreover, my attribute of keeping myself updated by reading magazines, par ticularly business-related ones, enables me to explore diverse business ventures, boost my interest in Finance

Market Risk Premium(MRP) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Market Risk Premium(MRP) - Essay Example It is usual for financial managers and Boards of Directors to be more conservative so that they do not err in costs therefore when they arrive at a hurdle rate, the rate at which investors will start becoming reluctant to invest in their company, and fix a price band that is slightly higher. Through this, they seek to manage costs more prudently to avoid shocks to themselves, but at the same time they cause the investors to shy away from them and lose funding. This is more prevalent in developed markets but in contrast in the emerging markets, due to hidden and accruable values, the investors, both local and overseas are bolder hence the incremental values are higher carrying more MRP. Despite higher taxes, higher volatility and consequently higher MRP on equity this is preferred over debt as the returns are likely to be better. Another factor for this preference is that unless there is and an event like 9/11 or the Enron crisis, historically the socks have always outperformed the debt or bonds. Since the market favors equity, it becomes important to calculate MRP on daily, indeed even several times daily, to present both clear and emerging pictures for the investing public to act upon. On the other hand, this also assists the financial managers to plan their fundraising exercises. MRP is also valuable as it offers insights into past movement and likely future scenario except for events that happen to change it abruptly. At the same time, such subtle changes might also shed light on some expected movements that can affect future calculations. Those who are against MRP forward the argument that MRP movement causes reactions that might be sharp in some cases as they cause a cascading effect. This can sometimes be detrimental and erode confidence and capital.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

How risk affect corporate financial strategy Research Paper

How risk affect corporate financial strategy - Research Paper Example Risk is the probability of loss to occur. Corporate financial strategy is affected by various types of risks. This includes political risk. Conflicts and civil wars leads to massive loss of assets by companies. When there is conflict in a country, companies’ property are looted and others destroyed.   Companies located in these countries suffer huge losses since it become hard to protect their investments. Nationalization of industries also poses political risk since companies’ lose their licenses; hence, they cannot continue to operate in these countries. Governments may also increases taxes on companies, making it difficult for any company to continue operating. The second type of risk is interest rate. When higher interest rate is charged on loans, it makes it impossible for companies to fund their operations using loans. Due to high interest rate charged on loans, corporate may fix higher prices on good and services hence reducing the market share as consumer will shift to cheaper goods (Ehrhardt and Eugene 7).The author states that one of the risks is credit risk. This type of risk is most common in banking industry where borrower will fail to meet the obligation to repay the loan in the agreed terms. Other risks occur in book keeping where incorrect figures are entered. Failure of borrowers to repay their loans and errors in book keeping causes huge loses to banking industries. The fourth type of risk is business risk. This is the probability that an auditor will suffer loss to his professional practice.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Fire dynamics Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Fire dynamics - Dissertation Example At 250-300 degrees room temperature, creep has little effect on the performance on the steel structure since the amount and distribution of the effects of steel remain uniform hence any deformations occur at a slow pace. As the fire crib is set to temperatures of 0.25/0.5 MegaWatt, recorded by a thermal imaging camera, creep starts to become a dominating factor (Totten, 2007). Deformation starts to occur as the vacancies in the crystal structure diffuse to the location of a dislocation hence the dislocations move faster to an adjacent slip plane. As the temperature of steel increases so does the creep deformations. Depending on its material composition, steel’s melting point stands at 1400 degrees Celsius. Therefore, creep deformations will become noticeable at temperatures corresponding to 30% of its melting point. Creep strain has three phases which include: Primary creep/ Initial phase Steady-state creep/ Secondary creep Tertiary creep At the initial phase, the strain rate is high and increases at a steady rate, that is, it is directly proportional to temperature. On almost entering the secondary creep phase, it decreases gradually. At the steady state creep, the strain rate reaches a minimum and is almost constant. At the tertiary creep phase, the strain rate increases exponentially as temperature increases. ... sius), time zero (0), the strain on the structure is minimal, and as the curve shows, strain is always present even at normal conditions that are; steel is always undergoing strain in its normal conditions due to it general makeup which contains soluble atoms (Totten, 2007). A retardant rock wool which is welded to a steel structure aimed at adding extra heat protection reduces the effect of exposing a steel structure to long hours of heat. Although creep has a great detrimental effect on this steel structure, the extra fire protection (retardant rock wool) that is welded to the structure main objective is combating this effect (Totten, 2007). This material, which is fire resistant, tolerates temperatures of up to 1000 degrees Celsius and does not burn. It remains stable when exposed to such high temperatures. The retardant rock wool acts as an insulator in the sense that; it has an R-value which means that it has a resistance to heat flow providing rates as from 4.4dB for the 5mm th ickness of steel. Metals do not react well when exposed to fire for a very long time. When it is heated, the molecular structure of the metal becomes weak and loses its strength at over five hundred degrees Celsius. This cause the collapse of metal buildings as the metal warps and melts slightly under extreme temperatures. However, this takes a longer time and has no effect on the evacuation of the metal structure (Totten, 2007). Under normal circumstance, water reacts with metal to form rust. The surface rust is not harmful, but when exposed continuously to unprotected metal it leads to severe corrosion. Additionally, when the building is exposed to heat source for a long time, their mechanical strength of the building will decrease and thus their properties will become more dependent on

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Nazis regarded the war against the Soviet Union as a 'war of Essay

The Nazis regarded the war against the Soviet Union as a 'war of extermination' (Vernichtungskrieg). What does it mean - Essay Example In  the  spring  of  1941, as preparations were under way for the invasion of the USSR, Hitler proclaimed that a war of destruction was about to start. He called for the annihilation of the Bolshevik leadership, thus laying the foundation for the extermination of what Hitler considered to be the biological source of Bolshevism: the Jews of the USSR. The application of Nazi ideas and ideology depended on two types of force, one of these took the form of indoctrination and propaganda, the other was based on terror. The initial phase of success on eastern front gave Wehrmacht, the opportunity to implement their policy of extermination (Lee 30). This resulted in the worst genocide of history, in which millions of people were killed brutally by using gassing techniques and starving them to death. Thus, the Nazis considered their war against Soviet Union as war of extermination and application of their policies of persecution. Nazis Ideology A profound understanding of Nazis ideolo gy is essential in order to understand the true spirit of Nazis war of extermination. The official name of Hitler’s movement throughout the period 1920 to 1945 was the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. ... Hence, Jews were to be excluded from German nationhood; all non-German immigration must be prevented (Lee 12) There were Nazis who emphasized the socialist element of their ideology, but these did not include Hitler. Instead, Hitler focused more and more on racial rather than economic explanations for major historical trends. He argued in his 1925 book Mein Kampf (My Struggle) that ‘The adulteration of the blood and racial deterioration conditioned thereby are the only causes that account for the decline of ancient civilizations; for it is never by war that nations are ruined, but by the loss of their powers of resistance, which are exclusively a characteristic of pure racial blood’ Lee 13) Hitler has unique importance as the creator of the Nazis programme and ideology; most of his ideas are contained in Mein Kampf and the Zweites Buch (Second Book).(p14) A vital component of Nazism was the ‘Fuehrer principle’ (Fuhrerprinzip). It is true that the cult of lea dership is to be found in all fascist movements, but it was of particular importance in the Nazi context since Hitler’s ideas were crucial in defining the nature of Nazi eclecticism. Above all, Hitler provided Nazism with a unique vision of racial purity and anti-Semitism (Lee 14). Adolf Hitler  had argued in his autobiography  Mein Kampf  for the necessity of Lebensraum, acquiring new territory for German settlement in Eastern Europe. He envisaged settling Germans there as a master race, while exterminating or deporting most of the inhabitants to  Siberia  and using the remainder as  slave labor. The linking of anti-Semitic accusations to race struggle is what made Nazism so genocidal. The Nazis believed the Jews were responsible for what they

