Monday, September 30, 2019

Is College Worth The Cost Essay

Is College Worth the Cost? Many people argue that college is not worth the cost. Some individuals say that college is too expensive and when they graduate they are not able to find a job with their degrees. People also say that college is not worth the amount of money they have to pay back in loans after they graduate. Those are all points stated in Rodney K. Smith’s essay â€Å"Yes, A College Education is Worth the Costs,† as he argues his point on why going to college and receiving a degree in an occupation of any sort. To others, a college education is worth the costs of the loans because pursuing a higher education will greater your chances of getting a better job, the college experience will teach you responsibility, also the rewarding opportunity you experience. Pursuing a higher education by attending college can greater your chances of getting a better job. When people go for a job interview, the interviewer is looking for someone with a college education. Yes, the person being interviewed may still get the job if they do not have a college education, but the person with the most education nine times out of ten will be the one chosen for the job. When someone has a higher education listed on their resumes it also qualifies them for a higher salary. Take working at a fast food restaurant for example. There are, crew members who earn minimum wage with nothing higher than a high school education, and then there are the store managers, general managers, district managers, etc. These are the people who have a college education and they earn anywhere from about ten dollars an hour and up. College has its perks even though the cost of it may deter people away, one has to be determined. Although college helps people solidify their future with a stable income, it will also teach individuals how to be responsible. One thing about college, if a person does not learn anything else he/she will learn how to be  responsible and prioritize their time, if they want to be successful. It is okay to want to go out and spend time with friends, but college is not like high school, were the teacher hands everything to the student and holds the students hand. In college, students are expected to be responsible and to keep up with their work/due dates of assignments. If one feels as though they are not responsible enough to be on their own and go off to college, then yes of course college would not be worth the cost. They would be wasting money especially if they are receiving financial aid, that money could go to some other student whom is more dedicate to being responsible and getting their work done. Although, there is an alternative to someone who wants to go to college and ge t an education but does not want to pay the high costs that big colleges and universities charge, community college. Many people have their own opinion towards whether college may or may not be worth the costs. The chance of an individual getting a great job with a pay raise that is more than minimum wage definitely makes college worth it. Even if you do not want to go to a big college or university where it cost a lot of money to attend you have the option of going to a community college. The responsibilities college teaches individuals will pay off in the end when a person enters the real world. The opportunity and the experience that a person gets out of going off to college is more than rewarding. There are many different options that students have if they do plan to get a college education but feel as though college might be a bit expensive. Works Cited Smith, Rodney K. â€Å"Yes, College is Worth the Cost.† Kirszner, Laurie G. and Stephen R. Mandell. Pratical Argument. New York: Bedford/St. Martin, 2014. 29-31.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Attitudes Towards Technology in the Han and Roman Empires

Attitudes Towards Technology in the Han and Roman Empires DBQ 2 Technology is always changing. New ideas are being introduced, and innovations to current technologies are always taking place. Some may see changes in technology as a vital and helpful thing, while others may oppose. Upperclassmen’s attitudes toward technology, especially advancements within technology, in the Han Empire, were very approving and encouraging. In the Roman Empire, the majority of upperclassmen’s attitudes toward technology were very supportive, as long as the technology or advancement was invented by someone of a highly philosophical mind.Roman upperclassmen in general had positive attitudes towards technology, as well as innovations in technology. Some higher classmen, however, looked highly upon themselves, and felt like anything not originating from their minds or hands was below them. Some philosophers had the attitude that anything they did not invent was only mediocre and sufficient, i nstead of excellent and great. (Doc. 7) Along with that, some upper class political leaders believed that it was vulgar and degrading of any man to be employed in any field of labor. Doc. 5) I placed these documents in a group together because of the fact that both of the authors of the documents had extremely opinionated outlooks on technology formed by lower classmen. Both authors stated in their documents that anything created by a lower classman was only mediocre in comparison to improvements in technology created by a higher classman like a philosopher. Therefore, their attitudes toward technology was positive†¦ as long as it was created by a man higher up in society.In Document 7, an upper-class Roman philosopher and adviser to Emperor Nero named Seneca expresses that any tools created by men who are not philosophers are mediocre and insignificant. His point of view is that he feels that the minds that did create the current technological advances in tools were nimble and sharp, but not great nor elevated. His attitude towards these breakthroughs in technology are this way because of his role in society. He is a philosopher, so it his is of his role to think with an abstract mind, imagining things from an â€Å"outside of the box† type of erspective. Because philosophers are trained to think this way, they would be able to create tools and new innovations in technology that could completely change how technology was viewed, leading their empires to greater and greater heights. But because of the lack of training and experience in abstract thought, he felt that normal men would tend to come up with good tools that were well built and could assist them in their day-to-day lives, but nothing groundbreaking that could have everyone captivated and amazed like â€Å"great and elevated minds† like his could invent.While some Roman upper class members liked only the technology invented and improved by elevated minds, that wasn’t the cas e for all of Rome. A Roman political leader named Gaius Gracchus set up a new system of road building, paying equal attention to the functionality and the appearance of the roads. He helped travelers keep track of distance by measuring out every mile and placing a column there. As well as the columns, Gracchus placed large stones on either sides of the road at lesser intervals, so it would be easier for those who road horses to mount them. (Doc. 6) Another brilliant advancement in technology was the aqueducts.Six of the aqueducts flowed into covered containers. Then, the volume was measured by means of calibrated scales. The use of the water was not only used for what was needed, but the water was also utilized for pleasure purposes. (Doc. 8) I grouped these two documents together since they both displayed advancements in technology without being discriminatory against those who were in lower classes. Because they both show the advancements in technology, it is evident that the atti tude toward technology was extremely positive. (Doc. 7) members of the Han Empire accepted and embraced new technologies.In fact, many government officials often implemented new ideas in their societies. For example, Tu Shih, who was the governor of Nanyang, invented a water-powered blowing-engine for the casting of iron agricultural implements that allowed people to enjoy great benefit for little labor. Not only has his invention been widely used, but it has also been adopted and innovated by those who use it. (Doc. 4) Fuxi, though only a mythological emperor, was said to have invented the pestle and the mortar. Throughout the years, his invention was cleverly improved in such a way that the ending benefit was increased a hundredfold. (Doc. ) There were times, as well, when government officials wrote to local officials describing exactly what needed to be done to assist in current problems. Though the government officials came up with such an in-depth plan and strategy, the local o fficials ultimately made the final call, tailoring the governmental plan to fit the individuality of each town. (Doc. 1) I grouped these documents together because they all involve a leader inventing something, with lower classmen innovating the invention. This proves that the Han Empire had a positive attitude about technology, and were still completely open to the aspects of change and advancements.In Document 3, an upper-class Han philosopher named Huan Tan expresses, with great enthusiasm, his point of view of the evolution of the pestle and the mortar throughout the years. In the document, it goes in depth describing all of the innovations and advancements the pestle and the mortar have gone through. This exemplifies the fact that Huan Tan’s attitude towards innovations in technology was devoutly positive. In Document 3, Huan Tan conveys the story of how Fuxi, who, though mythological, was an emperor, created something, which was improved by regular commoners.This shows that unlike the Roman philosopher in Document 7, Huan Tan shows no discrimination against the lower classes. He does not feel that in order for truly excellent work, you must have a philosopher title. He understands that ordinary people can be the most brilliant at times, and finds the entire concept of advancement in technology astounding. An additional document I feel would be beneficial in helping to convey my thesis would be a journal entry from the point of view of a Han Peasant, depicting their attitude towards the new advancements in technology.This is needed because every document we were given was written from the perspective of an upperclassmen. In order to more accurately answer the question, I feel like we should have an understanding of every socioeconomic class. I also think that in order to more efficiently analyze Document 2, we need a comparison with the journal entry from a Han Peasant. Because Document 2 talks about how individual family’s tools were better than the government-made ones were, I think that a journal entry explaining their thoughts on family-made tools versus the government-made tools would help give a better understanding of the document.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

