The Burden in The Things They Carried by OBrien Essay

The Burden in The Things They Carried by OBrien In The Things They Carried, OBrien made reference to the Vietnam war that was closely associated with the physical, psychological, and emotional weight the soldiers beared. The overall method of presentation of this story incorporated many different outlooks on the things the soldiers carried, dealt with, and were forced to adapt to. In addition to this, OBrien showed us the many reasons why and how the soldiers posessed these things individually and collectively and how they were associated directly and indirectly. The strong historical content in The Things They Carried helped emphasize the focus of the story and establish a clearer understanding of details in the†¦show more content†¦Vietnam made a big portion of history also through its use of slang and war specified language. This language came about through many means including its adaption to the Vietnamese language, coded words, phrases, profanity and initials that represent war objects, and other means, and to r epresent or even hide their emotional stand points. On page 19, OBrien describes the young soldiers as actors. They were afraid of dying but they were even more afraid to show it. On page 12, Lieutenant describes his feelings for Martha as dense, crushing love. He then explains how he wants to sleep inside her lungs, breathe her blood, amd be smothered. This sounds like extremely harsh description for love. However, the soldiers environment became the most they could relate to. For example, to describe the death of a soldier, theyd used phrases such as Boom. Down. Like Cement, or flat fuck fell. OBrien explains how the soldiers would make conscious efforts to joke about things and make comical references to have themselves laugh. Page 19 describes that they used a hard vocabulary to contain the terrible softness. At the end of page 18 and beginning of page 19, we find that the men would now and then panic and have the desire to cry out for the misery to stop. Theyd make u nguaranteed promises to God and their parents in hope that that would be their source of survival. On page 11 OBrien tells that the Imagination was aShow MoreRelatedRemembrance is a Substantial Burden in the Book, The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien614 Words   |  2 Pages Remembrance; the mental impression on the brain from a certain event. Each soldier in the book, The Things They Carried, experiences some sort of remembrance whether it be saddening or enlightening. Remembrance is consistently perceived as the ability our brains have to go back and revisit moments in time which either disturb us, or give to us a feeling of pure happiness. Its mere sound provokes thought along with curiosity. Generally, when we are alone, surrounded by a nonchalant atmosphere, ourRead MoreThe Things They Carried Questions1139 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Things They Carried† Questions a) The main topic of this novel is burdens. O’Brien is writing about what burdens the soldiers and he had to carry throughout war, physically and emotionally. One way I know is because of the title- â€Å"The Things They Carried.† This title almost summarizes the whole book. O’Brien frequently showed and explained the burdens that were inner conflicts of his and outer conflicts too. In the chapter â€Å"The things They Carried,† O’Brien showed an emotional burdenRead MoreHeroism In Tim OBriens The Things They Carried1684 Words   |  7 Pagesis far from the reality that is war. A more realistic rendition of war is seen in Tim O’Brien’s short story, The Things They Carried. Throughout the story, O’Brien uses metafictional characters to portray the physical and emotional burdens carried by American soldiers who were forced to conform to societal expectations upon being drafted for the Vietnam War. The literary elements Oâ⠂¬â„¢Brien uses throughout the story to convey this theme are symbolism, imagery, tone, and inner conflict of the protagonistRead MoreTim OBriens Captivating and Life-Changing Story The Things They Carried632 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"The Things They Carried† is a short verisimilitude story. It was written by Tim O’Brien, who is a Vietnam veteran. He never dreamed it would have been such a captivating and life changing story that it has become. Tim O’Brien introduces us to life during the Vietnam War. He captures the feelings of each soldier as they were in the battle field. We are involved in their dreams, fears, and the ghosts that haunted them. These were some of the things they carried. â€Å"First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross carriedRead MoreAn Inside Look At A Soldiers Life in the Vietnam War Essay1346 Words   |  6 Pagesdeaths. From the beginning of the story, O’Brien the author of â€Å"The Things They Carried† uses specific details and illustrations to show readers what the experience was like for the men during the Vietnam war. Among the many things that the men carry were guilt, fear, grief, and stress. Throughout the story O’Brien emphasizes the dreadful events that these men carry with them by incorporating the use of multiple themes such as: the emotional and physical burdens, fear, psychological well being and theRead MoreSummary Of The Things They Carried 915 Words   |  4 Pagesthe story, The Things They Carried, Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is a man who is in two forms of war, one that is in Vietnam, and one that is mental. Lieutenant Cross carried many things while in war. Lieutenant Cross did not just carry equipment, he also  "carried the common secret of cowardice barley restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and posture† (O’Brien, 1198). ThroughoutRead MoreOverview: The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien1510 Words   |  7 Pages The Things They Carried is a novel written by Vietnam Veteran Tim O’Brien. The Vietnam War took place between 1955 and 1975. Most of the soldiers fighting were young teenage men around the age of eighteen and nineteen years old. Like O’Brien many of these young men were pulled away from their families and life to fight a war they didn’t approve of or even know about. This had a strong affect on most of these men and O’Brien uses different ways to show how the Vietnam War affected them both physicallyRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien917 Words   |  4 PagesThe Things They Carried is an autobi ographical novel written by Tim O’Brien that details his time as a soldier in the Vietnam War. Considered to be â€Å"the best work of fiction ever written about Vietnam, some even think it is the best about war,† (Greenya 1). The stories that are contained within the novel talk about themes such as loss, burdens, and the horrifying truths of the Vietnam War, the first war to take place during a more ‘modern’ era, as the tragedies of the war could be broadcasted throughRead More Tim OBriens The Things They Carried Essay735 Words   |  3 PagesTim OBriens The Things They Carried Culture teaches that men must dispense of ridiculous emotions and remain firm, following expected duties. O’Brien develops this theme of the transition from youth to manhood in his short story, â€Å"The Things They Carried.† Through the protagonist Jimmy Cross, metaphors of weight, and futile ideas of freedom, O’Brien reveals how society expects young men in transition to adulthood to let go of impractical idealism and dwell instead on the cruel reality of theRead MoreEssay On The Things They Carried1058 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"The Things They Carried† provides a personal view into the minds of soldiers, and tells us the emotional and psychological costs of war. First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross is stationed in Vietnam in the middle of the war. He seems to be a man in love, or more like a man in love with the idea of a lady named Martha. He ends up changing from a love struck, blind man into a firm, leading soldier. In this story, the characters do t he things they do because of desires and motivations. In â€Å"The Things

Monsters And The Core Program - 1826 Words

Monsters and Villains in the Core Program Monsters and villains have been a very crucial part in Core 3 and Core 4. We have read some of the most well none villains in Core including Humbaba from Gilgamesh, Polyphemus from The Odyssey, Grendel from Beowulf, and Iago from Othello. Teratology is the study of monsters and throughout Core we have learned some of the characteristics that are monsters have in common. Mostly all the monsters that we have studied reveals society’s fears or something wrong with society. We furthered this discussion by figuring out why these villains did such evil acts. In this paper, I will discuss the monsters we have studied in Core 3 and 4 and then compare and contrast their stories and monstrous†¦show more content†¦This is almost strange when one thinks of a monster asking for forgiveness. Revisiting the story I start to notice that Humbaba is not necessarily and evil person. Humbaba does not stay in the forest and protects it like an ogre protects his swamp, he was placed there. Humbaba was placed at the Cedar Forest by Enlil, the king of the gods, to protect the forest (Gilgamesh, 133). Humbaba was just doing his job, guarding the trees so that humans would not cut them down and destroy them. Another villain that we read in Core 3 comes from the story of The Odyssey. Polyphemus is the gigantic one eye monster that Odysseus meets on his way back home. Odysseus stops at his island and Polyphemus then catches them and takes Odysseus and his crew as prisoners and for food. Although Polyphemus is a powerful being, son of Poseidon, he is not the brightest. Polyphemus is freely convinced that Odysseus’s name is â€Å"Nobody†. When he realizes that his name is â€Å"Nobody†, Odysseus starts to stab his eye in the hope of getting away. This causes some disorientation especially when Polyphemus screams to his fellow giants that â€Å"Nobody† is hurting him (Odyssey ). Polyphemus w as not the only monster that was in The Odyssey, there was also Polyphemus and Humbaba were the two monsters that we focused on in Core 3, now I will discuss the villains we encountered in Core 4. In Beowulf there was many monsters that include Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon.

