All Quiet on the Western Front – Essay 9

All Quiet on the Western Front Essay Much like the present, there is a sort of intangible space between the older and younger generations. In All Quiet on the Western Front, youths like Paul Baumer must deal with the disillusion they feel towards what they were taught to believe in by those of the older generation. Once Paul and his fellow classmates are shipped off to war, he and the others learn that some of the things they were taught could not be farther from the truth. The author, Eric Remarque, depicts this notion of a lost generation. He brings this idea to attention throughout the book in conversations between soldiers and through the thoughts of the main character, Paul Baumer. Remarque emphasizes separation between the older and younger generations caused mainly by the false romanticism the older generation attributed to war. Any thoughts the younger generation might have of glory or honor in war were immediately relinquished following first-hand experience. This sort of passed down propaganda aforementioned was and is an important societal issue. As seen in AQWF, this issue can ruin and even flat-out end lives. As shown in the book the decision of many young soldiers to enlist was directly influenced by parents or teachers: â€Å"Kantorek had been our schoolmaster†¦ He gave us long lectures until the whole of our class went under his shepherding to the District Commandant and volunteered. I can see him now, as he used to glare at us through his spectacles and say in a moving voice: ‘Won't you join up, Comrades? ’. † Although Kantorec may have been speaking out of ignorance, the harm had been done nonetheless. Through his naivete he still believed his lies to be true. In the book this is shown to be true of many of the older generation. It is seen when Paul comes back to his hometown after one year of enlistment and encounters a head-master: â€Å"He dismisses the idea loftily and informs me I know nothing about it [the war]. ‘The details, yes,’ says he, ‘but this relates to the whole. And of that you are not able to judge. You see only your little sector and so cannot have any general survey†¦ ’†. As you can see here the ignorant schoolmaster tries in vain to justify logically something he has come to believe illogically. It is most likely that his beliefs were derived from his parent’s generation, and he still has had no encounter with information that would change his views. This brings me to my next point. False information like this being passed down from generation to generation is what leads to widespread ignorance in a nation. An example of this ignorance is shown in a conversation Paul has with his mother when on leave. His mom asks, â€Å"’is it very bad out there, Paul? ’ Mother, which I answer that! You would not understand, you could never realize it. And you shall never realize it. † This ignorance can, in turn, cause the election of corrupt leaders and eventually the downfall of a whole country economically and otherwise. This is shown in AQWF by a conversation the young soldiers had. Due to first-hand experience they had shaken off their previous disillusionment and began to wonder what the point of this horrible war was: â€Å"‘Then what exactly is the war for? ’ asks Tjaden. Kat shrugs his shoulders. ‘There must be some people to whom the war is useful. ’ †¦ There are other people back behind there who profit by the war, that's certain,’ growls Detering. Once the youth come to the realization that they have been misled by the older generation the relationship between the two becomes strained. Parents, teachers, and elders, from which they were supposed to learn are now neither respected nor trusted. â€Å"The idea of authority, which they represented, was associated in our minds w ith a greater insight and a more humane wisdom. But the first death we saw shattered this belief. † The younger generation refuses to listen to the older generation and they begin to act out in rebellion. Sound familiar? As you can see many of the ideas Remarque wrote about in Germany during the early 1900s, apply to modern day America. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why so many classes across the country today read AQWF. AQWF addresses an important and still relevant issue. That is there exists a wall between the older to younger generation that goes beyond just fashion or culture. How many times have you heard teachers complain of students? Or students complain of teachers? Or parents and children complain of each other? There is a reason for this. As in AQWF there are things being blindly taught by the older generation to the younger that are not entirely true. Whether it be important, like politics or religion, or just harmless wives tales, there is a feeling among the younger generation that some things that are being taught are just not true. Maybe with new technology granting access to more information will help further the search for truth and help diminish this wall between one generation and the other.

Professors in My Student Life Essay

There are some situations in life that we would never forget. Since I began the school at 6 years old until I finish high school at 18 years old, I have had the opportunities to meet several professors. Professors become a close person for us because we share with them at least one year of our life. They spend more time with us, even than our parents. But no all of them are equal in terms of their way to teach. I classified them into three different groups, the group of responsible professors, unconcerned professors and facetious professors. Fortunately, during those years, I have met many responsible professors. This kind of teachers worries about their students learning. They do not care if they have to explain a topic once again when some students do not understand something. Also, they explain as clear as possible in order to make understandable what they are teaching. Others ways that teachers demonstrate to be responsible are reviewing and discussing the students’ homework assignments. Going through the exercises that students do at home is a good way to know if students are doing well or not. Professors can realize if students need more practice before taking the test. In addition, responsible professors also go to the classroom prepared on what they will teach to their students. They know what the last class was about and what will go after it. Also, they used to take some handouts and materials for the students to work on it. But unfortunately not all professors are responsible. Other kind of professors I met was the unconcerned professors. These teachers arrived always late to the classroom. This behavior was a bad influence for students. Also, the time of class was shorter; nevertheless, they gave the class until the time ran out and the rest, to study at home by our self. Moreover, these professors do not used to review the homework in class. For that reason, my classmates and I did not know if we were learning or not. In consequence, most of us lost our interest to study. Another way to demonstrate their abandon was with the students test. For example, when we took a test, the professor many times lost our papers. In the better case, he gave us the score one month later. I hope do not have this type of professor anymore. I had some facetious professors, overcoat in high school. These professors always had a joke or story to tell. They always were doing that students would laugh and relax. I remember when we had an exam, one of them, before give us the test, he used to joke telling us that we had faces of sheep’s slaughtered. Furthermore, they are never angry. To demonstrate, some students came out from the classroom to make phone calls and he did not care about that. Also, I remember one of them who arrived late because his car was crashed, and he seemed like nothing had happened. Another way to project their character was their way to teach. All topics were given a touch of joy which made s the class more enjoyable. He taught us to memorize the topics, singing them; it was very funny. I enjoyed this kind of professor because he inspired me to do my best. In brief, in eleven years many professors go through our life. I particularly, have found these three type of professors; responsible, unconcerned and facetious. All of them had their own way to teach and communicate with their students. I liked some more than others, for that, my advice to all of you is to think about what kind of professor you prefer and then you can go online to look for the best.

Leader ship class 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leader ship class 3 - Essay Example This can be done through the study of all the employees and their competitive performance in the recent seasons and events within the organization. The wage record over last few seasons is of importance and allows making decision in a more professional manner. All the bonuses and increments so added are compared against the performance delivered by the individuals. This in parallel with those who have had good performances yet little lift up in the financial aspect can also be encouraged and accommodated through the layoff schemes. The decisions must not be based only on the financial aspect, rather the productivity, the overall benefits to the organization and other factors. The old age pension scheme, those who are of little value and have showed inclination towards self retirement may also be considered for a lay off. The annual budget values must also be taken into account against the given set of number of employees and the subsequent decision of

Vietnam 1962-1969 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Vietnam 1962-1969 - Essay Example Over a fortnight after Ho Chi Minh plagiarized American Declaration of Independence the first American dies on Vietnamese soil. An OSS officer Lt. Col. A. Peter Dewey was killed by Vietminh guerrillas mistaken for French officer. Ironically Dewey had submitted a report on crisis in Vietnam stating that America "ought to clear out of Southeast Asia." On 26 July, 1956 US government assigns $15 million in military aid to the French in order to deter the spread of â€Å"Communist threat†. That year lots of American military advisors followed American millions to Vietnam. To aid French to struggle against  «monolithic world Communism" Americans establish Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in South Vietnam. Twelve years later this Agency was replaced by the United States Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV). 1962 thus becomes the year of the beginning of the full-scale Vietnam War as we know it so far. In 1964 Southeast Asia Resolution as well as Gulf of Tonkin Resolu tion was passed. The documents authorized to apply conventional warfare in Indochina region. This very year America elected Lyndon Johnson her new president who announced his Great Society program. As any great society America needed a great victorious war so the president announces that his society â€Å"can never again stand aside, prideful in isolation†.

Rastafari Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Rastafari - Research Paper Example In this regard, therefore, this research paper seeks to shed some light regarding this group of individuals. Introduction Who are the ‘Rastafari’? Are they some dreadlocked ‘ganja’ smokers to be feared and labelled as criminals? Or are they individuals who sing and dance to the reggae tunes? Based on a letter written to the editor and which featured in Caribbean newspapers in 1982, the author claimed that the ultimate ambition for the ‘Dread’, as they were popularly referred to, is to rip a man’s heart out and feed on his genitals. In Hollywood movies such as ‘Marked for Death’ and television programs, which includes ‘60 minutes’ Rastafarians have been depicted as combative dreadlocked gangsters characterized by red eyes from the smoke of Marijuana. Essentially, an image that one can get from popular opinion is that Rastas are dirty, low-life and drug dealers. They were dreaded in some places, for instance Domini ca that they could be shot at first sight. Some of messages conveyed in their music clearly portray the loath that the society they lived in exhibited against them. For example, Bob Marley, the accredited father of reggae music, sings out that ‘he shot the sheriff for self-defense.’ Similarly, in his hit song ‘Redemption song’, he expresses his agitation in the manner that the prophets of Haile Selassie are murdered by the bullet of the gun. Nonetheless, an encounter and research on these individuals gives a totally different picture about them as discussed in the subsequent sections. Rastafarian first came into being in the 1930 in Jamaica and it’s perceived to represent some spiritual ideology. However, a significant proportion of its adherents argue that it is more of â€Å"a way of life† rather than a religion. The adherents hold Haile Selassie I, an emperor of Ethiopia who reigned between 1930 and 1974, as God the Father while others as J esus. Those who subscribe to the teachings of Emperor Haile Selassie are referred to as Rastafari or simply Rastas. As such, Rastafarianism thus describes their way of life although some Rastas consider it as derogatory. This could be explained by their dislike and bias against â€Å"isms†, which is generally a part of typical Babylonian culture. The name Rastafari is believed to have been formed by a combination of two words, Ras and Tafari. Ras is s title given to a â€Å"head† or rather â€Å"leader†. This according to the translation of ras from Amharic, a local dialect group based in Ethiopia. On the other hand, Tafari is the first name of Tafari Makonnen, who is the famously known as Haile Sellasie I. The adoption of the new name followed his coronation. However, there is some discrepancy from Murell who argues out that Ras means Christ; while Rastafari refers to Haile Selassie, the founder of the movement (Murrell 4). Rastafarians claim that Haile Selassi e is their Christ who died physically, but lives in their souls. The believers argue that Christ shall come back to save them from the world, and he shall take them to Ethiopia. The followers argue that Ethiopia is the land that Christ promised them, and they refer to it as Mount Zion. Doctrines Hardly will one interact with a Rastafarian without getting to hear the mention of the term â€Å"Jah†, which, as is mostly the case, a precursor to the utterance of Rastafari. Generally,

