Cultural Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Cultural Music - Essay Example Cultural music is confronted to the misconception that represents music in the boundaries of its functions. However cultural music should not be considered in the limitations of modern musical instruments, it depicts the traditions and norms to which we belong. Moreover cultural music depicts those values, which we have put in oblivion today and which became our identity as these presents our roots that our predecessors left. Cultural music addresses questions not just about music but about the nature of contemporary culture, because changing perceptions of music have less to do with the music itself than with changes in other cultural practices, values, and attitudes. What we are going to explore in this paper are the values, cultural music uphold, its historical significance, where it came from and the factors that distinguishes the cultural music from that of popular culture. We would put light across factors like religious rituals, social rituals, materialism and how it developed .

Diffusion process of innovation adoption Essay Example for Free

Diffusion process of innovation adoption Essay Analyzing corporate blog as a successful innovation in DIO theory Figure 3. Rogers Diffusion of Innovation Theory Model in Context of Corporate Blog and Bloggers’ Perception In context of the research, the theory describes both the individual and the organization’s process of knowing through adopting and accepting an innovation. Particularly in this proposal, the diffusion of innovation will evaluate the process by which corporate blog is perceived by two of our independent variables, the employees and the company which allows corporate blogging. The study will use the qualities Rogers’ stated to analyze the perception of bloggers on corporate blogging. In the study, the relative advantage of corporate blogs over media advertisements will be investigated. We will examine the bloggers’ perspective on which one is better — corporate blog or advertisements. Corporate blogs’ compatibility with existing values and practices of the employers and employees will be evaluated through examining whether they perceive corporate blogging to be helpful in achieving their goals and objectives as well as their cultural values. Simplicity and ease of use of corporate blogging will be delved upon through examining whether corporate blogging offers tools that aid bloggers to use easily. Trialability will be examined by investigating the accessibility of corporate blogging not just to the regular users but to the others as well. Observable results will be demonstrated through investigating the visibility of the results provided by corporate blogging. Perceptions of bloggers will help us determine the rate of acceptance of bloggers on corporate blogging. The researcher would also try to determine whether the existing subculture brought about by economic and cultural factors affect eh perception of employees and stakeholders when it comes to corporate blog as discussed by Rogers (1995); that in social systems there are certain limitations that hold people from accepting innovations. In this case, individuals who don’t posses computers would not be able to frequently access corporate blogs even though they try to access corporate blogspots more often. There are several reasons why this theory is chosen over others. First, there are a number of researches that report successful applications of this theory especially in information systems research. Secondly, the model is easy to integrate into our research given our time constraint. Lastly, the premises stated in the theory are significantly related to the factors we want to consider to analyze the rate of acceptance of bloggers to blogging as a kind of new innovation. Research design and methodology Methodology review. Taken into consideration the importance of using a systematic manner to conduct a research, a systematic approach will be adopted in undertaking of this project to ensure that objectives of this research are fully investigated, and data collect are well analyzed and evaluated. Therefore, a methodology, introduced by Bennett et al. (2002) will be applied at different stages of the project. This methodology is called SQUIRO, which stands for Sampling, Questionnaires, Interviews, Reading or Research and Observations. Sampling is used to choose a representative group of a certain social trend. A questionnaire was designed to collect empirical data, and although initially, it was considered that doing an interview would not be feasible due to geographic limitations, an interview with the two corporations namely Microsoft and Tongfang located near the area of the author was done by the author to gain further information. The main body of this dissertation is based on the researched and investigated outcomes from current issues. A literature review provides the academic foundations from the previous research on which the subsequent theoretical framework for the current investigation can be based on, and the hypothesis developed. Online observations of bloggers and their blogs are conducted to generate objective view of the problem domain. Survey research is one of the most important areas of measurement in applied social research. The broad area of survey research encompasses any measurement procedures that involve asking questions of respondents. A â€Å"survey† can be anything from a short paper-and-pencil feedback form to an intensive one-on-one in-depth interview (Trochim 2006, http://www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/survey. php ). Research Design and Data Collection Detail The study used qualitative and quantitative data analysis. For the qualitative research, case studies and interviews have been carried out. Survey and questionnaire methods have also been used in gathering quantitative date. (see the table 3 for the survey form, page 15) The case research has been chosen to track and understand the history of the perception and adoption of blogging as a new innovation by the successful corporation in the business industry. The interview will also be carried out in the research process. The interview will help to find out the relationship between the employer and internal blogger, and further testify, discover and summaries the effects and benefits of the corporate blog as a new innovation. For the case study, the author will acquire a list of IT companies who have set up their own successful corporate blogs. The author will choose a corporation from all the top corporations, such as SUN, MICRSOFT, GOOGLE, LIANXIANG, TONGFANG. Through the case study, the author will determine how the companies set up their blogs and their main purpose of setting up these blogs. This will help in determining how a company as a whole perceives corporate blogging. The author will interview the top managers. The interview will cover questions about the managers’ blogging habits (if they have) and their perceptions on blogging. The managers will also be asked to identify the top 30 employees who regularly post blog entries into their corporate blogs. Once the managers identify the top 30 employees, the author will contact these employees to ask permission for an interview. The questions to be asked from the employees would be the same questions as with the managers’. The interview will help in determining which factors affect the bloggers’ perceptions on corporate blogging. However, there are associated risks with interviews as this can bring extremely variable answers, low reliability and difficult to code (Foddy, 1993). Thus, the researcher included quantitative data to bring about best results. For the quantitative data, a survey questionnaire form will be distributed to the managers and the employees interviewed. The questionnaires will consist of 30 5-point-scaled questions addressing the research questions stated previously. This will help in measuring the rate of acceptance of bloggers to corporate blogs as a kind of new innovation. This will allow us to gauge the strength of the blog media. To test the perception of our variables under study, Roger’s (1995) Diffusion of Innovation theory have been used. The survey questionnaire form is shown in Table 3. is followed by the questions asked to the managers Table 3. Survey Questionnaire Form Name (its optional to place your name): Name of Company: Sex: Address (please state brief location): Monthly Family Income (please check): ___ less than $100 ___ $100-$500 ___ $600-$ 900 ___ $1000-$3000 ___ $4000-$7000 ___ more than $7000 ___others please specify ______________ Item No. Question Agree 5 Some-what Agree 4 Don’t Care 3 Some- What Disagree 2 Dis-agree 1 1 I have full access to the internet, and I am knowledgeable about blogging. 2 I would blog, even if my corporation does not have any programs for blogging 3 I would like to learn more about blogging 4 Blogging helps promote our company’s services 5 Blogging is a better way to promote products/services than printed media, online advertisements, and other media advertisements 6 Blogging promotes our company’s culture. 7 Corporate blogging fits with our company’s strategy 8 Corporate blogging helps in achieving our company’s goals. 9 Corporate blogging is a key component to our company’s overall success. 10 Blogging is user friendly. 11 Blogging has many tools that can be used 12 The tools in corporate blogging are easy to use. 13 I can post blog entries anytime I want. 14 I can choose to start my own blog or not. 15 Corporate blogging helps in disclaiming negative reactions and publicities 16 Corporate blogging offers advantages to bloggers 17 Blogging offers immediate feedback from the readers. 18 Blogging promotes immediate feedback from customers than print, online, and other media advertisements. 19 Blogging helps in communicating with clients. 20 Our corporate blog site is accessible to the public 21 Blogging is a way to publish ideas easily. 22 Blogging is a way to provide information for readers, especially potential customers 23 Blogging provides communication with employers and employees. 24 I briefly understand legal issues in corporate blogging 25 Blogging might be a threat to my company’s privacy 26 Blogging empowers me to speak, and voice my thoughts 27 Blogging is a venue for me to interact with my co-workers, customers, and corporate executives 28 I use more of my time blogging than any other activity. 29 I blog regularly 30 I would encourage my friends to blog.

Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau Essay -- Philosophy Philosophi

Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau developed theories on human nature and how men govern themselves. With the passing of time, political views on the philosophy of government gradually changed. Despite their differences, Hobbes and Rousseau, both became two of the most influential political theorists in the world. Their ideas and philosophies spread all over the world influencing the creation of many new governments. These theorists all recognize that people develop a social contract within their society, but have differing views on what exactly the social contract is and how it is established. By way of the differing versions of the social contract Hobbes and Rousseau agreed that certain freedoms had been surrendered for a society’s protection and emphasizing the government’s definite responsibilities to its citizens.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each political theorist agrees that before men came to govern themselves, they all existed in a state of nature. The state of nature is the condition men were in before political government came into existence, and what society would be if there was no government. In relation to this the two theorists raised as much praise as criticism for their famous masterpieces.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hobbes and Rousseau created a revolutionary idea of the state of nature. They did not believe government should be organized through the church, therefore abandoning the idea of the divine right theory, where power of the king came directly from God. Starting from a clean slate, with no organized church, Hobbes and Rousseau needed a construct on what to build society on. The foundation of society began with the original state of nature. Hobbes’ perception of the original state of nature is what would exist if there were no common power to execute and enforce the laws to restrain individuals. In this case, the laws of the jungle would prevail: only the fittest survive. Man’s desires are insatiable. Since resources are scarce, humankind is naturally competitive, inevitably creating jealousy and hatred, which eventually leads to war.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The constant state of war is what Hobbes believes to be man’s original state of nature. According to Hobbes, man cannot be trusted in the state of nature. War among men is consequent and nothing can be unjust. Notions of justice and injustice or right and wrong will not hav... ...ons on what kind of government should prevail within a society in order for it to function properly. Each dismissed the divine right theory and needed to start from a clean slate. The two authors agree that before men came to govern themselves, they all existed in a state of nature, which lacked society and structure. In addition, the two political philosophers developed differing versions of the social contract. In Hobbes’ system, the people did little more than choose who would have absolute rule over them. This is a system that can only be derived from a place where no system exists at all. It is the lesser of two evils. People under this state have no participation in the decision making process, only to obey what is decided. While not perfect, the Rousseau state allows for the people under the state to participate in the decision making process. Rousseau’s idea of government is more of a utopian idea and not really executable in the real world. Neither state, h owever, describes what a government or sovereign should expect from its citizens or members, but both agree on the notion that certain freedoms must be surrendered in order to improve the way of life for all humankind.

