The introduction to macroeconomics, bubbles, and investment behaviour Essay

The introduction to macroeconomics, bubbles, and investment behaviour in Part Three of the module, Bubbles and the economy - Essay Example Therefore, the accounting identity can also be explained as: As shown in the above graph, the savings (s) in a closed economy is always given exogenously. The investment in the market (I) is a function of rate of interest (r). The cost of borrowing money in an economy becomes high when the lending rate of interest is elevated. Hence, investments made in the market are adversely related to the lending rate of interest. At equilibrium rate of interest (re), national savings and investment remains equal to each other (S=I) (Baddeley, 2005). When the aggregate savings in an economy rise up to 30% of GDP, the investments can be expected to increase (to match savings) only if the lending rate of interest (r) falls below the previous equilibrium rate (re). (ii) The supply side policies are implemented in an economy for increasing productivity of its real national output, during a state of recession. These policies help an economy to grow sustainably, without the persistence of inflation (Bernanke, Gertler and Gilchrist, 1996). However, economic growth cannot be successfully achieved solely with the essence of supply side policies. The supply side approach is rendered successful with presence of adequate aggregate demand in the economy. If the housing confidence slumps and the economy suffers from recession, then the individuals desire to save more and spend less. As a result, if the monetary authorities of a country lower interest rate and stimulate investments, then aggregate production related activities will rise, but the output produced will not be sold adequately due to lack of consumers’ demand (Mankiw and Taylor, 2006). (iii) The problems associated with a supply side approach can be resolved with the help of expansionary fiscal policies. These policies will enable the government authorities to stimulate the level of aggregate demand. Such initiatives can be undertaken by the fiscal authorities by way

Hulu Alliances Essay Example for Free

Hulu Alliances Essay 1.Describe the alliance partners. Characterize the market type as slow, fast, or standard cycle. The market type is a fast cycle market characterized by firms participating in number of networks for the purpose of production and distribution. Competitive advantages aren’t sustainable in fast cycle markets. Firms competing in fast cycle markets recognize the importance of speed, to get the product or service out there first. 2. Characterize the type of strategic alliance Hulu has become. Hulu has become a dynamic alliance. The same type as most firms in the information technology industry. Another example is the movie industry, an industry in which firms participate in a number of networks for the purpose of producing and distributing movies. In dynamic alliance networks, partners typically explore new ideas and possibilities with the potential to lead to product innovations, and entries to new markets. 3. In what type of market is Hulu competing? Hulu is competing in the streaming media market. It has a tough competitor which is Netflix. Unfortunately for Hulu, Netflix has been around a lot longer and has had plenty of time to build its partner base. The other problem for Hulu is its parent companies do not take Hulu seriously. Instead of giving programming to Hulu the networks lease the programs to Hulu’s competitor Netflix. 4. Why did this alliance form? List some competitive pressures that made this alliance a necessity for its partners. 5. What does the future hold for this alliance?

The Compass of Pleasure by David J. Linden | Review

The Compass of Pleasure by David J. Linden | Review The Compass of Pleasure Omobolanle Ajose Humans have a complicated relationship to pleasure which we spend a considerable amount of time pursuing. Certain forms of pleasure such as rituals involving prayer, music, dance, and meditation are accorded special status. Intrinsic pleasures that can be initiated or increased by artificial activators like cocaine, heroin, or modest doses of nicotine or alcohol, are located in our brains transmitting a pleasure buzz from a wide variety of ex ­periences. I chose the book, The Compass of Pleasure because neuroscientist David J. Linden the author, explored the dark side of pleasure. He explained how the human brain can turn pleasures into addictions and habits so overpowering and pervasive that people will sacrifice almost anything just to get a fix. This kind of behavior makes us wonder why anyone would ruin their health, neglect their family, and spend themselves into poverty all in pursuit of an addiction. Linden says it all comes down to a single neuro-chemical dopamine. The terms I learned while reading this book includes: Stoic, meaning ability to endure pain or hardship without showing feelings or complaints. Painasymbolia, also called pain dissociation which is a condition in which pain is experienced without unpleasantness.Ventral tegmental area (VTA), which is a collection of neurons situated at the center of themidbrain that sends dopamine releasing axons to other regions of the brain such as the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, dorsal striatum and hippocampus. Neuroleptics, meaning dopamine receptor antagonists. Linden (2011), describes most experiences in our lives that we find as transcendent, whether illicit vices, socially sanctioned ritual or social practices as meditative prayer to activate an anatomically and biochemically defined pleasure circuit in the brain. He used past research studies as references. Two postdoctoral fellows at McGill University conducted experiments that involved implanting electrodes in the brains of rats to activate their pleasure circuits. The electrodes were placed in positions that stimulated the medial forebrain bundle, the axons that excite the dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The electrode locations that produced the strongest pleasure were those that most effectively activated the dopamine neurons of the VTA. Another experimental design from the book focused on the stimulation of the brain of a homosexual psychiatric patient using surgically implanted electrodes. Before the patients brain stimulation, he was made to view a film that featured sexual intercourse between a male and a female. He was sexually indifferent and angry about being made to view the film. After the pleasure circuit self- stimulation, he agreed to view the film again during which he became sexually aroused, had an erection and masturbated to orgasm. After he was discharged from the hospital, he had a sexual relationship with a woman for several months. During this period, his homosexual activity was reduced but did not stop completely. In humans, rats, and other mammals, the reward circuit is interwoven with brain centers involved in decision making, planning, emotion and memory storage. When we find an experience pleasurable, it sets in motion several processes such as liking the experience and we associate both external and internal cues with the experience. These associations allow us to predict how we should behave to repeat or assign a value to pleasurable experience so that in future we can determine how much effort we are willing to expand and the risk we are willing to take to get them. Linden (2011) defined addiction as persistent, compulsive drug use in the face of increasingly negative life consequences. He explained that the scientific definition of addiction is actually rooted in the brainsinabilityto experience pleasure and that the dark side of pleasure is addiction. Addiction is associated with long-lasting changes in the biochemical, electrical, and morphological functions of connections within the medial forebrain plea ­sure circuit. These changes underlie many of the dark sides of addiction, including progressive tolerance, craving, withdrawal and relapse. Therefore, pleasure, addic ­tion and memory are closely related, and directly interconnected. Psychoactive drugs can be used in different social contexts; as medicine, religious sacrament, pure recreation, or to define oneself as part of a subgroup. Across cultures and over thousands of years of human history, people have consistently found ways to alter the function of their brains. Psychoactive drugs like cocaine, alcohol, and opiates strongly activate dopamine action in VTA target regions. Pleasure is central to some but not all psychoactive drugs. Certain foods and certain drugs can activate the pleasure circuits. While obesity results from food addiction, food addiction shares many properties and biological substrates with drug addiction, including a strong heritable component and triggering by stress. Orgasm is another pleasure buzz that may be weaker than cocaine but stronger than food. ( Cite page here) It is a multifaceted experience with dissociable sensory and affective, emotional, and rewarding components. It is fiery, transcendent and unique. Orgasm strongly activates the dopamine-using medial forebrain pleasure circuit. Drugs that modulate dopamine signaling in the brain can regulate libido and orgasm. Epileptic seizures or brain stimulation with electrodes can produce orgasms that are devoid of pleasure or emotional feeling. Gambling addiction is associated with reduced activation of the medial forebrain pleasure circuit. Genetic variants that suppress dopamine signaling, particularly in the medial forebrain, are associated with high rate of gambling addiction. For people who carry these gene variants, their muted dopamine systems lead to blunted pleasure circuits, which in turn affects their pleasure-seeking activities. Intensive exercise can bring about short term euphoria, reduction of anxiety, and increases in pain threshold. Long term painful stimulus is associated with increased dopamine. Interestingly, charitable giving produces an activation of the pleasure circuit. The interaction of pleasure and associative learning in the medial forebrain pleasure circuit yields both beneficial and detrimental rewards. The ability of experience to produce long-term changes in the pleasure circuit enables arbitrary rewards and abstract ideas to be felt as pleasurable, a phenomenon that ultimately underlies much of human behavior and culture. This same process is responsible for transforming pleasure into addiction. Reading the compass of pleasure gives an insight on the function of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain and how the dopamine systems in the brain play an important role in pleasure seeking and addictive behaviors. I also learned that dopamine is responsible for most of our immoral behaviors and secret cravings. It is responsible for love, lust, adultery, motivation, attention, and addiction. The denial of pleasure can yield spiritual growth. In practice, one can see beyond a persons behavior, personal history, and environment to understand what goes on in the brain when uncontrollable habits such as addiction present themselves. Understanding the interaction between the pleasure circuits and dopamine in the brain help us as health care professionals to understand that addicts are not weak, defective human beings lacking in willpower but are rather people with brains that are chemically deficient. According to Lundy-Ekman (2013, p.239), Parkinsons disease is the death of dopamine producing cells in the sustantia nigra. Occupational therapy improves mobility and functional status in people with Parkinsons disease. Intense resistance training produces greater muscle hypertrophy and functional gains than are produced by standard exercise. According to Linden (2011, p. 127), there are variations in genes turning down the functions of dopamine signaling within the pleasure circuit. These variations in genes let people seek pleasure through different activities. These activities may be meaningful to a client while others may be addictions they may want to stop. Understanding the biology of pleasure circuits may help clinician’s such as occupational therapist better understand what an individual deems meaningful or pleasurable. Knowledge of forms of pleasure such as rituals, routines , music, dance and even meditations that are of meaningful to a client obtained during an occupational profile, helps therapist in planning interventions for clients. On the other hand, the therapist can also help create therapeutic interventions to help with addictions. Linden (2011, p.150), further explained that exercises has an anti-depressive effect, shows long term improvement in mental functions and slows cognitive decline that accompanies normal aging. Occupational therapists work with a variety of population and this piece of information makes it interesting to know that range of motion exercises and other forms of exercises provided during therapy may be able to improve mental functions and slow cognitive decline in normal aging. Dopamine and serotonin are important neurotransmitters in the brain that influence many behaviors and movement patterns such as walking and coordination. Dopamine levels are associated with many neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, psychosis and even attention deficits hyperactive disorders. Too much or too little dopamine can interfere with cognition, behavior, or motor skills. In practice, occupational therapists work with clients with various neurological conditions by evaluating and analyzing the client, the environment and their meaningful occupational performance. Having insight into a clients deficits and its effect on occupational performance is important to therapist because it helps the therapist to be able to plan and provide therapeutic interventions aimed at improving cognition, coordination, mobility and functional status in clients. References Lundy-Ekman, L. (2013). Neuroscience: Fundamentals for Rehabilitation. St. Louis, Mo: Saunders/ Elsevier Inc. Linden, D. J. (2011). The Compass of Pleasure: How our Brains make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, learning, and Gambling Feel so Good. New York, NY: Penguin Group Inc. Sturkenboom, I., Thijssen, M., Gons-van, J. E., Jansen, I. (2011). Guidelines for Occupational Therapy in Parkinsons Disease. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from National Parkinson Foundation: http://www.parkinson.org/NationalParkinsonFoundation/files/a5/a5c7ef92-a101-4485-96b2-7d81b31a42c9.pdf

