Tuesday, December 24, 2019

If I DidnT Grow Up In The Middle Class . Growing Up In

If I Didn t Grow Up in the Middle Class Growing up in the city of Brook Park, a nice little suburb located in northeast Ohio. I never really imagined how life could be differently if I grew up in a different social class. Up to this point in my life, my family has mainly been a middle class family. Money isn t thrown around in my family like its nothing, but we ve had a very good living style due to the hard work of my parents. Many times growing up my parents always told me to be grateful for what we have and to never complain because there s people out there who would love to have what we have as a family. If I lived in the poverty living level instead of the middle class, the social part of my life would be different in many†¦show more content†¦As a child I was lucky enough to have this experience with my family but I may not have had this opportunity if it wasn t for growing up in the middle class. Vacations are very expensive, especially when they are only a week long and families spend thousands of dollars on them. That would be a lot of extra money for families to come up with, especially families who aren t in the higher low class or middle class and annual income per adult averages between $18,000-$30,000 per year.(Cliffsnotes) Not having those vacation experiences would be a huge loss and I wouldn’t have had some of my best childhood experiences with my family. Show me your friends, I ll show you your future. This quote is one of my favorite quotes of all time, which I heard from a speech given by Jim Tressel.I ve been surrounded around great friends my whole life, and I believe they take a big part in why I have a pretty bright future. They have always been great influences around me, and are always telling me what the right and wrong things are to do. Friends are like a second family to most people, if you aren t with your family your with you friends. Its very important to have a good stable friend group that help lead you into the right path. Growing up in my town there was the fair share of drugs and violence but not as bad as some neighborhoods where the price of living is low. If I were to grow up in a different social class, I could have been raised up in town where crime and drugsShow MoreRelatedMy Most Formative Memories Of The South1273 Words   |  6 PagesI was raised in the south nestled in a small town outside of an even sma ller city in North Carolina. Growing up in the south was an education on it’s on. For starters, I was not short of discipline. I realized that a lot of my friends’ parents just â€Å"negotiated† with them from age two and beyond. This is not acceptable in the south. One of my most formative memories is being popped in the mouth by my grandmother in front of the entire line at Winn-Dixie because I called her a name - one that rhymesRead MoreSelf Perception800 Words   |  4 Pagesfrom cultural aspects. I have had it very rough in life growing up since childhood being raised in a low income town as the oldest girl of four of three other female children; I was forced to grow up fast in life. My mother gave birth to me and all of my sisters in Ansonia, CT which is a small town where just about everyone knows each other and knows your all of your business. My social status was low class but most of the families there were and very few were middle class, but we all a ttended schoolsRead MorePrivate Education Vs. Public Education864 Words   |  4 Pageseducation. I attended a private Christian school from grades Kindergarten through eighth. My father believed a private education would be the best option for me. Our class sizes were very small. Each grade level had around forty students, but we were split equally into two individual classes. The majority of the eighth grade class consisted of the same students that we started Kindergarten with. We had grown up together and helped one another grow. A few months into my eighth grade year, I transferredRead MoreEssay on The Importance of a Personal ´s Life in Speak806 Words   |  4 Pagesin any middle school classroom and offers many valuable life lessons to young teens. Throughout someone’s experience of reading this inspiring novel, he or she can come to realize how important art can be in a person’s life. Mr. Freeman, Melinda’s art teacher, helps Melinda understand that life is like art. When a mistake is made in life, there is a chance to start anew, just like erasing a drawing and starting over. Mr. Freeman introduced his class by saying, â€Å"Welcome to the only class that willRead MoreRole Of Women During The Nineteenth Century1456 Words   |  6 PagesIn the last decades of the nineteenth century, United Stated encountered an urban migration; it was something different and never experienced before. As factories began to open up across the Midwestern and Northern countryside, cities grew up around them. A whole new world was introduced, bringing a mixture of both positive and negative effects into the American society. While the new elite, big businesses, and the American economy in general, enjoyed the benefits of ind ustrialization, many AmericansRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Outsiders1661 Words   |  7 PagesOutsiders, the author S.E Hinton explains the story of a young boy named Ponyboy and the struggle to survive, to find out the rights and wrongs in society, taking on difficult challenges like social class, loved ones, loyalty and rivalry between two different social classes . The question is brought up, is the American Dream fact ? Or fiction ? According to the knowledge that has been given, Through documentaries, articles and a novel. The American Dream is what you could describe as an allusion.Read MoreMy Parents Always Encouraged Me909 Words   |  4 Pagesyears, I now see that yes indeed reading did expand my mind and in the unimaginable ways as well as helped me grow as an individual. Reading has impacted me both in positive and negative aspects. Whenever I was read to or I reading to myself I remember Dr. Seuss words â€Å"The more you read the more things you know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll go† and day by day seeing the truth of those words. I always tried to imply books as much as possible in all my education especially when I don’tRead MoreGrowing Up Is A Hard Thing For Me1554 Words   |  7 PagesGrowing up was a hard thing for me to do. Don’t get me wrong, what I mean by that is not that it was hard for me to grow or develop literally, but that it was very hard to grow up mentally. When I was in high school an event happen to me that completely changed my life from being a typical average high school kid who didn’t care about school, to a hard working dedicated student. Life can change in an instant, and change everything in an instant too. it happened to me once, and I am truly happy thatRead MoreBest Two Things Of My Life1398 Words   |  6 Pagesof me. From toddler to adult, I have managed to sharpen both skills to my liking. However, even though it significantly helped, schooling was not what influenced me to continue developing those skills to talent. Many different things shaped and influenced my learning in my country, and now reading and writing have become the safety net of my life. I know that even if I have nothing else in the future, I will still have my talent and knowledge. To ensure my success, I hope to further develop thoseRead MoreBeing Bullied987 Words   |  4 PagesBeing Bullied When I was in middle school I was bullied. No one should ever have to go through what I went through as a young middle school child. It can cause a lot of damage to one’s self esteem, and it can cause health problems down the road. Now that I have children of my own, I want to make sure they know that they do not have to go through what I went through growing up and being bullied. I try to make sure that my children know there are ways to deal with a bully. And I try to help my children

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Data Analysis Free Essays

To analyze the time series data, a statistical software (STATA) was used. In time series data analysis important required condition is stationarity of the data set. To test whether the time series is stationary or not, the two tests are used; the ADF (Augmented Dickey Fuller) test and Zivot and Andrews test for unit root. We will write a custom essay sample on Data Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now Both of these tests have same null hypothesis that the series is non-stationary (unit root process). For ADF unit root test we need lag length for the given time series variables. The lag length is selected by using information criteria (HQIC, AIC, SBIC) mentioned in section [2.2]. We performed the unit root tests with both trend and constant. It is important because the graphs of the time series variables gives an indication, whether we will include the trend term in the model or not. We can check the t value as well for inclusion of trend term in the model. The graph of immigration, unemployment and inflation shows that these series have time trend, but GDP growth rate series has no trend. The Table 4 summarizes the results of ADF test at levels. The given table consists of test statistics value and p-value. In case of variable GROWTH, the hypothesis was rejected and we can say that GDP growth rate is stationary at levels. The remaining variables IMMIG, UNEMP and INF are non-stationary at levels. All these three variables are non-stationary, when ADF test is performed with trend and intercept in the model. Table 4: Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test for Unit Root at levelsVariables With intercept With trend and intercept Test statistics Z(t) P-value Test statistics P-valueIMMIG -0.838 0.8077 -2.825 0.1881UNEMP -1.398 0.5833 -2.503 0.3265GROWTH -5.671 0.0000 -5.587 0.0000INF -1.313 0.6231 -3.163 0.1032Since the series (IMMIG, UNEMP and INF) are not-stationary at levels, we take first difference for these three series. After taking the first differenced for IMMIG, UNEMP and INF series, the ADF test are then performed, as shown in table 5. Now these three variables are stationary at the first difference and they are said to be integrated of first order. Table 5: Augmented Dickey-Fuller Test for Unit Root at first differenceVariables With intercept With trend and intercept Test statistics Z(t) P-value Test statistics P-valueIMMIG -6.516 0.0000 -6.520 0.0000UNEMP -4.582 0.0001 -4.523 0.0014INF -7.967 0.0000 -7.891 0.0000 The results obtained from Zivot and Andrews test of unit are shown table 6. GDP growth rate has same results like in previous tests which is stationary at level with constant and trend and without trend. Unemployment rate and immigration are non-stationary series with or without trend. The inflation rate is stationary without trend but non-stationary when including trend term in the model. Zivot and Andrews test was reformed after taking first difference of the three non-stationary time series. The unemployment, immigration and inflation rate have a strong evidence to reject the null hypothesis of unit root at first difference.Table 6. Zivot and Andrew unit root test for structural break (at levels)Variables With intercept With trend and intercept Test statistics Z(t) Break Year Test statistics Z(t) Break YearIMMIG -4.167 2006 -3.698 2002UNEMP -5.313 1992 -3.841 1997GROWTH -6.001*** 1994 -5.180*** 2005INF -5.025** 1992 -3.830 1977Note: significant at 10% level, **significant at 5% level, *** significant at 1% level Table 7. Zivot and Andrew unit root test for structural break (at first difference)Variables With intercept With trend and intercept Test statistics Z(t) Test statistics Z(t)D. IMMIG -7.032*** -6.413***D.UNEMP -5.600*** -4.632**D.INF -7.092*** -6.896*** Note: *significant at 10% level, **significant at 5% level, *** significant at 1% level The empirical results of vector autoregressive model are investigated in the form of Granger causality test and Impulse response function. In this thesis, the time series variables used on levels to perform VAR model, because GDP growth rate is stationary on level and the remaining three variables (IMMIG, UNEMP and INF) are stationary at first difference. As mentioned in section [2.1], various studies have indicated that vector auto regressive model can be estimated on levels of variables.The information criterion is used to select the lag length for a vector autoregressive model with four time series variables. The three information criterion (HQIC, AIC, SBIC) gives same lag length, which is two. But we preferred SBIC for selecting the lag length. After computing the results of vector autoregressive model, there is need to test for autocorrelation of residuals and stability of the model. The LM Test for Residual Autocorrelation is used to test for autocorrelation. The results of the test shows that there is no evidence of autocorrelation found between the residuals. The resulting VAR model gives all eigenvalues less than one and these eigenvalues lies inside the unit circle shown in appendix [A4], which confirms that estimated VAR model is stable.The Granger causality test is performed by using the results of VAR model. Table 8 shows the results of Granger-causality. The null and alternative hypotheses is used for immigration variable are H_0: Immigration does not Granger cause unemployment rateH_1: Immigration granger causes the unemployment rate H_0: Immigration does not granger cause GDP growth rate H_1: Immigration granger causes the GDP growth rate ? H?_0: Immigration does not Granger cause inflation rate H_1: Immigration granger causes the inflation rateIn first column of table 8 the null hypothesis is shown and degree of freedom is in 2nd column. The next two columns give test statistics value and p-value. We set the level of significance to be at 5%. The degree of freedom for all pairs is used 2, because the estimated VAR model has lag length 2. The results obtained from granger causality test for first null hypothesis have p-value 0.194, which is a clear evidence that we cannot reject null hypothesis. It showed that immigration does not granger cause unemployment rate. For hypothesis about effect of immigration on GDP growth rate, the p-value is 0.35, which means again that we cannot reject the null hypothesis and conclude that the immigration does not granger cause GDP growth rate. The same results found in case of immigration and inflation rate hypothesis, where the p-value is 0.186. It is found that immigrations do not granger cause inflation rate. In these three cases we cannot reject the null hypothesis. Table 8: Engle-Granger test for Causality:Null Hypothesis df Chi-sq Prob chi-sq decision IMMIG does not granger cause UNEMP 2 3.2787 0.194 Do not reject H0IMMIG does not granger cause GROWTH 2 2.1011 0.350 Do not reject H0IMMIG does not granger cause INF 2 3.3626 0.186 Do not reject H0The impulse response function obtained from vector autoregressive model results are presented in figures (6-9). The impulse response function in the figure (7) shows the response of unemployment rate after a shock in the immigration. At first two steps, the resulting effect is negative, but after two steps it has a positively increasing trend till the fourth step. At the fourth step it has a maximum value near 2 and after fourth step it goes down, which eventually disappeared at sixth step. The impulse response function in this case build an idea that immigrations have positive short run relationship with unemployment.The figure (8) displays the response of growth rate to a shock in immigrations. It shows the negative relation in first three years. After the third year, it tends towards positive side and after sixth year it fades away. In figure (9) the response of inflation rate to a shock in immigration show that in first three years it has positive value. But after third years, it is going towards negative side till sixth year and after sixth year it has no effect. It shows that in first years immigration and inflation have positive significance short run relationship and after this period it has negative relation till sixth year. Figure 6: Graph of Impulse Response Function Figure 7: Response of UNEMP to a shock in IMMIG Figure 8: Response of GROWTH to a shock in IMMG Figure 9: Response of INF to a shock in IMMG ? ConclusionsThe main objective of this thesis is to investigate the effect of immigration on macro-economic variables in Sweden. In this study unemployment rate, GDP growth rate and inflation rate are considered as the economic variables. The annual data for period 1970-2014 is used to examine the relationship between these variables in Sweden. We estimated VAR model for a short run relationship. The estimated VAR model satisfied the stability condition and by using Lagrange Multiplier (LM) test for autocorrelation, it was made sure that there is no autocorrelation between the residuals at any lag order 2. The granger causality analysis performed by using the results of VAR model. The granger causality results shows that the immigration does not effect the unemployment rate, growth rate and inflation rate in Sweden during the study period. It is concluded that immigration has no short run relationship with these three macro-economic variables. The results obtained from impulse response function shows that the immigration has short run positive relationship with the unemployment rate after first few years. On the other hand, the immigration have negative effect on growth rate in first three periods, but after these periods, the reverse effect has been observed. There is a positive relationship found in first two years between immigration and inflation rate. But after two years it has negative relationship between immigration and inflation rate. The impulse response function results shows that immigration affect these economic variables for five to six periods and after that it have no such effect. This indicates that in the beginning the immigrants does not participate in the economic growth. One probable cause of this could be the exposure to a new language in Sweden, which produces language barriers. Which also verifies that the GDP growth rate becomes static relative to the immigrations after few years, since language barrier is a temporary effect. However, considering more economic variables which could be affected by the immigration may lead to more findings in Sweden’s economic growth. Moreover, increasing the sample size of the study variables could yield more improved results. How to cite Data Analysis, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Ancient Astronomy Essay Example For Students