An Investigation Into the Differences Between Retail and Investment Banks Essay

Over the past decades, retail banks have remained the main commercial bank for consumers, rather than corporations or other banks. The investment bank has become more popular amongst individuals, corporations and governments which are interested in raising their profits. Retail banks and investment banks have different organizational structures and activities. So they have many differences, such as services, customers and profits. And this report aims to distinguish between the retail bank and the investment bank in order to identify their specific service areas. Firstly, the author will review some literature focusing on the definitions. Secondly, the author will illustrate the differences between them from their target activities and functions. Retail banks offer a range of services to individual customers and small businesses, rather than to large companies and other banks. These include: savings and transactional accounts, mortgages, personal loans, debit cards and credit cards. An investment bank is a bank which specializes in providing funds to corporate borrowers for startup or expansion and does not accept deposits but provides services to those who offer securities to investors, and to those investors themselves. It may also assist and support companies which are involved in mergers and acquisitions, and provides ancillary services such as market making, trading of derivatives, fixed income instruments, foreign exchange, commodities, and equity securities. From the definitions above, it clearly shows that the two types of bank provide substantially different services to customers. As a normal customer, I think the retail banks are better than the investment banks. And there are three advantages of the retail banks. Firstly, the retail banks have more branches than the investment banks. For example, Lloyds TSB Bank is a retail bank in the United Kingdom, and according to Lloyds TSB website, the bank has nearly 1,900 branches across the UK. This means that you can find the branches of TSB almost everywhere. So you can deal with some normal business easily, the branches of retail banks can be found almost everywhere. For example, you want to make emergency loans, you do not have enough time to find an investment bank to make loans, so you must choose the retail banks. Moreover, the retail banks can supply some services which the investment banks do not provide. When you want to transfer from one account to another account, you can not go to the investment banks, because the investment banks do not offer this kind of service. Therefore, if you want to deal with some normal business (such as savings, mortgages and credit cards) at a bank, it would be better to choose the retail banks. The Royal Bank of Scotland is one of the retail banking is part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, and together with NatWest and Ulster Bank, provides branch banking facilities throughout the UK. And it can provide almost every service that the retail banks have. So it has a good reputation in Scotland. Finally, the risk of retail banks is relatively lower than the investment banks. You can get money from the rate of interest which can be higher than the other banks. Such as Barclays Corporate which belongs to the Barclays Group and provide these kinds of services (such as savings, transactional accounts, mortgages, debit cards, credit cards). It offers a service called monthly savings which is its regular savings plan that allows you to save regularly over 12 months, and you can get higher interest rates are paid where no withdrawals have been made in the previous month. This means that you can get high fixed interest of up to 3. 25% AER / 3. 20% in months when no withdrawals are made. And the revenue of the retail banks is stability and fixed. So you do not need to pay more attention to the asset in the retail banks. These advantages of the retail banks are the reasons why the retail banks are better as a normal customer. As an advanced person or a company, I think the investment banks are better. There are also many advantages of the investment banks which usually provide services for the company. First of all, most of the investment banks are global company and it can provide services more widely than the retail banks. Such as Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management It reports US$779 billion as assets under its management. Its headquarter located in Midtown Manhattan , New York City. It has companies in 37 countries with over 1,200 offices, employees dedicated to local businesses, government agencies, institutions and individuals. So the investment banks can provide the services (such as trading of derivatives, fixed income instruments, foreign exchange and commodities) all over the world. Secondly, the revenue of the investment banks significantly more than profit of other types of banks. If you save your extra money in the retail banks, you can only get the interest from the rates. But if you sand your money to the investment banks you can get remarkable returns although it has a high risk. For example the Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American investment bank and securities. And it provides mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting services, asset management, and prime brokerage to its clients, which include corporations, governments and individuals. Amazingly, the company in US profits reached a record $ 13. 39 billion in 2010, on average common shareholders’ equity rate of return is 22. 5%. At last, the investment banks also can provide some special services that the retail banks do not offer. For instance, it can supply a particularly serving called â€Å"financial advice† what can make financial of a company more reasonability and determine the future line of development. UBS AG is a diversified global financial services company, with its main headquarters in Basel and Zurich, Switzerland and UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. With â€Å"Premier Advisory Services†, UBS offers you the opportunity to schedule individual one-on-one consultations with CEFS experts who understand your equity-linked compensation as an integrative part of your total wealth management, know about the different plan vehicles and can support you on issues such as â€Å"How can I best align my equity-linked compensation with my total wealth management† or â€Å"When should I exercise, which strategy is the best†.

Friday, September 27, 2019

MBA FINANCE RESEARCH PROPOSAL . CREDIT RISK MANAGMENT OF COMMERCIAL

MBA FINANCE . CREDIT RISK MANAGMENT OF COMMERCIAL BANK A CASE STUDY OF ........WHICH bank case study we take that easy to collect the data - Research Proposal Example Financial institutions are facing many problems in the area of credit risk management. Credit risk is not only oriented towards the banks but it also occurs in all enterprises in the business world. Credit risk usually arises, when any of the trading partner fails to meet his full obligation on due date. This will seriously affect the trading practices of other partner who is associated with him. There must be proper balance maintained between the credit risk and other risks that influence the credit practices of the firm. The issue of credit risk is having a greater concern in banks because of the higher level risk associated. It also includes the changing business conditions and characteristics of the clients. The major causes for these problems are failure of banks in meeting the credit standards which are framed for the borrowers, failure in changing the policies with respect to the economic changes, under-graded portfolio risk management and the situations that lead to decline in credit standings of borrowers of the bank. Credit risk arises when the borrower fails to the terms and conditions mentioned in the credit agreement. â€Å"The goal of credit risk management is to maximise a banks risk-adjusted rate of return by maintaining credit risk exposure within acceptable parameters.† (Principles for the management of credit risk, 1999, para.2). The bank selected for the study is HSBC in UK. â€Å"The HSBC Group is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world.† (Gokarn app as head of credit risk management of HSBC, 2006, para.6). It is headquartered in London and has its offices in more than 86 countries and has 8,500 offices all around the world. â€Å"HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services: personal financial services; commercial banking; corporate, investment banking and markets; private banking; and other activities.† (About HSBC: who is HSBC?, 2009, para.4). Research Hypothesis: Credit Risks

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Political Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Political Communication - Essay Example Findings & Analysis Question 1 The initial question of the survey aimed at determining the significance and importance of an effective political communication system with respect to the worldwide community in relation to Bahrain’s global reputation. It was found in this regard that majority of the individuals, i.e. nearly 53% found this particular aspect to be extremely important (refer to figure 1). The majority of the respondents believed in the fact of keeping up a strong procedure and system of political communication with the global community for the reason of managing the international reputation of Bahrain. Although, the other 40% of the respondents did not consider this factor to be extremely significant, even though identifying this notion to be quite an important factor (refer to figure 1). However, the remaining 7% of the respondents merely regarded this notion to be important to a limit and did not find it necessary to focus much attention (refer to figure 1). Anot her significant aspect that came into light was that none of the respondents did completely disregard this specific stated idea. This implies that most of the respondents believed in the above stated fact. The graphical representation of this fact can be observed below: Figure 1 The above response obtained from the question evidently relates to the fact of considering political communication to be immensely important as well as quite critical for a particular country to build and enhance its global reputation (Umland, 1999). Question 2 Political communication has already been considered to be a vital aspect for developing and managing the reputation of a country. This particular question of the survey made efforts to identify the gaps that are supposed to exist in the manner the... Political communication has already been considered to be a vital aspect for developing and managing the reputation of a country. This particular question of the survey made efforts to identify the gaps that are supposed to exist in the manner the political communications are dealt with in Bahrain. 53.3% of the respondents believed that few of the information that gets communicated politically are assumed to be partially true. 23.3% of the respondents in this regard stated that all the information generated in the process of political communication was considered to be untrue or rather misleading (refer to figure 2). 40% of the individuals displayed their opinion regarding the fact that the generated information was increasingly subjected to opinion rather than any portrayal of facts (refer to figure 2). The majority of the respondents, i.e. around 76.7% stated that the information was not issued at the appropriate time which turned to be quite a significant gap with regard to the pr ocess of political communication (refer to figure 2). The similar percentage of respondents, i.e. 76.7%, also agreed to the fact that the information proves to be insufficient in answering the queries of the general public (refer to figure 2). 46.7% of the respondents considered the generated political information to be discriminatory (refer to figure 2). Furthermore, 53.3% of the respondents also supposed that the information provided was inadequate in nature as it lacked in encompassing all the facts as well as concerned individuals.

The common law and equity systems of jurisprudence Essay

The common law and equity systems of jurisprudence - Essay Example The other contribution of equity law was supplementation of common law with such concepts as injunctive relief, the trust and specific performance. The Chancellor implemented the policy of the Statute of Laborers and made decisions concerning occupational competency like negligent activity of carriers, builders, shepherds, etc. The inability of the common law to address damages due to faulty work resulted in the Chancellor’s competence in the issues of loss of wool, dead lambs, and damaged sheep. (Reilly) The majority of suits reviewed in equity court were disputes over land property involving family members. The case was initiated by the plaintiff who filed a bill of complaint which is a petition to the chancellor or an equity court. The answer followed from the defendant. The plaintiff continued with a replication while the defender answered with a rejoinder. This pleading process might continue further or may be finished a bill filing stage. In the equity court the main evidence was not an oral testimony but a written deposition based on interrogatories. (Wikipedia) The Chancellor performed the roles of both a judge and jury. So he had the right to decide cases without a jury. Unlike the common law, the Chancellor as a judge and often as a religious person relied on circumstances of cases and his conscience but not to a set of rules. Term "equitable claim" contains broad moral sense based upon general equitable considerations rather than a strict meaning of the claim involving consideration of principles of right and justice. (Equity)

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Critically study of Negotiation Skills 03071 Essay

Critically study of Negotiation Skills 03071 - Essay Example The study is going to provide critical evaluation of the negotiation process. Different theories of negotiation stated to cite that negotiation process is adopted among the almost each and every individual. Further, this study outlines the process of negotiation among the individuals, local authority, SME and society. Negotiation is mainly a collateral process of getting the concern of two or more parties. In general term, negotiation is the process of collective bargaining that promotes a process of transaction of anything between two or more parties. This process is promoting aim of welfare of both the parties, along with the requirements and expectation of parties associated with the negotiation process. On the other hand, it utilises common ground that empowers stake of both the parties. Moreover, it promotes the harmony among the parties regarding any settlement. In addition, negotiation is also made on the basis of the mutual concern that makes the resolution of any sort of conflict. Negotiation processes are proved to be one of the most important processes in the daily life of people and operations of any business (Barkemeyer and Figge, 2011). On the contrary, negotiation term is used in banking and financial sectors also. Negotiation in this type of industry refers to the acceptance of any sort of transaction or future buy and sells financial instruments. In addition, it is observed that financial instruments are mainly facing negotiation process in the trading terms. However, contracting segments are looking for making proper compensation of the client and involved parties. Contracts are adopting negotiation actions in terms of making proper bidding of transactions. However, negotiation will be increasing outcomes of contract policies. Negotiation is involved in the trading processes also. Mainly in the globalised era, organisations are making proper negotiation in terms of trading the different instruments and commodities

