The Role Of Women During The Mesopotamian Society

The Role of Women in Mesopotamian Society: Throughout time womens rights varied from being treated equal to a man, to being treated as property. Women in Mesopotamia did not have big roles in society. Many things were restricted or frowned upon in society for a woman to do. However, in some communities women had more rights and freedoms while others were more restricted and other times their privileges varied. Women had some freedoms and rights that varied from city-state to city-state. The average woman stayed at home and acted as a housewife, but could have had the opportunity get an education and a job. As compared to some places today, women had more rights then, in Mesopotamia, then now, thousands of years later. Thought women had few rights they were, however, allowed to own their own land and home. They could have a job and an education, depending on your parents wealth and social status. The only other ways for her to be able to own land is for your husband to divorce you, as it states in Hammurabi s code number 137 ;  ¨If a man wish to separate from a woman who has bear him children, he shall give that wife a part of the property, so that she can rear her children. ¨ With this a woman could leave her husband and still safely raise her children. They could also have the ability to grow and raise their own food. Also, a woman could own her own property aside from her husbands, and earn money but this rarely occurred outside of royal families and wealthy or highShow MoreRelatedWomen Of The Epic Of Gilgamesh1228 Words   |  5 PagesWomen in The Epic Of Gilgamesh and Mesopotamian Society In the Epic of Gilgamesh, gender plays a very significant role, because while women were not the most powerful gods nor the strongest or wisest of all humans, they still had tremendous influence over others around them, and even today, over those who study and learn about the women of the time of Mesopotamia. Though the main characters of the story, Gilgamesh and E nkidu, are male, women did not necessarily play a minor role. Throughout The EpicRead MoreMesopotamia vs. Indus River Valley Essay707 Words   |  3 Pages 9/26/12 Ancient Mesopotamia and the Indus River Valley civilization were two incredibly productive and successful empires. While Mesopotamian politics were slightly less focused on religion and more on other aspects, the two societies shared many social characteristics. They both had defined social hierarchies, as well as similar views on gender roles. These traits are helpful in explaining the similarities and differences between the two cultures. One of the key aspects of both MesopotamiaRead MoreAspects Of Mesopotamian Life In Gilgamesh : A Verse Narrative?988 Words   |  4 PagesAspects of Mesopotamian life are revealed in Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative as he journeys throughout his quest to seek immortality. Gilgamesh embarks on a journey, after the death of his companion Enkidu. The insight to his ruling as king and the people he encounters along his way reveal the personas personality and occupations, during the Mesopotamian era. As well as the discoveries Gilgamesh experiences and his beliefs, gives an insight to understand life in Mesopotamia. To be civilized in theRead MoreSummary Of The Whale Rider 1058 Words   |  5 Pageslead the Maori tribe. Throughout the film, Koro is resentful towards Pai as she is a girl and therefore cannot lead his people. Through various chants and warrior techniques he teachers the youngsters, Koro believes he will find the true chief. During this time, Pai is desperately trying to prove herself to Koro as worthy of being his granddaughter and the new chief. Finally, when some whales get stranded on the beach near her home, Pai believes this is a sign for her tribe ending and knows theRead MoreRole of Women 1500-Present Day Essay examples1520 Words   |  7 PagesRole of Women 1500-Present Day His 104 Prof. Steven Brownson Role of Women 1500-Present Day Early portrayal of the role of women was of domestic nature, dominated my men. Influenced by religion, culture, and world events, the role of women is ever-changing. In this paper I will look at the evolution of women; their role in society from historical periodsRead MoreSimilarities Between Mesopotamia And India1190 Words   |  5 PagesA complex society is an organized and well developed community that is made up of a large group of people. Complex societies encompass sophisticated characteristics that its inhabitants created, and as a result arose into independence. In general, all complex societies have a system of governance, social classes, religious beliefs, and systems of formal education. Complex societies are spread in many regions including Mesopotamia and India. Although both of these complex societies bear some superficialRead MoreThe Epic Of Gilgamesh : The Struggle For Women1183 Words   |  5 PagesThe struggle for women to play a significant role in history can be traced from the ancient Mesopotamians to the 1900’s. There has been a continuous battle for women to gain equal rights legally and to be treated equally in all aspects of life. The Epic of Gilgamesh contains some of the oldest recorded accounts of the roles of women and their importance in a functional society. Women have been viewed as anything from goddesses to unwanted servants throughout history, regardless of a variety of changesRead MoreHow Do The Neolithic And Paleolithic Revolutions Differ?1657 Words   |  7 Pagesadvanced society past the basic Paleolithic era, forming a new type of living. The culture introduced in the Neolithic Revolution moved beyond nomadic styles of living and introduced agriculture, which allowed tribes to settle down and form communities. Through the different type of living, new concepts and culture formed: the concept of private property was introduced, which advanced society greatly. 2. What impact does the surplus production of agriculture have on societies? If societies are ableRead More Comparing Mesopotamia and Egypt Essay1100 Words   |  5 Pages However, Mesopotamian agriculture lacked stones; therefore mud brick became their major building block. Their diet consisted of fish from the rivers. The rivers were flooded frequently destroyed the cities. Mesopotamians made their living from crops and pottery. Mesopotamian society was stratified into classes and social differences. It was composed of nobles, free clients of the nobility, commoners and slaves. Slave women participated in the textile industry. Free women did exist,Read MoreSimilarities Between Ancient Egypt And Mesopotamia951 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstandable that with time societies would form and later become civilizations. Two of the earliest considered civilizations in human history are Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. However, because of the different geography, exposure to outside invasion, influence, and beliefs, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia came to not only contrast in political and social structures but also share similarities in them as well. When it came to the development of Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations politics

The Great Gatsby And Of Mice And Men - 1405 Words

In the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Of Mice and Men’ F Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck respectively explore the complex perspective of the true outcome of the American Dream. Although set within different eras of American society, the extensive failure of dreams throughout both texts shows how the American Dream is destined for annihilation despite the intention of hope and happiness. In its original form the American Dream encapsulated the ideal that ‘equality of opportunity is available to any American allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved’. ’The Great Gatsby’ follows its protagonist Jay Gatsby who sets his life around his desire of reuniting Daisy Buchanan, the lost love of his life, through the eyes of Nick†¦show more content†¦Crooks however dismisses these beliefs by referencing other ranch workers, â€Å"hundreds of men†, to be exact, who have the same aspirations of owning their own land but â€Å"God damn one of em’ ever gets it.† The culmination of both texts simply resides that once the potential of the American Dream becomes a reality it results in the collapse of everyone’s dreams and aspirations. The social hierarchy is influenced by the amount of money one owns which determines whether one can attain their dream. By creating apparent social classes within ‘The Great Gatsby’ – old money, new money and no money, Fitzgerald strongly suggests that American society is intensely stigmatised. Daisy, Tom and Jordan represent the elite social class of society where despite their problems and failures they are always protected and immune by their wealth. Tom refers to Gatsby as ‘Mr Nobody from nowhere† and a â€Å"common swindler who would have to steal the ring he put on her finger† as he boasts about his hereditary wealth compared to the other distinct elite group of society who acquire their wealth through business deals, which are sometimes corrupt. Although Fitzgerald mainly attacks the rich, by making them look judgemental, superior and selfish, evidently the lower class of society are vulnerable within American society. This is shown where so many, like Myrtle,Show MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby And Of Mice And Men989 Words   |  4 Pagesdreams. Furthermore, in the novels, The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men, the authors do a prodigious job representing the many different circumstances of the American dream through the characters and overall plot of the book. The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald about many diverse characters who live in a town known as West Egg, however not all of the characters enjoy themselves here. Throughout the book, individuals like Jay Gatsby make it clear that they have their own goalsRead MoreThe Great Gatsby vs of Mice and Men1818 Words   |  8 Pagesbe used as a false promise of success. This notion is explored through the texts The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men written by F.Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck respectively. The Great Gatsby was first published in 1926. The novel is set in the summer of 1922 and follows the life of Jay Gatsby who tries to get the love of his life back, Daisy Buchanan, through his wealth and social status. Of Mice and Men follows the lives of George Milton and Lennie Small who are migrant farm workers. LennieRead MoreDreaming the Dream in The Great Gatsby, and Of Mice and Men1194 Words   |  5 Pagesdetermination has attracted people from all around the world. Two writers from America’s past, however, have a different opinion on the once-great American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck have given the public their beliefs on the modern Dream through the novels they have written, The Great Gatsby, and Of Mice and Men, respectively. One novel placed during the Great Depression and the other during the Roaring Twenties both illustrate how their author feels about the Dream itself through the useRead MoreOf Mice And Men And The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1699 Words   |  7 PagesIn Of Mice Men and The Great Gatsby, how do people’s American Dream differ, what do they have in common, and how do people feel about the dreams of others? The American Dream. The idea of fulfilling your life’s dreams, whether to marry, to retire, to buy a house or to fall in love, is a theme commonly shared in both Of Mice Men by John Steinbeck and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In Of Mice Men, best friends George and Lennie travel from ranch to ranch in the hope of finally earningRead More The American Dream in Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, Two Kinds, and Sophistication1537 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican Dream in Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Two Kinds writer by Amy Tan, and in â€Å"Sophistication† by Sherwood Anderson. Working hard is the key to success. This struggle for success is most commonly called the â€Å"American Dream.† The aspect of the American Dream has been around forever and is often the underlying theme in many pieces of American literature. The theme of the American is especially presented in Of Mice and Men written by John SteinbeckRead MoreA Comparison Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby1224 Words   |  5 Pagesset belief that is exactly the same for everyone, but that also means that there should not be any limitation on who can accomplish the American Dream. To show evidence of this claim I will use 2 classic novels as examples, The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men. The Great Gatsby is a novel set in the roaring 20s, a decade of pop culture, new dance styles and ways to dress. It was a time where people were fighting prohibition and going against moral standards. This time was also called the Jazz Age becauseRead MoreIs It Really A Dream?933 Words   |  4 Page sthis dream. But over time, the idea of this dream has been criticized. In The Great Gatsby and in Of Mice and Men, F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck present the idea of searching for the American Dream as ineffectual, only supplying moral corruption and disappointment. In the article The Demise of the 1920s American Dream in The Great Gatsby, the para-graphs discuss diverse cultural elements shown in The Great Gatsby: During the 1920s, the perception of the American Dream was that an individualRead MoreThe Theme Of Money In The Great Gatsby879 Words   |  4 Pagesconsistently expressed throughout two novels, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Fitzgerald’s novel considers money primarily through the life of a wealthy man who flourishes in life, whose name is Gatsby. On the other hand, Steinbeck’s novel describes the story of two men, who have a limited supply of money and no accomplishments to boast about whatsoever. The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men show that great success and quality of life is determined by whoRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1551 Words   |  7 Pageswhich also symbolizes braveness. What makes this land so iconic and great isn t its status but it s exceptionally distinctive people. Americans aren t a specific type of people, but a mixture of people from all over the world that live in harmony. That is the reason why Americans are so unique and so hard to be defined. Being developed by great American novels such as the The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and The Catcher in the Rye, there is now a universal definition forRead MoreAnalysis Of Of Mice And Men 903 Words   |  4 PagesThe character in Of Mice and Men that is most similar to Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby is Curley. Curley and Tom Buchanan have many similarities throughout both books. These shared characteristics stem from one thing both men have an abundance of: privilege. Curley and Tom are easily two characters with the least amount of struggle in The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men. Inheritance of power is prevalent in both Tom and Curley’s lives. Tom lives in East Egg, known for â€Å"old money† and high

