The Eradication of Smallpox Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Eradication of Smallpox - Research Paper Example The present research has identified that since smallpox was spread by air, it was very difficult to contain it in congested human settlements such as cities.   Not until the discovery of medical vaccination were humans able to protect themselves against smallpox. While vaccination option remained controversial throughout, there is no doubt that it greatly helped contain the disease and save thousands of lives. The improvement in sanitary conditions in cities and hygiene levels in hospitals had also contributed to controlling the disease. As statistics from Britains National Health Service shows, the first stage in the elimination of smallpox was achieved during the middle of last century, when â€Å"virulent smallpox (variola) was replaced naturally in Britain by a milder type (alastrim), antigenically identical but with a much lower mortality (1 percent). This was then gradually eliminated by increased attention to isolation and contact tracing†. However, the threat of smal lpox still persisted as sporadic outbreaks of both these variants remained till the 1960s. But through a combination of vaccination, safety legislation and improvement in sanitary conditions, smallpox was completely eradicated from Europe and America by 1970. The World Health Organization was encouraged by the success in advanced countries and attempted to replicate this success in the rest of the world. But the medical community always had hope, for smallpox was an ideal candidate for eradication. For example, the immune system of the affected individual got boosted after about. Secondly, â€Å"the virus was antigenically stable (unlike influenza); there were no carriers (unlike typhoid) or animal reservoirs (unlike malaria)†. To add to this, effective vaccines were being developed. And the medical community was also aware that robust control measures can be implemented to contain an emerging epidemic. So in the 1970s, a worldwide eradication drive was implemented. Surveilla nce-containment was the buzzword associated with this drive. This involved â€Å"trained workers searching for cases, with rewards for those who found them.

Legalizing Gambling Essay Example for Free

Legalizing Gambling Essay Gambling is legal in many places, its not either a criminal or dangerous activity provided it is done responsibly, and in accordance with the law. Have you ever wagered on a game? If so you were gambling and should have been fined. Lawmakers have decided that it is evil to gamble, they have justified it as a means to scam billions from citizens in order to compensate for their mismanagement of tax revenue. They pass laws that could put a taxpayer in jail for placing a single dollar wager on a pool game. Legalizing gambling nationally could potentially benefit our economic situation. All gambling was once legal. Looking back only 75-100 years ago most of our states had lotteries in place. Over the past century, as a result of abuse and moral fervor the majority forms of gambling have been prohibited. The history of gambling in the United States evolved from Europe. The Puritans and Quakers took little time to create first laws against gambling in 1638. Casino gambling is becoming increasingly popular especially in southern states. Native Americans are allowed to establish bingo parlors and casinos on their reservations, although Las Vegas and Atlantic City remain gambling tourist top destination choice. Many states allow horse and dog racing tracks and then there’s the people who bet on sporting events, card games, and almost anything you can imagine in the privacy of their own home. The first thing to do is to regulate gambling, both land-based and online. After the legislative base is created and regulation covers every aspect of the gambling industry, its half way to being legalized. I don’t see why we should lose a couple dollars to a pool hustler, when we could be hustled legally by the state. Gambling offers individuals the adrenaline rush that greater opportunity lies within their own hands. People should not be denied an activity that they enjoy partaking in. Government can earn revenues from legalized gambling which can be diverted towards bettering our society. Legalizing gambling would increase employment opportunities in society which could help to reduce the amount of working capable people out of a job. Gambling establishments have shown to increase employment opportunities as well as improve tourism in the right areas. The presence of gambling establishments is also beneficial to society because they can contribute the revenues to local governments which then could use the profits for social programs that would benefit both gamblers and non gamblers. Legalized commercial gambling is becoming an increasing controversy within our state governments. There is no doubt that many different forms of legalized gambling has exploded in the region and around the country, if the government gives full support of legalization they will be doing all US citizens a favor. Some argue that gambling is an addiction, one that can become dangerous and harmful to the general public. The truth is that like all other influenced jobs it can be a way of making a living for yourself and your family. Though there are a lot of people that struggle with an addiction to gambling, there are probably just as many people who are responsible gamblers and have enough self control to moderate there wagering hobbies. Legalizing gambling nationally will help stimulate our struggling economy in many ways. If our government would be willing to try to implement new laws to legalize and regulate it theres no way a short time period of testing these ideas would leave any permanent damage on our nation.

The Airline Passenger Reservation Systems ( APRS ) :: Essays Papers

The Airline Passenger Reservation Systems ( APRS ) Executive Summary In a time when establishing and maintaining a market advantage is crucial, the use of technical innovations such as the Airline Passenger Reservation Systems (APRS) becomes a competitive necessity. Good business strategies in developing strategic alliances and exposing the consumer to a globally expanded product base allows airlines to compete. A wider range of products, the ability to be flexible with fluctuating consumer needs are all potentially exploitable through the power of technology and strategic planning. The following report provides an understanding concerning the Airline Passenger Reservation System. It will briefly discuss the advantages associated with integrating the system across the airline industry and what and where are the potential gains. Introduction There has been much discussion concerning how information technology may contribute to the development of a competitive advantage. Whilst there are some notable examples, investment in information technology (IT) is often a matter of competitive necessity. The technological advances emerging from the integration of computing, microelectronics and telecommunications are creating significant changes in organisations (Stoner, et al 1994). The information technology revolution of the past 20 years has made information technology an integral part of any core business activity. Information technology management now contributes to all the management functions of planning, organising, leading and controlling and affects competitive strategy and business operations. This report will briefly discuss the strategic nature of networked Airline Passenger Reservation Systems and some of the benefits derived from deploying such a system. The Competitive Edge Since the beginning of commercial aviation, airlines have developed a wide range of co-operative arrangements to provide a wider, more efficient range of services (Qantas 2000). However, since the deregulation of the US airline industry in 1978 and the subsequent follow on of the Japanese, Australian and European industries in 1985, 1990 and 1997 respectively (Chatfield & Bjorn-Anderson 1997) competition between rival airline companies has intensified. Since it is neither practical nor economical for any one carrier to operate across the entire globe (Oneworldalliance 2000) airlines and their subsidiaries must form alliances to remain competitive. These alliances brought about the introduction of the Airline Passenger Reservation System (APRS) or Computer Reservation System (CRS) as it is sometimes known. This system offers airlines the ability to expand their product line to meet a broader range of customer needs through gaining access to product and services of other companies to which they have a strategic alliance.

Kurt Vonnegut and City News Bureau

1. In what year was Vonnegut born? Vonnegut was born in 1922. 2. What two colleges did he attend? He attended Cornell University. The army sent him to the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) and the University of Tennessee to study mechanical engineering. 3. Although Vonnegut trained as a chemist, what did he work as? He worked as a teacher at the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. 4. What was his job at the City News Bureau of Chicago? He was the corresponding judicial at the City News Bureau of Chicago. 5. Which of his books, based on his experiences as a prisoner of war during War World II in Germany, made him a millionaire? Slaughterhouse-Five, a post-modern anti-war science fiction novel dealing with a soldier's (Billy Pilgrim). Also experiences during World War II and his journeys with time travel. 6. In what genre did Vonnegut most often write? Vonnegut's experience as a soldier and prisoner of war had a profound influence on his work, as you can see in most of his books. Part 2: 1. How are George and Hazel Bergeron described? What sort of life do they lead? There's no physical description, it's just said that â€Å"Hazel has a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she can't think about anything except in short bursts†. And George is said to have an intelligence way above normal, but he has a little mental handicap radio in his ear. â€Å"He is required by law to wear it at all times. It's tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter will send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains. † They live a simple average life, like everybody else in 2081! 2. What is the meaning of the last words of the Bergeron’s, â€Å"that one was a doozy†? Think Hazel is talking about the noise in the ears of her husband, meaning this one the sound was â€Å"extraordinaire†, incredible! The noise in George's ears is made so unbearable so that he won't be able to concentrate on his child's death, and when Hazel told him after that â₠¬Å"Gee – I could tell that one was a doozy,† he answers â€Å"You can say that again†. But she doesn't understand, so she thinks he wants her to repeat it again, so she does! 3. In real life, what ways do we try to make people equal? Does it work to make people equal, or just to make them alike? Why do you think we use these methods? Are they effective? By going to school for example, just so people can have equal chances in life. As for physical flaws and imperfections, there's always plastic surgery! But it's of no use! I my opinion, I think it just helps people feel better, just by believing that so they can be just like everybody else, what with all the women willing to look like their favorite actress†¦ It doesn't help at all, and in the contrary it can only make one people inferior to the person he want to copy! . Consider the characters of Hazel and George. Why isn't Hazel handicapped? It’s obvious that Hazel isn't handicapped because she is already born handicapped, so there's no need to handicap her in a artificial way just like her husband! And I think that if not for the handicap stuff he is obliged to wear, George would have married her in the first place! 5. To what extent do television, radio, and the mass media generally function like George's mental handicap radio? | I think that governments use all these stuffs to prevent us from really look under the surface of what they do! Everyday we're so drowned over so many TV shows, there's always something new to see on internet, something to download, and the radio is continually functioning, how can one really concentrate on what is important with these never-ending stuffs? How can one think properly? And you're said you must learn more, you must work harder to achieve your goals and live a good life, but meanwhile life is passing by, and you can't even profit of it while you're still young. One day you wake up, and you're old! And it's too late.

