Saturday, August 31, 2019

Self Control

Imagine a world where a school aged child can step out of their school and walk into a McDonalds. A world where soda companies make millions of dollars a year by placing pop and candy machines in schools, a world where more than 30 percent of the adult population is considered to be obese, or a world where obesity kills close to as many people per year as smoking. What if I told you that this is the world today? One’s lifestyle with regard to diet is regarded as a personal problem, and most believe that it should be treated as such in that there should be no intervention, people should be left to deal with it on their own. People who lead unhealthy and inactive lifestyles have generally speaking already displayed a lack of self control. Whether this is due to other constraints in their lives (time, chronic health problems, mental disorder, etc) is nobody’s business, but through outside intervention these people’s lives could be drastically improved. Based on the prevalence of junk food in today’s society, the government needs to step in and take action to protect Canada and its citizens by discouraging the purchase and consumption of foods that have a high processed sugar and fat content, by educating the public about the affect of unhealthy choices and by imposing a tax on those foods that are deemed to be detrimental to one’s health. Sugar laden, fatty foods are very harmful to one’s health. Over consumption of these foods are the direct cause of many health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, gall bladder disease and hypertension. What makes these foods even more harmful is the ease of access we as Canadian citizens have to them. Junk food is everywhere, on every street there are fast-food restaurants; wherever large amounts of people congregate, there is generally a vendor selling quick fix meals (e. g. McDonalds in Wal-Mart or Harvey’s in Home Depot). The majority of food sold in†¦ The on going issue of battling obesity in America continues to haunt us. It has become a national epidemic and a major topic for controversy. The suggestion of implementing a junk food tax was proposed by several experts. The purpose of the tax was to decrease the consumption of unhealthy foods. This tax would also generate revenue earmarked for relevant causes, such as; improving diet, obesity prevention, and nutrition education. The underlying purpose is to focus on maximizing health benefits. It has sparked controversy on the levels of additional bureaucracy, interfering with personal liberties, and freedom of choice. Junk-Food Taxes Introduction. For years health experts have been warning Americans to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Over time obesity rates have tripled. It is obvious we are losing the battle against obesity. Combating obesity and its numerous illnesses will not require more drugs to lower cholesterol, diet books, or workout videos. It will require rethinking our environment. Other measures need to be taken to tackle this national epidemic. Addressing this issue is no easy task. Several experts have suggested implementing a junk food tax. This would provide funding to regulate junk food, its advertising, and many other areas improving our health. This idea has sparked a wide controversy in regard to the obesity issue, the benefits of such a tax plan, and our cherished individual freedom that health is our own responsibility. The Obesity Epidemic It is no wonder obesity is such an epidemic in today’s society. Temptation is everywhere. A fast food restaurant is located on every corner. They are now open at all hours of the night and day. You can purchase an entire meal for less than five dollars. You can not turn on the television without seeing a dozen junk food commercials. Hanna Rosin, a reporter for the Washington Post, addresses this issue with the opinions of Dr. Kelly Brownell, a Yale professor. Dr†¦. [continues] For years health experts have been warning Americans to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Over time obesity rates have tripled. It is obvious we are losing the battle against obesity. Combating obesity and its numerous illnesses will not require more drugs to lower cholesterol, diet books, or workout videos. It will require rethinking our environment. Other measures need to be taken to tackle this national epidemic. Addressing this issue is no easy task. Several experts have suggested implementing a junk food tax. This would provide funding to regulate junk food, its advertising, and many other areas improving our health. This idea has sparked a wide controversy in regard to the obesity issue, the benefits of such a tax plan, and our cherished individual freedom that health is our own responsibility.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Criminal Justice System Structures Human Behaviour

â€Å"Law structures and guides human behaviour in a variety of ways: through the content of the rules it makes, the way its officials behave, and/or the severity of the penalties it imposed on those who do not conform to its requirements. †(Hay, 2004) In this essay, I will examine to what extent does the Canadian Criminal Justice System structures human behaviour, and whether or not this behaviour portrays itself to reflect the values of the official version of law.I will examine how the differences in behaviour, practices and priorities of each player in the criminal justice system conflicts with one another, and whether it contradicts or reflects the values of the official version of law. The official version of law is very significant to all aspects of the criminal justice system because the degree to which the system reflects these values tells us whether the system is just. The first case I observed was at Old City Hall, mental health court, room 102. The accused in this case was a homeless middle aged woman who had attempted to push a woman and her baby onto the subway train tracks.The judge, who was wearing a red sash, was sitting at an elevated position in the court, and the accused was sitting in the witness stand. The counsels were asking her questions, in order to come to a decision on whether she is eligible to be released back into society. The availability of a surety was discussed; the defence explained that the accused has no due to the fact that she has no relatives. The defence also argued how the accused does not have any previous encounters with the Criminal Justice System, which should be taken into account when considering her release.The defence’s language was very professional, and she spoke to the judge with the highest respect, referring to her as your Honour or your Majesty. The Crowns language was very professional as well, however I found her attitude was somewhat rude, and her tone was very impolite. However, the Cro wn was very stern with her arguments and effectively attacked every claim the defence. When it came to making a decision, the judge stated how she did not have any primary or tertiary grounds in concern to her release.The most concern was under secondary ground concerns considering the serious allegations. The judge decided that the Crown had met the onus considering that there was insufficient release plans, and her psychiatric analysis claims that the accused is a danger to society. Another case I observed was a bail hearing, which was lead by a Justice of the Peace, which I noticed because she was wearing a green sash. When I walked in, the accused (black male) was sitting in the accused box, and there was a witness being questioned on the witness stand, who was a potential surety.The Crown was asking the witness why he feels he is an eligible surety, and how does he plan on assuring that the accused does not further engage in criminal behaviour. The witness said how if the accus ed did not abide by the conditions given he would go to jail for the accused. The Crown explained the witness that that was not legally feasible. The Crown and the witness discussed that if he was granted surety of the accused, and if the accused did not follow his bail conditions the witness would have to sell his car in order to pay the $10, 000 sureties.While this was going on I noticed that the defence attorney would constantly go over and speak to the accused and whisper in his ear. At one moment the Crown walked out to answer a phone call. I found this to be very informal and disrespectful to the courts. However, the call was concerning the case. What I found interesting about this case was how the witness advocated for the accused, and the remarks he was making. The witness expressed that the accused is aware of what he has done, and would like to be a law abiding citizen and have a good place in society once given the chance too.He also stated how the accused feels like a ta rget in regards to police practices and how they have racially profiled the accused, and that it reflects how the system is unjust. The crown felt that the witness was making excuses for the accused, and asked the witness about his knowledge of the police and the courts, and how they play different roles in the system. The crown also asked if the witnesses’ cousin who happens to be the accused pregnant girlfriend is actually a blood cousin, or a term used to define a close friend.The court setting is presented as an adversarial system, which relies on the dispute between each advocate representing his/her party’s positions and involves an impartial person trying to determine the truth of the case (September 22nd 2009). The ability for this adversarial system to function effectively in court, while embracing the fundamental aspects of the law is very important to how the law presents itself. I was able to observe an adversarial system of dispute taking place in the firs t case, when the adversary parties were disputing whether or not the accused was psychologically fit for release.The Crown attorney stressed how she was not mentally stable to be released back into society. The Crown’s behaviour in her strong arguments and stern attitude reflected the aspect that the role of the prosecutor is to protect the best interest of the public. The defence attorney argued in defence for her client stating that the accused has not had any previous encounters with the criminal justice system in all her years, and that it was a mitigating circumstance that may not happen again. The defence was using any means that she could to succeed on the accused getting released.This portrays how the behaviours and priorities of each officer of the court conflict with one another because they have their own objectives to fulfill in order to portray that they are administrating justice equally and legitimately, as a reflection to the values of the official version of law. Throughout my observations I looked for, but was unable to come across a non-adversarial system in the courtroom. Within an adversarial system, a ‘morality play’ takes place, where each player in the courtroom plays a significant role.Their interactions present what story the laws says about itself to the public, and teaches the public an ideological lesson between right and wrong, where right most commonly prevails (September 22nd 2009). The players in the court include: a judge, a crown attorney and a defence attorney. As I have observed the judge sits at an elevated position in the courtroom, and the adversary officials are positioned on each side of the courtroom. A regular player in the court is the Crown attorney, who represents the power of the state, the Queen.Their objective is not focused on winning the case; they remain impartial and focus on finding the truth, and protecting the best interest of the public. Another player in the court is the defence att orney, who is not impartial; they represent those who are accused of crimes, and they are not impartial because their objective is to win the case. I was able to observe how a morality play was taken place because the prosecutor advocated that what person in their right mind would attempt to push a woman and her infant onto the subway tracks and would be released back into society without any rehabilitative treatment.The prosecutor requested that if she were to be released that she must be appointed to a new psychiatrist that she must refer to frequently. This was an example of a morality play considering that the prosecutor formed an ideology of this woman and that she was mentally unstable. Considering that the accused was a homeless woman, whom I have personally seen in the subway cars begging for money, this would lead the public to believe that any homeless person who begs for money must be someone who is mentally unstable, when in actuality this may not be entirely true.The co nflict that arises in the outcome of morality plays is that certain ideologies would be imposed in the public’s perspective against certain groups, which reinforce the targeting of these groups. This portrays how practices, behaviours and priorities produce systemic discrimination against certain groups which contradicts the official version of law in its claim to be blinded by difference, in order to balance and weigh justice evenly amongst all citizens.This makes one question that despite the incentive of the criminal justice system is to administrate justice evenly, does it work in specific ways that may disregard the official version of law, but it is disguised by laws and practices which seem to justify these unjust distributions of law to occur. Another important aspect of this question is how well does the court portray balance within the system, and how does this balance effect the public’s confidence in the system. Balance is a very important aspect of the off icial version of law, which is represented by the blindfolded maiden who balances and weighs justice.The players in the court must portray this balance by obtaining good relations within the court, in order to avoid incivility in the courtroom, to keep it from imploding (Manarin). Incivility in the courtroom may undermine the right to a fair trial, which causes the public to lose confidence in the administration of justice.. I was also able to observe civility in the courtroom because despite how I found the Crown attorney’s tone and behaviour to be somewhat rude, she was still able to address her opponent as ‘my fellow partner’ even though they do not necessarily work as a team considering they are adversary officials.She addressed her opponent in this manner in order to maintain civility in the courtroom in order to reach a verdict to her satisfaction. Considering that the Crowns attorney behaviour in the courtroom was very stern and aggressive, and she fought very effectively to reach a verdict which would cause the accused to remain in custody it does not suggest that she is an impartial player who is not focused on winning the case. However, it is important to recognize that in his circumstance the prosecutors approach did reflect her interest in protecting the best interest for society, considering that her psychological analysis stated that she was a danger. With this being said, if civility and morality plays protray a certain story that is supposed to be presented to the public, this makes one question to whether laws are essentially reflective of a shared morality, independently decided among a group, or whether officials have formulated this morality through their practices.The conflict that arises when questioning this is that as Hay argued, no matter what the law says, it may have little to do with what the law does(2004). This means that despite what the law says, officials in our criminal justice system have many differences which affect whether the law is distributed proportionately among individuals. These differences include: authority, discretionary power and the primary goals that their job requires. The outcome of how the law is distributed among individuals form specific ideologies and creates an overrepresentation in the system of certain groups to which these individuals belong too.Police practices have an effect to how the law is distributed because of how their practices have a major effect on what is defined as a crime, who is caught up and the net and brought into the system (October 20th 2009). Police practices are influenced by a police subculture which consists of informal factors that affect their behaviour, reflective of shared norms, beliefs and values that differ from the larger culture around them (MacAlister, 2004). This police subculture causes their discretionary power to target those belonging to minority groups, due to perpetuated ideologies against certain groups.The outcome o f this causes these groups to become overrepresented in the system (October 20th 2009). I was able to observe that police practices governed by ideologies is a notion that is believed by citizens who feel they have become victims of police practices such as, racial profiling. I observed this in the last case when the witness was expressing how the accused has felt targeted by the police due to their victimization of minority groups. This is supported by Brannigans argument, â€Å"Just as the fisherman does not cast his net randomly, neither do the police (1984).It is important to recognize that these minorities experience these negative ideologies against them throughout all aspects of their lives, which usually causes them to belong to a lower economic status group. This puts them at a greater disadvantage in the court process, to those minorities who are most commonly one-shot players that receive legal aid workers, who have little time for investigative preparation. Their succes s in court reflects this as these lawyers receive a dismissal of charges in 8% of cases compared to 39% of cases in privately retained counsels (Brannigan, 1984).It is most commonly those belonging to minority groups who receive legal aid workers because they also belong to the lower economic status of society. Considering legal aid workers do not have many successful cases, and most of their clients belong to minority groups, it is reasonable to say that this is another cause to their overrepresentation in the system. Therefore, police discretion comes into conflict with the overrepresentation of certain groups due to how policing behaviour and practices are regulated by the priorities they serve to the community.The police are the most visible aspects of the criminal justice system, therefore they must be perceived as the most effective, which they achieve by being tough on crime (MacAlister, 2004). As a consequence, due to perpetuated ideologies against certain groups that are em bedded in police subculture define their behaviour and practices cause certain groups become overrepresented in the system. This portrays how police behaviour, practices and priorities contradict the official version of law in the aspect that it is supposed to be impartial and blind to difference.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Steps in Making Business reports