Taxation for Australian Taxation Office - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theTaxation for Australian Taxation Office. Answer: Introduction to the Case The former employee of the Australian Taxation Office was the appellant in this case. She was considering retirement but did not made any formal plans. She took two consecutive leaves first, she took recreational leave and then along service leave. In her absence due to two consecutive leaves, her works were distributed and reallocated. The allocation of responsibility by the department has made her believe that her role has been redundant. Therefore, she applied for voluntary redundancy in an email to the national director of the organization. In the initial stage, the Australian taxation office did not agree with the opinion of appellant that her role was made redundant. However, at a later stage the Australian taxation office revisited their opinion and agreed to formally provide an offer of redundancy. The appellant was dismissed after a formal offer of redundancy was made by the Australian taxation office. The dispute was in the taxability of the redundancy payment made to the a pplicant. The Commissioner of tax argued that the tax that is properly payable on redundancy payment is $7825. On the other hand, the appellant argued that the tax payable on redundancy payment is nil. This was the main issue of contention between both the parties (Board 2013). Section Breached The section 83-175 of Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 is the primary provision that deals with the genuine redundancy payment. This section provides that genuine redundancy payment is the amount received by the employees on dismissal from employment after the position has become genuinely redundant. The amount that is receivable on a genuine redundancy payment should be more than the amount that is generally receivable in case of voluntary retirement (Bedford and Weeks 2016). In order to address the issue it is very important to determine whether the genuine redundancy of employment was the main reason for dismissal of the employee. The legitimate grounds for termination of employment as provided by the Public Service Act 1999 are the availability of employees in excess of the requirement of the agency and termination made in accordance with the provisions provided in the agency agreement (Ottesen 2014). The Claus 97.1 of the Agency Agreement provide that the organization will support the employees for considering other career options or provide an opportunity to leave the organization with dignity and respect if due to change in technology or the nature of the job the service of the employee has become genuinely redundant. The clause 97.2 provides that the procedures mentioned above should be followed if a replacement of the employees is required for the job. The clause 98 should be followed if the replacement of the job of the employee is not required (Flaherty 2014). Decision Analysis Tribunals Fact-Findings The Para 25 for the Tribunal decision states that the appellant was removed from the employment. In the decision of the Tribunal in Para 26 it is provided that one of the reason for dismissal of the employee is the inability of the agency to effectively utilize the service in employment. The Tribunal in para 28 provides that the job of the employee is still remaining and an officer of EL2.1 level will be required to complete the job (Sievers 2015). Therefore, it can be said that the job of the employee is needed to be performed by someone of the same level. The para 30 of the Tribunal decision states that the job of the employee has not disappeared the only change that has taken place is in the number of positions. The function of the officer is still the same as that of her level of EL2.1 level officer. In Para 29 of its decision the Tribunal argued that there is a need to make a distinction between the situation where the jobs have disappeared and the situation where the employer i s not willing to take an employee to perform the job (Gummow 2013). The Tribunal compared the facts of the case with the provision in the section 83-175(1) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and found that a position of the employee cannot be considered as redundant if the employer is unable to use a particular employee in that position. The Case Before the Judge In this case, the court has discussed the following questions of law: The court considered whether the amount paid by a statutory agency to an Australian Public Service officer for dismissal from employment should be regarded as payment for employee termination under section 83-175 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. The employee was terminated by providing the reason that the agency has excess employees than its requirement under para 29 (3) of the Public Service Act 1999 (Johnson 2013). The court is also required to consider the validity of the clause 97.2 of the Agency Agreement. The main reason for considering the clause invalid is that it is inconsistent with the public service act and clause 97.1 of the agency agreement. The court is required to determine whether the amount paid by the agency for termination of employee under clause 97.1 of the agency agreement should be regarded as payment for employee termination under section 83-175 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. The court is required to consider whether the agency has the power or rights to make termination payment from is consolidated reserve fund. If the agency considers that the position of the employee is not genuine redundant (Vines 2013). In the judgment, the primary judge explained that the Tribunal has failed to raise the point 2 and 3 of the topics that have been discussed earlier. In the opinion of the judge this questions cannot be regarded as a question of law, as the appeal was misconceived (Norbury 2013). The primary judge also found that the topic 1 and topic 3 has failed to raise the critical question of whether the payment made to an employee should be regarded as genuine redundancy payment under section 83-175 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. The employee was terminated under section 29(3) (a) of the Public Service Act 1999 and the clause 97.1 of the agency agreement on the ground that the agency has excess employee then its requirement (Williams 2016). The Decision Consideration The appellant argued that while providing the decision that Tribunal has made errand in law. In the oral submission the appellant argued that the Tribunal was distracted by the clause 97.2 the agency agreement. In the Tribunal's decision, this clause served as an introduction to the finding of facts. These findings did not raise the question of law and was not legally impeachable as provided under section 44 of the AAT Act (Giannone 2013). The analysis shows that the section 83-175(1) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 have the similar concept as the clause 97.2 of the agreement. The Tribunal tried to make a distinction between the general concept of redundancy and the narrower concept of redundancy provided under section 83-175(1) by referring to the clause 97.2 of the agency agreement. It was argued by the appellant that the Tribunal has not conducted a detailed finding of facts as was done in the case of Dibb (Tretola 2013). This has made the appellant argue that the Tribunal h as made errand of law as provided in Section 44 of the AAT Act. Therefore, it can be said that the question was raised in the manner of fact finding by the Tribunal. The Tribunal followed the policy of gathering facts by obtaining cross-examination of the evidence and written statement from the officer. In the case of Dibb, the full Court of finding of facts was appropriate as the tax appeal was first raised in court. In the current scenario, the case was first referred to the Tribunal. Therefore, it is appropriate for the Tribunal to determine the manner in which the facts should be collected for making appropriate decisions so it is not an error of law. The appellant argued that the Tribunal has misconstrued the agency agreement clause of 97.2. The analysis of the decision or the fact-finding of the Tribunal does not highlight that there has been any misconstruction of the clause 97.2 of the agency agreement or section 83-175(1) by the Tribunal. The Commissioner argued for the pur pose of clause 97.1 of the Agency agreement the employee was not required for the job. On the other hand, for the purpose of tax the commissioner argued that, as it was not a genuine redundancy payment so the employee should pay tax on the termination amount (McCormack 2013). The genuine redundancy as per section 83-175(1) can only arise if the position of the employee has become genuinely redundant. Therefore, the Tribunal is required to determine based on facts whether in the current scenario the position of the employee is genuinely redundant. The analysis shows that there is no inconsistency between the excess employee of the agency and the position of the employee becoming redundant. It can be seen that there is no difference between the language stated in section 83-175(1) and the findings of the Tribunal. It is observed that there is a coincidence between the genuine redundancy as mentioned under section 83-175(1) and the termination of employment provided under section 29(3) of the Public Service Act. Based on this it can be said that there has not been any inconsistency in the findings of the Tribunal that could give rise to error of law. The court held that the appeal should be dismissed as the appellant has failed to establish that the Tribunal has made any blunder of law (Sekhar and Gudimetla 2015). Conclusion and Summary of the Case The above discussion have shown that the payment received on dismissal is treated as employee termination payment and is taxed accordingly. The argument provided by taxpayer is that the payment received is a genuine redundancy payment under section 83-175 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 so no tax is payable on the amount received. In order to resolve the dispute the taxpayer went for a private ruling but the decision was not in favor of the appellant. Then she went into appeal in AAT but was not successful in getting a favorable decision. Then at the later stage, she went to federal court for appeal (Leeser et al. 2015). It was argued by the AAT that as the position in the agency has not disappeared so the amount paid on termination cannot be treated as a genuine redundancy payment. In the latter stage, the court was in agreement with the decision by the AAT. Based on the evidence available the court argued that it is a clear case of voluntary redundancy and not genuine redundancy (Hurley and Hurley 2015). It was held by the court that the payment is genuinely redundant if the position of the employee becomes redundant as per section 83-175. The court held that the Tribunal has made the correct distinction between the position of an employee that is genuinely redundant and cases where the employer is unwilling to use the service of a particular employee. In the former case, it is a genuine redundancy and the payment made is not taxable. On the other hand, in the latter case it is not a genuine redundancy so the amount paid is not tax-free. The full Court decided that the Appeal should be rejected. It was held by the court that the payment received by the taxpayer is not tax-free as it is not genuine redundancy payment. Based on the above discussion it can be concluded that the appellant is required to pay tax on the amount received from the agency on the termination of employment. Reference Bedford, N. and Weeks, G., 2016. Doping in sport: What role for administrative law?. Board, M.A.T., 2013. John R. Melecio, Jr. v. Commissioner of Revenue. Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Appellate Tax Board. Flaherty, D.H., 2014.Protecting privacy in surveillance societies: The federal republic of Germany, Sweden, France, Canada, and the United States. UNC Press Books. Giannone, R., 2013. Gedenksschrift for Graham Hill.Austl. Tax F.,28, p.185. Gummow, W., 2013. The law of contracts, trusts and corporations as criteria of tax liability.Melb. UL Rev.,37, p.834. Hurley, P.R. and Hurley, R.E., 2015. A Federal Dilemma with Health Insurance and Health Benefit Exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.Journal of Applied Financial Research,2, p.30. Johnson, E., 2013, March. Should'inconsistency'of administrative decisions give rise to judicial review?. InAIAL Forum(No. 72, p. 50). Australian Institute of Administrative Law. Leeser, J., Craven, G., Twomey, A., Authorisation, P., Kendall, K., Tax, C.F.I., Paul, J.B., McAllister, I., Mackerras, M. and Del Villar, G., 2015. Upholding the Australian Constitution Volume Twenty-five. McCormack, S.W., 2013. Tax Abuse According to Whom.Fla. Tax Rev.,15, p.1. Norbury, M., 2013. When is a redundancy genuine?.Taxation in Australia,47(8), p.517. Ottesen, K., 2014. Informal agreements: When a sale of land is not a sale.Law Society Journal: the official journal of the Law Society of New South Wales,52(4), p.64. Sekhar, S. and Gudimetla, V., 2015. ICAN-International Common Assessment Number: The need of the hour.Browser Download This Paper. Sievers, M., 2015. PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATION AS AN INSTRUMENT OF TAXATION AND FISCAL POLICY.ASBBS Proceedings,22(1), p.380. Tretola, J., 2013. Turning gambling silver into tax gold?.Revenue Law Journal,23(1), p.5. Vines, T., Donohoo, A. and Faunce, T.A., 2013. Government Controls Over Health-Related Not-For-Profit Organisations: Agency for International Development v Alliance for Open Society International. Williams, D.P., 2016. Taking a Knee: An Analysis of the NFLs Decision to Relinquish Its 501 (c)(6) Federal Tax Exemption.Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport,26(2), pp.127-143.