Human Resource Economics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Human Resource Economics - Term Paper Example The competition is of two kind; internal and external.   In the internal competition employees compete against each others to get promoted or rewarded. This factor was studied and explained by Lazear and Rosen (1981) in their Tournament Theory. As in any tournament here, an employee wins the reward or gets promoted because his performance is better than others in their current level. Tournament theory is one of the approaches to the payments made toe, executives. There are several factors of which impacts the payments to the employees.   These are the supply of the skilled or required workforce in the market, the demand of the workforce, average industry pay package, industrial growth, monetary policies, business cycle, organization growth, and many other micros and macroeconomic factors. In any given scenario, two executives struggle and work for better compensation and rewards for their works. This difference in distribution, according to Feinberg, is based on the five factors of equality, need, merit and achievement, contribution or â€Å"due return†, and effort.   As in a tournament marginal difference, of efforts changes the rewards one gets in the business environment people at same rank often face a similar situation. Even if a company pays same to the employees to justify the raise or promotion one has to work hard for that. In the tournament model performance and payment are directly promotional to each other. It explains the motivation and productivity of workers along with the payment or growth perspective. As in the case of any sport or race where the marginal difference in the performance of an athlete can turn the silver to gold or bronze to no medal at all. The same thing is applicable in the case of people working in any organisation. The promotions or raise in the salaries are linked with the performance. In a broad framework tournament model it does not include certain important points like performance of new employee, performance of people at the optimum level of the organisation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  

Conference Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conference Report - Essay Example Despite this, it is clear that we require having efficient measures for teacher development to ensure attainable of positive results of well-prepared teachers for the new information age. Teachers in TC help in asynchronous online discussions. This kind of discussion has been perceived as an efficient way for learners to participate in high quality discussion and intrinsic cognitive collaboration. This is because asynchronous online discussion gives learners enough time to reflect on their friend’s findings and contribution and reason about their own contributions before sending them off to their friends. Mediators or teachers also provide cultural, individual, institutional, technical, and linguistic knowledge to students. In addition, they help in technical promotion of professional capital and collegial development across learning institutions. The teacher arranges for learning materials and makes them accessible by compute. In addition, the teacher must motivate and direct each student, through on-going interaction or socialization and a sense of social presence in the classroom will make learners have a desire to learn. While online education permits students from around the globe to engage or participate in online discussion and permits teachers to work from any place in the world with Internet connectivity. This in turn increases the teacher effort per student, which fosters effective learning Telecollaborative learning has incorporated the Virtual mobility and the VMCOLAB project, which helps in facilitating international collaborative learning and experiences in a context of learning and teaching. The emotional and psychological perspective in TC helps in understanding how students perceive other cultures. In turn, a face-to-face meeting is organized by institutions in order to evaluate how far the students have comprehended other cultures. However, it becomes difficult for some students to trust in other students from

Writer's selection Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Writer's selection - Personal Statement Example She reminded me that I would become a resourceful person that everyone in the society would be looking for if I By inculcating good virtues into my lifestyle if I would inculcate good virtues into my lifestyle. As far as picking ‘Communications’ as my major is concerned, I have to admit that I had considered reasons in my mind at the time I was joining Seattle community College. In this respect, I have to mention that my very first reason was to be able to interact with all the diversified persons living in Hong Kong. Fundamentally, Hong Kong is a metropolitan with diverse cultures that are autonomous hence ‘communications’ will play a major role when it comes to meeting new people from various backgrounds. The second reason as to why I chose communications as my major is the fact that I like to get out of the comfort zone. This was particularly evident when visited Los Angeles for 3 weeks in July 2010 as an exchange student. I deemed it essential to learn certain skills of communicating with various personalities. Lastly but more importantly, I picked communications as my major is because I like communicating with people and discovering new things. When it comes to my professional experience, I find it worthy to mention that I have participated in quite a number of initiatives that have added significant value to my personal and professional life. For instance, between January 2013 and March 2013, I volunteered as a teaching assistant at ACRS (Asian Counseling and Referral Services). In that capacity and organization, I acquired excellent interpersonal and interpersonal skills. Moreover, I carried on with the volunteering work from April 2013 to June 2013 Arts Corps. I gained invaluable knowledge during the two-month period that I still hold dear to date. My third place where I gained invaluable experience was at CJR where held the position of an Education Consultant. In this position, I played several roles including

Supply and Demand Concepts Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Supply and Demand Concepts - Assignment Example The price floor of 16 create a surplus of 4000 in the tablet market. Price floor alters the forces of demand and supply in the market (Bhaskar, 1997). In a natural case, the tablet would be selling at 12, but the price floor of 16 prompt the producer to produce more due to the high return expected in the market. On the other hand, consumer would be hesitant to buy at 16 thus, making the market have a surplus of 4000. Price ceiling is maximum price set for a specific good to help the citizen afford at a considerable price lower than the market value. In the tablet market, market price ceiling will create a shortage in the market as a supplier would not be willing to supply a tablet at a price lower than the market price. For this case where price ceiling is set at price $8, the market will experience a shortage of 4000 tablets. The purpose of price ceiling is to bring equity among all customers. A drop in price for the tablet by 50% would alter the market equilibrium. People will demand more tablet than before and the supply for the same will decrease as the prices drops from $12 to $6. The ultimate impact is a downward shift in the demand curve. The market for tablet will have more demand than the supply of table. This scenario is what is referred to as shortage in the market. In cases, all thing are kept constant when price decreases; the market will have to endure with shortages of tablet as the demand will not be met by the available supply. However, according to the laws of demand a reduction in price dictate that the quantity supplied would also reduce. Thus, the supply curve shift to the left and the market will return to the equilibrium price. An increase in income for the tablet consumer would shift the demand curve to the right (other thing constant). Increase in customer’s income leaves them with extra money after their other expenditure to buy tablets and thus increase the demand for tablet. However, because the market for tablet is free

Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Essay Background and Context South East Asia was the region that experienced the first wave of H5N1 in both animals as well as humans. As of 1 march 2006, the following is the epidemiological situation: Human infection: no new cases of human infection have been reported since 13 Jan 2006. To date, out of a total of 21 cases of human infections (animal- to- human transmission) 12 are confirmed by WHO reference laboratory as H5N1 infections. The number of deaths due to the infections is 4, and is included in the 12 confirmed cases. All others cases were treated successfully. All 12 cases involved directed close contract with poultry. No human- to- human transmission has been observed. Animal infection: between 15 December 2005 and 23 march 2006, a total of 191 outbreaks across 48 provinces were confirmed and dealt with. All outbreaks were reported from backyard poultry premises, except for one which involved a small- scale poultry farm. A total of 2,304,445 poultry have been culled as part of the national response. To date, 33 individual cases of avian flu have been found in wild birds. No cases have been detected in individual poultry farms. With no new human cases being reported after the last case of 13 Jan 2006, South East Asia has moved from ‘crises response’ to ‘risk management’ mode. Per WHO guidelines, the region is currently maintaining avian flu pandemic alert phase-3. Communication Challenges and Approaches Following the national response to the ‘first wave’ of H5N1 infections in both animals as well as humans, from a communication perspective, at least three categories of ‘audiences’ now exist in South East Asia. the thousands of rural families who have directly experienced their poultry flocks being culled, and with it, at least temporarily, perhaps their source of live hood and nutritional security. the million of viewers who ‘ experienced’ the effect of H5N1 outbreak prevention and containment operations through the media and information channels, without necessarily developing a full understanding of the reasoning and science behind the response. An unknown number of people who neither experienced the outbreak response directly nor received it through the media. The current and future behavioral intent of all these ‘audiences’ in future outbreak responses is largely unknown. This unknown element constitutes a significant concern with regard to national ‘preparedness’, and falls squarely in the communication domain. Field visit and some rapid small-scale surveys in urban and rural areas reveal that through most people have heard of avian flu, there is enormous confusion, lack of clarity, and a felling of dismay among people with regard to the disease, its mode of transmission, its symptoms and treatment, and compensation for the loss of live-stock. There have also been instances of families hiding poultry from culling teams in outbreak areas, and reports of stigmatisation of families who underwent treatment for symptoms. Towards development of a comprehensive communication strategy, an inter- agency, inter-sectoral, unicef- supported workshop on al communications was held under the leadership of the child- intersectoral board (CIB) in Ankara on 9-10 February 2006, to reflect on emerging lesson and planning for future responses.   Key findings and recommendations from the workshop Review all current communication materials, including strategy documents and plans of various agencies working on avian flu, to ensure that messages and plans are harmonized, to minimize duplication, improve coordination, and enhance the impact of intervention. Establish an inter- sectoral strategic communication working group on avian flu to coordinate all communication intervention, under the leadership of the child inter-sectoral board (CIB), governments of South East Asian region. Fill information gaps with regard to community perception of risk and behavioral intent. Conduct of rapid, participatory KAPB studies and the involvement of communities in decision- making and planning are critical for long- term solutions especially since backyard poultry- keeping is a wide – spread culture practice in rural South East Asia. In parallel to clear and improved messaging through the mass media, implement a strong inter- personal communication component to ensure outreach to rural population, with comprehensive and relevant information on bird flu. The mass media is currently providing information in a fragmented manner, and has not been responsive to community concerns. Additionally, frontline workers and community leaders need to be sensitized and comprehensively trained to carry out information and behavior change outreach work, especially in hard-to reach areas and populations. Much of the â€Å"preparedness† can and should be done in advance. Establishing a closure and more engaged partnership with the media, and developing and pre-testing messages and products for the full spectrum and epidemiological scenarios, should be done as soon   as possible. In short the national response calls for the implementation of an integrated communication strategy which addresses the social/political domain through advocacy; strengthens BCC communication capacities and skills of the AI service delivery system; and promote adoption of AI preventive behaviors among communities and individuals through social mobilizations and inter personal communication interventions. Messages and interventions need to be harmonized across all implementation partners. Strategic Programmatic goals The programme goals of national contingency plan of various South East Asian nations for Avian Influenza are articulated in two key documents: Contingency Plan for Avian Influenza (April 2005), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA). Goal: Maintain disease response preparedness, and implement rapid control measures in the event of suspicion or an outbreak of disease, to contain virus transmission. Pandemic Influenza National Action Plan (Oct 2005), Ministry of Health Goal: To ensure that all persons, facilities and institutions are prepared to recognize and manage influenza pandemic, and plans are in place to reduce the transmission of the pandemic virus strain; decrease cases, hospitalizations and deaths; maintain essential services; reduce the economic social impact of a pandemic. The documents are the cornerstone of the national preparedness and response plans for the prevention and rapid containment of outbreaks (animal-to-animal, animal-to-human, human-to-human transmission). The communication interventions envisage the dissemination of key message to the public through the mass media and frontline workers, to promote hygiene and prevention behaviors, across the various epidemic phases. Communication Goals and Objectives The overarching goals for 2006 of the communication strategy are: All services provide use the knowledge, recommend healthy practices and reach at least 80% of the population with adequate and accurate information and knowledge. Policy-makers and community leaders use the knowledge and information to prevent and contain avian/pandemic flu, to ensure full systemic and institutional preparedness for rapid roll-out of appropriate interventions to control localized outbreaks, or the emergence of a pandemic. Specific Communication Objectives Through the implementation of a comprehensive and coordinated public education, behavior change and policy advocacy campaign, the following will be achieved by end of 2006: At least 80% of the population correctly recall the negative health effects of Avian/Pandemic Influenza; know the correct methods of AI prevention. At least 80% of those who keep backyard poultry, or are involved in commercial winged animal farming and trading, know how to use safe practices and AI prevention behaviors. At least 80% of community leaders such as teachers, imams and muhtars have a comprehensive knowledge of AI prevention measures and actively disseminate and knowledge. Domains for Strategic Communication Interventions The communication strategy will be implemented to simultaneously influence the following three domains: Social/Political Domain: The primary objective in this domain is to use advocacy methods and tools for the establishment of a supportive and enabling socio-political environment for avian influenza prevention/containment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Strategic coordination mechanisms and advocacy activities are planed to place AI prevention high on the political, social and development agenda;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and to foster political will, and increase financial and other resources to   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ensure full ‘preparedness’.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Policy advocacy activities will include strategic use of data and approaches to advocate to the parliamentarians, provincial governors and administrators about the impact of the issue at the national level. At the local level, advocacy will be used to convince opinion and community leaders about the need for local action and preparedness. Media advocacy will be conducted to improve quality of reporting, and to ensure that the public receives information of relevance and society remain strongly committed to implementing national AI prevention and containment policies. Target audiences and communication ways include: inclusion of avian flu issues in parliamentary debates and other political events; press conferences; news coverage; technical conferences and symposia; celebrity spokesperson; and meeting between various government agencies and civil society organizations, community and religious organizations, municipalities, service providers, association of physicians, and the private sector. AI service delivery Domain: The objective in this domain is to bring together all feasible and practical inter-social allies, and increase their communication capacities to raise people’s knowledge and awareness, and influence their attitudes and practices, for prevention and containment of avian flu. Allies include; frontline development workers, community leaders, non-government Organizations, municipalities and local media. An appropriate mix of interpersonal, group and mass-media channels, including participatory methods will be used in the implementation of these activities. The range of activities include group and community meetings, school-based activities, traditional media, road shows, leaflets, posters, pamphlets, videos, and home visits. The focus will be on communicating a series of messages about AI transmission and prevention and informing the public about what services are available and where and encouraging reporting of dead/sick bird/poultry. Community and individual Domains: The objective in this domain is t establish community norms and safe practices related to poultry-keeping, for the prevention of avian-flu. Community mobilization techniques can help create an environment through which communities particularly affected and ‘at-risk’ communities, can discuss, organize, build consensus and communicate their own perspectives on AI. Primary audiences including women and children, families involved in backyard poultry-keeping, small-scale commercial poultry farmers and dealers, transporters of poultry products, community leaders. Summary Implementation of a coordinated and comprehensive country-wide Public Education and BCC campaign, directed at stimulating greater public dialogue on Avian/Pandemic Influenza within wider society, and adoption of ‘safe practices’ by ‘at-risk’ population to reduce risk of virus transmission. Implementation and monitoring of policy and media advocacy interventions that facilitate the creation of robust policy implementation mechanisms and a proactive media environment. Increasing of communication capacities and competencies of key partners to implement, manage and monitor prevention/containment strategies, at national and sub national levels. The Campaign will use an evidence-based mix of mass media and ground-level inter-personal communication interventions to achieve the strategic goals and objectives elaborated earlier. Management and Coordination Mechanisms for Implementation The strategy will be implemented, both, at national and sub-national levels, by a range of institutions and partners including the ministry of Ministry of Health, the Ministry of agriculture, Ministry of National Education, Ministry of Interior, UN and international organizations, the provincial Governorates, the Media, non-governmental and community-based organizations , and the private sector. To coordinate and effectively manage the implementation of the communication interventions, the following is envisioned: Establishment of a formal, inter-sectoral Strategic Communication Working Group (SCWG) on AI Prevention/Containment, which will provide overall technical guidance and oversight in the planning and implementation of the interventions The SCGW will be comprised of communication and technical specialists, drawn from among the various partners. Drawn from among the various partners. The Provincial governorates, in collaboration with national counterparts, will provide leadership in coordinating and managing the implementation of activities at the provincial level including the preparation of micro-plans and training of key front-line workers like teachers, health workers, youth groups, and local NGO.

