We should provide food for the poor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

We should provide food for the poor - Essay Example Beri beri primarily results from lack of vitamin B or thiamin. Poor people who suffer from malnutrition have a high likelihood of developing beri beri, as well as other deadly diseases such as anemia and scurvy (Karlan & Appel, 2012). Diseases increase the likelihood of nutritional deficiency; therefore, poor people are at great risk of malnutrition. In addition, poor people, especially in underdeveloped and developing countries also die as a result of problems with the land they live on and till, for instance, famine and drought are known to cause massive losses of human lives amongst poor people. Children are the most affected group of people in the event of such tough climatic conditions. To date, famine is one of the most common causes of death in underdeveloped and developing countries. Most of these deaths occur among children who often receive small food portions if any, despite the fact that they need it the most since they are still growing. During tough climatic conditions such as drought and famine, countries’ food supplies decrease substantially (Karlan & Appel, 2012). Poor people, especially those in underdeveloped countries suffer all these problems, and it is up to the privileged members of the society to assist them. It is quite possible to deter the suffering and death or poor people as a result of inadequate food and malnutrition. People should give sufficient food supplies to poor people because all human beings are entitled to lead healthy and fulfilled lives, which includes having sufficient food quantities and quality. From an ethical point of view, people should provide food to the poor since it is the morally upright thing to do. Ethical p rinciples such as utilitarian principles advocate for people to give up their interests for the wellbeing of the greatest number of people. Sacrifice, in this sense, does not mean giving to the poor more than a person can afford, but rather means giving up something of value to oneself in

Organization Development survey (advantage and disadvantage) Essay

Organization Development survey (advantage and disadvantage) - Essay Example The questions begin with what, how, when, where and why (Jolley, 2012, p. 26). This is the relatively fast method to collect the data in survey; however, it may take long to prepare and analyze. It needs a lot of time and effort to prepare questionnaires, to analyze the questionnaires, to make the specific questions so that the object is achieved, but then, at the end, it requires minimum time to conduct it. In comparison with other methods, data collection in survey questionnaires is relatively fast. The return rates of questionnaires survey are high. Questionnaires are easy to answer. It takes a minimum of five minutes to fill the whole questionnaire. For this reason, people usually do not argue in filling questionnaires. Other methods such as interviews take a lot of time of the respondents, so people usually argue on it. Survey questionnaires can easily be distributed to a large number of audiences. It enables to gather many different point of views (Zikmund and Babin, 2009, p. 7). The questionnaires cover almost every part of research unlike interviews. Questionnaires are designed in a way so that every aspect is covered. It consists of accurate questions of which it requires accurate answers. It can have many questions to cover every aspect of the respective topic. Many of the positivists â€Å"believe that quantitative data can be used to create new theories and / or test existing hypotheses† (Koneru, 2008, pp. 218–220). The questionnaires enable to gather quantitative data. It allows the respondent to give direct answers, i.e. yes or no, which makes the data accurate. These accurate data lead to the formation of theories or existing hypothesis. One of the main benefits of survey questionnaire is that it does not require a high rate of investment. The cost involved in distributing the questionnaires is negligible as compared with the other methods of data