Letters to a dead friend Review Essay Example

Letters to a dead friend Review Paper Essay on Letters to a dead friend You may remember an anecdote? When a simple Russian guy comes home from her first trip abroad, and the wife asks, Well, there, Bob, and Bob crumbles five minutes of offensive lyrics (the phrase in the abstract like it). Wife enchanted listens wipes a tear and says: How beautiful  » So here. The idea wonderful. The bottom line perfect. But this indecent lyrics My teacher of Russian literature, reading, have lost faith in humanity Elena, my dear, do not worry, its just your favorite score 5 / one. 5 the idea, 1 -. For its implementation We will write a custom essay sample on Letters to a dead friend Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Letters to a dead friend Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Letters to a dead friend Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer But seriously The book as such I liked. So many thoughts, so many things that are used to not paying attention, and after reading the thought But in the last few days, see the +1 Eugene Grishkovtsa reading White on Black Ruben Gallego, alas, can not accept here is a method of reach out to the reader who chose Edward Chasovitin. Indeed, in general, these three things can be compared. They are about life, about people Only one chose his own version of cry from the heart. In the book Letters to a dead friend a desperate nenormativschina and the complete absence of commas. By the way, why only the commas? Strange shape protest? One is forced to think about it, maybe the author chose a defined population, such Vasey from a joke, and wrote to him? So sad Is normally written books we do not perceive? in short, the method of assessment of Elena Mikhailovna 5/1 infer mean

Calculus

Calculus Calculus Calculus By Maeve Maddox A reader writes, The other day I heard a radio commentator constantly using the phrase in that calculus, something Id never heard before. [The] commentator was using it in a political context, pretty much as a fancy way of saying in that situation; Id be grateful if you could look into it and cover it some time! Calculus is one of those words like parameter and paradigm that have been yanked from their habitual scientific contexts into the general vocabulary by non-scientists to make their utterances sound more profound. In the context of mathematics, the word calculus is usually preceded by differential or integral: integral calculus: a branch of mathematics concerned with the theory and applications (as in the determination of lengths, areas, and volumes and in the solution of differential equations) of integrals and integration. differential calculus: a branch of mathematics concerned chiefly with the study of the rate of change of functions with respect to their variables especially through the use of derivatives and differentials. Calculus is the diminutive of Latin calx, â€Å"stone.† A calculus was a little stone or pebble. The plural, calculi gives us the word calculation because pebbles were used for counting. Calculi were also used as game pieces and for voting. In the context of medicine, calculus is a hard deposit that builds up in the body to produce kidney stones, plaque, and such. The word calculus is now to be found in a variety of contexts: Competition along routes is just one variable in that calculus. (The context is a discussion of the process of airline pricing.) They are casting Ellsworth as an unwilling enabler who will further an agenda even though he might not fully support it. And, in that calculus, his vote for Speaker of the House comes first and foremost. No medical intervention is 100% safe. However vaccines are remarkably  safeIt is risk versus benefit and in that calculus vaccines win. J. C. Watts Endorsing Newt Gingrich is Awful Political Calculus In New Calculus on Smoking, It’s Health Gained vs. Pleasure Lost The political calculus on immigration reform changes day by day, but the moral calculus has not. It seems to me that in each of these examples, situation, calculation, or thinking would serve the context. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Is She a "Lady" or a "Woman"?What is Dative Case?How Many Sentences in a Paragraph?

How to Write a Scene The Ultimate 8-Step Guide

How to Write a Scene The Ultimate 8-Step Guide 8 Steps to Writing a Perfect Scene- Every Time You know how complex writing a novel can be. You not only have to come up with a great premise, engaging characters, high stakes, and conflict that pushes the protagonist toward his goal, but you must also learn how write a scene that compels readers- and fill your book with them. That is a lot harder than some think. Many writers spend a moment thinking up a vignette but give little regard to the scene’s purpose. While a checklist can help analyze the structure, it doesn’t address the process. Need help writing your novel?Click here to download Jerrys ultimate 12-step guide. Positioning First: scene types vary depending on where each is placed over the span of a novel. Opening Scenes should be loaded with character and set up your premise. That’s where you want to slip in important bits of backstory. Middle Scenes carry complications, twists, and raise the stakes. Climactic Scenes should build to a riveting climax, so they might be shorter and packed with action and emotion. Genre Second: there’s no â€Å"one size fits all† template for a perfect scene. The kind of novel you’re writing also dictates the style, length, and structure of a scene, so study novels in your genre. How to Write a Scene Using My 8-StepProcess Progressive steps to help you write that perfect scene: 1. Identify Its Purpose Here’s where too many writers flounder. You’ve likely heard that a scene should either advance the plot, reveal character, or both. Good advice but vague. You want strong pacing, showing rather than telling, and to create empathy for your protagonist. Plus, you want mystery and conflict in every scene to keep readers turning the pages. So, the purpose of the scene is key. In life, things happen, we react, process what happened, and decide on new action. So it’s action-reaction-process-decide-new action. Write one sentence that encapsulates that for each scene. For instance, a scene I’m working on for my new historical Western romance marks the midpoint of my novel. Its purpose is to show my hero, Buck, losing control and scaring the heroine, Angela. I fix that in my mind and make sure every element of my scene serves that purpose. If you can’t identify the purpose for your scene, throw it out and come up with one that works. 2. Identify the High Moment This occurs near the end of a scene, maybe even in the last line. Why? Because most of your scenes should mimic overall novel structure, with a beginning, middle, climax, and ending. Of course, a scene could effectively â€Å"hang† at the end, to add tension and propel the reader into the next scene. The high moment in my midpoint scene comes when Buck goes crazy in an attempt to keep Angela safe. I had established that she is terrified of snakes, and the scene begins just before they run into a mess of rattlers. The high moment is Angela screaming as the snakes strike. Buck shoots his rifle, then slashes in fury at the critters with his knife. I end the scene with Buck a man possessed and Angela more frightened of his behavior than she is of the snakes. This crucial step in the process reveals the ultimate purpose of your scene. 3. Emphasize Conflict: Inner and Outer A great novel will have conflict on every page, sometimes inner, other times outer. Or both. But you don’t want meaningless conflict, such as two people arguing over what type of coffee to order- unless that specific argument reveals something important that advances the plot or exposes a key bit of character. Think of ways to ramp up conflict to the highest stakes possible. Too few writers do this. Every scene- even thoughtful, â€Å"processing† ones- should convey tension, inner conflict, and high stakes. You don’t need explosive action to have conflict. My rattlesnake scene carries obvious outer conflict: man against snakes. But if that were all, the scene would be lacking. The deeper conflict is Angela’s inner angst over Buck’s violent streak. She has resisted falling for him, so this incident creates super-high conflict between them, as Buck’s behavior pushes her away. He intends to show courage and his desire to protect her, but it backfires. 4. Accentuate Character Change Writing instructor James Scott Bell says, â€Å"Every scene should have a death†- of a dream, a relationship, or a plan. Literary agent Donald Maass encourages writers to consider how a point-of-view (POV) character feels before a scene starts and how she feels when the scene ends. Your character should be changed by what happens. That change can be subtle or huge. It can involve a change of opinion, or it could be a monumental personality shift. But change must occur. Why? Because, for the story to advance, decisions must be made and action instigated. Every event in your novel should impact your characters and foment change. But it must be significant and serve the plot. How will Angela change by the end of the snake scene? Before the scene, she was falling in love. Now, her feelings have been squashed. She wants to flee back to NY. Buck drastically changes too. He’s also shocked at the violent streak he fears he’s inherited from his father (who murdered Buck’s ma). Though he loves Angela, he believes he can never let himself get close to any woman because he will hurt her. 5. Determine POV Who is the best character through whom the reader should experience this scene? With novels solely in the protagonist’s POV, this isn’t an issue. But for novels in shifting third person, with more than one perspective character, you need to decide whose POV you’ll portray in each scene. You may find it easier to choose your POV character when you determine the purpose of your scene. Or the POV choice may become obvious. In romance novels it’s common to alternate between hero and heroine, so each gets a turn filtering the scene through their POV. To decide whose POV to choose, ask yourself: Who has the most to lose or gain in the scene? Who will react strongest emotionally? Who will change the most? Whose reaction would most impact the plot? 6. Leave Out Boring Stuff And the on-the-nose stuff no one wants to read. Start your scene in the middle of the action, a bit before you build to the high moment, and you’ll avoid pages of unimportant narrative. Inject important backstory but not at the expense of the present action. Cut anything that doesn’t serve your scene’s purpose. Make every word count. 7. Perfect Beginnings and Endings It’s not just your novel’s first line that has to hook readers. Every scene promises to entertain your reader, to enthrall, to evoke emotion. You must make good on those promises. Study best-selling novels in your genre to see how adept authors create strong scene openings and riveting scene endings. A scene’s last paragraph and closing line should ratchet up the conflict and underscore character transformation. What about symbolism or motif? In my scene, by the end, the snakes become to Angela a symbol or image of Buck. One minute they’re silent, unmoving, and the next, they erupt in a violent attack. Beneath that calm exterior, Buck is poised to strike. 8. Inject Texture and Sensory Details While some writers stuff scenes with too much detail, most tend to underwrite sensory specifics. This step in this scene-crafting process involves combing through your draft and bringing scenes to life with vivid detail that engages your reader’s senses. Your goal is to paint enough of a picture to help your reader see the scene as if on the big screen. Too much detail is boring, as are details that don’t reveal anything important. Scenes serve as the framework of your novel and shouldn’t be thrown together. Use this 8-step method every time, and you’re sure to succeed. To help, I’ve created a worksheet you can download and print. What are your biggest challenges when youre deciding how to write a scene? Does this process make sense? What would you add to the process? The guest blogger: C. S. Lakin is a novelist, copyeditor, writing coach, mom, and backpacker. She blogs about writing at Live Write Thrive, and specializes in manuscript critiques. Get a free copy of her book Writing the Heart of Your Story when you join her novel-writing fast track mailing list here. Need help writing your novel?Click here to download Jerrys ultimate 12-step guide.