Reward System in Educational Settings Essay

The reward systems used in educational settings originates from psychology of behavior that specifically gives specific emphasis on promoting good discipline in educational settings. Education institutions are able to make significant differences in children’s behavior through setting out definite rules and stipulating sanctions and rewards for violating them. The fundamental nature of such systems is the idea that students can choose how to conduct themselves. Therefore, by rewarding and recognizing good behaviors whereas bad ones are punished, it is believed that students will aspire to choose good behaviors. A number of psychologists argue that in most cases education institutions focus on rectifying bad behaviors only rather than recognizing or reinforcing good behavior among students. They therefore criticize such an approach as being too basic because it eliminates the framework within which students’ conduct occurs and leaves total liability up on individual for their behavior. Although such criticizing arguments have been put forward, reward systems have been widely adopted in most education institutions especially primary and secondary schools. There are argued to impact positively on student’s behavior and performance as well as to teachers (Kohn, 1993). In regard to this, psychologists have explained the reward systems using a number of learning theories which relates the psychology and education disciplines. Learning is the means through which cognitive, emotional, and environment influences and experiences suitable for enhancing, acquiring, or making ones skills, knowledge, and values are brought together. Thus, the learning process puts emphasis on events that occur in the learning environment and this is explained by a number of learning theories. The learning theories clarify on how animals and people learn thus aiding us to understand the inherent complex learning process. All the learning theories which have been put forward by various psychologists are grouped into three categories: cognitive, behavior, constructivism and social-cognitive. Motivation of students is the basic necessity to guarantee success of any education enterprise. The dynamics of motivation can be explained as the types of academic and social goals which students brings into the classrooms, motivating elements of such goals, and the existing reward systems that together control the quantity and quality of learning as well as the will to keep on learning (Deci & Ryan, 1986). Motivation has been categorized by psychologists into four groups: instrumental motivation, achievement motivation, intrinsic motivation, and social motivation. However, more than one type of motivation may occur to a student at a given time. Instrumental motivation as a type of motivation is exclusively extrinsic because students carry out tasks as they are influenced by probable final consequences such as the probability of acquiring material rewards or keeping away from a reprimand. Therefore, in cases of such motivation, teachers are supposed to ensure that tasks being performed are put in contexts that students perceive pleasant. Social motivation argues that students execute tasks in order to please people they admire, respect or whose views are of significance to them. In regard to this social motivation, rewards have no significance although tangible as well as immaterial. Besides, rewards are correlated expressly to the perceived association between the learners and the teachers or instructors whose underpinning activities such as praise and approval are considered important. Achievement motivation involves students learning and hoping for success and it has three components: cognitive drive –whereby students attempts to satisfy identified ‘need to know’; self enhancement –learners satisfy the call for self-respect; affiliation –learners seek support from others; Intrinsic motivation is characterized by the absence of external rewards hence tasks are undertaken for the pleasure and satisfaction they bring the students. It appears to be fundamental to high quality participation in an undertaking as well as being self-terminating and self-maintaining. Curiosity and a desire to meet challenges may characterize the learning of students motivated in this style (Ardord, 2006). To clearly explain the system of reward in schools, a few theories are explained. Maslow’s theory of motivation focuses on a person’s striving for excellence and he explained this through ‘hierarchy of human needs’. Maslow pointed out that every human being is a ‘wanting animal’ hence he supposed that an individual’s behavior at any given time is dominated by his/her needs that have largest potency. As lower level psychological needs of a person are sufficiently achieved, the needs for higher level psychological needs come in handy. In the context of education, Maslow’s theory argues that students cannot and/or are not willing to learn or put more effort if their basic needs are not provided or met. Therefore, students require psychological needs to be met alongside their safety feelings and a sense of belonging. Such leads to spontaneous sense as learners who are hungry will not concentrate, nor will learners who are bullied and neither will learners who perceive to be outsiders and without friends. According to Maslow, learners are motivated if they are self-actualized and any hindrances affects learning environment considerably (Ibid, 2006). Skinner came up with a theoretical framework referred to as operant conditioning to explain that human beings cannot learn best without being provided or promised with a reward. He argued that human beings like every other organisms makes a direct and anticipated response –operant- when they are aware that there is a reward. Therefore, in cases where a response happens and emphasized, there is increased probability that it will happen again when a comparable stimulus is present. Hence, skinner argued that student’s tend to learn best when behavioral change occurs. In his experiment, Skinner had come up with learning units referred to as ‘contingencies of reinforcement’. These are sequences within which behaviors or responses are followed by reinforcing stimuli. The outstanding learning principle in this theory states that behaviors/responses are naturally produced without bring out stimuli. Besides, such behaviors are operants as their production can be instrumental in punishing or reinforcing consequences among students. Therefore, this theory is useful in understanding a person’s learning, social interaction, and human development via making open a number of normal law relationships created into human life by God. Thus, the theory concurs on the necessity to have a system of reward in schools based on students’ behavior which seems notable (Tayo, 2001). Penn in his work argues that in self-worth theory, motivation is the one of most vital factors to determine the attitude of learners as well as their behavior as a sense of self-respect. The answer to self-worth is learner’s perception of his/her own capability particularly when compared to others. If an imaginary hierarchy of self-worth is drawn, learners will tend to give ability the first priority, followed by effort and performance. The theory as claimed can be explained by equating both worth and ability. The author quoting other psychologists writes that applying personal goal-setting arrangements (gives learners a chance to define their own criteria for success), outcome-based evaluation and instruction (slower learning students experience success without competing with faster learning students), attribution learning (facilitates uninterested learners to consider failure being the lack of effort instead of ability), and cooperative learning activities (facilitates learners in understanding that individual effort contributes to personal as well as group goals) removes barriers to achieving motivation and redirects learners’ behavior far away from letdown-avoiding activities in educational settings (Penn, 2002). Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation theories differ only in terms of goals that different student have. Intrinsic motivation argues that students study just for the sake. The learners derive personal satisfaction as well as learning new ideas from learning and regard the m as a reward (Anti-Bullying Network, 2000). On the other hand, extrinsically motivated students are influenced by outside influences for instance praise from peer and teacher, attaining good grades, and/or any other form of reinforcement a peer or teacher can offer. Some people have argued that intrinsically motivated students tend to learn more as compared to those who are extrinsically motivated. Reason may be because intrinsically motivated learners as well extrinsically motivated. However, extrinsically motivated learners are seldom motivated intrinsically. Extrinsic rewards encompasses use of tangible rewards such as payments and gifts so as to keep learners interested in particular subjects as well as motivate them (Deci & Ryan, 2002). Intrinsic motivation has for a long time been criticized for its unconstructive influence on intrinsic motivation as well as being claimed to have a short term effect. In regard to intrinsic motivation, learners have the feelings of self-determination, pride, and competence. However, students are highly interested in activities when they are motivated by gifts, prizes, grades, or money as long as they received anticipated reward. Therefore, with time a student who receives a reward for their performance in a particular subject, they gradually become interested in it and develop intrinsic motivation. A big difference exists between tangible rewards (candy, money, certificates) and verbal rewards (praise, positive feedback). Tangible rewards influences intrinsic motivation negatively and destroy self-regulation (Wilson & Corpus, 2001). Conclusion Although the reward system has for a long time been applied in schools, a couple of issues need to be addressed if it will remain effective. Teachers and parents needs to be consistent in using rewards and sanctions, the reward system whether individual, cooperative or competitive should be monitored on regular basis, keeping-off from rewards that have monetary worth or those that indicates that school tasks are of no value, and making certain that rewards are deserved and genuine rather than being routine (Anti-Bullying Network, 2000). Whichever the reward system an education institution adopts, a positive culture in schools is established reason being efforts and good behaviors of the pupils are recognized. Thus, most students tend to put more effort so as to achieve established rewards and as a result the overall performance of school improves.