The importance of the report determines the kind of effort called for: – the amount of research – the length of the report – time spent in writing it to the importance of the subject – use of the report It is important that your readers to be identified, so that the style, format, and the tone of the report may be determined. Tone refers to the total emotional and intellectual effect of a passage of writing. Since tone reflects to feelings, the business report writer must take care that he does not cloud his purpose in writing the report with his emotions. The reader of the report must also be sensitive to the tone of the report. The following generalizations about tone may be considered in writing the report: 1. Reports that travel upward, especially to top management, generally, are written in a more formal tone than those that travel laterally or downward. 2. Reports circulates outside the company are usually more formal in tone than those kept within t he â€Å"family' for internal use. 3.Be generous with headings because report. 2. Words used must be simple 3. Sentences and paragraphs must be short 4. Coherence – provides transitional words between sentences and paragraphs which are expressed as therefore, yet, however, in addition to 5. Margins should be consistent throughout the report, and double spaced for easier reading 6. Illustrations (maps, tables, graphs, drawings, diagrams) give a clear presentation of data especially if any figures are used. After the first draft has been written and edit the report for mechanical errors or errors of facts.Are words correctly spelled? Do ideas relate to one another? Is the right word used? Here are a few examples to show how proper editing results in clarity and conciseness: Original: Sales for the month of July were, by and large, higher than they were for a similar period last year, but the difference is not appreciably so, at least to the extent where one might now consider sitting on â€Å"his success† so to speak. As a matter of fact, the increase was only approximates 4. 5% over last year's sales which were Just average for the industry.Edited: Sales for the month of July were approximated only 4. 5 percent higher than in the similar period last year. Although this is an improvement, it is not impressive and one should make every effort o increase this figure in the future. Original: The business executive has many duties to carry through in business nowadays. He is often called upon to make decisions involving the expenditure of funds, future corporate and movement of human resources. He must also attend many kinds of meetings which are professional in nature and scope.Moreover, he has counseling duties to his subordinates. And on some occasions he must serve as the company's representative to community groups. These are only few of the many tasks hat the modern business executive is expected to carry through. Edited: Today's modern business executive has many duties to perform. Some of these are: 1 . Decision making for the expenditure of funds, for corporate planning, and for the movement of personnel. 2. Attendance in professional meetings. 3. Counseling of subordinates. 4. Serving as the company representative to community groups.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Group Goals, Communication, Decision Making, Controversy and Essay

Group Goals, Communication, Decision Making, Controversy and Creativity - Essay Example Background on Assessment of Group Goals From the previous diagnosis, it was found that as the group’s leader governing the participation of the advisory board composed of eight executive directors at the affiliated dental schools, the group goals were deemed to be weak in the areas of clarity, operability, relevance, and interdependence and commitment of group members. Despite being deemed to be understood by all members, the goals were not explicitly and formally written; were universal and generalized in nature; defined in abstract terms; with members exhibiting high cohesiveness but low in performance. In this regard, the recommendations are hereby detailed according to the set categories: Goals In the next general meeting to be scheduled this July 2011, as the group’s leader, I would prioritize in the agenda the need to explicitly state and formally write the goals of the group with identified time frames. As previously noted, the group goals which were assumed to b e clearly and explicitly understood are: student growth, integrity, student training for entry-level jobs in the dental field, financial strength (profit), compliance with state and federal regulations, and student outcomes (graduation and employment for our students). These generally stated abstractly defined goals should be stated as follows: Student Growth: we should envision increasing the number of students by 20% for the next school year, 2011 – 2012. Financial Strength: dental schools should aim to generate at least 35% net profits by the end of the fiscal year, 2011. Integrity: Members and associates are expected to adhere and conform to ethical standards, moral principles, uprightness, honesty and sincerity at all times. Student Training: Upon entry-level, students are encouraged to undergo specifically designed training programs to increase competency and qualifications in their fields of endeavor. Compliance with Regulations: Members and associates are expected to adhere and conform to state and federal regulations in the governance of the affiliated dental schools. Student Outcomes: Members and associates would seek affiliations with private and public institutions for possible employment of graduates from respective dental schools and target to assist more than 50% of graduates for future careers by 2012. Communication An open communication is always encouraged among group members to ensure that issues and concerns are immediately brought to light and could be discussed and resolved in the next scheduled meeting. While the ultimate goal of communication is to share meanings, it is also to share them in order to arrive at the outcome for which communication is intended. Communication is intended to elicit action towards the achievement of certain goals. The sender must clarify the goals if action is to be possible at all. According to Carnes (2010), â€Å"for a group to achieve a goal, three things have to happen. Goals must be formulated e ffectively according to sound goal-setting principles. Goals must be effectively communicated to every team member. Finally, team members must feel that they "own" these goals† (par. 1). Papa (2011) validated the importance of clearly setting goals in the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Relations and Modeling of GDP and House price index of USA Statistics Project