Tariffs Used At Chittagong Port Economics Essay

Tariffs Used At Chittagong Port Economics Essay Chittagong Port is a principal port of Bangladesh and one of the emerging container ports of South Asian regions. At present, about 92% of import and export in volume are handled through this port and the growth of handling is ranging from 12% to 14% (CPA Year Book, 2008). This port is selected to present the current pricing system and to assess the demand and competition level and cost structure of this port. Further, this paper will try to provide recommendations to increase the attractiveness and the profit of the port by changing the current pricing system. Current pricing system: The present pricing system of this port is cost based. The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is a basic service provider and its objective focuses mainly on providing necessary services and facilities to the port users efficiently and effectively at competitive prices. The CPA has been following the cost based tariff system since 1987. To harmonize the objectives of CPA and port users the port introduced cost based tariff system in 1987 and had started collection of revenues on the basis of cost based tariff system since that year. Under cost based tariff, all variable, fixed, mixed, and step costs on a particular date were considered. There were also consideration of the growth rate of the cargo, container, and other activities for certain period. Total activities of CPA, to determine the tariff for a particular cargo or container or on any activity or movement, were divided into operational and non-operational (other service departments) departments. All variable and traceable costs relating to a particular department were directly assigned. Then all non-traceable cost and indirect costs were apportioned to all departments on some basis. After having a total costs for each department, all cost of non-operational departments re-apportioned to the operational departments on the basis of weights. Then total cost of a particular operational department was divided by certain number of activity or cargo or container to have a unit cost or tariff. Since the tariff is cost based and there is no provision for profit in the tariff, it was essential for the CPA to increase its efficiency in operation and effectiveness in use of assets so as to ensure early recovery of the fixed cost and reach the break-even- point. After break even point every amount of contribution margin has been considered as profit and considering that CPA redesigned its operational activity and flow of operation. CPA also made profit by handling more cargo, containers, and ships than the expected handling which meant CPAs operational growth rate was more than the required growth. As CPAs per unit operational cost was increased as per expectation, its contribution margin per unit was also remained in same level. Moreover, CPAs tariff is on foreign currency (US Dollar) basis which ha further increased CPAs income by devaluating of Bangladesh Taka. Cost Structure: The cost structure of the actual revenue and capital expenditure of CPA for the year 2007-2008 is presented in Table 1 and is shown in Annex-1. The Table 1 shows that actual operating and maintenance expense for the year 2007-08 was Taka 35,137.31 lac which includes a depreciation of Taka 8848.54 lac. Consequently, variable operating and maintenance cost was Taka 26,288.77 lac which is 29.53% of total cost. However, total fixed cost like depreciation and administrative staff salaries were Taka 10,773.64 lac which is 12.10% of the total cost. It is very alarming that financing cost and taxes were Taka 27,568.66 lac which was 30.97% of the total cost. CPA has to accept the proposal of the World Bank and ADB which have been offered through Bangladesh Government for various projects as CPA was not in a position to implement all of its development projects by using only its own fund. Therefore, CPA has to pay a huge amount of interest for those loans. Port competition level: The Chittagong Port is selected in this paper for assessing the intra port competition level and competition level within the region (inter port competition). Intra Port Competition level of Chittagong Port Authority (CPA): The Chittagong Port Authority is an autonomous and a service organization under the administrative control of the Ministry of Shipping of Bangladesh Government. According to the World Bank (2007), the port of Chittagong is a tool port where port authority owns, develops, and maintains the port infrastructure as well as the superstructure, including cargo handling equipment. CPA still has some entry barriers such as not to allow the foreign terminal operators in a tender process for operating a terminal or any investment in developing and operating a terminal of CPA due to labour unions objection and in monopolistic situation without any competition. Assessment of Inter-port competition level of CPA in Bangladesh: Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and Mongla Port Authority (MPA) are two seaports of Bangladesh, which handled 32.72 million metric tons cargo (CPA Year Book, 2008 MPA website) during the fiscal year 2007-2008. Out of 32.72 million tons of total seaborne trade CPA handled 32.02 million tons and the rest is handled by MPA. The competition level of CPA with MPA can be assessed by analyzing location, yearly throughput and market share, market concentration, comparison of tariff including its hinterland facilities. To assess the market share only container traffic will be considered. Location: Chittagong Port is situated on the south eastern part of Bangladesh at a distance of about 9 nautical miles from the shore line of the Bay of Bengal. The maximum permissible LOA of vessel is 186 meters with the maximum permissible draught ranges from 8.50m to 9.20m (CPA Year Book, 2008). On the other hand, MPA is situated on the south western part of Bangladesh at a distance 71 nautical miles upstream from the Bay of Bengal and the permissible  maximum length of vessel is 225 m with the maximum 7m draught (MPA website). Throughput and Market share: The throughput, of the years 2004 to 2008, in TEUs and market share are presented in the Table 2 and is shown in Annex-2. From the Table 2, it is clear that the CPA is controlling the container market in Bangladesh without any competition. Market concentration: The Herfindhal index (H) is calculated to assess the container market concentration of two ports based on the years 2004 and 2008 in Table 3 and is shown in Annex-3. According to the Herfindhal index (H), if H = 1 or H = 0.5 or H = 1/n (n = number of firms), the concentration of market is monopoly or duopoly or equal in market shares respectively (Cariou, 2010). In the Table 3 the Herfindhal index (H), in both years, are almost close to 1 (one) which indicates that the container market is monopolistic. Comparison of tariff of both ports: The both ports, Chittagong and Mongla are autonomous and service organizations under the administrative control of the Ministry of Shipping. Both ports pricing system is cost based. The comparison of some costs related to container handling of both ports is presented in the Table 4 and is shown in annex-4. The Table 4 indicates that both the ports have same pricing structure for container handling and container vessels except the Lift on / Lift off charge on account of empty containers which is about 33.33% less in CPA compared to MPA. Hinterland market access: The Chittagong Port is connected with the hinterland by road, rail, air and river. The major containerized import and export commodity of Bangladesh is garments accessories and readymade garments respectively. The major factories of garments are located in Chittagong and Dhaka. The Export Processing Zones are located 3-4 kilometers away from Chittagong port. The most of the business activities including industrialization and foreign investment are oriented with the region of Dhaka and Chittagong of Bangladesh. The road distance from Chittagong port to Dhaka is around 245km. Mongla Port Authority (MPA) is situated on the south western part and serves the entire western part of Bangladesh. The road distance between MPA and Dhaka is can be around 185km, nearer to Dhaka compared to Chittagong Port. For many years, majority of all import and export cargo of MPA is moved by inland water way. Unavailability of railway connection and the road connection under present lay out remains unattractive for cargo transport from the port to Dhaka due to cost and time increases than going by road to Chittagong. The communication system of Chittagong Port through road, rail, and air is stronger than the Mongla port which indicates that Chittagong port is comparatively in competitive position than Mongla port in terms of hinterland access. Assessment of Inter-port competition level of CPA with Kolkata Port Trust (KOPT), India: Recent decision of the government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh to allow the transit of the cargo of northeastern states of India has increased the competition level of CPA with the KOPT. The competition level of CPA with KOPT is assessed by considering the geographical location, throughput, market share, market concentration, pricing structure, and hinterland market access. Geographical location: Chittagong port is strategically located in competitive location (Annex-5) for the seven northeastern states of India and these states currently depend on KOPT for export and import trade by passing comparatively long distance and incurring more cost. KOPT and CPA, both are regional sea ports of India and Bangladesh respectively. Due to geographical location and present decision of both countries for transit facilities CPA as regional hub will compete with KOPT. Throughput of CPA and KOPT: Average yearly growth and total throughput of the years 2004 to 2008 is presented in Table 5 for assessing the competition level of two ports and is shown in Annex-6. The Table 5 indicates that both ports between the years 2004 and 2008 had positive growth rate in container trade and the total average yearly growth is 22.27%. Market share of Chittagong port and Kolkata port: The market share of both ports are calculated and presented in the Table 6 and is shown in Annex-7. From the Table 6, it is clear that CPA has a lion share of container market. On the other hand, both ports have almost steady market share over the mentioned years. Market concentration: The level of container market concentration of both ports is calculated for the years 2004 and 2008 by using Herfindhal Index (H) and presented in Table 7 and is shown in Annex-8. The Table 7 shows that the Herfindhal Indices (H) is 0.58 and 0.59 for the years 2004 and 2008 respectively and close to 0.5. From this value it indicates that both the years the market was duopoly because of the different natural and political hinterland. Comparison of Tariff: The tariffs in some important particular fields related to container trade of both ports are presented in Table 8 and is shown in Annex-9. By comparing the tariff in some important particular fields of both Table 8 shows that except port dues and Lift on/Lift off charges for empty containers (20 and 40) other port charges are higher of CPA than KOPT. Hinterland connection: At present, the container trades of northeastern states of India depends on KOPT which is costly and time consuming as the port is situated far away from these states. Distance by road of northeastern states from Kolkata and Chittagong is presented in Table 9 and is shown in Annex-10. From the Table 9, it is evident that Chittagong port has competitive advantage in hinterland access over Kolkata port. Conclusion and recommendations: This paper aimed to present the current pricing system for Chittagong port and assesses the demand, competition level, and cost structure of the port. Firstly, it is observed that the pricing system of CPA is cost based and the port is mainly service oriented organization acting as a tool port. Secondly, it is observed that the container market is monopolistic in CPA due to absence of private operator. The inter port competition level of CPA with MPA also monopolistic and concentration of container market is in favour of CPA due to some bottlenecks of MPA. In addition, the competition level of CPA is assessed with nearby Indian port, KOPT. Here, duopolistic market concentration is observed as both ports, at present, are using different hinterland without international competition. However, the competition level of both ports will be increased in near future as Bangladesh and Indian governments have agreed for transit facilities for northeastern Indian states. In this case, it is furt her observed that due to strategic location of CPA the port has competitive advantage over KOPT. Furthermore, the comparison of tariff of both ports shows that in some particular important fields for container trade, the tariff of CPA is higher. From the above scenarios, it is evident that the degree of market concentration of CPA is monopolistic and current pricing system is controlled by regulations. However, according to UNCTAD (1995), in various parts of the world many ports are facing increased competition because of technological change in shipping, ports and land transport which may require a relaxation of government control on port charges. This report further mentioned that, competition has forced tariff levels to become more flexible. On the other hand, the CPA will not be able to hold its monopolistic situation as trade facilitation and competitive environment are increasing in the south-Asian region. Therefore, to increase the attractiveness and the profit of the port, it is recommended that the CPA has to revise its tariff by taking some infrastructural development for its natural hinterland access, competitive hinterland access as well as by increasing the efficiency of operational activities. In summary, cost based tariff can contribute to develop its attractiveness and its profit by the following ways: Rearranging operational activities to ensure efficient operation and economic use of operational assets. 2. Maintaining operational cost at a minimum level by reducing fixed cost and taking outsourcing benefit. 3. Achieving more growth in operation than required level of growth. For example: It was assumed that Total 3 million containers will be handled in 20 years with a growth rate 5% per year. On the other hand, CPA is now handling more than 1 million per year with 12% growth rate. So after 3 million, each amount of contribution margin (CM) is profit. Moreover, up to the recovery of 3 million, 7% of growth was also contribution margin, used to recover the fixed cost. 4. Devaluation of Bangladeshi taka against dollar will also help to increase profit in nominal term. Revising tariff time to time with present cost can be a more effective way to increase profit. Moreover, to increase the attractiveness and profit of the CPA, concession may be given on account of discharging or loading charges to importer/exporter who handles certain number of containers determined by port in single call of a vessel. Furthermore, it can provide rebates on vessels introducing green award discount like Port of Rotterdam Authority.