How to Find the Best AP Practice Tests

How to Find the Best AP Practice Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips As you begin to prepare for your AP exams, you’ll need to consider which kinds of study tools will help you make the most of your prep time and help you meet your target score. One of the most important study tools in your arsenal is the AP practice test. This is true no matter which AP exam you’re taking.In this article, I’ll go over why you should use AP practice tests, what roles they can serve in your studying process, and how to find the best AP practice examsfor any AP. Why You Should Use AP Practice Tests to Study There’s one major reason to use practice tests in your studying: so you become comfortable with the exam. The truth is that knowledge can only get you so far on these exams- you need to be able to parse and package that knowledge the way the College Board wants. You might know everything there is to know about Art History, but if you’ve never looked at an AP question or written a practice essay, you could still be totally blindsided on test day simply because you’re confused by the way questions are written or don't know how to structure your essay. Essentially, studying for an AP exam without looking at a single practice test is like preparing for a bicycle race by reading about bicycles, but never riding a bicycle. The knowledge will help, but riding the bicycle would make you much more prepared. So is looking at this picture making you better at riding bikes or... 3 Ways AP Practice Tests Can Improve Your Studying There are three main waysAP practice exams can make your preparation process more effective. #1: Practice Tests Make You More Familiar With AP Format and Question Styles When you first start studying, looking at practice AP exams will help you familiarize yourself with the way AP questions are worded- both multiple choice and free response. Familiarity will help you understand what kinds of questions will be asked on exam day. I also advise reading the most up-to-date official directions for the various sections; knowing the most current test directions backwards and forwards will help you save time on test day and clarify what tasks will be required of you on the exam. #2: Practice Tests Help You Identify Gaps in Your Knowledge and Skills Once you have a decent knowledge base in the subject, taking an AP practice exam and seeing what you get wrong will help you know where to focus your studying efforts. If you consistently miss questions about photosynthesis, or the Hundred Years’ War, or language listening, you’ll know those are areas you need to focus on. Similarly, if you are rocking the multiple choice but your short answers aren’t so great, you’ll know to work on your short answer skills. #3: Practice Tests Track Your Progress Over Time Taking practice tests and writing practice essays every few weeks/months (depending on your study timeline) will help you track your progress and see how you’ve improved. If you were consistently scoring a 3 two months ago and now you’re always hitting 4's, you’ll know that you are on the right track and that your studying methods are working. If, however, your progress stagnates below your target score, you’ll know that your studying methods aren’t really helping you improve, and you need to readjust. Are you focusing on exam skills when you should be focusing on learning content or viceversa? Is the real problem with time-management? And so on. Taking a practice test is like doing karate except you're sitting at a table quietly writing. High-Quality Practice Tests and Where to Find Them I hope I've convinced you how useful and important AP practice exams are as you study for the exam. Once you've resolved to use them, you'll need to know how to find the best practicetests. What makes a good practice test, and where can you find them? What Makes a High-Quality Practice Test The best practice tests are those that are the most like real, official AP tests. So, same sections, same distribution of topics, same kinds of questions, same question wording. These are the best because they will most mimic the experience of taking the actual exam. Not only will the best practice tests give you the most familiarity with the real exam format, which will make you more comfortable on test day, they will also give you a better idea of how well you will do on the actual exam. Practice tests aren’t very helpful if they don’t actually reflect the real testing experience. In those cases,you’re not really practicing for the exam per se- just quizzing yourself on the topic with some random assessment from the back of a bad prep book. Answer keys are essential- otherwise, how will you know how you are doing? Explanations of the answers are nice, too, although the most official source, the College Board, doesn’t generally include answer explanations for anything other than free-response questions. Where to Find the Best AP Practice Tests I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the College Board has the best AP practice tests. This is because they make the test! So their practice materials are going to be the most like the real test. You can even get old AP tests on the College Board websitebecause they release complete exams every once in a while. Note that,depending on how old the exam is, it might be in an outdatedformat. This doesn’t mean it’s not still useful study material; you’ll just want to make sure you know how the current exam is different, and skip any sections that aren’t offered on the most current exam. How and where can you get official College Board practice questions and resources? Well, there arethree different official College Board sources you can look for. 1, 2, 3; Peter, Paul and Mary...are all looking for practice tests. #1: Sample Questions From the Course and Exam Description Every AP course has an â€Å"AP Course and Exam Description† booklet thatincludes AP practice questions for all sections of the exam. These are a great resource for familiarizing yourself with question styles and the most up-to-date test directions. To get the booklet, click on your desired exam from the College Board’s list of AP courses; scroll down a little on the â€Å"Course Overview† page and you will see a link to the â€Å"AP Course and Exam Description.† #2: Official Released Free-Response Questions You can also getreleased free-response questions and sample responsesfrom many years back into the past. From the College Board’s AP exam information page, click on your desired exam; scrolling down will take you to the released free-response questions. #3: Complete Released AP Exams Complete, previously released exams are much harder to find, but they are out there!In fact, I couldn’t find any official released exams on the College Board website except by Googling. This is probably because the College Board also sells copies of previously released exams, so they don’t want to make it easy to find free released exams. If you want to find complete exams for free, your best bet is toGooglethe name of your exam with â€Å"previously released materials college board† or â€Å"complete released exams college board.† You should then be able to find the â€Å"previously released materials† page for your given exam, like this page for AP English Literature and Composition or this one for AP Chemistry.These pages have official College Board released exams from previous years. Here are the â€Å"previously released materials† pages for some of the most popular exams: AP English Literature and Composition AP Chemistry AP US History AP Psychology AP Biology AP Statistics AP Environmental Science AP Calculus AB AP US Government and Politics AP Macroeconomics You might also be able to find more recent complete released exams posted online by schools or teachers; your Googlesearch should pull these up as well. Sample questions from the â€Å"AP Course and Exam Description† document, old free response questions, and complete released exams: these are all the AP practice question resources available from the College Board. You may have a hard time hunting some of them up, but they are out there! If only there was a map of the vast internet. I'm Out of College Board Practice Tests- What Now? If you’ve answered every official practice question you could get your hands on and still want more, you may want to find high-quality unofficial sources for practice questions and tests. Most prep books have practice questions- and possibly even complete practice exams- in the back of the book. But not all of them are created equally! To help direct you in your search for high-quality practice materials, we have expert reviews of the best prep books for the following AP tests: Best AP Psychology Books Best AP Biology Books Best AP US History Books Best AP Chemistry Books It’s best if you can look in the book before you buy it (or get it from the library!) Compare their practice questions to some of your official College Board resources. Do the questions seem like they have similar wording and formats? That’s a point in their favor. You should also look at reviews of prep books and sites to see what other students have to say about their practice questions and tests. If students felt the practice materials prepared them for the exam, it’s a better bet than a book students have lukewarm reactions to. You might also check out the questions in your class textbook; if it’s a textbook specifically designed for an AP course, odds are the questions at the ends of chapters or in the back of the book track decently well with real College Board material. But still compare it to official materials to be sure. With these tips in mind, you should be able to build a robust library of practice exam resources for your AP studying purposes! AP Practice Exams: Key Takeaways AP practice tests are essential study tools for the AP exam.Practice exams will help you get familiar with the test- its format, the question styles, and the different sections.You can use practice exams to familiarize yourself with the exam, identify gaps in your skills and knowledge, and track your progress and improvement as you prepare for the exam. The best AP practice exams come from the College Board: they have sample questions, old free-response questions, and complete released exams. Beyond officialresources, compare practice tests from unofficial sources to official College Board exams and look for reviews to find the most high-quality material. The bottom line is that liberal use of AP practice tests as a study tool will help you meet your target score,so you should be using them! Especially because there are so many free, official resources available out there. Shine on, you AP diamonds! If you get overwhelmed, just initiate Blanket-Wrapped Dog Protocol. What's Next? Wondering when to start studying for your AP test? Read our guide and wonder no more! Maybe you'd also like to knowthe average scores for every AP exam to help you set your target score. Taking the SAT? See our list of the best SAT prep books, updated for the new 2016 SAT! If the ACT is your exam of choice, seeour list of the best ACT prep books. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