Derivatives in Financial Market: Portfolio Management

Derivatives in Financial Market: Portfolio Management Derivative Structures in the Market and Their Place in Corporate Portfolio Management Abstract Derivatives are financial instruments that do not hold independent value, but where instead the value of the instrument is based on the underlying value of a given asset, which can range from financial assets such as stocks, bonds and market indexes to commodity assets such as oil, gold or wheat, to more obscure or exotic assets such as weather or other exotic assets. The four main categories of derivative include forwards, futures, options and swaps, each of which is used for a different risk control technique and each of which has its own unique structure, risk, and potential for return. Derivatives are commonly used in financial firms to balance portfolios and reduce risk by spreading it across the market, or in order to mitigate potential risk by limiting it (for example, placing a ceiling or floor on currency exchanges or purchases). This paper explores the use of derivatives in the financial market, including their use in portfolio management. Following a thorough definition of the derivative, the paper explores the use of derivatives in portfolio management and other banking activities, and offers a substantive risk assessment that addresses the potential difficulties that the use of these instruments may pose as well as a description of the benefits of using derivatives. The paper also explores ways in which actual financial institutions use derivatives through examination of public reports and other available information, in order to determine what current practice is in the use of these reports. The report concludes with recommendations for portfolio managers within financial institutions regarding the use of these instruments for risk management as well as the potential dangers of their use. The study is intended to provide an overview guide to this material and an analysis of existing research that can be used for further research and understanding of the subject material. Chapter 1 Introduction to the Research Project The use of derivatives in corporate risk management has come under scrutiny recently in the news, following reports of credit risk derivatives being used improperly by some firms and banks during the mortgage lending collapse of 2007-2008. However, while these instruments may be misused, they also hold an important role in both financial and non-financial firms in hedging risk and balancing corporate portfolios and investments. Derivatives can be used in a number of different applications. These applications include balancing risk across a number of different investors, gaining access to foreign currency or reducing currency exchange risk exposure, and reallocating loan risk across lending portfolios within or among banks. While these instruments clearly have benefits in terms of balancing, spreading and reducing risk to the individual investor, corporation or bank, there are still considerable risks that must be considered. For example, credit risk derivatives were at fault for revenue losses because they were improperly calculated to be less risky than they actually were. Conversely, a currency option, one type of derivative that reduces the potential for risk in currency exchange rates, could end up being a poor rate if the market does not change in the expected manner. These are just a few of the risks that can be encountered within the use of derivatives in financial and non-financial firms. This paper presents an overview of the types of derivatives available, the risk involved in using the derivative, and other important factors that must be considered in its use. Research Aims The main aim of this research is to explore and identify the derivative structures in the financial market and examine different corporate responses to the changes in the market and uses of these derivatives. The research also examines the impact posed by changes in the market on the corporate portfolio strategy. By first providing an overview of the different types of derivative structures available, and then analyzing corporations in order to identify how they use these structures, the research paper analyzes corporate portfolio diversification as a strategy and explores the potential for derivatives in financial markets. Research Objectives The main research objectives of this project include: Definition of the structure and application of derivatives Definition of the risk posed by application of derivatives in a competitive market Description of the common usage and potential impact of derivatives on the financial institution Examination of the impact of market changes in the corporate portfolio within the financial institution Identification of the limitations and risks of derivatives as used in the corporate portfolio Identification of appropriate risk management and portfolio management strategies Importance of the paper Sustained changes in the financial and competitive environment of industries, increasing globalization and increasing complexity of financial markets has led to an unprecedented period of currency and interest rate volatility worldwide. In order to counter this increase in risk, innovative foreign exchange risk and interest rate risk hedging techniques have developed at a rapid pace. Although these derivatives are intended to assist in risk management and risk minimization, particularly in terms of uncertain cash flows and currency exchange rates, their use has been uncertain, as instruments grow increasingly exotic. This paper will provide a guide to derivatives and their use in the financial market, as well as provide a clear understanding of the risks involved in the use of derivatives and their appropriate application to risk management, as well as discussion of how the risk of the derivatives themselves may be handled. This information can be used by investment risk managers and others in order to guide policies regarding the use of these instruments and allow for an increased understanding of the underlying issues involving these instruments. Methodology overview The methodology that will be used is that of desk research and meta analysis. This method will assemble information from a large number of sources, including primarily secondary research, and organize and analyze it in such a way as to create an understanding of the research material in the general case. This information will be able to be used for description of the operation and formulation of derivatives in a number of markets. Data collection The main data collection technique used in this discussion will be secondary research or desk research. This method was chosen both because of the limited time available to perform the survey and because of the amount of information already available on the subject matter. Secondary information will include primarily a literature review, which will provide background and theoretical information that can be used in order to form an overall picture of the theory and practice of using derivatives and derivative structures. Other secondary data will be used to examine the issues at hand for analysis, including materials such as company reports, journal articles and time series, and previously conducted surveys that address the subject matter. However, it should be noted that derivatives are not ordinarily considered reportable assets, and so may leave little trace on company reports and discussions. As such, generalized information from sources such as the Bank for International Settlements will be used as much as possible rather than specific firm information. Data analysis Following the collection of data using the method described above, the data will be analyzed using a number of techniques. Analysis methods are intended to be both quantitative and qualitative, in accordance with the data available for analysis. Quantitative analysis will be exploratory and descriptive, using data summaries in such methods as charts, tables, and descriptive statistics. Qualitative analysis techniques that will be used will include categorization, development and analysis of relationships, and descriptive techniques. This data analysis will be used in order to create an overall view of the data that can be used in order to explore the research questions. Organization of the paper The table below presents the organization of the remainder of the paper in terms of chapter numbers and contents. Chapter Contents Chapter 2 Literature review and context review Chapter 3 Methodology overview Chapter 4 Presentation of results of analysis, discussion of results and examination of risk and risk mitigation strategies for firms using derivatives Chapter 5 Conclusions and recommendations for further study Table 1 Organization of the paper Summary This chapter has presented an overview of the aims and objectives of the paper as well as the methods that will be used to explore the research objectives. It will provide a guide to the remainder of the paper. The next chapter, the Literature Review, provides insight into the structure and definition of derivatives as well as providing insight into their use in financial markets. Chapter 2 Review of the Literature In order to provide background and theoretical information for the discussion in the following chapters, this chapter presents an overview of the current state of affairs concerning derivatives and their use in the financial firm. This includes a description of the definition of derivative, the varying types of derivatives and what their uses and significance are, and a description of their current use in the banking context in order to examine the overall importance of derivatives in portfolio management. This chapter will also provide an overview of the concepts of portfolio management in order to examine issues involved in the use of derivatives. Definition of derivatives Although there are a number of different definitions of derivatives, the basic principle of the derivative is that it is not, in and of itself, an asset or investment; instead, it is a financial instrument that is based on the value of an underlying asset or instrument (Hunt Kennedy, 2004, p. 1). As such, it should be clear that as a derivative has no independent financial value, it should not be considered to be an investment per se; if the firm wishes to make an investment in the underlying asset, it is more appropriate to do so directly. Instead, derivatives are used to gain potential access to cash flows, risk, currency exchanges or other valuable items or to distribute risks across a number of different users, markets, or geographic areas rather than assigning all risk to a single portfolio or individual (Hunt Kennedy, 2004, p. 3). Derivatives may be based on the value of a wide range of underlying instruments, including stocks, bonds, indexes, exchange rates, interest rates or the prices of commodity such as wheat, oil or livestock (Hunt Kennedy, 2004). More exotic underlying instruments include credit risks of packaged assets and even long-range weather forecasts; however, these exotic underlying instruments fall outside the scope of this discussion and will not be examined in-depth. Underlying concepts There are a number of underlying concepts that must be understood if the idea of the derivative is to be fully described. The first such idea is that of replication. In brief, replication is the portfolio of assets (trading strategy that will pay out an identical amount to the payout of the derivative in any potential trading circumstance (Hunt Kennedy, 2004, p. 3). In other words, the balance of the portfolio, on which option pricing theory is based, is dependent on its ability to mirror the price of the option that it is compared against. The second important underlying idea is that of arbitrage. Hunt and Kennedy (2004, p. 3) defined arbitrage as a trading strategy that generates profit from nothing with no risk involved. Arbitrage opportunities are assumed not to exist in the trading of derivatives; although it is clear that some random arbitrage opportunities might exist, they cannot be counted upon in a trading strategy and should not be considered for the purposes of this analysis. The underlying security is defined as the security involved in an option or other derivative transaction (Chorafas, 2008, p. 36). In other words, the underlying security (or underlying asset) is the security or asset from which the derivative derives its value, like a commodity such as oil, gold or wheat. These underlying securities rarely actually change hands (although it may occasionally occur). As Chorafas noted, while the underlying security may be based in an asset or liability, it cannot be considered to be an asset or liability itself, but is instead intended only to hedge risks from other market areas. Chorafas demonstrated that the relationship between the underlying security and the derivative is likely to be nonlinear; that is, the price of the derivative will not depend immediately on the price of the underlying security, but will instead be offset by other factors. The figure below demonstrates this nonlinear relationship. Figure 1 Nonlinear relationship between the value of derivatives and underlying instruments (Chorafas, 2008) The idea of notional principle amount, or face amount, is the amount of money on which the trade is based; however, this money is never actually intended to change hands, it only provides a basis for such characteristics of the derivative as interest rate calculation or other bases for engaging in the trade (Chorafas, 2008, p. 36). This may be specified not only in currency, but also in any other relevant measurement, such as shares, kilos, gallons, bushels, or whatever the natural means of measuring the underlying asset might be. Types of derivatives There are a wide range of types of derivatives, and custom derivatives are often assembled in order to meet the requirements of the parties involved in