Ancient Astronomy Essay Science Assignment1) A supernova is an explosion, triggered by the collapse andexplosion of a massive star. There are two types of supernova explosion inthe universe, called Type I and Type II. The remains of the core of a starthat has gone supernova is a neutron star. These stars give off radio wavescalled pulsars. When a huge star goes supernova, the gravity of the corebecomes so strong that even light cannot escape it. This is called a Blackhole. On occasion, throughout the centuries, astronomers have been puzzled by theappearance of, as they phrased it, new stars in the sky. For instance, inJuly 1054 AD, Chinese astronomers noted the appearance of a guest star(as they called it) in the constellation Taurus. The guest star was visiblein broad daylight for three weeks, and was visible at night for two yearsbefore it faded into invisibility. Astronomers also study supernovae because they are rare, luminous, andfairly brief events. There are only about one per century in our galaxy. 2) Normal forces give us the sensation of having weight. If we removethe supporting force, we have the sensation of apparent weightlessness.For example, a skydiver feels weightless before opening the parachute andin and the unlikely event of an elevator breaking loose, you would alsoexperience weightlessness. Certain amusement park rides are designed toremove the supporting force and induce a feeling of weightlessness. Galileo correctly concluded that in free fall, all objects must fall at thesame rate. While in orbit our astronauts are constantly falling. Sinceeverything around them is also falling and everything falls at the samerate, they have a continuing experience of weightlessness. Some of the very real effects to the human body of this apparentweightlessness include:1. Loss of bone mass (similar to osteoporosis)2. Reduced total blood volume, particularly loss of red blood cells3. Giddy, light-headed feeling4. Space sickness with nausea and vomiting5. Decrease of heart size6. Nasal congestion7. Muscle weakness3) To determine the movement of a star through the universe,scientists use a method called red shift. There are 3 different types ofred shift and two are used to find the movement of stars. The Doppler Redshift results from the relative motion of the light emitting object and theobserver. If the source of light is moving away from you then thewavelength of the light is stretched out, i.e., the light is shiftedtowards the red. These effects, individually called the blue shift, and thered shift are together known as Doppler shifts. The other red shift used to find the motion of stars is the CosmologicalRed shift. This is a red shift caused by the expansion of space. Thewavelength of light increases as it traverses the expanding universebetween its point of emission and its point of detection by the same amountthat space has expanded during the crossing time. 4) Sunspots are regions on the solar surface that appear dark becausethey are cooler than the surrounding photosphere. They are believed to becaused by intense magnetic fields interfering with the bubbles of hot gas. They are only dark in a relative sense; a sunspot removed from the brightbackground of the Sun would glow quite brightly. The largest sunspotsobserved have had diameters of about 50,000 km, which makes them largeenough to be seen with the naked eye. Sunspots often come in groups with asmany as 100 in a group, though sunspot groups with more than about 10 arerelatively rare. Sunspots develop and persist for periods ranging fromhours to months, and are carried around the surface of the Sun by itsrotation. .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 , .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 .postImageUrl , .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 , .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679:hover , .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679:visited , .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679:active { border:0!important; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679:active , .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679 .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7316f34614fce5eecbf957d7e172a679:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Old Man And The Sea Essay SummarySolar flares emit radiation that includes x-rays and ultraviolet rays,charged particles called protons and electrons, and powerful particles withno electric charge, called neutrons. This radiation surge may damageelectrical power systems, interfere with telecommunications, wreck high-tech ship navigation systems, harm an astronaut in space, or create thespectacular Northern and Southern lights, aurora. 5) The Big Bang Theory is the dominant scientific theory about theorigin of the universe. It states that the universe was created between 10and 20 billion years ago from the random, cosmic explosion of a subatomicball that hurled matter and energy in all directions. Then over a period ofapproximately 10 billion years, this newly created matter and energycoagulated into stars, galaxies and planets, including our earth. This theory was first introduced by in Albert Einstein in 1905. Anotherscientist, Edwin Hubble, observed that distant galaxies in every directionare going away from us at speeds proportional to their distance. The bigbang concept was initially suggested because it explains why distantgalaxies are travelling away from us at great speeds. The theory alsopredicts the existence of cosmic background radiationThe Big Bang Theory has many significant problems. Besides conflicting withthe 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics, the Big Bang Theory contradicts theLaw of Conservation of Angular Momentum. Everything in the universe isspinning planets, stars, galaxies, etc. It would take an enormous amountof energy to start a planet spinning. Many other contradictions have alsobeen noted making this theory very unstable. 6) Most telescopes are on the ground. The advantage of this is that onthe ground, you can deploy a heavier telescope and upgrade it more easily. The trouble is that Earth-bound telescopes must look through the Earthsatmosphere. This is a problem because, firstly the Earths atmosphereblocks out a broad range of the electromagnetic spectrum, allowing a narrowband of visible light to reach the surface. Second, the Earths atmosphereblurs the light it lets through. By orbiting above the Earths atmosphere,satellites in space, such as the Hubble, can get clearer images. In fact,even though Hubble has a mirror 15 times smaller than large Earth-boundtelescopes, it can still resolve detail almost 100 times finer. -SC1

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Why Slavery Why Africans an Example by