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Hispanic American Diversity Essay Example for Free

Hispanic American Diversity Essay The Hispanic Americans have a lot in common but still each maintained their ethnicity which differs. The different groups immigrated to America in search of the American dream and some for political reasons. Below we examine the different groups and how similar or different they are from each other. The Mexican in the United States seems to enjoy a higher recognition among the other Hispanic groups living within the US. The Mexican Americans started to arrive within the US after the US-Mexican war. Thereafter, they migrated due to the better economic promise that the American dream held, a reason that still holds to date. They come with the culture from Mexico and integrate it into the mainstream American culture (Mexican Americans, 2007). The major religion among the Mexican American is Catholic Christianity, followed by others like Jehovah’s Witnesses and Evangelicals. Their culture and norms revolve around their religion. They have a tight-knit family unit. They have a high affinity for family and very often associate closely with extended members of family. They work very hard to find houses to live next to each other so that they can experience a family kind of atmosphere. The family is taken very seriously by this group and therefore a lot of effort is made to preserve it. Men see themselves as protectors and providers, thus take it on themselves to provide for the family. If they have a high traditional background, they will most probably take on the macho man image (Nauert, 2008). The main language spoken within the Mexican-American group is Spanish. The language is carried from their ancestry land, Mexico. Along with Spanish, they also have influenced the American musical landscape with their much popularized Salsa dancing. Mariachis and Corridos are also singing styles from these sectors that have gained popularity within the US (Kwintessentials; Mexican Americans, 2007). Their political and social influence is also evident. Within the entertainment industry, this group has produced musicians, actors and various other entertainers with the likes of Ricardo Montalban, Tish Hinjosa and Louis Valdez claiming ancestry from this category. In politics, the group has formed political lobbies which have helped push its cause. The racism that they have experienced can be partly held possible for the political organization that has been witnessed within their ranks. Chicano organizations have been important in the political and social organization of Mexican American community. Key government personalities like Bill Richardson also have their roots within this category (Mexican Americans, 2007). The Puerto Rican enjoys a different kind of status. This country is a semi-autonomous commonwealth of the US, thus every citizen of Puerto Rico is a citizen of America. They are therefore considered as legal immigrants of the US. Theoretically, they should therefore enjoy more political power than the other groups. However, on the political front, this group is less active. The early involvement in politics declined in the 1970s and 80s after the Young Lords political inspiration failed to be permanent (Sanchez, 211, 2007). Their inability to make themselves an economically powerful unit despite their large numbers in the early years has been a reflection of their inability to get a grasp of main stream politics. The Puerto Rican American culture is a blend of Spanish and West African slave culture set in the American social setting. The predominant religion is Catholic, attributed to their Spanish roots. They also have the spirit beliefs, attributed to the West African roots. Their culture is filled with superstition and social life is considered very important. They have a wide range of tropical sea cousin and consider food to be an important social tool. With celebrations such as Candlemas and Day of children, their culture is one of flamboyant outdoor celebrations, and makes use of costumes and parades (Green, 2008). Their social life follows that of other Latin American groups of tight family cohesion. There is also the patriarchal system of family administration where the men are responsible for provision and administration of the family affairs. These factors contribute to the high relations between extended family members, though this has been strained by economic factors (Green, 2008). This society also has accomplishments in music and entertainment. The popular raggaetone music traces its roots to this Island. Other prominent musicians and performers include Enrique Martin, known as Ricky Martin and Jennifer Lopez (Green, 2008). The other group is the Brazilian Americans. This group, as the name suggests, has its roots in the Portuguese influenced culture. Their local language of communication is Portuguese, though it also has African and Native American influences. The perception of this culture is one that praises leisure and recreation. This is because they have very flamboyant street parades, with the largest street parade being held in their home country. A replica of it happens at the same time in New Yorks Little Brazil since 1985 (Jefferson, 2008). The Brazilian culture is set in Catholic Christianity, although there are Spiritists found within the culture. The mother country is cited as being the worlds largest Catholic country. They have solemn celebrations tied to their religious obligations. One of them includes the Festa do Iemenja, a tribute to the Queen of the Sea. Their family life is somewhat more patriarchal, with those who immigrate finding it hard to keep their wives off employment, as is the tradition. However, like other Latin American cultures, the family unit is extended to the extended family. This culture makes the society more integrated. Their social parameters have not gone to the extent of political involvement. There are few facts that support the notion that American Brazilians are directly involved in mainstream politics (Jefferson, 2008). The contribution of this group toward entertainment is mainly in its parades and music. The popularity of Samba music and the lambada has further promoted the recreational value of the Brazilian culture. However, on the mainstream, their full impact is yet to be felt (Jefferson, 2008). Columbian Americans are another group. Brought to America mainly due to political influence, this group has been associated with New Havana in Miami. They speak Spanish traditionally due to their colonial roots with the Spaniards. It is used in the local social life within the households. The family life tends to be cohesive due to the immigrant nature of the group. The community is tight knit due to the exclusivity and pride of this group, wanting to maintain a separate status from the rest of the Latin American groups (Sturner, 2008). The family unit, as stated above, is closely tied like the other groups. The value of social networking is important to these people as it helps them find work among each other. The racial discrimination from the white and even black population has helped establish this network. The traditional patriarchal society has undergone change in the American society (Sturner, 2008). The social and festival life of this group is also vibrant. The group is tribute to having a high interest is soccer. It is also tributed with the dance style cumbia. Their celebrations are mainly religious oriented. The political influences of this group are not much. This is because they are more concerned with home politics back in their emigrant country at the expense of participation in American politics (Sturner, 2008). In summary, the traditions of the Latin America are highly related. They all have a common interest in music and dance, and the family structure is the same in general. However, differences exist in the political influences that these groups exert and their reasons for immigration into the US. Although they share the Spanish language, each has its own dialect and are in different levels in terms of social, political, and economic advancements. References Alphine J. , W. (2008) Brazilian Americans Sourced on 20 April 2009 http://www. everyculture. com/multi/A-Br/Brazilian-Americans. html Boricua S. , J R. , (2007) power: a political history of Puerto Ricans in the United States NYU Press, 2007 Derek G. , (2008) Puerto Rican Americans Sourced on 20 April 2009 http://www. everyculture. com/multi/Pa-Sp/Puerto-Rican-Americans. html Kwintessential Mexican American Culture Sourced on 20 April 2009 http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/articles/article/Mexico/Mexican-American-Culture/1140 Mexican Americans (2007) The Mexican Americans Sourced on 20 April 2009 http://www. mexicanamericans. com/TheMexicanAmericans. htm Rick N. , (5 June, 2008) Culture Influences Mexican-American Attitudes Sourced on 20 April 2009http://psychcentral. com/news/2008/06/05/culture-influences-mexican-american-attitudes/2411. html Sturner P. , S. , (2008) Columbian Americans, Sourced on 20 April 2009http://www. everyculture. com/multi/Bu-Dr/Colombian-Americans. html