Anouilh’s Tragedy and Oedipus Rex :: comparison compare contrast essays

Anouilh’s Tragedy and Oedipus Rex    Many definitions exist for the genres of â€Å"tragedy† and â€Å"melodrama.†Ã‚   Similar to the distinction between fruits and vegetables, most can tell the two apart but have difficulty describing why.   However, some definitions require a deeper look into a work, such as the interpretation provided by Anouilh’s movie version of â€Å"Antigone.†Ã‚   Whether or not Sophocles’s â€Å"Oedipus Rex† is a tragedy or melodrama has been debated since the teachings of Aristotle and strong arguments have been made for both sides.   â€Å"Tragedy,† as defined by Anouilh, takes on a lifelike form, putting a new twist on an old definition that requires one to take a different perspective on the play.   Though at a superficial level â€Å"Oedipus Rex† is a tragedy, its details point it towards the direction of a melodrama.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first and most glaring problem found while attempting to plug â€Å"Oedipus Rex† into Anouilh’s description of tragedy comes with how tragedy runs in a play.    The spring is wound up tight.   It will uncoil of itself.   That is what is so convenient in tragedy.   The least little turn of the wrist will do the job†¦. The rest is automatic.   You don’t need to lift a finger.   The machine is in perfect order; it has been oiled ever since time began, and it runs without friction (Anouilh’s â€Å"Antigone†).    Once tragedy has started to roll, it never ceases while continuing to snowball until the point of finality in the play.   In â€Å"Oedipus Rex,† this is not seen.   Rather, Oedipus himself works the machine, pulling each lever and pushing every button himself.   Though â€Å"the god’s design is open, [and] all his oracle is clear†¦ (Sophocles 76),† it is Oedipus himself that must hurry his fate.   The gods seem to hurry Oedipus along his journey as well, catalyzing the actions leading to Oedipus’s final revelations and self-mutilation.   â€Å"Friends, it was Apollo, sprit of Apollo.   He made this evil fructify (Sophocles 73).†Ã‚   Oedipus recognizes that the gods, notably Apollo had ushered him along, leaving him with little else than to explore his origins and eventually go mad.   Oedipus is not put into some fate machine and chewed around.   Oedipus is subjected to his own curiosity and the play of his own gods.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to Anouilh, a tragedy must be very clean, whereas a melodrama is sloppy in nature.    Tragedy is clean; it is restful; it is flawless.

Tourism :: essays research papers

In the more economically developed countries (MEDCs), synonymous mainly with the industrialised countries of the northern hemisphere there, has been an explosion in the growth of leisure and tourism industry, which is now believed to be the worlds second largest industry in terms of money generated. In order to differentiate between leisure and tourism it should be recognised that leisure often involves activities enjoyed during an individual’s free time, whereas tourism commonly refers to organised touring undertaken on a commercial basis. Development in the two areas could be attributed to changing patterns in working lives within the last four decades. Generally, people now have more disposable wealth, work shorter hours, receive longer, paid annual leave, retire earlier and have greater personal mobility. In addition, according to Marshall & Wood (1995), the growth of the tourist industry per se can be associated, in part, with the concentration of capital; the emergence o f diversified leisure based companies, sometimes within wider corporate conglomerates and often associated with particular airlines. Furthermore, the development of tourism can generate employment both directly, in jobs created in the hotels, restaurants etc, and indirectly, through expenditure on goods and services in the local area. Nevertheless, although the tourist industry is competitive, which essentially keeps down the cost of foreign travel, the success of tourism in any one area can be ‘influenced by weather, changing consumer tastes, demographics, economic cycles, government policy, not to mention international terrorism and other forms of conflict.’(1) Although such factors may have a detrimental affect on the economy of a popular tourist destination (or even tourism in general, in light of September 11th 2001), the consequence of tourism in general is often three fold: environmental, social and cultural, which in turn has prompted a search for new ‘fri endly’ approaches that are less destructive. It is a well-noted fact that tourists from the developed world, or rich western nations, are in favour of visiting unspoilt natural environments and places steeped in tradition. However, Lea (1988) regards such attractions as being a sign of underdevelopment and rarely tolerated by the host nations just because they meet with foreign approval of visitors. Instead, it is the priority of the respective governments to raise living standards to acceptable levels, which means modernisation and the implementation of various infrastructures. Nevertheless, if administered effectively mass tourism could provide a form of sustainable development by meeting the needs of the present without compromising those of the future.

Essay --

The Life of Mother Teresa India is a country of great poverty. The poor of India wanted help but no one seemed to listen to their cries. About 29.8% of the people of India live below the national poverty line in 2010. One person has changed the way people act today. Even now people still strive to do what she did. Mother Teresa is one of the people who shaped the world. Mother Teresa was brought into the the world on August 26, 1910. Mother Teresa was baptized the day after she was born which is August 27 1910. Her nickname was gonkha which means little bud or flower bud. Agnes Gonxha bojaxhiyIs was Mother Teresa’s real name. Mother Teresa was born in Skopje Macedonia. Skopje is the capital of the republic of Macedonia. Skopje is also the largest city in the republic of Macedonia. Skopje is a humid subtropical climate.In Skopje 10% of the population is Catholic Mother Teresa attended a public school as well as a private school. Later in life she attended a medical mission sisters school. Mother Teresa played mandolin as a young child and she also song with her sister in her church’s choir. Mother Teresa’s biggest hobby was to carry out the will of God. Mother Teresa grew up in a generous family and the family was extremely involved in the church. When mother Teresa was a child she would bring food and medicine to people who needed it. She saw that as a religious duty. When she was eight her father passed away and mother Teresa became close to her mother. When she was on a trip to the chapel of the Madonna of Lentince on a black mountain was when she felt her first calling from God. â€Å"I want Indian Nuns, Missionaries of charity, who would be my fire of love amongst the poor, the sick, the dying, and the little children† sh... ...st mother Teresa. They thought they weren’t sanitary and didn’t have good medical training to care for the poor people. Also people said the only reson people thought she helped people was because she was converting people to christianity. In 1989 she had a herat attack which was followed by surgery and then she was hooked up to a machine to regulate her heartbeat. After a couple years of heart lung and kidney problems she died at age 87 on september 5 1997. Mother teresa is the Saint of Gutters Mother teresa has helped so many poor,unhealthy,homeless,healthy,wealthy, people. She has helped people by curing there sickness, telling us that we can change the world, and that if we just help one person it will make a difference. This paper talked about the life of mother teresa. Mother teresa had a unforgettable life. She had a life that we all would want to have.