Phase 1 - Concepts and terminology of statistics applied to business Essay - 2

Phase 1 - Concepts and terminology of statistics applied to business decision-making 4-20 - Essay Example Mean-  the arithmetic mean (mean) of a list of numbers is the sum of all the members of the list divided by the number of items in the list. A  classic example of Arithmetic mean is average income. The arithmetic mean may be misinterpreted to imply that most peoples income is higher than the case in fact is.† In statistics, mean has two related meanings: MEDIAN-  The median is the number which is in the exact  middle of the data set. Literally, it is the value in the middle. â€Å"The statistical median is the middle number of a group of numbers that have been arranged in order by size. If there is an even number of terms, the median is the mean of the two middle numbers: If there is an even number of terms, add the two middle terms and divide by 2.†Ã‚   (Statistical Median). Mode means the number that appears the most often, if working with only one variable. In statistics, mode means the most frequent value assumed by a random variable, or occurring in a sampling of a random variable. The term is applied both to probability distributions and to collections of  experimental data. Range  - It means the difference between the highest and the lowest value. The range is the length of the smallest interval which contains all the data. It is calculated by subtracting the smallest observations from the greatest and provides an indication of  statistical dispersion. The mid range point is the half way between two variables. .Variance -   In probability and statistics , the variance of a   random variable, is a probability distribution , a measure of its statistical dispersion , indicating how its possible values are spread around the expected value . Where the expected value shows the location of the distribution, the variance indicates the scale of the values. A more understandable measure is the square root of the variance, called the Standard deviation... For a population, range is more than twice the standard deviation. Variance

Has the quality of global news improved over the past 20 years Essay

Has the quality of global news improved over the past 20 years - Essay Example The use of televisions had continued to increase but most of the under-developed countries still relied more on radios and newspapers. Still, journalism and mass communication is not as widespread as it is in developed countries. Like many other fields relating to different aspects of our lives, technology has deeply influenced journalism and mass communication. The processes of producing news and delivery of information have become much quicker. News can reach everywhere with much more accuracy. The quality of radio, television and newspapers has improved greatly. The impact of technology has helped journalism to become a more professional field. The news reporters and editors have now to perform at a certain standard. In the early 90s, the performance standards had developed but still a lot of editors and reporters were more inclined to join hands in propaganda to spread a particular point of view or a political party. The USSR had fallen by then but biggest examples of such news r eporting can be found in the cold war during which many reporters had the objective of asserting one ideology and renounce another i.e. capitalism and communism. Such mindset made the editors and reporters refrain from telling the whole story. As the Internet has now joined the news industry, it is very hard to hide or avoid a piece of news. It is because the Internet is probably the quickest of all means of promulgating news and anyone can report any news to the world now. Previously, there used to be a competition among journalists only due to which only the journalists got most of the stories or â€Å"scoops†. The journalists had the liberty to spread only that portion of the news that they wanted to spread. Journalism and mass communication used to be a closed society to which only those belonged who had the funds to own a printing press or were closely related in some other capacity to one who belonged to that society. Mostly during the last 10 years, the Internet has be come very widespread and the cost of reporting news is at the minimum level. Now even the minorities can join the field of journalism as it has become an open society. The general public has access to electronic devices which are portable and can take pictures and videos. These pictures and videos can be posted on the Internet at almost no cost. Therefore, for professional journalists, omission of news has become out of the question. The recent US presidential campaigns used mass internet campaigning which curtailed the influence of the journalists manifold. Journalists have often been used as mediums to convey a political message to the public. Mass internet campaigning seeks to cut out this medium and make the conveying of message more direct and at a lesser cost. This trend has been set by Obama and is followed and likely to be followed by other political parties all over the world. It can be said that the introduction of the Internet has made everyone a journalist. Through blogs , forums and many other veritable devices, anyone can have their voices heard. In recent times, a Facebook fueled uprising led to a huge change in Egypt. It started out with one voice that ignited the inner voices of many others. Egypt was under a dictatorial rule for a long time and probably the biggest reason for that was the ability to the Government to silence the dissenting opinions and make the public hear only what it wanted it to hear. The Internet made it

Biblical World View Essay Example for Free

Biblical World View Essay Genesis chapters 1-11 depicts four great events that explains the creation of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. The creation and the fall of man. It explains how sin enters into human nature and man loses his relationship with the creator. It tells how God judges man because of sin, although sending a great flood to destroy His creation, He preserves a remnant because of His compassion for what He had created. In this essay I will explain my worldview on how these events have impacted the natural world, human identity, human relationships and civilization. Chapter one of Genesis tells us that the earth and all that is in it exist because God said â€Å"let there be†¦. † The earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the fish in the ocean, the animals on the land, the birds in the air, even down to the creepy crawling things God said â€Å"let there be†. Then it tells us that God created man in His own image and gave him also a help mate and gave them dominion over all that He had created. The author tells us that God did all this in six days, and on the seventh day He rested and reviewed all His work and declared it to be good! As I look around and notice all the trees, the flowers, beaches, oceans, watch a sunset or the rising of a full moon, all the things nature has to offer, I must agree with God that it is good. In fact, as I look around me the explanation given in Genesis chapter one is the only one that makes sense. The Holy Spirit within me confirms this explanation. The author says that God made man in His own image. That means I am somewhat intelligent and a big bang theory or theory of evolution insults the intelligence that God has ingrained in me as a part of Himself. God has given us so much of Himself and we have allowed the enemy(satin) to deceive us to the point we are lost even with the specific instruction manual that God has given us. Chapter three of Genesis tells the fall of man from the grace of God because he was deceived by the serpent(satin) who knew that God had created man in His likeness and that meant he had free will to make choices and decisions. They were deceived by the twisting of God’s words and straight out bold face lies. They got played like monopoly with false dreams and hopes being tempted by the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life. The same way we are tempted to this day. God gave Adam and Eve specific instructions when He placed them in the garden, â€Å"do not touch the tree in the middle of the garden lest you die†. The serpent twists God’s words and tells them â€Å"you will not surely die, but become like Him†. He shows them how beautiful the fruit was (probably a big red juicy Georgia peach just ripe for the picking)lust of the eyes, he tells them how the fruit of the tree will make them wise(you want to be like God don’t you? )lust of the flesh, He does not want you to be like Him the pride of life. As I look at my own life everything that has kept me out of the will of God has been centered on this method of temptation. If it looked good I wanted it(lust of the eyes), if it felt good I did it(lust of the flesh), and there was nobody who could tell me I could not have it(pride of life). It is this very nature of sin that makes us not want to be told what we can and cannot do. It has been man’s downfall since the Garden of Eden. God confronts Adam and Eve about this choice of disobedience and they played the blame game because now they were wise and they knew what guilt and shame felt like. Adam blames the woman who You gave to be with me(ultimately he was blaming God), Eve blames the serpent for deceiving her. Whenever trouble arises everyone always looks for someone else to blame. It causes people to lose their jobs. It causes marriages and families to breakup. Wars are started and people even lose their lives playing the blame game. The same guilt, shame and fear that Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden of Eden has been passed down to every generation since. God dealt harshly with Adam and Eve casting them from the garden and imposing punishment on them and their descendants indefinitely. Because that sin would be passed down through their offspring man progressively became more and more sinful to the point Genesis 6:5 says Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. It goes on in verse 6 to say that The LORD was sorry that He had made man. He then made a decision to destroy His creation. But there was one that had found favor with God. Gen. 6:9 says Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. God has great compassion for His creation, in fact John 3:16 says for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. God spared Noah and his family to preserve the creation that He loved. After the flood God blessed Noah and said be fruitful and replenish the earth. He made a covenant with Noah that never again would He send the floods to destroy the earth. But in preserving Noah He also preserved the sin nature that had been passed down from Adam and Eve. God knows this and He puts stumbling blocks in our paths to slow us down as did He to the people of Babel confusing their languages and scattering them over the earth so that they could not be so quick to conspire together against the will of God. Genesis 1-11 teaches us who we are, how we came to be and whose we are. It teaches us who God is and what He expects from us. Micah 6:8 says, He has told you O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God. It also teaches us who the real enemy is and shows us his intent, the weapons that he uses and the end result. I am convinced in my mind and in my heart that if there were no consequence for sin and we could do what we wanted with no one telling us what we can and cannot do, we would not have atheist in the world. He shows us this in His word and in our hearts. The people want to have a god, but not one who has rules and punishment for disobedience. The lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life refuses to let us be completely obedient to a loving God that is just and sovereign.