Where do Babies Come From? :: Sex Reproduction Essays

Where do Babies Come From? missing works cited Emily Martin argues that medical and scientific publications naturalize gender roles by presenting â€Å"facts† that reflect socially constructed ideas about gender. This misrepresentation is reflected in much of the information intended to educate children about the â€Å"facts† of life. Each of the pieces included in our course reader manifest this distortion to some degree. Because individuals begin to formulate ideas about gender at a very early age, such indoctrination is particularly precarious when presented during a child’s formative years. Feminists argue that Santa Claus, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are also dangerous fictionalizations but depictions of stereotypical male/female roles presented to young people as serious, straightforward answers to important questions is far more sinister and the implications more dangerous to a society that values and espouses equality. Many of the tired old gender clichà ©s are used in all of the books in order to weave together an answer to one of life’s inevitable questions: â€Å"Where do babies come from?† In attempting to answer this question, even the most well-intentioned parent is bound to instill false ideas about gender if he or she relies on most of the popular literature that attempts to broach this difficult topic. Females and their roles in the sexual process are almost always represented as passive mothers, caretakers, supporters of males—being acted upon—whereas men are the actors, initiators, adventurers, rescuers--in fact, the only ones really doing anything at all. The father goes on to say that â€Å"in bed† (an unnecessary assumption) a â€Å"daddy puts his penis inside† the woman’s vagina, â€Å"the sperm comes out of the daddy’s penis and goes into the mommy’s vagina, and then the sperm meets the egg and a baby starts† (Brooks). This typical description is repeated in another work with the â€Å"man lying so close to the woman that his penis can fit into her vagina† so that â€Å"one of his sperms can get to one of her eggs† (Sheffield, 17). In a more euphemistic description a â€Å"father bird puts his opening against the mother’s and sperm cells enter her and swim to the egg† and later â€Å"a shell forms around the egg† (Zapun). Rather than initiated by the egg, this action is carried out by one of it’s parts or, one could argue, a completely distinct part. Another book, What To Expect When Mommy’s Having A Baby states only that â€Å"the daddy puts his sperm inside the mommy,† giving absolutely no clue as to how this is physically accomplished.