The Relationship between Households and Firms Essays

The Relationship between Households and Firms Essays The Relationship between Households and Firms Essay The Relationship between Households and Firms Essay Taxation ( T ) and Imports ( M ) . In Savings families wont be spent all the factors income received on the current or even immediate ingestion. Households besides prefer to maintain some for future or deferred ingestion. For illustration families make their economy in the signifier of sedimentations at fiscal establishments such as Bankss. Tax is where families have to pay to the authorities as revenue enhancements from their income. For illustration when family receive their rewards their will be a tax write-off column as their income revenue enhancement. Imports is where families willing to purchase goods and services from abroad instead than devouring domestically produced goods and services. An injection takes topographic point when there are motions of financess into the round flow of incomes. The three of import things in injection are Investments ( I ) , Government outgo ( G ) and Exports ( X ) . In Investments families saved income which was deferred ingestion there are subsequently invested back in the round flow/economy. In authorities outgos authorities use all the revenue enhancements received from families and so it s creates in flow of financess back into the round flow. For illustration authorities outgo includes route edifice, building and more. Government use the sum revenue enhancements which had collected from family to construct route, infirmary, edifices and other. In exports houses may sell some of their goods and services to foreign states. In the economic system outgo from the foreign states by aliens becomes an injection. 3.1 Withdrawals and Injections diagramUntitled.jpg 4.0 Entire Withdrawals equal with Entire Injectionsmmmm.jpg In the footings of the expanded handbill flow of the income theoretical account the province of equilibrium takes parts when the entire backdowns that occur in the economic system. It can be proven as: Savingss + Imports +Taxes = Investment + Government Spending + Exports OR S + M+T = I + G + X 5.0 Decision Families and houses has a really strong relationship where each and another can non be work with one. Households need rewards so they have to work for houses and houses need to bring forth goods and services, so they need family to work and besides purchase their goods and services. Question 2 1.0 Introduction The fluctuations in the degree of the economic sciences activities of a state over clip are frequently be the best illustrated by the Business Trade Cycles. Business trade rhythm is besides known as the periodic fluctuation in the rate of the economic activity as it been measured by degrees of employment, monetary values and besides production. 2.0 Body The four chief constructs in concern trade rhythms are full employment, unemployment, recession and rising prices. Full employment takes topographic point at the degree of economic activity when all available at factors of production are to the full utilised. In the concern trade rhythms, there is upward swings and besides downward swings. The periods of hardship are alternate with the periods of concern prosperity. Every roar is followed by a frailty versa and besides a slack. This concern trade rhythm is merely means that the whole class of trade or even concern activity which is base on ballss through all the stages of prosperity and besides hardship. 3.0 Business Trade Cycle Diagram mk.jpg 3.1 Phases in Business Trade Cycle Economists really divided the concern rhythms into two chief stages which is depression and recovery so roar and slack. Boom and slouch grade turning points in the rhythms. 3.1.1 Depression In this stage, the whole economic system will be in depression manner and the concern is at the lowest phase. Other than that the general buying power of the community is really low. In the productive activity, both production of consumer goods and the production of capital goods are at the low degree. There are some of the chief features in depression. Depression makes the sum of production and trade psychiatrists. It is besides increases unemployment and the overall monetary values become lessenings. All the net incomes and rewards lessenings and the income of the community autumn at a really low degree. Other than that aggregative outgo together with the effectual demand besides goes down. For illustration if a house having a new investing or replacing investing they will do it detain every bit long as they are possible to travel for it. Other than that in stock markets the monetary values of all portions and securities will be fallen to a really low degree. Even in practically al l the building activity no affair in edifices or machinery comes to an terminal. 3.1.2 Recovery Recovery is besides known as enlargement. In this stage the depression period comes to an terminal. In recovery stage all the economic state of affairss become favorable. As money become cheap it makes the other stuffs and besides factors of production easy and inexpensive. Here the aggregative demand becomes low aggregative supply. Other than that the productive activity besides has been increased and the enterprisers besides have sufficient fiscal backup. This makes the farther investing and production increased. For illustration when a building company ends all their undertakings in depression stage, now the same company will get down having orders and using more employees to make more income and employment. Last the whole economic system will be traveling faster towards the roar stage. 3.1.3 Boom Boom is besides known as peak stage and it is a turning point in trade rhythm. This stage is the highest point in economic recovery. In this stage there is a big figure of production and besides trade. There is besides a high degree of employment and besides the occupation chances in limited sum to allow a good trade of labour mobility. Aggregate Demand will be equal with Aggregate supply. Overall it makes the monetary values rise. Other so that it besides makes a lifting construction in involvement rates so so a bullish inclination regulations makes stock exchanges. For illustration when a building company starts to do more net income and inverse more the will better their concern and may necessitate more employees. So so it makes the company offer more employment and it besides makes the company get high degree of investing. 3.1.4 Recession Recession is the crisp slow down in the economic activity, but little different from depression which is more terrible and besides pronged downswing. Aggregate demand is low so aggregate supply. As the depression created the conditions of recovery, it is likewise and the roar conditions generate their ain cheques. All the idle factors have been employed and besides farther demand must raise their monetary values, but the quality is besides inferior. In this stage there should be less efficient workers which have been taken for higher rewards. The involvement rates will lift and besides other stuffs. Finally the costs have started to upward swing. 4.0 Decision Macroeconomicss is chiefly associate to the balance between Aggregate Demand and Aggregate supply in the whole economy/country. If the aggregative Demand becomes higher than Aggregate Supply the extra demand will be cause rising prices. If the aggregative Demand becomes lower than aggregative supply, so the deficient demand will do recession and unemployment. Question 4 1.0 Introduction In economic sciences, the individual who is able and besides willing to work but unable to happen a paying occupation is considered as unemployed. Unemployment divided into two which are long term and short term unemployment. Long term unemployment is by and large considered as the great societal immorality and short term unemployment is merely for a limited clip in the degree of cost. In long term the cost are really high which is non same with the short term where the cost are comparatively low. In short term many of them will lose some of their net incomes, although a few who receive the big redundancy payments may profit in financially from holding lost their occupation. 2.0 Body The cost of unemployment includes the fiscal cost, personal cost, social cost, economic cost and besides cost to the authorities. All the cost of unemployment is one of the large disadvantages where will do a really large jobs. Because of being unemployment, it is non merely impacting the individual as it is besides impacting the milieus of the unemployed individual. 2.1 Cost of unemployment 2.1.1 Fiscal Cost to the Unemployed Person This is one of the direct costs due to the lost in their net incomes, measured as the difference between the old pay and current unemployment benefits. One obvious cost is the loss of income which could be earned by the individual been in a occupation. Offset against this is the value of any benefits which could the worker might have and any value placed on the excess free clip which an unemployed individual has at his/her disposal. For most of the unemployed it is likely that they will be one of the net fiscal also-rans. For illustration when a individual now working for RM1500 wage for 8 hours and his friend working for RM2500 wage for 8 hours so he besides will get down to mensurate the differences and he will vacate his current occupation to acquire his friend occupation. At that clip he merely vacate his occupation without know whether there is still empty topographic points at his friend company or non. This state of affairs makes him to be unemployed for some clip and besides make him face troubles in fiscal affairs during that clip. 2.1.2 Personal Cost of being Unemployed The cost of unemployed is non finish until at that place. It is besides affect the self-pride and the spirit of the persons. The long clip as they are unemployed it may ensue in stress-related unwellnesss, societal jobs like smoke, intoxicant. Drugs, offense like petit larceny and serious and besides excess. For illustration when a individual is been unemployed for some clip he will decidedly experience depresses and he will get down to acquire himself into the societal jobs like smoke and taking drugs or intoxicant. Other than that their depression besides makes them perpetrate self-destruction and mental instability. Areas with high unemployment tend to go in run down status. Shops run down after their concern. Households do nt hold any trim money to look after their belongingss and besides their gardens. At last this makes the additions in hooliganism and farther destroys in the environment. 2.1.3 Social Cost of Unemployment Some of the grounds suggests that many of the unemployed people and their households suffer in a figure ways. As thirster they are unemployed the higher it affects their households and friends. This state of affairs leads to the domestic force and separation, abandoned families/children and besides excess. For illustration, in a household when the hubby has been unemployed for long clip so the household will be holding troubles in fiscal affair. He will be holding troubles to gain money, purchase food markets, even he can non back up for his kids surveies besides. This makes the hubby and married woman have misunderstand and eventually its terminal with separation and divorce. 2.1.4 Economic Cost due to lost of national output/growth. In the existent lose to the whole economic system foremost there is the loss of all the end product which those workers now unemployed could hold been produced if they been in work and the economic system had been produced more goods and services which would had been available for the ingestion. Other than that there are the societal cost like additions in force and depression which are borne by the unemployed and besides the communities in which they live. 2.1.5 Costss to the Government In one manus, authorities has to pay out higher benefits and on the other manus, authorities losingss gross because all those workers would hold paid revenue enhancements if they had been employed. At last taxpayers non merely pay more revenue enhancements to cover the authorities disbursement, they besides have to pay high because they have to do up the revenue enhancements that all the unemployed would hold been paid if they had been in work. 3. 0 Decision Cost of unemployment consequence all the portion of a individual life and besides to the state economic system and authorities. To cut down unemployment in society people should make earlier readying or should be good organized about their bearer and nest eggs. Question 5 1.0 Introduction The causes of being unemployment will greatly vary harmonizing to the state of affairs whether the individual is working or non. Unemployment can be go on even the individual is presently working, yet had given signal to halt working in some company for some ground. Sometimes it can be voluntary with the individual s pick to go unemployed. 2.0 Body The causes of unemployment can be divided into two major classs which is equilibrium and disequilibrium unemployment. There are five types of unemployment in equilibrium unemployment and three types in disequilibrium unemployment. 3.0 Equilibrium Unemployment Equilibrium Unemployment is where can be caused because of people who are economically independent or the rewards are excessively low for therefore people do nt experience the demand to be employed. 3.1 The causes of Equilibrium/Natural Unemployment 3.1.1 Frictional ( hunt ) Unemployment It occurs during people leave their occupations like resign voluntarily, made redundant and besides those temporarily unemployed while they are looking for a new occupation. Sometimes employers may be non offering their occupation to the first that applied, as they will seek for other campaigners. This unemployment takes topographic point when both parties do non hold the perfect cognition as they move from one occupation to another. It is cause of stationariness factor which is geographical and occupational stationariness. Geographic stationariness is where labor is unable to relocate to the occupation and occupational stationariness is where labour unable to execute their occupation because of deficiency of cognition, accomplishment or even see For illustration the unemployed will happen a better offer without accepting the first offer. 3.1.2 Structural Unemployment It takes portion when all the construction of economic system alterations caused by spread outing industries sing growing when other industries are undertaking and besides necessitate to cut down their demand for the labor. This unemployment takes portion because of the alteration in the demand form, which is cause by a alteration in gustatory sensation, manner or even competition from replacements such as produced by other domestic industries or from the imported options. For illustration, there is no more usage and stylish to have on the pelt or the diminution in the coal excavation industry, so so consumers displacement to alternate beginning of fuel. 3.1.3 Technological Unemployment Returns portion when the technological advantages resulted in the labour salvaging proficient advancement that allow all the same degree of end product to be produced with lesser units of labor. It is besides frequently caused by the structural employment during the alterations of method in production. The current employee will go excess because of technological unemployment. 3.1.4 Regional Unemployment The structural unemployment which takes portion within the peculiar part will be doing regional unemployment. For illustration when the diminution in coal excavation industry takes portion it makes the diminution in the coal excavation at the whole part. 3.1.5 Seasonal Unemployment Takes portion during the demand for labour alterations harmonizing to the clip period. For illustration for a fisherman can non travel to sea if there is rainy/monsoon season, a tourer usher will merely hold work during school vacations or off-peak season and so husbandmans will be unemployed during non-harvesting or monsoon/rainy months. 4.0 Disequilibrium Unemployment Disequilibrium Unemployment is where normally due to the infliction of the minimal pay Torahs by the authorities which is means there will be higher demand for occupations so the supply. 4.1 The Causes of Disequilibrium Unemployment 4.1.1 Real Wage Unemployment Returns portion when the trade brotherhoods use their monopoly power to demand pay phase higher than the market phase or even when the authorities sets the national lower limit pay phase higher than the market equilibrium. This can be besides known as disequilibrium unemployment. The rewards will be besides falls down and could be caused by minimal rewards, or the trade brotherhoods. 4.1.2 Growth in Labour Supply Unemployment Takes portion during the labour supply go higher without any associated addition in the demand for the labor will do of the equilibrium pay phase to fall below the mean existent pay rate. If the existent pay rate is gluey downwards so the disequilibrium unemployment will takes topographic point. 4.1.3 Cyclic Unemployment. This unemployment goes manus in manus with the concern rhythm. As the GDP go higher so the lower will be the cyclical unemployment at the extremum of the concern rhythm and so the frailty versa is besides true when the economic system is in the trough of the concern rhythm. During this clip the houses will be maintain the same degrees of employment and besides end product to construct up their stocks, but it will finally cut back production, ensuing in the unemployment. Once the state economic system out of the recession, so it starts to retrieve, so the employment rates will be starts to lift as the spread between existent end product and the possible end product narrows one time once more. For illustration in a recession when the aggregative demand falls so there will be a autumn in the end product, and hence houses will be employ less workers because they are bring forthing less goods. 5.0 Decision Other than these causes, there are besides other causes excessively, particularly for immature alumnuss. For illustration when a grade alumnus when a occupation with the basic pay of RM 1500, it will do him/she non satisfied with the rewards compared with their surveies. So so they will make up ones mind to happen another occupation. This makes them go unemployed boulder clay they find the rite and best suit occupation for them. As the causes of being unemployed is higher people and authorities should be more watchful and they besides should cognize the disadvantages of being unemployed.