the trade that do not easily coincide with the definition of any standard type. However, the four major categories of derivatives include options, forwards, futures and swaps. Each of these types has a different structure and different uses within the market, and each is traded differently within the market. The description, structure and main uses of each of these types of derivatives are described in detail below. Options An option is an instrument that gives the buyer the opportunity (but not the requirement) to purchase a given instrument at a specific time for a specific price (Chorafas, 2008, p. 39). An option may be a call option (guaranteeing the buyer the right to buy the underlying good at the set price) or a put option (guaranteeing the owner the right to sell the underlying good at the strike price) (Kolb, 2003, p. 4). The buyer of an option may decide to exercise it (in which case they take delivery of the underlying) or to not exercise it (in which case it expires); if the buyer does exercise the option (decide to take delivery) the seller must give it to them for the agreed-upon price. The price at which the buyer may exercise the option is the strike price, while the price paid to the seller for the option is known as the premium (Chorafas, 2008, p. 40). The expiration date is the date by which the option must be exercised is the expiration date. The type of option will determine whether the option can be exercised only on that date, at any time prior to that date, or at certain specific times prior to the expiration date. American options can be exercised at any point up to the expiration date, while European options allow exercise only on the expiration date (Kolb, 2003, p. 507). A Bermuda option has set intermediate dates between the purchase and the expiration date at which it may be exercised (Kolb, 2003). There are also a number of exotic options that provide more customized payment, delivery and exercise agreements that may rely on the price of the underlying asset; for example, a barrier options exercise depends on the value of the underlying asset reaching a price specified in the contract, while an Asian option depends on the average price of the underlying security (Kolb, 2003). A so-called plain vanilla option, however, depends only on the current price of the underlying and other characteristics of the option such as exercise price and time until expiration (Kolb, 2003, p. 577). Caps, floors and collars are particular characteristics of a given option, which are intended to limit exposure to upside and downside risk (Smith Walter, 2003, p. 84). A cap, commonly used in an interest rate swap as well as other options, fixes the upper rate of exchange, while a floor similarly fixes the lower rate of exchange; as can be envisioned, a collar fixes both the upper and lower rates of exchange in order to reduce the potential for risk. Options are extremely popular derivatives that are used in both financial and nonfinancial firms for portfolio balance. Forwards A forward, or more properly a forward contract or option, is structured in much the same way as an option; however, rather than the exercise of the instrument being optional at the expiration date, exercise is mandatory at that time (Kolb, 2003). A basic definition of a forward was given by Kolb, who remarked, A forward contract always involves a contract initiated at one time; performance in accordance with the terms of the contract occurs at a subsequent time. Furthermore, the type of forward contracting to be considered here always involves an exchange of one asset for another. The price at which the exchange is set at the time of the initial contracting. Actual payment and delivery of the good occurs later (Kolb, 2003, p. 2). Forward contracts are commonly used in currency exchange operations and other transactions in which the individuals involved wish to reduce uncertainty; for example, in a currency exchange forward, the seller ensures the present value of the trade, as does the buyer. Although the currency exchange rates may fluctuate over the time between the contract and the expiration date, the risk for each party will be reduced because they will be able to protect themselves from changes in the currency exchange (Kolb, 2003). As such, forwards are commonly used for securing access to foreign currency or other underlying assets that an individual will need in the future at a risk-controlled price. In effect, the use of forwards removes uncertainty from the future business climate, therefore reducing risk. Forwards may also be used in order to create a position in the weaker currency when performing interest rate hedging (Smith Walter, 2003, p. 43). In effect, the investor attempts to determine when a weak currency is going to undergo a currency collapse (such as the 1997-1998 Asian market collapse, which began with a weakened currency in Thailand), and then purchases interest rate forwards in this currency, then waits for the interest rate in the country to drop as monetary policy shifts to propping up the currency rather than attempting to slow growth. However, this strategy is not without risk because there is always the potential that the currency may not depreciate or, if it does, that the requisite interest rate drop will not occur, or will not be sufficient to make the investment worthwhile. Futures Futures are an even more specialized form of the option. Futures contracts, which always trade on organized exchanges rather than in over the counter transactions, are a type of forward contract with highly standardized and specified contract terms futures contracts are highly standardized with a specified quantity of a good, and with a specified delivery date and delivery mechanism (Kolb, 2003, p. 3). According to Kolb, performance on a futures contract is also guaranteed with by a clearing house, or a financial institution that guarantees the integrity of the market, and are protected by margin, or security payments posted by traders as a good-faith indication of willingness to trade (Kolb, 2003, p. 3). Futures, unlike other forms of derivatives, trade in a regulated market and as such may not be as complex to handle as other forms of derivatives such as forwards. Futures are most commonly used for trade in commodities, and are often used by nonfinancial institutions rather than financial institutions. Swaps Unlike the other forms of derivatives, a swap is not just a specialized form of option, but is instead a different type of instrument. A swap is an over-the-counter instrument involving the exchange of one stream of payment liability for another (Smith Walter, 2003, p. 75). According to Smith and Walter, this derivative has only developed since the 1980s, with an increasing use of derivatives by non-financial corporations in order to reduce risk and reduce cost of listing on stock and bond markets. Swaps, as contingent values, are also not listed on financial reports, which allow firms to manoeuvre their full investment in a given position if desired (Smith Walter, 2003, p. 76). Common swaps include interest rate swaps and currency exchange swaps. Currency swaps allow firms to exchange their exposure to currency risk (for example, by limiting the amount paid in interest from one position to another) by exchanging currency rates from one to the other. Historical currency swap rates demonstrate the overall growth in currency swaps. The table below demonstrates the growth in currency rate swaps over the top ten traded currencies in 2000. As can be seen, the Euro almost immediately became prominent, with rapidly increasing amounts of currency swaps overtaking the currency as it was instituted. The use of currency swaps is extremely common in financial and non-financial firms that require protection from currency risk. For example, those with operations in multiple countries (Smith Walter, 2003). Currency Notional Amount Traded Per Year (Historical Figures) 1998 1999 2000 Australian dollar 206 365 387 Canadian dollar 594 647 623 Danish Kroner 28 37 40 Euro 4,667 5,981 Hong Kong dollar 89 321 450 Japanese yen 5,319 4,236 4,254 New Zealand dollar 10 6 3 Norwegian Kroner 48 127 103 Pound Sterling 2,512 2,242 2,391 Swiss franc 419 459 456 Table 2 Historical trades in currency swaps, 1998-1999 (Smith Walter, 2003) Interest rate swaps allow for firms to exchange interest rates on funds, often in exchange for future value of a payment stream. As noted by Smith and Walter, these instruments are advantageous because they allow for the transfer of potential immediate interest risk, as well as offering individuals access to funds at lower interest rates. In addition to an immediate swap, a pair of traders may engage in what is called a forward swap, in which payments at some time in the future are fixed rather than immediately exchanging hands (Smith Walter, 2003, p. 83). These derivatives are not commonly used in the financial world, but may take place for example in order to fix interest rates through the duration of a long-term building project or perform similar interest rate fixation. Credit derivatives Of particular current concern is the credit derivative, which protect the lender against loan default in much the same way as a loan guarantee. According to Smith and Walter (85), the major types of credit derivatives include total return swaps (in which the potential returns from a risky underlying loan instrument are exchanged for a lower, but less risky, guaranteed return); credit default swaps (in which an upfront fee is exchanged for coverage in the case of a default on the underlying loan instrument); and the credit linked note (in which the buyer makes a series of payments to the seller, which are returned if there are no credit difficulties during the lifetime of the loan) (Smith Walter, 2003, p. 86). Banks have commonly used these derivatives in the recent past in order to limit their exposure to consumer debt; however, as the recent subprime mortgage crisis in the United States has shown, reckless use of credit derivatives may not be appropriate. Many hedge funds (estimated by Douglas to be a tenth of the total market) specialize in credit derivatives, following a number of different strategies for engaging in credit derivatives trading and arbitrage. The authors noted that of the participants in the credit derivative markets, the majority of funds that specialized in credit derivatives worked in emerging debt markets and convertible arbitrage opportunities, rather than in less risk, but less rewarding, areas such as distressed debt and high yield debt (Douglas, 2007). The risks of credit derivative instruments will be explored more fully in Chapter 3, Data and Analysis. Derivative trading Derivatives are traded in one of two ways. Over the counter derivatives (OTC derivatives) are derivatives that are traded directly between private parties, rather than being traded through an exchange (Smith Walter, 2003). Some of the most commonly traded derivative structures that are traded over the counter include swaps (which are usually custom-packaged in order to meet the needs of both parties involved in the trade) and exotic options and other custom-packaged derivative products (Smith Walter, 2003). These instruments are best traded over the counter because of their custom nature; the OTC sale format allows for customization of the package in order to meet the needs of the purchaser in terms of portfolio balance and risk adjustment (Chorafas, 2008, p. 58). However, this flexibility comes with a cost in risk undertaking, as there is no open market value of the instrument in order to ensure that the buyer does not overpay (Chorafas, 2008, p. 59). Although precise figures on the trade of OTC derivative instruments are difficult to obtain due to the private and non-reported nature of the trades, evidence points to a very large market for these instruments. According to the Bank for International Settlements, the estimated international trade in OTC derivatives as of December 2007 was approximately 596,004 billion US dollars (Bank for International Settlements, 2007). The second form of derivative trading is exchange-traded derivative trading, in which derivatives are listed on exchange for buyers and sellers in much the same fashion as stock or bond markets (Chorafas, 2008). The potential for overpricing that exists in OTC derivatives is not present in exchange-traded derivatives, because the existence of the open market results in the establishment of a fair market value for the derivative (Chorafas, 2008, p. 60). However, many types of derivatives are traded in derivative exchanges; most commonly, interest rate swaps and commodity forwards and futures are available on derivative exchanges (Chorafas, 2008, p. 75). While customization of derivative packages is not possible, for some purposes the use of a traded derivative is entirely sufficient to meet the needs of the portfolio management problem, and should be considered as lower cost than creating a customized over the counter derivative sale. According to the Bank for International Settlements, the exchange trading activity in derivatives during the 2nd quarter of 2008 (March to June) totalled 600,465 billion US dollars, which represented a total trade volume of 2,397 million contracts in total (Bank for International Settlements, 2008). Portfolio management The main use of derivativ Louis Isadore Kahn | Architect Biography Louis Isadore Kahn | Architect Biography Louis Kahn was one of the most renowned personalities of the 20th century Architecture. The impact that he made with some of his works was so remarkable that he was rightly compared with Corbusier and Mies Van Der Rohe. Louis Kahns work made huge impact specifically on the younger generation who were more willing to try out the non-traditional way of designing buildings. Louis Kahn truly believed that all architects should thrive for unparalleled excellence which would help them make an ever-lasting impact on the society, as seen by the works of Greeks and Eygpt. Keeping