Bloomberg Help Essay

Introduction In this tutorial I will provide an outline to the Bloomberg Essentials On Line training Program also known as BESS. The Bloomberg Essentials program provides a convenient way to learn the basics of Bloomberg Professional financial information system. The training consists of a series of videos (with scrolling transcripts), on-line Help screens and supporting documents. The video tutorial materials are organized into 8 modules as follows: 1. Bloomberg Core 1. Getting Started 2. Bloomberg News 3. Market Monitors and Launchpad 4. API (Bloomberg Data in Excel) 2. Bloomberg Market Sector 1. Equity Essentials 2. Fixed Income Essentials 3. FX (Foreign Exchange) Essentials 4. Commodity Essentials To earn a certificate or Acknowledgement of Completion, you must view the four Bloomberg Core videos and pass the Bloomberg Core Exam, then view at least one of the Bloomberg Market Sector videos and pass its corresponding exam. For example if you are interested in foreign exchange markets, you might consider viewing the FX Essentials training video and then taking the FX Essentials exam. Keep in mind that you only get two chances to take each exam so you need to put in some serious time and effort into the training materials and mastering the concepts before you take the exam. To get started with the BESS training, you should first create your own Bloomberg login. Bloomberg tracks your progress and exam scores using your unique login. A brief tutorial on creating a Bloomberg login can be foundhere. You may also wish to have a set of headphones or ear buds handy for listening to the Bloomberg videos without distracting others around you. The Bloomberg keyboard has a headphone jack th at (if configured properly) should allow you to listen to the videos in privacy. As you are viewing a video, open up an additional Bloomberg window and type in the commands as they are described. You can also pause the video to do more exploration of a particular function  or rewind the video to listen and watch an example again if you did not understand it the first time. Once the video is over, challenge yourself to run through all of the commands just introduced and then practice them to make sure they stay fresh in your memory. THE BLOOMBERG ESSENTIALS ON LINE TRAINING PROGRAM (BESS) Accessing BESS on Bloomberg To get started, log in to the Bloomberg Professional software using your own Bloomberg login account. If you do not have a Bloomberg account, click here for a brief tutorial on creating a new login. In any window, type in BESS (type the letters BESS followed by the Enter key) to display the Bloomberg Essentials screen as shown below: As you can see from the BESS screen, the videos for each of the modules can be launched by clicking on their titles. Along the bottom of the screen there are links to view and take exams, as well as a link to request the Acknowledgement of Completion. On the following pages, each of the videos is introduced along with some pointers for getting most out of your studying time. Bloomberg Getting Started Essentials The Getting Started Essentials training video is approximately 18 minutes long and provides a basic introduction to the Bloomberg including how the Bloomberg Terminal software is organized, key terms used throughout the Bloomberg system and the basics ways of navigating through the system. Some specific topics include broad market analysis, single security analysis, browsing News and obtaining help. When viewing this video pay particular attention to the key terms and definitions, the various ways of obtaining help, and the special function keys available on the Bloomberg keyboard. The video tutorial begins with a high level overview of Bloomberg’s menu based navigation system starting with the MAIN menu function. This function shows how Bloomberg’s data and screens are organized into market sectors, trading systems, customization and settings tools, Bloomberg Law and Government and Help and Support. The next section of the tutorial introduces the Bloomberg keyboard. The keys are color coded according to their overall purpose such as: Red Keys are used to log into the system (the Red DFLT key) and to cancel a current function(red Cancel key in the upper left corner). Green keys are used for navigation and obtaining help such as the block of green navigation keys on the right for Page Up, Page Down, End, Menu, etc. and the Green Help, Search, News, etc. keys along the top of the keyboard. Yellow keys are the market sector keys. Each one helps in identifying financial instruments or market sectors. These yellow market sector keys include Govt (for Government debt), CORP (for Corporate debt), MTGE for Mortgages, M-MKT for Money markets, MUNI for Municipal securities, PFD for preferred, EQUITY for equities, CMDT for Commodities, INDEX for indexes, CRNCY for currencies (foreign exchange) and finally CLIENT for portfolio management functions. Obtaining Help in Bloomberg There are a number of ways to obtain help in the Bloomberg system. As the tutorial continues, note that Pressing the green HELP key while on any screen will bring up a help screen that explains the function the screen is implementing as well as tips on using the screen and what each field or area of the screen represents. The picture below shows the help screen for the MOST function (Most active equities). Another way to obtain interactive help is to press the HELP key two times. This will open up a chat session with the Bloomberg help desk. Type in any question you might have and a Bloomberg help desk representative will walk you through any functions or screens to answer your question. The third way to obtain help is to press HELP key after typing in the name or ticker symbol of a financial instrument (or any word for that matter). The result will be a list of different search categories matching your query. For example, typing in BOB EVANS provides the search results that follow. Note Bloomberg found results in categories such as Companies, People, News, Law, Equities and Fixed Income.: Content Areas: News, Economics and World Indices The next section of the video tutorial focuses on four major content areas: News, Economic Calendar, World Equity Indices, and Economic Statistics. Bloomberg Top News To access Bloomberg Top News press the green NEWS key or type N . Bloomberg Economic Calendar The Bloomberg Economic calendar displays prior and announced economic report releases. To access Bloomberg Economic Calendar type ECO . Bloomberg World Equity Indices The Bloomberg World Equity Indices screen displays leading indices from equity markets around the world. This screen allows you to compare both current market levels as well as historical levels. To access the Bloomberg World Equities Indices screen type WEI . Bloomberg Economic Statistics The Bloomberg Economic Statistics screen can be used to display economic indicators such as Consumer Price Index (CPI), unemployment, housing, consumer confidence and many others for dozens of countries around the world. To access the Bloomberg Economic Statistics screen type ECST . Single Security Analysis The next set of functions demonstrated all work on a single security. So to get started with each one, we type in the ticker symbol of a company, then press the EQUITY (F8) key. Then follow this up by typing in the name of the function. Company Description The company description screen provides an overview of the company including its industry, current and historical price chart and data, recent searching and dividend data and other summary information. There are a total of 4 screens (press PG DOWN for additional screen). For example, assuming the target company is IBM, the command would be: IBM DES Bloomberg Historical Prices The HP function can be used to view a set of historical equity prices. For  example, assuming the target company is IBM, the command would be: IBM HP Bloomberg Graph Prices The GP function can be used to create a price graph of a security. Assuming the target company is IBM, the command would be: IBM GP Bloomberg Company News The CN function can be used to search for news articles mentioning a specific security. Assuming the target company is IBM, the command to search for news would be: IBM CN Bloomberg â€Å"Cheat Sheets† In addition to the help screens that Bloomberg provides, there are also â€Å"Cheat Sheets† – one or two page documents – that provide quick access to many of the different Bloomberg functions organized by asset type or by job function. To get started viewing Cheat sheets, use the function tt>CHEAT to bring up the screen: For example given the above CHEAT screen, click on the link 1) Getting Started to view the Getting Started cheat sheets as shown below: Clicking again on the 1) Getting Started link will display the actual cheat sheet for getting started. Various language versions are presented. Click on the link for the desired language and the two page PDF will be downloaded and open in Adobe Acrobat. Bloomberg Messaging System The last portion of the Getting Started tutorial video introduces the Bloomberg Messaging system. This is basically an e-mail system built into the Bloomberg software that allows you to send messages, screen captures and other materials to others on the Bloomberg network. To get started with the Bloomberg Messaging system, simply press the green MSG button or type in the function: MSG Messages are listed in the inbox – click on a message to view its contents. There is a yellow text box used to search for messages and buttons to create new messages, etc. Bloomberg News Essentials The Bloomberg News Essentials video is approximately 20 minutes long and focuses exclusively on the Bloomberg News functionality. Specific topics include drilling down from the top level news function N down through different news categories to specific news articles. Custom news searches, screens and alerts are also covered. When going through this material pay particular attention to how the Bloomberg news is organized and the various methods used to browse and search for news articles. The Bloomberg Top News Screen The video tutorial begins with a review of the BLoomberg Top News screen. To access Bloomberg Top News press the green NEWS key or type N or you can type TOP . The default top news screen shows top news world wide. There are a set of Topic heading along the left side in the gray colored sidebar. Clicking on any one of those topics narrows the news search down. Clicking on any news headline will bring up the full news article. Once the news story is displayed, it can be printed, bookmarked by clicking on the star icon (or option 91)), or forwarded to a colleague using the Send Story feature. These are shown in the upper right corner of the screen. If the news story has an attachment it will be available under the 97) selection. In this example there is a chart attached to the story. The search field is in the upper left corner and allows you to search for keywords within the story. Note that this story has 3 pages. By scrolling to the end of the story you can view a section of Related News and Information in addition to the author’s contact information. Customizing Top News The Top news screen can be customized to filter and display only those news headlines relevant to the user. For example, the Top News pages by including only relevant topics selected form the list of categories on the right as  shown here: Bloomberg News Advanced Search The Advanced Search feature can be used to build up a sophisticated search on Bloomberg news (beyond looking for simple keywords). From the Top News screen (N ), pull down the 97) Actions screen and click on the Create Advanced Search menu item. Searches can be saved and associated with alerts so that any new news article matching the advanced search criteria will be brought to your attention. For example, the advanced search below is set up to look for the phrases â€Å"Share Buyback† or â€Å"Stock Buyback† that appear in stories related to the Information technology and Telecommunications industries. The source of the news story should be Bloomberg News (BN). Bloomberg Launchpad Essentials The Bloomberg Launchpad is a graphical user interface that can be customized to create multiple screens or â€Å"Views† made up of market data, charts, news and other components. A view can consist of multiple pages that can be created, customized and saved. While going through this 30 minute video, it is easy to create your own Launchpad views along side the instructional video. Pay particular attention to the types of components (watch lists, news minder, etc.) that can be added to the Launchpad view and the different ways in which these components can be linked. For example, the Monitor (watch list) component has a number of ways in which individual and collections of securities can be added to the watch lists and then linked to other components such as News. Below is an example of a Bloomberg Launchpad view showing a number of different components (click for a larger image). A Market Monitor is in the upper left corner showing major market indexes for North America, Latin America (LATAM), Europe and Asia/Pacific. This monitor is linked to the News/Research pane below such that clicking on a market index will bring up Bloomberg News filtered for that specific index and region. The monitor is also linked to the line chart in the upper right corner so clicking on one of the indexes causes the chart to display. An Economic Calendar is displayed below the line chart showing historical economic indicator  releases. An intraday Market Map is displayed in the lower right corner and is also linked to the Market Monitor. The Market Map is an interactive map showing stocks by market capitalization broken down by industry and sector and colored according to their price gains (green) or losses (red) during the current trading day. Bloomberg API Essentials The Bloomberg API is a spreadsheet Add-in module for Microsoft Excel that provides various methods for bringing Bloomberg data directly into Excel. The Excel API video is the longest and probably the most detailed tutorial in the Essentials collection. Highlights of this 30 minute video include working with the different Wizards that are available to fetch different types of data. These wizards include: Data Navigation – Download data for a single security from a set of categories including Company Summary, Financial/Valuation, Consensus Estimates, Ownership, Peer Group Analysis, Options Credit and FX. Real-Time / Historical Navigation – Fetch real-time and historical market data including intraday and end-of-day data. Equity Screener – The Equities Screen feature allows you to screen stocks based on different criteria. Financials / Estimates – Provides the means to retrieve historical balance sheet and analyst estimates data. Technical Analysis navigator – Similar to the historical data wizard but includes a collection of technical analysis indicators. Ultimately given a description of the final data set required, you should be able to identify the appropriate Wizard to run and/or or Bloomberg Excel function to use to fetch that data. Other features described in the video are the Template Library which is a collection of pre-designed spreadsheets that can be further customized. Below is a picture of the Bloomberg Ribbon bar running in Microsoft Excel 2010. Bloomberg API – Data Navigation The Data Navigation wizard provides a convenient way to download a set of related data for a single security. After launching the wizard and selecting a security (Apple (AAPL) in this example), a list of categories are presented including Company Summary, Financial/Valuation, Consensus  Estimates, Ownership, Peer Group Analysis, Options Credit and FX as shown below: After navigating from Company Summary to Overview, the resulting data can be dropped into Excel using the â€Å"Drag to Excel† button as shown below: Bloomberg API – Real Time / Historical Data The Real Time / Historical data wizard provides a set of steps to ultimately create a formula (or set of formulas) in Excel that will fetch real-time data from the Bloomberg network or populate the spreadsheet with rows of historical data. The icon and drop down menus for the Import Data function are shown below: For example, the Real-Time/Current wizard prompts for a security (AAPL in this example) and then a set of fields (PX_LAST for last price, PX_BID for Bid Price and PX_ASK for Ask price were selected). the result is a set of three Bloomberg BDP functions (Bloomberg Data Point functions) that pull the data from the Bloomberg network into Excel as shown below (note the formula in cell B2): Additional Resources for the Bloomberg Excel API Bloomberg offers additional tutorials and other resources to help you learn even more about the API. An interactive Bloomberg Excel tutorial can launched using command function : XATP XAPI This tutorial launches MS Excel and provides a collection of example worksheets that document the various features of the Bloomberg Excel Add-in. Of particular interest are the large collection of BLoomberg-specific functions such as BDP, BDH, BDS, BCURVE, BEQS, and others. Bloomberg Equity Essentials The Bloomberg Equity Essentials video covers one of the four alternate Market Sectors for the Bloomberg Essentials program. This 35 minute video covers the main functions for researching equities (stocks) using the Bloomberg terminal. Bloomberg Fixed Income Essentials The Bloomberg Fixed Income Essentials video is 25 minute in duration and covers the main functions for searching and analyzing fixed income instruments such as corporate bonds, municipal bond and government treasuries. The Fixed Income video is one of four alternate Market Sector areas. Bloomberg Foreign Exchange (FX) Essentials The Bloomberg Foreign Exchange (FX) Essentials video is 35 minutes in length and covers various foreign exchange instruments such as spot FX, forwards, swaps and interest rate products. Bloomberg Commodities Essentials The Bloomberg Commodities Essentials covers the use of Bloomberg to monitor and analyze the spot and futures commodities markets. This video is 27 minutes long and represents one of the four alternate Market Sector specialties in the Bloomberg Essentials program. In the next pages I will provide some tips on taking the exams. Taking the Bloomberg Essentials Exams Once you have reviewed the four Core videos you will be eligible to take the Core Essentials exam. From the BESS screen click on the link to View and Take Exams. The Master Exams screen will appear as shown below: Usually the first exam to be taken will be the Core Essentials exam with Mnemonic COREESS. When you are ready to take the exam click on this link and the exam will launch. Taking the Bloomberg Essentials Core Exam When the Bloomberg Core Essentials (COREESS) exam launches it will present a notice about the grading policy for the exam. Note that the exam is not graded until answers to all 30 questions have been submitted. Pressing the Menu button will close this notice screen and the exam will start off with question number 1. Below is an example question and answer format (the actual question and answers have been obscured). Answering a question is a two step process: First click on your answer choices, and then click on the red Submit button at the bottom of the screen. You cannot proceed to the next question until the current question is submitted. Note also that the entire exam’s answers are not checked until the last question is submitted. Continue answering questions and Submitting answers until you reach the last (30th) question. Bloomberg University Bloomberg University is a collection of help and documentation guides along with schedules and sign-up sheets for Bloomberg training events. To access Bloomberg University use the code BU to bring up the screen: Of particular interest to new Bloomberg users are the various â€Å"Cheat Sheets† – one or two page documents that provide quick access to many of the different Bloomberg functions. TO get started viewing Cheat sheets, use the code CHEAT to bring up the screen: For example given the above CHEAT screen, click on the link 1) Getting Started to view the Getting Started cheat sheets as shown below: Clicking again on the 1) Getting Started link will display the actual cheat sheet for getting started. Various language versions are presented. Click on the link for the desired language and the two page PDF will be downloaded and open in Adobe Acrobat. Conclusions In this series of posts I have covered a very basic introduction to Bloomberg including creating your own Bloomberg account and going through the Bloomberg Essentials training.