My Reading History :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If one were to look at my varied reading habits, they would be struck by the diversity and over all unusualness of my mind’s library. I hardly remember the plot of the first book I read, but it was called Lonesome Dove. It wasn’t the actual first book I read, but I don’t really count the McGregor Readers from kindergarten. I read it in first grade because of my Grandmother’s fascination in the T.V. mini-series that was playing during the time. I wanted to be able to talk to her about it so I went to the public library that weekend and picked up a copy. Well, I actually didn’t pick it up, it was too heavy. It took me over two and a half months to read, but with the help of a dictionary and my grandma, I finally read it from cover to cover. I can’t really say that I understood it, because I don’t recall what it was about. But I do remember that it was quite an ordeal. Since then I have read many books. I enjoy fiction the best, especially those that are based on society, but have a small twist that leads to an interesting story. Some of the stories that I remember best from that early time in my life are Tales from Wayside Elementary School, Hatchet, The Godfather, and The Giver. I think that Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, is the only book that I’ve read more than once. I liked the situation that Brian was put into, lost in the wilderness, with nothing more to fend for himself with than his mind and a trusty hatchet. The adversity he faces and his undying drive are what fascinated me most. Since that time my reading habits have grown into a different style. I have usually only read what was assigned to me during the school year because that was all I had time to do, but I have always strived to put forth extra effort. For example: last year for English 3 AP we had to read an excerpt from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography. Although that we only had to read a small bit, I checked the enti re book from the college library and read it all. Although the way that Franklin rambled on and on about his â€Å"Franklin Planner† was somewhat boring, the way he describe his life was pure poetry.

Analyzing Ethical Behavior Essay

In the course of this report, it will show the comparison of the ethical aspect of two well-known corporate giants, Enron and Bernie Madoff. The first subject Bernard Lawrence â€Å"Bernie† Madoff, Broker, Investment guru, Financier. Once herald as a financial king, he in his reign overnight turned white collar criminal, which led to a quick and easy demise. Second, Enron Corporation, known for energy and commodities, services, and well known for being a major player in the electricity and natural gas, and communication, pulp and paper company, crumbled to its knees into bankruptcy in the early 2000s. The question is, at the height of both these two companies, what went wrong. Where was the ethical breakdown? The who, what when and the why will be the focus of this report. Bernie Madoff, former chair of NASDAQ, started his parent company on Wall Street Bernie L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, 1960 it was as the top of its game-bypassing firms who were specialist in the field of finance. Hijacked by Madoff’s firm with their signature OTC†¦Over the Counter orders with brokers. The company employed family and close friends that comprised of his brother Peter, Managing Director, his niece (peter’s daughter) Shana Madoff, compliance officer and attorney, and his two son’s Mark and Andrew. It was told by Madoff’s sons that their father made damaging statements, and confessed to them that the business was a lie, that it was a Ponzi scheme from the beginning, which led Federal agents to arrest Madoff, and all those involved. Madoff told authorities that the scheme began in 1990, but according to the FBI, it was started early as the 1970s. It has been reported that Madoff’s trial of deceit led his scheme to accumulate as much as $65 billion, with a reported estimate loss to investor of $18 billion. â€Å"Reports of ethical violations by upper level managers continue to multiply despite increasing attention being given to ethics by firms and business schools. Much of the analysis of these violations focus on either these manager’s lack of operation principles or their willingness to abandon principles in the face of competitive pressures† (Ludwig, 1993). Enron Corporation is the second in this detailed report of the fall of power. Traded on the NYSE: ENE, and based in Huston, Texas was an energy, commodities, and services company. For six consecutive years, Enron was named by Fortune Magazine as â€Å"America’s Pioneering Business†, with claimed revenues of $101 billion in the year 2000. What do most companies base their ethics upon; Enron’s code was one of Respect, Integrity, Communication and Excellence, described as treating others as they would be treated. Apparently they did not abide by that one in particular because as we go through this report, it will soon show the where the breakdown began. Integrity, working along with customers through honesty, Communication, obligated to interconnect with one another, Excellence, Not accepting anything less than the best in all that we do. These are just a few statements from Enron’s code of Ethics handbook. Given this code along with the assurance to professional ethics, it causes one to ponder these questions. How could a company dramatically collapse with reported revenues of $101 billion? With an increase the first, three quarters in 2001, falling into major bankruptcy in December of that same year. Could it be that the answer to these questions is a failure of the top leadership, a corporate culture caused the demise in its ethical beliefs along with the complicity of investors and the financial institutions? Enron’s corporate culture is described as having an appearance of arrogance that caused the public to trust that they could handle the risk without stumbling upon any danger to the company and to investors. This type of thought would make one not to sleep at night, but the implicit message from Enron was make the numbers, if you are caught stealing or cheating, ask for another chance, you may get one. You can see that Enron did not do anything to promote integrity nor respect; it was undermined by the company’s emphasis on reorganization, presentation, reparation and its considerations. To conclude, the answer as to why CEO’s have bilked their companies and investors out of billions of dollars and brought a collapse of hundreds of corporate giants, it is because unethical and criminal behavior is the morals by which they do what they have done are doing, even as this report is being written. An epidemic could explode and if nothing is done about it†¦then the American system of High Finance and Big Business will crumble to a screeching Holt and affect this country’s economy†¦. God forbid. â€Å"Destructive leaders can cause hardship not only to immediate followers, but to the broader population. For example when a large company struggles financially, it is not only employees, but customers, suppliers, and shareholders that are negatively affected. The cognitive processes employed by the leader play a large role in how he or she gathers information, interprets it, and makes decisions toward a course of action (L. Eubanks, 2010).