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Children Are Our Future

Children Are Our Future Our greatest glory consist in not ever failing, but in rising every time we fall. (Oliver Godsmith) The children of todays society will never know the true meaning of this quote or what its like to fall and get right back up to try again. Many say if you dont award your children for participating, theyll choose not to participate and wont get anything done. As a parent its hard to see your child fail considering you want nothing less than the best and to see them happy, but they should not be entitled to a trophy just for showing up and going through the motions. The millennials have been called everything from coddled to just downright spoiled. Their overal attitude is horrible, always thinking they know whats best and whatever they do will be accepted and rewarded. This, however, is through no fault of the child but of the parents and caregivers that raised them. A writer from the Amrican Academy of Pediatrics states, From Californias soccer fields to the basketball courts of New York, sports-league organizers are beginning to question the practice of congratulating every kid on every team just for putting on a uniform. This just shows that people can see what participation trophies do to children. By giving them an award for participating and going through the motions will kill their entire motivation and want to do better. With these participation trophies they will fail and not kow how to handle it. With participation trophins theyll never learn to fail, without failure theyll nver learn to succeed. Just as eveyone says, the children are our future. If we continue to hand out awards for participatinon, theyll never learn and give up as soon as they are unable to complete a task. Technology doent make anything better as they get frustrated if something doesnt pop up as fast as they would like. The millennial generation is electroniclly sophisticated as Julie A. Ray from the Association for Childhood Education International states. With as many technological advancements as ther are in the world today, very few people have patience and its getting worse as time goes on. Having no patience is also a factor in weather anyone will continue to fail and succeed or just fail and never try again and expect a reward for onece again, going through the motions. You will never learn to do things to the best of your ability if you dont ever fail. Part of being human is learning to accept the fact that you will fail, weather it be one, three, ten, or even a hundred times before you succeed, you will fail. Michael Jordan, a retired professional basketball player and well reapected rolemodel, says, Ive missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. Ive lost almost 300 games. 26 times, Ive been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. Ive failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Jordan was not handed a trophy for missing 26 game winning shots, he was awarded a trophy for working hard and failing. Even though he failed he never gave up. He pushed and pushed and worked everyday until he was succesful, until he was able to make those game winning shots that everyone was depending on him for. When were not feeling overwhelmed, one highly sensitive person (HSP) told a reporter for a California newspaper, we can experience joy and love much more deeply than the nonHSP. (Christine Rosen) Raising children on paticipatin trophies will give them a higher risk of becoming a HSP. They wont know how to handle the conditions of life as it can be fast paced. In the real world, there is no one to hold your hand or tell you what to do and how to do it. You have to learn from your mistakes as well as everyone elses. If you are awarded a trophy for showing up and just being there and participating, you wont learn how to make a mistake and if we continue to hand out trophies like its candy, no one else will learn to make mistakes either. Once you are an adult and youre out on your own and you make a mistake and you fail, youll think that its all going to be okay, someone will come and fix it, once you realize no one is there to fix it and no one is going to be there to tell you its okay, youre going to feel like a failure, something that youve never felt before because for your entire life, everything has been handed to you. Handing out trophies like its going out of style is a big mistake. Children are our future, raising them on participation trophies will improve nothing, do nothing but destroy children and their future. As soon as they fail and realize that its not okay, they will no longer be confident in themselves or in anything that they do. Part of success is confidence in failure, knowing that you will succeed if you just try again , even if you fail more than youd like to admit. You will never get anywhere if you never try.