Relations and Modeling of GDP and House price index of USA - Statistics Project Example AS argued by Strawser, et al. (2014), the financial and the mortgage meltdown of 2007-2008, meant that the house price indexes were affected. This study attempts to shed some light on the relationship between the Housing Price Index (HPI) and the Gross Domestic Product of USA amidst all the economic variations since 1993-2009. While this study is limited by the realization that we cannot draw causal inferences without scientific experimentation, the research and data statistical significance suggests that a relationship exists. For valid causal conclusions, we need an experiment with both a control and conditioned group which would be difficult to stage. The data used in this report has been adopted from the GDP and other key economic reports, world economic outlook reports; IMF reports of 2008 among other economically related data that helped define the objective of the study. The readily available data sources on housing and GDP for the U.S. were investigated. The Bureau of Economic Analysis was the first and best source to get adjusted GDP numbers annually. The following hypothesis was pursued: The study pursued an overall or general objective of determining the relations and modeling of the GDP and the House price Index of USA. In order to perform this task, it was realized in the study that establishing a simple regression model linking the relations the GDP and the House price Index of USA would be very critical for the study to achieve its objective. In the process, errors in the model were tested so as to build another regression model. ARIMA model for both the GDP and the house prices index in the U.S. were used to determine the formula of the relationship between these two important economic variables. With the data, the U.S. house price indexes and the U.S.-Real GDP (in billions of dollars) were extracted from 1st January of 1993 to December the

Film critiques on One Wonderful Sunday ( Kurosawa, 1947) Essay

Film critiques on One Wonderful Sunday ( Kurosawa, 1947) - Essay Example There is no denying the fact that One Wonderful Sunday is an exquisitely composed, gripping and sometimes frustratingly slow, micro-scale love story that unravels in the times marred by tumultuous and in a sense devastating social and political upheaval and change. The one essential feature that marks the experiences of the young couple on a Sunday, at times trying to engage in affordable recreation, and resorting to a mock rehearsal of their discernibly doomed dreams, is the persistent physical and emotional dislocation they have to grapple with. The landscape through which they pass is typically symbolic in the sense that it is marked by the charred ruins of an old world, interspersed with the enticing and glossy advertising signs indicative of an unavoidable transition to a new order. Amidst this confusing and unsettling background, the two lovers try to yearn for an emotional and mental space where their dreams could have some sort of relevance and scope. With the orphans hauntin g the ruins of a devastated Tokyo, the gumption of the broke and cold couple to somehow make the best of the grim situation in which they are placed, indeed grabs the admiration and fancy of the viewers, no matter the age or time in which they are placed. This masterpiece by Kurosawa also brings out the historical relevance of those times in a circuitous and subtle way. Though nowhere in the movie one come across the allied troops, yet there presence lurks in the backdrop in the form of tell tale signs like a litter basket labeled â€Å"trash† placed unintentionally in one corner of the screen. These symbols of allied occupation do stand out as being imbued with multiple meanings, pointing towards irrevocable historical changes. Placed against this gargantuan scenario marking international level military and political plans, the musings of the young couple in the movie stand out as movingly innocent and somewhat depressing. In a

Monday, August 26, 2019

Strategic Position of Starbucks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Position of Starbucks - Essay Example It also includes the effect of the external market drivers on the organization and how the company has designed it the marketing strategy to ensure its long-term sustainability. Starbucks’ core competency is based on the premium positioning of its product line. The company focuses on delivering high-quality coffee beverages and snacks which includes cakes and other bakery products. Thus the company not only focuses on providing a good quality product but it also focuses on providing a unique experience to the customers. Offering a unique experience ensure the customers’ return. Starbuck’s competencies also include establishing a strong and close relationship with its suppliers. This, as a result, has helped the company to make overseas expansion and make certain strategic acquisitions. The Porters generic strategy shows how the company has devised its marketing strategy in order to stay ahead of its competition. The parent brand Starbucks is positioned in the ‘Differentiation Strategy’ because it offers high-quality speciality coffee products along with a unique experience of the store’s ambience (Pretorius, 2008). This differentiating factor distinguishes the company from its rivals. The newly introduced brand by Starbuck called VIA offers instant coffee to the customers. Thus VIA is categorized under the Cost leadership and Differentiation category (Lee, 2012). Even though VIA acts as a low-cost alternative to premium Starbucks coffee, it still differentiates itself from its rivals owing to the brand valuation of the company. The company also offers gifts and brewing items, which falls under the focused differentiation category, because these products are aimed towards the genuine coffee lovers (Lee, 2012). The likelihood of success of a firm can be assessed by the Bowman’s strategy clock. According to Faulkner and Bowman (1995), this model assesses a company’s current position and direction of progress based on eight categories.  

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Costco Wholesale Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Costco Wholesale Corporation - Case Study Example Though less readily measurable, it is apparently accompanied by a shrinking of activities for the few remaining general merchandising wholesalers and a loss of sales for small stores carrying women's and children's apparel, particularly in low and medium-quality lines. Costco is a closed-door store which allows only "members" access to the store through membership eligibility as defined by rather broad classifications of government employees, teachers, union members, or employees of government contractors (see Appendix 4). The chain carries a wide range of soft goods and apparel, but also gives major attention to furniture, appliances, food, and automotive supplies. Several of the closed door operations have recently opened their doors to the general public. "Examples of Costco's incredible annual sales volumes included 96,000 carats of diamonds (2006), 1.5 million televisions, $300 million worth of digital cameras, 28 million rotisserie chickens (over 500,000 weekly), 40 percent of the Tuscan olive oil bought in the United States, $16 million worth of pumpkin pies during the fall holiday season, $3 billion worth of gasoline, 21 million prescriptions, and 52 million $1.50 hot dog/soda pop combinations" (Thompson p. 2008, p. C5). Low operating margins achieved through volume sales and limited service expenditures for clerks, delivery, credit, and so on have allowed prices which average about 15% below those of the department stores and specialty shops with which discount stores compete in the sale of soft goods. Full-size food supermarkets are being established within many of the new large discount stores. Because of consumers' long experience in comparing food values between stores and because of the frequency of food store visits by the average family, these food departments are attractive to the soft-goods stores as traffic builders, and are frequently operated with planned narrow margins (or even planned losses) to maximize their drawing power (Costco Home P age 2008). Chief Elements of the Costco's strategy The uniqueness of Costco strategy is that it proposes advantages and benefits to its members only, except gasoline and beverage products. The closed-door stores depend primarily on word of mouth and on mail promotion to their members to publicize the attractive values offered. Costco does not make extensive use of advertising media to give publicity to the low prices and special values which they offer. Major retail innovations involve an "invention" of new means of performing the retailing function. They are dependent on concomitant developments in products, in physical handling technology, and in organization at the wholesale supply level; but, most important of all, they are dependent on changes in the income, location, and style of life of consumers (Drejer 2002). In contrast to other retailers, Costco proposes wide product rage: "Whereas typical supermarkets stocked about 40,000 items and a Wal-Mart Supercenter or a SuperTarget might have as many as 150,000 items for shoppers to choose from, Costco's merchandising strategy was to

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Nonprofit Sector Assignment 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nonprofit Sector Assignment 2 - Coursework Example The theories that will help understand the nonprofit sector include Lohmann (1989) theory of commons, which categorizes goods into three groups namely; public goods, private goods and common goods, entrepreneurship theory, trust-related theories, the interdependence theory and the stakeholder theory. The nonprofit organizations chosen for illustration in this paper include American Heart Association, Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. Due to different multitudes of different organizational components in nonprofit management literature, management concepts suggested by Gomez and Zimmermann (1993) provides a practical step towards the growth of management models that are more in tune with the realities of nonprofit organizations. There are different approaches applied in this field, including the public goods theory. As put by Weibrod’s theory of public goods, public goods theory is an extension of the public choice theories, whereby a collective action is taken by affected individuals to resolve public good problems. This theory states that public goods, which would have been otherwise provided by the government are provided by nonprofit organization through a donor. Services provided by the American Heart Association is a good example of an organization that help fill the gap, if need be. In other words, nonprofit provision is substituted for government provision under conditions of demand heterogeneity fo r the public good in question. Hansmann (1987) points out that the critical weakness in Weisbrod’s theory is that it does not explain why nonprofit and not for profit firms come up to fill unfulfilled demand for public goods, especially when applying to quasi-public goods. Hansmann’s trust-related theory picks up this point precisely. Trust-related theories take a different angle by pointing out information problems inbuilt in the goods and services provided and the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Debate on Allowing Homosexuals to Adopt Children Essay

Debate on Allowing Homosexuals to Adopt Children - Essay Example This essay highlights that  the debate, in the public view, has less gay rights sympathizers with the majority, under churches and other conservative institutions, being against the idea of gays adopting children. The judiciary, however, has, by requirement, seemingly inclining to the side of favoring the push by LGBTQ since it relies on subjectivity. It does not take into account public opinion. Since empirical data does not suggest conclusively that children raised up by gay couples disadvantages them in their development, the judiciary has made the majority of its rulings to the favor of the LGBTQ. In Legislative bodies, the majority oppose the motion. The debate is however still balanced since such matters demand constitutional changes that require big numbers. The debate will in the Parliamentary context require an overwhelming argument to sway total consensus.From this discussion it is clear that there have been judicial and legislative manifestations of the debate as well as media publicity too. Initially, the Catholic Church and the society, in general, reacted murderously to homosexuality. It was illegal under the law, and one would be convicted for merely confessing love to a person of the same sex. The clerk denied the application and the couple sued him. The trial court sided with the clerk and even after appealing, the appellate court did not find the favor of the couple.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Nonviolent video game Essay Example for Free