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Literature Review and Critique of the Experiential Learning Model Research Paper

Literature Review and Critique of the Experiential Learning Model - Research Paper Example 127) while also providing an opportunity for the participants to practice and refine their learning. According to Kolb (1984), learning is the â€Å"transformation of experience into knowledge† (p. 38). According to Kolb’s experiential learning model, learners grasp information via concrete experiences (CE) and abstract concepts (AC) and then transform this information using reflective observation (RO) and active experimentation (AE). This paper will review available literature to find out the effectiveness of experiential learning model when applied in a learning situation. Literature Review Definitions of Experiential Learning Experiential learning occurs when learners interact with other people, information and/or experience. It includes the process of practice, interaction and reflection that follow one another with an emphasis on feedback. According to Fenwick (2001) the "basic conceptualization of experiential learning is an independent learner, cognitively reflec ting on concrete experience to construct new understandings, perhaps with the assistance of-an educator, toward some social goal of progress or improvement. (p. 7) Kolb's Experiential Learning Model Kolb developed his experiential learning model in 1974. In his model, Kolb emphasized the role that experience plays in the learning process. He believed that learning occurs in a four stage repetitive cycle. Although learning can start occurring at any of these stages, the concrete experience stage is considered to be the first step in the learning process. During this stage, an individual is performing a task or experiencing a certain situation. Reflection consists of reviewing what has been done or experienced. Conceptualization involves the interpretation of the events that have been noticed and understanding the relationships among them. Finally, experimentation enables a learner to actually apply what has been learnt in new life situations. "Immediate, concrete experience is the ba sis for observation and reflection. These observations are assimilated into "theory" from which new implications for action can be deduced. These implications or hypotheses then serve as guides in acting to create new experiences" (Kolb, 1974, p. 28). Ricci (2000) completed a phenomenological study of the experience of learning in adult higher education. The study was conducted with twelve undergraduate college students, ages 20-50. The study revealed the essential nature of the complex interaction of several components (themes) in adult learning, while also highlighting the unique expression of learning structure by each individual. The study supported the perceiving and processing dimensions of Kolb's model; however, it also revealed more factors, such as learner's self-motivation, the learning situation itself, and other environmental factors that facilitate successful learning (Ricci, 2000). Similarly to Ricci's study, Decker's (1996) study examined whether the Interpersonal and Intercultural Adjustment curriculum moved the student through the four stages ofthe experiential learning cycle proposed and described by Kolb. Decker also sought to identify the essential curricular and pedagogical components of the curriculum that contributed to the effectiveness of the course. A qualitative research methodology consisting of participant observation, narrative analysis, and ethnographic interviewing provided strong support to the hypothesis that students did show evidence of movement though Kolb's four stages of learning. The

Monday, September 23, 2019

Arabic spring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Arabic spring - Essay Example The effort to lead authoritarian to enhance their regional influence is not effective because of different reasons. Various regimes have a different view on the opportunities and constrains created by Arabic Spring, the influence may require medication latter, their effort may end up shaping the newly Arabs elected governments. About ten years before the rise of Arab Spring, there was the rise in global authoritarianism with an attempt of Arab autocracies to adopt their own ruling to new domestic and regional challenges. The wide implications of authoritarian collective action lead to Arabic Spring. In analyzing their effect, we stress on two related dynamics, which include the way in which powerful authoritarian regimes work as a team to advance collective interests in sustaining or consolidating institutional and strategic alternative to the western democracy. Secondly is their attempt use the Arab Spring as a mobilization tool to gain regional support, democratic powers such as th at witnessed in Turkey, Brazil, South Africa, among other nations. With their sympathetic critiques of western economy and their geographical strategic dominance, these states are seen as the global authoritarians as potential allies might enlist that in efforts to redefine regional security and political structure, thus threatening the United States aim of advancing their interest. Globalization is a process where in different fields, the world is working together as a single society, marked by common institution, organizations, and shared culture of consciousness.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

On being the youngest Essay Example for Free

On being the youngest Essay I hate being the baby! Thats a common statement one hears all too often. Im the youngest one in my family,and the only girl among two brothers at that. Quite a number of my friends are the eldest among their siblings, and from what Ive heard from them, their little sisters and brothers are probably just a few years away from the friendly neighbourhood psychiatrist. What with all the abuse, its a miracle how they avoid becoming physically and emotionally retarded. ( sorry guys, I just had to stand up for those poor kids! ). However, I firmly believe that every cloud has a silver lining, even if its not always visible. Being the youngest, we do gain a few vital skills to survive in this dog eat dog world. In the process of getting pinched, slapped, punched, and kicked around by our older siblings, we develop a strong retaliation mindset that keeps us from being obliterated by our demented siblings. You decapitated my Tropical Swimsuit Barbie ? Look, your Hot Wheels were so hot, they melted! Undoubtedly, my brothers have suffered the wrath of my active self-defence mechanism more than once. Even if I fail to get back at them physically (Im just a gentle, innocent girl, okay? ), I generally make sure they pay by spiriting away their beloved possessions. Its amazing how many nooks and crannies one can find in a standard double- storeyed house. Sure, its mean, petty, spiteful and selfish, but hey, who ever said anything about being an angel? Once, I remember grabbing hold of a handful of my brothers beloved computer games and throwing them over the gate onto the path of an incoming car. I got a pretty good hiding for it, but ahhh, the satisfying sound of cds cracking under pressure out-weighed the punishment by about a hundred times. As the youngest, we are the worker ants around the house. That is, when our parents are not in. As a result, we acquire very important characteristics such as being responsible, efficient, hardworking, etc. Theres this really misguided notion that the queen bees are always the responsible ones. All they do is to order us around, belting out commands like a drill sergeant. Being the only girl in the household during my mums absence, I get ample preparation for a future married life (or as one would think, a future career as a house-maid ). Being the youngest too means that my brothers become deaf to any kind- hearted suggestions I have to increase their work efficiency. (eg. Why dont you just get your lazy butt off the floor? ) With all the practice we get, most of us have the persuading skills of a politician. I find this especially useful when Im short of pocket money. After a few minutes of manja-ing, my purse would be filled to the brim again! (Like magic! ) I guess this is a privilege available only to us. Somehow, older siblings who act manja are not generally accepted by society. Those who have the audacity to do so are usually met with the curt dont-pretend-to-be-cute reply. Still, not everything we gain by being the youngest is good. Havent you noticed? The youngest one is almost always the fattest. Sadly, Im a living testament to this. While both my brothers are lean, slim and thin, Ive always been kind of chubby my whole life. The last cookie left? Let your sis have it lar. The last piece of pizza? Give your sis All this food stuffing has left its mark on me physically. (Sigh) Well, I guess you just cant have your cake and eat it too literally. All in all, I think life was intended to be a bed of roses for us young ones. Unfortunately though, a few durian husks got in the mix. However, at the end of the day, what really matters is having a family that loves you and cares for you, regardless of whether youre the eldest, the youngest, the in betweens, or even the only child.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Coffee A Review Of Possible Health Benefits Biology Essay