Why Slavery? Why Africans? How strong was the relationship between race and slavery in colonial North America? The Virginians in the 17th century were no different by other Americans in terms of being labor intensive and productive. But during this period, the Virginians begin to feel the need for more labor as more production of tobacco farms was established to cater to the growing needs of England for tobacco. Since these early Virginians were mostly colonials from England, the crown of England is fully supporting them in their commerce and agriculture. Need essay sample on "Why Slavery? Why Africans?" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Tobacco production in Virginia has become the forefront for Agriculture in North America that creates revenues that supports the crown of England. There is only one problem the Virginians are facing and that is the lack of labor force which is needed to power the production for more tobacco. The number of African slaves who were brought or bought from Africa continues to dwindle and most of them are getting old. They were called Negroes during that time by the colonials from England because of their ebony dark skin and the word has spread out in this part of the world. In the early days of colonialism, the Virginians avoided taking in more Negroes from Africa because they believe that keeping them for a lifetime while keeping their family as well is not logical enough for a man of single family with small farms. But with the addition of more agricultural areas, more lands were tilled and cotton and muscovado sugar were added as the principal crops in Virginia. Thus suddenly the necessity for the Negroes was felt. However, most of the citizens are contemplating of taking in more Negroes because they are afraid they would also revolt once they are more in numbers just like in England. Before the introduction of Negroes in the 1640s, the main crop in Virginia was primarily tobacco and majority of the workers were whites who migrated from England to avoid the civil war conflict. Migrating to Virginia to work as laborers was the only option to survive and so English workers flock to Virginia to work on farms. But with the introduction of cotton and sugar, more laborers were needed while tilling the lands became tougher. White workers who are not used to hard work avoided the strenuous labor. But with the advent of peace in England, white workers arrival in Virginia declined while the former workers decided to own their own lands and some of them migrated back to England. This calls for more Negro workers for the job. In 1660, Virginians started to buy Negroes from the Dutch traders who travel between Africa and Europe. But because of the passing of Navigation Acts which prevented the Dutch to enter the colonies of the whites, buying of slaves was once again stopped. The people of West Indies however continued to buy slaves from Africa through their own voyage and selling of slaves by the West Indies to Virginia carried more Negroes into the state. With the importation of muscovado sugar and tobacco, more Englishmen from England came to Virginia to try the opportunity brought about by agriculture. By 1750, more than 100,000 Negroes were taken in inside Virginia and West Indies but stricter rules in owning Negroes for slaves have been implemented. Rules in punishing slaves enable more slaves to practice their rights but some puritanical North American colonials remained strict with their slaves to the point of killing them if they go against the rules of their masters. The slaves from then on became an integral part of the colonists for without them there would be no commerce, trade and comfortable life for colonists. Thus the relationship between race and slavery in North America was very strong because the Negroes remained to be slaves for many years not because they are capable in sustaining life for their masters but because they were seen as lower in race farther from their masters white race (Morgan). Were English colonists motivated to enslave Africans by prejudice or by profit? As written by English adventurous traders, the Englismen arrived in Africa in the 1550s to make trade with the people. Although the Englishmen were known to be nation of colonizers, there were no motives of colonizing the Africans and converting them to English religions whatsoever. As the trade continued to grow and participated by the Portuguese and the Spanish, it was only in 1631 when the English were forced to settle in Kormantin due to the fact that the Royal African Company, a shipping and trading company was put on hold to sail. This initiates familiarity of the Englishmen with the culture and color of the African natives. Initially these first English settlers treated the West Africans equal as men because they all work together in harmony. Words of mouth travels as English nobles and historian travelers explored the mystery of Africa and its people. Shakespeare and Othello call them in their works as blacks and sometimes Negroes. However during the 17th century, constant traders in Africa began to notice certain distinctions between North Africans and the South Africans. They see Africans of the North to be blacker than the Africans of the south so they branded the South Africans to be moors while the North African to be black moors. Since the English traders have developed a strong trading relationship with the Africans, few Negroes begin to mingle with the Englishmen and agree to be taken to England to work as free slaves. Prior to that, five West Africans were taken to London in 1554 by Englishman trader William Towrson to have them as his slaves. Towrson trained them to learn English so that they could help him with his trade across Africa. From them on, sporadically Negroes were brought to England to work as free slaves or for free labor. Soon the Negroes seem to be novelties for the English nobles because of their uniqueness in color and their adaptability to learn English cultures. Although the Portuguese and the Spanish who for centuries have been in contact with the Africans, they did not recognize them as lower in race. However, the English interests with blacks were partly out of curiosity while others disdain them for being black. As an evidence of the English critical observation with the Africans during that period, even the Oxford English Dictionary described the meaning of black as deeply stained with dirt; dirty, foul and soiled. It signifies dark with deadly purposes or pertaining to death, sinister and disastrous. In other words there came in this period the insignificance of being black as an emotionally partisan in color and the symbol of evil and a sign of repulsion and danger by many English colonists. This kind of mentality was ingrained in the English culture where black connotes filthiness, sin, baseness, ugliness, evil and the devil, while white is being in purity, virginity, virtue, beauty, beneficence and God. Obviously, the English carry in them the culture of the Elizabethan English who is complimented to be the perfect and ideal human beauty because of the color of her skin. Due to the influx of bigger trade and settlement of other Europeans in African countries, the English came to conclusion that the Negroes must be converted to Christianity because they believe that being an atheist is a great fundamental defect and sin to God. However, some of these Englishmen are not strong believers themselves that is why most of them do not feel the necessity to introduce Christianity to the Africans. By being atheists, it was thought that during the latter part of the 17th until the 18th century slavery became engraved to English civilization mainly because it was powered by prejudice generally evoked by the puritanical English religious sects. The Negroes were seen as the unbelievers, the uncultured or even to the point of seeing them to be ape kind. Far from being equal they were defiled as lustful and unclean as animals. They were bought as slaves because of their energetic and unusual resilience to work. The Englishmens objectives of re-creating them to be civilized and turn them into Christians have never happened but the English traders succeeded in passing them as part of their commodities. Negroes are bought from other Negroes, traders and so on. At last the Englishmen find reasons to capitalize on the Negroes unique culture, uncultivated characteristics and physical appearance which for them are inferior qualities that are suited only to be slaves. And so the question if what motivates the Englishmen to enslave Negroes according to this commentary, it shows that they were enslave primarily because of prejudice and then by profit because they became good commodities for the ambitious and racial English colonists (Jordan). Works Cited: Jordan, Winthrop D. White or Black: American Attitudes Towards the Negro, 1550-1812. Morgan, Edmund S. American Slavery, American Freedom. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1975.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Power of Awe 5 Proven Benefits to Experiencing Awe in Your Life

The Power of Awe 5 Proven Benefits to Experiencing Awe in Your Life One of the themes at my leadership retreat last week was the power of awe. From the moment we arrived at the campus in Wisconsin, we were called upon to seek out awe-inspiring experiences. The first day, I saw a dragonfly caught in a spider’s web. I heard frogs that sounded like an orchestra. I saw fireflies that looked like sparklers. All of these were moments of awe. During one classroom section out on the grass, a green bug landed on me and I spent many minutes watching its movements. I was fascinated by how it shifted from side to side, bending its legs as it leaned to the left, then straightening and bending them again as it leaned to the right. Why would a bug do such a thing? I was captivated. Every time the bug jumped off my leg I would catch it again so I could watch its do this dance. In each of these moments, time stood still. I felt like I could sit there forever focusing on this one thing – a green bug, a sunset, a frog chorus. I was happy to be alive, for the simple fact that life occurred to me as captivating and miraculous. What I learned over the week is that scientific research supports my experience of awe. Specifically there are four documented effects of awe that make me want to pursue it more often! 5 Major Benefits of Awe We become more generous and caring after experiencing awe! In a study directed by Paul Piff, half the participants were directed to look at the side of a building, and the other half were directed to look at a grove of towering eucalyptus trees. After they looked at the scene, a researcher walked by the participants and dropped a box of pens by â€Å"accident.† The ones who had looked at the trees picked up more of the pens, exhibiting much more ethical and social behavior than the ones who looked at a building. Imagine the world we would live in if more people experienced awe on a regular basis! Awe inspires creativity. When a group of children looked at a series of photos, one beginning with objects like a pencil, and progressing to vast things like the Milky Way, they were more creative than another group starting with vast things and moving to more everyday things. This 2012 study from Tel Aviv University encourages me to look at an awe-inspiring video or photo before attempting any creative pursuit! Awe produces health benefits. A January 2015 study in the journal Emotion found that awe, especially when induced by a deep connection to art, nature, or spirituality, lowers cytokines in the body. Lower cytokines means less risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and depression. Furthermore, if awe is inspired by a physical experience in nature, we get more vitamin D and also benefits related to exercise. Awe expands our sense of time. Researchers at Stanford and the University of Minnesota found that when people experience awe, they report that they have more time available and are less impatient. Awe brings people into the present moment- and the sense of having more time can lead to better sleep, less stress, less engaging in addictions, more motivation to acquire new knowledge, more willingness to volunteer, and overall, more life satisfaction. Awe gives you a better sense of well-being. Awe-inspiring experiences such as looking at a natural wonder, listening to a beautiful symphony, or even looking into another person’s eyes, can make us feel a connection with something greater. This experience is an emotion â€Å"in the upper reaches of pleasure and on the boundary of fear† as described by psychologists Dacher Keltner of UC Berkeley and Jonathan Haidt of New York University. Who wouldn’t want that? When was the last time you experienced awe? Are there awe-inspiring opportunities passing you by on a daily basis? I challenge you this week to have 10 awe-inspiring moments every day. I’d love to hear the difference it makes in your life!

Friday, November 22, 2019

Betrayal in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar

Etho - brute? But everyone will kill what he likes. Everyone will hear such a voice, some people look with bitter eyes, some people love adorable words, a widow kiss, a brave man with a sword, Oscar Wilde. Of the tragedy of Shakespeare Inside, we encountered the betrayal of his drama and how it caused disastrous consequences, in which case Macbeth, Hamlet and Julius Caesar are no exception.In Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth Hamlet and Julius Caesar Betrayal will lead to the collapse of tragic heroes. The combination in the middle of Shakespeare's plays began with Julius Caesar in 1599. Over the next few years, Shakespeare will produce his most famous episode, including Macbeth, Hamlet and Kingia. The drama at this time solved the problems such as darkest, betrayal, murder, desire, power, egoism, in many respects in Shakespeare's career. The last group of plays called Shakespeare's later years romantic story includes pellicles, prince tires, cymbalin, winter stories and storms. Romanti cism is called because they resemble medieval romantic literature. One of the outstanding features of these dramas is a plot line of atonement besides the wonderful elements like the magic of happy endings. The killings of Hamlet, Richard II, Henry VIII, Macbeth and Julius Caesar are seen everywhere from Hamlet to Richard II, Henry VIII to Macbeth, everywhere in Shakespeare. The chief element of the King like the Julius Caesar or the head of the dictatorship. - In literary works, writers often use the theme of revenge. Because it adds plot and doubt to the story. Julius Caesar and Othello of William Shakespeare are two plays, of which the most important is vengeance. This can be explained by the letters, symbols, and settings of the two pieces. Revenge is an immutable theme of Othello's play. It is drawn by Character Eago. I am deciding to destroy Othello and his loved ones. The plays usually classified as a tragedy of Shakespeare are Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Andrew Nios, Julius Caesar, Troy Ross and Cresida, Othello, Corio Ranus, King Leah, Anthony and Cleopatra, Athena Timmon and Cinberine (This is controversial, some scholars classify it as comedy Shakespeare's history focuses on the British monarch and Richard III (the enemy of the Tudor dynasty) and Henry 5 Many historians who celebrate Queen's Tudor Dynasty's ancestry, including depictions of the world (one of the King of the Tudor King) are pointing out the inaccuracy of the description, but the drama presents a specific image It is very powerful and many people feel that it is difficult to see the past