Nonviolent video game Essay Video games originated as a new form of relaxation back about 30 years ago, with the first ones being just basic ideas and basic goals. But as time has gone on they have grown into a far greater thing spanning to all walks of like. There are hundreds of ways to help alleviate the stress you experience every day, so Im going to focus on one that many of you may not have considered before: video games. If youre in a stressful situation that you cant avoid, its important to take a time out and give your mind a break so you can avoid the exhaustion stage of stress. Even if you take a 30 minute break, you can help re-boot your brain and return to your work more focused. Now the question is what do you do for 30 minutes? Play a video game of course! Any game you play will give your mind something to do so that youre not dwelling on your stressor while you take your break with the added satisfaction of doing something enjoyable. If youre not a gamer, dont worry! There are tons of games that you can get for free online or as apps for your phone that can help you relax after a tough day and blow off some steam. If youre already a gamer, you may never have thought about games as a means for stress relief. A study recently performed by a Texas AM International University professor suggests that even violent video games can reduce depression and hostile feelings in young adults. This study focused on violent games (such as Call of Duty) and young adults so the results obviously dont apply to everyone however anyone can find a game that will suit their wants and needs in order to see the benefits. Here are some tips for picking the right game for you: Tip 1: Consider your time/money budget. If you can only spare 30 minutes or price is a concern, then look for free apps on your phone or games on the internet. On your app-enabled phone, check out the games section and sort the games by price to see the available free games. Tip 2: If youre new to games, pick something that suits your other interests. For example, if you like to read fantasy books, try playing a fantasy game. If you often get angry when you are stressed, try a shooter game. Killing zombies and aliens is a great way to release some anger. Tip 3: Keep it simple, especially if you are already a gamer. If your favorite game also makes you want to throw your controller sometimes, then its probably not the best choice for a stress-relief activity. If you are new to games, pick something with simple controls such as mouse only games, or motion controlled games like on the Wii. Tip 4: Have fun! The whole point of using games as a stress reliever is to re-vitalize your brain and keep your stressor at bay, for a while anyways. Application: When you are stressed you can just start playing a game and get lost in it for hours This is a technique that can be used alone or with friends Conclusion : Everyone enjoyed playing Mario in class. It was a fun experience.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

The Necessity of ObamaCare in the United States Essay Example for Free

The Necessity of ObamaCare in the United States Essay The United States is heavily watched around the world in terms of politics or any other action as it is one of the leading countries of the world. Recently, the United States caught the eye of the world in its recent debate of the health care reform. Most commonly referred to as â€Å"ObamaCare† the official name is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or for short, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010 signed the Affordability Care Act into law to reform the health care industry and it was later upheld by the supreme court on June 28th, 2012. â€Å"The goal of ObamaCare is to give more Americans access to affordable, quality health insurance, and to reduce the growth in health care spending in the U. S. † (ObamaCare Facts n. d). The debate is centred around the Republican Partys actions of trying to stop the implementation of this law. However, I believe the Republican Party has no right to prevent the implementation of the health care reform in the United States as it undermines â€Å"the three elements of democracy – liberty, equality and solidarity† (Brodie,Rein;Smith p. 36). It does this as it is withholding affordable healthcare of the expansion of Medicaid and Medicare and offering cost assistance through healthcare insurance marketplaces to around 44 million Americans who are unable to get health insurance with the majority of uninsured being poor working families and those who simply cannot afford health insurance. Therefore, going against democracys free form of always including those not yet involved (Brodie,ReinSmith p. 38) which therefore directly mocks the idea of solidarity and its sense of belonging or acceptance. In order to fully grasp the concept of the argument a few key terms needs to be defined. â€Å"Democracy is any form of government in which the rules of society are decided by the people who will be bound by them† (Brodie,ReinSmith p. 32). Equality is a term conveying the idea that all citizens should have the same access to the political sphere, the rule of and social entitlements. Solidarity is a term that refers to a kind of membership in the political community, and feelings of belonging associated with the acceptance by that community. The healthcare reform gives us a chance to rethink equality via solidarity where it is an equality of opportunity instead of equality of chance where everyone is granted the opportunity and are able to have health insurance via the Affordable Care Act. The sense of solidarity is therefore highlighted in the benefits of ObamaCare. The benefits of ObamaCare definitely outweigh the cons without a doubt. Before the law you could be denied coverage or treatment because you had been sick in the past, be charged more because you were a woman, be dropped mid-treatment for making a simple mistake on your application, and had little or no way to fight insurance company appeals. Today all Americans have access to a large number of unprecedented new benefits, rights and protections. The major ones outlined by the healthcare reform are there are many of uninsured persons who will get access to affordable quality health insurance through the marketplace, thus 82% of uninsured adults will qualify for free or low cost insurance. Insurance companies are not allowed to dismiss you when you are sick or if you make a mistake on your application. Neither can you be denied coverage or charged more for pre-existing conditions such as being sick. Another benefit is that young adults are able to stay on their parents plan until the age of 26. Also there is better care and protections for seniors and â€Å"essential health benefits like emergency care, hospitalization,prescription drugs, and maternity and newborn care must be included on all non-grandfathered plans at no out-of-pocket limit† (ObamaCare Facts n. d). Additionally, you cannot be charged more based on health or gender. ObamaCare helps to curb the growth in healthcare spending with reforms to the health industry to cut wasteful spending. Seeing all of these benefits, it shows the irrationality of Republicans refusal of the healthcare reform as these provisions encompass solidarity in terms of those who were unable to have health insurance will be able to which brings out the equality of opportunity and linking to solidarity, are now able to have a sense of membership into the political and healthcare community as they are now able to enjoy the benefits of healthcare as the majority did before. After all, everyone deserves the right to healthcare. However, the Republicans knowing what the Affordability Act entailed did as much as they could to refute it and thus caused the United States to become the focus of the world because of the government shutdown due to their actions. One of the Republicans many attempts to refute ObamaCare ended up in a shutdown of the United States government beginning from October 1st, 2013 and it lasted up to 2 weeks. It was time for the spending bills to be passed and the Republicans insisted any new spending bill include provisions to hinder ObamaCare. They therefore, passed two spending bill amendments, one that would delay ObamaCare for a year and one that would repeal the ObamaCares medical device tax. However, the health care law isnt directly tied to funding the government, but its being used as a bargaining chip. The Senate rejected this proposal, which prompted the House to approve another spending plan that would remove the Obamacare individual mandate. The Senate rejected that as well thus resulting in the government shutdown. It should be noted that , â€Å"democracy privileges solidarity over ego† (Brodie,Rein;Smith p. 41) and the Republicans actions stemmed from their ego thus there is no justification for their actions. Furthermore, the article â€Å" Health Reform 2010: The Missing Philosophical Premises in the Long- Running Health Care Debate† by Theodore R. Marmor, puts forth a comparison of the healthcare systems of Germany, Canada, England, Japan, and France to the United States. â€Å"Each, as distinct from the United States, has created a universal health care program fundamentally based on the idea that medical care is a merit, not a market good. The equal access standard does not, of course, mean ideal practice, but care is more equally distributed as a result† (Marmor p. 569). This is now what ObamaCare seeks to do by imposing on the health care system that is seen to be run by private-profit companies, whose bottom line is money and not health. This idea of medical care being a â€Å"merit† and having more equally distributed care are two factors entailed in ObamaCare. This is where the elements of democracy freedom, equality and solidarity once again come into play. Healthcare becoming more equally distributed directly deals with equality which is directly linked to solidarity and the sense of belonging or acceptance as those previously without healthcare are now in the mix. Consequently, I have shown that the Republicans would like to see ObamaCare repealed. If it is repealed then millions of Americans will be without proper health coverage, and insurance companies will continue to be able to deny coverage for pre-existing conditions. Without healthcare reform America will continue to suffer the consequences of a health care system controlled by private for-profit companies, whose bottom line is money and not health. Debates in the US press detract from the fact that healthcare is about shared humanity and solidarity, not ideology. The Republicans actions are not justified as it is seen to be stemmed from ego while the Affordability Care Act with its many benefits encompass the idea of the elements of democracy – freedom, equality and solidarity.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