The Effects Of Violent Music Content On Teens free essay sample

Throughout history the human populous has been attracted to music. Whether It be part of a ritual, an emotional release, religious reasons, or just for listening pleasure music has been at the center of our society. We have used music to express ourselves, tell stories, and let others into our thoughts. However, we often wonder whether what we are saying has an effect on the listening audience. Recently, in the asss references have often been made to link violent and deviant behavior to music and certain music genres.Some such genres Include but are not limited to; heavy metal, death metal, rap, angst rap, industrial, hardcore, and alternative music. During the last decade we have seen music lyrics become more and more violent and sexually explicit. Experts argue that this can cause problems in children and adolescents. Studies show that the average teenager listens to approximately 40 hours of music in a given week. Teenagers often do not understand what is being said, in fact in one study only 30 percent of those questioned knew the lyrics to their favorite songs and they all had varied comprehension as to what the message was. It could be argued that if the lyrics were not included in the artists booklet then the audience would never know what was being said. Some lyrics are indeed harsh such as this Nine Inch Nails lyric: I am a big man yes I am; and I have a big gun; got me a big ole *censored* and I like to have fun; held against your forehead Ill make you suck; you know, just for the *censored* of it.Obviously we cannot interpret this as a positive meaning. A sampling of lyrics from Marilyn Manson include Who says date rape sin t fun, The housewife I will beat.. And slit my teenage wrist, among others. Manson concerts are often grounds to bash religion and rip bibles while fan chant we hate love, we love hate. Other songs that have overtones of violence include slap-a-ho by Dove Shack and another song sung by death metal band Cannibal Corpse in which they make reference to masturbating with a dead womans head.Avid music lovers attest that they words sung in these songs are just words and or no different that poetry printed in literature books. No studies to date have concluded that listening to a song that speaks of death will make a manager want to go out and kill. Do these kinds of lyrics breed todays children to be killers and to be sexually promiscuous? Yes, and no, depending on who you speak to. Listening to music does not drive people to kill, and no proof of such has been offered.In fact, one teacher speaks of a student who wore a Metallic shirt everyday to school and wrote lyrics with foul language, but was often seen sitting in the front row at Sunday mass with his mother in a nice suit. The same people who go out to see Black Sabbath and Motley Cruel are the name people who hand le world finance and international affairs, it is just their choice in music. Studies that use music videos on the other hand show an increased tolerance in deviant behavior among both males and females. Music videos add reinforcement to what is being heard with the use of visuals.Now an extra sense is being used. Videos often exhibit sexual innuendo, acts of aggression, and gender stereotypes. Studies showed that men have a tolerable attitude as to what is violent and what is too far in sexual advances. Women have less of a tolerance. Studies have also found that heavy metal music and giants rap influence mess attitudes towards women and that increased exposure to videos containing interpersonal violence against women tended to increase mens acceptance of rape myths such as she was dressing like she wanted it or she brought it on herself. In contrast, women is beliefs decreased and they felt that men were coming on too strong and being to aggressive. Another study conducted on college campuses in the northwestern United States involved men and women watching various music videos and then answering a set of questions afterwards. One video was The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson which depicts a man stalking a woman who then becomes infatuated in his game of pursuit. The other was The Stand by ERM which only showed the band on-stage playing instruments.In questions answered after the videos men said it was necessary to pursue the woman to such an extent while women thought it was annoying and/or disturbing. Men scored higher on a attitudes for sexual overtones, while surprisingly women scored slightly higher on the acceptance of interpersonal violence. The studies did conclude that women who were often subjected to violent music videos were more accepting of violence than those who have not had constant viewing o r listening to such lyrics and images. It also showed that men had a greater acceptance of sexual stereotyping and rape myths after being subjected to the videos. Many methods of behavior modification have been suggested in order to keep this music from causing harm or hurting anyone individuals. Many arguments can be made as to whether the music should be censored or if it is unconstitutional to do. The American Academy Of Pediatrics recommends different types of behavior modification to combat the harmful effects of this music.One such idea is as simple as having parents be aware as to what their children are listening to, and to discuss anything they deem objectionable. This would be a positive way to relate emotions to the songs. Another idea proposed is labeling of content in compact discs. It would be labeled outside as to what the lyrics contained (I. E. Language, sex, drugs). It has also been suggested that groups as well as individuals approach record impasses, music studies, and artists and ask them to consider the ramifications of their music on their audience and market it accordingly and in a favorable manner.Ideas have been proposed to set up research studies to further investigate the effects of explicit music on the behavior of teenagers. One of the most effective ideas proposed is as simple as people accept that this music is an art form and a means of self-expression and emotional release and treat it as such. Just as with rock and roll and Elvis Presley people will always find something wrong with the music that others listen to.

President Of USA Essays - Heads Of State, Titles,

President Of USA The position of being the president of the United States is the most powerful office in the world. The president is the leader of a nation of wealth and great military strength. Unlike most governments around the world, our president is the chief of state and a head of government. Also each and every president has played their own important role in shaping our history. A person who would like to run for president must fit the qualifications. First of all he must be a "natural born" citizen of the United States. The person must be at least 35 years of age and must have lived in the United States for fourteen years or more. After this the person is then nominated by a national political party convention. Then the person is elected by the vote of the electoral college which is held in December following the election on the first Tuesday in November every four years. The inauguration is held January 20 after election. The president is elected for a four year term but he may not be elected for more than two terms. The president yearly receives a salary of two hundred thousand dollars. After leaving office he is eligible for a pension of ninety nine thousand five hundred dollars. The daily life of the president is filled with many tasks. Being the chief of state the president performs many public and ceremonial duties. He also must make sure federal laws are enforced. The president also acts as the commander in chief of the nations armed forces and he is in charge of the national defense. The president is in charge of determining United States relations with other countries. The executive branch of the federal government is run by the president. The branch consists of thirteen executive departments, and over one hundred independent agencies. Almost three million civilian employees and two million members of the armed forces are included in the executive branch. Over the years the presidents responsibilities have increased. Court decisions, customs, laws and other developments have expanded the presidents responsibilities and powers. Different powers are used by the president to carry out his administrative duties. There are hundreds of laws that give the president emergency powers. This means that the president has special authority to prevent or end a national emergency. The president can also give executive orders. Executive orders have the force of a law that are issued through directions, proclamations or statements by the president. They require no action by congress. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which was on of the most famous executive orders ever. It declared freedom for all slaves in the areas under the confederate control.