Friday, September 20, 2019

SWOT and PEST Analysis of Indias Telecom Sector

SWOT and PEST Analysis of Indias Telecom Sector INTRO Indian telecom industry worlds fastest growing industry(last three years 42%) and adding millions of customer monthly and reach to mark of more than 700 million customer mark in the end of year 2010. It is the most dynamic industry and based on the tough competition, price war emerged in the 3rd quarter of 2010. It has lowest tariffs in the world and highest telephone density. It also suffers from highest churn rate 2% and 5% for postpaid and prepaid respectively. It also has lowest ARPU (average revenue per user). It is second largest network in the world (in terms of number of subscriber #1st china) The wireless sector has become so dominant that it is has almost made the landline part dormant with no new happenings/activities/technology in that domain of telecommunication services. A look at their contribution to the total telephone services shows the rapidly change face of the telecommunication industry in India. This sea change has been caused by a number of factors varying from reduction in tariffs and cost of mobile handsets to change in government policies to mindset of the general public. Market Structure Indian telecommunication market is divided into a total of 23 circles, which include 4 metros, and 19 other circles. These circles are further classified into A, B and C type of circles base in the certain economic parameters and revenue potential. Circles were categorized as A,B, C based on the revenue potential as per the 1st auction in 1995. Total Market Size: US $ 60 Billion Telecommunication Services can be broadly classified under 3 heads: Telephone, Broadcasting and Internet. An exponential growth in the number of subscribers has been witnessed over the recent years with the annual growth going as high as 47%. Indian tariffs are very low in comparison to world standards. The COMPANIES which I am going to analyze is top 5 as per the market share shown by above table BHARTI AIRTEL IDEA VODAFONE BSNL AIRCEL PEST ANALYSIS It is the frame work designed to assess the macro environment of any country, organization or company. It is basically include the following four factors but now days it extends further to PESTELED the extension denotes as ENVIROMENT -LEGAL-ETHICS-DEMOGRAPHICS. This analysis tries to find all details related to its four heads, which has some meaning to business and affect business activities.it is the part of external analysis while conducting strategic analysis for business. It is useful tool to understand business growth opportunities and if any previous decline why was decline. With the increase of competition and fast changing global scenario each firm is doing this to be dynamic in its position. POLITICAL FACTORS GOVERNMENT TYPE LABOUR LAW, FREEDOM OF PRESS, RULES OF LAW, BUREAUCRACY, CORRUPTION TRADE RESTRICTIONS/ TARIFFS POLITICAL STABILITY ECONOMIC FACTORS ECONOMIC GROWTH INTEREST RATES EXCHANGE RATES INFLATION RATE BUSINESS CYCLE STAGE SOCIAL FACTOR CULTURAL ASPECTS BUYING BEHAVIOR POPULATION GROWTH RATE AGE DISTRIBUTION INCOME DISTRIBUTION LEVEL OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGICAL FACTOR RATE OF OBSOLESCENCE RD FACILITIES SPEED OF TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFER POLITICAL FACTOR- these factors are related to the politics of the country, it has huge impact as India has close environment before 1991 and its difficult or impossible to set up a business. Government type the current UPA government of India is progressive and liberal which laying path to economic development SWOT ANALYSIS It denotes STRENGTH -WEAKNESS-OPPERTUNITY-THREAT and this technique used to analyze a company during strategic planning. This technique is credited to Albert Humphery who led a convention at Stanford University in the 1960s and 1970s using data from Fortune 500 companies. BHARTI AIRTEL: Bharti airtel limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa. The company offers mobile voice data services, fixed line, high speed broadband, IPTV, DTH, turnkey telecom solutions for enterprises and national international long distance services to carriers. bharti airtel has been ranked among the six best performing technology companies in the world by business week. bharti airtel had 200 million customers across its operations. STRENGTH Bharti Airtel has more than 65 million customers (July 2008). It is the largest cellular provider in India, and also supplies broadband and telephone services as well as many other telecommunications services to both domestic and corporate customers. Other stakeholders in Bharti Airtel include Sony-Ericsson, Nokia and Sing Tel, with whom they hold a strategic alliance. This means that the business has access to knowledge and technology from other parts of the telecommunications world. The company has covered the entire Indian nation with its network. This has underpinned its large and rising customer base. Weaknesses An often cited original weakness is that when the business was started by Sunil Bharti Mittal over 15 years ago, the business has little knowledge and experience of how a cellular telephone system actually worked. So the start-up business had to outsource to industry experts in the field. Until recently Airtel did not own its own towers, which was a particular strength of some of its competitors such as Hutchison Essar. Towers are important if your company wishes to provide wide coverage nationally. The fact that the Airtel has not pulled off a deal with South Africas MTN could signal the lack of any real emerging market investment opportunity for the business once the Indian market has become mature. Opportunities The company possesses a customized version of the Google search engine which will enhance broadband services to customers. The tie-up with Google can only enhance the Airtel brand, and also provides advertising opportunities in Indian for Google. Global telecommunications and new technology brands see Airtel as a key strategic player in the Indian market. The new iPhone will be launched in India via an Airtel distributorship. Another strategic partnership is held with BlackBerry Wireless Solutions. Despite being forced to outsource much of its technical operations in the early days, this allowed Airtel to work from its own blank sheet of paper, and to question industry approaches and practices for example replacing the Revenue-Per-Customer model with a Revenue-Per-Minute model which is better suited to India, as the company moved into small and remote villages and towns. The company is investing in its operation in 120,000 to 160,000 small villages every year. It sees that less well-off consumers may only be able to afford a few tens of Rupees per call, and also so that the business benefits are scalable using its Matchbox strategy. Bharti Airtel is embarking on another joint venture with Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular to create a new independent tower company called Indus Towers. This new business will control more than 60% of Indias network towers. IPTV is another potential new service that could underpin the companys long-term strategy. Threats Airtel and Vodafone seem to be having an on/off relationship. Vodafone which owned a 5.6% stake in the Airtel business sold it back to Airtel, and instead invested in its rival Hutchison Essar. Knowledge and technology previously available to Airtel now moves into the hands of one of its competitors. The quickly changing pace of the global telecommunications industry could tempt Airtel to go along the acquisition trail which may make it vulnerable if the world goes into recession. Perhaps this was an impact upon the decision not to proceed with talks about the potential purchase of South Africas MTN in May 2008. This opened the door for talks between Reliance Communications Anil Ambani and MTN, allowing a competing Inidan industrialist to invest in the new emerging African telecommunications market. Bharti Airtel could also be the target for the takeover vision of other global telecommunications players that wish to move into the Indian market. VODAFONE- Vodafone Essar is the Indian subsidiary of Vodafone Group and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. The company now has operations across the country with over 127.34 million customers. In a survey conducted by Indias leading business weekly, Vodafone Essar was awarded Most Respected Company in the Telecom Sector for 2010.Vodafone is one of the worlds leading international mobile communication group STRENGTH Presence in many countries and backed by number one telecom country. Provider of 3G and blackberry services and business solution. Number one gainer due to MNP 50,000 customer. WEAKNESS THREAT OPPORTUNITIES Emerging markets and expansion abroad Innovation Product and services expansion Growing data business and 3G auctioning VAS as a means to increase ARPU (big boss, Zoo Z00) Growing Enterprise solution market (10.2% in 2009 anticipated) Large capital can be raised by listing Vodafone on Indian Stock Exchange(IPO) Tower sharing business with Indus Towers iDEA- idea is the 3rd largest mobile services operator in India, in revenue terms, and recorded a subscriber base of over 78 million as on end November 10. It became a pan-India integrated GSM operator covering the entire telephony landscape of the country, and expanded its NLD and ILD operations in FY 2010. During the year, Idea increased its revenue market share by over 1%, despite stiff tariff war in the market. The company has won license to offer 3G services in 11 service areas, which generate over 81% of the companys total revenue. Ideas 3G services will be launched in the year 2011. STRENGTH WEAKNESS THREAT OPPORTUNITIES AIRCEL The Aircel group is a joint venture between Maxis Communications Berhad of Malaysia and Sindya Securities Investments Private Limited, whose current shareholders are the Reddy family of Apollo Hospitals Group of India, with Maxis Communications holding a majority stake of 74% .Aircel commenced operations in 1999 and became the leading mobile operator in Tamil Nadu within 18 months. In December 2003, it launched commercially in Chennai and quickly established itself as a market leader a position it has held since. STRENGTH WEAKNESS THREAT OPPERTUNITIES BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed in October, 2000, is Worlds 7th largest Telecommunications Company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India: Wire line, CDMA mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier service, MPLS-VPN, VSAT, VoIP services, IN Services etc. Presently it is one of the largest leading public sector unit in India. STRENGTH WEAKNESS THREAT OPPERTUNITIES Industry- pestel, porter, 7s Firm- swot,sap,etop,competitor, internal,externalpestel external factor external factor etop industry analysis competitors analysis competitors analysis mraketing analysis internal factor analysis swot pestel external factor external factor etop industry analysis competitors analysis competitors analysis mraketing analysis internal factor analysis swot pestel external factor external factor etop industry analysis competitors analysis competitors analysis mraketing analysis internal factor analysis swot

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Personal Narrative: Hiking Accident :: essays research papers

Many years ago when I was a freshman in high school, an event happened to me that changed my life for the better. My friend invited me to go hiking with him and his sister. He was going to go hiking in Yosemite. The following day I prepared myself mentally and physically in order to accomplish this hike. While on the road my friend’s sister and I got to know each other very well. We talked about how we were doing in school, and many other things. As time went by we could see the mountains getting closer and closer to us. We could not wait to climb El Capitan. When we finally arrived, we unpacked and got ready to hike El Capitan. On the way up the hike we had a great time because as we hiked up we talked about how cool it was going to be up there on top of the world. After three hours we arrived at our first break stop. We stopped at a section that was on top of the waterfall. The view was amazing and spectacular because we had never seen anything like this. As we continued our hike after several more break stops, and nine more hours of hiking, we finally arrived at the top of El Capitan. Once we got to the top the view was amazing. We could not imagine how beautiful it was up there on top of the world. After about half an hour we started heading back down, when all of a sudden out of no where I felt someone push me out of the way. A man that was in a hurry to get back down pushed me so hard, that I lost my balance and fell of a twenty foot cliff. At that moment in time I could see flashbacks of my life. After a couple seconds of falling I somehow landed between two rocks which shattered my right foot. After that happen every one that was there tried to get help but unfortunately cell phones do not work in Yosemite, but the man that pushed me ove r the cliff had a walky-talky and he called for help.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

America Needs Gay and Lesbian Marriage :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Same-sex marriage--why is it even an issue ?   To put it into perspective, 10% of the American population is homosexual, meaning this is not just a minor issue (Harbinger 681).   Also, with our society making significant strides toward equality in recent decades both in gender and racial issues, one has to think about sexual equality.   I will explain to the reader why we should legalize gay marriage, particularly in terms of justice and the benefits society reaps from same-sex marriage.   Also, the ramifications of the legalization of gay marriage, both for gays and society, will be examined.   Finally, I will refute arguments against same-sex marriage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Society benefits by having fewer "closet gays."   "Closet gays" are homosexuals who try to abide by society's standards, and marry a partner of the opposite sex (Harbinger 683).   However, due to the different sexual orientations of the two partners, problems often occur, causing emotional harm to"closet gays," their partners, and their children (Harbinger 683).   If gay marriage were legal, homosexuality would be legitimate.   Thus, the number of "closet gays" would decrease, as acceptance of their sexual orientation increases.  In short, society would be spared a lot of trouble--the breakup of a family or dissatisfaction with one's life, especially of the homosexual partner, as she or he tries to comply with society's standards.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Same-sex marriage is just in that it provides gay couples with the same rights as heterosexual couples.   Only marriage binds a couple in the eyes of the law ("Let Them Wed" 13).   It enables partners to make life-or-death decisions, gives them the right to inheritance, medical benefits, and jurisprudence, among others ("Let Them Wed" 13). As in heterosexual relationships, homosexual partners are the significant other of one another.   Unlike heterosexual couples, however, they are denied the right to marriage and all the benefits that go with it.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Gay marriages also provide sufficient reasons for society to promote them.   They at least fulfill two of the most important reasons for marriage:   the domestication of men and the provision of a reliable care giver (Rauch 22).      Ã‚  Ã‚   Civilizing men is one of society's biggest problems (Rauch 22).