New Technological Advances within the Police Department

New Technological Advances within the Police Department Mytown Police Department is one of the beneficiaries of a federal grant. The grant aims at upgrading the equipment and technology used in the organization. According to the parameters used in the grant process, it is obligatory that the organization should use novel equipment in promoting decision making and operations in the organization.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on New Technological Advances within the Police Department specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As the Deputy Chief, I am tasked with the responsibility of identifying novel technological advances, which are in agreement with the grant criteria. Moreover, the technologies should enable the organization to develop and grow. This paper aims at identifying three novel technological advances, which are linked to criminal justice. Moreover, there will be a detailed explanation of the use of these technologies, as well as their benefits. More specifically, there will be a keen focus on how the technologies will enhance and inform strategic and operational decisions. Technological Advances Technology possesses a huge transformational power within the criminal justice sector. Evidently, the revolution of technology, which is being noted in every sector, is not an exception in the criminal justice department. The criminal justice system cannot avoid technology. The technology is taking place at a relatively fast pace (Pattavina, 2004). For instance, police officers put on bullet proof vests routinely. Community groups possess the capability of establishing crime incidences via the utilization of complex computerized crime diagrams. This paper will discuss three technologies; DNA technology, information technology, and drug testing technology. Detailed Explanation on How the Technologies will be used DNA technology DNA technology has become increasingly significant in the criminal justice system. It has greatly led to escalated levels of fairne ss and accuracy within the system. DNA is increasingly being utilized in criminal identification. This is achieved with unbelievable accuracy. This is in cases where there is existence of biological evidence, and DNA is the selected option for clearing suspects and exonerating individuals, who were convicted or accused mistakenly for particular criminal activities (Lazer, 2004). DNA technology has a major role in post- conviction review (the court’s science) and assisting investigators. The biologic centrality involved in DNA ensures that potential and actual forensic applications are exceptionally relevant and powerful.Advertising Looking for essay on criminal law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For effective use of DNA technology, it is necessary that there is adequate backing, training, and funding. Support should be given to judges, defense lawyers, prosecutors, victim service providers, medical professio nals, police, and local, state, and federal forensic labs. Creating knowledge to these groups of people will ensure that the technology is used maximally in missing persons’ identification, protecting innocent individuals, and solving crimes. There are numerous cases involving missing people and unidentified human remains, which can be solved effectively through the use of DNA technology. There are several measures which can ensure a convincing and secure environment for DNA. Majority of the specialists who deal with criminal justice need sufficient support and training, in regard to the utilization and acquisition of DNA evidence. Moreover, there is a need for stimulating research and coming up with novel DNA advances and technologies in the area. Hrechak and McHugh (1990) argue that crime laboratories need improvement for effective analysis of samples. Information Technology Information technology advances have contributed significantly in crime deterrence and detection, in regard to criminal activities. There is a need for decision makers within the system to learn the various mechanism involved in information technology. These involve the implementation, evaluation, and acquisition of novel information solutions. This is an extremely vital aspect in a system, where the public funds’ accountability and effectiveness in IT solutions’ implementation cannot be underrated. Therefore, comprehensive awareness creation is essential so as to avoid unrealistic expectations, as far as equipment performance is concerned. Information technology is directly connected to cybercrime and its impacts on the society. Policing agencies use fake websites and honeypots to track and catch sexual predators. Moreover, information technology is used to improve retailers’ websites, which hinders hacking. This is usually achieved without interfering with how effectively customers use it. In addition, there is the aspect of design and utilization of technol ogically advanced products, for instance Clipper Chip, which can enable the government unscramble encrypted files. It is worth emphasizing that there is need for the balance between privacy and information accessibility.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on New Technological Advances within the Police Department specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Drug Testing Technology Urinalysis is the key testing methodology in the entire system. Drug testing is carried out in the entire criminal justice system stages. These stages include parole, probation, incarceration, arrest, and pretrial phase. Drug testing is carried out for a number of reasons (Cole, Smith DeJong, 2012). The first reason is informing judges about sentencing and bail- setting. For instance, if an individual tests positive for drugs during arrest, there may be pretrial release and consequent drug tests. If the next drug test turns out negative, the bail could be revoked. A drug test could also indicate if all the necessary conditions and rules were adhered to. In cases where a defendant is monitored at every stage, a drug test can act as the proof that the individual is drug free. The results obtained can be used as evidence during the revocation hearings. It is worth noting that drugs tests are useful in prisons for assessing the prevalence of drug abuse in rehabilitation facilities. Drug tests are also imperative in identifying the individuals who require drug rehabilitation. The tests are vital for persons being monitored for drug treatment. In the criminal justice arena, urinalysis is carried out through chromatography and immunoassays. Antibodies are principal in identifying drugs in urine. The specimen is consequently compared using a calibrator. The calibrator has a certain amount of the drug being tested. A positive drug test is indicated by an equal or greater specimen compared to the calibrator. On the other hand, a negative test has a lower specimen compared to the calibrator. In chromatography, the procedures used are meant to recognize and isolate the specimen’s components. In urinalysis, mass spectrometry and gas chromatography are considered are the legally defensible procedures. In addition to the procedures discussed, there is saliva, hair, and blood analysis. However, these are rarely used in the criminal justice system, as they are exceptionally expensive and have insufficient development of technology. Benefits (Enhancing and Informing Strategic and Operational Decisions) It is worth emphasizing that DNA technology has been extremely beneficial in exonerating the innocent. According to Berger (2006), this is usually achieved through post- conviction testing. It is imperative that keen measures are put in place, because exoneration does not always imply innocence. The fact that the DNA from a defendant is absent on significant evidence, does not always mean that no crime was committed. For in stance, there might have been sexual assault but no ejaculation. The evidence’s context is considered the principal thing in comprehending DNA results.Advertising Looking for essay on criminal law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is worth pointing out that technology should not be considered as the driving force towards transformation. On the contrary, it should be seen as the agent for criminal justice transformation. This should be accomplished in a way that promotes the department’s ability to curb crime. This is in addition to the desire to promote justice through ways which agree with the community’s democratic values. Singer, Miller and Adya (2007) assert that iinformation technology can be extremely beneficial in community policing. There is a need for solid partnerships between police departments and the information technology industry. This will enhance novel science to promote reforms in community policing. A positive drug test indicates that the individual in mentioned abused drugs. However, there is a need to come up with procedures through which the drug dosage, time of drug administration, method of administration, and the level of impairment caused can be determined. It is the refore evident that drug testing is useful in the criminal justice system in that it assists in decision making and operational procedures. A negative drug test indicates that an individual is innocent, and he might be consequently released. In essence, drug technology, information technology, and drug testing technology are extremely vital in the criminal justice system. They are vital in regard to decision making and operations. Therefore, every expert in the field should possess the skills to use these technologies. References Berger, M. A. (2006). The impact of DNA exonerations on the criminal justice system. The Journal of Law, Medicine Ethics, 34(2), 320-327. Cole, G. F., Smith, C. E., DeJong, C. (2012). The American system of criminal justice. Wadsworth Publishing Company. Hrechak, A. K., McHugh, J. A. (1990). Automated fingerprint recognition using structural matching. Pattern Recognition, 23(8), 893-904. Lazer, D. (2004). DNA and the criminal justice system: The technolo gy of justice. The MIT Press. Pattavina, A. (Ed.). (2004). Information technology and the criminal justice system. SAGE Publications, Incorporated. Singer, J. A., Miller, M. K., Adya, M. (2007). Impact of DNA and Other Technology on the Criminal Justice System: Improvements and Complications, The. Alb. LJ Sci. Tech., 17, 87.

The Dangers of Ecstasy essays

The Dangers of Ecstasy essays Ecstasy is becoming one of the most widely used drugs in America. In fact, 35% of teenagers say that Ecstasy is easy to get(1, Drug Dangers). In a 1998 MTF study, 5.1% of 10th graders and 5.8% of 12th graders had used ecstasy at least once within the past year(2, Drug Dangers). Ecstasy is the street name for the drug MDMA or 3, 4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine(3, Designer Drugs). It is also called X, E, XTC, Adam, lovers speed, and essence(4, Designer Drugs). Ecstasy was originally developed by a German chemical company in 1912(5, Designer Drugs). It was originally intended to be a diet pill, but it is not known if it was ever used as one(6, Designer Drugs). In 1965, Ecstasy was brought into use once more by Alexander Shulgin. He and a group of fellow psychiatrists used it during psychotherapy to promote openness, empathy and awareness(7, Designer Drugs). Between 1977 and 1985, approximately  ½ million doses of Ecstasy were used for treatment of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and rape-related trauma(8, IBB). In the early 80s, Ecstasy began to make its way onto college campuses and into nightclubs, however, at the time, the drug was still legal(9, Designer Drugs). In 1985, the Drug Enforcement Agency banned Ecstasy(10, Designer Drugs). It wa s then placed in the most restrictive category of illegal drugs because tests had shown that it might cause brain damage (11, Designer Drugs). Ecstasy is most widely used at raves huge gatherings with trance music, special lighting effects, and lots of dancing(12, Designer Drugs). It is also used at parties, at concerts, and with small groups of friends(13, Drug Dangers). Ecstasy is used for many of the same things that amphetamines are used for primarily activities that require motivation, concentration, energy or creativity. Doing homework, writing, studying,...