Group Dynamics Essay Example

Group Dynamics Essay Example Group Dynamics Essay Group Dynamics Essay Group dynamics is the study of groups, and also a general term for group processes. Relevant to the fields of psychology, sociology, and communication studies, a group is two or more individuals who are connected to each other by social relationships. [1] Because they interact and influence each other, groups develop a number of dynamic processes that separate them from a random collection of individuals. These processes include norms, roles, relations, development, need to belong, social influence, and effects on behavior. The field of group dynamics is primarily concerned with small group behavior. Groups may be classified as aggregate, primary, secondary and category groups. Key theorists Gustave Le Bon was a French social psychologist whose seminal study, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind (1896) led to the development of group psychology. Sigmund Freuds Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, (1922) based on a critique of Le Bons work, led to further development in theories of group behavior in the latter half of the twentieth century. Kurt Lewin (1943, 1948, 1951) is commonly identified as the founder of the movement to study groups scientifically. He coined the term group dynamics to describe the way groups and individuals act and react to changing circumstances. William Schutz (1958, 1966) looked at interpersonal relations from the perspective of three dimensions: inclusion, control, and affection. This became the basis for a theory of group behavior that sees groups as resolving issues in each of these stages in order to be able to develop to the next stage. : Conversely, a group may also devolve to an earlier stage if unable to resolve outstanding issues in a particular stage. Wilfred Bion (1961) studied group dynamics from a psychoanalytic perspective, and stated that he was much influenced by Wilfred Trotter for whom he worked at University College Hospital London, as did another key figure in the Psychoanalytic movement, Ernest Jones. Many of Bions findings were reported in his published books, especially Experiences in Groups. The Tavistock Institute has further developed and applied the theory and practices developed by Bion. Bruce Tuckman (1965) proposed the four-stage model called Tuckmans Stages for a group. Tuckmans model states that the ideal group decision-making process should occur in four stages: Forming (pretending to get on or get along with others); Storming (letting down the politeness barrier and trying to get down to the issues even if tempers flare up ); Norming (getting used to each other and developing trust and productivity); Performing (working in a group to a common goal on a highly efficient and cooperative basis). Tuckman later added a fifth stage for the dissolution of a group called adjourning. (Adjourning may also be referred to as mourning, i. e. mourning the adjournment of the group). It should be noted that this model refers to the overall pattern of the group, but of course individuals within a group work in different ways. If distrust persists, a group may never even get to the norming stage. M. Scott Peck developed stages for largers of common barriers are: expectations and preconceptions; prejudices; ideology, counterproductive norms, theology and solutions; the need to heal, convert, fix or solve and the need to control. A community is born when its members reach a stage of emptiness or peace. Application Group dynamics form a basis for group therapy, often with therapeutic approaches that are formed of groups such as family therapy and the expressive therapies. Politicians and sales personnel may use their knowledge of the principles of group dynamics to aid their cause. Increasingly, group dynamics are of interest in light of online social interaction and virtual communities made possible by the internet. Software Project Management The agile software development which puts emphasis on people rather than processes has been interested in Group Dynamics. It is then known that some gile practices (Collective Code Ownership and pair programming) must be taken with care because developers in a team-rewarded team will eventually try to match their efforts to the average of what they think their teammates are doing (Lui and Chan). See also Cogs Ladder Collaboration Collaborative method Crowd psychology Facilitator Forming-storming-norming-performing Group-dynamic games Group (sociology) Gr oup conflict Group selection Groupthink Group process Interpersonal relationships Small-group communication Talking circle Counterproductive norms Notes 1. ^ Forsyth, D. R. (2006) Group Dynamics . ^ Peck, M. S. (1987) The Different Drum: Community-Making and Peace. p. 95-103. References Bion, W. R. 1961. Experiences in Groups: And Other Papers. Tavistock. Reprinted, 1989 Routledge. ISBN 0-415-04020-5 Forsyth, D. R. 2006. Group Dynamics, 4th Edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. ISBN 0-534-36822-0 . Freud, Sigmund (1922) Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego. New York: Liveright Publishing. Homans, G. C. 1974. Social Behavior: Its Elementary Forms, Rev. Ed. New York, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-15-581417-6 Le Bon, G. (1896) The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. London: Ernest Benn Limited. Lewin, K. (1947) Frontiers in group dynamics 1. Human Relations 1, 5-41. - (1948) Resolving Social Conflicts: Selected Papers on Group Dynamics. New York: Harper Row. Lui and Chan (2008) Software Development Rhythms, John Wiley and Sons. Peck, M. S. 1987. The Different Drum: Community-Making and Peace. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-84858-9 Schutz, W. 1958. FIRO: A Three-Dimensional Theory of Interpersonal Behavior. New York: Holt, Rinehart Winston. Tuckman, B. 1965. Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological bulletin, 63, 384-399.

Converting Numbers Into Words Using JavaScript

Converting Numbers Into Words Using JavaScript Lots of programming involves calculations with numbers, and  you can easily format numbers for display by adding commas, decimals, negative signs, and other appropriate characters depending on the kind of number it is. But youre not always presenting your results as part of a mathematical equation. The Web for the general user is more about words than it is about numbers, so sometimes a number displayed as a number isnt appropriate. In this case, you need the equivalent of the number in words, not in numerals. This is where you can  run into difficulties. How do you convert  the numeric  results of your calculations when you need the number displayed in words? Converting a number into words isnt exactly the most straightforward of tasks, but it can be done using JavaScript that isnt too complex. JavaScript to Convert Numbers Into Words If you want to be able to do these conversions on your site,  you will need a JavaScript code that can do the conversion for you. The simplest way to do this is to use the code below; just select the code and copy it into a file called toword.js. // Convert numbers to words// copyright 25th July 2006, by Stephen Chapman http://javascript.about.com// permission to use this Javascript on your web page is granted// provided that all of the code (including this copyright notice) is// used exactly as shown (you can change the numbering system if you wish) // American Numbering Systemvar th [,thousand,million, billion,trillion];// uncomment this line for English Number System// var th [,thousand,million, milliard,billion]; var dg [zero,one,two,three,four,five,six,seven,eight,nine]; var tn [ten,eleven,twelve,thirteen, fourteen,fifteen,sixteen,seventeen,eighteen,nineteen]; var tw [twenty,thirty,forty,fifty,sixty,seventy,eighty,ninety]; function toWords(s){s s.toString(); s s.replace(/[\, ]/g,); if (s ! parseFloat(s)) return not a number; var x s.indexOf(.); if (x -1) x s.length; if (x 15) return too big; var n s.split(); var str ; var sk 0; for (var i0; i x; i) {if((x-i)%32) {if (n[i] 1) {str tn[Number(n[i1])] ; i; sk1;}else if (n[i]!0) {str tw[n[i]-2] ;sk1;}} else if (n[i]!0) {str dg[n[i]] ; if ((x-i)%30) str hundred ;sk1;} if ((x-i)%31) {if (sk)str th[(x-i-1)/3] ;sk0;}} if (x ! s.length) {var y s.length; str point ; for (var ix1; istr.replace(/\s/g, );} Next,  link the script into the head of your page using the following code: var words toWords(num); The final step is to call the script to perform the conversion to words for you. To get a number converted to words you just need to call the function passing it the number you want to convert and the corresponding words will be returned. Numbers to Words Limitations Note that this function can convert numbers as big as 999,999,999,999,999 into words and  with as many decimal places as you like. If you try to convert a number bigger than that it will return too big. Numbers, commas, spaces, and a single period for the decimal point are the only acceptable characters that can be used for the number being converted. If it contains anything beyond these characters, it will return not a number. Negative Numbers If you want to convert negative numbers of currency values to words you should remove those symbols from the number first and convert those to words separately.