this goal in mind, Louis Kahn devoted his entire career in seeking perfection and pursing excellence. Louis Kahns best works are located in India, US and Bangladesh and incidentally they were produced in last two decades of his career. His works represent precise integration and assembly of structure, a silent admiration for materials and lights, a dedication to classical geometry, and a great deal of concern for human values. Louis Kahn was considered a enigmatic thinker or more like a philosopher who wanted to bring out change in the field of Architecture. BACKGROUND Born in 1901 in Estonia, Russia, Louis Isadore Kahn is considered to be one of the most influential architects of the second half of the twentieth century throughout the world. Louis Kahn migrated to the U.S. along with his family in his early years (in 1905). After completing his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania in 1924, Louis Kahn started his career as a draughtsman and later worked as head designer in several other firms in Philadelphia. He also worked in the offices of Philadelphias leading architects, Paul Cret (1929-1930) and Zantzinger, Borie and Medary (1930-1932). In the latter half of 1930s Louis Kahn served as a private consultant to the Philadelphia and The United States Housing Authority. His knowledge in modern architecture expanded when Kahn worked with European emigres Alfred Kastner and Oskar Stonorov. In the early 1940s Louis Isadore Kahn associated with Stonorov and George Howe, with whom Louis Isadore Kahn designed several wartime housing projects. K ahn was not only an American architect, but was also an educator and philosopher. Until 1947, Kahn had worked with a series of partners, after which, Kahn set up his independent/private practice. It was during this year, that Kahn also began with his influential teaching career atÂÂ  Yale University as Chief Critic in Architectural Design and Professor of Architecture (1947-1957) and then at the University of Pennsylvania as Cret Professor of Architecture (1957-1974). SIGNIFICANT ELEMENTS OF DESIGN Kahn wanted to redefine the bases of architecture through a re-examination of structure, form, space, and light; since his earlier work abstained from the international style modernism. Earlier works of Kahn had a traditional international style of architecture. However somewhere in the middle of his career, Kahn turned his back on this traditional approach and pursued innovation by redefining the use of structure, light, form and space. Louis Kahn described his quest for meaningful form as a search for beginnings, a spiritual resource from which modern man could draw inspiration. It is widely believed that Louis Kahn, who was then a Resident Architect at the American Academy in Rome, was extremely impressed by the astonishing architectural feats of Greeks, Egyptians and the Romans and this triggered the change in his approach of designing the buildings. Other experts believe Kahn was also influenced by the part of Philadelphia where he grew up. There were many factory buildings with large windows. These brick structures were very solid. This industrial design is apparent in several of Kahns early works. The impact of this European experience can been seen in Louis Kahns latter works. The work undertaken by him in last two decades of his life demonstrated a sincere desire to create a sense of place, showcased the true side of structure, and demonstrated the successful application of Platonic geometry principles. Louis Kahn must be credited for re-introducing various concepts which most of the modern architects had deserted like centralized spaces, using extensive geometric principles and demonstrating solid mural strength. Kahns buildings are admired for outstanding use of geometric shapes and implementing platonic geometry principles which creates magnificent experience for the users. Louis Kahn is credited in re-defining modern architecture in more than one ways. For e.g. Kahn was known to appreciate the appearance and feel of different materials that he used in his work. Kahn is also known to have used brick and concrete extensively and his innovative usage of these materials demonstrated his talent to the world. Kahn realised the importance of sunlight and was highly impressed by its usage in Egyptians and Greek works. Hence Kahns works demonstrates wide-scale implementation of sunlight through different kinds of interesting windows and openings. Egyptian works also inspired Kahn to use extensive geometric shapes and hence we find many of his buildings taking shape of squares, circles or triangles. Louis Kahns vision on how an architect can make difference to his design can be seen from the masters own words. A building is like a human, an architect has the opportunity of creating life. The way the knuckles and joints come together make each hand interesting and beautiful. In a building these details should not be put in a mitten and hidden. Space is architectural when the evidence of how it is made is seen and comprehended. EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS WHERE ELEMENTS OF LOUIS KAHN DESIGN WERE IMPLEMENTED All these elements of design philosophy can be seen in all the works of Louis Kahn starting from his first mature work the addition to the Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, Connecticut, 1951-1953). This is considered to be Kahns first architectural masterpiece where one can see that much prominence has been give to the structural innovations demonstrated by hollow tetrahedral concrete ceiling and floor slab system, which was a mater-piece, a fantastic design of placing the mechanical and electrical systems. Kahns magnificent artistic sense can be seen from the design of the triangle-shaped staircase which sits in a rounded concrete shell, defining the servant space to be distinguished from the served spaces of the building. Richards Medical Research Building at the University of Pennsylvania (1957-1965) and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (LaJolla, California, 1959-1965) demonstrated magnificent use of spaces and is the primarily responsible for the origin of the phr ase served and servant spaces. Kahn applied his principles to create masterpieces, which made a great deal of sense to the usage of space and light. His buildings, like the Yale Art Gallery extension (1951-53) or the Trenton Boathouse in New Jersey (1954-59) or even the Richards Medical Towers in Philadelphia (1957-62), create astonishing effects with the change in light, all possible due to the intelligent use of space and light. As a result, the user gets an entirely different experience of working in the building during different times of a day. By constructing Salk Institute in La Jolla, California (1959-67), Kahn created another masterpiece which had extraordinarily inspiring sequence of buildings. Richards Medical Towers This building demonstrates many key elements of Louis Kahns architecture. All these elements have been used before by other architects but not all at the same time. Through this structure, Kahn demonstrates the application of servant and served spaces, overcomes the problem of in sufficient lighting and more importantly integrates form, material, and process. As stated by Romaldo Giurgola and Jaimini Mehta, Richards Medical Towers represents a significant turning point in contemporary architecture. Salk Institute in La Jolla This particular building emphasizes the principle, Keep it simple and strong. Through this building, Kahn has achieved astonishing use of space, may it be the space available for Laboratories where research is conducted, or may it be the office space where ideas arise. This institute shows a wonderful collaboration of mind and action. The buildings beautiful concrete surfaces ensure precise detailing and magnificent experience. The structure is created in such a way that it takes care of the need to enclose specific spaces and does not rely on a general envelope to cover such specific space. Paul Heyer, described the central court of the building in a very artistic way. The central court, as a typical Kahn-like space of shimmering blue water, a band pointing toward the ocean epitomizing what human endeavour can accomplish at one scale with geometric clarity and authoritative but modest deliberation, to give to the scale less sweep of the ocean, here the Pa cific, a poignant gesture. Louis Kahn was known for his ability to create epic architectural structures that showcased human scale. He predominantly used brick and bare concrete as his building materials and he used highly refined surfaces like travertine marble for reinforcing the textures. (http://www.answers.com/topic/louis-kahn) Beyond its functional role, Louis Isadore Kahn believed architecture must also evoke the feeling and symbolism of timeless human values. Louis I. Kahn attempted to explain the relationship between the rational and romantic dichotomy in his form-design thesis, a theory of composition articulated in 1959. In his personal philosophy, form is conceived as formless and unmeasurable, a spiritual power common to all mankind. It transcends individual thoughts, feelings, and conventions. (http://architect.architecture.sk/louis-isadore-kahn-architect/louis-isadore-kahn-architect.php) Integral to Kahns notion of timeless form in the making of significant architectural spaces is the role of natural light. Louis Isadore Kahn described structure as the giver of light. For several projects located in hot sunny climates, such as the U.S. Consulate in Luanda, Angola (1959-1962). the meeting houses of the Salk institute, the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmadabad, India, 1962-1974), and the National Capital at Dhaka, Louis Isadore Kahn developed visually dynamic sunscreens. Great walls with variously shaped openings shield inner rooms from the harsh light. The evocation of a wall in ruins suggests an ancient part Louis Isadore Kahn s handling of light is a central theme in two unrealized synagogue projects, Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 1961-1972) and Hurva (Jerusalem Israel, 1967-1974) as well as in one of his greatest works the Kimbell Art Museum (Fort Worth, Texas. 1966-1972). In the art museum, light enters through narrow slits in the concrete cycloid vaults and is diffused through the gallery interiors, which are rich with travertine and oak. Kimbell Art Museum This Louis Kahns masterpiece in Fort Worth is a beautiful demonstration of outmost perfection which can be compared only to the works done by the Greeks. Kahn used all the tools and available resources with such flawlessness, that it produced a building which had all the components working in a sychronized way and the system as a whole worked perfectly. It is difficult to find any building that does not utilize the materials properly and this one is no exception. INSPIRATION FOR OTHER ARCHITECTS Louis Kahns philosophy and extraordinary work has had influence on quite a number of contemporary architects. Tadao Ando, in his early twenties, took intiative and travelled throughout Japan, Europe, Africa and the United States for his architectural studies. He never took any formal training in the field of architecture. He would study architecture by observing the actual buildings and reading books of renowned architects such as Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Roher, Louis Kahn, etc. After he had gathered enough knowledge through his journey across different countries, he started his own practice. When asked about defining his style of architecture, Tadao had once said that, To me, walls are the most basic elements of architecture, and in all my works, light is an important factor. The Benetton Communications Research Center (Italy) and the Naoshima contemporary art museum, (Japan) showed that Tadoa Ando was truly inspired and has learned a lot from the works of Louis Kahn. Renzo Piano (born in 1937) completed his graduation in architecture in 1964 after which he worked in his family business. From 1965-1970, Renzo Piano worked in the offices of Louis Kahn (Philadelphia) and ZS. Makowski (London). Along with Renzo Piano, another famous architect who was greatly influenced by Louis Kahn was Richard Rogers. Renzo Piano met Richard Rogers at the Expo70 in Osaka and both immediately realized that they had common interests. One of the most famous projects of Renzo Piano Richard Roger is that of Georges Pompidou Centre in Paris. The building was designed in such a way, as if it were turned inside-out, with the services visible on the exteriors of the building making the inside of the building light and airy. Thus, this building can be said to be made on the similar basic concept which Kahn had applied years earlier in the Arts Centre where because of his theory of served and servant spaces, huge services ducts rose up through the building. Hence, it can be s afely concluded that Renzo Piano and Richard Roger were both influenced by Louis Kahn. Architect Norman Foster is another famous personality influenced by Louis Kahn. Foster happened to study masters in architecture in America at a time when Louis Kahn was designing the extension at the Yale University. Getting influenced by Kahns designs and philosophy, the two architects have also ended up designing the worlds most exciting buildings. For example, Norman Fosters Hongkong and Shanghai Bank project demonstrates Louis Kahns influence on Norman Foster. Another architect inspired by Kahn is James Stirling. Stirling was known for his experimental approach, which meant that he was not committed to one particular style. Also, this approach meant that Stirling was ready to try out new ideas and that definitely reflected Louis Kahns quality of designing. Stirlings earlier projects for Oxbridge stressed more importance to the concept than to the artistic and utilitarian needs. Due to this experimental approach and rigid adherence to concept, Stirling was often criticized for not following architectural principles.

