Saturday, August 31, 2019

Young People Need to Spend Less Money and Save More

Young People Need To Spend Less Money And Save More Human beings have different thoughts about their life. Some of them believe in enjoying life without considering anything, but some others believe in saving money for their future. But it is better for young people like me to save their money instead of spending it carelessly. Because young people have lots of expenses in the future, like education, unpredictable emergencies, besides that the job market is not steady. So it is better for youngers to save more and spend less.One of the reasons that make youngers to save money and spend less is education expenses. Education is expensive so young people like me cannot totally depend on our parents to pay all the bills. We have tuition, books, maybe rent and other educational expenses to pay for. Even though our parents help us, but we have to pay part of it. So we should save some of our money for that. The other reason that saving money in youngers is better than spending it carelessl y is emergency situations.Emergencies could occur any moment. For example one of our family member may need help and we will have to give them money, or one of our parents might have an unexpected injury or serious illness and they could not go to work for some time so we must have some savings for that emergency moments in our life. Besides that there is other reason for younger people to save more and spend less and it is the oscillation of the job market. The job market is not steady, specially these days.Due to oscillation in the job market we cannot predict what will happen next. For example one of my friend lost her job due to recession. She did not get a job for about one year and a half, but she had savings so she was able to overcome that bad situation, like paying rent, grocery, car loan and other bills. Without an income it is difficult to pay for these. It shows that if she did not have the habit of saving money, then she could not have managed hat situation. In the conc lusion I must say that saving is a very good tendency for young people and it will never let a person down. You must plan a head. Youngers should know they will have expenses for their schooling, they also should know that they might be confront with an unexpected emergencies in life, besides that they know the oscillation of the job market so they must be prepared. They need to save money for these events.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Hilton hotels Corporate Governance Essay

Hilton Hotels and Resorts is an international chain of full service hotels and resorts and it’s a flagship brand of Hilton Worldwide. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton and is now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are owned, managed, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast hotel chain of the United States in 1943. As of 2013, there are now over 540 Hilton branded hotels across the world in 78 countries across six continents. The Hilton Hotels brand remains one of the company’s flagship brands and one of the largest hotel brands in the world. The company places marketing emphasis on both business travel and leisure travel with locations in major city centers, near airports, convention centers, and a number of vacation resorts and leisure-oriented hotels in popular vacation destinations around the world. Since being founded in 1919, Hilton Worldwide has been a leader in the hospitality industry. Today, Hilton Worldwide remains a beacon of innovation, quality, and success. And it comprehended the importance of corporate governance and formulated very systematic corporate governance guidelines. And I have disseminated its corporate governance in India, United States and United Kingdom. CORPORATE GOVERANCE AND ITS IMPORTANCE: The system of rules, practices and processes by which a company is directed and controlled. Corporate governance essentially involves balancing the interests of the many stakeholders in a company – these include its shareholders, management, customers, suppliers, financiers, government and the community. Since corporate governance also provides the framework for attaining a company’s objectives, it encompasses practically every sphere of management, from action plans and internal controls to performance measurement and corporate disclosure. Corporate governance became a pressing issue from 2002 introduction of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the U.S., which was ushered in to restore public confidence in companies and markets after accounting fraud bankrupted high-profile companies such as Enron and WorldCom. Most companies strive to have a high level of corporate governance. These  days, it is not enough for a company to merely be profitable; it also needs to demonstrate good corporate citizenship through environmental awareness, ethical behavior and sound corporate governance practices. HILTON WORLDWIDE’S CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: Hilton Worldwide has divided its division of corporate governance into four major classifieds, such as guidelines, Code of conduct, Ethical code, and management. These are clearly explained below: HILTON WORLDWIDE CORPORATE GUIDELINES: The Nominating Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors (the â€Å"Board†) of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (the â€Å"Company†) and the Board have developed, and the Board has adopted, these governance guidelines, which describe the principles and practices that the Board is expected to follow in carrying out its responsibilities. It is expected that these guidelines will be reviewed by the Governance Committee from time to time to ensure that they effectively promote the best interests of both the Company and the Company’s stockholders and that they comply with all applicable laws, regulations and the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange and other national stock exchanges of its incorporation. These guidelines should be interpreted in the context of all applicable laws and the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, bylaws and other corporate governance documents (each as amended, restated and in effect). These guidelines are intended to serve as a flexible framework within which the Board may conduct its business and not as a set of legally binding obligations. The Board may modify these guidelines from time to time. It provides guidelines on Board roles and responsibilities Board composition, structure, policies Board meetings Exceptions of Directors Management succession plan Evaluation of board performance Board composition Communication with non-managing directors CODE OF CONDUCT: Statement of Policy The reputation of Hilton and each of our Hotels is the key to our past, present and future success. Every Team Member is personally responsible to act with integrity to enhance Hilton’s reputation as well as to maintain a desirable work environment. Integrity means doing what’s right, all the time, and encouraging those around us to do the same. In some instances, the Code of Conduct contains rules that must be strictly observed, and in other instances it provides general guidelines. In all instances, compliance with the Code of Conduct is required. We expect Team Members to uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in every action taken on Hilton’s behalf. Team Members must not only avoid improper activities, but also activities that create the appearance of impropriety. This Code of Conduct provides guidance about how Hilton and Team Members must work together to achieve the highest ethical standards in the hospitality business. This Code of Conduct is applicable to all employees of Hilton Worldwide, Inc. and its subsidiaries and to the employees of all hotels owned, operated or managed by Hilton Worldwide , whether or not they are employed by Hilton Worldwide. The code of conduct provides policies on the following Personal accountability Respecting and valuing diversity Maintaining harassment free work force Maintaining safe and healthy work space Drug and alcohol free workspace Violence- free workspace Restricting unacceptable behavior Business ethics Personal investment of employees Policies for conflict of interest Personal information privacy policy of employees, customers, etc. Family members and relationship Outside business and employment Reportable interests Financial obligation Business courtesies Proprietary, confidential and trade secrets Maintaining global corporate citizenship These are crucial aspects covered in code of conduct of Hilton worldwide. PRIME FEATURES OF INDIAN, UK, US CORPORATE GOVERNANCE: An effective board to provide leadership †¢ A single board with members collectively responsible for the long-term success of the company. †¢ A clear division of responsibilities for running the board and running the company with a separate chairman and chief executive. †¢ An appropriate balance of skills, experience and independence on the board and its committees. †¢ Formal and transparent procedures for appointing directors, with all appointments and re-appointments to be ratified by shareholders. †¢ Regular evaluation of the effectiveness of the board, its committees and individual directors. Accountability The board must present a balanced assessment of the company’s position. The board must determine the nature and extent of the significant risks it is willing to take, and oversee sound risk management and internal control systems. Formal and transparent procedures for carrying out these responsibilities, including an audit committee made up of independent directors and with the necessary experience. Remuneration Formal and transparent procedures for setting executive remuneration, including a remuneration committee made up of independent directors and an advisory vote for shareholders. A significant proportion of remuneration to be linked to performance conditions designed to promote the long-term success of the company. Relations with shareholders Regular contact with shareholders to understand their opinions and concerns. Separate resolutions on all substantial issues at general meetings. Shareholders to monitor and engage with the companies in which they invest. Insider trading law in US: Section 17(a) of the Securities Act,1933 prohibits fraudulent practices with the offer or sale of any security SEC Rule 14e-3, under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act and Insider Trading Act, 1984 (ITSA) permits the SEC to bring suit against anyone violating the Exchange Act by â€Å"trading a security while in possession of material nonpublic information.† ITSA provides for penalties of up to three times the profits gained or loss avoided by the insider trading and authorizes a criminal penalty for insider trading of up to $100,000. Last few years have been significant strengthening of corporate governance in India. Hilton worldwide is listed in Indian stock exchange regulators and it adopts the guidelines of SEBI and MCA in India. Key aspects are mentioned below: Share Holding pattern Committee of corporate governance Yearly corporate governance report CONCLUSION: Since the Wall Street crash in 1929 and recent Lehman Brothers scandal, with every corporate scandal, corporate governance in corporate world is getting better. And the field of corporate governance has attracted great attention and enhancements in almost all facets. Hilton Worldwide is maintaining its market leadership with a well-structured corporate governance policies and practices. As Hiltons business based on hospitality, it’s very crucial to satisfy its stakeholders and corporate governance plays a crucial part in doing so.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Learning and Memory Paper Essay