State Of Nature Would Be State Of War

State Of Nature Would Be State Of War Thomas Hobbes set out to account for political authority with the use of the State of Nature. He illustrated what life outside of society without any overall authority keeping anyone in check would be like. Hobbes identified the State of Nature with a State of War but used war in an extended sense, to include not just armed hostilities but any situation where there is no reasonable expectation that hostilities will not erupt. He argued that the known readiness to engage in acts of aggression amounts in itself to a State of War. Specifically there are three principal causes of quarrel (lev) which throw people into hostilities. These causes are competition, diffidence and glory (Lev p. 88) and together they ensure that the State of Nature is a State of War. The State of Nature put simply is a situation in which human beings have no government, no political institutions and the feelings that they engender and no executive forces such as a police force or army in other words, it is a condition of anarchy. The State of Nature is an idealisation, a model. (Engaging P.19) Hobbes uses the State of Nature to justify political authority, or as Hobbes calls it, the commonwealth. He does not describe literally everything that would be the case in the absence of political arrangements, but only those things that matter for explaining political authority. What Hobbes did, was to identify features of human nature and the human condition that are universal, that in no way depend upon political authority relations, and that are relevant to explaining political authority causally. The State of Nature can be considered as a condition from which people are to escape if political authority is to be justified. So the sole alternative to political authorit y is the State of Nature, however according to Hobbes, the State of Nature is unbearably nasty as what is crucial to the state of natures justificatory role is the fact that life in it is pretty grim. Therefore the sole alternative to political authority is unbearably nasty, hence imposing political authority is justified. Hobbes attempted to illustrate that subjection to authority is vastly preferable to anarchy the State of War; he held the view that if we had reasons to believe that political authority is much better than the State of Nature, then imposing political authority is justified. Hobbes attempted to demonstrate that the State of Nature is a State of War in order to justify political authority. He depicted the State of War as a place full of insecurity and uncertainty in order to further substantiate his claim. The State does not necessarily consist in actual fighting, but a known disposition thereto, during which there is no assurance to the contrary. (page 86 Leviathan). Hobbes depicted the State of War as a condition in which civilisation and its benefits are absent. Only through the organisation of society and the establishment of the commonwealth can civilisation be attained. One thing that Hobbes recognised about the natural condition of mankind was the relative equality of individuals within it. When Hobbes spoke of equality he did not mean equality in a moralised sense, but more the distribution of physical and mental endowments. Nature has made men so equal that, although some humans are manifestly stronger in body or of quicker mind, these endowments are distributed in such a way that even the weakest, slowest and dumbest among them can kill the strongest, fastest and smartest. Hobbes claimed that when all is reckoned together, the difference between man and man is not so considerable, all human beings are, in other words, vulnerable to assault at the hands of all others. Equality, for Hobbes, is based upon the equal ability to kill or conquer others so inevitably equality leads to conflict, a State of Nature will be a war of all against all.(leviathan p. Vii) In the State of Nature, there are three causes of conflict: competition, distrust and the desire for glory. Competition leads to fighting for grain, diffidence to fighting to keep what has been gained and glory to fighting for reputation. These sources of conflict arise from what Hobbes calls the equality of ability (lev) in men. This natural equality of men is not equality of rights or of worth but an equality of ability, which leads to equality of hope in attaining ones ends and so to competition. The right of each to all things invites serious conflict, especially if there is competition for resources, as goods -are in relatively short supply in the State of Nature.(Stamford) So if any two men want a single thing which cannot be attained by both, they will become enemies (page 84 Leviathan) Conflict can occur for example when someone has come to possess a better piece of land. If an invader would have nothing to fear but that one mans individual power, then it is more than likely that someone will choose to invade this estate and attempt to deprive the owner of his possessions. But then the successful invader will then be in similar danger from someone else. It is an endless cycle of conflict in the State of Nature, which inevitably creates hostile conditions. However, Hobbes claim that all men are equal is false. The very young, the very old and the infirm generally pose no mortal threat to able bodied persons in the prime of life and therefore there would be no competition in some circumstances. Whilst it was not Hobbess aim to describe what is literally the case, this does demonstrate that not all of his reasons were convincing when explaining why the State of Nature would be a State of War. Hobbes further illustrated a State of as a State of War as it is a place where nobody feels secure, each person has a reason to attack any other person, for fear of being attacked first; this is what Hobbes referred to as diffidence. Because of this distrust amongst men, the most reasonable way for anyone to make themselves safe is to strike first, so attack can be seen as the best form of defence in a State of War. And, because each person has roughly equal killing power, everybody is both a potential killer and a potential victim. The fact that each of them is liable to aggression from others means that each person has to treat every other person as an enemy. People dont just regard everyone as possible enemies, in the State of War everyone is an enemy. Hence diffidence makes people invade one another for safety. Hobbes quite rightly held that the State of Nature would be a State of War therefore as people would fear that others may invade them, and may rationally plan to strike fi rst as an anticipatory defense, a natural human instinct to preserve their own safety. Hobbes also said that The State of War arises from the nature of some people, mainly those who want others to value them as highly as they values themselves. Glory drives people to attack others to raise their value in the eyes of others. Glory is therefore a source of unwarranted aggression and when there is no common power to keep people at peace, conflict will occur which Hobbes quite rightly said. Hobbes had a particularly good reason for believing that the State of Nature would be one of war as morality has no place in this pre-political world that Hobbes created. Everyone has an interest in killing everyone else pre-emptively, whenever possible, and this is acceptable as nothing holds any individuals back from committing any immoral acts, humans would merely act as their interests dictate. In a State of Nature, by definition there are no rules, not even unenforceable ones that might deter some from committing such acts. Therefore even moral restrictions to do or withhold from doing certain things for example, not to kill have no effect in a State of Nature. Hobbess view was that in the natural State of War there are no objective moral distinctions. In this State of War of every man against every man nothing can be unjust. The notions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, have n place. Where there is no common power, there is no law, where no law, no injustice. Hobbes assumed that the state of nature would be a state of war as taking people as they actually are, if you were to remove all political institutions, the natural proclivities that would ensue would lead to a state of war. Notably, without political institutions, the natural impulses to self-preservation are doomed to failure. In the state of nature, that is our unhappy predicament. Natural right of self-preservation (ch. 14): the liberty each one has to use her/his own power for self-preservation. A central claim of Hobbes: It is rational to give up ones right to self-governance to a sovereign, if everyone else agrees to do the same. (See chapter 17, section 13) The natural state of war, therefore, is the state of affairs in which the individual is dependent for his security on his own strength and his own wits. In such conditions there is no place for hard work, because there is no assurance that it will yield results; and consequently no cultivation of the earth, no navigation or use of materials that can be imported by sea, no construction of large buildings, no machines for moving things that require much force, no knowledge of the face of the earth, no account of time, no practical skills, no literature or scholarship, no society; and-worst of all-continual fear and danger of violent death, and the life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Perhaps we would imagine that people might fare best in such a state, where each decides for herself how to act, and is judge, jury and executioner in her own case whenever disputes arise-and that at any rate, this state is the appropriate baseline against which to judge the justifiability of political arrangements.

Noise Pollution Essay -- Cause Effect Noise Environment Essays

Noise Pollution Abstract No one on earth can escape the sounds of noise- an unwanted, disturbing sound that causes a nuisance in the eye of the beholder. Noise is a disturbance to the human environment that is escalating at such a high rate that it will become a major threat to the quality of human lives. In the past thirty years, noise in all areas, especially in urban areas, have been increasing rapidly. There are numerous effects on the human environment due to the increase in noise pollution. In the following paper, the cause and effects of noise pollution will be presented in some detail. Slowly, insensibly, we seem to accept noise and the physiological and psychological deterioration that accompanies it as an inevitable part of our lives. Although we attempt to set standards for some of the most major sources of noise, we often are unable to monitor them. Major sources of noise can be airplanes at takeoff and landing, and a truck just off the assembly line, yet we seem accept and enjoy countless other sounds, from hard rock music to loud Harley Davidson motor cycles. The following areas will be investigated in some detail; adolescent education, neural-effects, sleep, hearing damage, occupational environment, transportation, and physiological effects. Introduction Almost everyone has had one experience of being temporarily "deafened" by a loud noise. This "deafness" in not permanent, although it is often accompanied by a ringing in the ears, and one can hear another person if he raises his voice. Likewise, normal hearing comes back within a few hours at most. This sort of partial hearing loss is called Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) (Bugliarello, et al., 1976). A TTS may be experienced after firing a gun or... ...aft Noise and Psychiatric Hospital Admissions Conducted in the Same Area. Psychol. Med Vol. 9: 681-693. Maser, A.; Sorensen,; and Krypter, K. 1978. Effects of Intrusive Sound on Classroom Behavior: Data from a Successful Lawsuit. San Francisco. Peterson, W. H. and Northwood, T. D. 1981. Noise raised blood pressure without impairing auditory sensitivity. Science Vol. 211: 1450-1452. United States National Industrial Pollution Control Council (NIPCC), 1970 Vallet, M. Psychophysiological 1979. Effects of Exposure to Aircraft or to Traffic Noise. Proc. Inst. Acoustics Vol. 3: 1-4. Von Bekesy, George. 1957. The Ear, Scientific American, 197: 61-67 Council on Environmental Quality. 1979. US Government Printing Office, Washington D.C. US Environmental Protection Agency. 1980. The Extent of the Noise Problem. WHO Report. 1990. UN Conference.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Beet Queen :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Louise Erdrich, the author of The Beet Queen, is the oldest of seven children. Erdrich, was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, on June 7, 1954. The daughter of a French Ojibwe mother and German American father, Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Erdrich's large extended family lived nearby, affecting her writing life from an early age. Her father introduced Louise to William Shakespeare's plays and encouraged Louise and her sisters to write their own stories. Erdrich attended college at Dartmouth and John Hopkins before marrying author and anthropologist Michael Dorris. When she married Dorris, he had three adopted children and later the couple had three more children of their own. When the two separated in 1995, Erdrich moved six blocks down the street in order to share custody of their children. On March 29, 1997 Dorris committed suicide. Erdrich now lives in Minneapolis, MN with her three children.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On a spring morning in 1932, Mary age eleven and Karl Adare age fourteen arrive in Argus, North Dakota. Having parted and going separate ways Mary having gone to live with her aunt, while Karl goes on to explore and live on the wilder side. These children were orphaned in a strange way; their mother took off with an airplane stuntman. Haunted by disturbing images of her mother, Mary seeks refuge and stays with her mother's sister Fritzie, which with her husband Pete, run a butcher shop. This begins the forty-year saga of abandonment and unstinting love.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel, The Beet Queen, deals with the elements involved to create plot movement. First off is exposition, since every chapter in The Beet Queen is narrated by a different character in the book it tells the story of each character in first person and in great detail chapter by chapter. It tells you the story from their point of view. It is very effective it allows you to be in their mind thinking along with them seeing what they are going through and feeling. At the conclusion of each chapter you want to keep reading to see what will happen to a specific character when it is there turn to narrate again. One event in The Beet Queen is when Sita is put into a psycho ward because she pretended to lose her voice, and ever since then her neighbors and everyone she came in contact with would have to read her lips.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Nikola Tesla Essay -- essays research papers fc