Biodiesel Research Paper

Biodiesel Research Paper Free Online Research Papers Abstract Based on findings by Oliveira et al (2007) and Kondamudi et al (2008 ), this paper aims to outline the socio-economic and environmental benefits of producing biofuels from the waste products of the coffee industry. On average, a fifth of all coffee grown in Latin America is defective, (Oliveira et al 2007) and cannot be sold on international markets where very high standards of quality are required. Using this defective coffee for fuel instead of for the production of low quality beverages would be beneficial to the small scale producers of coffee, as the defective beans may command a much higher price if sold to the biodiesel industry. Additionally, the main hindrance to biofuel production is the cost of crop production. By making use of the wasted by-product of the existing industry, both the economical, and environmental costs of biodiesel production could be reduced. Nicaraguan Coffee Nicaragua currently produces around 950000 bags of coffee for exportation per year, depending on the harvest, (Wallengren, 2008 ) and coffee exportation accounts for over a third of the country’s economy. However, due to extremely low prices for coffee on the world markets in the past two decades, there is increasing pressure for Nicaraguan, and other Latin American farmers to produce exceedingly high quality coffee. Green (unroasted) coffee beans are graded for quality using a scale devised by the Speciality Coffee Association of America (SCAA); any coffee achieving more than 60 points on this scale can be exported, and achieves the Fair Trade price of $1.26 per pound. Coffees with 80 points or more are classed as ‘Speciality’, and command a higher price – in Nicaragua this is around $1.80 per pound. World class coffees are graded at 90 points and above, and in 2006, Nicaragua produced one of the five highest graded coffees in the world, according to the i ndependent Coffee Review journal. (Davids, 2006) This emphasis on quality is not always reflected in coffee consumption, however. Less than 18% of the world coffee market comprises of Speciality coffees, the majority is low grade, low quality produce sold for much lower prices (Ponte 2002). In Nicaragua, the higher quality coffee is all exported, leaving the low grade beans for domestic consumption. The same is also true of other producing countries, such as Brazil and Colombia. (Oliveira et al 2007, Mance 2009). Selling coffee on national markets also severely restricts the prices these coffee crops can command, to the point where the price falls below the cost of production, leaving the coffee farmers in a very precarious position. Coffee quality is affected by a number of factors, some of which can be controlled by the skills of the farmer and by the methods of processing. Other factors cannot be controlled, however, such as climate conditions and physical geography. According to a guide to coffee cupping (sampling and grading) produced by catadores (cuppers) at Santa Emilia Estate in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, â€Å"desde el campo, vienen la calidad’ (Santa Emilia, 2006) or ‘from the country, comes the quality.’ Growing high quality coffee requires a humid, temperate climate with night temperatures not falling below 20 °C year round. It also requires high altitudes of at least 700m above sea level, relatively high rainfall during the growing season and a hot dry climate after harvest season in order to dry out and process the beans properly. Speciality coffees are also restricted to the coffea arabica variety, which has a better flavour but is much more susceptible to adverse climate conditi ons, disease and pests. In practical terms, this means that high quality coffees are very difficult to grow, particularly when international demands for organic produce mean that chemical fertilisers and pesticides cannot be used. Without the necessary climate and geography, it is impossible to produce high quality organic coffees. Further still, no coffee crop can ever be 100% high quality; there are always going to be defects, no matter how conscientious and skilled the farmer may be. Within Nicaragua, the market for coffee, both soluble (instant) and freshly ground, is strong. Nicaraguans as a nation drink a great deal of the beverage – â€Å"like it is water† – (Arghiris and Leonardi 2008:57). However, due to economic conditions, the prices for domestic coffee are low. Farmers do not receive a good price for their crop on the domestic market, and similarly, consumers do not pay much for their jars of nationally produced instant coffee. The vast majority of Nicaraguans drink very low quality coffee, and often never taste the award winning produce grown locally. Presently, there are efforts to amend this trend. Cecocafen, an organic and FairTrade certified coffee cooperative based in the Nicaraguan department of Matagalpa, have launched a brand of ground coffee called â€Å"Cafà © El Sabor Nica† or Nicaraguan flavour coffee. It is a blend designed by expert cuppers at Cecocafen’s ‘Solcafe’ processing plant. sually, this coffee is roasted on the premises at Solcafe (most coffee is exported in its unroasted green state.) It is marketed as typifying the flavours of Nicaraguan coffee, akin to the concept of ‘terroir’ in the wine industry. Most interestingly, the slogan on the packaging claims the coffee is â€Å"export quality†. This brand is designed to encourage more Nicaraguans to drink, and appreciate their own coffee, and create a market less reliant on the fluctuations of international coffee prices. This initiative is an exception rather than the norm in Nicaragua however. The issue still remains that over 20% of Nicaragua ´s annual coffee crop cannot be exported due to its low quality. This coffee still requires the same resources, expenses, labour and time to grow, and so the farmers and producers still need a return on their investment in the crop somehow. It is often the case that this return does not come from selling the defective coffee on national markets. The Need for Biofuels Another major difficulty facing coffee farmers in Nicaragua is transportation costs. Over 60% of Nicaraguan coffee is grown on tiny farms with less than two hectares of coffee crop. These farms are necessarily located in remote areas often high up in the northern mountains. Most roads to these places are in very poor condition, and require heavy-duty 4WD vehicles to navigate them. (Aleman, 2008 ). Coffee quality is also severely affected by its freshness – ideally de-pulped and washed coffee beans should arrive at the dry processing mill within a few days of being harvested. (Katzeff 2001). Powerful vehicles and farm machinery, and especially the fuel to drive them is an expense few coffee farmers can afford, and at times, the quality of their coffee is reduced due to the beans over-fermenting, rotting or going stale as a result of delays in transportation. Improving the country’s road structure is of paramount importance, but so is allowing farmers more access to affor dable, reliable transport. In Brazil and other parts of Latin America, some crops are already being grown specifically for use in biofuels, such as soybean crops or sugar for ethanol fuels. Due to Nicaragua’s small size, mountain ranges, protected cloud rainforests and huge lake, the country is not ideally suited to conventional large scale crop and pasture cultivation, and so as yet, does not produce crops for biofuels. Neither does it import biodiesel for national use, and rising costs of oil and petrol across the world mean that running a vehicle is very expensive in Nicaragua. However, this could be about to change. Scientists at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil have found that it is possible to extract oil from coffee beans, which can then be processed into biodiesel using the same methods as extracting other vegetable oils. Coffee beans, both arabica and robusta varieties have quite a high oil content, which accounts for a good proportion of the distinctive aroma when roasted. Coffee oils can be seen as the ‘crema’ on the top of an espresso. With efficient processing, 10-15% of the coffee bean’s mass can be extracted as oil, which is equal to the yield from soybean and rapeseed crops. Extraction can be done either through cold-pressing the beans, or more efficiently, through solvent extraction. By-products of this process, solid matter and saponified substances like glycerine can still be composted and used as fertilizer, as is usually what happens to wasted and unusuable coffee beans. Alternatively, the glycerine co uld be burned to provide additional power and heating. Coffee oil has been found to be very well suited to use in biodiesel, because the oil is naturally very high in antioxidants.(Oliveira et al 2005). This means that the resulting oil is very stable and does not decompose very quickly. Relatively low levels of saponified matter in the oil also means that it remains viscous and does not congeal easily. (Oliviera et al, 2007) Most importantly, Oliveira et al (2005) discovered that defective beans actually yield more oil than healthy beans. Beans become defective or of low quality when they are over-ripe, sour or mouldy, or if they get wet after harvesting. All these factors allow the beans to mature for longer, increasing the oil content. In most countries in Central America, coffea arabica is grown predominantly, with some farmers growing coffea canephora (robusta) as a form of failsafe against failure of the main, but less resilient arabica crop. Mazzafera et al (1998 ) show that arabica coffee beans contain 2-5% more oil than robusta, depending on the specific variety. Practicalities of Biodiesel Production As mentioned earlier, coffee beans can be cold-pressed to extract the oil, which is a simpler but less efficient method; or it can be extracted using solvents (please see Oliveira et al 2007 for more details of this process.) – which is more expensive and reliant on access to the appropriate chemicals, but produces a purer, higher quality oil. A further issue with biodiesel production is the time taken, and monetary cost of the resources required to convert vegetable oils to biodiesel via a process known as transesterification. This involves processing the coffee oil with an alcohol (usually methanol) and a catalyst (typically sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide). During the reaction, the triglyceride molecule contained within the oil is broken down by the catalyst (forming the glycerine by-product) and replaced by the alcohol molecule provided by the methanol. Further processing is necessary to remove the soaps, glycerine and unreacted methanol; this results in a fuel with around the same viscosity as regular mineral diesel fuel, and which can be used as a direct, ‘drop-in’ replacement fuel for the diesel engine, including agricultural and power generating diesel engines. If, for example, biodiesel processing co-operative plants were to be set up in Nicaragua, it would provide coffee farmers with the oppo rtunity to sell their low quality, waste beans to an alternative market for fuel instead of for national consumption. With world coffee prices continuing to drop and more emphasis placed on cheaper, environmentally friendly fuels, it is possible that the lower quality coffee could fetch a better price being sold as fuel rather than for beverages, if processing facilities became available, making more efficient use of a potentially wasted product. In the current situation in Nicaragua however, biodiesel production facilities simply do not exist, and the majority of coffee farmers may find it very difficult to find the expertise to make this possible. But this does not necessarily mean that coffee oil cannot be used directly as a fuel. It is also possible to run most diesel vehicles, particularly farm machinery, using straight vegetable oil, or SVO, without converting it to biodiesel. Instead, the engine itself is modified with a two-tank system, starting up on regular diesel fuel (or biodiesel) until warm, and then switching to coffee oil, then shutting down on diesel fuel. Moreover, there are certain types of diesel engines, notably the indirect injection type (for example the XUD9 engine), fitted with a non-electronic Bosch injection pump, which have proven themselves capable of safely using vegetable oil directly as a fuel, with no modifications. Finally, and perhaps importantly, there is a lack of knowledge. For a lot of people, the idea of running a diesel engine on vegetable oil is simply a wholly unknown concept. [CT1] In conversation with the Catador at Solcafe, Julio Obregon, about waste coffee beans, he was unaware that oil from these beans could be used. Vegetable oil was in fact one of the original fuels for Rudolph Diesel’s engines. He intended his engine to be run on a wide variety of different fuels (including coal dust!), and at the World Expo in Paris in 1900, he demonstrated his engine to the French, running it on peanut oil. It was a political decision, designed to show them a powerful, cheaper, highly efficient engine, not dependent on the inefficient and expensive steam engines that were around at the time, and most importantly, running on a fuel that the farmers in the French colonies could make themselves from some of their crops they set aside. However, the oil companies were quick to capitalize on this new engine, and began offering very cheap ‘mineral diesel fuel’, which was at the time a by-product of the petroleum refining process. The world soon forgot about vegetable oil as fuel, and diesel engine design became centered around the diesel fuel supplied by the oil companies. (Bdpedia 2006b) Conclusions: the Benefits of Coffee Oil Although coffee oil extraction and biodiesel production are reliant on expensive chemicals and equipment not readily accessible in Nicaragua[CT1] , the potential benefits of coffee oil use should not be ignored. Low quality, waste coffee is an unavoidable part of coffee farming. When prices for this coffee are so low as to be below the cost of production, as is often the case particularly in Nicaragua’s domestic market, coffee farmers need a viable alternative for their crops. Setting aside a proportion of their crop for fuel could be very economically beneficial. Transport and processing costs of the low quality coffee would not be necessary, thus saving the farmer time and effort as well. Using straight coffee oil in existing vehicles and farm machinery, as well as in electricity generators, is not only a more environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels, it would also be a considerably cheaper option for farmers struggling with rising fuel costs, while at the same time boosting their capacity for self-sufficiency, and decreasing their reliance on imported fuel. On a national scale, using low quality coffee for oil rather than for domestic consumption would in turn, force national coffee companies to improve the quality of their produce, as less low quality coffee would be available. This would then encourage Nicaraguans to drink better quality coffee in much the same way as Cecocafen’s El Sabor Nica brand intends to do. On an international level, the benefits of biofuel use for the environment are well documented. (see, for example, energyportal.eu 2006, or Bdpedia 2006a) Carbon emissions from biodiesel engines are a lot lower than from conventional engines, and use of straight vegetable oil reduces these emissions even further. At present, biofuel production is hampered by the cost of growing crops for fuel at the expense of growing them for food, particularly when staple food prices are rising all over the world. By using coffee oil, the biodiesel can be created from what is essentially a by-product of the existing coffee industry thus making better use of an otherwise wasted resource, and not impacting on the â€Å"food or fuel?† debates that have recently been taking place in the media and with environmental groups. (energyportal.eu 2006) Finally, world coffee prices have decreased so dramatically in recent years, partially as a result of over-supply. (Ponte 2002). By using a proportion of the annual crops for fuel, this potentially restricts the amount of coffee available on the beverage markets, as well as improving the quality of it. Moreover, restricting the supply by diverting it to an alternative market could potentially boost the international prices of coffee, by adding scarcity value. Coffee biofuel is still a long way from commercial production, and the feasibility of this will require more research in the future. However, the concept, method, resources and even the market for this already exist, and the benefits of coffee oil biodiesel certainly warrant considerable attention. References Arghiris, R., and Leonardi, R., 2008 Nicaragua Footprint:Bath Bdpedia, 2006a Advantages of Biofuels and Biodiesel, The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia bdpedia.com/re/be/adv/adv.html Bdpedia, 2006b Biodiesel History, The Biodiesel WWW Encyclopedia bdpedia.com/biodiesel/history/history.html Davids, K., 2006 Nicaragua Cup Of Excellence, coffeereview.com energyportal.eu, 2006 The Advance of Biofuels – a boon for the climate? Http://www.energyportal.eu Katzeff, P., 2001 The Coffee Cupper’s Manifesto, CafeNica: California Kondamundi, N., Mohapatra, S. K., and Misra, M., 2008 Spent Coffee Grounds as a Versatile Source of Green Energy, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Vol 56, No. 24, pp11757-11760 Mance, H., 2009 Colombians find redemption in coffee http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7820075.stm Mazzafera, P., Soave, D., Teixeira, M. A. Z., and Guerreiro Filho, O., 1998 Oil Content of Some Green Coffee Species Bragantia, Vol 57, No.1 Instituto Agronomica de Campinas Oliveira, L. S., Franca, A. S., Mendonà §a, J. C. F., Barros-Junior, M. C., 2005 Proximate composition and fatty acids profile of green and roasted defective coffee beans LWT Vol. 39, pp 235-239 Oliveira, L.S., Franca, A.S., Camargos, R.R.S., Ferraz, V.P., 2007 Coffee Oil as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production Bioresource Technology Vol. 99 pp3244-3250 Ponte, S., 2002 The Latte Revolution? Regulation, Markets and Consumption in the Global Coffee Chain World Development, Vol. 30, No. 7 pp1099-1122 Santa Emilia, 2006 Manual de Catacion Santa Emilia Estate: Nicaragua Wallengren, M., 2008 Nicaraguan Coffee Harvest Down 41% on Previous Year, Dow Jones Newswires aboutcoffee.net/labels/coffeemarket.html With thanks to Julio Absalon Obregon at Cecocafen, Matagalpa, Nicaragua for information on Cafà ¨ El Sabor Nica The Waste of the World is funded by the ESRC Research Papers on Biodiesel Research PaperDefinition of Export QuotasTwilight of the UAWRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfPETSTEL analysis of IndiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesGenetic EngineeringIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalResearch Process Part One