Simple Laver (to Wash) Verb Conjugations in French

Simple Laver (to Wash) Verb Conjugations in French When you want to say to wash in French, use the verb  laver. Alternatively, if youre going to wash someone or something else,  baigner  is used.  Laver  is relatively easy to remember because it sounds like lather, which is what soap does.   Conjugating the French Verb  Laver In order to change  laver  to mean washed, washing, or will wash, a conjugation is required. While there are more forms to learn in French than in English,  laver  is a  regular -ER verb  and it follows a standard pattern. Before you can conjugate  laver, identify the verb stem, which is simply  lav-  This is what we will attach the infinitive endings too. In French, we have multiple endings to remember for each tense. Thats because each subject pronoun requires a new ending. For instance, I am washing is je lave  and you are washing is  tu laves. Likewise, nous laverons means we will wash while I will wash is je laverai.   Subject Present Future Imperfect je lave laverai lavais tu laves laveras lavais il lave lavera lavait nous lavons laverons lavions vous lavez laverez laviez ils lavent laveront lavaient The Present Participle of  Laver Adding -ant  to the verb stem of  laver  results in the  present participle  lavant. Not only is this a verb, it can also become a noun, adjective, or gerund in certain contexts. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © Beyond the imperfect, you can use the  passà © composà ©Ã‚  to express the past tense washed in French. To construct this, begin with the subject pronoun and a conjugate of the  auxiliary verb  avoir. Then, attach the  past participle  lavà ©. For example, I washed is jai lavà © and we washed is nous avons lavà ©. More Simple  Laver  Conjugations to Learn Its best to concentrate on the above forms of  laver  and commit them to memory first. When youre comfortable with those, add the following forms to your vocabulary. You may not use them often, but they are useful. The subjunctive verb mood implies uncertainty while the conditional form says the action is dependent on something else. In literature, you will find the passà © simple or the imperfect subjunctive in use. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je lave laverais lavai lavasse tu laves laverais lavas lavasses il lave laverait lava lavt nous lavions laverions lavmes lavassions vous laviez laveriez lavtes lavassiez ils lavent laveraient lavrent lavassent The imperative verb form is useful for short demands and requests. This is the one time when its acceptable to skip the subject pronoun: use lave rather than tu lave. Imperative (tu) lave (nous) lavons (vous) lavez

Botticelli, Birth of Venus and Venus De Milo Essay

Botticelli, Birth of Venus and Venus De Milo - Essay Example The well-mixed primary colors resulted in clearly defined secondary colors. The colors provided an outstanding emphasis on the beauty’s milky skin color. Artists illustrate Venus as one of the most beautiful and chaste goddesses who remained as a symbol of coming spring. Painters designed her nudity to depict some significance in itself because all artworks of Renaissance history revolved around the theme of Christianity at that time. At the time, it was not easy to portray a woman as nude (Siapkas & Sjogren, 2013). Most aspects of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus manipulate in motion. For instance, a succinct observation of the orange tree leaves in her background as well as her hair shows that Zephyrs had blown them away. They are floating behind her, the cloaks and the waves gently breaking. Further, the breeze also blows and lifts her drapery of the figures. Representative/Objective The Venus de Milo statue had a carved right arm that lay across the torso with a rested right hand on the left knee that remained raised. Meanwhile, the left arm held up an apple at an eye level. The statute comprises two blocks of marble that sculptured on separate occasions, then joined at the hips (Judovitz & Duchamp, 2010). The sculptors used tendon joints to fashion the left arm and foot, though as different pieces. Venus de Milo had some of its parts broken during transportation including right hip and three other pieces.

Financial statements for Blacksea plc for the years ended 30 June 2009 Assignment

Financial statements for Blacksea plc for the years ended 30 June 2009 and 2010 - Assignment Example The assets can be bifurcated to have current and fixed assets. Current assets can be quickly converted into the cash within a few months time in the normal course of operations. Fixed assets, also called long term investments of the company in land, plant, building, equipment, fixtures, furniture etc. have longer life period and they last for several years or decades over its useful life. It is nature of the business that decides whether the company will have more capital employed in the current assets or in the fixed assets. There is nothing good or bad per se where assets are deployed; however, when it is compared with the other companies in the same industry group, it can provide an idea whether assets are deployed efficiently or not. So goes with liabilities of the company. They can be bifurcated in the current and long-term liabilities. Current liabilities constitute those payments which are to be paid within a few months. Long-term liabilities mean long-term loans, mortgage payments and other liabilities of similar nature that are to be paid in several years. The financial analysis based on these factors will tell us about the liquidity of the company. This will also tell us about the risk that investors carry by investing in the company. It is important to know whether company’s current assets are sufficient enough to pay for the current liabilities. (Atrill & Mclaney1997) Current ratio of the company in the year ended June 2009 was noticed at 1.46:1, which further improved to 2.73:1 during the year ended June 2010. This is quite safe for the company. The current ratio for the same industry group is noticed at 2.5:1 so it can be said that Blacksea enjoys somewhat superior current ratio as per the year 2010. Creditors should have no problem in lending to the company based on the existing current ratio. Similarly, gearing ratio (debt/equity) in the year 2009 was pretty

To what extent is children's well-being a priority in modern Western Essay

To what extent is children's well-being a priority in modern Western societies - Essay Example Inequalities have risen since the 1960s in the small group of OECD countries composed of the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand. Despite data on this group of countries revealing a change in the trend in the 1990s, overall the proportion of children living in relative poverty has expanded (UNICEF, 2005). Bradshaw and Mayhew’s (2005) comprehensive report on the physical, cognitive, behavioural and emotional wellbeing of children in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, provides wide-ranging data on the various aspects. In the European Union, in 2002-2003, the fifth highest rate of relative child poverty was found in the United Kingdom where 28% of children lived in households with incomes below fifty percent of the average, after allocating for housing costs. Darton et al. (2003) observe that compared to the situation one generation ago, current poverty in the United Kingdom is most prevalent in households with children. ... Charting Children’s Well-Being in Modern Western Societies The Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1989 formulated a new definition of childhood rooted in human rights. It called for the provision of essential goods and services towards the fulfillment of children’s rights to survival, health and education. The Convention also indicated â€Å"a growing recognition of the need to create a protective environment to shield children from exploitation, abuse and violence† (UNICEF, 2005, p.1). The harm caused by poverty, conflict, and HIV/ AIDS continues far beyond the years of childhood, raising the possibilities of the next generation being impacted by the same dangers, threatening the accomplishment of the Millennium Development Goals aiming for a â€Å"world fit for children† (UNICEF, 2005, p.1). Child Poverty in Advanced Industrialised Nations The findings presented by the Innocenti Report Card (UNICEF, 2000) reveals that the rates of child pov erty in the world’s wealthiest nations range from 3% to over 25%; nearly 17% of the rich world’s children is living in poverty; and totally about 47 million children in the nations of the OECD live below the poverty lines of their nation. Further, â€Å"in the league table of relative child poverty, the bottom four places are occupied by the United Kingdom, Italy, the United States, and Mexico† (UNICEF, 2000, p.2). At the same time, in the league table of absolute child poverty, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland take up the four lowest positions. Brown (2012) argues that the indicators of child and youth wellbeing are crucial mechanisms for improving the lives of children. The main indicators of child wellbeing are in the areas of health,