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

American School Versus Chinese school Essay

I am a Chinese girl, growing up and living in China for 18 years. Last year, I went to the United States. Although I have lived here less than two years, I found a lot of differences of two countries’ education style, such as the teaching style, the school life/rules, and the academic environment. The first difference is teaching style of two countries. In America, students are always divided by several groups. Each group has six or four students, and they can discuss questions during the class time, which can help students improve spoken skills and to learn dialogue and debate. After class, they probably have group homework which they need to finish together. Students need to prepare class presentations with a lot of PowerPoint every few week. That can help students improve their public speaking skill, confidence, share with knowledge, understand what they learned, and take a leadership role. The class lecture is delivered by teachers so that students can study by themselves first. In class they can answer questions anytime they want, and instructors will not be annoyed. Students call their instructors first name, and their instructors would like their students do that (Echo Lu, 1). Second, America school life is different from China school life. In American school, students take class at eight o’clock in the morning, and they finish at three o’clock. Students only have one hour to eat lunch and most of them take lunch from home. They have different classrooms when they take a different class. Students only have two big exams, excluding small tests in classes. They get A, B, C, D, or F as their final grade before the end of the semester, and Ding 2 it is according to homework, tests, participation, attendance, presentations, two or three big exams. After class, they can go home take school bus or drive by themselves. Some of them take part in clubs in school, such as sports (soccer, baseball etc. ), performing arts (dance, dram, band etc. ), outdoor education (scouting, campfire etc. ) and so on (Wikipedia). On weekends, students always hang out with friends, they can together with a boy and they allow to date with a boy, and are allowed sleepover in girl friends’ house. Furthermore, AmericaacademicenvironmentisdifferentfromChina’s. Itshowinfour different points: the curriculums and learning environments; class size and examination system. America students can choose their classes, and they have a lot of interesting classes to choose from core classes: Spanish or French, computer, marketing and so on (America High School). They are free and unrestrained (go to bathroom, drink water, laugh). The classroom atmosphere are natural, active and relaxed. American school, every class has 25-30 students, and teachers teach five or six classes. Students can take 7 times SAT exam or ACT exam each year. They can use the highest one to apply universities. However, a high grade is not the important point to enter a famous university. The university will consider very comprehensive and then decide whether you could be enrolled or not. First, they will consider your specialty, especially if you were good at P. E. then you will have more advantages. Second, they will think about social skills, such like part-time job experience, volunteering experience and so on. Also, they will think about what clubs or other activities you had ever taken part in in high school. In Chinese schools, every student has seat. Students cannot discuss questions in the class; they only have individual homework, and it is a lot. Teachers never ask students to prepare  presentations, and class lectures will not delivered. Students cannot answer the questions anytime they want; they must raise their hands first and get permission from teachers. They must say Ding 3 â€Å"Hello† to their teachers when they meet in school. Every time before students take class, they need to stand up and say† good morning† or† good afternoon† to teachers and can only sit down when teacher say they can. Students must respect their teachers very much and can† only call faculty members by their last name with a title like Mr, Ms, and Dr. It is thought to be rude to call their teachers’ first name. In Chinese schools, students go to school at 7 a. m. in high school and go home at 10 p. m. They have two hours to have a break at noon and go to school at two. They can eat lunch at school canteens or go home to eat lunch, but they eat dinner at school. Students will not change classrooms, and they have 8 minutes to go to bathroom each 45 minutes class. Most of them go home by themselves; schools will not provide school buses, but a few students will be picked up by their parents. They get a score before the end of the semester for each subject. Teachers will range students according to grades in class and year level. They even show the results to all students and send a text to their parents. Students have big exams every month in middle school and high school. They need to choose to learn art (Chinese, Math, English, History, Politic and geography) or science (Chinese, Math, English, physics, Chemistry, Biology) in grade 2. In China, students almost do not have any extracurricular activities. Some schools have clubs but only a few students take part in. Most student their teacher do not allow them to take part in clubs. On weekends, students usually stay at home do their homework, sometimes they  are allowed to hang out with friends. But girls cannot with a boy, similarly a boys cannot with a girl. Students are not permitted to date before they go to the university. In Chinese school, students only take normal classes; they even do not have art and music. Students use all the time to study, the learning environment in China is extremely Ding 4 competitive and demanding. Almost every student works hard, they are determined to be at the top of the class and to become straight-A students (Bohan). In China, each class has 60-70 students, and teachers teach 2 classes. The head teacher will stay in office all the time, you can ask questions anytime. Other subject’s teachers will go to your classroom during the self- studying time from 7p. m. to 9 p. m. Chinese students only have one time to take college entrance examination, which take place every June. Selection is based on each students scores in this exam (6 subjects), and due to the number of people sitting in exam. America and China are two different countries. Different culture, social system, history, population; therefore they have different education system. Nobody can say which one is better,  because for their own country it is the best one. But America or China still need to revolutionize the bad part, learning from each other and other countries. Ding 5 Citation work Lu, Echo. â€Å"3 Big Differences between Chinese and American Classroom Culture. † (2013): 1. WEAREIU. Web.

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Hummer Campaign: An Overview