Mail Delivery Could be Even Slower Than USPS Admits

Mail Delivery Could be Even Slower Than USPS Admits Due to its unreliable tracking system, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) may be delivering your mail even more slowly than it has claimed, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Background After increasing its own long-time 2-day delivery standard for First-Class mail to 3-days in January, 2015, the cash-starved USPS proceeded to close or consolidate 82 mail processing plants nationwide over the objections of all 50 U.S. Senators. [ See: Why for Mail Delivery ‘Slow’ is the New ‘Normal’ ] The effects of those actions revealed themselves in August 2015, when a federal inspector general notified the USPS that the number of First-Class letters being delivered at least a day late had increased by 48% in the first 6 months of 2015 alone. Mail May be Even Slower, GAO Finds But lowered standards or not, the GAO’s investigators reported that the Postal Service’s system for tracking and reporting delivery time is too incomplete and unreliable to determine how late the mail really is being delivered. According to GAO auditors, the reports created by the USPS’s mail delivery tracking system â€Å"do not include sufficient analysis to hold USPS accountable for meeting its statutory mission to provide service in all areas of the nation.† In fact, the GAO found that the USPS’ system tracks the delivery times of only 55% of First-Class mail, Standard-Class mail, periodicals, and packages. Delivery times of mail without tracking barcodes are not reported. â€Å"Incomplete measurement poses the risk that measures of on-time performance are not representative, since performance may differ for mail included in the measurement, from mail that is not,† stated the GAO. â€Å"Complete performance information enables effective management, oversight, and accountability.† In other words, the USPS doesn’t know exactly how slow its mail delivery service has become. Spreading the Blame The GAO also placed some blame on the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), the presidentially appointed body responsible for overseeing Postal Service operations. Specifically the GAO criticized the PRC for failing to determine why the USPS’s delivery time tracking data are not complete and dependable. â€Å"While PRCs annual reports have provided data on the amount of mail included in measurement, they have not fully assessed why this measurement was incomplete or whether USPS actions will make it so,† GAO investigators wrote. While the PRC has the power to direct the USPS to improve its delivery time tracking system, it has so far failed to do so, noted the GAO. Meanwhile, in Rural America The GAO also pointed out that the USPS is not required to – and so does not – track or report delivery time data for mail sent to rural addresses. While several members of Congress have pressured the USPS to study and report on its rural delivery performance, postal officials have stated that doing so would be too costly. However, as the GAO pointed out, the USPS has never provided Congress with cost estimates to prove it. â€Å"Such cost information would be useful for Congress to assess whether developing this information would be appropriate,† wrote the GAO. In 2011, the PRC criticized the USPS for failing to adequately consider the impact of its still on-hold plan to end Saturday mail delivery on rural America. â€Å"As my colleagues and I have heard †¦ [mail] service across the country, particularly in rural communities, is suffering,† said U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Delaware) chairman of the Senate committee that oversees the USPS in a statement on the GAO report. â€Å"To fix these service problems, we need to figure out their root causes,† Carper continued. â€Å"Unfortunately, the [GAO] found the delivery performance results that the Postal Service and Postal Regulatory Commission provide do not give Congress or postal customers an accurate assessment of service.† What the GAO Recommended The GAO suggested that Congress â€Å"direct† the USPS to provide reliable estimates of its costs to report on mail delivery performance in rural areas. The GAO also called on the USPS and PRC to improve the â€Å"completeness, analysis, and transparency† of its mail delivery performance reports. While the USPS generally agreed with the GAO’s recommendations, it also noted that it â€Å"strongly disagrees with the conclusion that our current service performance measurement is not accurate.† So, like your mail, don’t expect the results to be delivered anytime soon.

National and International Contexts Essays - Foreign Relations, Law

National and International Contexts Essays - Foreign Relations, Law National and International Contexts Childhood treated as a social construction raises concerns on the condition of children (elective notes) like early exposure to adult hood, vulnerability to exploitation be it in various forms; and the several demarcations of childhood as determined by policy. For example minimum age of admission to primary education, employment, further education. Therborn (1996) describes situations of collective action to promote change. An example cited is UNICEF. It was established in the after math of world war II as a temporary measure to provide emergency-humanitarian relief. It soon took over permanency to work for children particulars in education as a measure that will ensure elimination of child labour and exploitation. The WHO came up with several programmes to develop children's well being and health. Another observations development of a rights perspective and law for children was through a Child Rights Convention. Collective action lies at heart of policy that aims to promote and safeguard welfare of children. A rights perspective has the advantage of going beyond nation state politics to an international law with a norms and standards approach that treats political environment of children in a more meaningful manner. Knuttson (1997) argues that any development approach which is directed at influencing community change should involve children as active agents of change and "Emancipation". The impact and role of feminism through impact on family care and work affects children and their rights. The state of the World's Children 2007 Report states "Gender Equality and the well being of Children go hand in hand. When women are empowered to live full and productive lives children prosper UNICEF'S experience also shows the opposite. When women are denied equal opportunity within a society children suffer (Ann M Veneman, Executive Director United Nations children Fund, State of World in children 2007- UNICEF 2007.) The International programme on Elimination of Child Labour, (IPEC) is the International Labour Organistion (ILO) response to provide direct assistance to countries to tackle child labour and give teeth to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child made effective in 1989. Today (IPEC) has 30 funders and 86 programme countries.The ILO in it's report "The end of child labour; within reach" released in 2006 says, in 2004 there were 218 million children trapped in child labour of whom 126 million were in hazardous work. However the number of child labourers globally fell by 11% over the last four years, while that of children in hazardous work decreased by 26%. IPEC the campaign instrument against child labour conducted by ILO commenced in 1992 and has made several break throughs in advocacy; tackling the worst forms of child labour; developing a learning culture and mainstreaming child labour within the Decent Work agenda. ILO is also aware of future challenges. Child labour elimination may be mainstreamed into key development and Human Rights frame works like Millennium Development Goals and poverty reduction strategies. (www.ilo.org/declaration) Child labor first emerged as a major public policy issue with the impact of the industrial revolution. Industrialized Countries offered several packages of intervention to overcome presence of child labour like advocacy campaigns; public inquiries; minimum age legislation; education provision for working children. These have been expanded, in modern times and many developing counties have emulated these initiatives. The Elimination of child labour is linked with provision of compulsory, free and accessible education. Without educational opportunities it is likely that children will enter the labour market and take on dangerous and exploitative jobs. The Dakar Forum of 185 countries resolved to provide all children of primary age free schooling of quality by year 2015 and eliminate gender disparities by year 2005. Much remains to be achieved. Although concept of Education for All has not taken off the ground at an international scale, efforts are made with community groups, parents, employers, and government officials to remove children from work voluntarily and enroll them in school. An example is efforts of an NGO(MV foundation) made in India in state of Andrah Pradesh. It enabled 150,000 to be enrolled and retained in schools and more than 4,000 bonded labourers released and of 500 villages under project 168 made free of child labour. These results were achieved through awareness raising and demand for education of children; support for teachers through special training; support parents to provide alternatives to labour of child withdrawn; provide clearing schools to prepare children for formal education. (source: Child Labour a Global concern, www.schoolisthebestplacetowork.org) Some ILO actions against child labour. One of main aims set for ILO at its foundation in 1991 was abolition of child labour . ILO standards were embodied in concept of minimum age for