Arizona Statehood and Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Arizona Statehood and Constitution - Essay Example This was the oldest period in the history of Arizona. The earliest inhabitants of this period introduced various cultures and traditions and started living at community level sharing their needs. These earliest people were known as Paleo. In 2000 BC, Cochise culture was developed in Arizona. Those Cochise people introduced agriculture in that area. They used to grow several crops especially corn. In 300 BC, Hohokam people settled in the southern parts of Arizona. They were more developed people and introduced new ways of refined living and civilization. They used to construct irrigation canals, roads and agricultural communities, and villages in the region. So, Hohokam along with Anasazi people paved the new ways to success. In 500 A.D. Hohokam people contributed more and more to the creation and establishment of more advanced and extensive irrigation networks. In 700 to 1100 A.D., Pueblo period came to its peak and they flourished in the regions nearby Arizona. They were the pit dwe llers and built many elaborated residences in that region. They used more extensive material like stone slabs, bricks, sticks and mud in the building process. Underground chambers were also developed and cotton fiber was introduced first by these inhabitants. Although the status of a state is recently achieved by Arizona its history goes back to thousands of years almost 12,000 years back. 1) The Spanish Period (1528 to 1821) In the time period 1528- 1536, Spanish colonist steadily began to enter in the region of Arizona via waterways from the coast of current day Texas... They were especially attracted by the deposits of silvers present there. They were quite interested in exploring the regions because of hidden treasures. In 1539, a Spanish colonist Fray Marcos searched out the city of Cibola. His discoveries for silver deposits encouraged more exploration in the region. In 1629, Franciscans were the first Europeans who planned out more missions in various parts of the region including San Xavier, Guevavi and San Miguel. In 1736, Spanish succeeded to explore more deposits and large chunks of silver near Arizonac Camp. With such discoveries, Spanish also accomplished their goals having forts in the region. Tubac Presidio was the first fort established by Spanish community in the region of Arizona. Jesuits were also replaced from key positions by Franciscans. In 1765, Charles III of Spain did a major rearrangement of military on the area extended northward. Franciscans were given the place in mission planning and implementation. It is also obvious from history that during the mid of eighteenth century, the pioneers and Spanish colonist also tried to expand the territory of Arizona towards North. However, they were stopped by some Native American tribes including Apache and Tohono O’ odham. Those tribes also began violating acts on the local villagers of the region. They also launched raids and captured the livestock of the local people. However, as a whole we may conclude that the Spanish Arizona had survived economy. Several small scale silver and gold mining operations were also held in that time period. 2) Mexican Period (1821 to 1848) However, in1821, Mexico gained independence from Spanish Rule. The independence was gained as a result of a long war which had demolished the industry of silver mining and also

Respond to classmate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Respond to classmate - Essay Example I agree that everyone would be able to benefit more from this and how it effects all workforce scenarios and the way each will always continue to evolve. Quality is 100 percent essential in every organization, including one’s workplace. It does not matter where it is applied, but it must be one concept that no one overlooks. To ignore quality is to waste time, money for the organization. Each employee should be subject to different types of reviews and audits to increase the likelihood of their job performance. Though these can be a bit intimidating to the employer, it is only natural to want to keep people on task at their jobs and to continue to produce effectively and efficiently. I find that managers should be mentors and voices of reason, watching to help encourage employees to do better. To be criticized can be done tactfully and without shame. To abuse power is almost like bullying and should not be tolerated. Everyone at some point at any given time has been in a place in the work force where they have encountered a learning curve. This has led people to feeling absolutely miserable in their jobs. I completely agree that managers are some of the first people that can make changes in the workplace by reinforcing a more positive environment. It really does make an employee feel better about themselves and feel more apt to want to work harder for that positive

North Coat Town- Robert Gray Analysis Essay Example for Free

North Coat Town- Robert Gray Analysis Essay The two utilities both represent the need to use the restroom and his hunger from not eating anything, as he could not afford anything. Just from stanza 1, readers can get the idea that this man is a hitchhiker. This demonstrates the life of these hitchhikers and how they would get through life day after day. In Stanza 2, the man washes himself up at a tap where he steps into mud, as there is always mud at taps. ‘Vandals Lavatory’, Grey uses the word ‘Vandal’ as he does not appreciate people vandalizing the streets to ruin the beauty of the Australian Coast Lines. The persona flushes the toilet and gets a chill whilst flushing, it’s the use of an actual toilet that gives him this chill as hitchhikers if not able to find a nearby toilet will often go in a bush. In Stanza 3, the man eats a floury apple, which he supposedly found in a supermarket bin where you find ruined goods. Grey uses personification ‘At this kerb sand crawls by’ to demonstrate that it was almost like the path was covered in sand moving slowly from the light wind about. Car after car now-its like a boxer warming up with the heavy bag, spitting air’ the cars on the street are busy going somewhere. The use of simile is comparing the cars to a boxing match, how dangerous and violent of each car passing is like a punch by a boxer. In Stanza 4, a car slows down and the man chases after it getting himself a ride. Two cars going shooting. Plastic pennants are everywhere, totally artificial and suggest high pressure selling by city petrol station. A dog is trotting down the road and someone else is hosing down their pavement, demonstrates the ordinary town life. Our image flaps in shop fronts’ Grey uses onomatopoeia. They ‘past the pink ’Tropicana’ motel (stucco with sea shells)’, recalling the Shell station in the first Stanza. As they drive outta town they pass bulldozed acres probably the site of new infrastructure being built. They’re changing the area to look more like ‘California’. ‘Pass an Abo, not attempting to hitch, outside town’, the aboriginal lives outside of town and feels no need to try and catch a ride as there is no point since no one would consider giving them a lift.

RFID Implementation Essay -- essays research papers fc

RFID Implementation Once a company decides to use RFID, the most important step in the process is being able to successfully gather the data and manipulate it into meaningful information. Doing this as effectively and efficiently as possible requires a proper RFID implementation, which for many reasons, can prove to be the most difficult stage of the entire process. A company new to RFID will find that many changes have to take place to make sure the implementation is as successful as possible. Ensuring a successful implementation involves changes in all fundamental areas of the company, including their systems and products (Zebra Technologies). While these changes will prove to be difficult, many companies find that they can conduct business much more effectively after the implementation of RFID. There are many things a company should consider before implementing an RFID system. It is important to determine the use of the system before it is put into place. For example, a company should set specific goals for what they expect the system to do for them once implemented. Determining this early in the process will help to pinpoint the most useful data once it is being gathered by the system. In addition, it’s important to map out requirements of the system over a set timeframe. It is helpful to have near-term goals just after the implementation, as well as long-term organization goals for the company about how the RFID system will help them over time (Implementing RFID). Since RFID implementation is very costly, it is also important to know the setup of the system before implementation. Knowing the setup involves understanding the key elements needed for the process. These include the tags, readers, sensors, and other software changes to make sure all existing systems are able to receive RFID generated data (Zebra Technologies). Another helpful thing to remember during implementation is to share implementation plans with the trading partners of the company. This way, any business partners will be ready to expect changes when dealing with the exchange of products and information (EPCglobal). Finally, one of the most important steps is to understand the importance of RFID middleware within the implementation process and its benefits for company. Middleware RFID middleware is responsible for filtering and managing the flow of data between tag readers and appl... ...telligent Agents 101). Intelligent agents are currently being used for a number of business processes today including electronic commerce, process and workflow automation, and in numerous Internet applications (Intelligent Agents 101). Known for their secure transfer of data, intelligent agents are becoming a valuable key to reliable RFID implementations. Not only will this technology allow for secure data transfers, but they can occur throughout all processes within the company and can interpret the large amounts of data being read by the system. In doing all this, the intelligent agents are also able to reduce the overall system load for quicker response time and produce results in a near real-time manner. Bibliography Automatic Identification Manufacturers. RFID: A Basic Primer. 28 Oct. 1999. . Bonsor, Kevin. How RFIDs Work. 1998-2005. . EPC Services. FYI: The EPCglobal Network - How It Works. . Smith, Peter. RFID Tags - How They Work. 17 Jul. 2003. . Thomson, John. The Queue at Pack and Save. Apr. 2004. . Transponder News. Motorola announces BiStatix 125KHz RFID tag. 2 March 1999. . UPM Refsec. Tutorial overview of inductively coupled RFID Systems May 2003. .