Human memory has been a significant interest concerning how people develop memory and process memory. Researchers and educators are diligently interested on the neuroanatomical neural processes related to learning and the current literature, neuroanatomical and neural processes related to memory and the current literature. In addition, the relationship between learning and memory form functional perspective. Researchers discuss the reasons learning and memory are interdependent, and have performed testing through case studies using animal studies because they are most useful and replicable studies for understanding the learning-to-memory-link. The examples from research help researchers with solving the mystery of the memory processes. Researchers discuss the importance of lifelong learning and brain stimulation to longevity and quality of life to obtain knowledge and how the human individual develops their capabilities to obtain memory and how memory can affect human behaviors. To u nderstand the functional relationship between learning and memory we must first define what both learning and memory is. Learning is described as â€Å"the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, practice, or study, or by being taught† (Merriam-Webster, 2011). While â€Å"Memory is the means by which we draw on our past experiences in order to use this information in the present† (Sternberg, 1999). Therefore, as one can tell memory is essential to all of our lives. Without a memory of the past, we cannot operate in the present or think about the future. We would not be able to remember what we did yesterday, what we have done today or what we plan to do tomorrow. Without memory, we could not learn anything. Learning and Memory are linked to cognitive abilities in both humans and animals. A well-known example to show the relationship between learning and memory is the classic rat in maze. Rats have been used in experimental mazes since at least the 20th century. Thousands of studies have examined how rat’s run different types of mazes, from T-maze to radial arm mazes to water mazes. These maze studies are used to study spatial learning and memory in rats. Maze studies helped uncover general principles about learning that can be applied to many species, including humans. Today, mazes are used to determine whether different treatments or conditions affect learning and memory in rats. To take a step further, According to Kolata al, 2005 case study the tasks that comprise the learning battery (e.g., Lashley lll maze, passive avoidance, spatial water maze, order discrimination, fear conditioning) were explicitly chosen so that each one places unique sensory, motor, motivational, and information processing demands on the animals. Briefly, performance in the Lashley lll maze depends on animals’ use of fixed motor patterns (egocentric navigation) motivated by a search for food. Passive avoidance is an operant conditioning paradigm in which the animals must learn to be passive in order to avoid aversive light and noise stimulation. The spatial water maze encourages the animals to integrate spatial information to efficiently escape from a pool of water. Odor discrimination is a task in which animals must discriminate and use a target odor to guide their search for food. Finally, fear conditioning (assessed by behavioral freezing) is a conditioning test in which the animals learn to associate a tone with a shock. We reported a positive correlation between the aggregate performance of individual outbred mice in the learning battery described above and their subsequent ability to accommodate competing demands on their spatial working memory capacity. Specifically, we observe that when mice required performing in two arm mazes concurrently (a manipulation intended to place demands on working memory capacity), their performance in the target maze positively correlated with their general learning abilities. These results are suggestive of a relationship between working memory capacity and general learning abilities in mice. Memory is the process by which information is saved as knowledge and retained for further use as needed. Neuroanatomy, is the study of a particular nerve and are located, or rather memory is stored diffusely through the structures of the brain that particularly in its original state. There are four neural structures that play a role in memory. For example, (1) hippocampus and (2) perirhinal cortex have roles in spatial and object memory and (3) the mediodorsal nucleus and (4) the basal forebrain are implicated in memory. The medial temporal lobe memory system, is part of the system for memory in the medial temporal lobe (MTL), this neural system consists of the hippocampus and adjacent anatomically related cortex, including entorhinal, perirhinal, and parahippocampal cortices. According to (Squire, Larry R.: Zola-Morgan, Stuart, 1991,)†These structures are essentially for establishing long-term memory for facts and events (declarative memory). The MTL memory system is needed to bind together the distrusted storage sites in neocortex that represent a whole memory. However, the role of this system is only temporary.†P1. When time goes on after learning, our memory stored in neocortex slowly and eventually becomes independent of MTL structures. Rats have been used in experimental mazes since at least the 20th century. Thousands of studies have examined how rat’s run different types of mazes, from T-maze to radial arm mazes to water mazes. These maze studies are used to study spatial learning and memory in rats. Maze studies helped uncover general principles about learning that can be applied to many species, including humans. Today, mazes are used to determine whether different treatments or retrieval is established, encoding processes that initiate priming and explicit memory have not yet been anatomically separated, and we investigate then using event related functional magnetic resonance imaging. According to (Schott, Bjorn H.: Richardson-Klavehn, Alan; Henson Richard N. A; Becker, Christine; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Duzel, Emrah, 2006,)†Activations precedicting later explicit memory occurred in the bilateral medial temporal lobe (MTL) and left prefrontal cortex (PFC). Activity predicting later priming did not occur in these areas, but rather in the bilateral extrastriate cortex, left fusiform gyrus, and bilateral inferior PFC, areas linked with stimulus identification,† P 2. However, these areas showed response reductions, and researchers results, illustrated that priming and explicit memory have distinctive functional neuroanatomies concerning encoding with MTL activations being strictly for explicit memory, and influence that priming is initiated by sharpness of neural responding in stimulus identification areas, that are consistent with recent electrophysiological evidence regarding priming related neural oscillations at encoding. Lifelong learning and brain stimulation are essential to mental and physical health, especially in old age. Throughout life, learning is what allows us to adapt to new situations, and learn how to survive and thrive in our current environment at any given time. As we learn, our brain becomes more active, taking in new information and comparing it with old. The new data is either corroborated by the old, or there is a conflict, at which point we must use judgment to determine which information we should keep and what we should discard. Learning can never stop, or it would mean the end of growth, and possibly the end of life, for an individual. Our environment changes every day, and new stimuli are encountered. Even if we have knowledge of what cars and streets are, and know how to practice safety when they are near, we are presented with new combinations and variables on these constructs every day. We must constantly assess the people and places around us, analyze them, and apply any new information to what we already know. This process, some would argue, is what makes us alive, intelligent creatures at the top of our ecological food chain. As for quality of life, very little is more important than keeping the brain active. As we age, the brain and its synaptic processes slow down and decay. Older people are more prone to dementia and other degenerative diseases. Working word puzzles or simply keeping a part time job to occupy the brain and keep it active and learning can extend the quality of life for any aging individuals, doing the same thing, while young can have the same effect. Our mental health is tied closely to our survival and our quality of living. If we can keep our brain learning, it can stay active and alert much longer than if we sit in front of screens and stop learning early in life. Human memory has been a significant interest concerning how people develop memory and process memory. From inspirational design in testing using animals, such a mice and mice being the greater source of exp erimental advances in research in the investigation of memory and human subject use. Researchers have unfolded how memory is developed, through the experiments of these subjects. Although, there is still much more investigation greed towards how memory effects how we learn, to how we store memory and process memory. We must continue the investigation; whereas so many people suffer memory dysfunctions; due to human illnesses and diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, brain damage and learning process needs. Bio-psychologist, work closely with other fields of psychology, biological factors and psychological factors that play a role in the memory processes. Learning can be defined as the process in which one’s experiences are combined into memory. One type of the traditional learning is school learning; this is done by incorporating textbook facts in which is called declarative memory. Not only does one have declarative memory, but also learning of procedural memories. Declarative memory is an explicit memory, a type of long-term memory in which one will store memories of fact (Psychology Glossary). Having memories of things, such as when Columbus sailed to America or on what day and time your baby brother was born, one has declarative memories. Procedural memory is the most basic form of memory. For example, this type of memory is used for procedures or furthermore the basic associations between stimuli and responses (Psychology Glossary). Having the memory of riding a bike is an example of procedural memory. Once an individual has learned what the proper procedure for riding a bike, it is then stored within the procedural memory. The limbic system actually focuses on the frontal lobe and the hippocampus. This system communicates by shooting of the electrical impulses in one’s neurons (Morin 2009). The neurons then become accountable for the storing of information. Brain plasticity refers to the ability for nerve cells to change through new experiences. These neurons take the information when an individual has been exposed to the stimulus to be learned. The retrieving of information is somewhat of a different process, however still maintains some of the same comparisons. Retrieving information becomes an activity of â€Å"re-activating† of those neurons. For both the long-term memory and the short-term memory these types of memories are then stored into many different places. The long-term memory process ensures that an individual will store these memories permanently (Morin 2009). This includes the changes to the cell structure and the creation of the new and unused synapses. Synapses are the junction between the neurons where a neural cell will communicate with a target cell. This is done when translating stimuli into a storage system that is used by the brain, linking the encoded stimuli in the memory and then accessing the memory of the stimuli at the time when it is needed, otherwise known as encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. REFERENCES Kolata, S., Light, K., Townsend, D.A., Hale, G., Grossman, H.C., Matzel, L.D. (2005) Variations in working memory capacity predict individual differences in general learning abilities among genetically diverse mice. Neurobiol. Learn. Mem. 84:241–246. Learning. 2011. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved Jan 16, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/learning Sternberg, R. J. (1999). Cognitive psychology (2 nd ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers. Neuroanatomical Dissociation of Encoding Processes Relater to Priming and Explicit Memory. By: Schott, Bjorn H.: Richardson-Klavehn, Alan; Henson, Richard N. A.: Becker, Christine; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Duzel, Emrah. Journal of Neuroscience. 1/18/2006, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p792-800, 9p. 5 The Medial Temporal Lobe Memory System Squire, Larry R.; Zola-Morgan, Stuart Science, Vol. 253(5026), Sep 1991, 1380-1386. doi: 10.1126/science. 1896849 Fernandez, A. (2007). Brain Exercise and Lifelong Learning for Alzheimer’s Prevention Alzheimer Disease. Article Directory – Find, Search, Reprint & Submit Articles for Free. Retrieved November 02, 2010, from http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/Brain- Exercise-and-Lifelong-Learning-for-Alzheimer-s-Prevention/94361 Salthouse, T. A. (2006). Mental Exercise and Mental Aging. Evaluating the Validity of the â€Å"Use It or Lose It† Hypothesis. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(1), 68-87. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00005.x Morin, Chrisophe; September 14, 2009 The Neural Basis of Learning Psychology Glossary; www.alleydog.com