Anything that relate to Macroeconomic Research Proposal

Anything that relate to Macroeconomic - Research Proposal Example It is observed that illegal Mexican immigrants are less likely to become US citizens. Mexico’s close proximity to the US and noticeable difference in the living standards or life quality between the two countries are the major reasons amplifying the rate of Mexican migration flow to the US. For many Mexican immigrants, just finding a job is the main goal of their migration to US. Statistical data indicate that the rate of illegal migration from communities all throughout Mexico to the US significantly increased during the 1980s. Undoubtedly, illegal immigration has notable effects on the US social system also. This paper will analyze whether or not the illegal Mexican immigration would benefit the US economy. History of Illegal Mexican Immigration The history of illegal Mexican immigration can be dated back to the mid-19th century. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo led to the end of Mexican-American War in 1848 and this treaty reduced the size of Mexico by 45% because Mexico was forced to surrender the land known today as California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah to the United States. Following the war, Americans had to recruit many workers to build a railroad and to enhance other infrastructure development activities. For this, Americans brought roughly 55,000 migrant workers to former Mexican territories during the period 1850-1880. American leaders were happy to welcome Mexican immigrants because those immigrant workers were willing to work under harsh conditions even though they were paid substandard wages. The immigration flow to the US particularly increased from 1910 with the Mexican revolution. During this period, nearly 50,000 Mexican people migrated to the US every year in order to find a job. American leaders welcomed Mexican immigrants with open arms until they realized that the employment difficulties caused was the result of the increased Mexican immigration. In response to the public protests, the US government forcibly deported almost 2 million Mexican immigrants, including native-born Americans, to Mexico in 1929. During the time of the World War II, United States was badly in need of labors and hence the country again encouraged Mexican immigration. Based on the Bracero Program mutually agreed by US and Mexican officials, Mexican workers again migrated to the US until 1964. Since then the US government and corporations has been indirectly encouraging Mexican immigration flow so as to meet their labor needs at cheap costs. As many authors point out, there is an unspoken agreement between illegal Mexican immigrants, the US government, and corporations. Statistics of Illegal Mexican Immigrants According to the American Community Survey, 11,478,000 foreign born Mexican immigrants were residing in the US as of 2009 (as cited in border relations, n. d.). Mexican immigrants constituted 29.8% of all immigrant populations in US in the same year. As Valdes (2012) reported in CNN July 13, report published by the Pew Hispanic Cente r indicates that over 58% of the identified illegal immigrants in the US are Mexicans. Surveys also report that Mexican illegal immigrants mainly reside in states including California, Texas, Florida, and New York. It is observed that the Illegal Mexican population tends to concentrate in a different set of occupations as compared to other illegal population. However, nearly 1.4 million Mexicans including documented and undocumented immigrants moved

The financial performance of Marks and Spencer Assignment - 1

The financial performance of Marks and Spencer - Assignment Example etail outlets also sell mid to high priced apparel, food, and household items under the companys private label brands, including Autograph, Classic, per una, and Portfolio. The British retail icon operates in about 330 M&S department stores and some 340 Simply Food shops throughout the UK. Beyond Britain, it spreads across over 325 locations, mostly franchises, in about 40 countries, including China, India, Indonesia, and South Korea (Google Finance n.d.). The company recorded revenues of  £9,536.6 million ($15,272.9 million) during the financial year ended April 2010 (FY2010), an increase of 5.2% over 2009 (JP Morgan 2011). Past financial performance of the firm or an organization is an important indicator for predict or estimate the future of the company. Investors and shareholders measure and value this financial performance (amongst other factors) as a means to assess the expected returns on their investments (Alvarado 2011). Calculation of a number of financial ratios for the firm’s financial statements is considered a fairly safe way to evaluate the firm’s past performance, its evolution and key financial issues. The analyses are very valuable for firm’s management as well in order to identify opportunities to improve performance at the department, unit, division or organizational level. In some cases, ratio analyses can predict future bankruptcy (Loth 2011). Reading and understanding financial ratios is also the quickest method to assess the company’s operating performance. In order to understand the company well from financial statements, we need to conduct analyses at three levels: (1) Profitability analyses to see if the company is profitable or not, whether the company is a growing company or a stagnant one. (2) Financial Health analyses from ratios that indicate whether the company is sound or not and what is its presence state of solvency. (3) Finally, company specificities will be explored in terms of key growth drivers and competitive

Enemy Of State Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Enemy Of State - Movie Review Example The movie was completely produced in The United States with major filming locations as Los Angeles, California, Washington DC, Baltimore, Maryland. The basic plan sketch of this movie is that a lawyer turns out to be a goal by a fraudulent politician and his NSA gangsters when the lawyer by coincidence obtains core verification to a grave politically provoked murder transgression. The only man on earth who can be of assistance to the lawyer is an ex-government official turned observation specialist. Jerry Bruckheimmer whose name is frequently related with noisy and mindless action spectacles created Enemy Of The State. Therefore, it was tempting to brand the thrilling movie as just one more Hollywood "high perception" film that underestimate grave subject, in this story the everlasting quandary stuck between public safety and private autonomy. At earliest glimpse, it seems that this film may perhaps be abridged nothing over the series of run after and clashes. Nevertheless, Director Tony Scott, who regularly is apt to focus of those views at the expenditure of the whole thing as well, was perceptibly involved to the likelihood to demonstrate probable of contemporary observational expertise in a novel method.

Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managment - Essay Example The paper ends with drawing on general and specific lessons out of the case study for management today. The Issue mainly in concern is the importance of political instability in management decision making. Popular uprising Before starting this paper let’s have a look at the word popular uprising. Popular Uprising as defined by the free dictionary has got two meanings: Widely appealed 1. Revolt against a state authority or constituted government or its laws; a rebellion. 2. Act or any instance of rising or of rising up. While the reverso.net dictionary defines it as Popular: An act widely accepted or appealed Uprising: A revolt or a rebellion Introduction to popular uprisings in Middle East Between the late 2010 and the early 2011 a wave of many spontaneous revolts in Tunisia along with Egypt led to the downfall of local regimes. The foreign exporters and the investors in these countries are being affected by the ongoing events, including industrial action, supply chain disrupt ions, looting, and increased counterparty risk. Furthermore, the success of initial protests ignited new tensions across the Middle East and the North Africa (MENA), threatening the very stability of Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Algeria, Libya and Yemen. Uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt The catalyst for uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia revolts was the suicide of, Mohamed Bouazizi, in the Tunisian town in December 2010; he set himself on fire to revolt against a decision by local authorities to seize his wares. Within few weeks’ demonstrations spread in whole country, as many Tunisians took to the street for protest against political repression and living conditions. Unrest in Egypt Overthrown President Hosni Mubarak’s regime in February led to an unprecedented uprising that was unable to stop. The aims of the revolt were to topple Ben Ali and replace his authoritarian reign with a multi-party democracy. General effects on economy and businesses The wave of recent uprisings that is sweeping across the Middle East along with the North Africa is set to have a major impact on the risks of doing businesses in such country. As political instability keeps on rising in these regions, companies around the world would need to prepare for thereafter knock on effects on the supply chains and business costs occurring across most sectors. This would in the short term cause political instability and economic breakdown in the affected countries which is likely to impact the supply chains around the world; and the textile companies in Europe and consumer goods producers from China and other Asian economies are the ones most vulnerable to these shocks. The careful monitoring of such political and economic trends, the alternative sourcing and the stockpiling are the strategies that can reduce the impacts of these disruptions. The longer term effects would include heightened political risk that could lead to deteriorating economic conditions and tighter access to credit, rais ing the payment risks for the companies that are dealing with MENA (other emerging markets). Adequate political and export risk insurance cover and safe trade terms, such as the documentary credit, will be essentials to mitigating counterparty risk. In the wake of the recent crisis in the MENA region, the lenders and insurance companies are likely to upwardly re price the risk premium that is attached to dealing with such

MARKETING - FINAL CHAPTER PROBLEMS Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MARKETING - FINAL CHAPTER PROBLEMS - Article Example In this case, Eric (2010) showcases constructs of relationship marketing as it identifies with health care customers and practitioners. With regards to the website refreshing after every ten minutes to keep track of appointments, it is a strategy that aims at developing long-term, cost-effective link for a mutual benefit between the organization and the customer. While focusing on the relationship marketing, organizations shift their focus from individual transactions such as convincing a customer to make use of the clinic services, â€Å"to a long-term loyalty – identifying the institution as a regular health care provider† (Eric, 2010). Customers require high-quality services and retaining a customer requires strategy. Delayed, canceled, or unplanned appointment visits are areas that have, for a long time, been haunting customers and health care institutions as the result of these variables is loss of customers or flawed customer service. However, the invention of a s ervice that enables tracking, observation, and keeping of appointments adapts the contemporary notion of shifting from the individual transaction (patient visit, referral, and sale) to the establishment of a longer-term relationship. The refreshing website is a marketing tool that specifically addresses customer satisfaction, service quality, time and resource management, and accomplishment of customer retention (Eric, 2010). Question 2: Chapter 8 â€Å"I’ve sold products all my life and have been successful. Marketing a food product is no different from marketing a hotel, airline, or hospital.† The above point is naive in all aspects. Firstly, marketing is a process through which a seller of a product or provider of a service uses promotional means and integrated marketing communication to convince customers into buying or using a product or a service. As pointed by the above quotation, the term sold is past tense for sell and means the ability to complete a single tr ansaction by offering a product or service in exchange for money. The naivety of the above point starts with the confusion of selling and marketing. In addition, neither marketing nor selling is a skill (with regards to the question posed, the board expects understanding of selling and marketing concepts but the interviewee portrays selling as an event based on sheer luck) and neither can be measured through the consideration of periodic success. Moving on to the second part of the quotation; products differ from one another and comparing food products to hotels, airlines, or an hospital shows a high degree of naivety. Food products are mostly sold in food shops, restaurants, and/or grocery stores and capturing a market for these products depends on fewer variables than providing services in the health care sector (Berkowitz, 2010). Food products appeal to various people all the time and this industry does not necessarily require loyalty like the health care sector. Health care prod ucts depend on variables such as product positioning (drugs, machines), branding (machines, e.g. in radiology), and diffusion of innovation (rate of adoption of a product). Diffusion of innovation is determined by relative advantage (advantage of new product over existing ones), compatibility (compatibility with existing values and customs creates adoptability), complexity (affects adoption of products), divisibility (trial on a limited basis), and communicability (easy communication of benefits). Reflecting on the