Animal Farm as a Fable Essay -- Animal Farm

Animal Farm as a Fable Traditional fables are moral stories that usually feature animals. Aesop's Fables, which are probably the most well known, tell tales about animals that have clearly human characteristics, like the sly fox, the patient crow and the selfish dog. Since Aesop's stories have been told for over 2,500 years, they are clearly a form well suited to telling a universal truth in a way that is accessible to children and memorable for adults. In writing Animal Farm, Orwell wanted to express a particular set of ideas about revolutions - ideas that he thought were more or less universal. The success of the book since its publication would seem to indicate that he had the right idea. The plot of Animal Farm is clearly based on the events of the Russian Revolution. Old Major's ideas about animalism correspond to those of Karl Marx, and the way in which they are taken up and put into action represents the activities of Leon Trotsky (Snowball) and a combination of Lenin and Stalin (Napoleon). The haphazard nature of the rebellion closely parallels the opportunistic response to events that brought the Bolsheviks to power in 1917, and the history of the farm roughly follows events in European history up to the Second World War. The fact that we are still reading Animal Farm long after these events have passed into history again suggests something of Orwell's achievement. The fable format allowed Orwell to reduce complicated events to a level that almost anyone could understand - the workings of the Russian Politburo or of the NKVD (the secret police) are complex matters but the story of Squealer and Napoleon's trained dogs is much more accessible. Similarly, the lives an... ...such as when he speaks of Squealer, "who had unaccountably been absent during the fighting." Again, young readers are likely to enjoy this kind of statement where the real meaning is only slightly below the surface. Fables are meant to have a moral, and the moral of Animal Farm is that all revolutions fail in the end. Orwell could have written a long essay expressing such ideas but it is doubtful that many people would now be reading it. The success of Animal Farm is that it tells the sad tale of a group of creatures we care about, and how their hopes and dreams were dashed. Beyond the surface story, however, is the message that for ordinary people revolutions simply change one set of rulers for another. It is a depressing message but people are prepared to listen to it because it is told in a simple and entertaining way like all the best fables.

Myths And Reality Of Crime Essay

In this paper, I will be providing a prediction of how strangers will describe a criminal and whether those descriptions would be likely to focus on street criminals, corporate, white-collar, or state crime. An insight of how society defines crimes and how decides what to define as a crime will also be provided. A statement about a particular crime will be presented and used in order to illustrate how we as a society know that it is an accurate statement. At last, an example of a widely held myth or misconception about crime and society will be provided explaining how society determines that it is a myth and why is so difficult to abandon that myth. It is clear that as a society we have the misconception that a criminal is a person that comes from a very poor area, lack of resources, and does not have an education. As a society we tend to focus on street criminals rather than other types of crimes that we barely hear about because they are not presented or shown on the news as much as street crimes are. I am sure that if I would have to ask or interview one hundred strangers to describe a criminal, many of them would say that a criminal is a person that breaks or does not want to follow the law. A person that steals because that is the only way they can provide for their families, a person that has mental issues that affect his/her stability to be able to have a normal life without breaking the law, can be also described as a criminal. I would say society has described crime as one of the most serious problem that our community faces due to the different behaviors people have adapted that violate values and norms. As society would say crime is a system that is put in place in order to protect the human rights of others; crime is an act of breaking and violating the law, or a behavior that offends or harm a  community or the ones around it. As the Former President Richard Nixon said in several occasions â€Å"crime is our number-one enemy and we must declare war against it† (Zastrow, 2010) but it can never be that way because we never know when we are going to be involved in some type of crime just like president Nixon was, when he faced criminal charges in connection with the Watergate affair. There are many different types of crimes that had helped society create and understand the definition of it but I think, society tends to â€Å"think that crime is a well-defined phenomenon and to have stereotyped v iews about who criminals are† (Zastrow, 2010). Most of the times, we believe that criminals are only those who are not able to have a decent job, those who does not have an education, those with lack of resources that in order to provide for their families the only way to do it is by committing a crime, and many times we tend to stereotype that generally only people of a certain race and color are the ones that commit crimes, when actually, â€Å"criminal offenses and the characteristics of lawbreakers are almost as varied as noncriminal offenses and law abiders† (Zastrow, 2010). As an example of a particular crime we have â€Å"theft† which refers to â€Å"illegally taking someone’s property without the person’s consent† (Zastrow, 2010). As a society we know this is an accurate statement because as many of us were growing up, our parents always taught us to not to take or touch things that do not belong to us otherwise we would go to jail or we will have consequences since we were committing a crime because we were violating someone else’s property and space. But as we all know this type of offense is not only about taking some else’s property, these types of offenses â€Å"range from pickpocketing and burglary to sophisticated multimillion-dollar swindles (Zastrow, 2010). Misconceptions about crime make society believe certain things that are not true most of the times. And knowing that is not true, we tend to hold this myth and misconception because that is what we heard as were growing up and learning about different types of crimes. As an example of a misconception or myth that we usually believe is true is that, â€Å"Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers† (CSOM, 2012), why do we believe this? Because we would never relate or think that our families or friends would commit a crime such as sexual assault to one of our loved ones. But the truth is that  Ã¢â‚¬Å"most sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim or the victim’s family, regardless of whether the victim is a child or an adult† (CSOM, 2012). According to the Center for Sex Offender Management, statistics indicate that the majority of women who have been raped know their assailant. The CSOM also states that relatives, friends, baby-sitters, persons in positions of authority over the child, or persons who supervise children are more likely than strangers to commit sexual assault. It is clear that myths like this one, makes us believe that only strangers have the power to hurt us and our families when the truth is that many times we have the enemy living under the same roof. It is sad but true, nowadays as parents and adults we have to very cautions and aware of the people around us because we never know when someone is going to harm our family and loved ones. I believe this is a myth that is very difficult to abandon because as I have stated before we do not believe that our family or friends, the people we trust are going to hurt us. We have always learned to be aware and be careful of strangers because they are dangerous person that only want to harm us and that is what teach our children too. I think we have to educate ourselves a little more in order to be able to abandon this myth and be able to teach our children the importance of speaking up when someone is trying to touch or hurt them even when is someone we know. In conclusion, as we know crime is one of the most serious problems that we face as a nation and the misconception we have as a society makes us believe that only certain type of people are the ones that commit crimes. When reality is that there are different types of crimes such as organized crimes, gambling, drug trafficking, loan sharking, white-collar crime, computer crime, hare crime, and many more. The misconceptions we have about crime create myths which makes it hard for other to believe that there are many other types of crimes and that anyone is capable of committing a crime or violate laws. References: Center for Sex Offender Management. (CSOM). (2012). Myths and Facts About Sex Offenders. Retrieved from: http://www.csom.org/pubs/mythsfacts.html Collica, K., & Furst, G. (2012). Crime and Society. San Diego, CA: Bridgeport Education, Inc. Short Cuts TV (Producer). (2010). Crimes of the Powerful [Video]. In Crime and Deviance: A Sociological Inquiry. Retrieved from http://digital.films.com/OnDemandEmbed.aspx? Zastrow, Charles. (2010). Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare. Empowering People. Tenth Edition.