Coffee A Review Of Possible Health Benefits Biology Essay Coffee: A Review of Possible Health Benefits. One of the worlds most widely consumed beverages, coffee, has been enjoyed by people for centuries. The coffee shrub, a bush bearing rich green leaves, pale flowers, and vivid red berries, stems from East Africa, and was introduced to the Americas in the early 1700s. Today, the United States accounts for nearly a quarter of the worldwide yearly consumption of more than 12 billion pounds of coffee grown globally. Fifty-four per cent of Americans consume coffee daily as coffee continues to grow in popularity. The average U.S. coffee drinker consumes more than three cups of coffee per day, usually in the morning for a quick boost from the caffeine. Aside from giving its drinkers a morning lift, research shows coffee may help protect against a host of health problems, including type 2 diabetes, Parkinsons disease, cardiovascular disease, and various types of cancers. With thousands of studies being conducted on coffee over the last forty years, some advising a reduction on the consumption, others promoting coffees intake, people suffering from type 2 diabetes may be surprised to learn about some of coffees health perks. The most common type of diabetes, type 2 diabetes, makes up the majority of the American cases of the disease. When an insufficient amount of insulin is produced in the body, type 2 diabetes develops. The lack of insulin in the body causes an increase of glucose in the blood. This causes insulin resistance. When insulin resistance happens, blood sugar levels increase. If blood sugar levels remain too high, the pancreas may be at risk of damage, resulting in serious, life-threatening health problems. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Womens Hospital analyzed information collected from over 125,000 study participants for almost two decades and discovered a possible link between a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and consuming up to three cups of caffeinated coffee each day. Those who drank more than six cups of coffee each day lessened the risk of diabetes in women by 30% and in men by more than 50%. Another study conducted by researchers from the University of Sao Paulo in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil found that in nearly 70,000 women who had coffee during lunchtime, they were 33% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who did not drink coffee. Another survey that pooled data from 18 different studies counting half a million participants from over the last 40 years revealed an additional 7% less risk of diabetes development for each cup of coffee consumed past 4 cups. Dr. Peter Martin, head of the Institute for Coffee Studies at Vande rbilt University, describes coffee as having a multitude of compounds, including chlorogenic acid, a chemical that increases the bodys ability to remove and organize blood sugar, therefore reducing the development of type 2 diabetes. Another seriously debilitating condition, Parkinsons disease, currently affects nearly two million Americans. Parkinsons disease is a condition caused when nerve cells in the brain fail to generate dopamine, a monoamine neurotransmitter in the brain which is needed in order for the central nervous system to operate correctly. During subsequent stages of Parkinsons disease, victims develop indications of tremors and bradykinesia, causing decreased movement ability. Since the general population is getting older, more and more Americans are expected to be diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in the future. Lifestyle may have the strongest influence on the development of Parkinsons disease, but scientists are now considering nutritional sources like coffee as possible deterrents against the disorder. During a 22-year analysis of nearly 7,000 men and women, ages 50 to 79, researchers found participants who consumed coffee in large quantities, ten or more cups per day, lowered their risk of developing Parkinsons disease by an astounding 75%. In another study conducted over a 30 year span by the Honolulu Heart Program, researchers studied over 8,000 Japanese-American men and the link between coffee consumption and the development of Parkinsons disease. Coffee drinkers in this study were less likely to develop Parkinsons disease. As a matter of fact, those who never drank coffee were five times more likely to develop Parkinsons disease compared to the coffee consuming men who participated in this study. An additional study on coffees inverse affects on Parkinsons disease development from the Harvard School of Public Health used 135,000 people from various backgrounds. The study group participants who drank more than four cups of coffee on a daily basis lessened their risk of Parkinsons disease development by 50%. In more recent studies conducted by Vanderbilt Institute for Coffee Studies, the only institute in the country dedicated to studying the health effects of coffee, found that individuals who drank coffee throughout the day, not just in the morning, slashed their chances of developing Parkinsons disease by as much as 80%. Three of these studies discovered the more people drank coffee, the more they decreased the chances of Parkinsons disease development. Similar to the caffeine found in coffee, the brain produces a natural form of this xanthine chemical called adenosine. The brain of a person who is at risk of Parkinsons disease produces too much adenosine and not enough dopamine. When a significant amount of caffeine is ingested, the chemical blocks adenosine receptors in the brain. When these receptors are blocked and adenosine production is cut off, more dopamine is produced, thus decreasing a risk of Parkinsons disease development. In the past, many studies named coffee as a contributing factor in the development of different forms of cardiovascular diseases. The general consensus was that coffee raised cholesterol levels in drinkers, creating an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. However, the majority of those studies stemmed from Europe where the process of how coffee is made just before consumption differs from the way Americans prepare the beverage. Unlike many Europeans who enjoy coffee that has been prepared using a percolator, a French press, or the Scandinavian boiling method, Americans generally filter their coffee. The filtering process seems to eliminate most of the harmful cholesterol found in coffee. More recent studies made an adjustment for American coffee drinkers and found that in individuals over 65 years of age with average blood pressure, those who consumed one cup or more each day decreased their chance of coronary heart disease mortality by more than 40%. Within this same group, coffee drinkers also seemed to experience a reduced risk of heart valve issues. Harvard researchers found long-lasting cardiovascular health advantages related to regular coffee drinking. In one study, nearly 40,000 disease free men and women ages 40 to 64, were tracked from 1990 to 2000. The result of this study showed women who drank coffee on a regular basis experienced a massive 55% decrease in cardiovascular related deaths. An additional studys findings presented during the American Heart Associations 50th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention in San Francisco, suggested an 18% reduction in the risk of heart rhythm disturbances in individuals who drank at least cup of coffee each day. In 2006, the Dept. of Nutrition at the University of Oslo, Norway reported coffee drinking may also reduce inflammation and the risk of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. According to the American Heart Association, phytochermicals like cafestol, flavonoids, and other micronutrients found in coffee may have reversing affects on the development of cardiovascular disease. Coffees phytochemicals along with antioxidants and chlorogenic acid are believed to have defensive properties against cardiovascular problems by reducing the build up of fat collected by arteries. Coffee has also earned a negative reputation regarding the development of cancer. Many health studies of the 1970s and 1980s resulted in the labeling of coffee as a promoting substance in the progression of various types of cancer. One of the earliest studies conducted on the subject, released in 1971 by American scientists for British medical journal, The Lancet, named coffee as a possible cause for bladder cancer. Ten years later in 1981, researchers from Harvard again linked coffee to various forms of pancreatic cancers. However, in the mid 1990s, more research showed insufficient associations between coffee consumption and these types of cancer, especially when an adjustment was made for smoking. Because individuals who were heavy cigarette smokers also tended to drink large amounts of coffee, research often made invalid connections between the two habits, confusing health problems that may be caused by either. By the late 1990s, more and more studies began to crop up disproving initial results of research finding coffee to be adversary to health. In more recent years, new studies suggest chemicals found in coffee may even have an inverse affect on health and could possibly help protect against many types of cancers. According to a 2003 study conducted by researcher Francesca Bravi from Milans Institute of Pharmacological Research, individuals who consume coffee are 41% less likely to develop liver cancer compared to those who do not drink coffee. In a study spanning the course of two decades, scientist Kathryn Wilson from Channing Laboratory of Harvard used data taken from 50,000 male participants. In this study, 5% of male participants who consumed more than six cups of coffee each day experienced a 60% decreased risk of developing prostate cancer. Likewise for women, coffee is now also being associated with having protective value against some of the most common forms of cancer affecting female reproductive organs. According to the American Cancer Society, the most common form of cancer affecting reproductive health for women is uterine cancer. A 2009 Mayo Clinic study finds that out of a 20,000 women study, those who drank two to three cups of coffee each day were 30% less likely to develop uterine or endometrial cancer. Study leaders Thomas Hofmann, Ph.D., professor and head of the Institute for Food Chemistry at the University of Munster in Germany, and Veronika Somoza, Ph.D., deputy director of the German Research Center for Food Chemistry in Garching, claim coffee drinking could possibly avert colon cancer from developing. Studies suggest people who consume four or more cups of coffee each day reduce the risk of developing colon cancer by about 25%. Researchers Hofmann and Somoza identified the protection coffee offers ag ainst cancer stems from the antioxidant compounds found in the beverage. These compounds prompt phase II enzymes, living cells in the body which protect against chemical carcinogenesis. Chemical carcinogenesis is the process where cells transform from being normal, to precancerous, to cancerous. Chlorogenic acid found in coffee destroys the damaging free radicals in the body which contribute to diseases, including different types of cancer. Another anticancer chemical found in coffee, methylpyridinium, forms when coffee beans are roasted. Methylpyridinium can be found in caffeinated, decaffeinated, and even instant versions of the beverage. With a number of recent studies evaluating the possible link between drinking coffee and the reduction of risks pertaining to the development of Parkinsons disease, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancers, individuals suffering from these disorders may find some relief in the next pot of coffee they perk. Although dated reviews concluded coffee drinking could cause greater risks of these diseases, more recent findings suggest just the opposite. Although the latest studies on the medicinal and therapeutic uses of coffee are shedding new light on possible health advantages, researchers say additional investigation on the components of coffee and their effects on the body should be considered. While doctors are not yet advising patients to consume more coffee than usual, individuals who consume coffee may continue enjoying this population beverage as part of a balanced diet without worry of any adverse health effects progressing due to its consumption.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Concept Of The Value Chain