OVERVIEW When General Motors Corporation (GM) acquired the commercial marketing rights to the Hummer truck, the civilian version of the U. S. Army’s Humvee, it faced the challenge of promoting a vehicle that was never intended to be sold in high numbers. Part of the solution was to design smaller, less-expensive versions, the H2 and H3, but much of the success would have to depend on the marketing. Rather than turning to a roster of ad agencies it usually worked with, GM hired a young Boston creative boutique, Modernista! , in 2000. The initial goal of the $35 million campaign, begun in August 2001, was to establish Hummer as a luxury brand. Thus, images ofmud-splatteredHummers that played up the vehicle’s off-road capabilities were scrapped in favor of shots that made it seem jewel-like. Once the brand was repositioned, the marketers’ goal was to pitch the lower-priced H2 and H3 to a wider market, hopefully to more women. Factors such as rising gas prices and the perception that the Hummer was oversized for most consumers proved to be major hurdles for the marketers. However, by the end of 2003 the campaign had succeeded in redefining the Hummer brand, and with the introduction of the H3 in 2005, the marketers took on a new challenge: selling the Hummer to a mass market. HISTORICAL CONTEXT The Humvee was designed for the U. S. Army in 1979 by AM General Corp. , based in South Bend, Indiana. The 3. 5-ton vehicle became a star of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, spurring consumer demand for a civilian version, which was introduced in 1992 as the Hummer. It catered to an exclusive market, as demonstrated by the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the first buyers. The vehicle never received much advertising support; AM General spent less than $1 million on marketing the Hummer in 1999, when it sold about 700 of the trucks. Nevertheless, AM General did enough business to attract the attention of General Motors, and in the end bought the Hummer brand in late 1999. GM signed a seven-year contract with AM General to produce the next generation, GM-designed version, the Hummer H2 sport-utility vehicle (SUV). The agency Modernista! was hired to promote the brand. Prior marketing efforts had played up the military connection and the Hummer’s off-road capabilities, billing the vehicle as ‘‘the world’s most serious 4Ãâ€"4. ’’ Modernista! won the account because it was the only agency that attempted to fashion a wider appeal by going beyond the tough-guy, army-truck image. The principals involved in the campaign did not lack experience in selling cars. Modernista! ’s cofounder, Lance Jensen, had worked with Hummer’s advertising director, Liz Vanzura, when she was at Volkswagen of America and he was with the Boston-based ad agency Arnold Communications. Both played key roles in developing Volkswagen’s award-winning ‘‘Drivers Wanted’’ campaign. Vanzura commented that, while the Volkswagen ads were aimed at ‘‘cool, young people,’’ her new mission was to sell Hummers to ‘‘cool, rich people. ’’ TARGET MARKET Even before hiring Modernista! , GM had done a great deal of market research. According to Ted Evanoff, writing for the Indianapolis Star, ‘‘In 1999 researchers stumbled across the notion that an unlikely cross-section of America—surgeons, dot-com millionaires, rock stars, high school students, corporate execs—prized their individuality. And they regarded the rugged Hummer as a symbol of individuality, especially compared with the typical sport-utility common in suburbia. ’’ Modernista! was given 2,200 pages of market data to distill into an advertising message. The agency was also handed a brand that skewed very much toward males, averaging 50 years in age and with an annual household income of more than $200,000. The target buyer for the less-expensive H2, while still male, was 42 years old on average and had a household income above $125,000. Vanzura told Chris Reidy of the Boston Globe that the coveted audience included ‘‘rugged individualists, adventurous entrepreneurs, and adrenaline junkies. ’’ In other interviews she described the target market as ‘‘successful achievers’’ and ‘‘style leaders. ’’ She also told Evanoff that Hummer had to vie with other purchases the well-to-do might consider, such as yachts or vacation houses, stating, ‘‘We’re really not competing in an automotive category. ’ COMPETITION The yacht, vacation house, and other status symbols notwithstanding, Hummer competed in the luxury-SUV category against other SUVs, including the Lincoln Navigator, Land Rover’s Range Rover, and the Lexus LX 470. But Hummer’s chief opponent was DaimlerChrysler’s Jee p Wrangler. Boasting similar military roots but extending back to World War II, Jeep had defined the SUV category and at its height in 1993 controlled nearly 30 percent of the traditional SUV market. Over the following several years, however, the brand failed had to introduce new models, and its lessexpensive ones faced increasingly stiff competition, resulting in a severe erosion of sales. As long as Hummer was not a direct competitor, DaimlerChrysler took little notice of it, but as soon as GM acquired the right to mass-market the Hummer, DaimlerChrysler recognized the threat at the high end of the SUV category and became determined to hold on to Jeep’s reputation as the premier heavy-duty, off-road brand. The two vehicles had slightly different target markets, however. Jeep appealed to consumers who loved the outdoors and might attend one of the dozens of Jeep Jamboree off-road events held throughout the year. Typical Hummer customers, on the other hand, wanted the off-road capabilities the vehicle had to offer but were more interested in the image it created. They were as likely to drive their Hummers to an upscale mall as up a mountain. MARKETING STRATEGY In preparation for marketing the lower-priced H2, Modernista! instituted a bridge campaign, paid for by AM General, to sell the H1 while repositioning the brand. As Will Uronis, an associate creative director at Modernista! , explained to the Boston Herald ’s Greg Gatlin, ‘‘Hollywood had defined what Hummers stood for—war, explosions and arrogance . . . We just took a look at another facet of the truck. ’’ Jensen added, ‘‘We went out and talked to guys that drove them . . . they don’t all hunt and kill things. ’’ Nevertheless, Hollywood movies had done a good job of making consumers aware of the Hummer. Market research conducted in 1999 indicated that as many as one in five buyers of full-size SUVs considered purchasing the Hummer. The bridge campaign was intended to play to the ‘‘rugged individualists’’ who, research revealed, were attracted to the Hummer and to set the stage for the launch of theH2 by creating an emotional attachment to the brand that transcended the hard-edged image fostered by Hollywood. According to Evanoff, writing in the Indianapolis Star, the promotion of the H1 was intended to create a ‘‘halo’’ over the brand, providing ‘‘the foundation for a brand image that will carry the smaller H2. ’’ The first national ads for the GM-owned Hummer began appearing on August 13, 2001. It was an all-print campaign that featured photographs of the vehicle in lush locales in Chile. Not only did the pictures suggest where the H1, with its off-road prowess, could take the viewer, but they also made the big truck look small. It was the first time Hummer was not portrayed covered in mud or linked to the military. Reinforcing the visual message of the ad was the text, which included the headline ‘‘How did my soul get way out here? ’’ and the concluding text ‘‘Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself. The legendary H1. ’’ Hummer’s longtime tagline, ‘‘World’s most serious 4Ãâ€"4,’’ was replaced by ‘‘Like nothing else. ’’ The four ads ran through the rest of 2001, appearing in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Esquire, Spin, Wired, and Red Herring. Hummer’s 50 dealers were also encouraged to use the ads created by Modernista! to bring continuity to the brand’s makeover, with some of their media costs being reimbursed by a cooperative advertising program. The H2, based on GM’s Chevrolet Tahoe full-size SUV, was introduced in July 2002. A second model featuring a small pickup bed and a cargo door was supposed to be offered at the same time, but the launch was pushed back, partly because the vehicle needed more work but also as a way to extend the marketing buzz the brand was creating. The new H2, with a base price of $48,000, was about half the price of the H1 and, despite being called the ‘‘baby Hummer,’’ essentially the same size. But it featured a smaller, less noisy gas engine rather than a cumbersome diesel one, and it had comforts and customizable options the H1 lacked but that were expected in a luxury SUV. The introduction of the H2 was supported by another print campaign developed by Modernista! While the ‘‘Like nothing else’’ tagline of the previous ads was retained, the look of the new ads was markedly different, relying on dramatic close-ups set against bold, sky-blue backgrounds. Like the first ads, the new ones ran in a wide range of magazines, with the text tailored to the publication. For example, in the Robb Report, which covered all things luxurious, the text read, ‘‘Excessive. In a Rome at the height of its power sort of way. ’’ The Vanity Fair text read, ‘‘Threaten the men in your office in a whole new way,’’ part of an effort to increase the number of women buying the vehicles. Another ad proclaimed, ‘‘Perfect for rugby moms. ’’ About 10 percent of H1 owners were women, and one goal of the H2 campaign was to increase that number to 25 percent. Outdoor ads were also produced, running in 14 major markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit. Print and outdoor ads were made available for the use of dealers. The first Hummer television ads aired in mid-August 2002. The initial three 30-second spots, intended to romanticize the truck, were shot in Iceland and in Vancouver, British Columbia, and featured both natural and urban locations. They showed friends in a Hummer speeding over the tundra of Iceland or a professional woman weaving through traffic in a city. Set to rock music, the only words in the spots were text statements such as ‘‘Maybe if you can, you will. ’ A second phase of the television campaign played on people’s perception of the Hummer as a gas-guzzling road hog. In one spot a young boy constructed a small wooden version of the Hummer to enter in a soapbox derby, while The Who’s ‘‘Happy Jack’’ played in the background and the little girl next door looked on. At the start of the big race the other boys scoffed at little Jack and his less-than-streamli ned racer, but he prevailed by abandoning the asphalt course, breaking the rules to go cross-country and win the race and the girl. Through the humor of the spot Jack was portrayed not as a blatant cheater but as a heroic iconoclast, offering subliminal reassurance to potential Hummer customers who might feel guilty about buying a vehicle that got about 13 miles to a gallon of gas on the highway. A second Hummer spot, also displaying a tough side, hearkened back to the Asteroids video game of the 1980s, with a spaceship blasting boulders only to confront an indestructible Hummer, which chased the ship off the screen. OUTCOME GM and Modernista! ucceeded in introducing Hummer to a wider market, but after a strong showing in 2003, sales began to tail off, partly because of high gas prices. To regain lost ground, in 2004 GM introduced the H2 SUT (sport-utility truck). This was followed by the unveiling in 2005 of the H3, a midsize Hummer priced from $29,500 to $32,000. Almost 17 inches shorter, 1,700 pounds lighter, and more fuel-efficient at 20 miles per gallon, it was a vehicle GM hoped women and younger drivers wo uld find more appealing. In pitching the vehicle to a mass market, Hummer and Modernista! aced a new task. Putting a positive spin on the challenge, Jensen told Jeremy W. Peters of the New York Times, ‘‘The brand has a lot of different personality levels . . . You can do the serious capability stuff, the real rough-and-tumble rock climbing stuff, the peaceful back-to-nature stuff. ’’ Industry analyst Mary Ann Keller disagreed, telling the New York Times that it was impossible to sell Hummer to the masses: ‘‘How in the world can you possibly fathom that something that looks like a military vehicle is practical for the average driver? ’’