Presidential Pardons essays

Presidential Pardons essays The President of the United States has many powers, of them the power to pardon is perhaps one of the most controversial powers he posses. Throughout history the pardon has played an important part in political and perhaps financial support for Presidents. Previously Presidents have been accused of abusing the pardon. Although extremely controversial at times, the presidential pardon is an important part of U.S. government. The U.S. constitution gives the President of the United States the power to grant pardons under Article II Section 2, and is stated as such. The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. This is extended into 4 main types of pardons. Absolute pardon, a pardon that releases the wrongdoer from punishment and restores the offender's civil rights without qualification. Also termed full pardon, unconditional pardon. Conditional pardon, a pardon that does not become effective until the wrongdoer satisfied a prerequisite or that will be revoked upon the o ccurrence of some specified act. General pardon, a pardon extended by the government to a group or class or persons, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of persons who are subject to trial but have not been convicted.... Unlike an ordinary pardon, amnesty is usually addressed to crimes against state sovereignty - that is, to political offenses with respect to which forgiveness is deemed more expedient for the public welfare than prosecution and punis ...

The Reform Program of John Calvin in the City of Geneva Comparing it Research Paper

The Reform Program of John Calvin in the City of Geneva Comparing it with either the Enlish or the Catholic Reformation - Research Paper Example When the Religious tension raised up and took a dangerous course Calvin fled to Basel in Switzerland where he published his first book â€Å"The Institute of the Christian Religion† in 1936. In the following year, he was hired to help reform the Church in Geneva. He was expelled from his duty but he continued his efforts for reform and soon he was called to take over his duties back and lead the church. On his return to his duties, he made several prominent changes in church government and Liturgy regardless of some influential families who were against his policies. Calvin suffered harassment and criticism but remained focused on his mission of improving and bringing in new reforms. In his way, he was supported by the refugees during the election of city council. Calvin tried hard and did his best to promote new reforms both in Geneva and Europe. Calvin’s reforms and ideology is known as Calvinism. CALVINISM: Calvinism is all about doctrine of Predestination and absolu te sovereignty of God which is greatly influenced by Augustinian. (Thomas, 1963) The theology of Calvinism was infused in Europe in 16th century, which is based on five basic reforms, which is recalled by an acrostic TULIP: T: Total Depravity explains that mankind has no power to choose right or wrong paths as people are all helplessly sinners and only God can choose them for the right path. Catholics preaches that this mankind has free will and can choose between right and wrong path, God has given a liberty to people to choose the way they want and will be rewarded accordingly (Steele, 1963). U: Unconditional Election states that People who go to heaven is not because of their good deeds or faith but they were unconditionally chosen by God to be sent to heaven and the rest are lost forever. Catholics says that it is the faith that lived and exists and people will be rewarded in regard of their deeds. L: Limited Atonement says that Jesus gave his life for specific sins of selected people, who will ultimately go to heaven and the God has already chosen people for heaven. Catholicism teaches that Jesus sacrificed his life for all mankind regardless of any favor to specific people and people have to believe it without any doubt. I: Irresistible Grace explains that whoever is selected by God will get the virtue of knowledge of God and the elected person cannot resist the call. Catholicism says that Grace is a divine gift for all mankind but people can resist the call. P: Perseverance of the Saints states that the one who received the call of communion will remain in that state until reach heaven, it is impossible for any person to lose his Salvation. Catholicism says that as human we are all sinful and somehow make mistakes but God is there to forgive and deliver us in heaven. All these five points were strongly condemned by the Roman Catholic Church and they present different view or interpretation of the verses of Gospel from which Calvin supported and spread h is own perceptions. There are different theologies over same verses but the interpretation completely differs to what Calvin tried to prove. ARMINIANSM: (Stanglin, 2009) Armenian theology also has some conflicts with what Calvin’s reforms say. Armenians rejects the idea of predestination and it says that a person is not

Financing the Short Term Obligations Coursework

Financing the Short Term Obligations - Coursework Example Body Paragraphs Task 1 Short term financing is vital for any kind of business in order to meet its financial necessities in a short period of time. Consequently, there are various sources of attaining short term debts. However, the four primary sources of short term finance available to any business comprise of Trade Credit, Bank Credit, Customers’ Advances and Commercial Paper. Trade Credit implies the allowance of credit businesses by the providers of raw materials and other equipment. In this type of financing, though no cash is allotted to the business, but it is given the permission to holdup the payment for the goods up to the extinction of the credit. Bank Credit is another significant source of short term financing which allows businesses to draw credit at once or in phases. There are various sub-categories of Bank Credit such as Loans, Cash Credit, Overdraft and Discounting of Bill. The third short term financing source is Customers’ Advances in which businesse s ask customers to pay a part of their payment in advance. This is often the case when orders are large as it facilitates the company to overcome its short-term necessities (World Academy Online, 2011). The fourth source is Commercial Paper, which is a short term unsecured obligation set out by a large company to investors, with the purpose of financing its immediate needs of inventories and other materials. Maturities on such papers do not exceed 270 days and the interest rate is usually less than that offered in bank loans. Since it is not a secured instrument of debt, therefore it is only acceptable if issued by credible organizations (Kacperczyk, 2010) Task 2 1. McDonald as well as Burger King have financed their short term needs and requirements largely through Bank Credits and Trade Credits. Both the companies have been borrowing capital from banks to buy inventories and goods which are needed urgently. They have also utilized the facility of Trade Credit through their supplie rs. In case of Burger King, short term obligations form around half of the total liabilities, indicating significant dependence on short term financing (Burger King Holdings Inc, 2012). In contrast to Burger King, McDonald’s short term obligations form around 33% of its total liabilities (McDonald’s Corporation, 2012) 2. Burger King Liquidity Ratios 1. Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities (2011) = 434,000,000 / 473,000,000 =0.91 x 2. Quick / Acid Test Ratio = (Current Assets – Inventory) / Current Liabilities (2011) = (434,000,000 – 15,400,000)/ 473,000,000 = 0.88 x Efficiency Ratios 3. Debtor Days = Account Receivables / (Sales/360) (2011) = 138,100,000 / (2,502,200,000/360) = 19.87 days 4. Creditor Days = Accounts Payable / (Sales/360) (2011) = (106,900,000) / (2,502,200,000/360) = 15.38 days 5. Stock Turnover Days = (Inventory x 360) / Cost of Goods Sold (2011) = (15,400,000 x 360) / 1,614,800,000 = 3.43 days McDonald Liquidity Ratios 6 . Current Ratio = Current Assets / Current Liabilities (2011) = 4,368,500,000 / 2,924,700,000 = 1.49 x 7. Quick / Acid Test Ratio = (Current Assets – Inventory) / Current Liabilities (2011) = (4,368,500,000 – 109,900,000) / 2,924,700,000 = 1.46 x Efficiency Ratios 8. Debtor Days = Account Receivables / (Sales/360) (2011) = 1,179,100,000 / (27,006,000,000/360) = 15.71 days 9. Creditor Days = Accounts Payable / (Sales/360) (2011) = (943,900,000)/ (27,006,000,000/

Personal reading journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal reading journal - Essay Example The plot would not be comprehensible if we would not have been shown the distinct features of the characters in the story. The writers then proceed to let us know some real but fictional background of these creatures. That is to mean it exist in the history of the world but cannot be proven. Therefore, they play a key part in the relevance of the story. The characters I think must however be complimented by the dialogue for the story to make sense. Without the dialogue, we would not understand the actions of the characters. The actions are very important for they help us in making judgments about the characters. For instance, we would not appreciated the heroic effort of the humankind in fight with the zombie and ensure its continuity without the words (Max and Roberson, 98). In addition, the setting of the whole story is not a trivial matter. Actually, the setting gives the story a meaning and the reader an interest to read. In fact, it is what makes such a horrific book a comic. The relationships amongst these artistic tools are mutual and will always make a book a journal complete. For example, in the ‘Recorded Attack’ it is used to drive point home to the readers’ mind, sometimes without the reader realizing their formal use in fictional stories. In my opinion, this reveals how one can creatively interlink these minute devices to deliver a brilliant story. The movie ‘Night of the Living Dead’ is almost analogous to the story of Recorded Attacks. The characters are also the same but the setting and actions are not equal. Therefore, this makes a big difference in terms of defining the relationship between these artistic works. This is a horror movie by George Romero that, funnily enough, was originally, written as a comic book. The movie is about ‘ghouls’ or zombies that are affected by a certain substance that make them ‘undead’ (Romero, 2002). They equally affect healthy people leading to the wide