How The Patient Care Has Influenced Career Essay

How The Patient Care Has Influenced Career - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that whereas it can be beneficial to read a great deal of information concerning the healthcare profession and understand the palliative care that can be given with respect to a great range of health issues, nothing within a textbook or a laboratory manual can prepare an individual for the psychological and sociological implications that hands-on experience can provide. Most importantly, with regards to the ability to enhance a desire to further healthcare education, the experience in question was instrumental in helping me to appreciate the nuanced level of approach that the healthcare professional must be responsible for integrating in order to affect a positive resolution within the living patient. Further, even though the first section of this analysis has been concentric on the degree and extent to which no level of memorize Asian or classroom participation can prepare a student for direct patient care, it was also noted, during the expe rience, that a great depth of knowledge was yet to be attained with regards to ameliorating the issues that patients might have, an understanding of complex city of biological issues that might be evidenced. Of all of the factors that have thus far been discussed, it is the impact upon my desire to further my education within the field that is perhaps the most profound. Had it not been for the direct patient care and hands-on experience that was derived during this period of time, it is doubtful that I would have been further drawn to participating in additional education within the healthcare field. This is not due to the fact that I find the healthcare profession in and of itself unappealing. Rather, I would merely not had been presented with the full nuance of the health care profession as it exists for the actual practitioner. As a result of this experience, it is my firm belief that each and every individual, regardless of their career path, should have at least some modicum of hands-on experience so they will at the very least have an expectation for what they might come to experience each and every day of a professional career within such a field of study. Similarly, with regards to what I believe could be an important contribution to my engagement in the nursing profession, this must be understood in something of relative terms. Firstly, nursing, although within the medical profession, is a direct patient interaction that takes place on many different levels. As such, the importance of empathy, relationships, and interaction is of the utmost importance. One does not need to take an exhaustive course in psychology to understand that a great many different types of personalities exist. As such, it is not only important to consider the range of personalities that exist but also the range of cultures, religions, and worldviews that are likely to be presented to an individual but is interested in integrating with such a profession in the future. As such, on e of the unique talents and abilities that I have oftentimes been congratulated upon within my own life is the ability to engage individuals from a diverse background and provide them with a sense of security and belonging with regards to whatever needs they might have. Naturally, I expect this particular talent to be utilized within the medical profession. Moreover, I also expected to be honed and polished so that the needs of a diverse patient mixture will be able to be met within my work. Finally, identifying with individuals and getting along with them is not in and of itself the only talent or requirement that must be utilized in order to affect a positive level of patient care.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Nagel and Russell on Absurdity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nagel and Russell on Absurdity - Essay Example Thomas Nagel and Betrand Russell wrote about the absurdity that defines life. Many philosophers have focused on the issue of absurdity as it is one of the surging worries that human beings experience continually. This explains why different philosophers have been trying to highlight the causes of the debilitating feeling that every venture in life is absurd. Realizing the causes of the feeling of absurdity has not been enough. There is the ardent desire of understanding the different ways of dealing with absurdity. This paper will analyze the views of Nagel and BetrandRussell concerning the absurdity. Summary of the ‘Absurd’ by Nagel Nagel begins by highlighting the fact that many people often make known their feeling that life presents a lot of absurdity, sometimes in a continuous manner. However, he asserted that few of the reasons used to explain how the absurdities of life result serve as adequate defense to explain why life is that way. He provides examples of the reasons that people have put forward as potential causes of absurdity. One of these reasons is the opinion that whatever transpires in life at the moment does not present evidence that it will matter in a million years into the future. The feeling that current ventures in life do not present any feasibility of being crucial factors in a progression of a million years. Nagel refutes this claim by highlighting that such thinking invites critical thought of analyzing whether things really matter. If one can doubt whether something happening in the current life will matter in the future, then it is only rational to realize that whether that thing is b ringing happiness or misery, it may not even matter (Pojman 555). For other people, the absurdity of life emerges from the realization that human are minute forms in a vast universe. This perception of human life in terms of space and time in comparison with the entire universe does not suffice to explain the cause of absurdity in life. Nagel argues that this reason is insufficient because little would change even if humans occupied a larger proportion of the universe (556). He opined that living a longer life and occupying greater space would imply that absurdity would increase at the same proportion of space and time. Nagel also mentions that some people experience absurdity because they realize that all then justifications used to present life with meaning will eventually diminish. However, Nagel mentions that even if these justifications were reliable enough to define the entire process of life, they would diminish eventually. He further argues that even if a single justificatio n had the potential of defining an individual’s entire life, it would require an additional justification to make it worthwhile (556). According to him, all chains of justifications depend on external factors for their relevance, factor that makes them diminish at some point. With this argument, Nagel highlighted that it was pointless to blame the insufficiency of justifications for the absurdity of life. In the second part, Nagel begins by highlighting the fact that absurdity resulted from the crises and discrepancies between the pretexts and aspirations of an individual in life. However,he highlights that individual often visualize a way of adjusting aspirations. In case such an adjustment is impossibility, the individual tries to avoid the reality of the absurd situation. However, the feeling of absurdity increases when an individual does not find a valid escape from the previously defined aspirations (557). Moreover, Nagel highlighted that a person’s ambitions were possible causes of the feeling of absurdity especially if the person keeps searching changes that present the potential of altering life. This may often result is an individual takes life’s decisions activities too seriously. He highlights that although life needs constant attention, taking it too seriously can be detrimental causing absurdity. Moreover, perceiving others

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Interpretation of Compernicus in the 16th century Research Paper

Interpretation of Compernicus in the 16th century - Research Paper Example This essay will deal with the interpretations of Copernican cosmology among his contemporaries, with special attention being paid to views on Copernican theory exhibited by leading theologians of the epoch, both Catholic and Protestant. In addition, an account of interpretations of Copernicus in non-European historical environment will be presented, with Ottoman Empire serving as a case study. It will be argued that the dominant interpretations of Copernican astronomy in the 16th century were far from overwhelmingly hostile, as might be inferred from the treatment of Giordano Bruno and later Galileo Galilei, and that established ecclesiastical authorities in most cases lacked a coherent policy towards Copernicans until the 17th century. THE EARLY LUTHERAN RESPONSE TO THE COPERNICAN THEORY. MELANCHTHON, RHETICUS AND THE WITTENBERG INTERPRETATION Although the notion of existential hostility of Lutheran thinkers towards Copernican astronomy, presented by White in his famous account of L uther’s alleged derisory remark on Copernicus (White 1:126-7), is widespread, it seems that such a conclusion would be premature. While Kuhn asserts that Luther and Melanchthon viewed Copernican theory as contravening the Scripture and constituting near blasphemy (Kuhn 191), Barker and Westman strongly oppose such a view, instead suggesting that the attitude of Lutherans to Copernicanism was more nuanced (Barker; Westman, â€Å"The Copernicans and the Churches†). First of all, it is significant that the presentation of Copernican heliocentric theory itself was conducted not by Copernicus himself, but by Georg Joachim Rheticus (1514-1574), a young mathematician from the University of Wittenberg, which was the spiritual centre of Lutheran current in the Reformation (Westman, â€Å"The Copernicans and the Churches† 81). In fact, Rheticus was entrusted by Copernicus with publishing Narratio Prima, the draft version of the Copernican master work, De Revolutionibus, i n 1540. Together with another Lutheran scholar, Andreas Osiander (1498-1552), Rheticus published De Revolutionibus itself in 1543, with a special notice that the latter was an astronomical and mathematical, rather than philosophical, work. It is assumed that this notice was added in order to prevent possible backlash by conservative theologians and scholastics against Copernican theory (Westman, â€Å"The Copernicans and the Churches† 81). Such interpretation of Copernicus’s work, i.e. not as a work aimed at uncovering physical truth, but as a mathematical treatise that was merely to provide mathematically consistent observations was to become a basis for the so-called Wittenberg Interpretation of Copernicus. It is interesting to note that Melanchthon seems to have been initially critical of Copernicus’s ideas, but later acknowledged their validity, especially with regard to Copernican planetary parameters and theory of moon movements (Westman, â€Å"The Melanc hthon Circle†). Although Melanchthon never recognized the claims of Copernican heliocentrists with respect to cosmological issues, he obviously regarded Copernicus’s mathematical calculations on celestial body movements as superior to the Ptolemean ones. Melanchthon dismissed Copernican observation on the earth’s motion, finding it to be incompatible with the Scripture and the Aristotelian idea of simple motion, according to which each simple body has only one type of motion inherent in it (Westman, â€Å"