Migration from developing countries Essay

Migration process originated from ancient times when people move from this place to other place due to the exhaustion of nature resources. Pass thousands year of development, people have not only searched for natural resources for their demand but also they have looked for a life with high quality of living, education and social security. Nowadays, there are many people living for away from their home country. Environmental problems, poor, conflict and riot, corruption and gap between rich and poor countries are all factor cause migration. As the matter of the fact is almost migrants move from developing countries to developed countries such as the United States, Canada, France, Italy and Germany to find stabilization and freedom. According to United Nations (2013), 3.2 percent of world’s population – over 230 million people were international migrants in 2013. Moreover, migrants have significant influence in not only society but also economy of both abandoned countries and the countries they are moving to. Although, migration could lead to brain drain and income inequality but migration from developing countries to developed countries should not stopped because it provides considerable labor for the shortage of workers in developed countries as well as reducing the poverty in developing countries. Migration should not be stopped because migrants from developing countries are providing a large proportion of worker for labor shortages in developed countries. According to a report from International Business Leader (n.d), more than 40% of labor forces in the Gulf region are migrants. Additionally, the labor workforce in the United States is increasing because of growing of international migration. Foreign-born persons (in the United States) accounted for 16.4 percent of the local labor force – 23.1 million people (Singer 2012). Furthermore, over one in every four foreign workers in the United Stated are Mexican – made up approximately 4 percent of labor force (Grieco & Ray 2004). Furthermore, according to Labor Force survey of Eurostat (2013), in 2012, 8.6 million foreigners who came from outside Europe worked in 27 countries in Europe. These data figures suggest that the supplementation of migrants from developing countries into labor force in developed countries were strong evidence for the benefit of migration. However, it has been argued that migration leads to brain drain in developing countries. The International Organization of Migration (IOM) estimated that Africa has lost one-third of its human resources,  particularly skilled people (Siddiqui, 2012). Since 1990, proximately 20,000 doctors, university lectures, engineers and other professionals have gone to developed countries every year (Unesco, (n.d)). This view claims that brain drain is a worrying problem in some countries that have a small number of qualified people in workforce. For example, Ethiopia has the highest rate of losing human resources. Over 10 -15 years ago, 50% of Ethiopians did not come back their country after finishing their courses in foreign countries (African Renaissance Ambassador (n.d)). Moreover, between 1988 and 1991, 74,6% of human capital from many different organizations was lost in Ethiopia (African Renaissance Ambassador (n.d)). Additionally, 75% Jamaicans who are highly educated have been in the United States (Newland, 2003). According to Migration Policy Institute, a huge proportion of highly skilled people – 12% of population in Mexico is working in the United States and 30% of its was PhDs (Newland, 2003). Therefore, if losing highly skilled people continues, impact of brain drain from migration to developing countries is enormous. The is no denying the fact that developing countries have lost many highly skilled people due to migration but they also got benefits from its. Firstly, developing countries received a lot of remittances from migrants. In 2010, according to the Factbook’s, remittances from migrants sending back to developing countries increased from $307 billion in 2009 to $325 billion in 2010 – three times the size of official development assistances (Theguardian, 2010). Most of remittances amount are transferred to middle- income countries. Furthermore, remittances have an important role in some poorest countries that made up to 25% of countries’ GDP (Theguardian, 2010). Secondly, there is a trend for migrants to return their home countries taking new skills and knowledge back with them base on policies for attracting talent of the government in developing countries. For example, Chinese government has attached special important to seek and develop talent for Chinese living aboard in recent years through some programs such as the 2008 Thousand Talents Program; 2010 Thousand Young Talents Program; 2011 Thousand Foreign Experts Program; 2011 Special Talent Zone and the 2012 Ten Thousand Talent Plan. The purpose of those programs was to attract Chinese migrants return back and contribute their talent for the development of nation. In 2008, over 3,300 Chinese highly skilled professional returned back their home countries by The Thousand Talents  Program (United Nations Chronicle (2013)). Consequently, the problem of brain drain would not be a matter of concern of migration from developing countries to developed countries. Another issues are migration can reduce poverty in developing countries. At national level, remittances from international migrants have considerable effect on poverty. According a survey of Adams and Page (2005) which crossing 71 countries, investigated that every 10% of increasing in official international remittances per capita causes decline of 3.5% in people living poverty. Furthermore, international remittances was proved as a method for â€Å" deep and severity of poverty† in Latin America, East – West and South Africa, South Asia and other religion (Adams 1991; Adams 2006; Ajayi et al. 2009; Anyanwu and Erhijakpor 2010; Fajnzylber and Lopez 2007; Gupta et al. 2007; Lachaud 1999). In Nepal, national poverty rate decreased from 42% in 1995-1996 to 31% in 2003-2004 because of growing significantly in remittances (World Bank 2006). In addition, remittances were responsible for considerable reduction on poverty at family level. In South Africa, remittances from migrants accounted for 32% of household income in rural (Rwelamira and Kirsten 2003). In overall migrant household income in the four districts of Bangladesh, 55% of its were from international remittances (Siddiqui & Abrar 2003). According to the IOM household remittance survey of Bangladesh (2009) investigated that remittances were cause of 20% migrant household who have increased household income at least once. Dang & et all (2010) found that families have members which are migrant can earn more money and save it better than family with no migrants. In Ghana, the impact of economic shocks on household welfare had already decreased significantly due to remittances (Kwankye and Anarfi 2011). On the other hand, some studies found that international remittances are likely to increase income inequality. In 2006, base on data of household survey in Ghana, Adams investigated that Gini index is a standard measure of income inequality, increased from 0.402 to 0.413 when remittances are included in family income. Furthermore, richer family received remittances much more than poorer family in Eastern European and former Soviet Union (World Bank, 2007). Milanovic (1987) also support for this idea after using panel date from the 1973, 1978 and 1983 Yugoslavian household survey, the inequality is increased due to international remittances. According to Stahl (1982) and Lipton (1980)  migration tend to increase inequality in rural areas because only wealthy families can give facilities for searching better change for family’s members in urban or aboard. In addition, a study of Adams (1989) indicated increasing inequality has happened Egypt because of international remittances. It has argued that international remittances have no impact to increase significantly income inequality, even decrease income inequality index. In 2006, Mckenzie analyzed data of 214 cities with population less than 100,000 people and investigated that migration is a cause of increasing income inequality in the early period but as levels of migration increase, remittances tend to reduce income inequality. Additionally, a survey conducted in Philippines by Yang and Martinez (2006) with a sample group of 26,121 families, which showed that the impact of international remittances on income equality was not statistically significant. Moreover, other report also indicated that remittances have positive effect to increase income and decrease income inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean (Acosta & et al, 2007). In another recent study, Gubert, Lassourd and Mesplà ©-Somps (2009) found that poverty rates in Mali decreased from 16% to 11% and income inequality by about 5%. Similarly, remittances have been toward for improving the welfare of poorer rural households (Stark and Taylor (1989); Adams (1991)). Therefore, international remittances have impact of decreasing income equality in developing countries. Migration is not problem for one country or one area of the world. Furthermore, migration has both positive and negative effect to country of origin and destination. However, the fact is that developing countries continue to face challenges to brain drain and income inequality caused by migration. In addition international remittances from migrant sending their home countries help to reduce poverty at nation and family level. At the same time, migration from developing countries provides a huge proportion of worker for labor shortage in developed countries. Migration is benefit to the social and economy. This is to say; migration from developing countries to developed countries should not be stopped because of reducing poverty and providing employees for labor shortage. Reference: Acosta, P., Fajnzylber, P and Lopez, J. H. (2007). The Impact of Remittances on Poverty and Human Capital: Evidence from Latin American Household Surveys. World Bank Policy Research Working, paper 4247, June. Adams, R., H., Jr. 1989. Worker Remittances and Inequality in Rural Egypt. Economic Development and Cultural Change 38, No. 1: 45-71. Adams, R., H., Jr. 1991. The Effects of International Remittances on Poverty, Inequality, and Development in Rural Egypt. IFPRI Research Report 86, Washington: IFPRI Adams, R. H. Jr 2006. Remittances and poverty in Ghana. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3838. Washington, DC: World Bank. African Renaissance Ambassador (n.d). Brain drain in Africa.. Last viewed 26 June 2014, from http://www.aracorporation.org/files/factsandfigures.pdf Biffl, G (n.d). Labour market integration of low skilled migrants in Europe: economic impact. Last viewed 26 June 2014, from http://migrationfiles.ucdavis.edu/uploads/rs/files/2012/ciip/biffl-eu-lowskilledmigrants.pdf Clemens, M. 2007. Do Visas Kill? Health Effects of African Health Professional Emigration. CGD Working Paper, No. 114, Center for Global Development, Washington DC. Grieco, E. & Ray, B. 2004. Mexican immigrants in the United States labor force. Last viewed 26 June 2014, from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/mexican-immigrants-us-labor-force Gubert, F.; T. Lassourd; and S. Mesplà ©-Somps. 2009. Do remittances affect poverty and inequality?: Evidence from Mali. Last view 29 June 2014 from http://gdri.dreem.free.fr/wp-content/gubert_lassourd_mesple-somps_paper.pdf Eurostat, (2013). Labor force survey: Foreign citixens accounted for 7% of total employment in the Eu27 in 2012. Last viewed 29 June 2014, from http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_PUBLIC/3-07062013-BP/EN/3-07062013-BP-EN.PDF Hall, M., Singer, A., Jong, F. F. D, and Graefe, D. R 2011. The geography of immigration skills: Educational profiles of metropolitan areas. Last viewed 26 June 2014, from http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2011/06/immigrants-singer International Business Leader (2010). Business and migration: from risk to opportunity. Last viewed 29 June 2014, from http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.gbsnonline.org/resource/collection/C6833BC0-02C0-42E2-8804-5FAB1D3B217B/BusinessAndMigration.pdf Lipton. M. (1980), â€Å"Migration from Rural Areas of Poor Countries: The Impact of Rural Productivity and Income Distribution†, World Development, Vol. 8, 1 – 24. Lucas ,R.E.B 2006. Migrations and Economic Development in Africa: A Review of Evidence. Journal of African Economies, Vol. 15, AERC Supplement 2, pp. 337-395. McKenzie, D. (2006), â€Å"Beyond Remittances: The Effects of Migration on Mexican Households†, in C. Ozden and M. Schiff (eds), International Migration, Remittances and the Brain Drain, World Bank, Washington, DC Milanovic, B. 1987.Patterns of Regional Growth in Yugoslavia, 1952-1983, Journal of Development Economics, vol. 25, pp. 1-19. Newland, K. (2003). Migrantion as a factor in development and poverty reduction. Last viewed 29 June 2014, from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/migration-factor-development-and-poverty-reduction Singer. E 2012. Immigration workers in the U.S labor force. Last viewed 26 June 2014, from http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2012/03/15-immigrant-workers-singer Siddiqui, T. (2012). Impact of migration on poverty and development. Last viewed 29 June 2014, from http://migratingoutofpoverty.dfid.gov.uk/files/file.php?name=wp2-impact-of-migration-on-poverty-and-development.pdf&site=354 Stahl, C., (1982). Labor Emigration and Economic Development, International Migration Review, Vol. 16, 868 – 99. Stark, O and Taylor J. E. (1989), â€Å"Relative Deprivation and International Migration†, Demography, vol 22, 1 – 4. Theguardian, (2010). Migrants send home three times more money than countries receive in developed aid, says World Bank. Last view 29 June 2014, from http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2010/nov/10/migrants-send-money-home-aid United Nations Chronicle (2013). China’s return migration and its impact on home development. Last viewed 26 June 2014, from http://unchronicle.un.org/article/chinas-return-migration-and-its-impact-home-development/ United Nations (2013) Number of international migrants rise above 232 million. Last viewed 30 June 2014, from http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/number-of-international-migrants-rises.html Unesco (n.d). From brain drain. Last view 29 June 2014, from http://www.unesco.org/education/education_today/brain.pdf World Bank (2007a), Migration and Remittances: Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. World Bank, Washington DC. Yang, D., and C. Martinez (2006), â€Å"Remittances and Poverty In Migrants’ Home Areas: Evidence from the Philippines†, in C. Ozden and M. Schiff (eds), International Migration, Remittances and the Brain Drain, World Bank,

Drought in ethiopia essays

Drought in ethiopia essays I. Africa has been plagued by drought and desertification for nearly two years. The drought was caused by below standard rainfall during the main rain season of Africa, between July through September. This lack of rain has caused shortage of water for drinking and arrogation, food for Ethiopians, and also livestock for food and for security. Ethiopia, a North-East country of Africa, has been the mostly affected by the drought and is a major source of Government and Non-Government aide through food, supplies, water, shelter, and a few other methods provided by countries around the world. The drought in Ethiopia puts nearly eight million people living in this African country in immediate risk of this drought. One million four thousand of those people are children under the age of five. Because of these harsh conditions Ethiopia is the third poorest country in the world. (UNICEF) Drought is a major issue concerning the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development because it affects about one sixth of the world's population, 70 per cent of all dry lands, amounting to 3.6 billion hectares, and one quarter of the total land area of the world. (U.N. Agenda 21, Chapter 12). It is viewed as a Sustainable Development issue because it has been running ramped across Africa and has killed and massively hindered the Ethiopian people and government. It has also lead to the mass destruction of livestock and also migration to find water and better living standards. II. The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development (UNDSD) is an organization put together to discuss and find common solutions to major issues that affect sustainable development. Agenda 21 addresses the pressing problems of today and also aims at preparing the world for the challenges of the next century. (Agenda 21 Preamble) The UNDSD met in August of 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa to discuss numerous topics and to explain and fully i...