Apple’s Financial Analysis Part 2

APPLE’S FINANCIAL ANALYSIS FOR THE YEAR ENDED September 27, 2008 Income Statement: a) Apple Inc uses multi-step income statement format. It organizes its operating section by using functional expense classification. b)There are no unusual items presented in Apple’s income statement. Also the company did not discontinue any of its operations, neither had any changes in accounting principles. The net income for 2008, 2007, and 200 is $4,834, $3,496, and $1,989 respectively. The net income has increased continually in past three years. Net income increased 38. 3% in 2008. Apple’s net income growth for 2007 was 75. 7%. The income statement doesn’t need restating. I also believe that Apple is not managing their earnings. The company’s revenue and earnings per share are undervalued and Apple's financials appear radically weaker than they actually are. It is because in April, 2007 they made a bad decision when announced that Apple will be using what is commonly referred to as the â€Å"subscription method of accounting† for sales of the iPhone where the sales revenue from the iPhone is deferred and recognized over a 24-month period instead of at the point of sale. When disregarding the deferred revenue mechanism of subscription accounting, Apple actually earned $7. 48 in EPS on $38. 041 billion in revenue. That compares to the $5. 36 in EPS on $32. 479 billion in revenue that Apple reported on a GAAP-basis. During 2008, the Company adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (â€Å"FASB†) Financial Interpretation No. (â€Å"FIN†) 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes—an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109. FIN 48 changes the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes by creating a new framework for how companies should recognize, measure, present, and disclose uncertain tax positions in their financial statements. 09/27/08Restated 09/27/09 Net Sales32,47932,479 Cost Of Goods21,33421,334 Gross Profit11,14511,145 Selling & Adminstrative & Depr. & Amort Expenses4,8704,870 Income After Depreciation & Amortization6,2756,275 Non-Operating Income620620 Pretax Income6,8956,895 Income Taxes2,0612,061 Investment Gains/Losses00 Other Income/Charges00 Income From Cont. Operations4,8344,834 Extras & Discontinued Operations00 Net Income4,8344,834 2) Apple Inc recognizes revenue from sales when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred, the sales price is fixed or determinable, and collection is probable. Revenue from service and support contracts is deferred and recognized ratably over the service coverage periods. Revenue is deferred for the fair value of the specified upgrade rights when offered. i. A/R turnover=Net Sales/Average A/R(net) A/R turnover2007=24,066/1637=14. 70 times A/R turnover2008=32,479/2422=13. 41 times ii. Allowance % A/R=Allowance/ Gross A/R Allowance % A/R2007=47/24,066=0. 0195 Allowance % A/R2008=47/32,479=0. 001445 iii. Average collection period= 365/ A/R turnover (or 365*A/R/Net Sales) Average collection period2007=365/14. 70=24. 82 (every 25 days) Average collection period2008=365/13. 41=27. 22 (every 22 days) The total sales revenues increased consistently for the past years. Net sales increased 43. 86% in 2008 compared with 2007 ($24,006 and $ 32,479 respectively), A/R have increased too by 47. 95% in 2007 compared to 20056 ($1637and $2,422 respectively). The company does not have looser credit policy, since it does not have credit accounts whatsoever. Apple has an ncreasing accounts receivable turnover which is a positive sign – showing the company is successfully executing its credit policies and quickly turning its accounts receivables into cash. The ratios calculated above cannot be taken into account because they do not represent the actual A/R for the company for entire year. 3)Inventory Costing: a)The company uses FIFO in costing its inventory. I believe that the company uses this method, because even though tax expense are higher, since the Cost of Goods Sold decrease by using the lower cost items, the net effect on the net income still result it net increase. The earnings per share also increase, as well as inventory in the balance sheet. If the cost of the inventories exceeds their market value, provisions are made currently for the difference between the cost and the market value. The Company’s inventories consist primarily of finished goods for all periods presented. If they use LIFO the net income would have been higher, it can benefit from tax savings and improve its cash flow. On other hand average cost achieves a net income somewhere in the middle. b)Looking at the vertical analysis of the Income Statement cost of goods sold has decreased to 0. 34% (from 66. 3 % in 2007to 65. 69% in 2008), and net sales increased by $8475. At the same time, looking at the horizontal analysis, while in 2008 COGS increased by nearly 39. 97% compared to 2007, sales increased only by 43. 86%, and in 2007 while GOGS increased by 15. 56%, sales increased by 24. 29%. This, in my opinion indicates inventory stock (50 items), and fast moving inventor y (7days). i. Inventory Turnover=(COGS)/(Ave. Inventory) Inventory Turnover2007= 15,852/(270+346)/2=51. 047? 51 items Inventory Turnover2008= 21,334/(509+346)/2=49. 904? 50 items ii. Gross Profit Percentage=Gross Profit/Net Sales Gross Profit Percentage2007=8,154/24,006=0. 3397? 33. 97% Gross Profit Percentage2008=11,145/32,479=. 3431? 34. 31% iii. Average Days in Inventory=365/Inventory Turnover Average Days in Inventory2007=365/51=7. 16 days Average Days in Inventory2008=365/50=7. 3 days c) Apple is doing extremely well in terms of inventory turnover, which is one of the lowest in the industry only 7days . While a sizable inventory can be important to coping with sudden surges in demand, excessive inventory is wasteful and can exacerbate financial problems if a new product is introduced before old inventory is cleared. Inventory is increased from 346 million in 2007 to 509 million in 2008. Because the sales are increased too, therefore it is an indication of heavy business activities, rather than the problem with sale of existing products. Gross profit margin is flat for year 2007 and 2008 at 34%. 4)Property, plant and equipment: a)Apple Inc uses the straight-line method of depreciation based upon the asset’s estimated useful life. b)Asset Turnover=Net Sales/Ave total assets Asset Turnover2007=24,006/[(25,347+17,205)/2)]=1. 1283 Asset Turnover2008=32,479/[(39,572+25,347)/2]=1. 0006 c)PPE has increased in the last year by $632 million. The company has purchased PPE in 2007 in the amount of $735 million and $1,091 million in 2008. In 2008 Apple declared a loss on disposition of property, plant, and equipment for $22 million, which has increased by $10 million since 2007(12million) 5) Liabilities a)Apple’s liabilities are composed by short-term debt, Accounts Payable, Accrued Expenses, Long-term debt, non-current liabilities. The major current and non-current liabilities accounts for the years of 2007 and 2008 are shown in the table below: September 27, 2008 September 29, 2007_ Current liabilities: Accounts payable $5,520 $4,970 Accrued expenses 8,572 4,310 Total current liabilities 14,092 9,280 Non-current liabilities 4,450 1,535 Total liabilities 18,542 10,815 b)Ratios: i. Debt Ratio=Total Liabilities/Total Assets Debt Ratio2008=18,542/39,572=0. 468564 or 46. 86% ii. Debt to Equity=Total Liabilities/Stockholders Equity Debt to Equity2008=18,542/21,030=. 8817 iii. Times interest earned=Income before income taxes and interest expense/Interest Expense Times interest earned2008=6,275/ 0 c)Ratios for Microsoft’s for year ended 06/30/2008 i. Debt Ratio2008=36,507/72,793=0. 015 or 50. 15% ii. Debt to Equity2008=36,507/ 36,286=1. 0061 iii Times interest earned2006=22,492/0 These ratios are derived from Dillard’s financial statements that can be found on http://www. sec. gov/Archives/edgar/data/789019/000119312508162768/d10k. htm. Looking at Apple’s and Microsoft’s debt ratios, I can say that Microsoft’s debt ratio is 3. 29% higher, or it has 3. 29% more debt compared to its total assets. I think that 50. 15% indicates that Apple’s can be categorized a company of moderate risk level. Comparing Apple’s debt to equity ratio of . 8817% to Microsoft’s ratio of 1. 61%, I can tell that Apple’s are doing well, since it uses $. 88 derived from liability in addition to every $1 of equity in its business, taking advantage of the lower cost of debt for financing projects to relatively more expensive equity financing. Microsoft’s ration is only 0. 1793% lower, which indicates a normal debt ratio for Apple Inc. Comparing Apple’s ratio results to Microsoft’s, gives me the confidence to say that Apple’s liabilities fall into the industry’s average. 6)Stock price a)Yahoo Finance chart PRICE DateOpenHighLowCloseAvg VolAdj Close* Sep-08172. 40173. 50120. 68128. 439,370,800128. 24 Aug-08159. 90180. 45152. 91169. 5323,273,800169. 53 Jul-08164. 23180. 91146. 53158. 9533,096,200158. 95 J un-08188. 60189. 95164. 15167. 4434,281,100167. 44 May-08174. 96192. 24172. 00188. 7532,650,300188. 75 Apr-08146. 30180. 00143. 61173. 9538,841,700173. 95 Mar-08124. 44145. 74118. 00143. 5042,313,100143. 50 Feb-08136. 24136. 59115. 44125. 0246,645,400125. 02 Jan-08199. 27200. 26126. 14135. 3662,108,100135. 36 Dec-07181. 86202. 96176. 99198. 0831,771,400198. 08 Nov-07188. 60192. 68150. 63182. 2246,553,700182. 22 Oct-07154. 63190. 12152. 93189. 9537,438,400189. 95 Sep-07153. 44154. 60152. 75153. 4743,935,800153. 47 b)In my opinion there is a strong positive correlation between the two charts. There are several noticeable changes of Apple’s stock price over the last year. In October,2007 Apple’s stocks increases to $189. 95 from $153. 47in Sept. The increase was due people’ interest to get their hands on Mac OS X Leopard, the newest version of Apple's operating system. After that since markets in general, and tech stocks in particular, were hit hard by poor earnings reports posted by Intel, Apple’s stock price dropped in first weeks of November. In the begging of January 2007 the stock dropped to $126. 14 after Jobs announced iphone sales to date of 4 million, and AT&T said that only 3. 9 million were activated, which means 100,000 iphones still in their Christmas wrapping or more likely unlocked. The company’s stock decline in the first quarter was due to an antitrust suit which has been filed against Apple accusing the company of illegally maintaining a monopoly in the digital music market by failing to support Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio format. In May Stock reached $188. 55 because Apple reported its second quarter earnings, and its revenues of $7. 05 billion and a net profit of $1. 05 billion for the quarter. In second quarter Apple had slightly decreases and increases in stock value. On July 22, 2008 Apple reported its third quarter earnings results. The company earned $7. 46 billion during the quarter, a 37% increase from the same quarter 2007. Last month of the third quarter the company had a down t urn to $ 120. 68 per stock. 7) Final Review I believe that the company has strong results in the industry that it operates. Compared to its direct competition, Apple Inc is doing well. I also believe that Apple Inc is trying to grow, and became a leader in consumer electronics market. Based on my analysis, I agree with the company’s strategy of increasing investment in Research and Development. Specifically, I suggest the sometime down the line after provider contracts are over and equipment and technology costs have gone down Apple should enter the wireless cellular provider arena. This would allow Apple to recoup all profits instead of sharing/splitting profits with the providers. Customer’s buy the hardware/phone at cost rather than the current model of wireless provider subsidized phones at the expense of expensive plans. They should offer a quality engineered, eco-friendly, workplace computer that is economically practical for corporations and large organizations. However due to Apple’s unique designing nitch and brand loyalty we feel they have the ability to capture a portion of the bottom market that has always wished to own an Apple without diluting its luxury products image. Apple Inc would do a lot better if it was not in the declining economic environment as of now. Increasing questions about Jobs' health and lack of transparency into a succession plan are decreasing the company’s stability. Contrary of Wall Street's expectations Apple reports earnings of $1. 61 billion ($1. 78 per share), which was up 2 cents a share from the year earlier period. Revenue also increased from $9. 6 billion to $10. 17 billion. With stock price of $102 â€Å"Apple Inc. shares have catapulted back atop the century mark today after brokerage firm FTN Equity upgraded the stock from â€Å"neutral† to â€Å"buy. â€Å"We now believe investors are more prepared for the Chief Executive taking a smaller role and we have not seen the multiple compression we expected,† wrote analyst Bill Fearnley, Jr. † I believe that by looking at the past performance of Apple, one can derive a future prognosis of Apple’s performance, bound to the industry development. I believe that an investor may want to buy Apple’s shares, since it looks like i t is a strong company, and take advantage of the current low stock prices. I also would recommend to an investor not to invest all of his money in Apple, because of the uncertainty of the market.

Patton Fuller Financial Statements Essay

Financial statements hold a great deal of information on them and there are many things to consider when reviewing them. A financial statement can be audited or unaudited which vary in expense information. There are effects of revenue sources to consider and businesses have a different revenue every year. They can either be close in dollar amount or could vary significantly. The financial goal to how much revenue a business wants to make should be set in order to plan and control for expenses that the business must pay for in case of emergencies. Financial statements are very detailed and are well informative of the financial status of a business. Audited Versus Unaudited In the Patton-Fuller revenue and expense statement report, the audited or unaudited financial statements vary in their particular expense information. A considerable reduction in the analysis of income is the fundamental procurement of every doubtful account. The distinct term refers to fixed number of accounts receivable that will eventually become bad debt or standardized as unvaluable funds. A statement furnished concerning all third party reports shall always demonstrate the distribution of doubtful accounts noteworthy as an expenditure (Baker & Baker, 2011). Management of the doubtful accounts have a million dollar increase particularly on the audited statement report in comparison to the unaudited report. All the allotments in the calculated amounts vary within the net income and operating income from signifying a profit that undoubtedly shows a loss. An audited balance statement affirms an amount of one million dollars that is reduced in revenue corresponding with the unaudite d report on the present profit listed that relates to patient balance due.