"Were we to seize and eliminate from our industrial world the results of Mr. Tesla's work, the wheels of industry would cease to turn, our electric cars and trains would stop, our towns would be dark, our mills would be dead and idle. Yes, so far reaching is his work that it has become the warp and woof of industry... His name marks an epoch in the advance of electrical science. From that work has sprung a revolution..." -B.A. Behrend If you were to go to an encyclopedia and tried to find out who invented the radio, X- rays, and the tube amplifier, this is what you would find: radio was invented by Marconi, X- rays by Roentgen, and the tube amplifier by de Forest. While you're there, look to see who invented the fluorescent bulb, neon lights, the speedometer, the basics of radar, and the microwave oven. I don't know who the encyclopedias say invented those things, but I bet it won't give any mention of a man by the name of Nikola Tesla. In fact, I bet they won't give much mention of Tesla for any of the many things he invented. We can thank Thomas Edison for this. Nikola Tesla was born in Smiljian, Croatia at precisely midnight on July 9/10, 1856. Not a lot is known about his early childhood. His father was an orthodox priest, and his mother, though unschooled, was highly intelligent. Tesla had an extraordinary memory, and he spoke six languages. He Spent four years studying math, physics, and mechanics at the Polytechnic Institute at Graz. Tesla first came to America in 1884, when he was 28. He worked for Thomas Edison. Edison, at the time, had just patented the lightbulb, and needed a system to distribute the electricity. One of Tesla's gifts was an understanding of electricity. Edison promised Tesla large amounts of money if he could work out the kinks in Edison's DC system of electricity. In the end, Tesla saved Edison over $100,000 (which would be millions today), but Edison refused to live up to his end of the bargain. Tesla quit, and Edison spent the rest of his life trying to stifle Tesla's reputation. Tesla devised a system for electricity, AC, which was better than Edison's DC system of electricity. AC (Tesla's system) is what is used in our homes today. AC offered many advantages over DC. AC could be transmitted over large distances through thin wires. DC electricity required a large power plant every square mile, and the transmission t... ... if he had had the money to finance the experiments he always wanted to? ``We are confronted with portentous problems which can not be solved just by providing for our material existence, however abundantly. On the contrary, progress in this direction is fraught with hazards and perils not less menacing than those born from want and suffering. If we were to release the energy of the atoms or discover some other way of developing cheap and unlimited power at any point of the globe this accomplishment, instead of being a blessing, might bring disaster to mankind... The greatest good will come from the technical improvements tending to unification and harmony, and my wireless transmitter is preeminently such. By its means the human voice and likeness will be reproduced everywhere and factories driven thousands of miles from waterfalls furnishing the power; aerial machines will be propelled around the earth without a stop and the sun's energy controlled to create lakes and rivers for motive purposes and transformation of arid deserts into fertile land...'' -Nikola Tesla BIBLIOGRAPHY PAGE 1. http://home.nycap.rr.com/useless/tesla/tesla.html 2. http://www.neuronet.pitt.edu/~bogdan/tesla

Saturday, August 17, 2019

BP Solar

BP has responded through its thin film photovoltaic cells designed to reduce manufacturing costs towards a level at which solar energy will become economically competitive compared with other energy sources. As BP's Energy Commission chairman stated: â€Å"Our goal is to eliminate the ‘Catch 22' faced by producers of renewable technologies†¦without the promise of volume sales, there is little incentive for a company to make the investments that could bring down costs and make these products commercially viable on a large scale† (Chambers, 1998, p. ). BP Solar has invested some $200 million in solar power between 1996 and 2002, which has helped it build an 18 percent market share. It has launched a large advertising campaign in the US where it puts renewable energy at the fore of its offering. However, this was heavily criticised by Fortune Magazine (2002) bearing in mind its renewable energy business was worth just $1 billion compared to BP's total value of ? 115% billion (Murphy, 2002). Like Shell Renewables, BP Solar does not state how it will innovate to achieve its goals. However, unlike Shell Renewables strategy of joint ventures and acquisitions, BP Solar implements its strategy simply through large investments into its own manufacturing processes. According to Porter (1985): â€Å"The essence of formulating competitive strategy is relating a company to its environment† (p. 3) in relation to the industry or industries in which it competes. This leads companies to choose one of three generic strategies – low cost, differentiation or focus – which will help them to form competitive, profitable positions within the industry. To understand the low-cost strategies that both SBUs adopted, a formal PEST and five forces analysis of the SBUs (see Appendices III and IV), the key drivers for change and critical success factors (CSFs) for the industry (Appendix V) are outlined. The major trends in the global and alternative energy industries are briefly explained.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Frederick Douglass Essay Essay

Frederick Douglass has finally managed to run away from one of his masters to become a free slave, but yet he feels fear and paranoia. As he runs away, he contemplates all the possibilities of him getting caught by slaveholders or even turned in by his own kind. And it upsets him having to pass all the houses and food, but he has no shelter and starves with no food. This in fact heightens the intensity of his fear and paranoia because he is more likely to be caught with no where to hide and having no energy to run because he is starving. In The Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass, he utilizes things such as parallel syntactic structure, paradoxes, figurative language, and caesuras to help portray his feeling of built up unease and terror. Frederick Douglass really takes advantage of parallel syntactic structure to compare his situation of being run away to slaves. Frederick tries to get us to feel empathy in his current condition, while also speaking of the slaves. He says â€Å"-wanting shelter and no one to give it-wanting bread, and no money to buy it [†¦]† (Douglass 137). This seems more difficult to live with than having somewhat of shelter and having a bit of food, rather than Douglass having neither. He gets readers to question such things as, would one turn in a man in such need as? Would one understand more if one knew how it was to be in my condition? And this gets people to understand his despair and distress. Douglass uses his paradoxes in a creative way. Where he uses parallel syntactic structure, he also utilizes paradoxes. On page 137, where he says â€Å"-wanting shelter and no one to give it-wanting bread, and no money to buy it [†¦]† (Douglass). His use of contradiction is quite effective because it is hard to have all the things you want and need in one’s face, but one can not have it. For example, if a person wanted a new bike and one was just sitting there in their house waiting for them to take it, but their father was standing next to it and if he saw them touch it they would be grounded. And the bike was just sitting there taunting them. The paradoxes get people to understand how irritating it is to be passing by all these necessities stay you need to live and survive, taunting you as you pass by. While Douglass is running away, he relates slaves and hunting slaveholders, using figurative language, to wild beast and himself to the helpless prey. On page 136, Douglass says â€Å"†¦as hideous crocodiles seize upon his prey!† He says this because he feels so defenseless that he feels like a little animal going to be eaten. With all the slaveholders and there guns and all slaves that might turn him in, he doesn’t really stand a chance with no where to hide and running out of energy. In addition, on page 137 he says â€Å"†¦famished fugitive is only equaled by that with which monsters of the deep swallow up the helpless fish upon which they subsist,† In this he basically saying it is only a matter of time before they find him and take him in. He can’t really run from them with how hungry he is, he has no energy and no hope that he could out run them if he tried. On pages 136 and 137, caesuras are applied multiple times throughout these pages to conduct a sense of his worry and anguish. He says like â€Å"†¦in total darkness as to what to do, where to go, or where to stay -perfectly helpless both as to the means of defense and means of escape-â€Å" (Douglass 137) The breaks leave you kind of hanging because you don’t know if at the end of the next break he could be caught or even shot. And that is where the worry builds because while he was running away he didn’t either if at any second a slave would show up and turn him in. Or a slaveholder would shoot him from behind a tree. So a person really get into his shoes as a run away slave and sort of feel what it is like. Frederick Douglass really utilized these devices well. They all help build the reader to become like a fugitive slave just as he was. Relating slave and slaveholders to animals, and putting all the caesuras help the reader feel all the unease he felt because it was exactly how he was feeling. You would think at first that he was free now, and all his problems were gone yet they are still there. All the devices he used really help you come to that conclusion.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Research Proposal and Preliminary Reference Page

Preliminary research helps me decide which parts of a selected topic to study based on if there is enough, too much, or too little information available (Sole, 2010). I then plan to form a hypothesis to be asked so I can find different types of aspects to cover in my paper to prove or disprove my hypothesis. After this, I can create an outline of the paper I want to put together. I have had to face some challenges while searching for the information on my topic I have chosen.One of these challenges was having trouble choosing from all the different ways that I can branch my topic off to. I first was thinking about researching how the media affects preteens by portraying a glamorous life of being famous. On the other hand, I also wanted to see how the average father figure really matched up to the standards of father figures portrayed in today's media. I feel that I will end up going in the direction of how the average father figure really matched up to the standards of father figures portrayed in today's media.I find this limitation of the topic to be very interesting because I personally grew up without a father figure and would like to see how the average father compares to the loving and caring ones I have seen on many of today's television shows. I think this will make me feel more at ease in my own mind of wondering what my life would have been like with a father in the house If I had not been adopted out to a widowed mother. References Sole, K. (2010). Writing College Research Papers (Volvo. ENG 122). San Diego:Bridgeport Education, Inc. Research Proposal and Preliminary Reference Page By lickerish Lickerish Fletcher ENGINE I decided to choose the topic titled â€Å"Values portrayed in popular media†. I found this to be an interesting topic or â€Å"gut-feeling† when thinking about all the choices of it out to be interesting. I plan to positively limit my topic by doing some preliminary interesting because I personally grew up without a fath er figure and would like to see mind of wondering what my life would have been like with a father in the house if I