Monday, August 26, 2019

MGM626-0902A-03 Economics for Decision-Making - Phase 2 Individual Essay

MGM626-0902A-03 Economics for Decision-Making - Phase 2 Individual Project - Essay Example The products are also identical and there is complete freedom of entry to the market. Moreover the information about the products and prices from various firms are also available to the customers at no cost. Hence, in a perfect competition, the price is purely set by the market and the firms adhere to the price (Salvatore, 2006). In the case of CPI, if it decides to raise the prices of the toothpaste unilaterally, the demand for the firm’s toothpaste will be completely reduced and the firm will lose its market share. Customers will prefer to buy the products which are priced at the market rate. This will eventually lead to the shutdown of the product totally. In this case, the market price of the toothpaste is increased to $ 54 per case. As discussed earlier, it is evident that the profit is maximized when the marginal cost (MC) equals the marginal revenue (MR). The marginal cost function remains unchanged as MC = 0.006 Q, as the costs are unaffected due to raise in prices. Also, the marginal revenue will equal price, as the sale of an additional case results in a revenue equal to the price per case. In a perfect competition, the market price rises only when the demand rises from the current level. In such a case, the supply also has to rise to meet the demand. The point where the supply meets the demand is set as the market price. Hence it is very clear that the demand in the market has risen (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 2004). This will lead to the profit maximizing level of the firms to increase, as the firms now have the opportunity to exploit a higher demand than usual with increased prices. It is important to note that the products of all the firms are homogenous and are not differentiated in a perfect market. Moreover the customers already have all the information about the products available in the market. Hence it is very difficult to create an impact by advertising the product. The main theme of advertising is to provide information

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Traumatic Gun shot wounds from 7.62mm and effect on lower limbs Essay

Traumatic Gun shot wounds from 7.62mm and effect on lower limbs - Essay Example It is then imperative that modalities in medicine be upgraded to combat man’s health opponents. Researches and studies in science have been very useful and relevant in conquering the battle against illnesses which commends the utilization of a wide range of treatment modalities from simple techniques to intricate equipments. Accidents or illnesses involving blood loss may lead to hemorrhagic shock which is life threatening. Although our body has its own mechanics in counteracting instability, a profound and in many cases, chronic illnesses may lead to exhaustion of the body’s system thus failing its purpose in maintaining equilibrium. Wound repair is the attempt of the tissues that are damaged to return to their normal activity and architectural and mechanical integrity after the damage. More often than not perfect restoration of fluid loss, prevention of infection, reinstating previously normal flow of blood and the lymphatic system is not achieved due to the necessi ty and rush to go back to and perform its function especially if the injury is severe and diffuse. Regeneration on the other hand refers to flawless restoration of the previous tissue structure without formation of a scar. While regeneration is the aim of wound healing, it only happens during embryonic growth and development and in lower forms of organisms. A fundamental concept in wound healing in humans is that all injured tissues pass with in the similar sequence of processes which are assigned into definite phases. Yet, these activities in each stage may coincide within the same time in a single wound. Every wound assumes the fundamental phase of wound repair. Acute wounds undergo the organized and well-timed process of repairing in order to attain long lasting structural and functional restoration of the tissue. Meanwhile, chronic wounds do not undergo to re-establishment of its functional integrity rather restoration is delayed in the inflammatory phase due to several causes a nd do not advance to the last phase (Townsend, et al., 2007). Hemostasis is defined as blood loss from a damaged blood vessel. In the setting of a severely injured or ruptured vessel the process of hemostasis can be accomplished by various methods: constriction of the vessels affected, organization of platelets to form a plug, creation of a blood clot with the virtue of blood coagulation, and eventually, production of fibrous tissue within the to permanently seal the gap in the blood vessel (Guyton & Hall, 2006). Each of the mechanics of hemostasis act in sequence but are also interconnected so as to promote multiple reinforcement to the area of impairment. Instantly after a trauma to a vessel, the injury to the wall of the blood vessel results to contraction of the wall which is in turn caused by reflexes, local spasms, and local platelet factors especially the thromboxane A2 which is a potent vasoconstrictor. In effect, the blood flow from this vessel is decreased. The contraction can last from a few several minutes to few hours in which the next step of forming a platelet plug can be initiated. If the injury to the vessel is very minute, the cut is usually blocked by a platelet plug instead of a blood clot. These little cuts in the blood vessels happen daily. The next hemostatic mechanism is the formation of the blood clot which starts to form within the first 15 to 20 seconds after the trauma, if the injury to th

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Memo 1-follow intructions below Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Memo 1-follow intructions below - Case Study Example According to an email sent, there were examples of adjustments made as a result of budget cut. It is better to understand these adjustments were not done intentionally but as a result of drastic change in Budget cost. Lake Clarke National Park offers services which everyone would look forward to enjoy. The mail was not written without the right consent. The relevant individuals had tried all they could squeeze the park’s budget in the new reduced budget. It is at times impossible to shift to a new budget line. Low service-adjustment caused by changes in reduced Budget cost can close down the company’s operations. Lake Clarke National Park was forced to lower some services it offered to its customers. Poor financial situation of the park led to changes in services it offered. My intention is to make the park’s customers understand the financial position of it. The mail used had good means to reach the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Critically assess the working of the EU's merger control Regulation Essay

Critically assess the working of the EU's merger control Regulation - Essay Example For the past two decades, mergers and acquisitions (M&As) hold the greatest percentage among modes of entry by foreign investors and growth activities of domestic companies; particularly true for the developed economies. One probable reason for this trend may be the high availability of information regarding the value of mergers and acquisitions. M&As targets usually obtain good values by the financial markets, which is more attractive and tempting for the investing companies and is considered one of the more important factors that affect investors’ choices. Mergers occur when two or more companies, with the consent of both parties involved, engage into a merge, in order to create business synergies from the new single entity formed, rather than existing separately on the market. There is a mutual agreement between the managements of two or more companies, on the grounds of exchanging shares of the merging firms with shares of the new entity, which reflects the name of the both companies engaged in the merger. Acquisitions, on the other side, represent business transactions between parties which are unrelated, under terms established by the market, while each side acts in its own best interest . In other words, in the case of acquisitions, the takeover involves a direct business transaction between the management of the acquiring firm and the stockholders of the acquired firm . 4. M&A result in anti-competitive effects as a possible consequence. By creating or strengthening dominant market power and by creating control over the industry’s vertical chain – M&A can succeed in distorting market competition. The scope of the essay is to provide a critical review on the EU competition regulation5. At the level of EU, the European Commission is responsible for the implementation of the regulation. Its powers have still not been used as frequently as the USA. As designed currently the EU regulation and decisions have multiple variations across multiple sectors; particularly the sectors where large companies and extensive cross-border trading and ownership links are predominant. These are counted as the regulation’s key targets6. In the process the essay will look at the most important factor after the anti-competitive issues drive the EU decisions on M&A – the efficiency gains7. The essay is organized in several sections. First the impa ct of M&A on the society as a whole is investigated followed by an overview of EU competition law with the EU merger procedures ending with a conclusion and discussion on the findings. 2. MERGERS AND AQUISITIONS AND THE ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC INTEREST (anti-competitive effects and efficiency gains) Although more than 14 drivers of M&As activity have been recognized and defined in the economic research and theory, according to Griffiths and Wall, in most of the cases the theories are highly unpredictable and inconsistent8. For example, the value discrepancy theory (i.e. buying off a company with a lower value than its genuine potential and actual assets involved), as well as the market power theory (i.e. consolidation due to large market power), are both behavioral models and illustrate specific and exact frameworks in which the companies operate (externally and/or internally). Generalization of these theories is difficult, therefore one may argue that Griffiths and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Simulation Project Essay Example for Free