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 10

Marketing - Essay Example It thus makes sense to have a bank with a global reach that makes it easy for the expats to access their money in the right currency and amount whenever need arises. Such banks include Barclays, HSBC, City Bank among others (Czinkota and Ronkainen, 2007, p. 119). One of the main reasons expats would be interested in a global bank is that one can have all the information concerning their accounts at all times. Most global banks offer international accounts accessible from any part of the world. This easiness of information access is one reason expats need to consider global banks. They get to know all the charges incurred in all the transactions they make on their accounts. Another reason a global bank is the right choice for expats is that they have the added advantage of not only accessing their money whenever they need it, they also get it in whatever currency they desire. Due to the bank’s global reach, exchange rates are also deemed to be reasonable as they are normalized all across its branches (Czinkota Ronkainen, 2007, p. 77). It also occurs that due to their large sizes, these banks have the luxury of offering the best exchange rates on the market since they enjoy economies of scale. Thus, they make profits depending on volume in spite of exorbitant rates. The expat also gets to build their banking reputation with the given bank thus improving their credit ratings. This is most important when one requires a loan to finance a given project in the new country but is short of funds. Since they have good credit ratings with their banks, they easily qualify for loans without much of a hassle. It is a great way of getting things done. A great advantage with having a global bank is that most of them offer a safe haven for one’s cash. Due to these banks’ sheer size, they are very reliable in terms of the safety of funds. Most of them have been in operation for more than a century and have this most enviable reputation for dependability. The ir big sizes also offer excellent ways for tax efficiency given that they mostly normalize their operations across all branches the world over. It is thus to the benefit of the expat to have such an institution at their service whenever they travel around the world. Besides offering peace of mind, these banks enable the expats focus on other matters while they take care of the monetary matters (Czinkota and Ronkainen, 2007, p. 103). Financial Services That Might Interest Expats Living in Hong Kong and Singapore C5.2 tabulates countries, according to rank, basing on a few selected factors. Among them is the longevity of residence in a foreign country, earning and saving for the expats, the luxury facilities in these countries available to the expat and the cost of accommodation compared to the expats’ domicile. The financial services that would most interest an expat are the earning and saving capabilities, the availability and affordability of luxurious facilities and the cos t of accommodation. The expats’ ability to earn and save money in the new country is of great importance. This depends greatly on the cost of living. If the cost of living in a country is low compared to the amount of money to be earned as an expat working there then that country is deemed to attract a lot of foreigners working and living there. India, Singapore and Hong Kong have the highest rating in this area owing to the low

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Strong and weak states Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strong and weak states - Essay Example Current paper focuses on the presentation and the explanation of the differences between strong and weak states – as these differences are highlighted in the relevant literature. Emphasis is given on both the characteristics of strong and weak states and the reasons for the existing differences between the above types of states. The understanding of the criteria and the reasons for the categorization of states to strong and weak could help to explain the format of relationships among states in the context of international community. More specifically, strong states are most likely to show their power in influencing key international policies by intervening in the political, social and economic decisions of the weak states (Nelson et al. 2002). Moreover, the presentation of the causes for the differences between strong and weak states would help to identify the strategies that would help inequality in the global politics to be effectively controlled. 2. Strong and weak states à ¢â‚¬â€œ characteristics and differences In the context of the international community, two different major types of states can be identified: a) the states which are strongly centralized and where the social needs are effectively addressed using appropriate economic (for instance, the industrialization) and political schemes; these states can be characterized as strong (Migdal 2001), b) on the other hand, there are those states where the government is not able to monitor the social and the economic changes developed across the national territory; these are the weak states where changes in society and economy are inevitable under the pressure of ‘uncontrollable forces coming from large powers and the world economy’ (Migdal 2001, p.58). In practice, a series of different criteria can be used in order to decide whether a particular state should be characterized as a strong or weak. For instance, in the study of Kopstein et al (2005) it is noted that the autonomy of a state in developing its own decisions on issues that are key for its existence and development should be considered as the key criterion for characterizing the specific state as strong. In other words, strong states are characterized by the ability of their leaders to make clear their preferences on the state’s priorities and initiatives – both in the short and the long term (Kopstein et al 2005). Moreover, capacity should be regarded as another key criterion for characterizing a state as strong; capacity in this case, as the term is used in the study of Kopstein et al (2005), is related to the existence of adequate resources for the development of the various plans of the state. Reference is made not just to financial resources, i.e. the funds available for the realization of the governmental plans, but also to the social resources, i.e. the people who are willing and capable of supporting the relevant initiatives (Kopstein et al. 2005). As for the weak states, it can be c oncluded – referring to the issues highlighted in the study of Kopstein et al. (2005) – that these states are expected to have limited autonomy and capacity, as these two terms were explained above. However, at this point, the following issue should be highlighted: the level of autonomy and capacity of a state cannot be always clearly identified. Even if many indications exist that show a high

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Birmingham Letter Illusions Essay Example for Free

Birmingham Letter Illusions Essay Letter from Birmingham Jail Allusions in Section 3 Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most well known documents in American history. King’s profound ability to articulate important ideas, values, concepts and Biblical perspectives made for some of the most powerful and inspirational pieces of American literature ever produced. One technique that King used in his public speeches and letters was his allusions to historical figures, the Bible and opposing congressmen. During the 60’s when cultural prejudice still held strong roots in Congress, it was King’s talent to inspire the public that revolutionized America’s racial injustices. King’s frequent use of allusions in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail proved his intelligence and greatly attributed to his success and popularity during the 1960’s. His allusions demonstrated his referential capabilities while also making his messages readily relatable to the public. It was often said that it was not King’s intelligence that made him seem so acumen, but that he was â€Å"well read†(knew much from reading). His frequent allusions to major documents and famous statements in contest to his adversaries ultimately lead to his dominance in public speech. In the paragraphs 12 through 14 when king references the election of mayor Albert Boutwell, he states, â€Å"We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham† in paragraph twelve. The millennium is an allusion to a specific verse from the Bible’s book of Revelation interpreted as the 1,000 years in which Jesus comes back to earth to restore peace. He made many correlations to the Bible and major public documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights to make his arguments accurate and mainly understandable by restating vital rules and quotes that even the illiterate could comprehend. In these paragraphs he quoted the Bible by using phrases like â€Å"moral light, â€Å"abyss of despair† and â€Å" unjust posture. † King used the word â€Å"wait† in this section of the letter multiple times as a allusion to the current denial of rights to African Americans that had been going on for the last 340 years. He also stated that â€Å"justice too long delayed is justice denied† in correlation to the current racial dilemma in America at the time. All of these direct references made for some of the most significant and powerful American literature ever created and made Martin Luther King one of the most successful authors in this period of civil revolution. By reinforcing his argument with allusions that the public could relate to, King was able to greatly impact the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and ultimately bring around the social turning point of the century that provided racial equality to all and smother prejudice in America thereafter.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Zhao Ji Essay -- Biography

Zhao Ji was the eleventh son of Emperor Shenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty. Being so far down the line for succession to the empire, he spent his time devoting himself to his loves of literature, art, and Daoism; surrounding himself in luxury and sophistication. He built up and catalogued an extensive painting collection, Xuanhehuapu, with over 6,000 paintings. To date, no earlier collection, neither court or private, is known to have as much detail as Huizong’s because book length catalogues of his paintings, calligraphies and antiquities all survived (Ebrey, p.5). Huizong wanted to reform court music that had been degenerated during the Five Dynasties Period and was an avid believer in ruiying, Heaven’s way of communicating with the earth. He is thought of as the only accomplished artist in a line of emperors all who loved and appreciated the arts (Oxford Art Dictionary). It is his love of the arts, and his decisions to favor art and religion over politics that i s associated with the fall of the Great Northern Song Dynasty, a dynasty that ruled from 960 until it was lost at the hand of Huizong in 1127. Huizong was a literati artist, well trained in poetry and calligraphy often looking at paintings in terms of these two arts, adopting many of the aesthetic concepts set forth in Ershisi Shipin (The 24 aspects of Poetry). As a literati artist he believed in â€Å"depth and primitive simplicity† in his work, and that painting was an enjoyable activity intended to please one’s self and one’s friends (Barnhart, p.3). His development as an artist was oversaw by three friends, all of high social rank, but of different interests. Zhao Lingrang was a painter and assisted the Emperor in his continual search for scrolls to adorn his colle... ... â€Å"In popular Chinese memory, Huizong is known as the Artist-Emperor (Ebrey, p.8)† He was talented enough to have made a name for himself, had he not become emperor. During his twenty six year rule he established the most impressive art collection anyone has put together to date. He established a school for court painters and restored music in China. It was simply his own misfortune that during his rule, his empire would fall to the Jin tribe from the North. Perhaps it is because â€Å"Huizong loved the beautiful so intensely that he had no head for the tough side of governing (Ebrey, p.11)†. However I do not think it would be fair to overlook all that Huizong did for the arts of China and simply concentrate on the ill fortune that forced him to lose his empire. A few bad decisions shouldn’t undo all the greatness that Huizong has enabled through his love of the arts.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Analysis of the Nature and Culture Division