History of American Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History of American Economics - Essay Example The US economy has overthrown all other economies since then and is ever-growing with the passage of time. A brief chart is given below for further understanding. Table 1: RAILROAD MILEAGE INCREASE BY GROUPS OF STATES 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 New England 2,507 3,660 4,494 5,982 6,831 Middle States 3,202 6,705 10,964 15,872 21,536 Southern States 2,036 8,838 11,192 14,778 29,209 Western States and Territories 1,276 11,400 24,587 52,589 62,394 Pacific States and Territories 23 1,677 4,080 9,804 TOTAL USA 9,021 30,626 52,914 93,301 129,774 SOURCE: Chauncey M. Depew (ed.), One Hundred Years of American Commerce 1795-1895 p 111 (Source Wikipedia) The independent yeoman farmer continued to exist, particularly in New England and the middle colonies, but most settled land in North America by 1750 was devoted to the cultivation of a cash crop. New England turned its land over to the raising of meat products for export. The middle colonies were the principal producers of grains. By 1700 Philadelphia exported more than 350,000 bushels of wheat and more than 18,000 tons of flour annually. The Southern colonies were, of course, even more closely tied to the cash crop system. South Carolina, aided by British incentives, turned to the production of rice and indigo. North Carolina, although less oriented toward the market economy than South Carolina, was nevertheless one of the principal suppliers of naval stores. Virginia and Maryland steadily increased their economic dependence on tobacco and on the London merchants who purchased that tobacco; and for the most part they ignored those who recommended that they diversify their economie s by turning part of their land over to the cultivation of wheat. Their near-total dependence upon the world tobacco price would ultimately prove disastrous, but for most of the 18th century Virginia and Maryland soil remained productive enough to make a single-crop system reasonably useful. As America evolved from subsistence to commercial agriculture, an influential commercial class increased its power in nearly every colony. Boston was the centre of the merchant elite of New England, who not only dominated economic life but also wielded social and political power as well.. And it is clear that the commercial importance of the colonies was increasing. During the years 1700-10, approximately 265,000 sterling was exported annually to Great Britain from the colonies, with roughly the same amount being imported by the Americans from Great Britain. By the decade 1760-70, that figure had risen to more than 1,000,000 sterling of goods exported annually to Great Britain and 1,760,000 annually imported from Great Britain. (Source Britannica encyclopedia) Situation now days The United States of America holds the honor of world's greatest economic power in terms of gross national product (GNP) and is among the greatest powers in terms of GNP per capita. The nation's wealth is partly a reflection of its rich natural resources. With only 5 percent of the world's population, the United States produces nearly one-fifth of the world's output of coal, copper, and crude petroleum. The agricultural sector produces nearly one-half of the world's corn (maize); nearly one-fifth of its beef, pork, mutton, and lamb; and more than one-tenth of its wheat.

Multinational corporation have great postive effects on developing Essay

Multinational corporation have great postive effects on developing countries - Essay Example Their investment in developing nations have improved the material well being of the people in these nations through access to better goods or services and improved wages. Studies conducted by the OECD reveal that developing nations tend to receive higher wages from multinationals than their local counterparts. The OECD report found that a person working for a multinational is likely to earn 40% more wages than their counterparts in local firms. This is especially true for workers in Latin America and Asia. MNCs are motivated by the need to retain more workers in order to reduce turnover costs (OECD 44). Not all such organisations intend to pay workers more for similar work. Instead, they do so because the nature of industries they invest in is capital intensive. Additionally, a number of them have fairly large operations which may require committed employees. It is for this reason that they tend to pay better rewards to workers than their peers in firms within the same industry. Irrespective of their motivations, the end result is better earnings (Dunning and Sairanna 5). Analyses conducted in developing nations concerning how wages change over time after foreign direct investment show that wages may increase by close to 20%. Indonesia enjoyed a 19% increase in wage labour owing to foreign acquisitions of local firms. The increase emanated from the use of modern techniques of production. Parent companies in the first world already had the technical expertise needed to enhance production. Therefore, workers accumulated new skills that were eventually used as a precursor for better pay (Hijzen and Swaim 8). If a person moves from a locally-owned firm to a foreign-owned one in a country like Brazil, they are likely to enjoy a 21% increase in earnings. The OECD Employment outlook report also shows that those who make the same transition in a country like Portugal can enjoy increases of about 14%. It is for this reason that many third world countries seem to be so

History of American Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

History of American Economics - Essay Example The US economy has overthrown all other economies since then and is ever-growing with the passage of time. A brief chart is given below for further understanding. Table 1: RAILROAD MILEAGE INCREASE BY GROUPS OF STATES 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 New England 2,507 3,660 4,494 5,982 6,831 Middle States 3,202 6,705 10,964 15,872 21,536 Southern States 2,036 8,838 11,192 14,778 29,209 Western States and Territories 1,276 11,400 24,587 52,589 62,394 Pacific States and Territories 23 1,677 4,080 9,804 TOTAL USA 9,021 30,626 52,914 93,301 129,774 SOURCE: Chauncey M. Depew (ed.), One Hundred Years of American Commerce 1795-1895 p 111 (Source Wikipedia) The independent yeoman farmer continued to exist, particularly in New England and the middle colonies, but most settled land in North America by 1750 was devoted to the cultivation of a cash crop. New England turned its land over to the raising of meat products for export. The middle colonies were the principal producers of grains. By 1700 Philadelphia exported more than 350,000 bushels of wheat and more than 18,000 tons of flour annually. The Southern colonies were, of course, even more closely tied to the cash crop system. South Carolina, aided by British incentives, turned to the production of rice and indigo. North Carolina, although less oriented toward the market economy than South Carolina, was nevertheless one of the principal suppliers of naval stores. Virginia and Maryland steadily increased their economic dependence on tobacco and on the London merchants who purchased that tobacco; and for the most part they ignored those who recommended that they diversify their economie s by turning part of their land over to the cultivation of wheat. Their near-total dependence upon the world tobacco price would ultimately prove disastrous, but for most of the 18th century Virginia and Maryland soil remained productive enough to make a single-crop system reasonably useful. As America evolved from subsistence to commercial agriculture, an influential commercial class increased its power in nearly every colony. Boston was the centre of the merchant elite of New England, who not only dominated economic life but also wielded social and political power as well.. And it is clear that the commercial importance of the colonies was increasing. During the years 1700-10, approximately 265,000 sterling was exported annually to Great Britain from the colonies, with roughly the same amount being imported by the Americans from Great Britain. By the decade 1760-70, that figure had risen to more than 1,000,000 sterling of goods exported annually to Great Britain and 1,760,000 annually imported from Great Britain. (Source Britannica encyclopedia) Situation now days The United States of America holds the honor of world's greatest economic power in terms of gross national product (GNP) and is among the greatest powers in terms of GNP per capita. The nation's wealth is partly a reflection of its rich natural resources. With only 5 percent of the world's population, the United States produces nearly one-fifth of the world's output of coal, copper, and crude petroleum. The agricultural sector produces nearly one-half of the world's corn (maize); nearly one-fifth of its beef, pork, mutton, and lamb; and more than one-tenth of its wheat.

Research Methods - Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research Methods - Critique - Essay Example A critique of the research proves that the study is well directed so as to arrive at the hypothesis and thus contains remarkable strength needed for an authoritative study. However, certain oddities and speculation in the way towards the findings point to specific weaknesses of the research in methods and approaches used. The empirical study is based on a well-defined theoretical framework and its finding that approves the merit of the hypothesis. The loose ends of the study result mainly derive from the inadequacy of the relevant data in general, and that of the Netherlands in particular, where sociological factors limit the findings of the study. The speculative nature of the finding towards the end of the study constrains the appeal of the empirical result. There is a great relevance to this type of research and the objectives of the study prove this point. The research contributes to the study of complementarities among HR dimensions and the selection of Ireland and the Netherlands for data collection, where no such studies are conducted, also proves to be its strength. The introduction states the hypothesis clearly and illustrates the significance of the study. The hypothesis is logically presented, leading to the empirical analysis of the study. As the authors of Research Paper Handbook instruct the researcher, â€Å"Your thesis will show the special nature of your paper.† (Lester Jr & Lester Sr 2005). The paper clearly establishes the thesis that â€Å"the high performance HR management system is the most effective form of the HR management in enhancing the performance of the employees,† with the research method used. It also succeeds in emphasizing that â€Å"this superior effectiveness in part is derived from a com plementarities among the five HR dimensions.† (Horgan & Muhlau 2006). The clarification added for the ineffectiveness of the theory in the Netherlands almost satisfies the finding of the study. The authors provide relevant reasons

Burton Snowboards Essay Example for Free

Burton Snowboards Essay Burton create utility for people who would like to enjoy a different type of activity in the snowing environment: †¢ Form utility: Burton took the idea of building the snowboard from snurfer which use to be received as a toy modify its concept to create a snowboard that can be perceived as a winter sport activity. †¢ Time utility: Burton’s snowboards products are available for people who enjoy snowboarding during the winter and snowing season which are suitable for snowboarding in ski mountains. Place utility: Burton made alliance with ski resorts to provide he snowboarding activity in ski mountains when the customers want to try different kind of winter sport. †¢ Ownership utility: Burton snowboard sells snowboard for the customers who like snowboarding activity around the world through a network of 3000 dealers sells the product. How can event marketing help Burton expand the customer base for its products? Burton conducts event marketing to allow people to try out the products for free; this will give the people to have an actual experience of the product and the activity that stays in the people’s memory, also the old customers can be invited and can give testimonies for the people about the product this is a good way to deliver the message about the product and increase the awareness as well. Burton runs about 400 demos around the word, these demos can maximize the audience involvement and interaction, so people remember and recall the product later at the time of buying. Suggest additional ways Burton snowboards marketers can use the Internet to more effectively build relationships and market their products? Burton snowboard can use the email newsletters to communicate with the existent customer and interested customers as well. It helps to provide an update about the company’s events and new products introduced. Customers will be kept updated about the company occasionally about the latest news, announcements or promotions. Blog is a great tool to provide two ways communications with the customers and people that share similar interests; Burton can recruit bloggers to write blogs about the events and products or any articles about the industry, and let the people response to them and share their ideas and inquiries. Burtons can join famous social network such as Facebook and twitter and allow many fans to join them this will enable burtons to update their fans about the event, offers, products, services and discuss related matters between fans. Relationship marketing is key to Burton’s success. Suggest two or three steps that the firm should be consider taking during the next five years to further enhance its relationships with the consumers and ski resorts? Burtons should take advantage of the best technology to easily keep track of business partners and customers preferences; this will help to identify key sales processes and provide ideas about the marketing plans for the existent customers and partners. Burtons should invest in its employees, training them to develop their interpersonal skills to deal with practical details of customers and their ability to handle complains and problems in order to exceed customer expectations about the services quality presented. Burtons can provide some sort of loyalty program for the existent customers to reward and motivate them to deal more with the company; this will enhance their relationship with the company and retain them at a lower cost of marketing.