The Simulation Project Essay Multinational corporations face many challenges in their domestic and global environments. According to Ajami, Cool, Goddard, and Khambata â€Å"a multinational firm is one in which a certain percentage of the earnings, assets, sales, or personnell of a firm come from or are deployed in foreign locations† (Ajami, Cool, Goddard, Khambata, 2006, p. 6). According to this definition US Airways Group would be classified as a mulitnational firm. On Fortune 500’s Worst List, US Airways Group is identified as a least admired company on all eight attributes identified by the research and surveys performed by Hay Group (Best worst in, 2006). As the name implies US Airways Group operates in the Airline industry. This paper will discuss how government regulations, hard and soft technologies, some political-legal barriers, sociocultural factors and two economic theories that are faced by US Airways Group are affected by their domestic and global environments. It will also offer a strategy for US Airways Group to countinue its growth and success as an industry leader. As indicated from its name the domestic environment of this company is the United States and the global environment that will be used is Costa Rica. In the US the airline industry has two main agencies that write regulations that it has to obey. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 2012). Although the airline industry was de-regulated in 1978 the DOT â€Å"retains the authority to alter or amend any airline’s certificate or to revoke such certificate for intentional failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the certificate† (10-K, 2012). The FAA is responsible for writing the regulations that relate to aircraft maintenance and operations, certification of pilots and flight crewmembers and air traffic and general operating rules (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 2012). Another other agency that establishes guidelines that the airline industry has to abide by is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is responsible for â€Å"regulating operations, including air carrier operations, which affect the quality of air in the United States† (10-K, 2012). US Airways Group has to follow all the established regulations created by the FAA, DOT and EPA if it wants to remain in business in the United States. They have to keep up-to-date with the maintenance requirements and keep accurate records as established by the FAA and continue to have their aircraft inspected at regular intervals as prescribed by the FAA (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 2012). They must ensure they follow EPA guidelines regarding air quality, while continuing to meet the DOT requirements for operating at efficiency or risk having their certificates revoked to do business as well. In Costa Rica, the government is based on Roman law, which is very different from the US legal system (Doing Business in Costa Rica: 2012 Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies, 2012). The ways the laws are written is how they are applied and there is little to no room left for interpretation by anyone regarding the laws. Therefore the way that the government regulations that US Airways Group must follow are written are the way that they must be followed. The government has established travel guidelines that must be followed there, the most important being that: currently you are not permitted to enter Costa Rica unless you have a roundtrip ticket (Costa Rica, 2012). The easiest way for US Airways to avoid an issue regarding this regulation is to ensure that all travelers going to Costa Rica have a roundtrip ticket when they board the plane in their departure city, along with valid identification. â€Å"Hard technology includes the physical hardware, capital goods, blueprints and specifications, and knowledge necessary to use the hardware, while soft technology encompasses the management, marketing, financial organization, and administrative techniques that can be combined with the hard technology to serve the needs of the use† (Ajami, Cool, Goddard, Khambata, 2006, p. 358). Based on this definition some of US Airways hard technologies would be their aircraft (planes), hubs (airport locations) and even their flight crews. The planes that are currently in the fleet are manufactured by Boeing, Airbus and Embraer (US Airways Fleet, 2013) and some are equipped  with the â€Å"ACSS’s XS-950â„ ¢ Mode S Transponder† which allows for the transmission of information regarding the planes â€Å"position, speed and intent† (Press Releases, 2012). They have hubs in the four US cities and have established a partnership with Star Alliance (US Airways A Star Alliance Member, 2013), which gives them access to a hub at London’s Heathrow Airport as well. The flight crew has the knowledge to operate the aircraft as well operate the terminals efficiently within the hubs. It is the flight crew’s responsibility to ensure that the passengers are on board the plane on time and that the plane departs the gate on time. The soft technologies currently employed by US Airways includes their Nuance interactive voice response (IVR) system, which was one of their new marketing tools to help reduce customer frustrations (Interactive Case Study: US Airways, 2013), audits of customers’ airport experiences (Sunnucks, 2010), and training on the other new systems that have been implemented to help with customer satisfaction. Just as flight crews can be classified as hard technology the management staff of US Airways can be classified as soft technology because it is their responsibility to make sure that the customers are kept happy and that they use their administrative talents to keep the employees satisfied as well. If US Airways continues to educate, value and respect it employees, while using new technology to keep up-to-date with the rest of the industry and survey its customers for satisfaction their success will continue to improve. One of the political-legal barriers that US Airways Group will face in the US and Costa Rica the differences in the legal system as identified earlier. In the US the laws are interpreted and judges look at past cases to help decide how to rule on a current case, in Costa Rica judges look at the law the way it is written and make their rulings based on the way the law is written. If US Airways is not careful and does not fully understand the laws and how they are written in Costa Rica this could be detrimental to their operations there. In the US they not only have to comply with federal laws but state laws as well that have been established. Although both governments are classified as republics, the US has what the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) refers to as a federal republic and Costa Rica has a democratic republic (The World Fact Book, 2012). In Costa Rica they promote a political environment based on inclusion. One of their political parties is Partido Accesibilidad Sin Exclusià ³n (PASE) which translated into English is Accessibility without Exclusion Party (Obando, 2013); however the US is not necessarily an inclusion-based society. The US does have laws regarding accessibility for individuals with disabilities and they are taken very seriously, Costa Rica is not as readily as accessible as one would think they would be based on their inclusion-based political system. For US Airways to continue to be successful in the US and Costa Rica concerning the political-legal environments within those countries they should remember the â€Å"history of close and friendly relations based on respect for democratic government, human freedoms, free trade, and other shared values† (World-Country Profiles; US Department of State Background Note, 2007), this falls in line with the concept of the classical theory of trade (Ajami, Cool, Goddard, Khambata, 2006, p. 48). Geert Hofstede developed his theory of the five dimensions of culture, based on information provided to him by IBM regarding employee values in their survey of more than 70 countries between 1967 and 1973 (National cultural dimensions, 2013). â€Å"The five dimensions of culture as theorized by Hofstede are: social orientation, power orientation, uncertainty orientation, goal orientation and time orientation† (Ajami, Cool, Goddard, Khambata, 2006, p. 213). The five dimensions are broken down into simple terms as: social orientation – reflects a person’s beliefs about the importance of the individual over the group for which they belong; power orientation – deals with how one views authority and power differences in a hierarchy; uncertantiy oreintation – refers to how one feels regarding change; goal orientation – deals with how one is motivated towards achieving goals and the fifth and final dimension time oreintation – refers to the how individuals in a culture adopt an outlook of long or short term regarding life, work and other issues (Ajami, Cool, Goddard, Khambata, 2006, p. 213-214). In regards to the sociocultural aspects related to these dimensions of culture as id entified by Hofstede there are many that are different as well as some that are similar for these two countries. One of the biggest differences between the two countries is their attidudes towards time. People in the US are all about time and money whereas people in Costa Rica want to take their time and really understand what is happening. The attitudes towards work and lesiure follow suit with the attitudes towards time. Many in the US do not  take vacation time off because things need to get done, whereas Costa Ricans are more concerend with spending time with their families and socializing with friends (Provasi, 2012). The attitudes regarding change, material things, and jobs are also at opposite ends of the spectrum. These things are important to most Americans and they look at these things as a way to build themselves up. Costa Rican’s on the other hand look at these things and will be just as comfortable with keeping things just they way they are. Aspects that are similar in the two countries are literacy rate and education mix. Both coutries hold these items in high regard and try to come up with ways to encourage the young people to stay in school and continue with their education and pursue higher education as well. Another item that is similar is their â€Å"open door† policy in the work place , managers are accessible at all levels and this makes it very familiar. The two economic theories that will be compared and contrasted are Walt Whitman Rostow’s Stages of Economic Growth and John Kenneth Galbraith Equilibrium of Poverty for the domestic and gloabal economic environments identified above for US Airways Group. The US has a mixed economic environment and is classified as a first world country. The reason the US does not fit into one specific economic environment is it has characteristics of capitalism in which the relationship of supply and demand dictates price and it also has elements of a free-market economy in which the government establishes laws and policies to ensure public safety and welfare (Ajami, Cool, Goddard, Khambata, 2006, p. 59). Costa Rica has a social market economy (Rojas, 2006) and is classified as a thrid world country (Rosenberger, 2012). A social market economy is similar to a free-maket economy in that â€Å"it upholds free market components such as private property and ownership of businesses and industry, free price formation, market competition and free trade, while also utilizing government regulation to create fair market competition by preventing market monopolies, ensuring ongoing economic development and poverty alleviation† (Social Market Economy, 20 13). Based on the definitions provided it can be said the both economies are similar in regards to government regulations being involved in creating a fair and safe market environment. Walt Whitman Rostow identified five economic stages of growth in which a country could fall: traditional society, transitional stage, takeoff, drive to maturity and the age of mass consumption (Ford,  2004). Each stage represents a stepping stone to for the next stage. According to Rostow the US surpassed the age of mass consumption in the late 1950’s (Ferraro, 1960), Costa Rica however is still in the takeoff stage. This stage is â€Å"marked by major transformations that stimulate the economy† (Ajami, Cool, Goddard, Khambata, 2006, p. 55). For US Airways Group, in Costa Rica this is identified by their growth in the technological area (more flights operated) as well as more jobs being created due to the increase in flights. Although in the US this stage has been surpassed, US Airways contiunes to â€Å"grow† in this aspect because they are increasing flight schedules. Galbraith’s view of economics is similar to that of Rostow, in that economic growth is as much a change in social, intellectual and policatical as well as physical (material) change (Watson, 2011). According to both of their economist views the US operates as a capitalistic economy. This is tr ue of US Airways in the way that they have been able to turn-around their business since 2005. They actually took into consideration things that would make the consumers happy, not necessarily increasing their capacity (i.e. putting more seats on a plane), in doing so they were able to keep up with the consumer’s wants and still provide the service that was needed (Smith, 2012). This falls into Galbraith’s view that â€Å"the major affirmative purpose of the firm is corporate growth† (John Kenneth Galbraiths Contributions to Economics, 2013). This view is similar to Rostow’s age of mass consumption in that both concentrate on the high standards of living (i.e. comfort in travel on the plane) that have been established as a result of the efforts set forth is their respective stages. Where the two differ dramatically is that Galbraith believes that the companies direct the consumers wants by advertising that makes the consumers desire certain products or services, and that therefore the economy is more driven by the seller and not the consumer (John Kenneth Galbraiths Contributions to Economics, 2013). In this instance though, that concept contradicts his idea of ‘the major affaimative purpose of the firm is corporate growth’ in the example provided regarding US Airways above. In successfully industrializing a poor economy such as Costa Rica’s, Galbraith’s Equilibrium of Poverty offers the idea of the reliable infrastructure system (Ajami, Cool, Goddard, Khambata, 2006, p. 57). This idea simply means that the country would need to have a â€Å"relieable  system of roads, ports, electrical power supplies and communications† (Ajami, Cool, Goddard, Khambata, 2006, p. 57). In this case US Airways already has access to these items at the airport and therefore is well on its way to helping the economy grow and prosper. While both Rostow and Galbraith believe that governement need to be invovled in the initial stages to help third world countries establish themselves and help to protect their citizens they also understand that there will be a time when the government will need to step back and let the companies in the different industries takeover and control their own destinies so to speak. Rostow does not mention how or when he thinks this should be done, however Galbraith says that he feels that governments should impose â€Å"taxes on consumer goods and services, using the proceeds to increase the availability of public sector goods and services† (John Kenneth Galbraiths Contributions to Economics, 2013). In doing this, he is trying to show that eventually there has to be a point where control is given to the companies and they only need to answer to the governments when required or necessary. US Airways Group has made significant improvements in seven of the eight-attribute areas identified On Fortune 500’s Worst List 2006. On the 2011 list they still have a ranking on the worst product quality attribute of number 11, which is down from 10. US Airways Group needs to figure out ways to improve the quality of their service as well as their products. Although they may not have much control over the service aspect because the flight schedule cab be delayed because of an airline from another company they can control they products. They can invest in newer planes, upgrade/update their current planes and even update their hubs in the airports that they currently operate in. Other ways for the company to continue to grow and succeed in the domestic and global environments are they must continue to improve their offerings. They are off to a great start by taking surveys and asking customers what is important to them. They need to go a step further and ask the employees what is important to them, what will keep them loyal to US Airways Group. Take what they learn from the employees and the implement changes that are suggested. Continue to ask the customers what they like, do not like, what other features they would like to see in the airports, on the planes and in the air. I think one thing that the company should do is take a lesson from Southwest and stop charging baggage fees for the first checked bag. They should eliminate  change fees, and if someone needs to cancel their trip completely, implement a cancell ation fee, but refund the difference between the ticket price and the cancellation fee. By eliminating their fees they will draw more passengers to the airline and increase sales, because people will not feel as if they are being taken advantage of. In today’s economy this will go far with consumers and could lead to even bigger profits in the end, because they will feel that US Airways Group is a company that is not just looking out for themselves but for their customers as well. As demonstrated there are several different environments that a multinational corporation must take into consideration when exploring new opportunities. The government regulations, hard and soft technologies, political-legal barriers, sociocultural factors and economic theories that a company faces and how they handle each of those environments will determine if they will succeed or fail. Walt Whitman Rostow and John Kenneth Galbraith’s economic theories can be used by companies to help determine if the global environment that is being considered will be a good fit with the domestic environment of the parent company. Once the location has been setup and establishe the company must realize that the work does not stop there, they must always analyze and remember they want to continue to grow so they need to ask the question what do we do to contiune to prosper or what do we do to make it so we do prosper. Bibliography 10-K, A. H. (2012, May 19, Retreived December 16, 2012). Government Regulations and Airline Industry Taxation. Retrieved from Wikinvest: http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/AirTran_Holdings_(AAI)/Government_Regulations_Airline_Industry_Taxation Ajami, R. A., Cool, K., Goddard, G. J., Khambata, D. (2006). International Business: Theory and Practice. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. Best worst in (2006). Retrieved from CNN Money: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/2006/best_worst/ Costa Rica. (2012, December 30). Retrieved from cr2net.com: http://www.cr2net.com/costarica/coming_and_going.htm Doing Business in Costa Rica: 2012 Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies. (2012, December 30). Retrieved from The Department of Commerce: http://www.buyusainfo.net/docs/x_1853591.pdf Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. (2012, December 13, Retreived December 16, 2012). Retrieved