Freak the Mighty and The Mighty compare and contrast

Freak the Mighty and The Mighty and both known by many. One is a book and the other is a movie based on the book. Although they can relate to each other this book and movie both are unique in their own ways. One similarity of these pieces of art is that the chapters match up. Max’s childlike chapter titles are very much incorporated in the movie. For example, chapter 6 of the book â€Å"Close Encounter of the Turd Kind† is narrated in the movie. In addition, Killer Kane comes to the down under just as expected after the chapter title â€Å" What Came Down the Chimney†.Also, when Grim gets a gun Max hears the wretchedly loud conversation his grandparents had that he is not supposed to hear, just like in the book. Furthermore, the tone set by Rodman Philbrick is undeniably there considering the execution of the suspenseful scenes, i. e. when Kevin starts choking on american chop suey and when Max is throwing things in frustration when he learns his father is on par ole. While these similarities show what these pieces have incommon Freak the Mighty and The Mighty still have differences that make them distinctive.Although the characters have the same names, I have got to say there appearance was definitely incorrect. In the book Max was said to be 7 feet tall, while Kevin was said to be 2 feet tall. In the movie Max was about 6 feet and Kevin was the height of an average 6th grader at Eldorado K-8 ( about 4†6’). Kevin was supposed to have blond hair and blue eyes ( the movie gave him brown eyes and brown hair) while Maxes appearance was not clear in the book. Additionally, in the book, Kevin and Max seemingly lived in suburbia while the movie gave the impression they lived in much more of a city.For example, the old testaments seemed much bigger and better-looking than described in the book ( broken toys and ragged and dirty children who seemed a little broken themselves). The minor problem in plot detail is a third difference. In t he movie, Kevin is apparently Max’s LD (learning disabled) reading tutor. In the book there is no mention of tutoring that went on between the boys in school. Without a doubt, Freak the Mighty and The Mighty remain comparable by their names and who the story was inspired or written by, but these pieces are individual works of art with varying traits.

Legalizing Medical Marijuana

Marijuana has been one of the many abused substances in the world especially in the United States of America. It has been argued as one of the many existing substances which has caused lives to go astray and even to the point of taking away innocent lives. There have been heinous crimes committed which have been linked by the authorities to the abuse of marijuana by the suspects. But even with these apparent ‘hindrances’ to the acceptance of marijuana as a substance which also has its uses, it has been observed in the scientific community that there are medical benefits with the use of marijuana (Sydney, Stephen, et al., p. 722). Apparently, it can be said that there is a tension between the democratic ethos that permeates popular American thought and the republican constitutional foundations that impede the realization of the medical use of marijuana. As far as the democratic ethos is concerned, it can be seen that there is the acceptance of marijuana in the medical field precisely because marijuana can be used as a drug which has the â€Å"potential for use in decreasing the rejection of organ transplants or in slowing the growth of tumors (Dell and Snyder, p. 630).† It has also been found that marijuana can stimulate the appetite of individuals who do not eat well, can serve as an analgesic and an anesthesia among many others (Dell and Snyder, p. 630). With these things, there is the argument that, indeed, marijuana has its own positive effects on the body of the individual and that it can greatly help in the development of a medicine out of marijuana. However, the republican constitutional foundations would argue that the use of marijuana can open the way to substance abuse. Since marijuana is classified as an addictive substance which is prohibited by the laws of the land, the republican constitutional foundations would very well block any efforts in legalizing marijuana purely out of its medical purposes and benefits. That is because the republican constitutional foundations are inclined to promote the laws as they are written or as they have been conceived. The arguments that can be proposed by the republican constitutional foundations can be summarized into the idea that anything that is against the law or anything that is proscribed by the law should not be justified before the law. Doing so would defeat the very purpose in which these laws have been conceived and institutionalized in the first place. Indeed, it should be noted that certain laws have been created in order to promote the interest of the public inasmuch as the welfare of the public is not harmed in the process. With marijuana, it can be argued from the republican standpoint that marijuana use is basically prohibited by the law. Any efforts to circumvent the law should be stopped, which goes without saying that any efforts to turn the prohibited substance, marijuana, into a substance which is accepted by the society if not by the law would very well undermine the spirit and the letter of the law. The tension between the democratic ethos and the republican constitutional foundations, then, rests on the part where marijuana has its perceived medical uses. From the perspective of the democratic ethos, it can be said that marijuana, as discovered by the scientific community, as its medical values although to a certain extent the abuse of the substance would also lead to dire consequences to the health of individuals. On the other hand, the followers of the republican constitutional foundation will argue that marijuana is essentially a prohibited substance although they may agree that substances with medicinal value should also be looked into by the government. To mitigate the tension is paramount in order to close the gap between the two contending sides and bring about a favorable result. In order to do so, it can be proposed that regulatory policies should be enforced by the government in terms of the use of marijuana for medical purposes. As for the part where the abuse of the substance is involved, the legal prohibitions against the abuse of marijuana can nevertheless still be retained without compromising the medicinal uses of the substance. By establishing both a regulatory body on the medical facilities which will utilize marijuana and by putting up stringent measures on banning and sanctioning the offenders who abuse marijuana, a compromise can be attained without putting down the guards of both the democratic and republican sides. It should be noted that even from a democratic or a republican standpoint, issues concerning the larger population can still be mitigated to a point where a solution is crafted regardless of one’s political positions. The issue of marijuana being legalized as a substance used for medical reasons can be met if both republican and democratic sides would agree on two things. One is that the medical value of marijuana is there and cannot be discredited. Two is that, though marijuana abuse is present, marijuana can be regulated within the medical facilities which will adopt the substance in the medical practice of treating patients. In general, the viability of marijuana as a medicine is already established. Substance abuse pertaining to marijuana is already determined both by the legal enforcers as well as the medical field. By not withholding the potential use of marijuana in the broader medical field without abandoning the ever present need to proscribe and to sanction the abuse of marijuana, the middle ground can be established. Works Cited Sidney, Stephen, et al. â€Å"Marijuana Use and Cancer Incidence.† Cancer Causes & Control 8.5 (1997): 722. Dell, Deena D., and Judith A. Snyder. â€Å"Marijuana: Pro and Con.† The American Journal of Nursing 77.4 (1977): 630.

macmillan coffee morning Essay

macmillan coffee morning Essay macmillan coffee morning Essay Optimising my video I have made a really big video which is made up of loads of videos, images, music and animations. This means the file size is really big and could be difficult to email or upload to a website. I need to compress the video to make it more efficient to be used. I am going to do this by using windows movie maker. I can choose to save it as an avi file or a wmv file. When you choose a bit rate you have some options. You can choose a high bit rate which will make it a high quality but will make the file extremely large. You only need a high bit rate if you have a lot of movement like an action movie, but my video doesn’t so I will make it a small bit rate which will make it a smaller size and quicker to upload/save to different areas. The next thing I need to change is my display size. If you have a large display size the amount of pixels is greater giving an excellent quality image, however this makes it extremely large. I will use a relatively small display size so I get the balance between quality and size just right. I now need to choose the aspect ratio. There are two choices. There is 4:3 which is referred to as standard and 16:9 which is referred to as widescreen. As my video will be mostly viewed on a cd rom or desktop/laptop then 4:3 will be more than adequate. The next thing is frames per second. The more frames per second you use the larger the video will be, but it will run smoothly. If you select a small FPS then the video size will be