Heres How You Can Double Your Blog Conversion Rate Right Now

Heres How You Can Double Your Blog Conversion Rate Right Now Why do you blog? For fun? For personal enjoyment? As a hobby? It is likely that your blog has become ground zero, the place you promote yourself, your business, and your ideas. Your blog is a strategic business tool, but are you treating it that way? Are you optimizing your blog conversion rate? For years, the typical blog layout was the same, with content on the left and a sidebar on the right. There was the usual array of widgets and ornaments decorating the side and, in a word, the look of such blogs was  busy. Isnt it time we started to re-think our blog post layout? Isnt it time we got a bit more strategic? Focus On Your Blog Conversion Rate The problem with most blogs is that they lack a simple thing called focus. Do you know why your blog exists? I suggest that it is for two simple reasons: Your blog should display and distribute your content well. Your blog should convert visitors into readers and future customers. With this in mind, how is your  blog conversion rate? Thats the rate at which your visitors convert to your desired call to action. Are you focusing on a single call-to-action that you can track and measure? The more options we give our readers, the less likely they are to actually do what we want them to do when they visit our site. As we strip away the excess, we narrow our focus and naturally increase our blog conversion rate. Here are few ways that we can do just that. Tip #1 – Choose A Single Call-To-Action For years, the typical blog sidebar has looked something like this: Crowded, colorful, crazy, and confusing. What we do you really want the reader to do with all of this? So often, when we try to decide what we want our readers to do, we get confused ourselves. We want them to follow us Twitter. Or maybe, we want them to subscribe to our RSS feed. Or, download a free ebook. Perhaps we would like them to click on an ad. It can be pretty easy to think of our web visitor as a character in a choose-your-own-adventure novel. They are there for intrigue and suspense, hoping to see something interesting. This usually isnt the case. The average time a users spends on a website is, at best,  only 20 seconds. You have to make it count. So, if you could only choose one thing to have your reader do (besides actually read the article) what would it be? Choose a single call-to-action. This simple task will instantly improve your blog conversion rate. For example, make it your goal to convert an inbound visitor into a reader with an email signup, or a free course. This is a simple but powerful call-to-action that we can focus on as a way to increase conversions. Choose a single call-to-action if you want better blog conversion rates.Tip #2 –  Cut The Ads You arent getting rich and famous with those Google-served sidebar ads. Why are they there? So many ads, so little space. Source: smashingmagazine.com/ Unless you get a ton of traffic, it is unlikely that those ads are paying off for you at all. In fact, they may be doing more harm than good. Are you okay with a potential lead becoming distracted or disgusted by a pile of ads in the sidebar? Are you okay with them completely missing your call-to-action altogether? If you have ads, its happening. Increasing your blog conversion rate  may be as simple as cutting the excess clutter and cleaning up your sidebar. Those ads might be worthwhile for a high traffic site, but that isnt the case for most blogs. Consider ditching them altogether in favor of more breathing room and a better focus on your tangible goals. Are your sidebar ads helping your blog, or hurting it? #BetterBlogConversionTip #3 –  Cut The Sidebar While youre hacking away at those ads, maybe its time to ditch the sidebar altogether. In so many ways, the blog sidebar has become a dumping ground for our every whim. Unfortunately, there are too many whims: Ads   Facebook like box List of categories Recent posts Follow Me! Follow Me! Links to my favorite sites Blogroll, anyone? RSS Feed Subscribe A link to another project You get the idea. Maybe it is time for a different approach. Lots of breathing room. Wheres the sidebar? Sites like Medium.com  have popularized the no-sidebar blog post, and it works. Not only does it make reading a pleasure, but it leaves plenty of room for the real call-to-actions that you need to promote. If you removed half (or all) of your sidebar widgets, what do you think it would do for your  blog conversion rate? It might be worth a try. Get rid of your blogs sidebar altogether and see what happens. #BetterBlogConversionTip #4 –  Get Inline With Your CTAs Who decided that all of the action needed to be taking place on the sidebar anyhow? Wouldnt it be better if we had them where our readers are, like inside the actual blog post for example? See what this strategy can do for your  blog conversion rate. Image source: http://.com/blog/ You can sneak a basic call-to-action inline, right inside your blog post. These can be especially useful if they are matched with important keywords, like the example above for a content marketing editorial calendar. Your content is why they came in the first place. Make it a goal to do at least one inline call-to-action with each blog post. You can even automate a portion of this process with a plugin if you are using WordPress. The plugin  SEO Smart Links will automatically link keywords that you define to a post or a page of your choosing. This is a simple and valuable way to add calls to action to your posts text. Put your call-to-action inline in your blog post. #BetterBlogConversionTip #5 –  Lighten The Footer Speaking of dumping grounds, what about the blog post footer? This is another place where weve loved to bring on the clutter. Holy footer batman! Source: huffingtonpost.com/ Again, this is just too much. When we choose to focus our blog on a single call-to-action, it becomes much easier to improve our blog conversion rate. Ads and more blogs posts are not necessarily the goal. We need to be careful about where we send our readers. Stop putting everything in your blogs footer if you want #BetterBlogConversionTip #6 –  Dont Take Out Ads On Your Own Site A few years ago, I was publishing content on my company blog day after day. The content was good, but overall the blog wasnt doing much for me. I wasnt sure why. We had everything. We the subscribe box, related posts, a Facebook Like box, and of course, a series of ads for our own content. Waitwe were taking out ads on our own blog? It may not feel like it, but this could be exactly what you are doing as well. It is only natural to want our audience to see and understand everything we offer, but that is an unrealistic goal. We cant sell our audience everything all at once. We need to help them focus on one actionable goal so that we both succeed. Slowly, over time, we can expose them to our other services and offerings, but not until after weve ensured a maximum  blog conversion rate. Dont take out your own ads on your own site. #BetterBlogConversionTip #7 – Make Things Easy To Track One of the most crucial aspects of improving our  blog conversion rate  is being able to track our efforts. Fortunately, by relying on a few calls-to-action, rather than an abundance we make tracking them much easier. This way, we can make subtle changes to our site and see the impact that those changes make on our overall conversion statistics. We doubled our own blog conversions by cutting the clutter, and focusing on what we really wanted to happen. By cutting out some of the clutter and focusing on a simple conversion metric, we were actually able to double our total ebook downloads over a single week. Simple works!

Exam2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Exam2 - Assignment Example At that time, the rent would be $ 10000 per month. The next question which arises is that, whether the entire amount of $ 4000000 would be given from internal sources of financing or an external loan should also be taken. If external loan is taken, then it would be obtained to an amount of $ 2000000 having an interest of 5% per year. If the building is constructed in 2017, then the accumulated amount of $ 4000000 can also be invested and an interest on such investment @ 3.5% would be obtained. The cost of the building would also be incrementing by 2.5% per year. Return on Investment has been calculated by taking into consideration that the interest rate on the investment of $ 4000000 is 3.5%. Question 1 Return on Investment Particulars Amount (in $) Invested Amount 4000000 Return on Investment for the year 2013 (from October to December) 35000 Return on Investment for the year 2014 140000 Return on Investment for the year 2015 140000 Return on Investment for the year 2016 140000 Tota l Return on Investment 455000 Return on Investment (in Percentage) 11.375% The return on investment is a performance measure that is used for evaluating the efficiency and accuracy of any investment (Megginson & Scott, 2008). It is an effective performance measuring tool, which helps in taking appropriate decisions by the company (Rachlin, 1997). It helps in avoiding flaws in the managerial decisions taken by any company. If the accumulated amount of $ 4000000 is invested, then an annual interest @ 2.5 percent would be earned every year till 2017. The interest earned in the 1st year is 35000 and the interest earned in next three years is $ 140000 each year. Total interest earned is $455000. Return on investment is 11.375%. Question 2 Inflation rate is described as the continuous increase in the price level of goods and services. It is calculated as the annual percentage rise. Findlay is the name of a city in Ohio, United States. The Inflation rate of United States, as projected by I nternational Monetary Fund, has been shown below: (International Monetary Fund, 2012) Within the time period of 2014 to 2018, the inflation rate as assessed by the Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index would rise to some extent and then it would remain constant at a rate of 2 percent (CBO, 2013). Determination of the projected annual inflation rate of Ohio is also necessary. ‘The Ohio Department of Transportation’ has estimated the Inflation Rate of Ohio to be: High Most Likely Low 2013 8 % 5.7% 3% 2014 10% 5.5% 3.5% 2015 8.95% 5.9% 3.5% 2016 7.5% 4.5% 1.5% 2017 7% 4% 1% Question 3 It has been stated that the value of the building would be increasing by 2.5 percent every year starting from 2014. The increment has been shown in the following table: Particulars Amount (in $) Present value of the building 4000000 Value of the building in 2014 4100000 Value of the building in 2015 4202500 Value of the building in 2016 4307562.5 Value of the building in 2017 4415251.5 6 Net Increase 415251.56 It can be seen from the above mentioned table that the value of the building increased yearly. The value of the building in 2014 increased to $ 4100000. It increased to $ 4202500 in the year 2015. In the year 2016, the value increased to $ 4307562.5 and finally in the year 2017, the value increased to $ 415251.56. Question 4 Option 1 Paying the whole amount from the internal sources of financing

English 2 - DB 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

English 2 - DB 5 - Essay Example I have learned to pay more attention to pre-writing research in order to have enough valid information for own research. Researching can be time consuming; however, it shows different points of view on the same issue which helps to develop own opinion and express it in writing. There is a great difference between oral communication and written communication. While it is possible to make mistakes and correct them immediately while speaking, there is a need to spend additional time on revising the paper to make sure that there are no ambiguities in writing.. Any research paper needs an outline to follow to cover all necessary points. Inaccurate expressions can confuse the reader; working on my last written assignment I read it to my friend to make sure that it sounded clearly. The process of peer revision is very helpful because it gives an objective feedback about ones work; I cannot say that I can assess my writing totally objectively as I always treat it as my achievement. In this way, help of my peers can be really valuable to see ho I can improve my writing. Overall, I understand that I need to work hard to become a better writer. Currently I lack some experience in research writing and this course is really helpful because it complexly improves my writing skills. Now I see the difference between relevant and irrelevant sources of information and understand why I need to spend more time on selecting the best sources for my research. I am learning to keep my writing clear and concise and any writing assignment greatly contributes to my writing and researching

Produce a critical analysis of an article on a current economic issue Essay

Produce a critical analysis of an article on a current economic issue of your choice from the 'Financial Time' - Essay Example According to the news, published in the Financial Times on July 13, 2010, Lord Turner who is the chairman of the Financial Services Authority has announced the new proposals for the mortgage lending policy (Goff and Masters. 2010). The FSA has found that due to the shortcoming of the mortgage lending policies, the customer are facing problem with the repayment of the loan that may lead to credit crunch in financial service sector of U.K. The FSA has conducted a review and analysed the current scenario of mortgage market. According to the review, the FSA has found certain facts indicating the borrowers’ inability to repay the loan. These facts have been discusses below. It has been found that the living cost of 46% consumers’ household has been reduced after the repayment of mortgage. The burden of the mortgage repayments are so high that borrowers are left with no or very little money after the repayment of mortgage. The overall idea of FSA’s proposal for the mortgage loan policy is to ensure that every mortgage borrower will be able to repay the loan. Lesley Titcomb, who is a FSA director of the mortgage market has commented that â€Å"While it is clear the mortgage market has worked well for many, we need to build a strong new framework to protect mortgage customers and to ensure that the problems we have seen in the past do not happen again, particularly as the mortgage market recovers† (FSA-website. 2010). However, the current mortgage market is already in distress as there has been a decline in the house prices and the interest rates. â€Å"Estate agents had fewer inquiries from potential homebuyers last month while the supply of homes for sale showed signs of picking up, adding to fears that the housing market could be poised for further price falls† (Cohen. 2010). The supply of the real estate has gone up but the demand for houses remains weak in the first quarter of this month. The agents