An evaluation of the planning and delivery of nursing care. Acute Essay

An evaluation of the planning and delivery of nursing care. Acute management of patient with NSTEMI - Essay Example In the United States, every year, approximately 5.3 million patients present to the ED with chest discomfort and related symptoms and nearly about 1.4 individuals are hospitalized for unstable angina and Non ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) (Cannon & O’Gara 2006). On the same context, in 2000 it was estimated that 1.4 million people in England suffer from angina. 300,000 of which have heart attacks, and it is estimated that more than 110,000 die every year. Although much has improved in terms of treatment and modalities when it comes to cardiac problems and the mortality from cardiovascular causes has declined still the numbers that hit the scale will always remain as a basis for improving programs against coronary artery disease and myocardial infarctions (The National Clinical Guideline Centre 2010). However, the number of people admitted with NSTEMI ACS has shown less of a decline and the management of these conditions remains a high priority (The National Clinical Guideline Centre 2010). The healthcare delivery system is designed to address the growing health problems of the population is a systematic procedure and nurses play an important role on the lead in the promotion, prevention and rehabilitation of health of people. In the concept of this paper the role of the nurse will be given much focus as an evaluative tool in the planning and the delivery of nursing care to NSTEMI patients from the perceived onset, the course of the disease and the rehabilitative phase. With this Nurses’ play an important role as health guide that improve the totality of patient outcome for better prognosis and continuous recovery. NSTEMI: Overview and Understanding the disease According to Anderson et al. (2007), NSTEMI constitute a clinical syndrome subset of Acute Coronary Syndrome that is usually caused by Cardiovascular Atherosclerotic Disease and is associated with increased risk of cardiac death and subsequent myocardial infarction. It is defined by the electrocardiograph ic ST segment depression or prominent T wave inversion and positive biomarkers of necrosis in the absence of ST-segment elevation and in an appropriate clinical setting such as chest discomfort (Anderson et al. 2007; Kalra et al. 2008). Acute coronary syndrome starts when platelet aggregates clump together and forms a thrombi from a ruptured arteriosclerotic plaque. Once the clot occludes the vessels for more than 20 minutes, the myocardial tissue becomes necrotic due to the occlusion (Smeltzer et al. 2009; White et al. 2012). Due to this the heart will not be able to pump enough blood to vital organs and tissues leading to shock and eventually death. Chest pain in NSTEMI lasts longer and is more severe than the pain of unstable angina and can lasts for 15 minutes if not treated with rest or nitro-glycerine. The pain may or may not radiate to the arm, neck, back or epigastric area and may also experience dyspnoea, diaphoresis, nausea, and dizziness (Jevon et al. 2008). Women experie ncing ACS may experience misleading symptoms of indigestion, palpitations, nausea, numbness in the hands, and fatigue rather than chest pain (Overbaugh 2009) The US Department of Health & Human Services (2010)

Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Managment - Essay Example The paper ends with drawing on general and specific lessons out of the case study for management today. The Issue mainly in concern is the importance of political instability in management decision making. Popular uprising Before starting this paper let’s have a look at the word popular uprising. Popular Uprising as defined by the free dictionary has got two meanings: Widely appealed 1. Revolt against a state authority or constituted government or its laws; a rebellion. 2. Act or any instance of rising or of rising up. While the reverso.net dictionary defines it as Popular: An act widely accepted or appealed Uprising: A revolt or a rebellion Introduction to popular uprisings in Middle East Between the late 2010 and the early 2011 a wave of many spontaneous revolts in Tunisia along with Egypt led to the downfall of local regimes. The foreign exporters and the investors in these countries are being affected by the ongoing events, including industrial action, supply chain disrupt ions, looting, and increased counterparty risk. Furthermore, the success of initial protests ignited new tensions across the Middle East and the North Africa (MENA), threatening the very stability of Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Algeria, Libya and Yemen. Uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt The catalyst for uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia revolts was the suicide of, Mohamed Bouazizi, in the Tunisian town in December 2010; he set himself on fire to revolt against a decision by local authorities to seize his wares. Within few weeks’ demonstrations spread in whole country, as many Tunisians took to the street for protest against political repression and living conditions. Unrest in Egypt Overthrown President Hosni Mubarak’s regime in February led to an unprecedented uprising that was unable to stop. The aims of the revolt were to topple Ben Ali and replace his authoritarian reign with a multi-party democracy. General effects on economy and businesses The wave of recent uprisings that is sweeping across the Middle East along with the North Africa is set to have a major impact on the risks of doing businesses in such country. As political instability keeps on rising in these regions, companies around the world would need to prepare for thereafter knock on effects on the supply chains and business costs occurring across most sectors. This would in the short term cause political instability and economic breakdown in the affected countries which is likely to impact the supply chains around the world; and the textile companies in Europe and consumer goods producers from China and other Asian economies are the ones most vulnerable to these shocks. The careful monitoring of such political and economic trends, the alternative sourcing and the stockpiling are the strategies that can reduce the impacts of these disruptions. The longer term effects would include heightened political risk that could lead to deteriorating economic conditions and tighter access to credit, rais ing the payment risks for the companies that are dealing with MENA (other emerging markets). Adequate political and export risk insurance cover and safe trade terms, such as the documentary credit, will be essentials to mitigating counterparty risk. In the wake of the recent crisis in the MENA region, the lenders and insurance companies are likely to upwardly re price the risk premium that is attached to dealing with such

An evaluation of the planning and delivery of nursing care. Acute Essay

An evaluation of the planning and delivery of nursing care. Acute management of patient with NSTEMI - Essay Example In the United States, every year, approximately 5.3 million patients present to the ED with chest discomfort and related symptoms and nearly about 1.4 individuals are hospitalized for unstable angina and Non ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) (Cannon & O’Gara 2006). On the same context, in 2000 it was estimated that 1.4 million people in England suffer from angina. 300,000 of which have heart attacks, and it is estimated that more than 110,000 die every year. Although much has improved in terms of treatment and modalities when it comes to cardiac problems and the mortality from cardiovascular causes has declined still the numbers that hit the scale will always remain as a basis for improving programs against coronary artery disease and myocardial infarctions (The National Clinical Guideline Centre 2010). However, the number of people admitted with NSTEMI ACS has shown less of a decline and the management of these conditions remains a high priority (The National Clinical Guideline Centre 2010). The healthcare delivery system is designed to address the growing health problems of the population is a systematic procedure and nurses play an important role on the lead in the promotion, prevention and rehabilitation of health of people. In the concept of this paper the role of the nurse will be given much focus as an evaluative tool in the planning and the delivery of nursing care to NSTEMI patients from the perceived onset, the course of the disease and the rehabilitative phase. With this Nurses’ play an important role as health guide that improve the totality of patient outcome for better prognosis and continuous recovery. NSTEMI: Overview and Understanding the disease According to Anderson et al. (2007), NSTEMI constitute a clinical syndrome subset of Acute Coronary Syndrome that is usually caused by Cardiovascular Atherosclerotic Disease and is associated with increased risk of cardiac death and subsequent myocardial infarction. It is defined by the electrocardiograph ic ST segment depression or prominent T wave inversion and positive biomarkers of necrosis in the absence of ST-segment elevation and in an appropriate clinical setting such as chest discomfort (Anderson et al. 2007; Kalra et al. 2008). Acute coronary syndrome starts when platelet aggregates clump together and forms a thrombi from a ruptured arteriosclerotic plaque. Once the clot occludes the vessels for more than 20 minutes, the myocardial tissue becomes necrotic due to the occlusion (Smeltzer et al. 2009; White et al. 2012). Due to this the heart will not be able to pump enough blood to vital organs and tissues leading to shock and eventually death. Chest pain in NSTEMI lasts longer and is more severe than the pain of unstable angina and can lasts for 15 minutes if not treated with rest or nitro-glycerine. The pain may or may not radiate to the arm, neck, back or epigastric area and may also experience dyspnoea, diaphoresis, nausea, and dizziness (Jevon et al. 2008). Women experie ncing ACS may experience misleading symptoms of indigestion, palpitations, nausea, numbness in the hands, and fatigue rather than chest pain (Overbaugh 2009) The US Department of Health & Human Services (2010)