Baffled by choosing keywords for your LinkedIn Profile HEADLINE

Baffled by choosing keywords for your LinkedIn Profile HEADLINE Many people are flummoxed when it comes to choosing a LinkedIn profile headline.   What keywords should they include?   How do you get that up and down symbol ( or a Tagline / Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? This article will mainly address the last question:   Keywords or USP?   The answer to the question depends on your main goal with your LinkedIn profile. Below you will find several situations you might be in.   Find yourself as closely as possible and handle your headline in the most appropriate way for your situation.   If you don’t find yourself exactly, find the nearest match and adjust from there. 1.   You are a job seeker and you want to be found in searches.* If you are a job seeker, your main goal is probably to be found and contacted by recruiters and hiring managers.   If so, you need to focus on keywords in your headline.   Keywords are the terms a recruiter would be searching for if looking for someone like you. The prevailing wisdom is to choose 4-5 words as keywords and leave it at that.   Adding extra words or extra characters like your email address may serve to dilute the effectiveness of your headline. Examples of good headlines are: Manufacturing Supply Chain Executive | Asia Procurement Contract Specialist | Treasury Manager Account Executive | OEM Sales | Field Sales | Territory Manager Director Communications | Branding | Online Marketing | Social Media Note these headlines zero in on the most essential keywords and do not add any fluff to dilute their impact. Some job seekers write â€Å"Open to New Opportunities† in their headline.   Some recruiters actually search on the term â€Å"opportunities† and might find you that way.   Other recruiters will skip over you if you put that phrase in your headline.   My advice is to try it one way, and if you’re not getting the attention you want, try it another way.   That’s the beauty of social media †¦Ã‚   nothing is ever engraved in stone. 2.   You are a job seeker and your main goal is to look good when people find you. Perhaps you are currently employed and doing a very selective and confidential job search.   Or perhaps you want people to look for you primarily after you have contacted them.   If so, you may not particularly be looking to be found in searches.   In this situation, you have more flexibility when crafting your headline.   I recommend that you write your job title and a catchy phrase, tagline, or Unique Selling Proposition. Examples: High-Powered Financial and Analytical Trainer | Propelling International Business Teams to the Top Program, Process and Project Manager | Creating and Implementing Innovative Technological Solutions Managed Care Professional | Building relationships with attention and integrity For more ideas on catchy headlines, see my article, Your LinkedIn Profile *HEADLINE* What Would Draw You In? 3.   You are a business owner or professional and you want people to find you.* If you are a business owner or professional wanting to attract clients, stack your headline with the keywords your clients would be searching on.   My headline says: Essay Resume Writer | Executive Resumes | Personal Statements | LinkedIn Profiles | Web Copy The result of having these keywords in my headline (and also in my summary, specialties and job titles) is that many people find me when they are seeking the services I provide. During admission season I change my keywords to emphasize college essays and MBA Admissions consulting. Change your keywords as much as you want until you get the number of visitors to your site each day that you’re looking for. 4.   You are a business owner or professional and you just want to build a close network of solid business connections. If you are laying low on LinkedIn and selectively building a network, really all you need is your job title and organization.   LinkedIn will take care of that for you. *NOTE TO THOSE IN CATEGORIES 1 3:   Remember that the number of hits you get on your LinkedIn profile will always increase when you increase your number of connections.   For more on that topic please view my signature webinar, How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile. BEWARE of the LinkedIn Default!   If you update your current job position, LinkedIn automatically changes your headline unless you catch the box that lets you opt out.   If this happens, take control and change your headline if you want it to say something different! Like so many things, there is no â€Å"one size fits all† answer to the LinkedIn Headline question.   If you’re not sure what the best way is to approach yours, comment below or contact The Essay Expert for assistance in crafting a KILLER LinkedIn Profile!

TV Violence and Aggressive Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

TV Violence and Aggressive Behavior - Essay Example Regardless of the grade of movie, media is continuously exposing alcoholic beverages as a source of fun and fashion. Advertisements during children programs are not carefully designed and contain aggressive behavior, exposure to alcohol and smoking etc. Advertisements today contain sensual messages and images which are contributing to the likelihood of early sexual initiation in adolescents. Advertisements are influencing the psychosocial environment by sexual exposure on television, music videos, internet and movies. Alcohol consumption encourages aggression and violence as the normal brain functions are disrupted due to alcoholism. Alcohol is responsible for weakening the brain mechanisms which keep rash, violent and aggressive behaviors under control. This aggression is one of direct effects of alcohol consumption. Hence, increased alcohol consumption may be related to increased aggression and violence (Gustafson, 1994). Children get a lot of information from television and believe what they watch. They trust their favourite characters beating the monsters and so called ‘bad guys’ after having an energy drink or milk or some other product. They perceive it all to be true and are more likely to consume that particular product and imitate those characters in every possible manner. Such portrayals are of course not true and advertisements are exaggerating the energy and effects of products. They target children because children are easily influenced by such fantasies. Children who watch aggressive and violent movies are likely to behave aggressively and choose violent games to play than those who do not watch television or violent shows. The advertisements nowadays are targeting young generations and are using different characters as powerful objects and promoting their products by portraying them as a source of energy and supremacy (Chaves, 2008). The characters of children’s favourite movies, cartoons and games are portrayed with a cigarette, wine bottle or involvement of that character in some sexual activity also affect the children’s perceptions and thoughts. The aggressive behaviors of action animated characters (like superman, batman, power-puff girls etc.) also increase the probability of their future aggressive behaviors. Advertisements involve these characters to attract young consumers and indirectly affect their behaviors. Children live in their fantasy world and believe everything they watch or are told of. They perceiv e the effects of products as are exposed and try to use the brand that their favorite cartoon character or hero uses in the media content. The irony is the fact that they imitate the action of those characters which more often result in aggressive behaviors and leave long lasting effects on their behaviors (Strasburger, & Donnerstein, 1999). The act of imitation and copying the media characters, however, is not the only way children are affected by violence exposure. One more common psychological process that is associated with media exposure is desensitization. This process points towards the emotional response of a person as a result of a particular action. People who are exposed to the dangers associated with wild animals are more likely to become psychologically upset and emotionally aroused if they face them in real. They are more likely to fight against it or protect themselves in some way. However,

Essential Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Essential Marketing - Essay Example 6 5.Discuss and explain the rationale of the marketing mix variables used by Burberry 8 5.0.Product 8 5.1.Price 10 5.2.Place 10 5.3.Promotion 11 5.4.Process 11 5.5.Physical Evidence 11 5.6.People 12 6.Discuss and explain the rationale of Burberry’s use of digital marketing tools. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this approach? 12 References 15 Bibliography 17 1. Overview Burberry was established in the year 1856 by Thomas Burberry who is the regarded as the inventor of the gabardine raincoat. This particular product ultimately became one of the signature products for the organisation. The chief visions of the organisation are to attain significant competitive position over the competitors along with increasing the market share considerably (Burberry, n.d.). In the paper, the different business environmental factors, market segmentation methods and the various applications of marketing mix features will be discussed. Various aspects that include the execution of eff ective digital marketing tools along with its various benefits and disadvantages will also be depicted in the discussion. 2. Identify and explain the environmental factors affecting the marketing of Burberry 2.0. ... Al., 2010). For instance, the chief competitors of Burberry in the luxury market are LVMH, Gucci and others. Hence, it can be affirmed that the brand faces a significant amount of competition from other luxury brands which can be thus recognised as a major environmental factor that affects the marketing strategies of Burberry. In order to outrun these luxury brands, Burberry has been identified to often attempt to introduce an increased number of collections annually which generally ranges between two to eight annual collections. It is worth mentioning that the company also faces a steep competition in the segment of luxury accessories. In the accessory segment the major competitors of the brand are Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Thus, it can be stated that competition is apparently one of the significant environmental factors that significantly affect the marketing prospects of Burberry. 2.1. Macro Environmental Factors Another significant factor affecting the marketing strategies of Bur berry was the economic downturn that took place during the period of 2009. It was found by certain researches that in places like Spain and Japan, Burberry was perceived to be a premium brand rather than a luxury brand. These facts compelled the brand to implement certain cost reduction programmes during the economic downturn in order to attract the customers of the weaker markets such as Spain. The recessional stress acted as a major factor that affected the marketing strategy of Burberry and resulted in restructuring at several places. The economic downturn also compelled the company to include discount strategies in its marketing policies during December 2008. Several other government interventions such as licensing policies also

Immigration Issue of the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 14

Immigration Issue of the United States - Essay Example Population growth is an essential role in a healthy economy. Statistically, immigrants and their families will account for sixty percent of the United States’ population after forty years (Pawlick and Finley 2). With this huge number, the US could take advantage of them by providing them and their children the amenities they need to live their social life normally. Giving proper and quality education to the migrant children will reflect positively in the future of the country. The educated migrant generation can create a diverse human resource environment locally, which will eventually address and eliminate cultural issues like racism very effectively. Similarly, they will follow the social norms and traditional values of the US better than the Native Americans for want of proving that they deserve to live with dignity in the country by ensuring their civil and political rights as citizens of the US. These points show that the increasing number of immigrants is going to affect many aspects in a positive way for the United States. One of the biggest legal issues about migration is the absence of necessary documents held by the migrants in order to become an American citizen. These people use others’ documents and Social Security numbers to avoid troubles or deporting (Pawlick and Finley 3). The legal complications related to falsification or forging of documents will lead to the arrest of the migrant, and in case of couples or individuals with children, this situation will grow riskier impacts. From my perspective, the government should make it easier for immigrants to attain official documents in order to address this issue appropriately.  