The Concept Of The Value Chain The concept of the value chain encompasses the activities that companies perform to achieve that competitive advantage, where the competitive advantage is having the ability to create superior value to its customers and at the same time superior value to themselves. Value chain analysis together with supply and demand chain analysis are staples of Modern Business Management. An effective business strategy must encompass all parts of the value chain configuration which includes both primary and secondary activities. The value chain concept was first developed by Michael Porter (1958) in his work on Competitive Advantage in which he analyses the basis for competitive advantage and presents the value chain as a framework for diagnosing and enhancing it. However since then there has been a considerable amount of work done to expand on Porters original concept. Today more and more Managers are using value chain analysis part of strategic planning. The process of globalisation incorporates the interaction and integration amongst people, companies and governments of different nations. According to Black 2002 globalisation is defined as:- ..process by which the whole world becomes a single market. This means that goods and services, capital and labour are traded on a world wide basis and information and the results of research flow readily between countriesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Through globalisation economies both domestically and internationally have been opened up. Governments have adopted a free market economics systems whereby increasing their own productive potential in addition to creating opportunities for international trade and involvement. There is also the controversial aspect of globalisation where proponents argue that through globalisation poor countries and their citizens are allowed to grow economically. On the other hand opponents of globalisation claim that multinationals of the western world benefits at the expense of local enterprises, cultures and the common people. BP BP is a multinational oil company with it headquarters based in the United Kingdom, London. It is one of the worlds top 10 private sector energy corporations in the world today. BP is engaged in oil, natural gas and alternative fuel exploration in addition to the marketing and sale of petroleum products. They are also at the forefront of delivering diverse, material and real solutions to meet the worlds needs for more, cleaner and affordable energy. Bp operates worldwide with branches in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Australasia, Europe, North America and South America with operations in over 80 countries. Their largest division is BP America, which is the biggest producer of oil and gas in the United States of America. BPs operating income in 2009 was USD $ 26.43 billion with a revenue of USD $ 246.1 billion. As at Dec 2009 they employed 80,600. In 2000 BP Amoco changed their name to BP and introduced a new slogan Beyond Petroleum. They also replaced their Green Shield logo with the Helios symbol, a green and yellow sunflower pattern representing energy in its many forms. (Wikipedia 2010) BPs rapid growth in world trade and investment is a direct result of the globalisation process in which multinational companies increasingly target parts of the globe as their domestic market. Since value chain is utilised to develop an organisations sustainable competitive advantage, it has become a powerful tool for Managers. The ability of any organisation to identify key activities and by extension perform activities along the line of value chain would create that competitive advantage that Michael porter spoke about. Through its history Bp has invested in countries abroad such as the US, Middle East, Iraq Egypt, Indonesia and Trinidad and Tobago. In doing so they have been able to secure large oil reserves and be identified as one of the largest oil and gas exploration company ion the world today. Being true to their values of being progressive, innovative and performance driven they have integrated the key activities of the value chain to the benefit of their customers BPs global strategy in their operations has assisted in their objective for being cost competitive through the securing of various economies of scale. Their heavy investment in the U.S. is testimony to this, since the U.S. remains one of the most lucrative markets in the world for energy and energy related resources. They consume over 1.2 billion litters of oil per year an this figure is constantly growing. This together with political stability, infrastructure and transport mechanisms are vital ingredients towards BPs investments there. Through mergers and acquisitions over the years, Bp has managed to receive that competitive advantage. With the acquisition of Valdes oil terminal in the late 60s, Standard Oil of Ohio in the 70s and the merging of Amoco in 2000 they captured most of the US. market share. By maintained this by continuing to sell Amoco branded products through their service stations although they were already converted to reflect the BP brand, as Amoco was rated best petroleum by consumers. Today BP continues to seek mergers and acquisition s worldwide in an effort to bring in additional revenue, increased profits, foreign assets and Human resources. Using an appraisal system based on the porters five forces which key elements include Threat of potential entrants,(2) substitutes, (3) bargaining power of suppliers and (40 power of buyers, together with an exploration of (5) degree of competitive rivalry, BOP appears to be highly competitive in their area of production. Through increased exploration in new territorities such as Asia Pacific, Azerbaijan, Angola, Trinidad Gulf of Mexico and in more recent times Russia, BP is able to increase assets and by extension establish leadership position in these areas. With the liberalisation of markets, advancement of technology and new regulatory regimes that stress greater competition international competition has increased. As a result Multinationals are forced to become more efficient in areas of production and marketing to achieve that sustainable competitive advantage. All organisations consist of activities that link together to develop the value of its business. Together these activities form the organisations value chain. Bps value chain over the years has become more complex. One of the ways they have addressed this is by diversifying their operations of petroleum exploration and refining system into retailing in cafes, bakeries and convenience stores. Their aim is not only to ensure customer satisfaction but also to be an attraction to prospective customers by marketing differentiated products, consequently creating a competitive edge and becoming more effectively aligned to its customers needs. As mentioned earlier all organisations consist of activities that when linked together develop the value of the business and form the value chain. These activities are referred to as the primary and secondary activities, where primary is related to production inclusive of inbound and outbound logistics, operations, marketing and sales and service. The secondary or support activities assist in the effectiveness and efficiency of the company. Bp to date has effectively utilised both logistical and value chain strategies in its overseas operations. In doing so, they have achieved competitive strengths and core competencies in the market place, ultimately creating value for the customer. Inbound logistics A substantial part BPs production is derived from a number of oil and gas fields worldwide. The oil and gas are transported via a series of pipelines and ships to various conversion facilities like refineries, power stations and industrial facilities at different locations. The use of BP shipping, a subsidiary of the BP group also provides the logistics to move oil and gas cargoes. The BP management fleet consists of Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers and coasters. Bp has also shifted some of their exploration activities from Alaska and the North Sea since leaks were discovered in the pipelines and posed a threat to the environment. Explorations are now concentrated in the Soviet Union, Rumaila and The Gulf of Mexico. Through pioneering new technologies such as digital imaging of reservoirs there is also the potential to discover additional oil and gas out of some of their mature fields. BPs interest in the Canadian Oil sands also provides a unique opportunity for creating a balance in upstream production and downstream conversion. Operations The operation of BP is spread over six continents. As at 2004 there were 23 refineries of which 5 are in the US, 12 in Europe and 6 in other parts of the world. At the refineries crude oil is refined through a process called cracking during which it is cleaned and purified, separating gasoline, fuel oil and other hydro carbons. Over the years the demands for energy has been on the increase and as a result Bp has invested heavily in the promotion of alternative energy in addition to improving energy efficiency in their operations. Safety has also become a top priority In BPs operation and is viewed as fundamental to their success. Consequently, they are constantly upgrading their refineries to improve safety. This has resulted in injury rates reducing by close to 75%. Outbound logistics BPs transport network criss-crosses the globe. They control an international tanker fleet of more than thirty-five vessels, either fully owned or on long-term charter . Finished products such as fuel lubricants and chemical products are transported to various destinations through different methods. Fuels, for example are transported domestically through a vast truck and rail system, which is then stored in tanks at service stations to be retailed to the consumer. For the international market the finished product is transported via carriers which are then loaded onto trucks and rail cars for distribution. In the case of natural gas, depending on the location of the field it is transported through pipes to local distribution companies (LDC), or shipped using LNG carriers. Marketing and Sales This departments main strategy is to operate in markets where they can get the largest share and ensuring that it is kept well supplied at all times by supply advantage. The introduction of retail sites with convenient stores is one of the strategies adopted to achieve this Environmental issues such as global warming have forced BP to address the issue of climate change. Their initial step was the changing of its brand image and logo. Being true to their values, BP is continuously seeking to increase energy efficiency throughout their operations. They also work alongside vehicle and equipment manufacturers, towards improving overall efficiency in the use of their fuel and lubricants. Bp has also differentiated themselves from their competitors by playing a leading role in the growing low carbon energy sector, focusing on bio fuels, wind and solar energy and carbon capture and storage. Services The dependence of oil, gas and energy related industries from unstable and or difficult parts of the world have always been a concern for many countries. Although the price volatility over the past few years has softened some of these concerns, they continue to exist. Terrorism in particular has become a top priority since September 11 20011. Consequently, Bp has taken steps in securing all activities along its value chain. Additionally, it is quite evident that BPs commitment towards safety and climate change is constantly growing.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Real Macbeth :: essays research papers fc

Say â€Å"Macbeth† and the first thing that comes to mind is probably the play by the famous playwright, William Shakespeare. This classic story has become a mainstay of high school English literature classes around the world. However, few people realize that there was a real king Macbeth who lived long before the Shakespearean character evolved. In fact, the only verity of historical truth in the play is King Duncan’s death at the hand of Macbeth. The â€Å"real† Macbeth was not exactly as weak and unsuccessful as Shakespeare portrayed him. The â€Å"real† Macbeth had reasons for murdering Duncan, had a successful sovereignty, and had a very different defeat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The real Macbeth was born a grandson of King Kenneth II who ruled from 971-995. His father was Finlay McRory who was a Mormaer (lord) of Moray. His mother’s name was Donada but it is unknown whether she was the daughter of King Kenneth II, Kenneth III, or Malcolm II. He married Grauch (â€Å"Lady Macbeth†), a descendant of King Kenneth III, who ruled from 997-1005. Lady Macbeth already had a son, Lulach, by a first marriage to another Mormaer of Moray.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Becoming king in eleventh century Scotland was not strictly hereditary. There was a practice called thanistry. This meant that nobleman chose kings from a large selection of possible kings called thanes. In theory, thanistry should have worked. But in practice, what often happened was that the strongest and most cunning of the thanists would rise to power. As a result, the best person did not necessarily become king because thanistry encourage open conflict as well as the assassination or reigning kings and other thanes (Scotland 4). But, the â€Å"real† Macbeth’s murder of King Duncan I in 1040 in a battle, was seen more as a good move than as a catastrophe. Duncan’s rule in Scotland was not the golden age as described in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In truth, Duncan was described by Arthur M. Gunn as an â€Å"impetuous and spoiled young man whose six years of kingship brought glory neither to Scotland nor his family.† (Famous Scots 2) This differed from the public fury that was scene in Shakespeare’s Macbeth when innocent King Duncan was murdered in his sleep.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unlike, the Shakespeare Macbeth, the real Macbeth was a powerful and successful king who ruled for seventeen years. He had enough power to leave on an expedition to Rome in 1050 and then return to reign seven more years. That was a remarkable achievement in those times. Contrasting, Shakespeare’s Macbeth had a very unsuccessful monarchy. He is so caught up in his guilt that he doesn’t have time

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Japan: 1945 conflicts and internal politics Essay -- essays research p