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Ace Cable

Data Collection – Ace Cable RES 351 Data Collection – Ace Cable As stated in the week two, Ace Cable is an established company that offers cable television, telephone and internet services to its customers. These services are available to customers across the United States and they have been in business since 2000. In recent years, the competition has grown and Ace Cable is experiencing a decrease in customer enrollments. Customers now have multiple options to consider before enrolling into an agreement and Ace Cable is conducting research to persuade more people to sign on with the company.The research included defining the population from which the samples were collected. When it comes to the population and the different samples collected, the main goal is to focus on customers and provide outstanding services by conducting customer interviews, and surveys including group interviews of all ages. There are several methods that have taken place concerning collecting sam ples. The individual interviews we have collected were samples by applying surveys, from face to face interviews, in-store feedback, and telephone surveys. These surveys and interviews are conducted on a daily basis.These surveys are taking place in order to better our business when it comes to Ace cable. Individuals are completing surveys by voicing their opinions when it comes to the services and the channels that are selected. By having these surveys and interviews in place, we are getting the best feedback on what type of services they are looking forward to and what needs to be improved. In regard to group interviews, samples are being collected by surveys that are conducted at the time of the interviews. The surveys samples that are collected deals with expectations, feedback, and improved service.By having these different outcomes taking place, we can collect enough samples through interviewing and surveys bring an outstanding cable company. Next step is to determine the appr opriateness of the sample size. In researching ACE Cable we were able to find it effective in our methods of sampling as well as appropriate for the sample size. Since ACE Cable is a well-known company that ranges all over, we found it key that more than just area sampling (the most important form of cluster sampling) was used in the research. As mentioned earlier, ethods such as interviews, surveys, face to face contact, telephone surveys, and in-store feedback all played a vital role in how it was made possible to reach out on a wide network of customers and collect data. Through each individual store and employee of ACE cable at different locations covering all of the company’s population, feedback is being taken to ensure data is all being compiled for better use of the business' effectiveness. With probability sampling the data of ACE Cable was able to be more detailed and precisely researched on its large scale. Sources of bias or errors are possible when sampling.Valid ity is the degree to which the investigative goals are measured accurately, and the degree to which the research truly measures what it intended to measure. Another measurement tool is reliability, which measures consistency. Reliability refers to the extent to which the research measure is a consistent and dependable indicator of the investigation. If the measuring technique provides the same results once the measurement is repeated the accuracy of the measurement is high (Suresh, 2011) Selection biases are induced by sampling design. The sample group must be a true representation of the population without errors.It is important to decide how you select an appropriate setting and sample to conduct the study in order to avoid errors. Data collection takes place after sampling. Observation approach, investigative questions, communication approach, and questioning approach are just a few data collection methods used to collect data. Observation approach research is collected data thro ugh watching, recording, and analysis of observed behavior as it occurs in a natural setting. Investigative Questions are specific questions that the researchers ask to provide sufficient details and answers to research questions.Communication Approach research is collected of data through mass communication, media or speech. That kind of data involves surveying or interviewing people and recording their responses or analysis. Questioning approach research is better known a surveying. Survey is the process of data collected through interviews, questionnaires, the telephone, mail, a computer, e-mail, or the Internet (Cooper, 2011). The researches decided surveys would be the best way to determine why Ace Cable enrollment decreased and surveys constructed in a format that eliminates any ethical concerns. The data collection has no ethical concerns.All surveys contain the privacy act statement. All surveys explain study benefits and all participants’ answers remain confidential. The surveys are mailed across the United States and surveys are in the customer lobby. At this time, the researchers will not conduct e-mail surveys. It’s best to determine customers’ responses via mail and in-house first before branching out if there is a lack of participation. Cooper, D. &. (2011). Business research methods. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Suresh, K. T. (2011). Design, data analysis and sampling techiques for clinical research. Retrieved July 25, 2012, from RES 351.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Describe a setting in which you have collaborated

AS you grow up you are going to meet a variety of different people. Every person you meet are not going to have the same views on life as you are . 1 came to realize that when my close friend Bianca and I disagreed on the topic going to college. Bianca and I have been friends since freshman year. Surprisely we never brought up the topic of college until senior year. One day I decided to start looking at colleges online to get an idea about where I wanted to go.AS I browse through colleges on College Board Bianca called me yelling and screaming about the new preview of teen wolf season 2. I was excited too but at the time I really wasn't focus on that. I was more focus on what school I wanted to attend. I decided to ask Bianca what college she wanted to go too. To my disbelief she said she wasn't going to college. I was astonished because she was such a smart and bright student. College also is such a big thing in my family.After high school that's where you were expected to go. I ask Bianca why she didn't want to go to college she replied saying because nobody in her family has ever gone to college. Everyone in her family was expected to work and most of all her family couldn't afford it. We continue talking more and more about college. I convinced her to go because its alot of programs out there to help her to go to college almost or even free. Education is so important.It would help her to get ere dream career of becoming a nurse. As she thought about it she said she was going to take everything we talked about into consideration. At first I was astonished by the fact one of my closet friends that I known since freshman year said she wasn't attending college. Then I came to realize that everyone comes from different backgrounds and have different views on things. In the end I convinced Bianca to attend college and education is important. This fall semester we will be roommates

Friday, September 13, 2019

Journal Topic 2-A Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal Topic 2-A - Essay Example This means that they easily change their cultural beliefs to match that of the majority. Racial or ethnic heritages are socially constructed and lead people of the same heritage to acting and undertaking activities in a certain way, or having a common way of life. National ethnic or racial identity of people of color is more likely to change than that of the white people. Though ethnic of racial identities are socially constructed, they are more flexible for the people of color than they are for the white. People of color make up the minority ethnic groups in America and therefore for them to attain the American nationality, they usually need to make changes to the group’s specific way of living and beliefs. They also need to adopt the whites’ ways and be assimilated to the white culture (Benshoff and Sean 60). They therefore adopt the white culture therefore losing their ethnic identities though the physical characteristics remain. The physical identities include the skin color and others like