Needs Analysis Essay Example for Free

Needs Analysis Essay Majority of students lack understanding of mathematical language and show weakness in basic numerical computation. The students make frequent errors because they misread operation signs when adding or subtracting integers or carry numbers incorrectly when multiplying whole number and decimals. Furthermore, these students have difficulty understanding written or verbal directions or explanations, and find word problems especially difficult to translate. Current Conditions The current data shows that only 15 percent of the students were able to understand and perform the necessary computation with minimal errors on application problems to pass the semester exam with a 70 or above. Thus 85 percent were unsuccessful on the semester exam that focus on computation skills and understanding application word problems. Desired Conditions The optimal goal is to increase the student’s performance from its current state by 200 percent. By increasing the student’s performance, the students should be able to understand, define, and use mathematical terminology to solve difficult application problems without minimal computation errors. Data Collection Processes Discussion of Data Collection Instruments Used In order to determine what problems students had in school and what tools math teachers thought students should emphasize, interviews and focus groups were used due to the speed of receiving the results. Test score data was gathered from the district as it was already mandated by the district and results were already given. Test scores and the data retrieved from the district is meant to be similar to the state assessment that will be given towards the end of the 5th six weeks. Discussion of Sources of Data Surveys and other short interviews were given to the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math teachers at the middle school campus. It is believed that it is partially due the lack of reviewing their own work is a potential source of the low test scores. Survey question was introduced by creating a baseline of how often teachers believed students should be checking their work. By first understanding this, it would allow a determination if there was in fact a difference between students’ actual reviewing patterns and the actual reviewing patterns. Additionally, an issue with reviewing would be if students are unfamiliar with how to check their work. By determining which skills the teachers deem to be the most productive when practicing their computation, the teachers will then be able to create a vertical alignment where instruction is built on those review skills. This would provide students with a foundation where their knowledge can be increased without the troubles of having to learn a new way to review. Typically the reverse operation would be done in order to check for the correct answer. However, if there is an issue in the basic computation it would hinder students being able to check their work. This was the reason why students were also given survey questions and were interviewed. Students would be asked how often they check their work and they would also identify their self-efficacy in computation of problems with decimals. If there is a need in that students do not check their work and if they do not feel competent in completing the problems with decimals, then it would dictate a need to reteach the material. Surveys and interviews were given to students due to their speed and their ability to quickly assess where a need was. Data Analysis Techniques Used The first survey question asked the students about the percentage of the time they reviewed their work after completing a math problem. The answer choices included: between 0-20 percent, between 20-40 percent, between 40-60 percent, between 60-80 percent, and between 80-100 percent.

ECON 4131, International Finance, Spring 2002, Exam 2 Essays -- UMN Mi

Midterm Exam International Finance April 7, 2004 Answer all questions in examination booklets 1. (15 points) Define the following a) The â€Å"spot† exchange rate b) The â€Å"forward† exchange rate c) A capital account â€Å"surplus† d) Currency depreciation e) Arbitrage 2. (10 points) Briefly discuss the essential features of forward contracts, currency futures, and currency options. 3. (15 points) Use the BOP accounts guide on the last page of this exam to indicate where each of the following transactions should be recorded in the U.S. balance of payments (e.g.: â€Å"i3†, â€Å"e2†, etc.). Bear in mind that each transaction should generate a capital account and a current account entry. a) A Canadian firm buys a $75 million jet from the American company Boeing, which it pays for with a check drawn on Banc du Quebec b) Cargill (out of Mpls.) buys $10m. of Canadian wheat, which it pays for with a check drawn on Twin Cities Federal c) An American...

Dogfight over Europe: Ryanair Essay

A. What is Ryanair’s strategy and why has it been successful so far? In 1911, Ryanair faced cash flow problem, and was going to be bankrupted. However, it found the way to overcome this crisis by transform themselves from ordinary high-price airlines into the lowest price airline in the EU. They focused on 5 things to rebirth their company. 1. Focused on cut down the costs: Ryanair aggressively cut most of its costs in many ways. Found the routes and airports that charged low landing fees, and low turnaround costs Chose routes to Secondary airports, low airport fee Eliminated all in-flight amenities Used metal stairs instead of â€Å"air bridge† Paid lower commissions to travel agents Saved cost in its internal operations Implemented economies of scale by using one model aircraft and treating all customers equally 2. Focused on operating efficiency: Ryanair carefully allocate all of its resources and assets to get the highest performance outcome. Optimized airplanes usages by relocating the planes used in loss-making routes to gain-making routes. Attempted to increased aircraft turnaround rate in many ways Operated only one type of aircraft Provided the newsletter to employees, which contained its and its competitors’ movements 3. Focused on customer satisfactions: Ryanair sustained customer care. Even though they are mostly middle-to-low classes who expected less services due to the lowest airfares, they would receive more than their expectation. There were 160 full-time reservation agents at its call enter at Dublin answered calls Maintained its record for on-time flight due to good-performed aircraft turnaround Received airfares in other currency Had fewer restrictions to change the tickets 4. Focused on ancillary income: Ryanair gained extra revenue from other sales and services. In-flight sales: beverages, snacks, and traditional items Advertised spaces renting Other referred fees 5. Focused on its employees: Ryanair never forgot to sustain and motivate employees. Imprinted its values to employees. â€Å"the firms as brutally cost conscious† Gave its stock options to employees Rewards system varied with performance, commission, and corporate profits Had lots of job opportunities, e.g. promotion or rotation Had no bureaucracy and hierarchy Compared to its competitors, Ryanair became succeed because it was the first low-cost airlines which provided low airfares that generate increased volume of customers. At the same time, it had maintained a continuous focus on customer satisfactions, cost management and operating efficiencies, leading to the great reputation that transfer â€Å"from mouth to mouth† by its loyalty customers. That created more customer and more income, being its sources of fund for reinvest. Also, the extra revenue from sales, advertised spaces renting, and referral fees could support its financial health and accommodate it to sell the ticket more lower price. Moreover, started with people, Ryanair’s employees shared the same values and goals with their company, â€Å"cost-conscious† with â€Å"good-services†. Sharing the company’s benefit with them also motivated them to work better and better. This was the other important foundation for its success. That’s why, Ryanair was success and became very high competitiveness in this market. B. Looking to the future, what should be the strategic concerns of Ryanair? What recommendations would you make to the top management? In my opinions, the most strategic concerns of Ryanair is its competitors. Assuming we were in 1999, at that time, no carrier that were Ryanair’s primary competitor. However, in this year, no-frills carriers accounted for 3% of the European air travel market. This implied that the competition would be more intense. I would like to go through each competitors one-by-one. Virgin Express: It was most harmful competitor. It had many features as same as Ryanair, and some of them were better than Ryanair’s, e.g. nine languages services in ticket reservations, no physical tickets (lower its costs), etc. Virgin Express’s financial lost in 1998 might be resulted from only a shortage of pilots. If Virgin Express could fix that problems, continuously improve its features, and fully implement cost control, it would become very competitiveness to the market. Suggestion for Ryanair: Sustain doing the  ways Ryanair was, improve quality of service, innovate the ways to reduce costs, and focus more in marketing and creating brand awareness easyJet: It was also harmful competitor. It had the same business model concerned about cost control, it gradually grew and was going to change from subcontracting to their own operation by reinvesting. However, its philosophy was â€Å"won’t complete with other low-fare guys†. Suggestion for Ryanair: Quickly expand the flying routes and grasp that benefits before easyJet does. British Airway’s Go: British Airway’s Go had powerful backups and great brand values. It provided better service in-flight but also sold ticket at the cheap price. Leading to the price competition in the future. Suggestion for Ryanair: The company have to innovate its new unique point to eliminate the problem that it would have faced the loss of its customers to the competitors. It also need to in-depth its group of customers to find the ways out. Also, Ryanair have to be alert all the time. As the market become more intense, only dynamic organization can survive.