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Kant vs Mill Essay Example for Free

Kant vs Mill Essay In the Foundation of the Metaphysics of Morals, the author, Immanuel Kant, tries to form a base by rejecting all ethical theories that are connected to consequences, and then focusing on our ethical motivations and actions. Kant wants to derive good characters out of contingently right actions. He believes that everything is contingent (everything can have good or bad worth, depending on how it is used). So he is trying to find the supreme principal of morality in all his reasoning. Kant also believes that an action is right or wrong based solely on the reason by which it was performed. However, a Utilitarian, like John Mill, would reject Kants reasoning of originating good characters out of actions alone, and instead argue that if an action has bad consequences, then the action was morally wrong. Kant believes that an action has moral worth only if it is done out of respect for our moral code. He names this moral action a ? duty. Kant also believes that in determining the moral worth of an action, we need to look at the maxim by which it was performed. So, we need to look at ones reason for doing an action to determine if it is a duty. If the reason for performing the action is justified, then the action is a duty. However, Kant says there are two different types of reasons for performing an action. Kant calls these reasons ? imperatives. The first reason for performing an action, the hypothetical imperative, is based on consequences and on our personal preferences. They are also contingent, meaning that they can be good or bad depending on how they are used. People choose to perform a given action because of the hypothetical imperative. The second reason for performing an action according to Kant is called the categorical imperative. These are not based on our preferences, dont deal with consequences of an action, and are derived a priori. They are completely separate from hypothetical imperatives. We all have knowledge of categorical imperatives before experiencing them first. They are kind of a second nature for us, which needs to be recognized according to Kant. These are the most important reason for performing an action. These imperatives also have the characteristics that Kant needs in order to make his point that all of our moral principals are categorical, have absolute authority, and are independent of different situations. These categorical imperatives have three different formulations. The second formulation of the categorical imperative deserves the most attention. The second formulation states that all rational beings should be treated as ends, because they are ends in themselves. So in making a decision, we must choose the action which respects the ends of others and of ourselves. This would be respecting an individuals autonomy. Autonomy is commanding yourself to do what you think is a good idea to do. Since your self-identity comes from the autonomy principal, it is making choices based on your values. Each person has an idea of how they want to live their life, and with interfering with that idea, we are showing that person a lack of respect for their whole person. A good example of interfering with a persons autonomy is making false promises to somebody. When we lie to someone, we take away their choice by exploiting them. So when we take away their choices, we take away their autonomy. This is because it distracts the persons perception on what is the case. If they cant see everything clearly and make a good, moral choice, that is because they dont know what they should. So we rob them of the ability to control themselves and their future. If everybody made choices and acted on their autonomy, would this world be a safe place to live? It wouldnt, because some people have no morals, and their autonomy tells them it is on their best interest to kill somebody. However, if each person respected the ends of themselves and of others, while acting on their autonomy, it would be a very safe place to live. In fact, it would be a perfect community. Kant calls this idea the ? Kingdom of Ends. In the Kingdom of Ends, only those moral laws which respect and further the establishment of this perfect community are adopted. This perfect community is impossible to achieve, Kant says. But he says it is our best interest to try to reach it. As I mentioned before, a Utilitarian, like John Mill, would argue against Kant by saying that an action has moral worth based on its consequences alone. Mill would argue against Kant by saying that making false promises are good or bad, based on the outcome, not on making the false promise. Mill would argue that if lying to somebody saved them some misery, or even their life, then lying to them would be the right action to do. For example, if you knew that somebody was going to get the crap kicked out of them tomorrow in class, and this person happened to be your friend, then you would tell them that your instructor called and class was cancelled. This would be making a false promise to your friend, and will most likely have good consequences because your friend did not go to class and get beat up. Mill says this is the right action to take in this situation, because there were good consequences in the end of things. However, Kant would completely reject this idea of performing actions based on consequences. He does this based solely on unforeseen consequences. We cannot hope to predict the outcome of any given situation. It is impossible; there is no such thing as seeing the future. So by making a false promise to your friend, you have still done the morally wrong action, even though it will most likely save them some suffering. It did indeed take away their choices, so they cant act in a way they want to act (going to class). I happen to agree with Kants idea here. I think that no matter what the consequences are, performing the right action is always the right thing to do. Overall I think that Kant has better arguments because they are directed at the individual, not at society in whole. I also agree that the moral worth of actions is determined by the motivating principal of the action, not by the consequences, like John Mill. So I am a deontologist, for the most part. However, I also agree with some of the things that Mill has to say. So is there a way that we can combine the ideas of Mill and Kant together in order to form a perfect society in which everybody is happy? I dont know the answer to this question, but we should all strive to do so, and we should start by respecting each others autonomy and treating others as ends.