Apple Financial Analysis Paper

Apple Financial Analysis Paper Apple Inc. is a unique company in the personal entertainment sector. It has been loyal to its design and marketing strategy over the past 33 years and has been able to position itself as a cult brand that is known worldwide for its innovative and market leading business operation. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. once said: A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets (Warner, 2009). It is this attitude and the provocative but entertaining way the company introduces new products and presents itself to the public that made me want to have a look behind the scenes and into their finances. Background Apple Computer Inc. was founded in 1977 in the United States, in Cupertino, California and renamed to Apple Inc. in 2007 to display its comprehensive product portfolio (Datamonitor, 2010). Today Apple Inc. and its subsidiaries (from here referred to as Apple) operate in the wide field of personal entertainment. This includes designing, producing and promoting a variety of hardware products such as personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players (Apple Inc., 2010, p. 1) as well as software solutions and services around its products. Over the past 3 years the company has raised its resources for research and development leading to expenses of $1,109 million in 2008, $1,333 million in 2009 and $1,782 million in 2010, a total increase of 60% (2008 to 2010). As a result Apple launched several new and revolutionary products such as the iPhone in 2007, the time capsule software in 2008, a new edition of the iPhone in 2009 and the iPad in 2010 which have led to a sustained success that reflects in the financial statements of the recent years (Datamonitor, 2010, p. 9): In the fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010 ending in September of each year Apple increased its revenue by 14,4% to $42,905 million (2008 to 2009) and thereafter by 52% to $65,225 million (2009 to 2010). The companys net profit was $6,119 million, $8,235 million and $14,013 million in 2008, 2009 and 2010 which resembles an increase of 34,6% (2008 to 2009) and 59% (2009 to 2010). The introduction of the iPad, where 300,000 pieces have already been sold on its launch day, April 3rd 2010, and 7,458 million pieces since its launch (Apple Inc., 2010, p. 33) as well as the new release of the iPhone and the third-party offers in the iTunes Stores being music and electronic book downloads are mainly responsible Apples recent success (Dowling, Press Release, 2010). In order to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of the end of year financial results for Apple and its past and future development a critical analysis of its financial statements has been conducted and is presented hereafter. Analysis The critical analysis of the financial statement of Apple includes the general comparison of Apples main financial influencing factors and secondly a ratio analysis which will provide an in depth audit of the financial performance and its effects on the company. Main financial influencers The main influencing factors of Apples financial statements are the revenue, operating profit, net profit, cost of sales and earnings per share. These indicators show the overall financial performance of the company. The overview given in Table 1 (Refers to Appendix V) highlights the superior performance of the company from 2008 until 2010. Apple Inc. is an American based company, which is why the figures are expressed in USD and in the following table in $ million except for the earnings per share, which express the per share amount. Apples financial results are a good indicator for the economys progressing recovery from the financial crises of the recent years. The above-average rise of Apples revenue and profit are the result of its investments in product developments which have met the needs and wants of the target markets. The image of the company was strengthened by its very good sales performance which was influential for the rise of earnings per share. The great increase for Apples costs of goods sold result from the development and production of the iPad, which will also be visible in the result of the financial year ending September 2011, as well as the development and production of the new release of the iPhone. Ratio Analysis A ratio analysis is used to express how the figures in the financial statement relate to each other and by interpreting the ratios to explain how the figures affect each other and the companys development and performance (Dyson, 2010, p. 219). Comparisons of the figures are made within Apples own performance over the past financial years and where appropriate the figures are compared to two Apples competitors. For this critical analysis the competitive companies are Dell Inc. since they compete within the personal computer segment and Microsoft, who are one of Apples main competitors in the computer software sector (Datamonitor, 2010, p. 27). It shall be mentioned that currently there is no other company which provides a similar product portfolio as Apple. Therefore no absolutely satisfactory industry comparison can be made for the ratio analysis but indications on the positive or negative trend on the figures can be made. Liquidity ratios Liquidity ratios allow the assessment of the amount of cash which a company has access to from its own resources within the next twelve months. The two ratios which are put into one context are the current ratio and the quick ratio (Table 2 Refers to Appendix I). The norm result for the current ratio is 2:1 (Hendricks, 2010, p. 6). The higher the current ratio, the more liquid resources are available for the company to pay its short term debts. The current ratio for Apple was higher in 2009 but is still within the industry norm in 2010. By reducing the stock, the quick ratio is considered a more reliable statement of a companys liquidity. A ratio of 1:1 accounts as safe. This again has been greatly outperformed in 2009 and slightly decreased towards 2010 which indicates on Apples good ability to turn assets into cash quickly. The overall reduction of both ratios in the Financial Year 2010 (FY 2010) can be traced back to the fact that the companies liabilities have increased due to RD, production and retail store investments. Profitability Ratios Profitability ratios calculate the earnings a company generates in relation to the expenses and costs it has during the financial year. An increase of the value of a profitability ratio indicates that a business performing well. In order to interpret the companys performance a comparison to two competitors in Apples operating environments has been drawn. Apple has invested in its fixed assets by expanding its retail segment which explains the slight decrease in return on gross assets (ROA). As financial analysts state a ROA should not undergo 5%, Apple is in a very good position with an ROA of 24.66%. (Table 3 Refers to Appendix II,A,B). A high return on shareholder equity (ROE) expresses a companys effective employment of stakeholder investments and in return high earnings for the stakeholders. The figures show that Apple has been able to invest more effectively in FY2010. But the company comparison reveals that even with a great loss in ROE for Dell in 2010 it can compete with Apples performance. Where as Microsofts ROE with 40.6% is much higher. However since the ROE should be interpreted in relation to the debts, and Apple only has short term debts which the company covers quickly, the investment strategy of Apple can be considered as benefiting for both the company and the shareholders. Apples gross ratio decreased in FY2010. This is due to the less efficient use of its fixed assets in raw material and manufacturing. The company comparison shows that Apples gross ratio is at a high percentage a positive indication for profit that is confirmed in Apples overall results. The figures of Apples profitability ratios in relation to its competition display Apples ability to manage its investments and sales lucrative. Efficiency Ratios Efficiency Ratios express the ability of a company to use its resources profitably. An increase of the ratio figures over the years show an efficient management of resources. (Table 4 Refers to Appendix III). The rate of stock turnover (ROST) can be described as the number of times the stock is being replaced per year. A high ROST show the efficient investments and a low ROST can be an indicator stockpiling and poor sales. Since Apples sales have greatly increased in FY2010 the decrease in ROST of 33% from FY2009 to FY2010 most likely result from inefficient stockpiling. Speculations can be made that a too high prognosis on iPad sales in combination with a lower sales rate of iPods may have led to an increased inventory level. The fixed asset turnover (FAT) has decreased by 27% in FY2010 which means that Apple was less successful in using its fixed assets to generate sales. The reduction in FAT is the result if Apples investment in its retail branch and therefore an increase of fixed assets. While the ROST and FAT are decreasing naturally the cost of sales ratio (COS) will increase. Apples has more money tied up in its fixed assets and was not able to handle its stock as efficient as in recent years. The debt ratio expresses the percentage of assets which are financed by debts. Apple only has short term liabilities and no long term debts (Apple Inc., 2010, p. 27). Even though the short term debts have increased to 36.43% which Apples should reduce over the coming financial periods 63.57% of Apples assets are covered by equity. The risk for Apple therefore is low. Investment Ratios This part of the ratio analysis helps to judge how remunerative a potential or existing investment is or might be (Table 5 Refers to Appendix IV). Apple does not pay dividends per share to its shareholders explaining the dividend yield of $0.00. Therefore the company has more financial resources to reinvest in its business and the development of its products to maintain a peer position in the market. The earnings per share (EPS) allot the profit of a company to its number of shares and therefore indicating on the companys overall profitability. Apples EPS increased by 67% to $15.41 in FY2010 which relates to the nearly 60% higher net profit in 2010. It also reveals an increase in investment in the companys shares which most likely result from Apples positive consumer and investor awareness through the introduction of its new product developments. A high price/earnings ratio (P/E) describes the high demand of the shares and therefore the confidence of investors towards a positive future of the company. With the high increase in EPS the P/E has risen as well. Apples market price per share ($) tradedÂÂ  at 14.76x the EPS of $15.41. Over the past years Apple has proven to be a lucrative company to invest in and it is likely that this trend continues for the following financial year. Impact of current event since last balance sheet The publishing date of Apples recent annual financial report is the 25th September 2010. Since then Apple has introduced a new developments of its MacBook, the MacBook Air, a thinner and more powerful version of the Apple laptop (Dowling, Press Release 2, 2010). This will affect the sales of the iPad since it can be seen as a competitive product and it is likely to increase Apples stock turnover ratio because it is an additional product in the companys range. But at the same time Apple has made a move to stay competitive in the personal computer sector and it is likely that the company will increase its total revenue until the next financial report. Conclusion and recommendations Financially the fiscal year 2010 was a very successful year for Apple. The company has increased the investments in research and development of new products and its retail branch. This has led to the launches of the iPad and the new iPhone generation and has brought the focus of public attention to the company enhancing its image and increasing its desirability in the minds of shareholders and investors. Apple has increased its revenue by more than 50% and is taking a leasing position in the personal computer market despite the intense competition and price sensitivity of the consumers. The software and online services Apple is offering through third parties, such as the e-books have gained popularity. A negative affect has been recognized when analyzing Apples efficiency in using its resources. The stock turnover decreased compared to the previous year which affected the cost of sales and fixed asset turnover. It is recommended to continue the trend of high investments in research and development as this is a key success factor for Apple to be one step ahead of its competition. Additionally the service offers though third party suppliers in the range of music, e-books and applications for the mobile phones should be kept up, as they increase the popularity of Apples products. Furthermore Apple could compensate the negative effects of the decrease in stock turnover by introducing improvements in its marketing and promotion efforts to boost sales.