Determinants of Dividend Policy of Cement Industy of Pakistan

RESEARCH PROPOSAL DETERMINANTS OF DIVIDEND POLICY OF CEMENT INDUSTY OF PAKISTAN Submitted To: Dr. Ahmed Faisal Imtiaz Siddiqi Submitted By: Muhammad Waqar Akram ID # 12002096-010 Programme: MS-Finance Batch-02 INTRODUCTION Dividend Policy refers to the explicit or implicit decision of the Board of Directors regarding the amount of residual earnings (past or present) that should be distributed to the shareholders of the corporation This decision is considered a financing decision because the profits of the corporation are an important source of financing available to the firm.Dividend policy is a one of the most debated topics and a core theory of corporate finance which still keeps its prominent place. Many researchers presented various theories and uncountable empirical evidences, but the issue is still unresolved and open for further discussion. It is among top ten unresolved problems in the finance literature and we have not an adequate explanation for the observed dividend behavi or of the firms There are several reasons whether firms should pay dividends or not. The â€Å"dividend puzzle† why firms pay dividends and stock holders pay attention to dividends and still unresolved.Many hypotheses have been drawn to shed some light on this puzzle but the problem still exists. Normally a firm faces the problem of allocation of earnings, whether to distribute among shareholders or retaining for reinvestment and promote the firm growth. Retained earnings are a main internal source of financing, but higher retained earning mean fewer dividends and vice versa. The cement sector is a prominent sector of Pakistan and works as an engine of economic growth in the economy. It provides employment to a large number of people (directly & indirectly).Cement production capacity in Pakistan is 44 million tons annually while local demand is only 24 million tons, leaving a surplus of 20 million tons. Cement manufactured in Pakistan is being exported to Afghanistan and Cent ral Asian States below cost. During FY-11 cement industry exported over 4 million tons to these markets and the industry is optimistic that exports to Afghanistan and Central Asian States shall increase further since these countries are landlocked and Pakistan is the only country which is able to supply cement at competitive rates.So, it is important to find the factors that determine and affecting the dividend payout policy of this sector. LITERTURE REVIEW Over the past 50 years a great attention was given to determine the factors influencing dividend payout policy. A vast literature is available in this regard, however, the puzzle is still unresolved and open for further discussion. â€Å"Why do firms pay dividends? † further he raises a second question, â€Å"Why do investors pay attention to dividends? † although, the answers may appear clear, (Black 1998)but Black concludes that they are not.As we try to explain the fact, the more it seems like a puzzle, with piec es that just do not fit together. Various factors can be considered as the determinants of dividend payout policy and a number of logics for dividend payout policy have been declared in the literature, however, the researchers are not agreed on a single point. In developed economies, the decision whether paying dividends or keep as retained earnings has been taken very carefully by both investors and the management of the firm. (Adaoglu 2000) By paying a sufficient amount of dividend firms can prevent from the agency problem.The dividend payouts are helpful to keep firms in the market, where monitoring of managers is available at low cost. The managers make financial policy trade-offs to control agency cost in an effective way(Amidu and Abor 2006) A free cash flow is helpful for a firm to share it with stockholders as dividends and pay the debt in order to reduce the possibility of these funds being wasted on unprofitable projects(Pettit 1972) Firms’ investment policies have a significant impact on its dividend payout policy; the firms with less investment plans has greater amount to distribute as dividends.Due to the higher investment opportunities firms deprive from higher dividends to lower. So the investment opportunities has a negative relationship to the dividend payouts(Farinha 2003) Another factor affecting the dividend policy is the ownership of firm; state owned firms follow a smooth dividend pattern as compare to family owned firms. The family owned firms are uneager to pay dividends, whereas the state owned firms are more reluctant to diminish the dividend amount.The insider ownership also play a significant role in dividend policy(Imran 1997; Okpara 2010) The dividend policy is quite different in emerging markets as compare to developed economies, and seems to be affected by a number of factors(Al-Kuwari 2009) Due to several reasons like taxes pay procedure, stock market volatility and certain asymmetryinformation the dividend payout patter n is different in emerging markets as compare to developed nations.Another reason is that in emerging markets the firms focus on dividend payout ratios as compare to the level of dividends paid(Al-Kuwari 2009; Terra 2011) Higher the earnings of a firm, greater the size and firms with foreign ownership prefer to distribute a higher and constant amount in dividend payouts according to their earnings and size(Eriotis 2011) The liquidity of the firm leaves a negative impact on the firms dividend payout decision.The stock market liquidity and dividend are substitutes in the sight of investors, so the firm’s dividend policy is associated to the liquidity of its common stock. As a result firms with more liquid common stock, distribute less cash dividend(Amidu 2007) The more profitable firms are willing to distribute a higher amount of dividend payouts. The greater profitability not only positively affects the firms’ current dividend but dividend yield also. Whereas, the riski er firms distribute lower dividends and hence lower dividend yields.The firms which can easily fulfill their short term needs and want to improve their current payouts than last year are more willing to pay dividend(Fama and French 2002) OBJECTIVE †¢Companies pays dividend smoothly on regular basis †¢Dividend payout policy depend on size of firm †¢Profitability(Net Profit) of company effect dividend policy †¢Growing companies (Growth in sale) pays dividend on regular basis †¢Investment opportunity (Retained earnings) effect the dividend policy †¢Impact of liquidity (cash flows) on dividend policy †¢Impact of leverage (Debt to Equity ratio) on dividend policyTHEORITICAL FRAM WORK DATA COLLECTION & PROPOSED METHODOLOGY Investigates the factors determine the dividend payout policy of Pakistani cement companies listed on KSE. The data employed is derived from Balance Sheet Analysis of KSE listed companies published by companies, covered the ten year pe riod 2001 to 2010 of 26 companies. (companies depends upon availability of data) The nature of the data allows us the use regression analysis to build relationship between dividend payout policy and factors which influence dividend policy HYPOTHESISH1: Cement companies pays smooth or stable in paying dividend H2: Positive relationship of dividend payout and size(Total Assets) of company H3: Positive relationship between Profitability(Net Profit) of company & dividend payout H4: Positive relationship between growth(Growth in sale) and dividend payout H5: There is positive relationship between liquidity (Quick Ratio) & dividend payout. H6: There is negative relationship of leverage (Debt to Equity ratio) & dividend payments H7: There is negative relationship between Investment opportunity (retained earnings/total asset) and dividend payout Limitation Due to unavailability of all companies data listed on KSE to construct a balance panel and for selected time period, the study used data for twenty companies which represent more than 80 % of total cement industry. ?This study includes both types of firms (e. g. dividend paying and non paying firms). ?There are many determinants of dividend policy but only six determinates have been taken. References Adaoglu, C. (2000). â€Å"Instability in the dividend policy of the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) corporations: evidence from an emerging market. Emerging Markets Review 1(3): 252-270. Al-Kuwari, D. (2009). â€Å"Determinants of the dividend policy in emerging stock exchanges: The case of GCC countries. † Global Economy & Finance Journal 2(2): 38-63. Amidu, M. 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