A standard costing and variance analysis

A standard costing and variance analysis Study suggests that many companies use standard accounting to determine costs and for measuring performance. However, there has always been speculation on standard costing being the most effective measurement. The actual cost usually differs from the standard costs, which is based on calculations and assumptions. Standard accounting takes into account various factors like price, specifications, quantity and quality of the material. The estimations involved in analyzing and setting standard costs involve the efficiency of the management. If a difference between the actual cost and the standard cost is observed, an investigation is required since it suggests the inefficiency in the calculation of estimates. Relevance of Standard Costing and Variance Analysis The standard costs are calculated according to the following flowchart and the variance is monitored and recalculated at every interval to reduce cost variance. Definition of standard cost: a pre-determined cost calculated in relation to a prescribed set of working conditions, correlating technical specifications and scientific measurements of material and labor to the price and wage rates expected to apply during the period to which the standard cost is intended to relate, with the addition of an appropriate share of budgeted overhead (CIMA [ICMA] definition) The standard costs are to be set by the management after a set of calculations. These calculations can either be based on historical records or on engineering studies. Depending on the type of company and volatility in costs, a great deal of care is to be taken into setting standards. Standard costing is usually applied in conjunction with other costing methods (or variance analysis): Absorption and marginal costing Job and process costing Budgeting and budgetary control Advantages of Standard Costing The costing standards are helpful in establishment of prices, budgets and production schedules. The employees are motivated to maintain efficiency to reduce errors in achieving a target. Management by exception is allowed to be practiced by variances. Record keeping and stock evaluation are harmonized and simplified due to a standard set of costing used across the system. Responsibility is defined with the help of variance analysis. The technical analysis necessary to set standards will result in better methods, greater efficiency and in cutting costs. The standards provide essential control information which help in comparing the actual costs to the standards. Disadvantages of Standard Costing Firstly standard costing will not be very efficient for companies that use a lean system. In lean production, the volumes produced are lowered and the inventories re consumed only after the determining amounts of the quantity demanded. Secondly, there might be changes in the working practices, the prices and volumes of the raw materials, which reduce the standards and are misleading and inappropriate. Many costs are incurred in maintain and calculating the standard costing systems. Over assumptions of costs in an urge to make the standard costs favorable may lead to high cost variances. This may also lead to non-productive work like measuring and completing forms. Standard costing is overly focused on statistical data and thus there might be a conflicting boundary between the standard cost and estimated cost. For example the overheads may require running at full efficiency even though the excess production is not required. Standard costing maybe applicable in larger firms with high production lines and bigger resources, but for smaller firms, the basic thumb rule methods are more appropriate for use in control. Alternative methods Activity Based Costing In this method, the costs are recognized due to the cause and effect relationship between the activities and costs that drive the company costs. This method can theoretically be used in any industry due to its flexibility in determining costs at different levels. ABC, just like the other traditional costing systems, it often results in recognizing indirect costs on easily identifiable figures such as direct labor hours. It often results in inaccuracy in assigning the costs to its relevant activity. However, this method is used effectively in complex companies where certain costs are not easy to record and evaluate. It is used in companies which are not completely service based. Balanced score card The balanced score card is used as a performance measure and for strategic planning in major organizations. It was invented by Dr. Kaplan and David Norton that analyzed measurements in a combination of traditional and strategic method to give a more balanced view to the management. The balanced scored had four main perspectives: Learning and growth perspective The scorecard considers learning as one of the most important perspectives in the case of employees and at an organizational level. Funds can be adequately allotted by managers to ensure the training needs of a worker since the developing industry requires a continuous improvement in the skill level. Business process perspective In this perspective, metrics are used to allow the managers to understand the importance of their internal business and whether the products and services are capable of satisfying the customers needs. The metrics for a business process are best when designed by a highly experienced internal manager. Customer perspective The constant increase in the market trend from a customers perspective has increased companies to use metrics to define customer satisfaction levels. If the quality of the products and services reduce, the customer satisfaction would drop and thus he would switch to a more competitive company. Hence, frequent measures such as the scorecard and customer feedbacks have to be used to understand the customers requirements. Financial perspective A company needs to constantly calculate its financial data and create a capacity to fund the current projects. The accuracy involved in this data will help the managers create a planned and organized expenditure. Data such as the risk assessment and cost-benefit data has to be identified in this perspective. The standard costing requires accuracy in calculating this data since any errors could cause a large cost variance and affect direct labor and direct material cost. Target costing Target costing is a cost management tool for reducing the overall product cost in a production life cycle. This approach is most commonly used in Japanese companies along with Six Sigma, Kaizen and various other approaches. Unlike traditional methods, target costing takes a very proactive approach to pricing. It analyzes the costing information of the product and suggests the best possible price upfront. This saves the wastage in time and costs involved in re-engineering and design. In particular, target costing concentrates on phase wise reduction of costs in a product life cycle. The decisions involve a large team a multi-level team of staff from production, engineering, etc. to determine the acceptable market price. Just-in-time method The JIT method is one of the lean methods used in the new production systems. It is very efficient in supply chains and production units in determining the quantity of products to be produced depending on the customer requirements. However, JIT method also results in a few disadvantages such as purchasing inventory that is not required immediately. Due to the stock up of inventory, there are chances of the goods being damaged or lost. Also, the more assets a company is holding, the higher premium it has to pay. Thus having excessive assets is not an efficient option. Assets include both cash and inventory, but cash is more flexible and helps in precluding loans which means lesser liabilities for the organization. When the demand increases, the orders would have to be rushed and thus greater staffing working in overtime is required. This would lead to an increase in the direct labor costs and also would reduce employee satisfaction. The company would also have to manage the orders in a short period of time which create a lot of trouble for the middle level management. This change in costs further affects the standard costing of a company. Total Quality Management Total quality management involves the continuous improvement of products and services while also involving the managers and employees in a quality management approach. TQM is aimed at increasing the quality while reducing the wastage in production of goods. Some of the popular companies involved in the adaptation of TQM include Toyota motor company, Ford motor company, Phillips semiconductor and SGL carbon. TQM involves the continuous improvement of a process, and thus improving the future results of a process. It contains a combination of quality management tools which helps in increasing the quality at pace with the improving market standards. Kaizen methods Kaizen in Japanese stands for improvement in simple terms. When the word is split, kai means change and zen means good. The most important aspect of a kaizen method is to standardize your process. Most of the companies that follow the kaizen method use a PDCA life cycle. One of the leading motor companies using this method efficiently is Toyota motors. Toyota has extensively implemented the continuous improvement strategy in its lifecycle. The basic steps of the kaizen method involve the Plan-Do-Check-Act life cycle. As the title suggests, the first step of the process involves planning the costs and estimating the costs accurately. The next step involves measuring and implementing the costs and the effectiveness using various measuring techniques. The third phase involves checking whether the standards are optimal and efficient and if not act accordingly towards continuous improvement. After achieving the new results, these are set as the new standards and thus create accuracy. The cycle repeats itself continuously improving the process. Pricing decisions in service sectors Most healthcare organizations do not realize the benefits of standard costing in an organization and thus result in high cost variances. The application of standard costing systems used in such organizations can help in realizing the losses in unrecovered overhead on time and hence take corrective action. In todays world, customers in the service sector demand the prices to be lowered and a better cost information system. The most effective way to deal with this is to use standard costing and variance analysis. Full costs per unit should be measured in advance of providing a service. The variable costs can thus be easily estimated since the facilities in the service sector directly use the pricing process.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

music censorship Essay examples -- essays research papers

MUSIC CENSORSHIP, 1950 till now 1952 The Weavers are blacklisted due to the leftist political beliefs and associations of several members. In 1953 six counties in South Carolina pass legislation outlawing jukebox operation anytime when within hearing distance of a church. During 1954 Stephen Foster songs are edited for radio to remove words such as "massa" and "darky." For radio airplay the perceived drug reference "I get no kick from cocaine," is changed to "I get perfume from Spain." in Cole Porter's classic "I Get a Kick out of you." In 1955 Former radio deejay Pat Boone begins a career by releasing "sanitized" versions of black R&B hits. Boone's versions of these songs often contain edited lyrics: such as substituting "drinkin' Coca Cola" for "drinkin' wine" in T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday" and "Pretty little Susie is the girl for me" instead of "Boys, don't you know what she do to me" in Little Richard's "Tutti Fruitti." During 1956 ABC Radio Network bans Billie Holiday's rendition of Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" from all of its stations because of its prostitution theme. Stations continue to play instrumental versions of the song. .... The Parks Department in San Antonio, Texas, removes all rock and roll records from jukeboxes located at city swimming pools, terming it "jumpy, hot stuff" that is unsuitable for teens. ... 1957 Producers of the Ed Sullivan Show instruct cameramen to show Elvis Presley only from the waist up on his third and final appearance on the program on January 7th. Fearing the effects of the "hedonistic, tribal rhythms" of rock and roll music, in March Chicago's Cardinal Stritch bans popular music from all Catholic-run schools. ... 1958 The Mutual Broadcasting System drops all rock and roll records from its network music programs, calling it "distorted, monotonous, noisy music." ... 1962 New York Bishop Burke forbids Catholic school students from dancing to "The Twist." Burke considers R&B music, and its associated dances, to be lewd and un-Christian. 1963 The FBI begins collecting data on folk singers Phil Ochs. Ochs is one of several popular musicians to be tracked by the FBI during their careers (Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie... ...." ... The Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence forbids "Danny Boy" and other secular songs from being performed during funeral masses. ... Following the September 11th terrorist attacks, Clear Channel Communications, the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, releases a list of more than 150 "lyrically questionable"songs that stations may want to pull from their playlists. Few songs portray explicit violence, but most have metaphoric themes that ring a bit too close to the tragedies. The list, containing music from almost every genre in popular music, includes Sugar Ray's "Fly," "Jet Airliner" by Steve Miller, Nine Inch Nails'; "Head Like a Hole," AC/DC's "Shoot to Thrill" and "Highway to Hell," Pat Benatar's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot," "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas, Jerry Lee Lewis's "Great Balls of Fire," REM's "It's the End of the World as We Know It," "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel, Dave Matthews Band's "Crash Into Me," "Nowhere to Run" by Martha & the Vandell as, and all songs by Rage Against The Machine.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Essay --