Technologies of Seduction Essays -- Seduction Cinematic Body Film Essa

Technologies of Seduction â€Å"There can be no question of escaping the twisted logic of theoretical writing; there are only different ways of coming to terms with it.† (Shaviro 11) Blind Beast (Masumura Yasuzo 1969), Ghost in the Shell (Ohii Mamoru 1995), and Spirited Away (Miyazaki Hayao 2001) sustain the relation between the ‘body’ and ‘technology’: its terrific horror is its seduction. Captured bodies cut, cybernetic bodies hacked, and fattened bodies served. These three films all capture the viewer and take us to another place, and even in the seduction of representation understood as events (the theory-fiction of film analyses), such films can be understood as narratives, images, and sounds of losing the self in the moment, an abandon to seduction that constitutes a relation between technologies and bodies. The terrific is the pleasure of the seduction, and the horrific the unavoidable and, indeed, necessary trepidation felt in falling into the utterly convincing and charming seducer’s reality. Steven Shaviro’s theory of film fatale offers a thorough account of what sustains and characterizes the relationship Fri edrich Kittler describes between body and technology: â€Å"Wherever media were unable to connect, human interfaces filled the niche.† What is seduction? To answer this question would be to work productively, a principle of production that is very much oppositional to seduction. Seduction is something like persuasion or convincing, but does not work at a level of cognition. The cinematic image is at once intense and impalpable. On the one hand, film (even more than other visual forms, and in sharp contrast to the articulations of language) is inescapably literal. Images confront the viewer directly, with... ... the same level of suspicion as the productive and representational. The salvation, then, of this argument, a string of mediations that claim to produce an effect on discourse or understanding, is in its denied seductive ulterior. An allurement that occurs just where it is not spoken of, and for just the reasons that remain unsaid. Theory against itself is here a most cunning seduction. WORKS CITED Carpenter, Novella. â€Å"Avant-Prof. An Interview with Steven Shaviro.† Alt-X Press. Dec. 11, 2002. http://www.altx.com/int2/steven.shaviro.html Creed, Barbara. â€Å"Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: an Imaginary Abjection.† in Jancovich, ed., Horror, The Film Reader. New York: Routledge, 2002. Haraway, Donna. Simians, Cyborgs, and Women. London: Free Association, 1990. Shaviro, Steven. The Cinematic Body. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.