Current Issue Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Current Issue Analysis - Essay Example And today, according to the official terminology, Indian women continue to belong to the so-called weak groups. In my opinion such misunderstanding of the role of feminism and the importance of the defending of women’s rights takes place because of the lack of support from men’s and boys’ side. Emma Watson, who after she grew up, became not just a â€Å"Harry Potter Girl† but also UN Women Goodwill Ambassador at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 paid attention that fighting for women’s rights too often comes synonymous to men hating. And this has to stop. It is a real problem that women are choosing not to identify themselves as feminists. It is right to make possible for women to make decisions about own body. Women should be afforded the same respect as men. But there is no country in the world, where women may be sure they would receive these rights (Watson, 2014). Some days ago the Dailymail has published some shocking videos of the women being gang raped. The most awful is that the men caught on camera were smiling while carrying out the alleged attacks. And now this movement called #shametherapistcampaign fights against repeated incidents of extreme sexual violence towards Indian women. Sunitha Krishnan through her organisation Prajwala India, a womens rights NGO based in Hyderabad, India released the videos and images of the alleged attackers and in such way her #shametherapistcampaign was born. She got those videos from a concerned man, who â€Å"forwarded her the videos after they were sent to him on the messaging service WhatsApp†. After the campaign was launched on Indian national television, somebody tried to intimidate Mrs Krishnan by throwing rocks into the window of her vehicle (Charlton, 2015). Thus the issue of defending women rights is particularly important for Indian women. They are discriminated from infancy or even earlier, and I can prove this statement with lots of examples. In

Virtual Team Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Virtual Team Management - Research Paper Example Research and Development Ââ€" virtual teams offer an environment for enhancing innovations in R&D and also bring in knowledge spillovers in the organizations bridging place and time. Therefore, involving the R&D functional area in a virtual team is not a choice but rather a requirement. The R&D representative conducts the research on the best way to improve the product, organization, and the entire project team.This department operates with a sense of urgency can create and conceptualize quickly. The sales representative will benefit the team and organization by ensuring that the product reaches its intended consumers in the most efficient manner while maximizing profits.Management Ââ€" studies show that virtual teams perform well when executives support the development of the social relationship across the team and thereby enhancing trust among members. The executive management makes sure the team performs optimally and that it returns the expected outcomes.Collaborating with seve ral functional areas in the virtual team have posted some challenges that may slow or inhibit the team's performance. One of these problems is the differences in the cultural background such differing technical skills, and different styles of work. For example, a member from the production area may not have similar technology skill like those with a member from the IT department. This difference brings a challenge in adapting to new communication tools, systems, and applications, as well as learning how to use them.

Current Issue Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Current Issue Analysis - Essay Example And today, according to the official terminology, Indian women continue to belong to the so-called weak groups. In my opinion such misunderstanding of the role of feminism and the importance of the defending of women’s rights takes place because of the lack of support from men’s and boys’ side. Emma Watson, who after she grew up, became not just a â€Å"Harry Potter Girl† but also UN Women Goodwill Ambassador at the HeForShe Campaign 2014 paid attention that fighting for women’s rights too often comes synonymous to men hating. And this has to stop. It is a real problem that women are choosing not to identify themselves as feminists. It is right to make possible for women to make decisions about own body. Women should be afforded the same respect as men. But there is no country in the world, where women may be sure they would receive these rights (Watson, 2014). Some days ago the Dailymail has published some shocking videos of the women being gang raped. The most awful is that the men caught on camera were smiling while carrying out the alleged attacks. And now this movement called #shametherapistcampaign fights against repeated incidents of extreme sexual violence towards Indian women. Sunitha Krishnan through her organisation Prajwala India, a womens rights NGO based in Hyderabad, India released the videos and images of the alleged attackers and in such way her #shametherapistcampaign was born. She got those videos from a concerned man, who â€Å"forwarded her the videos after they were sent to him on the messaging service WhatsApp†. After the campaign was launched on Indian national television, somebody tried to intimidate Mrs Krishnan by throwing rocks into the window of her vehicle (Charlton, 2015). Thus the issue of defending women rights is particularly important for Indian women. They are discriminated from infancy or even earlier, and I can prove this statement with lots of examples. In

Mexico, The Mexican Drug Cartel Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mexico, The Mexican Drug Cartel - Research Paper Example The official language of the country is Spanish and it is marked as the â€Å"most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world.† Christianity is the religion that is practiced by most of the people in the country. The rate of poverty is very high in the country and it was estimated that 44 percent of the people living in the country earned below the poverty line (Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs 2011). Most of the people in the country live in the urban areas and people leave the rural areas and move to the developed ones in search of better opportunities. Furthermore, many people leave the country and move to the United States for better earning opportunities. The country earns much of its income by sending oil to other countries as it is an oil producing country. Criminal activities are a reason of many problems in the country. The abduction rates in Mexico are marked to be very high in comparison to other countries across the globe. Strong drug trafficking organizati ons function in the country and they are responsible for the drug trading between South America and the United States. Felipe Calderon was declared as the President of the country in the year 2006. He took strong steps for overcoming the issue of drug trafficking and his measures have resulted in the death of 35000 people in the country since the initiation of his campaign against drugs (BBC 2012). Mexico is marked to be a country with a leading role in the making of drugs as well serving as a route for the transportation of drugs. The major movement of drugs which include marijuana and methamphetamine in the United States is from Mexico. Ninety percent of the cocaine that reaches to the United States is through its movement via Mexico. ... The drug trafficking organizations are not only involved in the movement of drugs but at the same time, they are involved in kidnappings as well as murders. The drug cartels have gained a strong hold in the country during the last decade of the twentieth century. This mainly followed the deaths of Cali and Medellin cartels belonging to Colombia. The National Drug Intelligence Center has put forward that the drug trade in the United States is now mainly dominated by the Mexican drug mafia. The Mexican drug cartels have a strong stand and many government officials particularly those from the law enforcement agencies work in collaboration with them. This is owing to the bribes provided by the drug trafficking organizations. A campaign was initiated in the year 2006 by the President of Mexico against the drug cartels in nine states out of the total thirty two states in Mexico (Cook et al 2007). The Mexican government has put forward the fact that there are seven drug cartels working in t he country. Gulf, Sinaloa and Juarez are the major drug trafficking groups and their presence is dominant in most parts of the country. Many dominant drug trafficking organizations have started working together in Mexico. This has led to the formation of two major groups in the world of drug trafficking in Mexico. It has been indicated that this unity has mainly resulted due to the arrest of many leaders in these groups. Mexican cartels have also started to have a strong hold in the United States. They have done so via cultivating drugs on the land of the United States and by forming alliances with criminal groups in the United States. The purpose of this alliance is to make the

Why I Wanted to Pursue Culinary Arts Essay Example for Free

Why I Wanted to Pursue Culinary Arts Essay â€Å"The Three Idiots†, this film was popular since then. I was just curios why was it so. My first connotation was; the film was pure comedy movie, actually, an ordinary comedy film, that it was a companionship of three men who make a lot of sophistries but I was definitely wrong. Its title was captivating; it’s attention-catcher which I think one of the reasons why it was entitled that way, to win the attention of the public but that doesn’t end in that, I think that it was entitled â€Å"The Three Idiots† because there are three college students, who are best of friends, they are called â€Å"idiots† because they do things which are against to what is being done so; traditions, they oppose the rules, and do stuffs which they think are right. These three ‘idiots’ pursue their college education, actually, with the same reason: they do it for the sake of others’ favours, not for themselves. They pursue college to satisfy the wants of their parents because they believe so that through college education, they can be saved from the sufferings brought by poverty, for the reason of â€Å"spotlight†, that by education, their sons and daughters can build themselves; to be independent, their future; we cannot deny these mere facts because these really exist. That the relevance of attending college is for learning; that being a college student must comply with the rules and regulations of the administration, of the school. The film made me remember the times I was about to enter college. I remembered that in my senior year, my teachers, schoolmates were asking where I’m going to study for college and what course I’m going to take. My first answer was, Culinary Arts, I want to be a chef someday, no one believed me. They thought I was kidding, but I was serious. Then when I took the Entrance Examination in SLU, Baguio City, I didn’t know what course am I going to put in my form, that when I was in my way to the said university, I just put BSNursing there, how funny it was, right? No options. Then after two months, I found out the benefits when you graduate in this course, BS Accountancy. I pursue Accountancy in my college, at first, it was just alright, I want to be a future CPA but as time went by, my great desire for Culinary Arts emerges and I need to fight it because I need to graduate. During the film showing, I was bit emotional because in the last part of the film, the 2 friends of Rancho achieved what they wanted to, oh! How I wish. The â€Å"College Uneducation† and â€Å"The Three Idiots† are similar in the theme which they went to school and follow all the inhuman rules of the institution. It was true that we cannot learn all things in the four corners of the classroom. The lessons taught to us are not all be applied to our daily lives. How will be those mathematical formulas be applied to our daily lives? Do we need those when we buy in Sari-sari stores? Can we apply the computation of Velocity when we are running? Quite funny but it makes sense! â€Å"College Uneducation† tries to imply to us that some activities in college make us suffer and more uneducated, the same is through in the â€Å"Three Idiots†, the professor in the movie was disciplining the students in a wrong way and he didn’t teach Engineering as it is. We can pick lessons from the movie; it also emphasized the meaning of friendship, that no matter how hard the situation is; friends help one another and no matter the distance and the span of time, the closeness and love for one another do not fade. Next, you must follow what your heart desires. You will regret in time if you did not follow it. You’ll never find true happiness if you do not love what you are doing. You cannot give the best in you if you do not really want what you are doing. Third lesson is, you must know how to take risks. Life is all about risks. You may not succeed but atleast, you’ve tried, and nothing will be lost to you but then if you succeed, well and good. Thank God! And one important lesson in the movie is, in every bad situation, we must know how to be calm and believe that we can do it, we should believe in our capabilities as an individual. You must see things in its bright side. These lines in the film caught my heart, the most famous line in the movie: â€Å"Aal iz well.†, â€Å"All is well.†, â€Å"For once, dump your fears.†, â€Å"Life is a race.†, â€Å"No one knows what the future holds.†, â€Å"Life is full of pressures.†, â€Å"Run your life, it’s free advice, take it or leave it.† So much realizations I have in that film and in that day, January 12, 2013.