The advances in the understanding of nature in terms of scientific knowledge has been tremendous especially since the mid-1950’s with the discovery of the DNA structure, which precipitated more advances in molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry.   However, in the end of the 20th century until now, our modern society has seen more and more debates about how nature has been altered and/or destroyed by our progress in technology, in particular biotechnology.Yet, one may wonder if the debate over technological progress affecting nature or more specifically, natural laws that govern our existence, does reflect a cultural bias in the general comprehension of technological progress in our society.   Consequently, three questions may be asked to completely analyze the problem.   First, is there a nature/culture problem to be discussed?   Second, if there is, how has it affected our global society with respect to a cultural shift caused by particular developments in scie nce and technology and when?   If there is a global effect, is there a tangible effect on our personal life?   This paper will deal with each of these questions.The amazing characteristics that humans possess, is to learn from previous generations, to improve upon their work, and to establish a momentum to human life and culture that has taken our civilization from cave art to quantum physics, and into the space age.   In addition, other scientific advances bring about technological progress in our direct environment and society, more so than being in space.   Even more so has biotechnology been altering the nature of our humanity, not only in terms of ‘programmed’ physical changes based on scientific discoveries, but also in terms of environmental changes.Unfortunately, people’s understanding of what science is capable of either to benefit our society or destroy it, has been undermined since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century.   How do we kn ow that?   Simply consider the history of our society until now with the debate over cloning and stem-cell research that have come under fire in our western part of the world.   In both cases, a further division has taken place within the world scientific community.   Some countries allow the research whereas others do not.   Consequently, what can we draw from this chiasm, is it due to a cultural difference?   If it is, then do we really understand what the meaning of culture is?   If we do, can we reconcile differences?Raymond Williams tells us that there is a great difficulty in even defining the concept of culture. (Williams, ) Is it a division of the whole into parts (the individual) like Latour claims or a whole global entity like Tarde thinks? (Latour, Social in Question)   Furthermore, Williams is not even sure himself of what nature really means.   On page 78, he does tell us that there is a general confusion or disparity of what different people mean by nat ure.   Is it either the nature of man (biology), the natural nature of our environment, or both?   Latour seems to agree with Williams that there is a problem of defining the context of nature and culture.   Latour uses the illustration of one simple event like using an aerosol can after which people are taken on a journey to Antarctica, to touring scientific labs across the world, and the chemistry of inert gases. (p. 2 Crisis) (Latour, )This implies that the complexity of the division is based not only on the science of the natural environment, but also first on how people are affected by the effects of the ozone problem, and second how different people or the world as a single cultural phenomenon perceive the problem.   The conclusion is that the division exists but its very existence is very confusing to any person from any part of the world or the whole world, perhaps minus the scientists.   Rabinow’s expose supports this idea of confusion when she claims using Michel Foucault’s and Gilles Deleuze’s arguments that there has been a shift caused by this division, particularly on how we as a species comprehend ourselves and our environment.   Specifically, on p. 91, she states:â€Å"In the modern form, finitude establishes a field of life, labor, and language  within which Man appears as a distinctive being who is both the subject and object of his own understanding, but an understanding that is never complete because of its very structure.† (Rabinow, )Toxen is convinced that this magnitude of this shift has actually been more like a revolution with respect to science and technology in our society. (Toxen, 1983) On p.1, he emphasizes that there is a total reshaping of â€Å"industries, companies, universities, and laboratories to sustain the present mode of production.†Ã‚   He adds that the cause of this shift seems to be linked to a push for biotechnological advances, especially in our time (he wrote this art icle in 1983).So, how do this shift and the nature/culture division affect our own existence?   Callon speaks of auto engineers in France becoming sociologists in order to manufacture the first electric car.   As a consequence, engineers define what society will be like and how it will be changed because of the introduction of such a new mode of transportation.   Their resulting conclusions motivate their work while reshaping our ideas or shall we say our cultural acceptance. (Callon, )   In the same vein, biotechnology has been hailed as the only way to remedy problems that our society faces.   For example, Lappe and Collins cite the example of how biotechnology is supposed to solve world hunger but people are starving more than ever. (Lappe-Collins, )An illustration of this idea is cited by Pollan with Monsanto genetically engineering a bug-killer potato that may be hazardous to our health so we would not be able to eat it anyway! (Pollan, ).   In the context of ecolog y, Schwartz and Thompson speak of â€Å"Nature benign gives us global equilibrium.† (Schwartz, Thompson, 1990) This idea implies that science and technology cannot help the way that is propounded.   The reason is simple: there is not enough comprehension of us as individuals and as a civilization (culture) to solve the mostly self-inflicted obstacles encountered with our nature as a species as well as our environment (nature).In conclusion, there is a real doubt whether science and technology can help our society.   Since there is a fuzzy picture of how we understand the division between culture and nature, science and technology cannot claim that they understand what shapes our society for the better while they certainly do not understand how they can shape society for the worst.ReferencesCallon, ?. (Year?). Engineers as sociologists. Publication? 210- 216.Lappe, ?, Collins, ?. (Year?). World hunger: twelve myths.   Publication? 48-66.Latour, B. Joyce, P. (editor). (Ye ar?). The social in question. New bearings on history and the Social Sciences. London: Routledge.   (year?). Crisis. Publication? 2-12.Pollan, M. (date and year?). Playing God in my garden. The New York Times. 1-12.Rabinow, P. (Year?) Artificiality and enlightenment: from sociobiology to biosociality. Publication? 91-110.Schwartz, M., Thompson, M. (1990). Divided we stand: redefining politics, technology, and social choice.   London: Harvester & Wheatsheaf.Toxen, L. (1983). The life industry in gene business: who should control biotechnology? London: Association Books.Williams, R. (Year?). Title? Publication? 68-84.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

High-Risk Family Assessment Essay

Homelessness can occur even in the most stable income families. Families that have a one income household can find themselves without employment suddenly from companies that are experiencing economic difficulties which lead to reduction in forces. The United States homeless populations decreased by one percent in 2011. The nation went from 643,067 homeless people to 636,017. The largest decrease was among homeless veterans. The number of homeless veterans declined from 75,609 in 2009 to 67,495 in 2011 (US Bureau of Statistics, 2012). Homeless families have many medical needs that need to be addressed by a health care provider. Nursing plans are based on the assessment of family needed and interventions should be individualized. In the following paper, the writer will provide an assessment of how homelessness affects family processes. Healthy People 2020 objectives related to homelessness are identified and, a list of nursing interventions was developed. Homeless families are mostly s ingle parent families with women as head of household. The age range is 20-35 years old. Members of the family are often from minority groups. The primary causes of homelessness are the inability to pay rent, overcrowding and family conflict. Homeless families experience extreme poverty which put the family at risk for numerous health conditions (US Bureau of Statistics, 2012). The more serious acute and chronic illnesses as well as mental illness and children are vulnerable for a wide range of disease processes. It is estimated that 90 percent of homeless mothers has a mental illness with substance abuse and children have a high rate of development impairment (Wagner & Menke, 2002). Mothers demonstrate a high level of intense stress along with inability to cope. Children react to their homeless condition through hyperactive and aggressive behavior; their behavior can range from being withdrawn to becoming emotionally clinging (Wagner & Menke, 1992). The family’s life is marked by confusion, turmoil, constant chaos and stress so that family violence is common. Their  lives are also commonly marked by crime and victimization. Homeless families commonly suffer from malnutrition, infections, a wide number of diseases, and mental health problems (Cotton & Roden, 2007). The Homeless Family Assessment Assessment can be performed from several approaches. Wagner and Menke (1992) emphasize the value of case management because it is a holistic approach, uses comprehensive knowledge of health and illness, and has the capability to screen for deviations from the norm. Case management is able to take into account the fragmented nature of the homeless family and the use of many different agencies in care. Because homeless families are extremely vulnerable populations with highly complex needs, the clinical nurse specialist is the most appropriate health care provider for these families (Wagner & Menke). Healthy People 2020 Objectives Healthy People 2020 has the general goal of improving mental health and access to mental health services. Among the objectives is the improvement of people with co-occurring mental disorders and substance abuse problems. Another objective is to make assessment, diagnosis, and treatment available for these people. Nursing Interventions Nursing interventions need to focus on the mother’s strengths and allow her to maintain control over the family’s functioning. When homeless mothers have mental health problems, the first intervention should be providing access to care. Ensure a safe place for medications and adapt medication regimen. Provide for patient education and screen the children for physical and mental problems. Most especially, the clinical nurse specialist needs to collaborate and coordinate with ancillary care as the family will have ongoing issues. Health teaching must include all the psychosocial aspects of care and certain problems experienced by the family will require advocacy. Nutrition should be the first concern after shelter and the strategies may involve coordination, referrals and advocacy as well as guidance and teaching. Lack of good nutrition and an adequate daily diet is a source of impairment in all areas. The clinical nurse specialist will also act as advocate both for individual homeless families and all families that  require solutions to problems brought on by homelessness. Nurse Case Manager and the Homeless Family The homeless family would benefit from the assignment of a case-manager. The case manager may encounter the homeless mother with children on the streets in a situation of extreme instability. The case manager will follow the family and monitor any physical and mental health issues and make sure that the family is having proper care. Conclusion Although homeless families are decreasing slightly in the United States, it is still a high-risk area. A large proportion of these families are made up of single mothers with at least one child. The families are very vulnerable to acute and chronic physical and mental conditions while they have little or no access to care. Families can find themselves abruptly in the most extreme and stressful situation but they still have certain strengths as is observed in the fact that these families are intact. Single mothers of these families manage to maintain family functioning despite the odds. Stress as experienced by homeless mothers is intense and can lead to or exacerbate mental illness. Rather than focusing on mental illness, the health care provider needs to make shelter, nutrition and rest the main priorities because they contribute to mental health. Case management is the best approach to serve the needs of the homeless families. The health care provider’s role is teaching and counseling. One of the most valuable roles to the family is for the health care provider to be an advocate for them. References Amerson, R. (2008). Mental illness in homeless families. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 4(2), 109-114. Cotton, A. & Roden, J. (2007). Using patterns of knowing in nursing as a possible framework for nursing care of homeless families with children. Contemporary Nurse, 23(2), 331-342. Healthy people 2020: The road ahead. (2008). Journal of Environmental Health, 70(10), 82. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219721672?accountid=458 United States Bureau of Statistics, 2012 retrieved from www.usbureauofstatistics.gov Wagner, J. & Menke, E. (1992). Case management of homeless families. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 6(2), 65-71.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Corporate finance and Volatility