Thursday, September 12, 2019

An investigation on Crystals belief that the language of texting Essay

An investigation on Crystals belief that the language of texting contain features which are not linguistically novel but contain antecedents in earlier language use - Essay Example ill also look at how adults have adapted to the use of the language, nullifying much of the advantages that adolescents believed they had gained from its use. In looking at the responses to a questionnaire on the topic of text messaging, a determination can be made on the level of infiltration that the language has made into current culture can be assessed. Finally, the study will make some recommendations on the development and legitimacy of the language, utilizing the research to create informed conclusions. In the past decade, the increase in the use of an abbreviated language to communicate in the form of the text message has become a significant addition to the number of ways in which information is passed. In using this method of communication, an adoption of a new language has created a controversy over the possible diminished depth of formal writing in favor of the simplistic version of language that is used in SMS (short message service). As a generational gap is created by the introduction of these technologies to the youth, the worry becomes more integrated into parental concerns over a form of language that cannot be easily deciphered. As the text messages in contemporary society become linguistically defined by standardized terms that are becoming recognizable on a universal level, a new language has emerged that requires identification, interpretation, and examination for its validity. The creation of convenient language that interprets current cultural needs is not a new phenomenon. Meaning that is developed contextually and contains relevance to popular culture has been the vernacular of language throughout history. The way in which intimates communicate has always been through language that is developed in such a way as to have an exclusionary effect. By creating a language for communicating through the technology of text messaging, society is continuing a tradition that is not new in history. Therefore, the creation of this language

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Natural Rights of Human Beings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Natural Rights of Human Beings - Essay Example The countries have their own regulations and the people have a certain level of freedom to do things. Every human has the liberty to do whatever he wants, as long as it does not lead to any problem. The basic human rights have gone through a development phase since a country's independence. Human rights were not given much importance in the initial years before a gained its independence. (Locke 1980).The concept of natural rights has definitely expanded over the years. During the initial stages of the formation of government, the humans did not have the rights to express their opinion and they were not given due respect. After some years, public had the liberty to enter into politics. This was a well received change in the history of human rights. Since then, there has been a drastic improvement in the natural rights of human beings. The government permitted people to lead a life with utmost freedom. At the same time, the government imposed certain laws, and failing to follow them will result in remitting a fine to the government. The British government followed this procedure and this was the first phase of development in the human rights. (British Constitution 1689). The government passed various amendments to help the people and a separate department to address the grievances of the public. These improvements in human rights paved way to a better living for the people around the world. Natural human rights further developed and people were granted the rights beyond the political and social levels. People had the freedom and liberty to enter into various fields like education, business and politics. This clearly depicts the development and improvement in the natural rights of the human beings as they earned rights of which they were deprived before. Though there has been a drastic improvement in the human rights, people must have a clear understanding of their rights. Without proper understanding and knowledge, people cannot experience the benefit of their rights. People must realize their responsibilities in building a better world and should come forward to utilize these rights in order to lead a better life. The Bill of Rights includes the various laws and amendments passed by the government of United States. This Bill of Rights contains the existing laws and it is updated each time a new amendment of human rights is passed. The public must follow the existing rules and must also adhere to the new regulation passed by the government. The Bill of Rights must include even the minor rights of the public. The bill must be prepared keeping in mind the welfare of the public instead of merely thinking about the benefits to the government. (United Nations 1948). The rights should be favorable to the public and they must not feel difficulty in following the regulations. The amendments passed by the government have to be according to the current development of the country. The existing human rights have to be modified to suit the public and the current situation. The rules and regulations are meant to help the people and not to make the situation worse. The rights can be lenient in a way to help the public in performing their duties without any problems. They must enable

Organizational Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Management - Essay Example After careful planning, comes the phase of directing. Direction starts the actions for retrieving best results in any organization; it makes sure that each employee contributes towards organizational goals and paves the way for balance and stability. Also, it is important to keep alive the managerial competencies of Motivation, Supervision, Communication, and Leadership. Following directing, staffing is also essential for establishing competencies needed for challenges, for retaining professionalism and personnel and for best allocation of human resources (Terry, 1977). After staffing, controlling comes to adjusting the operations of the organization. It basically keeps check on whether appropriate progress towards objective is done or not, and if mandatory any action will be taken to control these deviations. They systems of control also make sure that organization is run effectively and efficiently. The core managerial competencies also affect the decision making power of an organization. Leading guides the employee of the organization to carry out the mandatory tasks by motivating these employees to accomplish the organizational goals. It is a crucial element in all of the elements. Communication and self management also play an adhesive role along with leading to strengthen the decision making power of a firm (Terry, 1977). From the managerial school of thought, there are various different decision making models in business management. The decision making models hold immense importance in the decision making procedure of management. Employing the different decision making models will enhance the success of success in a business. Decision making models are adaptive, rational, collective participation, planned, emergent, and intuitive (Terry, 1977). There have been number of motivation theories proposed for boosting the level of motivation in any organization. Taylor focused on studying tasks and developing accurate

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Vanilla Bond outline Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vanilla Bond outline - Coursework Example or proving this observation first of all the vanilla bonds of Microsoft and Aon Corp were analyzed, with the focus being on determining the coupon rate, price and the present value of the bonds. Secondly it was observed that Microsoft has a better credit rating as compared to that of Aon Corp. And in the end it was observed that due to its highest credit rating in the country, Microsoft is considered to be a better investment option for the banks and the investors. The main reason for selecting Microsoft and Aon Corp is the difference between their credit ratings. Microsoft is rated at the highest level where as Aon Corp is suffering from a gradually deteriorating credit rating. These companies were selected so as to determine how the different credit ratings influence these companies. Companies are rated on the basis of their financial results, their history of borrowing and repayments, and the extent of their assets and liabilities, so that their credit worthiness could be determined. Credit ratings show that Microsoft has better credit ratings as compared to Aon Corp. Such higher credit ratings increase the company’s access to financial markets and also increase its financial flexibility. As it can be seen, the bonds held by Aon Corp are generating higher yield to maturity than the bonds held by Microsoft Corp. Even though the time till maturity of the two companies is same for some bonds, still Aon Corp is charged with a higher rate of interest than Microsoft Corp because of their lower credit ratings. For the bonds that will mature till the years 2015, 2020 and 2040, the respective yields to maturity for Microsoft and Aon Corp. are 0.64, 2.27 & 3.73 and 2.07, 3.37 & 4.67 respectively. Thus it is obvious that the bonds issued to Aon Corp are receiving a better price than that of Microsoft Corp. Banks and Investors depend greatly on the credit ratings of the companies while making investment decisions. A company with a lower credit rating will imply that

Monday, September 9, 2019

Response Scenario Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Response Scenario Paper - Essay Example It is in this regard that this paper aims to formulate and detail a response plan to immediately address a chemical spill. Given a scenario where a toxic chemical spill occurs in a manufacturing company at day time, exposing the day shift composed of more than 1,000 people, this essay would detail a response plan to address this incident and detail plans to prevent future occurrence. At day time when more than 1,000 personnel work at a manufacturing company, a toxic chemical spill suddenly occurs. According to Pollution Issues (2007), â€Å"one of the most common concerns over chemical accidents and hazardous materials spills is acute, or short-term, toxicity. Acutely toxic contaminants, such as cyanide and chlorine released from hazardous materials spills, pose an immediate threat to public health. For example, a chemical accident in which chlorine gas or cyanide gas is released would likely result in widespread deaths as the plume, or toxic cloud, moved through a populated area. Another class of toxicity is chronic, or long term. One of the most common types of chronic toxicity is exposure to carcinogens that may result in cancer twenty to thirty years after the time of the spill.† (par. 11) The immediate response to this scenario would determine the number of lives that would be saved. In this regard, the following should be the response plan: observe and assess the nature of the spill, stop or contain the spill (if it is safe to do so); call for assistance (if needed); and cleanup using appropriate means. As given in the scenario, it is a toxic chemical spill. By toxic, it means â€Å"a material containing hazardous contaminants above the maximum allowable safe concentration is toxic. Examples include used photo fixer (toxic for silver), some used dry cell batteries (toxic for mercury), sludges and sometimes liquid from water-based parts washers (toxic for lead, benzene, or both) and automotive