Radio Control Office Essay Example for Free

Radio Control Office Essay The first radio regulatory office was known as the Radio Construction and Maintenance Section under the Telegraph Division of the Bureau of Posts. This section was charged with the enforcement of radio laws and regulations, particularly the provisions of Act No. 3396, known as the Ship Radio Station Law which was enacted on December 5, 1927. This law provides for the installations of radio obligatory for ships of Philippine register to protect life and property at sea. On November 11, 1931, the Philippine Legislature enacted Act No. 3846, known as the Radio Control Law of the Philippines.Section 8 of the law provides that the Secretary of Commerce and Communications is hereby authorized to create a Radio Regulation Section, Division or Office which shall take charge of carrying out the provisions of this Act and the regulations prescribed by him, to any bureau or office of his Department, subject to his general supervision and control. Thus, the Radio Control Division in the Bureau of Posts was created under the Secretary of Commerce and Communications. In 1939, the Department of National Defense was organized pursuant to Executive Order No. 230. It was realized then that the functions of supervising and regulating the establishment and operation of all radio stations in the country were important to national defense and security. Consequently, the Radio Control Division was transferred to the Department of National Defence. Pursuant to Executive Order No. 94, series of 1947, the Department of Commerce and Industry was created. The Radio Control Division was again transferred from the Department of National Defense to the Department of Commerce and Industry. The reason for the transfer was that in time of peace, the function of radio regulations was a vital factor in the promotion of commerce and industry and in the economic development of the country. On January 1, 1951, by virtue of the provisions of Executive Order No. 392, the Radio Control Board were transferred to the Department of Public Works and Communications. Actually, The Radio Control Division and the Radio Control Board were two distinct agencies with separate functions. The Division was charged with the supervision and regulation of the establishment and operation of all radio stations in the country. On the other hand, the Board implemented the provisions of the Radio Broadcasting Law, Act No. 3997, regarding the administration of the national radio broadcasting fund derived from radio receiver registration fees collected by the BIR, and the purchase, distribution, and installation of radio receivers to fourth and fifth class municipalities, municipal districts, barrios and selected government institutions. In the Department of Public Works and Communications, the Radio Control Division was under the supervision of the Radio Control Board. In 1956, R.A. No. 1476 was enacted, abolishing the radio receiver registration fees in effect also abolished the Radio Control Board. The Radio Control Division remained and continued to fuction under the Office of the Secretary of Public Works and Communications. On August 23, 1962, Department Order No. 51 was issued by the Secretary, Department of Public Works and Communications, changing the name of the Radio Control Division to Radio Control Office. As provided in the Integrated Reorganization Plan of 1972, the Radio Control Office was retained and assumed the functions relative to the supervision and enforcement of policies, rules and regulations involving telecommunications. The Office, which was later named on July 1, 1974, as the Telecommunications Control Bureau, was headed by a Director who was assisted by an Assistant Director. The Office had four divisions and district offices, the number and locations of which were determined on the basis of necessity and effectiveness of the service. Board of Communications The Board of Communications, which was created under the Integrated Reorganization law of 1972, was the first quasi-judicial body with the adjudicatory powers on matters involving telecommunication services. The Board was composed of a full-time chairman who was of unquestioned integrity and recognized prominence in previous public and/or private employment; and two full-time members who were competent in all aspects of communications, preferably one of whom was a lawyer and the other an economist. The Director of the Radio Control Office and a senior representative of the Institute of Mass Communication of the University of the Philippines were made ex-oficio members. It may be noted that the regular members of the board were experts on telecommunications. The Chairman must have previous employment on telecommunications, and the other two full-time members must be competent on all aspects of communications, preferably one of whom was a lawyer and the other an economist. The reason f or this organizational set-up is aptly stated in the Integrated Reorganization Plan which states that: Since technical and economic determinants will govern decisions with respect to economic regulation, the expertise involved should be strongly reflected on the composition of the body so that it can adequately review, revise, and decide on proposals and applications. The Board itself must also have the capability to adequately review, revise, and decide on all aspects under its coverage from both technical and economic points of view. Knowledge of the economic consideration involved must be coupled with the ability to distinguish, detect, and resolve possible conflicts with the corresponding technical considerations. The Board of Communications was attached to the Department of Public Works, Transportation and Communications for administrative supervision. According to the IRP, the DPWTC was in direct possession of facts and situational appraisals inherent in its role in the fields of communications. Adjudicative Boards operating under its umbrella would thus have direct access to the substantive bases for decision. The National Telecommunications Commission By virtue of Executive Order No. 546 dated July 23, 1979, the Telecommunications Control Bureau and the Board of Communications were abolished and have been integrated into a single entity now known as the National Telecommunications Commission. It is composed of a Commissioner and two Deputy Commissioners, preferably one of whom is a lawyer and another an economist. The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners should be of unquestioned integrity, proven competence, and recognized experts in their fields, related as much as possible to communications. The integration of the TCB and BOC into a single entity has for its purpose the effective and unified control and supervision of communications facilities and services. Executive Order No. 546 has also created the Ministry of Transportation and Communications which has administrative jurisdiction over the National Telecommunications Commission. Pursuant to Executive Order No. 125 as amended by Executive Order No. 125-A dated April 13, 1987, the National Telecommunications Commission is now an attached agency of the Department of Transportation and Communications (Sec.14). The Philippines National Telecommunications Commission (Filipino: Pambansang Komisyon sa Telekomunikasyon), abbreviated as NTC, is an agency of the Philippine government under the Commission on Information and Communications Technology responsible for the supervision, adjudication and control over all telecommunications services throughout the Philippines.