Corporate finance and Volatility Introduction Stocks’ beta expresses how much the stock prices may change as a result of changes in the financial market prices. A stocks beta of 1.06 indicates that for a 1% change in general market prices, the price of the particular stock will change by 1.06%. Such a stock price is considered to be less volatile.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Corporate finance and Volatility specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Assets’ beta is the average of the different sources of finance that a firm chooses. The assets’ beta for a company that has been financed without debts is equal to equity’s beta. Weighted cost of capital represents the least amount of return that an investment can offer stakeholders. When the expected rate of return from a project is lower than WACC, it is considered unviable. Managers may consider those that break-even because of the economic level of returns. However, a proj ect must have a higher rate of return than WACC before wealth is created for holders of securities. A majority of firms uses debts to finance growth rather than wait for the profits. Fabozzi et al. (2008, p. 507) discuss that when a firm has no debt, â€Å"the beta of its equity is the same as its assets’ beta.† They also note that it is very rare for a company to operate without incurring some debts. Using debts makes a company’s equity riskier. Fabozzi et al. (2008, p. 507) explain that financial leverage causes â€Å"the market risk of a company’s stock to be higher than its asset’s risk.† In that case, equity’s beta exceeds assets’ beta. When the firms choose to fund assets by a combination of equity and debts, the risk involved is shared between the two groups of stakeholders. Fabozzi et al. (2008, p. 508) discuss that the â€Å"asset market risk is the weighted average of the company’s debt beta and equity beta be cause the asset’s risk is shared between creditors and owners.† In simple terms, the asset beta = debts beta (fraction of assets from debts) + equity beta (fraction of assets from equity). The equation of assets’ beta average is true because the variations from equity’s and stocks’ betas are correlated. The effect on one source of capital influences the chance of the other sources volatility.  Corporate taxable income is generated after deductions of interest paid on loans. The effect reduces what a firm pays as tax which makes their burden less. On the other hand, interest received by creditors is taxed after it is paid to them.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a result of interest on debt being deductible, debts beta in most cases is assumed to be negligible.  WACC is used to â€Å"evaluate the impact of debt-financin g on risk and returns to investments† (Geltner et al. 2010, p. 307). Leverage is a term used to describe the common practice used by firms to fund their projects from debts, and equity. The WACC is derived from the formula of basic holding period return (HPR). The formula expresses assets as a sum of debts and equities. It also equates property cash flow to the sum of debt cash flow and equity cash flow. The returns received are shared by holders, and creditors. It is derived from the returns to capital generated by the firm. WACC represents the least rate of return on a project that evaluators consider before allowing a business plan to be implemented. The formula for WACC as presented by Hawawini Viallet (2011, p. 410) is shown below. In this case, kE represents cost of equity and kD is the cost of debt before taxation. Bierman (p. 195) discusses that WACC can be interpreted as â€Å"the cost of both current capital and an additional dollar of new capital if the existing capital structure is maintained†. The existing capital structure refers to the percentage of debt and securities that have been used to finance a project. Debts tend to reduce WACC because of tax deductions. As it can be seen in the formula â€Å"1 – tax rate† has a lesser effect on WACC compared to equity when the cost of capital is considered equal for both equities.  WACC includes returns to creditors and shareholders. Baker and Martin discuss that WACC is the â€Å"cost of raising funds to the firm† (2011, p. 192). On the other hand, it is the rate of return that investors consider before lending a firm. Creditors receive interest on money owed to them. Shareholders expect dividends, and gains in market value. The gains in market value are only possible if the firm chooses growth opportunities with higher rates of return than WACC. A firm can only add value to its capital after exceeding the rate of return owed to investors. The investors evaluate th e firm’s strategy, opportunities of growth, and risk.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Corporate finance and Volatility specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When a business opportunity promises slow growth, investors consider it as a high risk investment. Slow growth reduces a firm’s ability to repay its debts. For this reason, investors may require higher interest rates which may make a project unviable. The rate of return expected by investors also depends on what other financial assets receive as returns. Firms choose to finance their assets with a mixture of debt, preference shares and common equity. They choose a mixture that optimizes the price of their stock. Besley and Brigham (2009, p. 485) discuss that WACC â€Å"represents the minimum return the firm must earn on its investments to maintain its current level of wealth†. Besley and Brigham (2009) provide the formula below for calculati ng WACC. The WACC of most companies represents the average cost of its capital. Lumby and Jones discuss that the WACC of most companies may not be used to rate individual projects because most companies have their investments diversified (2003, p. 427). The WACC in most cases reflects the â€Å"average level of systematic risk throughout all its operations† (Lumby and Jones 2003, p. 427). Companies consider diversification as a means of reducing risk. The volatility of an individual project carried out by a company is unlikely to be represented by WACC because most companies calculate the overall value. The returns expected from different securities vary. Different capital sources carry different weights. Lumby and Jones (2003, p. 748) explain that â€Å"changing a firm’s capital structure changes its WACC†. Debts are an obligation. They are considered before financial assets. Dividends and other benefits are paid to preference shares before common shares.Adver tising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Importance of WACC A higher WACC will require that the performance must be higher before generating wealth for stakeholders. Megginson Smart discuss that firms use WACC to value the amount of effort needed before the firm can actually generate returns for shareholders (2010, p. 420). The firm’s market value declines if its WACC increases as a result of factors that the firm cannot control. Megginson Smart discuss that when a firm’s WACC is increased by an event it cannot address â€Å"its existing assets and its prospective investment opportunities become less valuable† (2010, p. 420). Such an effect can be expressed through a drop its market value. Such investments may go for a long period without dividends. Calculating the cost of capital Cost of capital involves what investors are willing to receive regularly as a result offering finances. Benninga Czaczkles discuss that the present value of stock can be obtained from the discounted annuity values using an ticipated growth in dividend streams (2000, p. 28). They give an example in which the expected growth of dividends is 10%. The following year, the dividend received on each share is $3. The present value of each share (Po) can be expressed as shown below. In this case, rE is the cost of equity/discount rate. D1 is used to represent the expected dividend, and g to represent the expected dividend growth rate. According to Benninga Czaczkes (2000, p. 29), the formula is summarized as shown below. This formula holds only for firms with normal growth. This is the Leonhard Euler derivation. For supernormal growth where g rE, the Gordon Model is applied. The formula for the Gordon Model which has been discounted over five years can be expressed as shown below. According to Benninga Czaczkes (2000, p. 31), the cost of equity under Gordon Model is expressed as shown below. Considering that anticipated dividends can be expressed in terms of the dividends received in the current year (Do ). The formula for the cost of equity is expressed as shown below. In the classic SML (Security Market Line) model, the formula for calculating the cost of equity is expressed as shown below (Benninga Czaczkes 2000, p. 35). In this case, rf represents the rate at which investment is considered safe, and E(rM) represents the interest rates that the financial market are expected to generate. The risk-free rate of return is reflected in financial assets with the least amount of risk such as interest rates on securities issued by government (Bennninga Czaczkes 2000). Treasury bills are considered risk-free indicators because governments are unlikely to default. When the expression is adjusted to integrate corporate tax, the expression becomes as shown below (Benninga Czackles 2000, p. 36). TC is the corporate tax rate. The cost of newly issued stock is expressed as shown below (Calculating the Cost of Capital n.d., p. 3). The cost of retained earnings is expressed below using ris k-free rate, market expected rate, and stocks beta (Calculating Cost of Capital n.d, p. 2). using the discounted cash flow approach. Cost of debt The cost of debt has different approaches. Benninga Czaczkes (2000) discuss that the cost of debt can be estimated using a firm’s existing average cost of debt even though it is not an accurate measure. The cost of debt is expressed as shown below (Calculating Cost of Capital n.d., P. 1). rd is the rate of return expected by investors to be paid on debts. Cost of preference capital Preference capital is associated with preference shares. Debts reduce the amount of corporate tax that a firm is entitled to pay. Khan Jain (2007) discuss that preference share differs from debts because payments on preference shares are made after tax deductions. Some preference shares are redeemable at maturity while others do not have a fixed maturity date. Both types receive annual fixed rates of return. Khan Jain (2007, p. 11.10) express the co st of irredeemable shares in two expressions as shown below. In this case, kp represents cost of preference capital, Dp is the fixed dividend, Po is the expected preference share price, f is the floatation costs expressed as a percentage of share price, and Dt is the tax rate on preference shares dividend. Preference shares that have a maturity date and a stream of earnings are discounted to a present value. Khan Jain (2007, p. 11.10) express that the cost of preference shares with a maturity date â€Å"is the discount rate that equates the net proceeds of sale of preference shares with the NPV of future dividends and principal repayments†. This means that capital gains that an individual obtains today from sales are compared to the gains of holding the preference shares to maturity. The cost of preference shares with a maturity date is expressed as shown below. Po represents share price, f is the flotation cost expressed as a percentage of share price, Dp is for dividend, and Pn is the amount paid at maturity. Kumar (2010) gives a more simplified formula for the cost of redeemable share capital as shown below. D represents dividends, M.V is the value on maturity, N.P is the net streams gains received on preference shares, n is the number of years. Using the average cost of 25% tax, the asset beta can be calculated using the formula below. The asset beta is expressed as: asset beta= Equity beta/ (1 + (1 – tax) D/E) (Asset Beta n.d.). D is the percentage of financing received from debts, and E from Equity. Asset beta = 1.06/ (1+ (1 – 0.25) 0.35/0.65)) = 0.755 However, since the tax rate is still unknown, the cost of equity can be estimated using stocks’ beta and market rate of return. The WACC is then used to express the volatility of expected returns. From this formula equity beta can be generated as follows: cost of equity = risk free rate of return + beta (market rate of return – risk free rate) Cost of equity = 0.0395 + 1.06 (0.0601 – 0.0395) = 0.061336 KE is the cost of equity and KD is the cost of debt before taxation The value of Equity/ total capital can be expressed as: Equity = 45/60 * 100% = 0.75 The value of debt as a fraction of the total capital is represented as: Debt = 15/60 * 100% = 0.25 WACC = (0.75 * 0.061336) + (0.25 * 0.0485) = 0.046002 + 0.012125 = 0.058127 This is approximately 0.058. The WACC estimates the least returns expected from investments. It influences the volatility of stock prices. From the expression in the question: This indicates that the assets’ beta can be calculated from the sum of the product various sources of capital and their beta. Asset beta = (0.75 * 1.06) + (0.25 * 0.058) = 0.795 + 0.0145 = 0.8095 Asset beta = 0.8095 The volatility of the stock market is derived from the asset beta. A value of less than 1 indicates that the assets are less volatile. b) The same formula is applied to calculate the asset value of Coral Gambles’ Asse t beta by first calculating the WACC. This is used as an estimate of the debt beta. From, the explanations above, the debt beta is always close to zero. WACC = (0.65 * 0.061336) + (0.35 * 0.0545) = 0.0398684 + 0.019075 = 0.0589434 WACC value of 5.9% (0.0589) indicates that an additional unit of capital may cost the firm 5.9% interest. The firm must invest in projects that generate above the 6% rate of return for shareholders to get capital gains. Asset beta = (0.65 * 1.06) + (0.35 * 0.059) = 0.689 + 0.02065 = 0.691 According to Bragg (2012, p. 142), the cost of common stock is â€Å"risk-free return rate + beta (average stock return – risk free return†. From this formula, it can be derived that stock beta = (cost of stock – risk-free rate) / (expected market return – risk-free rate) Cost of stock = 0.0395 + 0.691 (0.0601 – 0.0395) = 0.054 Coral Gambles’ Stocks beta = (0.054 – 0.0395) / (0.0601 – 0.0395) = 0.0145/ 0.0206 = 0.703 9 The common stock’s beta indicates the value by which the firm’s stock price changes as a result of variations in the general stock prices. A value of 0.7039 indicates that when the market value changes by 1%, the stock price of Coral Gambles varies by 0.7%. This shows that Coral Gamble stock price is less volatile that the overall market prices. WACC = (0.65 * 0.0601) + (0.35 * 0.0545 (1 – 0.25)) = 0.039065 + 0.0143 = 0.053365 From this calculation, it can be interpreted that investments must generate above the 5% rate of return for the project to add value to shareholders. The least acceptable cost of capital is 5%. This is the point where the firm operates at break-even. Conclusion The market stock’s beta of the similar company is more volatile than Coral Gamble stocks or the general market price. Coral Gamble stock price is less volatile than the average market prices. The WACC for both companies indicate that the CFO needs to search for growth oppo rtunities that generate more than 6% rate of return. Investors may consider interest rates that are close to 5%. The price (Po) generated in the calculation of share price is the discounted value of the current share price, and expected income streams. The income streams are paid to shareholders as yield per share or dividends. The assets’ beta indicates less volatility than stocks’ beta. However, the stock’s beta generates its volatility from assets’ beta. The Coral Gamble assets’ beta indicates that the firms assets are more stable than shifts in market prices, and interest rates. The asset beta has been calculated as a sum of the impact caused by the volatilities of different sources of capital. It can also be calculated from the equity beta, ratio of debts to equity, and tax rate. Equity beta is the beta quoted by financial reports as stock price volatility. Assets’ beta is equal to equity in situations where a firm has not used debts to finance its assets. The impact of debts’ beta on asset beta is reduced by the fact that it reduces corporate tax. Reference List Asset Beta n.d. Web. Baker, H, Martin, G 2011, Capital Structure and Corporate Financing Decisions: Theory, Evidence, and Practice, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken. Benninga, S, Czaczkes, B 2000, Financial Modeling, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Besley, S, Brigham, E 2009, Principles of Finance, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason. Bierman, H 2010, An Introduction to Accounting and Mangerial Finance: A Merger of Equals, World Scientific Publishing, London. Bragg, S 2012, Business Ratios and Formulas: A Comprehensive Guide, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken. Calculating the Cost of Capital n.d. Web. Fabozzi, J. F, Drake, P. P, Polimeni, S. R 2008, The Complete CFO Handbook: From Accounting to Accountability, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken. Geltner, D, Miller, N, Clayton, J Eichholtz, P 2010, Commercial Real Estate Analysis Investments, Ceng age Learning, Mason. Hawawini G, Viallet, C 2011, Finance for Executives: Managing for Value Creation, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason. Khan, M, Jain, P 2007, Financial management, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi. Kumar, V 2010, Cost of Preference Share Capital. Web. Lumby, S, Jones, C 2003, Corporate Finance: Theory and Practice, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason. Megginson, W, Smart, S 2010, Introduction to Corporate Finance, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chilean Copper Mine Collapse - Essay Example That is our unwavering commitment to you, and we will not rest until each and every last one is recovered from the mine shaft. As this process unfolds, a company representative will be available to you around the clock, and will be issuing regular pieces of communication to family members at pre-determined intervals. In addition, representative from the Chilean government will be arriving on site shortly to oversee the rescue effort and I am confident that they will be available to answer any of your questions as well. May we all take time to pray for the safe rescue of each miner beneath us. I will be in touch with you again shortly. It is with much sadness that I join each of you in expressing my utmost regret at the recent accident that has best our mine. While the mining business is certainly one of the most dangerous industries in Chile, we pride ourselves on taking measures to ensure the safety and security of each and everyone of our employees. In this case, however, a great tragedy has befallen us and I assure you that, in due course, we will determine what happened and find out to avoid this in the future. We will grow stronger as a result. In the meantime, however, we are 100% focused on the safe recovery and rescue of each of your co-workers, so please understand that our attention is needed in this endeavor. Each of you no doubt has numerous questions. In addition to be considered for your brother’s below us, you may be feeling uncertainty about the future direction that company will be headed. I assure you that we will be addressing your concerns in due course. A company representative will so on be available to you to answer questions related to compensation and when you can expect to return to work. Naturally, as of now, the mine will not be operational for the foreseeable future. We do have contingency plans in place for such an occurrence, and we will act in accordance