Discuss the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1952. What effects did the purges have on political and business leadership in Japan and to what degree did this action have on the continuity or discontinuity between pre-war and post-war elites? What actions led SCAP to â€Å"reverse† its policies from around 1948? What were the aims and goals of the occupation forces? The occupation of Japan began in August 1945 and ended in April 1952. General MacArthur was the first Supreme Commander. The entire operation was for the most part carried out by the United States. Japan in essence lost all the territory obtained after 1894. The remnants of Japan's war machine were gone, and war crime trials were held. Approximately 500 military officers committed suicide shortly after Japan surrendered, and hundreds more were executed for committing war crimes. The Emperor was not declared a war criminal. A new constitution went into effect in 1947: The emperor lost all political and military power, and was solely the symbol of the state. Universal suffrage was introduced and human rights were now guaranteed. Japan was also forbidden to lead a war again or to maintain an army. MacArthur also intended to break up power concentrations by dissolving the zaibatsu and other large companies, and by decentralizing the education system and the police. In a land reform, concentrations in land ownership were removed. During the first half of the occupation, Japan's media was subject to rigid censorship of any anti-American statements and controversial topics. The co-operation between the Japanese and the Allied powers worked relatively well. Critics began to grow when the United States acted according to self-interests in the Cold War. The United States reintroduced the persecution of the communists, stationed even more troops in Japan, and wanted Japan to establish its own self defense force despite the anti-war article in the constitution. Many aspects of the occupation's so called "reverse course" were welcomed by conservative Japanese politicians. With the peace treaty that went into effect in 1952, the occupation ended. Discuss the significant features of post-war Japan that has lead Japan to become on of the leading industrial nations of the world. Emphasize the economic activities of the 1960’s and 1970’s. After the end of World War II, Japan's economy was a disaster, ... ...opment priorities and scale down its commitments. However, the signing of this arrangement mirrored the desire on both sides to advance relations. In April 1978, a disagreement involving the incursion of armed Chinese fishing boats into the waters off the Senkaku Islands, a collection of barren islets north of Taiwan and south of the Ryukyu Islands, flared up and endangered the developing momentum toward a continuation of peace treaty talks. Self-control on both sides led to an agreeable solution. Talks on the peace treaty were resumed in July, and an arrangement was reached in August on a compromise version of the antihegemony clause. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed on August 12 and came into effect October 23, 1978. Thus, common strategic concerns, as well as economic interests, held the two nations together. Until the late 1970s, China appeared more alarmed than Japan about the Soviet military buildup in Asia. But as the Soviet Union increasingly sought to impede strategic cooperation among Japan, the United States, and possibly China, in part by stepped-up intimidation of Japan, the Nakasone government became more concerned about the Soviet military buildup.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Ethical and Legal Preparations Required for Successful Prosecution of Cases

Most claims of malpractice are filed due to negligence and lack of information in professional relationship. The unprofessional and improper handling client-attorney relationship results in claims of negligence. These claims are founded on the services actually provided. Lawyers who fail to communicate with clients about the realities and difficulties of specific claims. Create the risk of malpractice lawsuits from clients who are dissatisfied, with the belief that the responsibility of loosing their case is basically their lawyer’s problem.Fees disputes are also involved in legal malpractice (Hagan, 1994). Clients are sued by their attorneys for fees, and most clients their defense on malpractice. This kind of defense can cause reduction if not total elimination, of the fees being recovered by the lawyer. There is a decline of frequency of such claims, perhaps due to the reluctance of lawyers to sue for fees recovery. The most prevalent offences are those of homicide and burg lary. Homicide and Burglary Offenses Throughout space and time, the most serious of crimes turns out to be the unlawful taking of human life.The crime of murder within most legal systems is devoid of statute limitations. This means that the killer faces the law without regard to the elapsed time after the crime has been committed. Investigators of homicide have their solemn duty of bringing the offenders to justice. They acknowledge that justice is not only reserved to the deceased victim, but the friends and family who require a healing process after being left behind. Community safety and human life sanctity demand that justice is served (Hagan, 1994).The closing of a homicide case is considered after the identification, charge and arrest of the suspect. In most case files of Police departments, many such cases dating back to the 60s are waiting still for closure. This is because such cold cases lack the critical evidence or information, required in the identification and charging of a suspect. One of the commonly most encountered crimes is burglary, often under police investigation. Burglary techniques and investigation procedures are usually outlined for particular scenes of crime.The responsibility of the first officer is to locate the suspect. Incases where the burglary is in progress, apprehending the suspect is the first consideration. Witnesses are located next and separated for later interviews (Fisher & Baca, 2003). The problem is that experienced burglars are fond of minimizing evidence for investigators for the crime scene. The investigator collects evidence left in the form of finger prints, tool marks and shoe prints at the scene of crime. Awareness of the investigator is also stressed on modus operandi or the burglar’s M.O. frequently suspects are responsible for various burglaries in the region, thus by comparing similar cases the investigator is able to narrow down and concentrate on one suspect. This is aided by choosing the safest an d easiest point of entry. Contemporary codifications create class of offences called homicide collectively. Murder is the most serious subclass, followed by the less serious manslaughter and finally ending with justifiable homicide that is at all no crime (Hagan, 1994).In general, intend in causing great harm to the body is not separable from the killing intention. This is because such acts are dangerous inherently that every reasonable individual must realize the possibility of fatality. Thus arguments by defendants harm during their action was not contemplated, does not often form part of the defense. There are different classes of murder degrees in the U. S. – fists , second and third degree. These are liable to varied penalties in the penal code. Conclusion Ethical codes that govern individuals practicing law are embedded in legal ethics.Model rules promulgated by the Bar Association of America, have influenced most jurisdictions in the United States. This model rules bas ically address the relationship between lawyers and clients. Certain features that define legal ethics include; honest statements to other people, the client’s confidence to be respected, forthrightness toward tribunal in addition to professional autonomy. References Fisher, B. & Baca, L. (2003). Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2003. Hagan, J. (1994). Crime and Disrepute. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Multiple Learning Styles Essay

More than one student in Kindergarten through College has complained of boring courses and tedious homework that had no discernible connection to their immediate environment. Many students describe their courses as lectures that force them to sit and listen to a professor for one to three hours, sometimes without a break in between. It is rare, or even unheard of, for a student to participate in a class-related activity that involved groups, going outside, discussions, or movement. The physical, social, emotional, and cognitive aspects of the classroom are not often addressed, leaving school a less safe and less stimulating environment (Sprenger, 2008). Not surprisingly, school is labeled as a stagnant place lacking in the stimulation of our senses. Students would rather be with friends, play a sport, master a hobby or skill, or even immerse themselves into fantastic games than go to school. Yet these same students appreciate learning new ideas, growing stronger, and having fun in a wide array of visual, audial, and kinesthetic activities. Shouldn’t public and private education use the best methods to impart history, math, science, language, and philosophy to younger generations? While there is no â€Å"best† method to accomplish this, I believe that using multiple learning styles to approach teaching and learning is more effective than using one style to accommodate multiple unique individuals. In its entirety, a learning style is â€Å"the complex manner in which, and conditions under which, learners most efï ¬ ciently and most effectively perceive, process, store, and recall what they are attempting to learn† (Lujan and DiCarlo, 2012). Most professionals and students have used three major learning styles to categorize themselves: Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic. These perspectives can be defined in simpler terms to be â€Å"hearing†, â€Å"seeing†, and â€Å"moving/doing†. In the 1980’s, a fourth category was added to differentiate â€Å"visual† and â€Å"read/write† learners, since people like Neil Fleming noticed that â€Å"some students had a distinct preference for the written word whilst others preferred symbolic information as in maps, diagrams, and charts (Fleming, 2006). As a result, the VARK questionnaire was created to identify an individual’s â€Å"preferences for particular modes of presentationâ₠¬  (Lujan and DiCarlo, 2012). Learning style dimensions are connected and related to one another, not â€Å"either/or† categories (Felder and Spurlin, 2005). Some people excel at interpreting locations on maps, while others would rather hear a location described; some would rather draw the map itself. Thus, if a teacher is monotonously lecturing a topic to sophomore students in college, some students will interpret and make connections with the information presented more easily than others. Those students that â€Å"learned less† or â€Å"slower† than other students in that example would have benefitted from other styles of teaching, such as a visual diagram of the information, a mind map, written bullet points, or physical interaction with the subject matter. Without this insight, flexibility, or desire, most teachers would remain unaware that the students who performed worse in their courses might have scored higher on tests or assignments if they had understood the class material from anot her perspective related to learning styles. The use of multiple learning styles outside of the classroom has even more important and practical implications that could lead to more effective problem solving, safety prevention, and innovations that would stimulate more than one sense. Signs on streets could be renovated to accommodate audibly-inclined (or deaf) people while driving their car: their eyes can focus on the road, while their ears would be notified (via radio-wave, for example) of changes in speed limits, lane rules, and traffic congestions. Medical students, who spend roughly two to six more years in school than other college graduates with a bachelor’s degree, would benefit from this in the classroom and during residencies. These future and current professionals are responsible for memorizing and utilizing a multitude of technologies, medications, and other holistic treatments that must be understood through scholarly research papers and on-site administration of those same procedures. How else would they do this without being taught and teaching this complex information via multiple learning styles? In an experiment done by Heidi Lujan and Stephen DiCarlo (2005), only 36.1% of their study’s sample preferred using a single learning style over multiple learning styles. Not only are models and demonstrations useful in imparting information, but peer-to-peer interactions and roleplaying can also foster a student’s ability to create connections between ideas. Some researchers categorize learning styles into eight components: Sensing or intuitive, visual or verbal, active or reflective, and sequential or global. This is also known as the Felder-Silverman Model (Felder & Spurlin, 2005). Each set of words are opposites to each other in terms of ways of interpreting information. According to the Index of Learning Styles (ILS), which adapts these eight ideas into a measureable tool, each of us is a mixture of each learning style, represented by a numerical gradient that connect each paired learning style to itself. When comparing the VARK questionnaire to the ILS, the latter seems to take the four modes in VARK and categorize them even further. However, the audial aspect of the VARK isn’t clearly synonymous to any set of categories in the ILS, but rather, it is a part of the ILS in its entirety. This might be due to the fact that each of us learns things using a unique combination of the VARK, so instead of separating major senses into a questionnaire, the ILS separates major preferences into an index. The accuracy of these tools is always questionable, even by Neil Fleming (2006), who says that the VARK should be used to create conversations that pertain to how each individual learns, and how those learning preferences connect to decisions made by those individuals. As our technological advances increase, teachers, students, and other people will find newer, cost-effective, and dynamic ways to impart and absorb new information (Solvie & Kloek, 2007). Positive uses of virtual reality and MRI’s can lead humans to understanding the way our brains send and receive information. Nano technology might eventually allow us to physically connect our brains to each other’s through the tiniest circuits. This eventual phenomenon will have the potential to collect our natur al resources, connect to each other, and commit to providing excellence in education, our professions, and our daily lives. References Solvie, P., & Kloek, M. (2007). Using technology tools to engage students with multiple learning styles in a constructivist learning environment. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(2), 7-27. Fleming, N., and Baume, D. (2006). Learning Styles Again: VARKing up the right tree! Educational Developments, 7.4, 4-7. Heidi E. Lujan and Stephen E. DiCarlo (2005). First-year medical students prefer multiple learning styles. Adv Physiol Educ, 30, 13-16. Marilee B. Sprenger (2008). Environments for Learning. Differentiation through Learning Styles and Memory, 2, 1-10. Richard M. Felder and Joni Spurlin (2005). Applications, Reliability and Validity of the Index of Learning Styles. Int. Engng Ed, 21, 103-112.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Marketing Strategies of Newspapers Essay