Innocent Segmentation

innocent segmentation 1 Segmentat the market for innocent’s smoothie products using relevant segmentation criteria. In order to describe the segmentation of the consumer market of innocent’s smoothie products i’m going to use three relevant segmentation criteria such as: behavioural, psychographic and profile. Talking about the behaviour of customers we can segmentate the market of innocent in this way: The smoothies are addressed to customers that want healthy food, and live in a healthy way, and they are sure to find in innocent a very high quality products.They could want also to improve their self-image because innocent has a strong reputation and for its high levels of price is not affordable for all. Customers’ perception of the innocent’s products is a high level quality perception and they appreciate innocent also because its ethical commitment in the environment and society trying to make better the world around the company. Psychographic: the customers that buy innocent’s smoothies are cash-rich, time poor, health conscious consumers, who have not time to eat enough fruit or to prepare healthy meals.They can be young workers, middle aged people, family that live in cities and are very busy with them works but are aware of their health and they want to consume the right amount of fruit and vegetable per day, and they want to leave in a healthy way. Demographic: the innocent’s smoothies are sold in certain supermarkets principally in UK and Ireland but also in other european markets such as Netherlands, France, Germany, Scandinavia and others.Customers of these products are well-to-do city’s inhabitants, their age is variable, they can be young workers, like so middle-aged people with families or not, both man and woman. Describe the current segment of innocent. The current segment of innocent is that its product are oriented in the european markets to people that are aware of their health and want to have a health life, that have money to spend on, that are environmental sensible people and that have not a lot of time to waste.Which segment, or segments, should innocent target next? In my opinion the next segment that innocent should target is the market of old people. I think this because there are a lot of old people that are aware of their helth, that have money to spend and that want to live in a healthy way but nowadays they are not attracted by innocent’s products because its products aren’t thought for them. Therefore i think that innocent should develop an array of products thought specifically for old people to serve this segment. 3 What are the strenght and weaknesses of innocent’s product/branding strategy? Innocent has built a very successful business in the smoothie market by offering quality, fresh products and by behaving in an openly ethical manner, this has created a brand that from the point of view of customers it means quality and hea lthy products, its ethical strategy is using fresh and pure fruits and not use any preservatives, stabilizers or concentrates in its drink.Therefore when customers buy Innocent brand they know that they are aquiring healthy products eco-friendly. So this is a strenghts of this approach and also the fact of being active in charity events and also the firm assures to the customers that 10% of its profits is destinated to charity activitie through the Innocent’s foundation. The company wants also to leave things a little better than it found them. So it has an ethical approach and aspires to be an ethical business.One weakness of this approach could be that by aspiring to be an ethical business, Innocence offers its products with a high price category and the message that is communicated is that if you want healthy products you have to pay more than other products and many costumers even if they wanted to buy innocent’s products they could not be able to afford this array of products. Another weaknesses of the innocent’s product’s strategy is that since it has decided not to use any preservatives, stabilizers or concentrates its products has a shorter shelf life in the supermarket in which they are sold.For this reason it requires an exceptionally slick system of distribution. Instead strenghts of branding strategies are events and activities organized by the company to increase and improve the brand’s awareness, such as â€Å"innocent village fete† , organized every year in Regent’s Park in London,and free tour aroun its headquarters,then it has also brand extension that is also a strenght of its strategy and it is the innocent foundations established to do charity activities in different countries and that received every year from innocent’s overall income the 10%.Another branding strategy’s strenght is the choice of lower-case letters for the brand’s writing that expresses the unconventiol w ay of the company to communicate with its audience customers.

Emergency Room Criteria, Vivid Description, Concrete Example

In order to evaluate the quality of emergency room care, it is essential to understand and define the standards that define high-quality care. My standards for high-quality Emergency Room care include the following: 1) it maintains life. 2) It provides rapid attention to injuries in order to prevent impairment. 3) It is professional and focused on providing maximized attention to the patients’ needs. 4) It includes rapid response to crisis. 5) It includes alleviating pain. 6) It includes having well-trained personnel.7) It also includes efficiency. 8) It provides rapid assessment. 9) It provides cleanliness. 10) Finally, It utilizes excellent equipment. The American College of Emergency Physicians has established the following standards for high-quality Emergency Room care. 1) Emergency departments must possess the staff and resources necessary to evaluate all individuals presenting to the emergency department (ED.) 2) Emergency departments must also be able to provide or arrange treatment necessary to attempt to stabilize emergency patients who are found to have an emergency medical condition. 3) Because of the unscheduled and episodic nature of health emergencies and acute illnesses, experienced and quality physician, nursing, and ancillary personnel must be available 24 hours a day to serve those needs. 4) Evaluation, management, and treatment of patients must be appropriate and expedient. 5) Resources should exist in the ED to accommodate each patient from the time of arrival through evaluation, decision-making, treatment, and disposition. 6) Excellent facility design 7) State-of-the-art equipment 8) Access to required medications. (www.acep.org) The first standard is that a high-quality Emergency Room provides rapid attention. When I brought my 17-year-old son, who has asthma, to the Sutter Medical Center Emergency Department, he had difficulty breathing, was wheezing, had severe sweating, and heart palpitations. Unfortunately, the triage nurse did not prioritize my child’s medical needs. He had to wait a full 30 minutes to receive medical attention at the waiting area. When a person has an asthma attack, they need oxygen to live. If they do not receive rapid medical attention, his breathing problems increase and can even lead to shock. When my son had another asthma attack, I took him to the Kaiser Permanente Emergency Room. There the triage nurse determined that my son was in crisis. Thus, she immediately sent him to a treatment room where he received rapid attention. As a result, his crisis ended quickly. In conclusion, Kaiser was far superior to Sutter with regard to rapid attention. The second standard is that a high-quality Emergency Room provides well-trained personnel 24 hours a day. At Sutter, the triage nurse who evaluated my son did not seen to be well-trained about the effect of asthma. The doctors and nurses who provided care to my son were well-trained and were able to end his attack. At Kaiser, 100% of the personnel were well- trained. The triage nurse correctly evaluated my son and prioritized his care. The physicians and nurses who treated him were able to quickly stop his attack. The personnel at Kaiser were all well- trained where as a key staff member at Sutter was not well-trained. The third standard is that high-quality Emergency Room provides a clean, well-organized and well- designed facility. At Sutter, the Emergency Room was small and not well-ventilated. Patients were crowded together; thus their screams and pain made others anxious and germs could be easily spread. The vinyl floor was scuffed and dull, the window had a view of a brick wall, and the walls were painted drab green. In contrast, the Kaiser Permanente Emergency Room has been recently renovated inside and out. It is an attractive room with new furniture. The waiting room is spacious, and people are not crowded together. It is very clean. In conclusion, the Kaiser Emergency Room is superior with regard to high-quality facilities. The fourth standard is that a high-quality Emergency Room provides state-of- the- art equipment. At Sutter, there was a mix of modern and old equipment. The nebulizer was extremely old; however, the oxygen equipment was modern. At Kaiser, 100% of the equipment was modern. The Kaiser equipment was much more powerful, and helped to end my son’s attack more rapidly. In conclusion, Kaiser‘s Emergency Room equipment was superior to Sutter’s Emergency Room equipment because it was much more modern. The fifth standard is that there is immediate access to required medications. At both Sutter and Kaiser, my son received the necessary medication. Consequently, Kaiser and Sutter were equal with regard to the standard of access to medication. In conclusion, overall, the Emergency services at Kaiser Permanente were far superior to those provided by Sutter Medical Center. If I could it over again, I would have chosen to go to Kaiser Permanente both times. I only hope that the word gets out about Sutter Medical Center so that other patients do not make the same mistake I did and receive poor quality Emergency Room Care.