Nature & Scope Of Marketing Research Essay

HISTORY Curtis publishing company is the first company. Charles Coolidge parlin was the first head. Research was for Campbell soup. In the United States. 3. Case study Hindustan express news paper Largest chain of news paper in India During 1975 – 1977 fought for freedom of the press Newspaper flash lighted government and its policies Suffered restrictions and newspaper quota Suffered loses Change in government – 1977 Role played by this newspaper was hailed Earlier position completely reversed Financial position improved with in 18 months 4. Case study cont. Hindustan express simultaneously published in English language west — Bombay, Ahmedabad South — Madras, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Trivandrum North — Chandigarh East — none Have two regional language paper Marathi from Bombay Malayalam from cochin New plan to start an edition from Pune in Marathi 5. Problems :- Already five Marathi newspaper published daily from Pune and four from Bombay Pune hardly 180 km from Bombay, as such Bombay edition could easily reach Pune by newspaper taxi. The circulation of regional language newspaper is low. Advertising revenue is low. Will the new edition from Pune be financially feasible? Will the new edition have market feasibility? 6. Solution MARKETING RESEARCH 7. What is marketing research Marketing research is the function that links , the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer Research comprises defining and redefining problems, Formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions Collecting, organizing, and evaluating data Making deductions and reaching conclusions And at last carefully testing the conclusion to determine whether they fit the formulation 8. Classification of research Basic research Applied research a) Problem solving research b) Problem identification research. 9. Problem Solving Research Segmentation research Product research Pricing research Promotion research Distribution research 10. Problem Identification Research Market potential research Market share research Image research Market characteristics research Forecasting research Business trend research 11. Why marketing research has evolved and grown ? 12. Answer:- Managers are separated from their final consumers Managers needs  information from their final consumers 13. Managers are separated from their final consumers Manufacturer Retailer Services Org. Final Consumer Mkt. Manager 14. Managers needs information from their final consumers Manufacturers Retailers Suppliers Customers Needs And Wants 15. Managers needs information from their final consumers Target market Product/service Price Distribution Promotion Marketing Manager Wants information 16. Customer group Consumer Employees Shareholders Suppliers Controllable Marketing Variables _______ Product Pricing Promotion Distribution Uncontrollable Environmental Factors Economy Technology Competition Law and Regulations Social and culture Factors Political Factors Assessing Information Needs Providing Information Marketing Decision Making Marketing Managers Market Segmentation Target Market Selection Marketing Programs Performance and Control 17. The role of marketing research in managerial decision making is explained further using the framework of the DECIDE model: _________________________________________________ D — Define the marketing problem E — Enumerate the controllable and uncontrollable decision factors C — Collect relevant information I — Identify the best alternative D — Develop and implement a marketing plan E — Evaluate the decision and the decision process 18. Applications of Marketing Research Pricing Research Product Research Concept Testing Positioning Research Customer Satisfaction Research Branding Research Advertising Research Market Segmentation Sales Analysis 19. Types Of Research Descriptive vs. Analytical Applied vs. Fundamental Quantitative vs. Qualitative Conceptual vs. Empirical 20. Descriptive :- Also known Statistical Research Includes survey & facts What age group buying a particular brand Analytical :- Use facts or information already available 21. Applied Research Designed to solve practical problem of the modern world For example, applied researchers may investigate ways to: improve agricultural crop production treat or cure a specific disease improve the energy efficiency of homes, offices, or modes of transportation 22. Fundamental Research Driven by a scientists in a scientific question The main motivation is to expand Man’s knowledge, not to create or invent something For example, basic science investigations probe for answers to questions such as: How did the universe begin? What are protons, neutrons, and electrons composed of? How do slime molds reproduce? What is the specific genetic code of the fruit fly 23. Quantitative:- Used  to measure how many people feel, think or act in a particular way Many vehicle used for collecting quantitative information but the most common are on street or telephone Qualitative :- Used to help us understand how people feel and why they feel as they do It is concerned with collecting in-debt information asking questions such as why do you say that Depth interviews or group discussions are two common methods used for collecting qualitative information 24. Conceptual :- Related to some abstract ideas or theory It is generally used by philosopher and thinkers to develop new concepts or to reinterpret existing ones Empirical :- Relies on experience or observation alone, often without due regard for system & theory 25. Benefits of Marketing Research Benefit to business and industry Benefits to economy. Six essential benefit Enhanced ability to make well-informed decisions. Provides a cost-effective opportunity to supplement a company’s internal training. 26. Facilitates a common knowledge bridge.. Provides a specific starting point for people entering the profession. Gives company an objective tool to help develop and promote employees. Assists researchers in understanding and differentiation between good research and impartial research. 27. Characteristics of a good marketing research: Use of more scientific methods Cost and benefits Use of the Statistical method Alternative course of action 28. Scope of marketing research The scope of marketing research could cover the business problems relating to the followings. Types of consumers that compromise present and potential markets. Buying habits and pattern of consumption Size and location of different markets, not only in India but also overseas. 29. The prospects for growth or construction for the current markets being served. New mantras of emerging segments. Marketing and manufacturing capabilities of competitors. Most suitable entry timing. The current and prospective competitive position. Chances of improvement of current channels. Optimum use of promo- tools. 30. Qualities of a good researcher: Qualities Entry level junior staff senior staff Strong writing skills 57 71 90 Strong analytic skills 50 67 90 Strong verbal skills 49 57 82 Professional appearance 19 28 5 Good grades 15 04 07 Good quantitative skills 13 19 41 Graduate degree 06 11 16 Good school 03 ** 01 Managerial skills ** ** 49 Client handling skills ** ** 83 31. Obstacles in acceptance of marketing research Due to globalization, liberalization and privatization Narrow conception Improper orientation of the investigator  Late results Conditional findings Biasness Improper research technique Inadequate skill of investigator Research inclined towards predetermined research 32. Ethical condition of Market Research Information should not be misused Do not force the customer to answer Respondent reply should also be kept confidential Ask sensible personal questions 33. Limitations of Marketing Research Not a panacea Not an exact science Limitation of time Erroneous findings Not exact tool for forecasting In experience research research staff Narrow conception of marketing research 34. Emerging issue Marketing research in internet era Online research Email surveys Html forms Downloadable interactive survey application Data warehousing and data mining

Christian Ethics

INTRODUCTION (DEFINITION) Christian ethics are theological teachings which govern decision making and the moral position of the Church based on various sources of guidance. These are traditions, church authorities, human experience, the Natural Law, the Bible; in particular Jesus’s Commandment of love, the Beatitudes and the 10 Commandments â€Å"You shall not steal† (Ex 20:15). HISTORICAL SETTING Christian ethical teachings vary between denominations for example, the Catholic Church places particular emphasis on Natural Law and authoritative bodies.The Protestant Church turns to scripture as its main source of ethical guidance due to the belive in â€Å"sol scriptura† (salvation through scripture alone, a belief originating in the Reformation of the Church. ) Despite these differences, the Bible remains the common source of morality among all denominations. SPECIFIC EXAMPLE: ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS/CLIMATE CHANGE Christian environmental ethics are specifically conc erned with the belief in humanity’s role as stewards of the Earth and how this role should be responsibly undertaken being a privileged bestowed by God.Prominent issues within Christian environmental ethics include Climate Change and deforestation. Climate Change is defined as a long term change in the Earth’s climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. There are many factors believed to be contributing to Climate Change. These include an overconsumption of fossil fuels which when used emit greenhouse gases. The Church’s stance on Climate Change is that it is the result of humanity abusing the role as stewards of the Earth by taking more than they need from it.Using the words of Pope John Paul II, Climate Change is caused by modern society being given to â€Å"instant gratification and consumerism. † There are many national and international Christian initiatives which aim to address Climate Change such as Carit as Australia’s â€Å"A Just Climate† campaign. Established in 2011, this campaign aims to promote ecological sustainability to minimise the impact of Climate Change. Its focus is the poorer communities of the world, being the most vulnerable to the effect of Climate Change such as rising sea levels.Its methods include: community awareness programs and facilitating participation of poor communities in national discussions. Internationally, the Ecumenical World Council of Churches (WCE) is an example of the Christian communities response to Climate Change. It has been present since 1992 at every United Nations Climate Change Conference and is especially concerned with the effect Climate Change has on the world’s poor, promoting the concept of sustainable communities.It’s motivation lies in Genesis 2:15 in which God entrusts Adam with the Garden of Eden â€Å" the Lord God, took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. † Today , humanity like Adam has the obligation to the world as responsible stewards. Using the words of Pope Benedict XVI â€Å"The wonder of God’s creation reminds us of the need to protect the environment and to exercise responsible stewardship of the goods of the Earth. † INTRODUCTION- DEFORESTATIONDeforestation is the loss of forest cover being converted into things such as agricultural land, golf courses and cattle paddocks. Consequences are wide ranging and include soil erosion, extinction of tree species as well as the endangerment or extinction of animal species which inhabit these forests. The Church’s opinion of deforestation is similar to that of Climate Change. Responsible stewardship of the land would not have caused not have caused such damage as deforestation has done.Society’s role as custodians of the land is demonstrated in the Bible by the quote â€Å"The land is mine;) with me you are but aliens and tenants† (Lev 25:23). This excerpt i llustrates society’s role as caretakers of the land and that the responsibility is to preserve the world. From this and other teachings found in the Church, it can be seen that the Christian ethical stance on forestation is that taking from the Earth should not be motivated by overconsumption but by sustainability.As Pop John Paul II said â€Å"Man cannot make arbitrary use of the Earth, subjecting it without restraint to his will. † Various Christian organisations established for the protection of the environment include Catholic Earthcare Australia (CEA), founded in 2003 by Australian Catholic Bishops. Its aim is to promote understanding of the sacredness of nature and functions as an advisory agent on ecological matters for Catholic Bishops and initiating sustainability programs.An example of this is the publication of â€Å"On Holy Ground† which is a faith based program for reflecting on environmental issues created by the CEA in conjunction with the Catholi c Education Office (CEO). An international example of the Church’s response to deforestation and other sustainability issues is POPPA Benedict XVI’s address at the opening mass of World Youth Day Sydney, 2008. He states â€Å"There are also scars which mark the surface of our earth: erosion, deforestation†¦ in order to face and insatiable consumption. With such a large audience the message of sustainability was spread to many countries. CONCLUSION Ethical issues are significant to the adherents of Christianity as they provide a means to living based on the teachings of Jesus who preached love and respect for God’s creation. The growing environmental concerns of Climate Change and deforestation are examples of modern society’s neglect of the Earth and, by extension their obligations to caring for it. Christian adherents are therefore called to encourage change and sustainability in the world around them.