The newspaper market, like other markets have become competitive to the extent that survival requires a lot of creativity and innovation in the way the business is conducted. This is the situation in which the three major newspapers on the Zambian market, i.e the Post, the Times of Zambia, and the Zambia Daily Mail newspapers find themselves. Currently, the Post newspaper is the market leader with a market share of eighty percent (80%), the Times of Zambia newspaper and the Zambia Daily Mail, together with the rest of the other newspapers share the remaining twenty percent (20%). For this study, the focus is on three newspapers, The Post which is a privately owned newspaper and the Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail which are stated owned newspapers. The difference in performance amongst these three newspapers has also been reflected in the differences in the readership of the three (3) newspapers which is indicated below. Source: Synovate Research Center 2005 For any of these papers to gain competitive advantage and long term profitability, there is need to come up with a proper business approach. One such approach is a proper understanding and management of the common business parameters like the quality of the product, the pricing of the product, the distribution of the product, and the promotion of the product. A newspaper firm can then formulate appropriate differentiation strategies based on the above parameters which are commonly known as the four ‘Ps’ of the marketing mix (Kotler, 2003:15). The discrepancies in the market share prompted the researcher to look at the business management aspect of the three newspapers, i.e.how they were applying and using the four ‘Ps’ of the marketing mix. The aim was to determine how the three newspapers were utilizing the elements of the marketing mix in order to gain competitive advantage on the Zambian market. Essentially, this is a comparative study which looks into how the three newspapers were utilizing the marketing mix to increase their market shares. The study was expected to reveal the differences in the usage of the marketing mix and show whether this had a significant impact on the market shares of the three papers. This is not withstanding the fact that the performance of an entity is dependent on the various functional areas of business management. However, in this particular case, what was being put to test was the functional area of marketing, and in this case the application of the elements of the marketing mix. The liberalization of the Zambian economy in 1991 saw the emergence of various entities on the Zambian market. This included the print media. The Post newspaper is one such paper that emerged as a private owned newspaper. Prior to 1991, there were mainly two dominant papers, i.e. the Times of Zambia, and the Zambia Daily Mail newspapers. For this study, the focus was on one private newspaper, i.e the Post newspaper, and the state owned newspapers, i.e. The Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail newspapers. Currently, on the Zambian market, the Post newspaper is the market leader with a market share of eighty (80%) percent by far surpassing the Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail which fall into the remaining twenty (20%) percent. This poses the question of why should a newly born newspaper, i.e the Post Newspaper, out match the old newspapers like the Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail newspapers. Obviously, the market share has to do with the acceptability of the paper. And from a business management point of view, this acceptability is dependent on the paper’s marketing strategies which are based on the marketing mix. Hence the reason for the research in this area. The history of each of the above stated newspapers is as follows: †¢The Times of Zambia newspaper The Times of Zambia is a national daily newspaper published in Zambia. During the colonial period this newspaper was known as The Northern News. It was founded in 1944 as a twice-weekly newspaper aimed at a European readership, owned first by Roy Welensky and then by the South African newspaper chain Argus. Argus then sold the paper to Lonhro, under which it was renamed the Times of Zambia on 1 July 1965. Lonhro had just bought out Heinrich Brewery which had briefly operated a daily, The Zambia Times and weekly Zambia News. Criticism of the government under the editorship of Dunston Kamana in the early 1970s and the change of the government to a one party state led to the purchase of Times of Zambia by the United National Independence Party (UNIP) government who then appointed its own editor, Vernon Mwaanga, in 1972. When the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) came to power in November 1991, it went to court claiming UNIP had illegally taken over the newspapers. The courts found in favour of the MMD, and ruled that the papers’ ownership be transferred to the Zambian Government. The Times of Zambia is now owned by the Zambian Government. After the independence of Zambia in 1964, the print media was run by the private sector with Times of Zambia then been published by Lonrho and the name Daily then Central African Mail was run by Scott and Astor. In 1969 it was purchased by the ruling United National Party (UNIP) (Banda, 2004). In 1983, the newspaper industries along with most other industries were nationalized as part of government’s humanism. The two newspapers were then turned into government companies and heavily subsidized by the government. In 1990, there was the introduction of multiparty government and an open, market –driven economy. Privately owned newspapers were reintroduced and according to the National Archives (2003) 137 publications, both newspapers and magazines, were registered between 1991 and 2002. Most of the registered newspapers were either aborted or died soon after the first few issues. The cover price of the newspapers has remained the same in Zambia at K3000.00 with new newspapers coming in and offering a lower price and then failing to survive all together. The other sources of income for newspapers are through the advertising which has grown with newspapers getting more and more expensive. This case research is intended at studying the various marketing strategies used by newspaper companies in Zambia and how they can increase competiveness. My aim is to find out the current marketing strategies of the major newspapers in Zambia, namely The Post, Daily Mail, Times of Zambia, The Guardian and The Mirror. The purpose of the study is to understand the current marketing strategies and come up with recommendations to increase competitiveness in this sector. 1.2 Background to the study After the introduction of the multi-party system and the subsequent liberalization of the economy, in Zambia, in 1991, the country saw the emergence of various types of privately owned newspapers in addition to the two regular newspapers, i.e The Times of Zambia and the Zambia Daily Mail. In all, the mid 1990s, there were several privately owned newspapers in addition to the two regular state owned newspapers stated above. What transpired is that some private newspapers came and went, whilst the two state owned newspapers have failed to be competitive and increase their market shares, but they have survived through Government subsidies. However, one privately owned newspaper, the Post Newspaper, has continued to grow its market share and today it is the market leader in its relevant market. The question of interest to the researcher is to determine the type and effectiveness of the marketing strategies that the Newspapers are using to increase their market share in the relevant markets. 1.3 Research Problem  Since the Liberalization of Zambia’s economy in 1991, several private newspapers have emerged to join the already existing state owned ones. However, most of the privately owned newspapers have collapsed, and the two state owned ones are failing to increase their market, but are surviving on Government subsidies. But one private newspaper, the Post, has continued to thrive to become the market leader. There is still very little competition in this industry with only a few as newspapers surviving and one major newspaper The Post is getting 80% of the market share (Banda 2004). Given this background, the researcher wants to determine the type of marketing strategies newspapers use, and the extent to which these marketing strategies are effective. Consequently, this will help the managements of the newspapers to improve their marketing strategies so as to provide quality services to their customers, and thereby increase their market share and competitivene ss.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