Company Profile of Coca-Cola

Company Study By:bonnie may alvior bsit4 November 8,2012 History of Coca-Cola Company In line with the company’s trust for expansion and in response to the growing market demand, a 5 year construction schedule for the new Bacolod Plant took place in the last quarter of 1994, to replace its old plant in 15th Lacson St. , Bacolod City which was constructed in 1948. In the search for the site of the new plant, the following were the objectives. * To relocate the bottling plant and its facilities in an industrial area designated and approved by the local government authorities. To construct a bottling plant away from the city but still near the different market centers which should significantly reduce the delivery time and cut down cost of hauling. In the Visayas on the projected sales * To be able to support other plants in the Visayas on the projected sales growth and product volume requirements of the regions. 14 sites were identified and considered but the lot in Mansilingan was selected with its confidence to the objectives and specific identified. The lot is 10 hectares in area and used to be a sugarcane field. It is about 8 km from the city proper.The construction of the Php 700 million two lines capacity plant started in 1997 and was inaugurated in October 28, 1998. The new plant in Bacolod is the latest and one of the largest in the network of 19 facilities operated by Coca-Cola Bottlers Phil’s. , Inc. across the country. The plant has a capacity of 50,000 physical cases per day with provision for two (2) more lines in the future. The 10 hectares production centre is home to 281 employees and incorporates up-to-the minute computerized production systems, a waste water treatments and electronic bottle inspection. 2 VISION/MISSION STATEMENT VISSIONWe are a world class beverage plant producing the highest quality products and services to our customers at optimum cost. MISSION * Leadership Our leaders are made model of excellence. They exemplify dynamic leadership by exercising sound business ethics and moral values. As coaches and mentors, they are the fountains of strength, constantly providing clear direction o associates and showing concern for their welfare. * Shareholders We are the shareholders, the beneficiary of our success. We commit to enhance shareholder value through continuous improvement and optimization of our resources generating profits to ensure sustainable growth. Community We are responsible corporate citizens in the community. We foster harmonious relationships through the development and preservation of the environment and sustain the economic upliftment of the people. 4 SERVICES OFFERRED The Coca-Cola Company provides superior quality products and services that are affordable to the customers and constantly available in the market. The customer is the reason for their existence. The customers’ needs drive the business and the number one goal is customer’s satisfaction. The following ar e the on the ground programs the company also offered: COKE FOUNDATION Provide education by donating school in the depressed areas all over the country called (Coca-Cola Red School House). In their 100 years in time they build a school in Tayasan, Negros Oriental which will be inaugurated early December. * FEEDING PROGRAM They visit all over the country and serve the children and mothers in remote areas. * WATER SUPPLY Coordinate with the AIDE FOUNDATION to provide water supplies in a ramp pump. The company constructed water ramp pump in Moises Padilla, Silay, San Jose Neg. Occ. , Don Salvador, La Carlota and Kabankalan City (ongoing). * EMPLOYMENTProvides job for specific courses, TESDA graduates and technical courses. 3 SYSTEM (SOFTWARE/HARDWARE) USE SOFTWARE * Coca-Cola Company use COKE 1 system wherein the same system that the company uses in Philippines, Australia, China and Germany. The system covers the supply change, human resource, finance, Sales and Logistics. * And also, SAP system which is a powerful tool that integrates multiple business processes and functions into one comprehensive system. SAP reduces lack of integration across business line which will raise the risk of duplication, mistakes and inconsistency data.SAP provides different approach than their competitors in market. Each piece (module like FI, MM, and SD) can operate independently from all other software. And the key benefit of using this approach is that companies can implement individual module that fits the company needs, and have the flexibility to add other module later when their business grows. HARDWARE * Unit uses in the Coca-Cola Company are Lenovo, IBM and HP products. There are also Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras for surveillance purposes. 5 COCA-COLA COMPANY (Index Page Picture) 1 ABS-CBN COMPANY CORPORATE PROFILE ABS-CBN is in the business of producing world-class entertainment, news and information programs and in the continuous adoption of breakthrough techn ology to deliver these to its audiences not just in the Philippines, but globally. This content is distributed primarily in the Philippines through its flagship station in Mega Manila, ABS-CBN Channel 2. Backed by a regional network of 25 originating stations, 8 affiliates, and a collection of strategically –located relay stations across the archipelago, ABS-CBN’s nationwide reach is unmatched to this day.ABS-CBN also airs in free-to-air UHF on Studio 23 and operates the country’s leading radio network consisting of 3 AM band stations and 14 in the FM band. ABS-CBN also provides news and entertainment programs for nine cable channels, targeting specific niche markets who prefer foreign entertainment programs, blockbuster Filipino movies, news and commentary, music, anime, and sports. ABS-CBN also owns Skycable , the Philippines’ largest cable television service provider which has close to 500,000 upscale subscribers in Metro Manila and key urban areas nat ionwide.Outside the Philippines, ABS-CBN reaches an estimated 2 million Filipinos out of the more than 8 million Filipinos overseas, through ABS-CBN Global’s The Filipino Channel (TFC). TFC is available in the USA, Canada, the whole Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Japan, and a host of other Asia-Pacific via cable TV, direct-to-home satellite, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), and the Internet trough TFCNow! ABS-CBN in-house produced programs also reach foreign audiences through the distribution of ABS-CBN content to countries in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa.Star Cinema, ABS-CBN movie production unit, has a 75% share of the local film market based on gross box office receipts, consistently producing one blockbuster hit after another. ABS-CBN also leads the local music production and distribution outfit in the country through Star Records. ABS-CBN Publishing completes ABS-CBN’s tri-media offering with 14 glossy magazine titles, addressing the needs of the Philippine upscale market with features on fashion and lifestyle, gossip and entertainment, culinary arts, interior design, sports and male-specific interests.Blazing the trail in new media technology, ABS-CBN interactive pioneered traditional media and SMS tie-ups in the country with the launch of TV text promos and TV polls/voting systems. ABS-CBN’s online properties-entertainment and news sites, online games, and social networking through one of the leading social networks in world, multiply- have proven to be strongly patronized by the growing Filipino online community. Driven by its passionate commitment to bold innovation, ABS-CBN is leading the change in the country’s media landscape with its depth of creative talent and breath of platforms. SYSTEM (SOFTWARE/HARDWARE) USE SOFTWARE Most of the hardware use in ABS-CBN is Cisco device for switches and routers. These devices are use to connect to the network in Manila. For operating system the company use Windo ws XP, Windows 7 and Windows Networking 2000. For the editing, they use Adobe products. The ABS-CBN also use a Library System to store videos and for the access of data, the admin is assign to the IT Support and Engineering Accounts and user is assign to the editors. Hardware Most of the hardware use in ABS-CBN is Cisco device for switches and routers.These devices are use to connect to the network in Manila. 10 CORPORATE VALUES * Meritocracy * Granting commensurate rewards at the right time for good performance (caring for our people) * Expecting rewards earned through performance rather than because of entitlement * Taking quick and appropriate action on failure * Excellence * JUDGMENT AND DRIVE FOR RESULTS * Using best judgment to balance speed, quality and cost to attain best returns * Using best judgment to balance the need to deliver short-term business results with what is best for the organization in the long term. Going beyond the boundaries of my role/unit to ensure result s * Gathering and using available data/information to make decisions and resolve problems; moving on despite the absence of complete data/information * EMBRACING CHANGE * Exploring new ways and challenging old ways, including past successes, to achieve breakthroughs and continuous improvement. * RISK TAKING * In a constantly changing competitive environment taking action based on an assessment that opportunities and rewards are worth the risks and ensuring everything possible is done to mitigate those risks. * Teamwork COMPANY INTEREST AND TRANSPARENCY * Providing the right information at the right time to the right people * Taking personal accountability for making my team a high powered and high performing team 8 * Putting the good of the company/team before my personal interests * OWNERSHIP * Taking accountability for my role, output and decisions * CONFRONTING CONFLICT * Surfacing issues directly with concerned parties so that these may be resolved constructively and if resoluti on is not attained, jointly escalating the issue * Accepting my accountability for causing conflicts, if any Teaching and Learning * Training someone to become better than myself at my role * Taking accountability for my continuous learning by defining my development areas and taking deliberate action to fill my skill gaps * Analyzing failures and deriving lessons for them * Providing continuous training and learning experiences so that you constantly become better than you are at your role today and are equipped for larger roles at the appropriate time (caring for our people) * Honest and Integrity * Delivering on commitments; my words equal my actions * Speak out, speak true Providing an environment where one can speak out and be heard (caring for our people) * In the Service of the Filipino Worldwide * To serve the country and its people has always been and will always be the meaning of our work. * Whatever we do and whatever we go, we shall always be faithful to our commitment o f being in the service of the Filipino. 9 TITLE PAGE Coca-Cola Company Index Page Picture——————————————————1 History of Coca Cola Company Bacolod Plant————————————————————2 Services Offered ——————————————————–3Vision/Mission Statement———————————————-4 System (Software/Hardware) Use————————————-5 ABS-CBN Company Index Page Picture—————————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€6 ABS-CBN Corporate Profile——————————————7 ABS-CBN Corporate Values—————————————8-9 System (Software/Hardware) Use————————————10 Kabankalan Catholic College Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental IN PARTIALL FULLFILLMENT IN OJT-500 BONNIE MAY G. ALVIOR BSIT 4