British Petroleum Green Marketing Business Essay

British Petroleum Green Marketing Business Essay Introduction The essay is based on the marketing practises of British Petroleum (BP) in relation to their corporate social responsibility and the suitability of its marketing mixes application in society. The question asked is Green and fair trade marketing are just marketing ploys to get more money from consumers without really furthering the goals of sustainability or fairer trade? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the way in which an organisation expresses its values and ethical behaviour towards its stakeholders and society. Further, in light of public scrutiny and questioning; it is imperative to establish what exactly green marketing in relation to businesses CSR is and what it is doing in business today, especially in BP an oil company. After investigating BP promotional elements of its marketing mix. I watched a green advertisement; it begins with a lush green healthy forest with water dripping and sparkling from the tips of their leaves. In a distance a bird singing in the morning air, a man appear I believe is an environmentalist. The man is protecting the animal within the lush forest and the as the advertisement continues, I learn that the man works for an oil company called BP and I learn further how BP is doing such a wonderful job protecting the environment. However lets investigate BP profoundly. The company started in 1908 under company called Anglo-Persian, when oil found in a rugged part of Persia from explorer George Reynolds and British investor William DArcy. Over the next few decades, gas and electricity would largely replace kerosene for home heating; the invention of gasoline-fuelled vehicles would challenge the railways and roads. These social changes would open a door to the growth of Anglo-Persian and expand its sales both in Britain and in mainland Europe. In 1954, the Anglo-Persian board changed the companys name to The British Petroleum Company www.bp.com/sectiongenericarticle. Downloaded 14-09-10. Today BP has transformed; growing from a local oil company into a global energy group. Employing over 80,000 people and operating in over 100 countries worldwide with brands such as Aral, Arco, Castrol and Wild Bean Cafà © under the BP umbrella. In 2009 financially BP had a very good year where the company made  £13,955 billion pre net profit, see appendix for full financial review. In their CSR; BP had these core values; BP pledge to help the world meet its growing need for heat, light and mobility. They strive to do that by producing energy that is affordable, secure and doesnt damage the environment. BP is progressive, responsible, innovative and performance driven see appendix for CSR and suitability reports. Progressive: We believe in the principle of mutual advantage and build productive relationships with each other, our partners and our customers. Responsible: We are committed to the safety and development of our people and the communities and societies in which we operate. We aim for no accidents, no harm to people and no damage to the environment. Innovative: We push boundaries today and create tomorrows breakthroughs through our people and technology Performance driven: We deliver on our promises through continuous improvement and safe, reliable operations. Using Hennison and Kinnear (1976) ecological marketing concept; BP emphasizes environmental issues with geographic focus for example climate change. The basis of their green marketing campaigns is using evidence of current environmental issues and environmental views with business interaction. BP focuses on the interrelationship between business society and the environment within their marketing mixes and sustainability reports. BP saves the day Over the last few decade environmental concerns has given raise to a green consumer with increasing demands, this has led to the emergence of green marketing, which attempts to balance the pursuit of sales and profit with a concern for the environment and society. According to Prothero (1990) defines green marketing as The holistic management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying the needs of customers and society, in a profitable and sustainable way(Responsible business marketing. PG 115) Today consumers worldwide expect large companies with recognizable brands such as BP to have first-class environmental and social credentials or their brand image could suffer from the negative publicity. Ignoring social and consumers demands for high-quality ethical practices can destroy customers trust and can lead to government legislations being imposed within Archie Carroll (1979) pyramid of legal responsibilities. Incorporating ethics and sustainability programmes can enhance and build public reputation, which can increase market share, costs savings and profits worldwide. Thus sustainability is the foundation of the green marketing concept which has 2 simple criteria which are about consumption and pollution. Using BP sustainability report which is accessible on their website this is how BP meets this criteria bp.com/sustainability Using natural resources at a rate at which environmental systems or human activity can replenish them (Responsible business marketing. PG 116) Using BP marketing mixes; BPs product produces fuel, energy and funds research into environmentally friendly fuel this illustrates the innovative and progressive element of their valves which strives to reduce the use and dependence on fossil fuel by society. Additionally, this helps reduce global warming through research techniques such as fuel with lower carbon monoxide that helps reduce the carbon emissions responsible for adverse climate changes beneficial to all living creatures on earth. Producing pollution and waste at a rate which can be absorbed by environmental systems without impairing their viability (Responsible business marketing. PG 116) As a producer of oil; BP does not overproduce fuel, as it benefits financially from a stable price within the profit and market share elements of the business. Within their organisation, BP has become more conscientious and develops strategies that centralize deliveries into larger but less frequent loads by improving vehicle utilisation with the use of eco friendly trucks which has less carbon foot print. This is an illustration of the place elements with the marketing mix, the performance-driven and responsible elements of their values. BP is a voluntary member and committed to (OCIMF) Oil Companies International Marine Forum for the past 23 years which they aim to reduce marine pollution. http://www.ocimf.com/ downloaded 18-09-10. Vandermerwe and Oliff (1990) found that in response to the green challenge; 92% of businesses had changed their product offerings with 85% changes in their production systems and 78% had changed the focus of their marketing communications and BP is no expectation to this survey (Responsible business marketing. PG 115) BP over the last few decades has risen to the green challenge. They have change their product offering by investing $4 billion in alternative energy, with its activity focused on advanced bio-fuels, wind business in the US, solar power, and carbon capture and storage (bp.com/speeches downloaded 18-09-10). The company has responded from the Copenhagen conference on climate change 2009 by reducing carbon emissions from their factories, vehicles and promoting the use of natural gas. In addition; BP work sensitively around plants and animals which is integral part of their efforts to manage environmental impacts; such as in Canadian Beaufort Sea where the use of sound techniques to mitigate the potential impact of sound on marine mammals. The company focuses on education with investments in science resources in UK classrooms to supporting for Chinas Tsinghua University in building strengths in management education. In Trinidad Tobago the company is promoting community development by building schools, hospitals, providing training to local residents on reproductive health and personal hygiene which created a drop in malaria prevalence from 23% in 2000 to less than 1% in 2009 www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/e_s_assets/e_s_assets_2009/downloads_pdfs/bp_sustainability_review_2009.pdfHYPERLINK http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/e_s_assets/e_s_assets_2009/downloads_pdfs/bp_sustainability_review_2009.pdfand downloaded 19-09-10and downloaded 19-09-10 and by employment of local staff. Villagers have been assisted to create better livelihoods in activities such as fishing and farming through training and better equipment provided by BP. BP has capitalised on these sustainability achievements and has involved them into the promotional elements of their marketing mix. Their brand image focuses on being an eco friendly company, with an emphasis on quality and environmentally friendly fuel. Plus their Partnership with Virgin has supported the Africa Eden Project. www.edenproject.com/documents/Annual_Review_06_07.pdf downloaded 19-09-10 . BP the biggest environmental crimes in history BP aims to be the leading environmentally friendly producer and supplier with eco friendly petrol and gas. BP has a strong CSR and sustainability policies and has become more ethically and socially aware with the realisation of customers and stakeholders needs and expectations from the company. However, a more in depth analysis indicates that BP advertisements and public relations within its marketing mixes are designed to make it look more environmentally friendly than it actually is. The term is called green washing This phenomenon of making small environmental concessions while otherwise continuing business (Responsible business marketing. PG 45) According to the Advertising Standards Agency; the raise of this phenomenon is becoming a very serious problem and have adopted new guideline to curve this new trend. The Advertising Standards Authority has seen a huge rise in the number of complaints about environmental claims in advertisements. Their consumer research has shown that awareness of green issues is high, but there is also confusion and a lack of basic understanding about environmental and ethical claims and what they really mean. http://asa.org.uk/ downloaded 23-09-10 This is because profit and the interests of the shareholders always seen to come first before the environment. In comparison; BPs sustainability report to its actions. In July 2000, BP launched a massive $200 million public relations and advertising campaign with  the new slogan and name change Beyond Petroleum. It changed its logo to a green and yellow sun and claimed to be a greener business. In 2005, a fire and explosion occurred at BP Texas City Refinery, killing 15 workers and injuring more than 170 others, its claims to have safety as one of its highest priorities. BP was charged with criminal violations of federal environmental laws and has been subject to lawsuits from the victims families. BP had a  £53 million fine from The Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the US for hundreds of safety violations, and subsequently imposed an even larger fine after claiming that BP had failed to implement safety improvements following the disaster http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/30/bp-texas-city-safety-fine downloaded 19-09-10 In March 2006, BP spilled 200,000 gallons of crude oil in Alaska. The spill happened because BP failed to perform routine maintenance on its pipeline. It claims to work sensitively around the environment and animals. In October 2007, BP was ordered to pay more than $60 million by the U.S. Department of Justice for breaking environmental laws in Texas and Alaska. According to the Environmental Protection Agency in the US http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/8b770facf5edf6f185257359003fb69e/1af659cf4ce8a7b88525737f005979be!OpenDocument downloaded 19-09-10, this was the largest fine ever handed out for breaking Clean Air regulations in the U.S. In addition, BP then lobbied continuously to open up the Alaska National Wilderness Reserve for oil drilling to add to their increasing profits with no success. It claims to support conversation and wants to protect the environment from its green advertisements. In 2007 BP invested $1.5 billion to extract oil from the Canadian wilderness using methods which environmentalists say are part of the biggest global warming crime in history which 2 years earlier the company publicly said they would never invest or use such damaging environmental technology . In May 2010 BP was involved in an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which is now the biggest environmental disaster in American history blamed yet again on poor safety and maintenance. Yet in June 2010 BP decided to spend $50 million on green advertisement presenting a squeaky clean image which back fired adding to the growing tide of resentment by American consumers. http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/293020#ixzz0zsryzPBl Illustrating BP practises within the green marketing mixes; green products. BP produces and supplies a range of products and services. However, fossil fuels production and supply are their main source of profit which is environmentally damaging as its produces carbon emissions. Thus their core business is not environmentally friendly. As illustrated by Chick (1992), BP cannot use green packaging or reduce layers for their core business, which is the production of oil. Oil and fuel need to be stored correctly in drums and depot containers which cannot be reduce for safety reasons. There are a range of issues in managing the green promotional mix; BP has adopted a green branding marketing strategy which as indicated is environmentally friendly. However, the adoption of this green brand in its advertisement for example its marketing strategy has not been assimilated in some of BPs production mechanisms. Consequently, a range of disasters caused by BP has emerged at alarming rates, intensity and adversity within recent years. The inability to follow through on their green brand with safer production procedures will invariably result in outraged by the public. Going green may affect the cost structures of a business with a knock-on effect on prices. However with the recent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico BP has spent  £8 billion and rising http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11174375 HYPERLINK http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11174375 downloaded 19-09-10downloaded 19-09-10 on the cleanup operation. BP had to sell assets to fund this massive cleanup operation with the CEO making a few disastrous statements in public. With this negative publicity and unpopular public image especially in the US it will affect the business and particularly its green pricing for its products. BP has green logistics; their centralized distribution centres and use of eco- friendly trucks have added to their green strategies, however producing crude oil from the tar sands a heavy mixture of bitumen, water, sand and clay found beneath more than 54,000 square miles of prime forest in northern Alberta was a backtrack from claiming 2 ago never to invest in this technology. Infrastructure had to be in place and created by forests being cleared to transport this product. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-biggest-environmental-crime-in-history-764102.html downloaded on 19-09-10. Additionally, an area the size of England and Wales in their tar sands project combined generates up to four times more carbon dioxide, the principal global warming gas, than conventional drilling. The oil sands industry will produce 100 million tones of CO2 equivalent to a fifth of the UKs entire annual emissions which BP is currently undertaking. From there $200 million worldwide advertising campaign, BP has won many awards including Nikkei BP Advertising Awards 2008. However, since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill the company has the spent $93 million on advertising to clean their image. Angry protesters have claimed that this money should have been allocated to the people who have lost their livelihoods from the disaster. (www.ft.com/cms/s/0/09ee7e22-b5ee-11df-a048-00144feabdc0.html) downloaded 19-09-10 Conclusion BP is first and foremost a business; further BP operates in many countries with different environmental laws and policies. In some countries legislations were changing to reflect the environmental public interest for going green. In turn, BP has allocated profits to green branding with use of green marketing strategies, but in some instances the company was not successful in implementing its green marketing strategies into its production units. This resulted in oil spills and other environmental disasters. On the other hand, the business has good achievements within their sustainability and CSR policies. Exploiting these achievements to reinforce their green credentials is business suicide when it goes wrong. The amount spent on green marketing is way out of proportion to their actual green energy investments. Their investments into the oil sands is very environmentally damaging because of its massive CO2 emissions. Additionally, BP responsibilities on safety are very poor which is stated as BPs top priorities in their sustainability policy. Thus BP is Progressive for building relationships between the business and their shareholders. The company is Responsible for countless environmental disasters across the world through poor safety and maintenance procedures. The company is Innovative through finding new ways to spinning their green marketing propaganda and very Performance driven in keeping their promises to their shareholders by finding new ways to damage the environment. 2151 Words Reference http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/e_s_assets/e_s_assets_2009/downloads_pdfs/bp_sustainability_review_2009.pdf http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-biggest-environmental-crime-in-history-764102.html downloaded on 19-09-10 www.ft.com/cms/s/0/09ee7e22-b5ee-11df-a048-00144feabdc0.html downloaded 19-09-10 http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/293020#ixzz0zsryzPBl http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/8b770facf5edf6f185257359003fb69e/1af659cf4ce8a7b88525737f005979be!OpenDocument downloaded 19-09-10 http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/oct/30/bp-texas-city-safety-fine downloaded 19-09-10 www.edenproject.com/documents/Annual_Review_06_07.pdf downloaded 19-09-10 http://asa.org.uk/ downloaded 23-09-10 http://www.ocimf.com/ B324 Marketing and Society Block 3 Responsible business marketing, Open University Worldwide, Michael Young Building, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, United Kingdom 2008 Prepared for the Course Team by Anja Schaefer based on a draft by David Faulkner