George and Lennie Essay

All the characters played in the novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men† are lonesome, living an empty life everyday consisting of mainly hard labor. The characters all live a very disheartening life, with the lack of happiness, love and affection in their lives. This can be seen also when George mentions that ‘ranch workers are the loneliest people in the world and don’t belong nowhere†. Of the many characters in the novel, Curley’s wife might be one of the most pathetic and reviled of the outsiders. Steinbeck introduces her to us as an outcast, where she is isolated from the community. Being a minor character in the novel, Steinbeck manages to illustrate her as a character that deeply influences the lives of the main characters George and Lennie. Throughout the whole novel, Curley’s wife’s name is never mentioned. This initiates the readers to feel the sense of belonging of Curley’s wife to Curley and to emphasize as an pariah, being feared of, leaving her with nobody to talk to and her identity as a mystery. Apart from that, Curley’s wife is portrayed as the only female in the ranch, and although she is married to Curley, the boss’s son, giving her a high status at the ranch, they are psychologically separated, and are never witnessed together, leaving her desperate for camaraderie. Her desire of attention and escape from loneliness leads her to try to seek attention from other men working in the ranch by flirting. Her coquettish actions and inappropriate dressing leads other characters to think of her as a â€Å"tart†. The ranch workers are uneasy about this and avoid her in fear of being reprimanded by Curley which may cost them to lose their jobs innocently. She is first introduced by Steinbeck when she comes into the bunkhouse disrupting a conversation that Lennie and George are holding. The depiction is dramatic, â€Å"Both men glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off†. This suggests that she has obscured the light, and darkened the room with her presence. This gives a dark and threatening image. Steinbeck describes the image of her standing and peering through the door, â€Å"heavily made-up† with â€Å"full rouged lips† and â€Å"her fingernails† being applied with â€Å"red† nailpolish. The fact that she was â€Å"looking in† through the door â€Å"standing there† accentuates her as an outsider. She is also described wearing â€Å"red mules† and with â€Å"bouquets of red ostrich feathers† on them. The constant repetition of the word â€Å"red† used in the novel to describe Curley’s wife portrays her as one who is dangerous because the color red is quite provocative and has connotations such as love, passion and danger. â€Å"Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages† implies the extensive amount of time she has, being alone with nothing better to do than to curl her hair. Her inappropriate body language proves how she dreadfully tries to seek attention and flirts openly with men as she positions herself against the door frame so that â€Å"her body was thrown forward†. She smiles â€Å"archly† and â€Å"twitch(es) her body†. This gives the reader the general impression that Curley’s wife is an attractive young lady who seeks attention of men. George’s immediate comments such as â€Å"Jesus, what a tramp†, and â€Å"So that’s what Curley picks for a wife† and reactions to Curley’s wife, however, allows the reader to realize that she is a potential threat to George and Lennie. George fumes when he knows of Lennie’s admiration of her being one who is â€Å"purty† and fiercely tells him not to even â€Å"take a look at that bitch† and refers to her as â€Å"poison† and â€Å"jail bait† and to leave her alone. It is obvious that she longs for friends and for someone to talk to, however, males on the ranch dislike her because they see has as one who is a magnet to trouble.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Criminal Justice Agency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Justice Agency - Essay Example To their tribute, the legal structure and law enforcement agencies have not disregarded this predicament. Several courts and lawmaking organizations have, at different times, deliberated and established special measures to safeguard against eyewitness inaccuracy. The majority of States and local law enforcement agencies have recognized their own rules, practice, and instructional procedures concerning the gathering and management of eyewitness proof, several of which are reasonably excellent. The police department is on the clock enforcing the rule of law. The mandate of the police department is to make sure the evidence and testimonies in their custody is true and give the correct account of any incident that occurred and reported to the departments. Investigation on theatre is also important to verify the credibility of the witness testimonial. The scrutiny of the sites is very important since there may be other observers who saw different happening of the reported events. Therefor e, the vigilance of the police on the evidence presented on cases makes the department of police obligated on the provision of protection of the witness, verification of the information relayed and conduction of separate inquiries of the cases to gather more evidence. That is instrumental in assisting the lawmakers achieve instillation of the rule of law to both the offender and the offended. Crime control and crime prevention Crime is a phenomenon that occurs when the profits overweigh losses. The fact that the trend of crime occurs when one finds it plausible for them to have their personal reasons outweigh their morals creates crime in its essence. Crime is a rational choice that many people decide to take and act upon their choice. The modern strategy predicament for a law enforcement agency rests among crime control and crime prevention. Specifically, what methods to use are more functional to trim down crime and alleviate public safety becomes the hard question for the agency. These topics attempts to help law enforcement agencies to make such decisions. The purpose of the topics is to evaluate and evaluate the effectiveness of crime control and crime prevention programs. It adds to criminal justice application by representation of the policy repercussion concerning the competence of these programs (Hughes, 1998). Before implementation of any crime reduction program one needs to first inquire whether the realization of each of these crime reduction programs is either proficient or inefficient. Although recently deliberation on impartiality, responsiveness, and crime control, effectiveness is still an essential thought in guiding both educational study and administration practice. The center on competence adds data on efficiency and value of performance in criminal justice programs (Cowell, & Stenson, 1991). This is due to the concept of effectiveness evaluates the link between program yield and program finances. Criminal justice program assessments focus mostly on value. On the other hand, the use of these control measure also strike questions on their proficiency in crime control. The best deliberation is a comparative knowledge on the control measures the law enforcement needs to incorporate. Crime prevention is a mandate the police department is aware if but it becomes a collective task since the department cannot function singly. The community the police is protecting needs to come up with measures to assist the police give more

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Report 1500 words Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Report 1500 words - Essay Example Social factors are those which include the family backgrounds, the geographical areas, the socio-economic classes, and other factors relating to types of schools, teachers, and education. Primary schools in the UK suffer many social factors influencing the provision of education because UK is a multicultural society with various socio-economic classes, different types of schools such as private and public, and several family backgrounds. Schools teach socializing to students and give them common values according to which they develop their personalities away from their ethnic, cultural, or economic backgrounds (Hawkins, 2012, p. 116). However, at times the social factors intervene in the provision of education to students and affect their nurturing. There are some schools that are private and some public which affects the provision of education. Private schools consist of the students who belong to higher socio-economic classes. Such schools have teachers who provide high quality education to students and focus on their designed plans and curriculums; in addition to giving students ethical and religious values that would bring them closer to humanity and developing a strong personality. Public schools provide primary education to students coming from all sorts of social backgrounds. Even though these schools have governors, leaders, managers, and staff members who are continually monitored by the government, they often fail to minimize the differences between students. At times, language barriers and ethnic differences affect the provision of education in public schools as they are located in districts which ofte n have people from the same cultures, or people from diverse cultures (Sylva, 2010, p. 56). Socio-economic factors deal with the areas where the schools are located. Some students are situated in areas where there are ethnic minorities whereas some are located in low socio-economic areas. These

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Happiness Inherited or Gained (Nature vs Nurture) Essay

Happiness Inherited or Gained (Nature vs Nurture) - Essay Example There are hundreds and hundreds of things involved in the whole make up of the happiness. Your birth, your health, your parents, your achievements, your relationships etc. And as if all these things were not enough, now it is clear that your genes are also involved in the level of your happiness. responsible for your happiness [1] . The studies conducted on twins and animals show that genes matter a lot when it comes to happiness. However, at the same time these studies have also revealed that it is not just the genes but also the environment that is instrumental in shaping the personality of a human being [2] . This is a good news as it makes us hopeful that we do have a chance of being happy no matter what genes we are carrying. But it is not that easy. To achieve happiness, first of all, we have to understand what happiness is. Only after understanding what happiness actually means will we be able to be happy. Can happiness be taken out of the clutches of scientific studies and taken to a different dimension altogether? Isn’t happiness something beyond the understanding of science? And if not, then can we be courageous enough to be independent of the scientific studies and make our own way towards happiness, no matter what scientists say about our genes? Can we, in short, go beyond nature and nurture and be happy? The answer is ‘Yes’. The only need is to go beyond the strength of the genes and free ourselves of the environmental influence and take a courageous step to embrace the happiness. It is just a matter of decision, that’s it. To understand happiness, we have to understand the different aspects involved in it. We can divide

Home Depot Financial Income Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Home Depot Financial Income Statement - Essay Example Since the main purpose of business is to generate profits from its operations, the income statement is very important since it helps to show if the organization is in a position to achieve its goals. This helps the responsible authorities to make meaningful decisions that can help to improve the operations of the organization in the event that it has been recording losses. Decisions such as scaling down the operations of business if it has been making losses can be made using its income statement. On the other hand, a business can expand its operations if it has been operating profitably over a give n accounting period. For instance, the income statement of Home Depot’s Annual Report (2008, p. 18) shows that â€Å"Net Sales for fiscal 2008 decreased 7.8% to $71.3 billion from $77.3 billion for fiscal 2007.† On the other, â€Å"Gross Profit decreased 7.7% to $24.0 billion for fiscal 2008 from $26.0 billion for fiscal 2007 while operating expenses increased 4.7% to $17.8 billion for fiscal 2008 from $17.1 billion for fiscal 2007.† These statistics point a negative picture in the operations of the company and this is the reason why a decision to close underperforming stores during the first quarter of 2008 was made. Instead of making profits, the company has been recording losses in its operations. 2. The balance sheet of the company speaks volumes about its stock. The balance sheet of the company is mainly comprised of assets, liabilities as well as equity (Investopedia, 2014). The assets show things that are of value to the company and they can be converted into cash at any given period. On the other hand liabilities show what the company owes to others while equities represent earnings contributed by shareholders. A company’s balance sheet shows if the company is able to sustain its operations through creating a fine balance between what belongs to it and what it owes to others. In actual fact, a balance sheet is very important in