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Google's Organizational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Google's Organizational Culture - Essay Example As the paper stresses HRM and leadership are thought to be the organizational sectors that have involved more in the development of Google through the years. However, in case of Google the existence of a HR strategy cannot be considered as the only reason for the success of the firm. In fact, it seems that most organizational policies (also those related with the firm’s HR department) have been appropriately designed and implemented throughout the particular organization. The terms of the HR policy applied by Google can be viewed as included in a general scheme in which ‘a stable income base is provided with more equal and annually increasing monthly wages, while competitive incentives for better performance are offered in the form of more drastically varied biannual bonuses’. Generally, it could be stated that apart from leadership, a significant factor towards the success of Google has been its employees. In this context, in order to evaluate the success of the firm either in the short and the long term, we should examine the performance of its employees. Indeed, the study of Ramlall   led to the conclusion that ‘it is only through performance measuring that one can really articulate the benefits of HR strategies in achieving the organizations business strategy and in the process enhance the credibility of the HR profession’. The importance of employees for the success of the business is also supported by Lawler et al.   who noticed that ‘the greatest benefits occur when HR is a strategic business partner that fully participates in both the development and implementation of strategy’. In other words, only in firms where the HR strategies have a primary position in the firms’ daily operation the growth of the specific businesses can be expected to be high.  

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Conestoga-Rovers and Associates Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conestoga-Rovers and Associates - Case Study Example For that reason, organizations implement strategies that aim at empowering employees to perform their duties with an innate drive and freedom to interact with each other. A company can enhance the productivity of its workers through creating a good environment over which they can interact with their colleagues productively as well as ensure a friendly atmosphere. Conestoga-Rovers and Associates as well as other companies have a purpose in their attempt to facilitate several social events that influence the working environment for their employees. Influencing the working environment has indirect effect on the productivity of an organization as well as a direct one on the morale of employees and therefore, many of them perform with a positivistic attitude. Companies have various reasons why they influence the working environment for employees and that cause them put a lot of investment to achieve it and therefore, improve productivity. Conestoga-Rovers and Associates Company creates a positive working environment so that it can improve the morale of its employees as they deliver their services to the company. The company invests in improving the working environment with the understanding that it is likely to perform well when employees are happy. A moralized employee has high commitment to the activities of the company and takes his or her responsibilities so that he or she can ensure success of the company. In many circumstances, motivated employees are committed to the improvement of the working environments because they develop a sense of ownership to the activities of the company (Nyp, 2007). On the other hand, creating satisfaction mood in employees ensures that all the employees can protect the properties of the company for which they are working and reducing the chances of the company making losses. Creating a positive working environment enhances retention of highly performing employees and builds their loyalty to the management and the administrators of the company. In a company that allows employees freedom, growth and interactive platforms for doing their day to day activities, highly performing workers are likely stay for long. Employees are likely to stay because they feel that the company for which they work values their services by creating an environment for improvement of skills and refreshing their bodies after a period of continuous work. In Conestoga-Rovers and Associates, employees have enough time to spend in social activities on regular bases, which makes employees to break their monotony of regular working (Nyp, 2007). Companies manage its working environment so that it can attract highly qualified employees who are likely to improve its productivity in case of a vacancy. Conestoga-Rovers and Associates Company or any other company improves working environment as way of creating a competitive advantage in the market in the process of acquiring new employees for the company. Employees that work in a company that has a positive working environment act as ambassadors with good information to the labor market for which the company fetches new employees (Nyp, 2007). When there is a vacancy and the company advertises and attracts a large number of candidates, it gives the management an easy time to select the best for a job from a large pool of applicants. Question 2 In order for a company to provide services that are unique from the ones that other companies offer, it has to evaluate the various factors that characterize it workforce. On the other hand, a company may consider its monetary potential to offer motivations to its employee according to their number and the size of the perks they want to provide to them. To achieve the goal of giving perks that its employees value, Conestoga-Rovers

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

How does a firms marketing strategy impact its decisions regarding the Case Study

How does a firms marketing strategy impact its decisions regarding the appropriate manufacturing strategy - Case Study Example Without a marketing strategy, an organizations effort to attract and retain customers becomes inefficient. However, with a marketing strategy, other strategies in the firm also become operational. According to Paul Fifield (2012) is an organization’s central concept or its produce by which the approach it chooses to take to has an impact on the market. The correlation that exists between the marketing strategy and manufacturing strategy in an organization has direct relations with its success and competitive capabilities. In chapter 5 of Bowersox, Closs, Cooper and Bowersox’s article, page 107, the authors evidently indicate that the existing marketing practices serve as a foundation for the manufacturing strategy in relation to client acceptability. The relationship between the two is crucial to an organization’s competitive position. When such a relationship does not exist, the manufacturing strategy is not used as a formidable weapon of competition since it is does not form the correct alignment with the marketing strategies (Bowersox, Closs, Cooper & Bowersox, 2011). An excellent example comes from Bowersox, Closs, Cooper and Bowersox’s article where they indicate that the marketing department may only care about the features and aesthetics of a product or service, whereas the manufacturing department conc entrates on the firm’s conformity. The key aim of a manufacturing strategy in an organization is to ensure that it has a competitive advantage over its competitors using the available manufacturing capabilities or assets. However, it is fundamental to note that the competitive advantage is only defined from a firm’s standpoint on marketing. Given that there are often many conflicts that exist between the two, the strategies are always divergent. Hence, for this reason, a firm’s marketing strategy has to have a positive impact on decisions

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Explaining the change management at British Airways