Grays framework is an extension of Hofstedes societal values

Grays framework is an extension of Hofstedes societal values Culture is said to be an identifying mark of any group of persons. The impact of this identifying mark is felt in everything that is done in that environment such that it is reflected in their daily and operational activities. In explaining the impact of culture on activities, Hofstede (1980: 26) defined culture as the collective programming of mind that distinguishes the members of one group from another. This distinguishing factor belies characteristics that are distinct to that particular group and can be found in all aspects of life. One aspect that is not left out is the field of accounting, the impact of culture is felt such it is reflected in the accounting practices of particular environments and it defines the systems that guide the practices done in that environment. This results in huge differences in international accounting practices even though the definition of accounting has one aim- to provide decision useful information to users and to give evidence of stewardship. Outside the culture factor, other reasons have been put forth to explain the differences in accounting systems where they include legal, tax, financing system (Nobes, 2006), political ideology ( Ezzamel et al, 2007). However, Gray argues that cultural values can better explain the differences in accounting system and he bases his argument on Hofstedes theory. Going by his argument, if cultural values as posited by Hofstede are reflected in societal activities, then there should be an existing relationship such that a close pattern that between these societal values and the accounting systems practiced in those environments can be identified. He puts forward four significant accounting concepts/values (professionalism, uniformity, conservatism and secrecy) that he links with Hofstedes societal value constructs (individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity/femininity). In other words, the accounting values as given by Gray can be seen as a connective point betwe en Hofstedes societal values and accounting practices. In explaining these links, he put forward four hypotheses. This paper seeks to assess the validity of the accounting concepts as put forward by Gray, seeking to establish their relationships with Hofstedes societal constructs. Grays Theoretical Reasoning. It is a well known fact that the strength of a building lies in its foundation, where the foundation is faulty, then the building itself cannot be said to be strong. Applying this fact to Grays hypotheses means that the strength of his hypotheses lays on its basis which is the Hofstedian societal value constructs. Though Hofstede collected his data over the period of 1967 to 1973, giving him enough time to incorporate changes in what he terms societal values, it has undergone criticisms in research papers. These criticisms weaken in turn weaken Grays accounting values. Some of these criticisms include the fact that the Hofstedian value framework is outdated and a weak basis on which to base the accounting values framework (Jones, 2007). In addition to this, there is the issue of measurability of the societal value constructs, the equation of national states with cultures, status of the observer, cultural homogeneity and political influences ( Baskervillle, 2003; Jones, 2007) Based on the fact that Grays framework is an extension of Hofstedes societal values, it can be said that the above criticisms apply to his accounting value theory as well, weakening the validity of his theory. Patterned after Hofstedes two dimensional societal value constructs, Gray put forward two dimensional accounting concepts as both ends of a continuum. He argues that a link exists between these concepts and each of Hofstedes societal values, where Hofstedes values are -Individualism vs Collectivism, Large power distance vs Small power distance, Strong vs Weak uncertainty avoidance and Masculinity vs femininity. The fundamental issues as regards these constructs are the degree of interdependence maintained in a society, human inequalities and relationships with authority, reaction to uncertainties and role differentiation of gender respectively. As an extension of these values, Gray puts forward these accounting values-Professionalism vs statutory control, Uniformity vs Flexibil ity, Conservatism vs Optimism and Secrecy vs Transparency where the fundamental issues in these concepts are individual judgements as opposed to statutory judgements, consistency in reporting standards as opposed to optioned standards, cautious measurements as opposed to optimistic measurements and a cautious approach to disclosure respectively. Critique of Grays Hypotheses All of Grays hypotheses imply that accounting values have a stationary nature as is also implied by Hofstedes societal values and just as Hofstede used nations to equate culture, Gray used countries as a basis for comparison, thereby generalizing as country based on accounting values that can be subject to change. Baskerville (2003) notes that the use of nation states as units for comparison is wrong, stating that this has been the case in international accounting research. A further analysis of Grays hypotheses is given below to assess its validity. Hypothesis One Gray hypothesized that the higher a country ranked in terms of individualism and the lower it ranked in terms of uncertainty avoidance and power distance then the more likely it is to rank highly in terms of professionalism. Though empirical studies carried out on this hypothesis have found support for it (Salter and Niswander, 1995 and Sudarwan and Fogarty, 1996), it can be argued that this hypothesis does not hold fully, especially when cognizance is given to the constant changes that occur even in these environments with distinguishable cultural values. In addition to this, empirical studies focused on the relationship that exist between the value construct picked out by Gray, but considering that the values given by Hofstede are two dimensional, it is also possible that the relationship posited by Gray to exist between professionalism and weak uncertainty avoidance can also exist between professionalism and strong uncertainty avoidance. This argument is based on the fact that the fundamental concept of uncertainty avoidance as given by Hofstede to be reaction to uncertainties and ambiguities. Strong uncertainty avoidance societys deal with uncertainties through the established and rigid rules and it can be argued that high levels of professionalism can be found in such societies. An example is Indonesia. Though the country is among the group classed as collectivist, strong uncertainty avoidant and large power distanced, Askary (2006) finds that Indonesia tops the list for professionalism in his study of developing countries. In the case of Germany, Heidhues and Patel (2011) finds that the Grays proposed relationship between low uncertainty avoidance and high professionalism does not hold. This is because Germany is seen a medium uncertainty avoidant country but it scores high on professionalism. This means that Grays accounting values and Hofstedes societal values can hold on some countries but not in some and this limits the generalizability of hypothesis one. In addition, going by the definition of professionalism which means independent judgement, the findings of Braun and Rodriguez (2008) does not support this hypothesis. Earnings management which requires independent judgement is meant to be related to professionalism but in their study, it is related to statutory control. Hypothesis Two The higher a country ranks in terms of uncertainty avoidance and power distance and the lower it ranks in terms of individualism then the more likely it is to rank highly in terms of uniformity. Empirical studies on Grays argument for this hypothesis are mixed in that not all the purported values given by Gray can be linked to uniformity. The issue of applicability limits this hypothesis. Gray defined uniformity as a preference for uniform accounting practices and countries in the western world are said to have a preference for flexible standards according to their perceived needs. However, the strength of this hypothesis is invalidated when the accounting standards used in the developed countries are considered. Though they are classed as countries that prefer flexible standards, the countries tend to use uniform standards in the name of enhancing their comparability. In addition to this, there is the issue of global reporting standards, which the UK and the US are founding members. The desire by both countries for a uniform accounting standards via global reporting standards reflects the weakness of the Hofstede-Gray framework. In line with this argument, Roberts and Salter (1999) test the relationships on the big 6 at that time and find that uncertainty avoidance (reaction to ambiguities) is not positively related to uniformity. The strength of any given hypothesis is in the positive relationships of all variables used in forming the hypothesis. Given that one of the relationships for this hypothesis does not hold, it can be argued that there are other values which result in uniformity of accounting practices. This means that not all of the relationships as hypothesized by Gray hold. Gray states that both hypotheses are most relevant to the authority and enforcement, however, the definition of the terms limits the extent of relevance that can be established. Gray defines the accounting values as a preference and not an exact activity carried out by accountants (Baydoun and Willett, 1995; Heidhues and Patel, 2011). For example, professionalism is defined as a preference for individual professional judgement and how this preference relates to the exercise of authority is not clear. Who exercises the authority? How many authoritative sources are there? Given the fact that professionalism belies opinionated judgement, this could refer to a number of individuals. Hypothesis Three The higher a country ranks in terms of uncertainty avoidance and the lower it ranks in terms of individualism and masculinity then the more likely it is to rank highly in terms of conservatism. Empirical studies support Grays reasoning on this hypothesis (Salter and Niswander, 1995; Sudarwan and Fogarty, 1996, Doupnik and Ritcher, 2004) especially for the strong link but I would argue that the fact that a country dislikes ambiguous situations does not mean that it would be highly conservative, this is based on the fact that situations change and changing situations bring about a change in accounting methods used. This is a fact that the Grays framework does not take into consideration. In line with this argument, Arnold et al (2001) finds that an increase in uncertainty avoidance leads to an increase in materiality estimates. This supports the fact that changes in situations are incorporated into accounting activities and that a country that is highly conservative today would not nec essarily be conservative the next day. Regarding the relationship between conservatism and individualism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance, it can be argued that these relationships are also subject to change. Going by the definition of masculinity, a high desire for quality of life can also lead to flexibility in accounting standard. Along this line of thought, Sudarwan and Fogarty (1996) found no relationship between masculinity and conservatism. This means that the accounting value of conservatism as defined by Gray limits the extent of connection that can be made between the relationships. For example, the word cautious approach can be seen to be a little muddy. Is it possible for the level of cautiousness taken by accountants to be placed on a continuum such that the varying levels can be used to seek for a matching relationship between the variables? Hypothesis Four The higher a country ranks in terms of uncertainty avoidance and power distance and the lower it ranks in terms of individualism and masculinity then the more likely it is to rank in terms of secrecy. Empirical support for this hypothesis is inconclusive; Sudarwan and Fogarty (1996) find that the relationship between uncertainty avoidance and secrecy is negative and a non significant relationship between power distance and secrecy (Salter and Niwander, 1995). This can be viewed as rendering the practicability of Grays argument as quite unfit and therefore invalidates the hypothesis. The relationships as argued by Gray is vague and can be argued to have a different meaning. Gray states that hypotheses three and four relate to measurement and disclosure. As noted in the first two hypotheses, the relationship between the conservatism and measurement or secrecy and disclosure remains unclear. Baydoun and Willett (1995) argue that the interpretation of this relationship is tenable owing to the fact that secrecy can be seen as a social characteristic and that its importance in determining accounting values is not evident. Other problems with Grays theory include measuring the terms used in the hypotheses, the fact that it applicable in some countries and not in others as well as the implied presence of other values in determining accounting practices (Baydoun and Willett, 1995; Doupnik and Tsakumis, 2004; Heidhues and Patel, 2011). Applicability of Grays Theory in the Use of IFRS Grays theory can be seen as a contribution to the literature on the harmonization of accounting and the essence of most literature in that line of research aim to help the easy adoption and increasing use of the international financial reporting standards. Furthermore, a lot of countries are adopting the international financial reporting standards (herein after referred to as IFRS) despite the differences in culture. The successful adoption and implementation of the IFRS in countries means that Grays theory of cultural influences is outdated in that culture is no longer deemed to be a barrier to international accounting systems. However, to assess the usefulness of Grays theory in assisting with the increasing use of IFRS, Spain will be used to check the applicability of Grays theory. Spain is a country whose accounting system is defined as that of a Continental European standard, this is as a result of the fact that its legal system is Roman law and that its accounting laws are embe dded in its legislation. Going by Hofstedes classification, Spain has a medium individualist culture, medium power distance, low masculinity and high uncertainty avoidance. Using Grays framework to classify their accounting systems places them as a country with more emphasis on uniformity, more emphasis on conservatism, less emphasis on professionalism and less emphasis on secrecy. Going by Grays framework, one major problem with Spains accounting systems is the preference for conservative measurements and reporting as opposed to the true and fair value methods of the IFRS. Moreover, the adoption of IFRS is meant to improve the quality of financial information, enhance comparability, and strengthen the integration and competitiveness of capital markets (Zeghal and Mhedhbi, 2006). Though the country has adopted IFRS, it has come across a few problems. Callao et al (2007) notes that the adoption of IFRS in Spain has not improved comparability of accounts, it has worsened it. They also find out relevance of financial information has not improved. This invalidates Grays theory in that the cultural differences in accounting systems as identified by his framework, though logical, it seems to have been ignored by the International Accounting Standards Board. An application of Grays hypotheses is tabulated for Spain to check its overall validity and practicability. Societal/ Accounting Values Medium Individualism Medium Power Distance Low Masculinity High Uncertainty Avoidance Strength of the Hypotheses Professionalism ns ns Pos. Weak Uniformity ns ns Pos. Weak Conservatism ns Pos Pos Semi- strong Secrecy ns ns Pos Pos Semi-strong Where ns: no relationship and pos. : positive relationship From this table, the practicability of Grays theory is not strong. Hofstedes values make room for moderating along the continuum as can be seen from Spain been a medium individualist culture. Gray did make provision for countries like Spain who fall in the middle of the continuum. Splitting Grays hypotheses into bits shows the weaknesses of his framework and implies an impracticability of the framework. This also implies that Grays theory is country specific and as noted by Heidhues and Patel (2011), the values were constructed using the US and the UK as a base. Conclusion The practicability of Grays hypotheses has been argued above; the problems have been highlighted alongside the impact of the framework for the applicability of IFRS. As noted above, there is room for improvement if the theory is to be valid. In addition to this, Heidhues and Patel (2011) note that Grays framework was accepted in the academic world without criticism and they point to the fact that this might be as a result of his being seen as one of the leading international accounting researchers. The impact of changes was not incorporated into the framework and this is very important considering that societal dynamism is constant. This alone reduces the reasonability behind Grays framework.