Impact of Lyndon B. Johnson

Impact of Lyndon B. Johnson Discuss the historical significance of Lyndon B. Johnson LBJ, LBJ, how many kids have you killed today? Was one of the principal protest chants of the 1960s in the United States. It was directed at President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was about the war in Vietnam that the American government under the Johnson administration had been steadily become more involved in each passing year after he came to office following Kennedys assassination in November 1963. One can only imagine how this must have hurt for a man of Johnsons pride and character. Being accused of killing children is not something that anyone takes lightly. His reputation as a connoisseur of Washington hid visionary leadership qualities. He knew how to get what he wanted and when. He realized that American society had to change as the first post-World War Two generation was clamouring for a greater voice in society. His election in 1964 was one of the biggest majorities ever. It is hard to find a historical figure that does not have more than one facet or side to their political legacy and life, and Lyndon Johnson was no exception, but in his case, it was so much more pronounced. Yes, he was historically significant. Itis impossible to argue that he was not. This significance is firstly in his ‘Great Society legislation and philosophy, and secondly in his prosecution of the war in Vietnam. Each of these will be discussed in turn. Part A) Visionary: Kennedys footsteps and Great Society. Any president who comes to office following the death, accidental or not, of another president finds himself or herself in that shadow of that person. The position of vice-president is not an easy one in American government and politics. It carries no power and limited stature. One constantly feels second to holder of the office of president. Naturally, the vice-president is part of the cabinet and provides advice, but the political ideals and program belong to the current president. Looking at Kennedy and Johnson, one can only see differences, but the political need of Kennedy for Southern votes in 1960 made him choose Johnson. His victory created the myth of Camelot, which still stands to this date. He believed in civil rights for all Americans and wanted a more peaceful relationship with the Soviet Union. He was young and handsome, which generated a huge amount of charisma. His death robbed the United States of a leader of great potential. On November 22, 1963, Lyndon Johnson step ped into his shoes following his assassination. He lacked Kennedys charisma, but soon showed confidence. His reputation as a master of the Senate was proof of competence and knowledge. These skills would be soon into great demand as he was immediately confronted with the need to resolve multiple societal problems, such as race relations in the South and health care; issues that Kennedy had started looking at in his brief tenure as president. Johnson felt he had to bring the solutions to fruition, both for the country and Kennedy, and lastly for himself, which meant putting his imprint on them. The United States of the 1960s was in the throes of racial tensions and economic retardation. Southern states were resisting and ignoring federal attempts to impose civil rights for blacks. The result of which was the low voting levels and harassment of blacks in the American Deep South. There were periodical racial riots requiring at times the intervention of federal National Guard to quell them. Unemployment was rising and many Americans had no kind of medical coverage. The American constitutional order placed checks and balances on every level of power, but as the source of the racial inequalities was being ignored for very many reasons that are beyond the scope of this discussion, although one of them was that many presidents were reluctant to rock the boat fearing electoral and legislative setbacks. Such fears did not scare Johnson, as he had earned and cherished a Senate reputation of bending and cajoling other lawmakers to his way of thinking. He could be many things to many p eople. His birth in the Southern state of Texas gave him the image of a good olboy, which could be utilized to great effect. This appeal and experience would be highly beneficial as he was able to push through many legislative reforms by the end of 1965. Every January, the current American president gives a State of the Union address during which he or she proposes various ideas and programs for that year. At this point, Johnson declared a War on Poverty  and called for the passing of Kennedys tax cut and civil rights bill; the first easily passed its hurdles, while the second quickly got delayed. Part of his war on poverty involved creating jobs through massive government aid and intervention, very much on the scale of Roosevelts Great Deal in the 1930s, which served as his inspiration as he understood that the state could not stand by while the people suffered. This realization was in stark contrast to his view of the United States as the true representative of freedom in the world, which meant bringing violence and suffering to people around the world as everyone had their own There were two other major legislative elements of the Great Society, namely Medicare and Medicaid, and the Higher and Elementary and Secondary Education Acts in 1965;the former two set up health care funding for the elderly and the needy, while the latter two provided federal aid to schools. Some of his opponents argued that these reforms were federal involvement in state affairs and fought court cases to resist or delay them. A country of the stature of the United States could not claim to be torch bearer of democracy and freedom,  when a quarter of citizens were denied their rights and many governmental institutions either colluded in their denial or stood by while it occurred. Kennedy recognized this horror, although his predecessor Eisenhower had started redressing the ill when he ordered the National Guard to intervene during the Little Rock crisis in 1957. The Civil Rights Act was passed in July 1964, while the Voting Rights Act in 1965. The riots and violence soon became things of the past except when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April 1968resulting in riots across 100 cities. A new Civil Rights Act was passed later that year. On a more personal level, he was the first American president to nominate a black person to the Supreme Court and the Cabinet, who were Thurgood Marshall previously having served as the solicitor-general of the United States in 1967 and Robert Weaver as secretary of housing and urban development in 1966. Both decisions opened some of the last bureaucratic rooms to racial integration despite the racist cringing of many Southern senators and governors. Part B) Ideologue: Cold War and the quicksand of Vietnam. The war in Vietnam would become Johnsons undoing. Like almost any other project or idea that he had, he wanted to fight and win it. His major pieces of legislation had been passed by early 1965 or were on their way. This freedom permitted him to increase the American presence in Vietnam. He ordered the first combat troops into Vietnam reversing a Kennedy policy of pulling out of Vietnam as he believed in the ‘Domino Theory whereby if one country fell to Communism, others would follow, so a stand had to be made and Vietnam fulfilled that role. This geo-political theory developed in the 1950s and soon became a guiding principle of many elements of American foreign policy, but sadly it was very blinkered way of thinking, because the theory soon became the reality as facts were manipulated, or even created, to fit into it. The inability to grow beyond it would hamper much of Johnsons thinking on Vietnam. The initial American involvement in Vietnam dated from 1955 after the French h ad been defeated atDien Bien Phu when the United States under Eisenhower felt it had to buttress non-Communist forces in South East Asia. The world of the 1960s was in the throes of a cooling-off period in the Cold War after having closely brushed with nuclear Armageddon in Cuba in October 1962, and the growing American involvement was perceived as a renewed hot period. Not everyone believed in this war, as they realized that it was a battle between two opposing ideologies, Capitalism and Communism; both of which had their supporters and critics, and the question was why did someone have to choose between them. Many counties did ignore the two superpowers and formed the Non-Aligned Movement. ‘Unsurprisingly, this act angered both superpowers. The nature of this war was that the United States and Soviet Union never actually fought each other, but used proxies to fulfil their ideological agendas. Ironically, the political nature of many of these proxies was that they were corrupt, repressive and dictatorial; for instance, in the case of Vietnam, the Diem government in the South supported by the Johnson administrati on was suppressing opposition to its rule, while Ho Chi Minh in the North was widely praised and respected. In atwist of irony, the repressive policies of the Diem government led the American government to overthrow him, but this only further destabilized the country and accelerated its slide into chaos. The basic Cold War philosophy meant that the legitimate democratic needs and hopes of millions were ignored, and it can be argued that this fact damaged the United States more than it did the Soviet Union as the United States claimed to be leader in world democracy and freedom. Johnson’s belief in the American mission to bring democracy to the world was one of his justifications to get involved in Vietnam. This argument begs belief. In the end, this contradiction could not be resolved, and it became the source of the American military and political loss. When Lyndon Johnson came to office, there were only about 16000 advisers in Vietnam, but he would raise the number of combat soldiers to almost 50000 by the late 1960s. He increased the number of bomber missions in the hope of crushing the spirit of the Vietnamese. Not only was the cost in lives was enormous, but also in infrastructure, as bridges, dams and building were destroyed. Such destruction put a stop to any development projects by the Vietnamese. One of the consequences of such a massive bombing was the scarring of the landscape whereby huge holes were made across the country creating impediments to agricultural development. One of the more tragic episodes of the Vietnam War was the authorization to use a weed killer to defoliate trees and shrubs in the hope of uncovering supply routes used by the Vietnamese. It was code-named Agent Orange and was sprayed from planes flying over jungles. It was a pesticide and was never thought of as being dangerous to the health of humans. Protests quickly grew as claims were raised that it was causing various forms of cancer in both Vietnamese civilians and American soldiers, and recently studies have slowly tended to support such views. The psychological success but military failure of the North Vietnameses Tet offensive in 1968started the American military withdrawal process. In a major reversal, Johnson stopped increasing troops and thought of ways to extricate himself and his country from Vietnam. The failure of Johnson to realize that the war was based on the desire of independence of a people at all costs meant that regardless of how many military victories were achieved, the war never ended. It has been a standing law in American politics to not bring back soldiers in body bags as it is politically damaging. Every death was a nail in Johnson’s political coffin. The chant How, Ho Chi Minh shouted by American protesters must have been devastating to Johnson as they cheered his opponent in a war that he su pported. In other areas of the gloomy world of the Cold War, Johnson was quite forward thinking and deserved credit. The close call of nuclear destruction during the Cuba Missile Crisis meant that a special red phone line was installed so that the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union could talk to each other quickly. To accelerate communication and travel, a new air route was installed between Moscow and New York City. His meeting with Premier Kosygin in June 1967 was another in a recent line of summits between American and Soviet leaders, and their discussions led to proposals to reduce the development of nuclear weapons, which later grew into the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ratified internationally in March 1970, but unfortunately as this was passed by the American Senate in 1969 after Johnson had left office, much of the credit went to his successor, Richard Nixon. This agreement was one of the first major limitations of nuclear use and was the father of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, otherwise known as SALT. Conclusion According to ancient Egyptian mythology, the soul of every person was weighed measuring his or her good and bad deeds to decide their place in the Afterword. This view has both negative and positive aspects as every action has a value, but one huge good or bad act can outweigh a lot of small bad or good ones. Depending on whom you ask, both the Vietnam War and the Great Society can be either, but prosecuting an unnecessary war is hard to defend, while programs designed to help the needy is so much easier to do so. The war in Vietnam failed to achieve any of its objectives of liberating people and extending American power in the region, while the Great Society opened American society to new levels and made more people feel part of it. In this regard, a very simple description of Lyndon Johnsons place in history is that he was a divisive figure. He was the author of two great things in American society; firstly the Great Society and secondly the Vietnam War, although the present use of the term great is in its sense of social grandeur and socially revolutionary. He is remembered affectionately and hated deeply for each of them, but not always in the way that some of us might think. It is a mark of this divisiveness, which he himself recognized, that he stepped aside from running again as president in March 1968. His successor as president was Richard Nixon. Bibliography Morris, Errol. The Fog of War. DVD. Columbia Tri Star, 2004. Johnson, Lyndon. The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the Presidency, 1963-1969. Holt, Rinehartand Winston, 1971. Caro, Robert A. Master of the Senate: the years of Lyndon Johnson. Cape, 2002. Bernstein, Irving. Gunsor Butter: the presidency of Lyndon Johnson. Oxford University Press, 1995. Dallek, Robert. Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and his times, 1961-1973. Oxford University Press,1998.

Epistemology Essay examples -- Philosophy, Hume

â€Å"I have found that such an object has always been attended with such an effect, and I foresee, that other objects, which are, in appearance, similar, will be attended with similar effects† (The Search for Knowledge 74). This foretells that with knowledge, our society may be able to associate a certain aspect/detail with an object, but that does not necessarily mean it will always happen. Therefore, Hume, who starts out as an empiricist, has arrived at the conclusion where an individual may not have knowledge at all, of skeptic doubt. This is explored through the three epistemology questions, the process he did take, and what the reader thinks on the matter. According to Hume, with his process of thought with empiricism, thinks knowledge is possible. He believed that all information about the world comes through experience. The contents of consciousness are what he calls perceptions. [†¦] include our original experiences [impressions] [†¦] sense data [†¦] â€Å"internal† world composed of the contents of our psychological experiences [†¦] also include what he calls ideas, or the contents of our memories and imagination (The Search for Knowledge 69). With this approach to whether knowledge is possible, it is clear that he thinks knowledge is possible through experience; through real experiences, sense data, psychological experiences and ideas. It states that one does not have innate ideas with us such as our senses or emotions, that an individual must experience these actions first in order to recognize what they must be. If one does not experience such actions, they are what he calls ideas, â€Å"the copies of them [impressions]† (The Search for Knowledge 69). He also states that, â€Å"We can deny any matter of fact without falling into... ...external world or the self, we are never certain of anything. Hence, we have no knowledge at all because knowledge is classified as true, justified belief and our ideas and thoughts are not. This is a strong case, and therefore, I believe with his knowledge towards skepticism, but I do not necessarily believe in skepticism. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Hume has answered the three epistemological questions with very strong points; first as an empiricist, who then leads to a skeptic. Overall, the opinion of the reader is satisfied, because even though Hume has a very doubtful thought process of empiricism with the idea of perceptions and ideas, he then breaks down his theory with the fact that this so-called knowledge is the only source of knowledge an individual can possibly have, therefore it is not knowledge. Knowledge is worth nothing unless you can practice it. Epistemology Essay examples -- Philosophy, Hume â€Å"I have found that such an object has always been attended with such an effect, and I foresee, that other objects, which are, in appearance, similar, will be attended with similar effects† (The Search for Knowledge 74). This foretells that with knowledge, our society may be able to associate a certain aspect/detail with an object, but that does not necessarily mean it will always happen. Therefore, Hume, who starts out as an empiricist, has arrived at the conclusion where an individual may not have knowledge at all, of skeptic doubt. This is explored through the three epistemology questions, the process he did take, and what the reader thinks on the matter. According to Hume, with his process of thought with empiricism, thinks knowledge is possible. He believed that all information about the world comes through experience. The contents of consciousness are what he calls perceptions. [†¦] include our original experiences [impressions] [†¦] sense data [†¦] â€Å"internal† world composed of the contents of our psychological experiences [†¦] also include what he calls ideas, or the contents of our memories and imagination (The Search for Knowledge 69). With this approach to whether knowledge is possible, it is clear that he thinks knowledge is possible through experience; through real experiences, sense data, psychological experiences and ideas. It states that one does not have innate ideas with us such as our senses or emotions, that an individual must experience these actions first in order to recognize what they must be. If one does not experience such actions, they are what he calls ideas, â€Å"the copies of them [impressions]† (The Search for Knowledge 69). He also states that, â€Å"We can deny any matter of fact without falling into... ...external world or the self, we are never certain of anything. Hence, we have no knowledge at all because knowledge is classified as true, justified belief and our ideas and thoughts are not. This is a strong case, and therefore, I believe with his knowledge towards skepticism, but I do not necessarily believe in skepticism. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Hume has answered the three epistemological questions with very strong points; first as an empiricist, who then leads to a skeptic. Overall, the opinion of the reader is satisfied, because even though Hume has a very doubtful thought process of empiricism with the idea of perceptions and ideas, he then breaks down his theory with the fact that this so-called knowledge is the only source of knowledge an individual can possibly have, therefore it is not knowledge. Knowledge is worth nothing unless you can practice it.