010 Library Research Day Professor Ramos Blog

010 Library Research Day Research Library Research Notes Today we are meeting in the Crafton Library computer room. Librarian Krista Ivy will be teaching us how to research. In the Crafton Hills website go to the library link. Crafton Hills Library Databases You can search for books, ebooks, reference books, and articles. Use the  EBSCO Academic Search Complete  database under interdisciplinary section For the report, you are supposed to find five sources to help you understand your topic. Three of those must be academic. Check the Report prompt  for the full guidelines. Find your keywords to search effectively in the databases. Example topic: the rising costs of textbooks Keywords: textbooks, cost, price, course reserves Search the keywords you came up with for your topic. Limit the results to full texts and scholarly. Can also limit the results to current publication date, depending on your topic. Boolean Terms Use the Boolean search terms to help narrow your search results AND, OR, or NOT Read the abstract, summary, and/or introduction of the article you are considering to see if it is useful and relevant to what you are researching. Find one article and email it to yourself. Research One academic article. You need three for the assignment. One Credo Reference encyclopedia article. Homework Email yourself at least one article to read. Your homework is to find your sources and read them for next class. Report Proposal A proposal is a text that proposes a research assignment. It is a plan or suggestion for your report assignment. It is meant to help you start thinking and planning for your essay. Answer the questions below to let me know what it is you are going to be researching. This is a great place to ask a question if you have one. Make sure you are annotating your articles as you read so that you can easily find quotes and sections to include in your analysis paper. Questions to answers in your proposal: What is your topic? Why are you writing about this? Why does it interest you? What do you know about the topic already? What research have you found so far? What is your research question? Name(required) Email(required) Comment(required) Submit

The Objectives of Women in the International Community

The Objectives of Women in the International Community Introduction International relations continue to re-shape feminism by its increased articulation of the ideology through an enhanced global discourse that pursues the embodiment of human rights. The global community continues to take cognisance of the fact that justifying feminist action is a humanitarian cause that seeks nothing but the good for all humanity (NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security 2015, p. 1).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Objectives of Women in the International Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In recent times, there has been tremendous progress in recognising and addressing the lopsided impact of conflict on women and girls generally. Women’s leadership pursues the full and equal participation of both girls and women in an effort to establish a lasting global peace and security. Opportunities for women as Lene (2000, p. 78) notes will not be easy to achieve without the promotion and recognition of their human rights. The global community must be imperative to avert conflicts and build peace across the world to make the feminine objectives achievable. Achieving the objectives of women demands that the international community address the following: Women’s participation Often, the society tends systematically exclude women from meaningful participation. This scenario characteristically threatens the sustainability of engagements hence forcing women to push for greater representation and fairness. The international community has a duty to pull together all peace-making initiatives to include women to the process systematically (NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security 2015, p. 2). The need to increase the participation of women and the girl child in the civil society organisations must aim to strengthen women human rights. Increased participation of women must hasten women’s ability as decision makers both at national and loc al levels. The contribution of women is critical as it ensures that women’s rights and priorities are enshrined in the political processes to bring sustainable peace. National and regional integration Local, national, and regional gender balance can pave the way for increased participation of women in the mainstream society and institutionalise women’s leadership in decision-making processes. Women have what it takes to transform almost every sector of society, including health, education, leadership, and business (Mayoux 2010, p. 583). Integration of women in the mainstream activities in the society must aim to enhance gender perspective as pillars of institutional work in the development of these efforts. The international community has a duty to work as a united force to develop, implement, and evaluate the existing global gender strategies that seek embody women affairs.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Expanding public leadership to involve women Over the past thirty years, there has been a widespread revolution in the concept of governance and public administration generally (Riccucci 2010, p. 167). Public administration continues to be a challenge in most parts of the world hence how to improve it becomes a necessity for the harmonious continuity and transition in different societies. The society is fast moving past incremental changes and improving public leadership is part of the process in transforming the government into fundamentally useful entity. Governments of the world have a duty to give an era to women’s voices. Improving public leadership to conform to the ideals of women involves change that must come with acceptance from all stakeholders of the community. This change has to be in the right direction capable of answering to the aspirations of the women in general. Expanding public leadership to invo lve women is a transformation process, which in turn act as process of adjustment in structure, form, and character in the concept of community. Change as Alison (2004, p. 448) opines denote a break from the old unnecessary habits a conversion or a revolution of some sort. Improving public leadership styles constitute a fundamental consideration of program design and a tour into the preferred business processes that an organisation must nurture as part of its tradition (Capper Ginter 2002, p. 156). Organisations or governments have unique footprints of the trajectory of their administrative reforms to guarantee women’s agenda. The leadership reform movements in several parts of the world have footprints of great leaders that had a distinctly ideological zeal attached to them. The need to downsize and decentralise government led to the conceptualisation of more palatable leadership styles that were popular with the masses. In many cases the urge to improve public leadership, stemmed from economic crises that sought to meet the demands of the changing trends to help finance growing economies. The urge to expand public leadership to involve women covers many areas of government such as the need to improve service delivery and increase management output and accountability. Improving public leadership according to MacKenzie (2009, p. 212) relate directly to civil service reforms, performance matrix, use of information technology, strategic planning, contracting, and structural streamlining to accommodate broader managerial perspectives. Democratisation process The Truman Doctrine promulgated a noble policy that meant to support free people who were subdued by armed dynasties or external aggression. President Truman however, observed that the aid America was volunteering would be in handy, yet in the form of fiscal aid given that economic strength and organised political structures were the foundations of stability, which essentially was after all, what the newly independent nations yearned for. The word democracy emanates from two Greek terms ‘demos’ meaning the people while ‘Kratos’ refers to a form of Aristocracy denoting a leadership that is decided upon by the people (Bostdorff 2008, p. 156). In the American context, democracy refers to a people chosen government, a concept of governance that cannot subjugate its people. Democracy by any means is the preserve of an equal opportunity society where everyone has a say in the concept and nature of governance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Objectives of Women in the International Community specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a concept in public opinion making, democracy makes sovereignty worth its while. The logic of civic competence and the drive to have an impact in the concept of political life and shape the democratic process of a people delves essentially on the ability to grasp th e political tenets that defines a people. Elements such as the logic of civic participation as Vyas (2003, p. 444) notes are essential ideals of democracy that are instrumental in public opinion and decision-making. Clearly, high levels of self-expression, values, and political participation are essential for a healthy public opinion making today. Financing The international community need to direct equal access to women to reach out to direct funding to implement their decision-making. Clearly, the body has a task to provide multi-faceted financial support to women leagues through existing global funding bodies and civil society organisations working at national, regional, and global levels to ensure continued funding to the dedicated efforts for women in different parts of the world (Kiran 2012, p. 572). Gender proficiency is a fundamental across the communities in the world today and the international community should relent to allow a few individuals to make it an optional proce ss. Redefining the roles of the military to limit conflicts across the globe The military are usually the largest division of armed forces authorised to use excessive force in support and protection of the interests of state. Military role is primarily to defend the state and the citizens in prosecuting war external aggression by another state (Parashar 2011, p. 297). The military roles includes but not limited to promoting political agenda, participating in social activities, construction of infrastructures, public health programs, humanitarian and disaster relief operations. Within the wider global politics, militaries collaborate to promote regional stability, and for that matter global world peace. This paper looks at the importance of the military in a wider nationalistic and the broader global geopolitical aspect. Deterrence of external aggression Within the military, the deterrence theory became an issue that captured the imagination of several militaries during Cold War (Zuc kerman Greenberg 2004, p. 267). This was mainly due to the increasing concern by world militaries as the nuclear arms race ragged in.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The presence of an army helps in deterring external aggression and in the process this assist in maintaining regional and global security. As a military practice, the concept of deterrence has been instrumental as a convenience in instigating the other party to refrain from aggression that might result in a counter attack. All these aspects of deterrence seek to nurture Regional Corporation by solving conflicts through consensus. Humanitarian operations and effective disaster relief aid The use of the army for humanitarian and disaster relief operations is a long established military tradition in geopolitics. Within the geopolitics, a clear association exists between disaster outbreak and military relief. The civilian population often looks upon the military to come to their aid whenever disaster strikes or in the event of full-blown wars, and emergencies (Newell 2002, p. 50). Militaries of the world have rapid response teams that coordinate with regional authorities to deliver reli ef and aid to populations under threat of natural disasters or civil wars. Within geopolitics, these operations not only seek to secure regional power balance and world tranquillity, but also to give the military an abstract humanitarian outlook. Promotion of regional stability The logic of regional stability is clear within the geopolitics matrix. Militaries of the world believe that the first step in the promotion of regional stability is by pooling their resources together while enhancing corporation to reinforce the security structure of a region. Within the wider geopolitics, regional Military Corporation allows armies to scale economic boundaries to acquire military equipment necessary in securing regional stability. Military Corporation is therefore, instrumental in geopolitics because it multiplies the military might of a single country’s armed forces. NATO is a typical example of a military alliance that seeks to secure regional stability in the geopolitics of the No rth Atlantic region (Shepherd 2014, p. 345). Within this understanding, militaries find it easy to detect and disrupt terrorist operations and networks in all corners of the world. Discussion The military is a necessary aspect in striking a balance between geopolitics and regional governments within their realms. From the strenuous history of geopolitics, it is clear that the world can only exist in cohesion with itself when there is a robust military in force. Nations of the world are often suspicious with one another hence the need to keep external aggression in check. Militaries defend states and their citizens to avoid unnecessary subjugation by foreign force (Newell 2002, p. 53). In times of natural disasters and civil strife, the army provides humanitarian aid to civilians thus securing lives. National stability and regional stability constitute global peace hence militaries of the world collaborate to disrupt regional conflicts. Human rights movement The quest for human right s creates a mental picture that draws the audience’s assumed knowledge of human beings as horrific entities judging from acts of history that caused and continues to cause unprecedented human sufferings such as colonisation, slave trade, apartheid, torture, and abortion. Human rights as a concept thrived under several concepts before the reigns of King John Lackland of England. For some reason, Lackland violated the laws and customs that governed England and he was compelled to sign the Magna Carta (the Great Charter) in 1215 (Albertone 2009, p. 45). The Magna Carta was a binding document that sought to ensure the King followed the laws of the land while guaranteeing the rights and freedoms of his subjects against his wishes. These ancient developments were the offshoot of the chronicles of the human right movements in history. The then society’s religious mentality is perhaps among the most referenced mind-sets in the ancient international diplomatic ties in the conti nental Europe. In the years following the Second World War, the world turned its focus from the contest between democracy and totalitarianism to emerging threats such as the global balance of power. The power vacuum in the years following the post-war history greatly troubled the United States, especially in the oil opulent and war ravaged Middle East. In the 1960s, much of the Middle East was a deep preoccupation and this was mainly because its inclination to communistic thinking. The foundations of the Truman Doctrine were premised on the justification of the theory that Communism thrived on sheer determination to destabilise world economy. Conclusion Societal ethics as explored in the traditions of old parochial societies and embedded in the origins of the agreeable social relations and attitudes cherished by the society have brought humanity this far. The interplay between human rights and public policy making relationships usually express themselves in the patterns or forms of behaviour that the society considers to bring about ethical symbiosis between its key cogs. In the past, these prototypes were stipulated in the decorum of the customs of the day, and were idealised, analysed, and inferred upon the people by the moral thinking standards of the time. However, with increased democratisation of the society and enhanced acceptance of human rights, everyone has the right to influence public opinion and policymaking. References Albertone, M 2009, Rethinking the Atlantic world: Europe and America in the age of democratic revolutions, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, Hampshire. Alison, M 2004, ‘Women as Agents of Political Violence: Gendering Security’, Security Dialogue, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 447–463. Bostdorff, D 2008, Proclaiming the Truman Doctrine: The Cold War Call to Arms, A M UP, USA. Brooke, A Jacqui, T 2008, ‘Reflexivity in Practice: Power and Ethics in Feminist Research on International Relations’, International S tudies Review, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 693-707. Capper, S., Ginter, P 2002, Public health leadership Management cases and context, Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications. Kiran, G 2012, ‘Reclaiming the Voice of the ‘Third World Woman’, International Journal of Postcolonial Studies, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 569-590. Lene, H 2000, ‘The Little Mermaid’s Silent Security Dilemma and the Absence of Gender in the Copenhagen School’, Journal of International Studies, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 285-306. MacKenzie, M 2009, Empowerment boom or bust? Assessing womens post-conflict empowerment initiatives, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, vol. 22, no 2, pp. 199-215. Mayoux, L 2010, ‘Reaching and Empowering Women: Towards a Gender Justice Protocol for a Diversified, Inclusive, and Sustainable Financial Sector’, Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 581-600. Newell, C 2002, The framework of operational warfare, Routledge, Lo ndon. NGO Working Group on Women, Peace, and Security 2015, 2015 Civil Society Women, Peace and Security Roadmap. Web. Parashar, S 2011, ‘Gender, Jihad, and Jingoism: Women as Perpetrators, Planners, and Patrons of Militancy in Kashmir’, Studies in Conflict Terrorism, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 295-317. Riccucci, N 2010, Public administration traditions of inquiry and philosophies of knowledge, Georgetown University Press, Washington. Shepherd, L 2014, Gender Matters in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations, Routledge, London. Vyas, A 2003, ‘Empowering Women through Information and Knowledge’, Gender, Technology and Development, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 443-445. Zuckerman, E Greenberg, M 2004, ‘The Gender Dimensions of Post-Conflict Reconstruction: An Analytical Framework for Policymakers’, Gender and Development, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 4-34.