Marshall Berman; the Contradictions of Modernity Essay

Marshall Berman; the Contradictions of Modernity - Essay Example As the research declares in describing the modern human, Berman says â€Å"they are moved at once by a will to change – to transform both themselves and their world – and by a terror of disorientation and disintegration, of life falling apart†. Through this statement, it is easy to see the conflicting emotions of an individual undergoing change of any kind. Relating it to everyday life, an individual might strive to pursue a dream career by quitting their job and launching a business of their own, but at the same time be paralyzed by the fear of this new venture failing, or worse, succeeding. Either way, it represents a change in the way things have been. â€Å"To be modern is to live a life of paradox and contradiction. This paper stresses that in the capitalistic society, it is greatly argued that man has control of the market, the customer is always right and the consumer is the master by reason of making the choice to purchase or not purchase. Berman points out that often this is not really the case. Although we might have our choice of traveling by plane, train or automobile, sometimes that ‘choice’ boils down to just one option based on the availability of flights, trains or roads. Idealistically speaking, we have free choice in which doctors to see for various complaints, however, it is actually the insurance companies that dictate to whom we can go and how much can be charged based on the conditions listed.

Performance Enhancing Drugs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance Enhancing Drugs - Essay Example Performance enhancing drug tests are stricter for male than for female athletes. There is a list of substances banned in males only. Differences between the reporting level for men and women are also acknowledged. The confusion over the nandrolone issue is exacerbated by claims that low concentrations of metabolites conferred no performance -enhancing effect and are due to the contamination of supplements. This conclusion from a single untimed urine sample could not be substantiated; the possibility that the result arose from the long-term use by injection of nandrolone may seem unlikely in the present climate of testing but evidence to the contrary had to be unequivocal (Dean, 2000). The number of positive test results has increased dramatically in recent years, but still, researcher admit that differences in male and female constitution prevent laboratories to identify illicit substances. OTC drugs, such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, are relatively less potent and non-selective than other stimulants, hence their availability without prescription. Following Bowers (1997) this lack of selectivity, with a concomitant likelihood of side-effects, especially if used in supratherapeutic doses, makes them less desirable as potential performance -enhancing drugs, since no improvement in performance has been found in the few research studies on these drugs. Another argument is that women may have illnesses that require them to take particular drugs. It indicates an increasing trend in its use as a performance -enhancing drug, since its pharmacological properties are likely to have adverse, rather than positive, effects on performance in most sports. Statistical results prove that women swimmers perform much better than men because of inadequate drug tests and differences between male and female constitution.

Hotel Revenue Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hotel Revenue Management - Research Paper Example To this effect, a quick PEST analysis has been done below. PEST Analysis According to Competitive Intelligence (2011), â€Å"Political factors include parts such as employment laws, environmental regulations, tax policy, trade restrictions and tariffs and political constancy.† This means that political factors have to do with factors that are influenced by government. In this case study, tax charged on rooms, trade restrictions and travel policies would be factored in the political analysis whereby a relatively low tax system and free flow of people would enhance the patronage of hotels. Economic factors for the revenue management are exceptionally important for international trade and patronage. This is because according to Marketing Teacher Limited (2000), economic factors cover issues such as â€Å"Interest rates, the level of inflation Employment level per capita and long-term prospects for the economy Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita†, which are all very imp ortant in determining internal revenue management models. ... This point is buttressed further by the Quick MBA Network that mentions issues under social factors to include â€Å"health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety.† Technological factors will eventually play a central part of the revenue management in the sense that it is going to be the single most important interactive medium by which potential customers are going to be contacted. Customers are also expected to be abreast with innovations and programs of the hotel by accessing data and information on the hotel through the use of the internet. Most commonly, it is expected that online reservations and group bookings will be made via the internet. The Net MBA (2011) mentions other forms of technological issues such as â€Å"Recent technological developments, Technology's impact on product offering, Impact on cost structure, Impact on value chain structure, Rate of technological diffusion.† Revenue Management Mode l In today’s competitive economic era, revenue management has been identified as an extremely important means for hotels to make up for their apportioned resources and income. Revenue xls (2007) has it that â€Å"revenue management models are intended to optimize the pricing of hotel rooms, airline seats, and other â€Å"perishable† commodities for a given duration by taking into account demand variability over time and capacity constraints.† The major model to be adopted would be the stochastic model, which was first used on the airline industry by De Boer et al. (2002) for the airline industry. A qualitative rather than a quantitative form of the model shall however be used. Under the model, the following areas will be considered. The

Human Anotomy and Physiology Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Anotomy and Physiology - Case Study Example The spine is made up of approximately 33 individual vertebrae; seven cervical, twelve thoracic, five lumbar, five sacral, and four coccygeal. In our 70 year old subject, this number is closer to 27 since the five individual bones of the sacrum have long since entirely fused into one unit. Similarly, the fused individual components of the coccyx can probably be considered as two bones. One of the first structures to appear during embryogenesis, the spine develops from the mesoderm layer and shares a common origin with the skin, muscles, and gonads. It continues to develop throughout infancy and puberty. Each vertebra of the spine is composed of minerals and protein. Calcium is the predominant mineral, with several others. Collagen and cartilaginous structures form the protein matrix of the bones. Calcium salts such as calcium phosphate in the form of hydroxyapatite are embedded in a collagen matrix containing osteocytes and vascular tissues. The vertebrae are mostly compacted bone, which supports the weight bearing function of these structures. Our post-menopausal subject is losing bone mass at a rate of about 1% per year (see Calcium). The spine is interdependent with the paraspinal muscle groups (longissimus, multifidus, and rotatores).

Microeconomices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Microeconomices - Essay Example 1. For consideration of staying at school rather than dropping out and following the great legends who followed that very path, there can be several reasons that any individual might give based on their respective mindsets and frameworks. My personal reason for staying back and not dropping out is the fact that I believe this is what should be done, as it secures my future. There might have been billions and millions of drop outs from universities world wide on a regular basis. However, the success stories of just a few are known and the failures of the rest remain an unreported story. The world today is of education and the cost beard today would definitely yield a better and higher return and reward in the future. Thus, I belief that I have applied the right concepts of economic rationality and opportunity costing, i.e. by foregoing the current opportunity to seek a better one in the future. 2. There have been success stories of individuals globally, very few though, dropping out from high school or universities and then moving on to do something big, each having a different feeling in their hearts and minds regarding their then taken step. But the common thing in each was their self-belief and self-confidence in terms of the fact that by withdrawing themselves from the educational arena, they believed that they could achieve something that they won’t have been able to otherwise. In case of Bill Gates, he probably quit schooling because he felt that his expertise lay in something which would not be taught by school and the cost that he is bearing today will not result in a higher yield for the coming years and hence he decided to save time by dropping out. Thus, his belief was different than mine. He felt his opportunity cost was higher than mine is; different people, different mindsets, different nature, thus, different thoughts. 3. People quit school after the 12th grade because they feel that the costs

Ancient chinese civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ancient chinese civilization - Essay Example Ancient China had given the world a lot of useful inventions too, such as the use of paper, the introduction of currency and coinage, its discovery of gunpowder, a cultural heritage like the Great Wall of China built by the emperor Shih Huang Ti whose fairly-recent discovery of his impressive funerary arrangements in a big burial compound containing an impressive array of a terra-cotta army consisting of an 8,000+ life-sized warriors, 400 horses and 100 chariots had astounded archaeologists and historians alike, and the first use of a bureaucracy in the form of civil service to administer an empire. It is said Shih Huang Ti searched for an elixir of youth to attain immortality but failed. The main concern of Confucius was to attain social order and political stability. This is because the period in which he lived was marked by chaos and constant warfare among the various states and people were displaced and inconvenienced as innocent victims of ambitions of various warlords. The key to a peaceful existence, according to the analysis of Confucius, was a return to the virtues of humanity and benevolence in social relations by reciprocity. Confucius asserted that the younger generations must profess filial obedience as a form of duty, one that is forced or emphasized on them as dutiful sons and daughters, because children brought up this way will also end up as benevolent citizens when they turn into adulthood. This is what Confucius meant when he said, â€Å"a young mans duty is to be filial to his parents at home, and respectful to his elders abroad, to be circumspect and truthful . . .† [I:6] because young people who exercise filial piety also are expected to care for their parents when these parents grow old. Filial piety and benevolence translate into kindness for parents and all old people, caring for them always and sensitive to their needs, while benevolence in the larger social sphere will reduce