Five Bells: The Performance of Memory Essay -- Five Bells Australia

'Five Bells': The Performance of Memory If we are to be led by the debate recently staged in Critical Inquiry, either Australian multiculturalism is crucially ‘about’ justice, in some sense, or Australian justice is equally crucially ‘about’ multiculturalism. As most of us seem to be aware, multicultural discourse on justice suffers from at least two key paradoxes. First, the desire to respect the absolute alterity of the other, and the simultaneous desire for coexistence, for an equality implying the substitutability of subjects. In Specters of Marx, Derrida describes this aspect of justice as "the infinite promise of democracy," which, he says, is "always untenable ... for the reason that it calls for the infinite respect of the singularity and infinite alterity of the other as much as for the respect of the countable, calculable, subjectal equality between anonymous singularities" (65).1 The second paradox, which may or may not be in fact another version of the first one, is to do with the appa rently necessary equivalence of difference, the substitutability of different differences into various formulae: as Frow and Morris summarize Povinelli’s argument, "the unhappy paradox of difference theories posited as an alternative to the politics of identity [is] that they come to rely on the self-identity of the different" (626). I do not pretend to have any sort of solution to these paradoxes: in fact, to look for a solution, in that sense, is probably the wrong move to make. I want to start by distinguishing between two aspects of justice which tend to get conflated: the synchronic element of justice, which seems to be most commonly implicated in the various discourses on justice, and the diachronic element. It seems to me t... ...rne: Lansdowne P. 1963. Jameson, Fredric. "Marx’s Purloined Letter." New Left Review. No. 209 (Jan/Feb 1995): 75-109. Povinelli, Elizabeth. "The Cunning of Recognition: A Reply to John Frow and Meaghan Morris." Critical Inquiry. 25 (Spring 1999): 631-37. -----. "The State of Shame: Australian Multiculturalism and the Crisis of Indigenous Citizenship." Critical Inquiry. 24 (Winter 1998): 575-610. Roach, Joseph. Cities of the Dead: Circum-Atlantic Performance. New York: Columbia UP. 1996. Slessor, Kenneth. "Five Bells." Collected poems. Ed. Dennis Haskell and Geoffrey Dutton. Pymble, N.S.W.: Angus & Robertson, 1994. Smith, Graeme Kinross. "Kenneth Slessor" Westerly: A Quarterly Review. No. 2 (1978): 51-59. Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. A Critique of Postcolonial Reason: Toward a History of the Vanishing Present. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP. 1999.

Education Systems of Vietnam and England Essay

The secondary education system is very important for both Vietnam and England. It created for children’s future purpose. Compared to Vietnam, England’s current system of secondary education has a long tradition and higher quality, while the secondary education in Vietnam is borrowing from many different countries and poor quality. However, both countries have some similarities and differences in their education system. Their similarities include the free education, the national curriculum applied for all state schools, but they both have some differences in the education structure, the qualities, and the law for private schools. Firstly, there are both similarities and differences in their education system. The secondary education is free for all children, but it is not compulsory in Vietnam. Meanwhile, English children required by law to have a free education until they are 16 years old. Furthermore, the national curriculum created and applied for all state schools in both countries. (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 Ultimate – The ministry of education and training of Vietnam). Moreover, the national test applied for all children in both countries at the age of 11, 14, and 16. In England, the secondary education is a local responsibility, so that the education and teacher employed and provided by Local Education Authorities (LEAs). In Vietnam, the Local department of Education is also responsible for secondary education, but all state schools are employed the teacher individually. (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2008 Ultimate – The ministry of education and training of Vietnam). Beside some similarities, they also have some differences such as the education structure, the facilities, and the quality of education. In Vietnam, the secondary education are divided into two levels, which are the basic secondary education and the high school education, the student can leaving school or seeking higher education after completed year 12. In contrast, the secondary education system of England encompasses three key stages. Key stage 1 from year 7 to year 9 and key stage 2 from year 10 to year 11 are compulsory, after completed year 11 student can leaving school or complete two more levels to study in higher education. In addition, the facilities and the quality of education in England are much better than Vietnam. Finally, the other difference is the law system.