Doctor John Parker Hammond is Scottish venture capitalist who develops a park on an island where dinosaurs can be brought back to life, through the miracles of science. He does this for the entertainment, and profit, of the people. However, the dinosaurs escape to bring terror upon those on the island, themselves, and the island itself. It is made very clear from the first scene that Jurassic Park is a commentary on global market capitalism. It both drives the story and its central complication. Capital is a resource gained through a good or service, which can be used to create more goods or services, not always ending up to be money. These things could act like money or create money. For Hammond, the park is a capital, being that he hopes to profit in some way financially from it. Hammond makes it clear throughout the film that they've â€Å"spared no expense,† in getting the park up and ready for the public. He is now made aware of the dangers of the park, due to one of his employees being killed by one of the dinosaurs. This worker is made a product of and subject to capital as an enemy from the start. When there were complications with one of the dinosaur containment units, the investors of InGen become scared off. Hammond decides to venture off to find Genarro, a lawyer, and three experts. He suggest to host these people, so they could sign off on the safety of the park, because it is a risky opportunity for investors. Doctors Grant and Satler have been very hesitant to take Hammond up on his offer. They discuss how they'd like to focus on their work. Recently, a full diplodocus skeleton was sold for over $650,000, according to BBC.co.uk. These doctors have just discovered what could possibly be the biggest find they've eve... ...such as a home loan, or perhaps creating an island filled with dinosaurs. Perhaps Jurassic park wasn't meant to be a complete commentary on consumerism and capitalism, but it was anyway. If we look at each character's intentions, we'll see that each played part in a greater idea that might possibly be a symbol for the economic system as a whole. John Hammond represents the fat-cat big business type that has an end game of profit and succession. Doctors Grant and Salter are the endorsers of the product. Malcolm is the curious consumer that doesn't fall into the obvious ploys of the fat cats and offers up an array of questions. Hammond's grandchildren are the innocent children of the market, observing and letting others be the first to grab. The characters behave in the ways the market requires them to in order to succeed. We, as consumers also behave the same way. Essay -- Doctor John Parker Hammond is Scottish venture capitalist who develops a park on an island where dinosaurs can be brought back to life, through the miracles of science. He does this for the entertainment, and profit, of the people. However, the dinosaurs escape to bring terror upon those on the island, themselves, and the island itself. It is made very clear from the first scene that Jurassic Park is a commentary on global market capitalism. It both drives the story and its central complication. Capital is a resource gained through a good or service, which can be used to create more goods or services, not always ending up to be money. These things could act like money or create money. For Hammond, the park is a capital, being that he hopes to profit in some way financially from it. Hammond makes it clear throughout the film that they've â€Å"spared no expense,† in getting the park up and ready for the public. He is now made aware of the dangers of the park, due to one of his employees being killed by one of the dinosaurs. This worker is made a product of and subject to capital as an enemy from the start. When there were complications with one of the dinosaur containment units, the investors of InGen become scared off. Hammond decides to venture off to find Genarro, a lawyer, and three experts. He suggest to host these people, so they could sign off on the safety of the park, because it is a risky opportunity for investors. Doctors Grant and Satler have been very hesitant to take Hammond up on his offer. They discuss how they'd like to focus on their work. Recently, a full diplodocus skeleton was sold for over $650,000, according to BBC.co.uk. These doctors have just discovered what could possibly be the biggest find they've eve... ...such as a home loan, or perhaps creating an island filled with dinosaurs. Perhaps Jurassic park wasn't meant to be a complete commentary on consumerism and capitalism, but it was anyway. If we look at each character's intentions, we'll see that each played part in a greater idea that might possibly be a symbol for the economic system as a whole. John Hammond represents the fat-cat big business type that has an end game of profit and succession. Doctors Grant and Salter are the endorsers of the product. Malcolm is the curious consumer that doesn't fall into the obvious ploys of the fat cats and offers up an array of questions. Hammond's grandchildren are the innocent children of the market, observing and letting others be the first to grab. The characters behave in the ways the market requires them to in order to succeed. We, as consumers also behave the same way.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Communications Essay -- essays research papers fc

Freedom of speech is a right of individuals as they possess their own free will. Because of their free will, individuals have expressed their thoughts, desires, and aspirations through the mass media. Communicating freely with other affirms the dignity and worth of each and every member of society. Communication remains God's great gift to humanity without which we cannot be truly human, reflecting God's image. Freedom of expression is essential in the attainment and advancement of knowledge. Communication brings forth various ideas and information. People today are better informed and more enlightened thanks to thriving press freedom and expanding mass media here and in many parts of the world. All points of view are represented in the "marketplace of ideas" and society benefits from debate about their worth. "Monkey see, monkey do" has become a well-known saying in today's society. In addition, this is how media influences society as it leaves a large impact on the individuals. Media has been considered by Ciony C. Gonzales as the most dominant art form, as it has an innate power to engage and affect the total person. It leaves a compelling and lasting impact on both the conscious and subconscious. Though media informs and educates, it also corrupts and exploits, leading it to contribute to the moral degradation of society. The moral fabric of our society has been coming apart for some time. Sex and violence have been big sellers through media outlets but at the expense of our children as well as the society they live in. children are very impressionable and they emulate what they hear on the radio and see on both television and movies. We must safeguard and change what our children are exposed to. Media's role in society is to inform, educate, and entertain. It tells the truth and provides positive stimulation that can build up images and reputations the right way. It can also be a tribunal of justice. Therefore, media has contributed greatly in ways that both enlighten and enrich society, but in other ways have deteriorated and perplexed it. It is not a surprise to learn, then, that media is the most powerful source of information, and nothing else in today's world influences public perception as heavily. Media in the Philippines is simply a reflection, an outgrowth, a mirror of society as a whole. After all, media has been perceive... ...are dissatisfied at what our children are exposed to. The owners, producers, directors, gatekeepers, commentators and actors, must be held accountable. If we don’t buy, they wont survive, so we must write our politicians, radio stations, television stations, newspapers, and magazines and every other media outlet in order to let them know our concerns. We have the power, so let’s exercise it. After all, our society and the children that it breed are at stake. BIBLIOGRAPHY Caà ±aberal, Bernard. "Radio, Pop, Music & Comics: Impact on Filipino Youth." Media Watch, January 1993, pp. 44-45. Deocareza, Franco. "A Positive Media Culture for Children." Life Today, September, pp. 19, 23. Gonzales, Ciony C. "Film Culture." Life Today, January 1984, pp. 10-11. Gonzales, Ciony C. "Taking Films Seriously." Life Today, January 1984, pp. 9. "Pornography serious threat, studies show." The Christian Science Monitor, 23 September, 1999, Sec. A, p. 11. "Profanity use is too commonplace." The Oklahoma Daily, 21 Oktober, 1997, Sec. A, n.p.. Reuter, Fr. James. "Media and Values." Life Today, June 1992, pp. 40.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Informatics Needs Assessment Essay

The selection of an electronic health record (EHR) is a very important decision that an organization must complete to keep up with today’s technology. An informatics needs assessment is a critical point in the decision-making process for an EHR. (Hebda & Czar, 2013). The needs assessment helps in the selection of an EHR that best fits the needs of the organization. There are basicly four areas that need to be focused on during the needs assessment phase. They include the organization itself, the people who will be involved and use the HER, the financial resources and the technology. We begin our needs assessment by taking a look at the organization. The stakeholders of the organization need to know the readiness of their group. The best way to assess the needs is to have open communication with the physicians, administration, nursing staff, and heads of departments such as radiology, laboratory, and any other ancillary group that will use the EHR. The discussion will be whether to improve processes or improve current computer systems. According to the American Medical Association, the purpose for the needs assessment is to understand what the organization needs to maximize the positive impact of an EHR while minimizing the risks of negative effects. The next thing we will address with the needs assessment is the stakeholders. This will begin as a small committee to include nursing administrator, representatives for the physicians, heads of ancillary departments, hospital administrators that know about financial things and the head of technical support. This committee will facilitate feedback from all involved, and it will create a sense of ownership and involvement in the process. This also helps keep conflict to a minimum and it will also help gather volunteers during the implementation phase. After the initial meeting has set the ground work,  each leader will go back to their department and gather information from staff that will need to be included with the new electronic health record. Some of the things needed will be documentation for the physicians and an easy ordering system. The nurses will need proper documentation that talks with the different sections of the chart, so the nurse only has to enter the information into one screen. The record needs to be communicating with the laboratory and radiology departments for orders and results. All the pertinent information about the patient can be entered and stored safely and privately according to HIPAA regulations. As with any system, financial considerations need to be assessed.