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Cause and Effect of Sleep deprivation

I am a firm believer that many factors such as our culture, our upbringing, and beliefs that we were introduced to all affects what we do, how we live and even what we eat! People in China, Vietnam and Switzerland have been known to eat dogs for thousands of year, some as a source of survival during war and famine while others eat it as a cuisine meaning it is a part of their regular diet! I’ve even read somewhere that people in China have been known to say that a huge reason they consume dog meat is to keep them warm in the harsh winters! Have they heard of a jacket and hot coco? They don’t see it any different from eating cows and pigs, but someone like me thinks that is disgusting! I see people all the time whose treat their dog as their best friend, I’ve heard that when you begin to grow attached to your dog you soon see them as people. I could never imagine it being okay to eat a dog! Functionalism has a lot to do with this also when you come to think of it. This tradition has been the norm in these places for years! It wasn’t until recently that proposed laws have been presented to implement a law that bans the eating of cats and dogs. Americans are truly the people of the land of the free and are strong believers that a dog is a mans best friend, in my opinion. Beating, not feeding, and mistreating dogs are all violations of the law, neglect, and animal abuse! I could not even imagine hearing a story of someone eating one! It is common knowledge here that dogs are like people and should be treated as such and so they are not put on a dinner plate, at least the way I view things. I strongly feel that our individual believes and knowledge is the reason we eat what we eat, they are culturally relative in more ways that one. This definitely is a beautiful thing as everyone can be their own person and act how they feel but this causes cultural diversity conflict all the time! Take this scenario for instance; two people are meeting for a blind date and obviously know nothing about one another. It becomes time to order and the woman is disgusted by the menu because everything is meat and fat of the meat from some type of animal, see, she’s vegetarian. The woman loves animals and does not believe in eating them and this sparks a conversation. Do you think it’s a good one as her date has already ordered the number four, which is the half slab of baby back ribs with chicken shish kabobs, and a side of pork rings? I can imagine that she stormed out of there after giving him a good lecture. Though her actions are understandable they aren’t quite right. Ethnocentrism would be the perfect would to explain that situation! The woman thinks that he beliefs are the right ones and that the man is wrong for eating what he loves to eat! Ethnocentrism is when you believe that your culture, your beliefs are better than everyone else’s and only yours make sense! This is a big reason there is conflict within cultures. Instead of using cultural relativism and trying to understand others point of view or even just accepting it as their choice we fight for what we think is the right way, the only way. Interactionism helps us understand that our mind plays a role in our how what our body does including why we eat or don’t eat what we eat. I love dogs, so I would vomit at the thought of eating one. However, once again this doesn’t mean I should hate someone that eats it as a dish at home. Being open and understanding can truly help because just as the conflict theory states that there is a power struggle between cultures, these cultures have the power to become knowledgeable of one another and ultimately obtain culture relativism.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Police Brutality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Police Brutality - Research Paper Example Although it is not an overstatement that community policing in a free world like the United States is similar to cutting through a mountain with bare teeth! It is indeed a difficult task that requires arduous concentration, serious planning and cutting-edge management (U.S Department of Justice, 1998). The presence of multi-cultural communities in many cities and towns across the country even makes this task appears more complicated. Each member of the communities aspires for equal treatment under the law when it comes to the issue of policing (Walter, 2000). But could such demanding circumstance put a strain on the police officers’ performance and turned them into violent or aggressive officer exterminating the defenseless citizens they are paid to protect? Even though they have their own prejudice, police officers are required by laws and ethics to justly handle each case. In order words, they should see their job as servants to the entire population, not just to satisfy the ideology of their own race or religious affiliations once they are in the uniforms (Mastrofski, 1999). However, instances of overtly use of force and weapons peppered by racial prejudice have often come up between the civilians and the police officers (Milton et al, 1977). And in these situations, the affected civilians who might have felt cheated and embarrassed could also often resort to self-defense.In the course of the melee, either the police officer or the civilian may have an upper hand in the scuffle, and one of them might mistakenly take the life of the other!

Monday, August 12, 2019

Top 5 internet privacy myths about social media debunked Term Paper

Top 5 internet privacy myths about social media debunked - Term Paper Example To start with, several online social networks prompt the users to provide truthful information about their identity. For example, Facebook, which currently the most popularly used social network website in the world, allows users to provide detailed information concerning who they are on the profile page. Despite this requirement, Facebook has attracted a large number of users meaning that many people do not mind sharing such personal information. However, there have been several cases where social network users provide false information concerning their identity, something that has not been positively received by other social network users. Of more significance, truthful identification of social network users is beneficial to the webhost companies. Despite the fact that different social network websites provide varying privacy levels to their users, many of these social companies encourage their clients to provide truthful information concerning themselves to the level they can be comfortable with. For example, when using facebook, one can opt not to fill the entire information requested for in the profile page. By encouraging members of social networks to provide truthful information, webhost companies have been able to effectively manage the modes of conduct of members in their social network websites. This is because people tend to portray a positive image to the public when they can be easily identified by others. Additionally, proper and truthful identification in social networking websites has been backed by various legislations that seek to protect the public from harmful activities carried out in social networks. In most cases, people with malicious intentions like to disguise their identity to the public in order to reduce their chances of being identified easily. For example, people with false identification in online social networking sites do not find it hard to

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Utilitarian Theories of Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Utilitarian Theories of Punishment - Essay Example This theory relies on some intrinsic value being installed within a person initially in order for these decisions and distinction to be made. The tern utilitarianism was established or became from philosopher Bentham’s test question; ‘What is the use of it,’. Bentham’s’ theory suggests that all pleasures are qualitatively alike; grading them based on values such as intensity, certainty, purity, fruitfulness, length and temporal closeness. While Bentham and Mills were philosophers they were also known as economists and Mills theory expanded on utilitarianism. Mills suggested that pleasure is something that can be quantified and qualified and that those who are aquatinted with both prefer that pleasures are quantified. Explaining this preference involves assuming that humans have a sense of decency within their higher faculties and that this dignity is necessary for happiness and those pleasures which conflict with maintaining this dignity is rejected. Theory’s regarding punishment is usually either retributive or utilitarian (Rawls). Those that are retributive emphasize past actions in consideration of the consequence that much must be paid. Theories that are utilitarian are frequently seen as the opposing position and are often used in consideration of the future. Utilitarian theories of punishment will serve as the focus of this discussion.

Saturday, August 10, 2019

Explain The Term Structure Of Interest Rates Essay

Explain The Term Structure Of Interest Rates - Essay Example Interest date data for bonds with different maturities date is published frequently and investors can use it to determine the term structure of interest rates. Some of the most popular interest rate data sources are the Wall Street Journal, Federal Reserve Bulletin and websites like Bloomberg and CNN. The term structure can be verified at any point in time by using published data from renowned sources. Yield curves are drawn using this published data on interest rates. There are short term and long term interest rates. Since long term interest rates have an element of maturity risk premium (MRP), they are usually higher than short term rates. When researching on the term structure of interest rates, it is important to have knowledge of commonly used terms like the Yield to Maturity (YTM), which is defined as the expected rate of return on a bond held till maturity (Brigham and Ehrhardt, 2010). Another concept which is discussed with YTM is that of the zero coupon bonds (or discount b onds). A zero coupon bond is a financial asset which at the date of maturity T, pays its holder a lump sum amount, with no coupon payments before the date of maturity (hence the name zero-coupon). The YTM at time t of a discount bond with maturity T is the constant and continuously compounded rate of rate of return at which the price of the bond accrues from time t to time T and pays one currency unit to the holder at time T. The YTM is also referred to as the spot rate and the notation R (t, T) is used for it. Spot rates are short term interest rates and the term structure of interest rates depicts the relationship between spot rates and their dates of maturity (Gibson, Lhabitant and Talay, 2010). Interest rates are not only used in discounting and pricing for zero-coupon bonds but also other financial derivatives because their prices are sensitive to interest rates. If we go beyond the scope of an individual investor, we can see that interest rates are also important to corporatio ns. This is because when corporations are doing project appraisals, they use interest rate for computing the net present value and the discounted payback period for a project. The cost of capital which is of prime importance to corporations also depends upon interest rates (Benninga and Wiener, 1998). It will be useful to specify the type of interest rate before discussing investment decisions and discounting. There are two main types of interest rates: simple interest rate and compound interest rate. Simple rate of interest is interest on a lump sum principal amount and it does not itself earn interest. Quite contrary to this, is the compound rate of interest which itself earns interest. Investment decisions and discounting are all predominantly based on compound interest rates (Kelly and Tracy, 2010) Long term interest rates are an average of short term interest rates. The relationship between short and long term interest rates involves expectations. For example, if it is expected that short term interest rates will fall then the long term interest rates will fall below the current short term rate. The contrary situation is also valid: if it is expected that short term interest rates will increase then the long term interest rates will rise above the current short term rate. These two situations are possible only because long term rates are derived from short term rates. It is a general perception that long rates are greater than short rates and this is termed as the ‘