Explaining the change management at British Airways This report focuses on explaining the change management at corporations. It includes the example of British Airways that has once successfully applied change management in their corporation. Change Management is the concept organizations apply in order to deal systematically with change. When British Airways was formed after its merger, it wasnt doing well. This was mainly because of the cultural and status differences of the employees of the corporations that were merged. There was no leadership and the company lacked the required competence to deal with the emerging problems. In order to deal with that dilemma it was decided to appoint a new Chairperson and Lord King was appointed. He later on, appointed King Marshall as the Chief Executive. Both the leaders knew that change was needed within the company. They saw that valuable resources were being wasted, company was working inefficiently, cultures differences existed, needs of the customers were not identified correctly and attitudes within the company were to be changed. They took major change management steps and came up with different programs and strategies to deal with the situation. It was made sure that the employees are fully supported during the process of change and needs of everyone are catered. Hence, a successful change management was implemented that helped the company to come out of crisis and emerge as a strong competitor in the airline industry. Introduction: Change Management is a word heard often now in most of the corporations. It has been around for a while now, but is famous in corporations that are interested in initiating a change to their processes which includes both culture and work tasks. Change management is defined commonly as employed set of the processes to ensure that considerable changes are implemented in a systematic, controlled and orderly fashion to result in organizational change. (Hiatt Creasey 2003) Five principles of Change: While implementing change management there are five basic principles that the managers need to keep in mind: Different people tend to react in a different way to the change. Everyones fundamentals needs are to be met. Change also involves loss at times and people need to go through the loss curve. The expectations of all are to be met in a realistic way. Fears of all are to be dealt with. Organizational Change Management: According to organizational change management both the tools used by managers and the processes are to be taken into consideration. Mostly organizations want the change to be implemented with least resistance. For this to happen change must be implemented with a structured approach so that the transition of one behavior to another is as smooth as possible. Managements Role in the Organizational change: It is the responsibility of the management to spot out the behaviors and processes that are not proficient and come up with new ones that are more effective for the organization. Once these changes have been identified, managers should estimate the impact it will have on the organization and its employees. Management should also assess the reaction of employees to the implemented change and try to understand the reaction as well. It is the job of the management to completely support their workers through the process of change. Finally the management should help employees to accept these changes and help them to adjust well and effectively once the changes are implemented. (Hiatt Creasey 2003) British Airways: British Airways is the flag carrier airline for the United Kingdom with its head quarters in Waterside. The main hub of British Airline is at the Heathrow Airport of London; its second hub is at Gatwick Airport and the third one is at London City Airport which is served through BA CityFlyer a fully owned subsidiary of British Airways. British Airlines happens to be the largest airline of UK on the basis of its international flights and destinations and their fleet size. In the year 1971 British Airways board was formed to manage the two airline corporations, BEA and BOAC, and relatively two smaller regional airlines Northeast Airlines from Newcastle and Cambrian Airways from Cardiff. But in the year 1974 all these airlines were dissolved to form one major airline British Airways (BA). The airline was created aiming at being the worldwide network and achieving economies of scale. The merger of these airlines resulted in 50,000 staff members and 215 aircraft, which are considered to be grossly overstaffed along with many levels incompatible management structure. Problems were being created because of the cultural differences between the airlines along with a class distinction amongst the staff members. When the middle oil crisis arrived in the world and resulted in reduction of market, it left the already overstaffed BA airline with massive losses, a very poor service reputation and 20,000 potential redundancies. The union was so strong in the company that it made difficult for the company to take any remedial measures. By the year 1980 the fleet was downsized to 174 aircrafts but still the company was loosing money at the rate of  £200 pounds per minute. With the government supporting the company, there was no internal urgency for the change to take place and outside competition to be adapted. (Lundy Cowling 1996) By the year 1981 British Airways appeared to be a failing company making multimillion pound losses. It gained the reputation of being a major international airline giving the worst service. The only solution than was seen to make a change in the culture of the staff. For 13 years it remained a nationalized company and in February 1987 it became privatized as a plan of the conservative government of that time. Major Problems being faced after the merger: When British Airways was formed after the merger it faced a number of problems and issues. Main problem was encountered in terms of the culture differences of the companies. When the members of organizations belonging to different and diverse cultures interact with each other and one of the cultures is required to adapt the practices and methods of another culture it results in disruptive tensions. Same situation took place between he employees of BEA and BOAC the two emerging industries of that time. This problem can be explained as a culture clash or acculturative stress. Another issue arrived in terms of the management system being imposed in the company. BA implemented a very inflexible, preoccupied and hierarchical management system creating status differences which was also evident from their uniforms. The company also had problems being rule oriented. The new management had problems in identifying and addressing the needs of their customers. The company emphasized more on their inward looking management approach and on maintaining their various routes and all this resulted in customers being unsatisfied. Change in direction: In the year 1979 Mrs. Thatchers new conservative government took the decision to privatize the airline. At that time the European airline market was developed majorly and most of the airlines were state owned. A whole process was put in place for the privatization of airline. Eight years of time was taken to make it happen, stand on its own feet and emerge to succeed as a commercial body. This included a whole process of culture change and cost cutting. Hence the different models of change process were being applied in the form of Theory O (through focusing on changing the behavior and culture) and Theory E (through cost cutting). Because of the restructuring of the airline there was a reduction in the number of routes served, the college of air training was closed, catering operations were transferred to outside contractors and property interests were divested. (Horner Swarbrooke 2004) The airline was shown to be a peasant class of travel and showing general subservience to the pressures of trade unions. However, the internal studies showed that jobs of the managers of highly specialized, communications in between the departments were highly poor and technically the airline was bankrupt. Major management changes were being considered in order to change this reputation of poor services. This was known to be the change management which is incorporating change in to the working systems so that the company becomes more efficient is satisfying the needs of customers or clients. This served as a basis for the appointment of Lord King as chairman and as Chief Executive King Marshall was appointed in the year 1980. Hence, first change took place in the form of leadership change where these leaders with their authority, later on made organizational changes. When this Chairperson started working, noticed that a lot of valuable resources were being wasted and the company was working inefficiently. In order to make the company more profitable, it was decided to restructure the whole organization and change methodology change management plan was seen as the best way to do that. Measures of Change Management: The second most important change took place at the group level in the form of operational change when it was identified by the leaders that there was inefficiency existing in the system. Measures like reducing staff level and cut in production costs were taking place and this change can be classified as fine-tuning. (i.e. Scale Type 1 of Dunphy and Stace (1993)). The company started decreasing their workforce very systematically. But before doing so, through the change management leadership of the chairperson, Lord King gave reasons for the privatization and restructuring so that the employees get prepared for the up coming changes. (Horner Swarbrooke 2004) In order to investigate the ways of improving customer service in the year 1983 a steering group was established in the British Airways. It was identified that for British Airways offering customer service is the key cornerstone in the market place. Two courses of actions were then recommended by the steering group which changed the way the company decisions were made. A marketing policy group was created for the re-organization of the company. Also, by the name of Putting People First a program of courses was employed throughout the whole organization. This program was aimed at improving self image, to achieve the greatest possible standards of customer care and to change attitude towards the external and internal customers. Another program with the name of Managing People First covering the perception of the contact staff and their managers was started. (Lundy Cowling 1996) After identifying the inward looking rigid culture existing at the top of management hierarchy, the Chief Executive appointed a new top management team whose job was to strength customer oriented culture within the company. Transformation in the management, culture, strategy and operations took place on a large scale. These changes were both organizational and strategic. An external audit company conducted a two way audit that covered the perception of customers of the services being offered by BA. The frontline employees were awarded with the required authority and also the information to deal with the customers. The process was started by eliminating layers of the management structure and emphasize from divisional was changed to a functional structure. The personnel function was restructured by Marshall and for the mammoth task ahead a human resource department was created. To give a break from the old BA image Chief Executives two main image fronts which were the uniforms of customer contact staff and the company livery, were improvised. (Lundy Cowling 1996) But changing external face is never enough so attitudes within the company were to be changed. Time Management International designed a training program for BA in order to respond to the needs identified in the audit. The final step and the logical step which was taken was linking performance with pay. Strong leaders were recruited as a part of the change management. The segmentation policies were clearly defined and these were targeted in well developed branding programs. (Horner Swarbrooke 2004) All the actions can be seen as an amalgamation of both planning (revolutionary) and incremental (evolutionary) change. The evolutionary change is seen valuable in the short to medium term and revolutionary in the long term. These changes emerged to work for the company in the form of delivering excellent service and quality to the customers and developing relationships with them and in the long run the company appeared to be the largest airline for UK. (Clarke 2001) Stakeholders Analysis: In order to facilitate the stakeholders during the process of change the leaders gave their full support and time. The Chief executive and the Chairperson acted as the change agents for the company. The heavy support from the top management (Marshall attended a number of staff and management programs and spent 20% of his time in this activity) and the continued training softened the harsh impact of cultural and organizational change. Although this change was bumpy incremental as there were staff cuts this type of change is called Adaptation by Balogun and Hope-Hailey (2004). As a part of the cultural change program two days were given to the employees and five to the managers. Around 40,000 of the workforce were put through this program and this was fully supported through evaluation and compensation in the form of bonus payments. (Clarke 2001) The leadership style here was democratic and the leader Other supported measures included, action groups, updated performance management, implementing total quality management (TQM), educational seminars and the staff newspaper British Airways News. (Lundy Cowling 1996) Success of the Change Management: The main objectives of imposing the changes were to become competitive in the airline industry and survive in the market place. The changes which were implemented by British Airways helped it to become more customer oriented by delivering excellent services and quality to the customers. Also, these changes helped the company to improve their relationship with the employees as well as the relationship of the employees with the customers. The expensive and time consuming investments which were a part of the change taking place also paid off when the company won in the year 1989 the award of Worlds Best Airline which is a prestigious business traveler award. The company after changes became more competitive in the UK market. The implemented human resource management and the strategies served as a basis to help the company emerge as a strong competitor in the airline industry. (Lundy Cowling 1996) The company achieved reduction in their costs through savage labor cuts, concentrating on key strategic business areas and slimming down of the business. All the moves taken by the company and the programs being conducted resulted in revue of the management structure. The overall age profile of the team was decreased and only those were chosen having entrepreneurial abilities. The major aspect of success for the airline was their marketing strategies. Some of these were campaign of the Advertiser of the year, Fly the Flag and We take more care of you promotion, Red eye advertisement etc. All this and much more helped the company to come out of the difficult times. (Horner Swarbrooke 2004) Conclusion: The leadership of the company directed it through difficult times by applying a change management in the company. British Airways still happen to be the major global airline but now its reputation is declining. This can be because of the inappropriate decisions taken by the management, but mostly it reflects the hard times and the difficult business environment that exits for all the airline companies. The management again aims at implementing new strategies and programs within the company through a marketing communication in order to create a better image. Also, the current management realizes the need of leadership and entrepreneurial competence which could wipeout all the problems from the company. For the company to fully run again on the track of success the management should identify the problems existing within the company. They should try to resolve the issues and come up with effective change management programs that can again benefit the company.