Candide Essay -- essays research papers

Candide Wealth and great materialistic possession brings happiness and success to most people’s lives. Although wealth does not always bring happiness, El Dorado was one society where all it’s inhabitants lived lives full of success and happiness. In Candide, wealth proved to guarantee a person a step forward in life and some sense of freedom. Sometimes when one lives in an environment consisting of total equality, one may prefer to leave and go to a different place where they would be considered superior and everyone else inferior to them. The people of El Dorado were so wealthy that they abused the things that they possessed that others would cherish. The children proved this when they were playing at quoits covered with tattered garments of the richest brocade. It is obvious to see that they were so rich that the quoits did not have any significant meaning to them. We were able to see this when upon having to return back to school they left the quoits on the ground a long with their other playthings. Candide was surprised to find out that an adult schoolmaster would do the exact same when given these quoits which consisted of gold and precious stones. Candide realized that these children must have been those of a king and he said, " The king’s children in this country must have an excellent education, since they are taught to show such a contempt for gold and precious stones." (49). Another way in which we saw that they were very wealthy was the fact that the common pebbles of their highways were large gold pieces, houses were built of silver and gold, the antechamber was incrusted with rubies and emeralds. I feel that this was not very appropriate. Just because they were wealthy does not mean that the money should be wasted in such a way as to build a highway of these expensive stones, when it could be substituted with a much less expensive material. El Dorado was a place where everyone was extremely happy and satisfied with wh at they possessed. This place was seen as heaven on earth. It represented a cultural wealth. Everyone here was a priest and priests were considered to be pleasant happy beings. We clearly saw that Cacambo and Candide were very satisfied with their stay here when they said, "Possibly this is that part of the globe where everything is right for there must certainly be some such place." (50). They ... ...aressed the Theatin with so much fondness, that I absolutely thought you as happy as you say you are now miserable." (67). In my opinion Voltaire was trying to emphasize that there are two different kinds of people in this world, the wealthy and the not so wealthy. I do not feel that he was trying to say that all the time but instead that more than half of the time those who are wealthy live happier and more advanced lives than those less fortunate. In Candide, wealth can get a person anything or person they wanted. The less fortunate had to obey and abide by the rules of those more powerful to them. It was almost like they were slaves to their masters. The wealthy were able to buy their happiness, as the masters and residents of El Dorado did. This is not only proven in Candide. By looking at the real world and our everyday lives we can agree with this theory. It is not hard to see that the famous millionaires in this world live in great beautiful places full of luxuries, a nd those that are poor such as the homeless have to get by day by day with no or very little food and shelter. In conclusion, wealth brings most people happiness and pride but only to a certain extent.

To Build A Fire Character Stud Essay -- essays research papers

In "To Build a Fire," Jack London expresses his perspective of the multitude of greenhorns who flocked to the yukon in a rush for gold. It is evident that he believed that these newcomers were too inexperienced and blinded by gold fever to survive the trip. Like many of them, "the Man" is driven by his own foolish ego to act irrationally and to not follow wise advice. Though his consience continually nags at him, his ego-driven way of thought keeps pushing him blindly forward. The Man is not only representative of other fortune hunters like himself, but he also repersents every person on this planet. All of us, at some point in time, pushed our own consience aside and followed our own selfish ego. The Man was a newcomer to the land, yet when he was offered advice on how to survive the harsh conditions of the Yukon, he just laughed at it: It certainly was cold, was his thought. That man from Sulphur Creek had spoken the truth when telling how cold it sometimes got in the country. And he had laughed at him at the time! That showed that one must not be too sure of things. This shows that he is driven by his ego, and like many other young men, he thinks that he is so much better than everybody else that he does not even listen to the advice of an old man who has proably been living in the Yukon longer than the Man has been alive. Fifty degrees bleow zero stood for a bite of frost that hurt and that must be guarded against by the...