How Would You Answer This Crazy Interview Question

How Would You Answer This Crazy Interview Question Unless you’re new to the job search game, you’ve probably been asked questions like, â€Å"Where do you see yourself in five years?† or â€Å"What are your best qualities?† You give the answers you rehearsed in front of your mirror- complete with a pageant-winning smile, of course- and everyone moves on. First thing first, make sure to review these hardest interview questions. But if an interviewer really wants to see how you think on your feet, they might surprise you with a moral dilemma. No better way to meet the real you than to get a sense of your most basic priorities, right? A popular anecdote making the rounds, reportedly from a real job application, goes something like this:You’re driving down a dark road, during a wild storm. You drive past a bench, with three people huddled miserably on it, waiting for a bus in the raging weather:An older lady who looks like she’s in distress, and possibly needs medical help.An old friend of yours who once saved your life.The man (or woman) of your dreams. Seriously, love at first sight material.Your tiny car has room for just one passenger (non-negotiable). So†¦ which one do you invite into the car?  If you choose the woman in distress, you’re a hero; if you leave her behind, you could be seen as a first-class heel. Or do you choose your old friend? You owe him a major favor, and you have a personal interest in this guy’s well-being. But then there’s your potential spouse, your possible future.What to do, what to do? You need to offer a well-reasoned response, but you have to do it fast.The winning answer earned the candidate a job offer: I’d get out of the car, and give the keys to my friend. He could drive the sick lady to the hospital, and I’d wait for the bus with the person of my dreams.Clever! So what can this teach us about moral dilemmas in job interviews? Well, for starters, I have yet to see an interview that’s reall y a life-or-death situation, so be creative! They’re testing your ability to think fast and solve problems. The very shrewd answer accomplishes two things:It shows flexible thinking. The candidate can read a number of different outcomes and find a solution that satisfies just about everyone involved.It’s memorable. Your job interview shouldn’t necessarily be an extension of your standup routine, but a bit of humor and smart thinking can make you stand out in a pack of similar candidates.So when you’re preparing for your next interview, be ready for some unorthodox questions. Who knows, your answer could be the next one going viral as â€Å"The best job interview answer ever!†

Business accounting Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business accounting - Assignment Example Whole Foods Market, Inc.’s current ratio will not allow them to take more debt as compared to previous years. Although, Whole Foods Market, Inc. has made short-term investments but still there is no significant impact on the current ratio. The overall condition of current ratio reveals the fact that the current ratio which is not pretty stable and healthy as compared to the industry practice. Quick Ratio: Whole Foods Market, Inc. quick ratio is lower than the industry average. The reason behind this is the improper working capital management which makes the quick ratio more tentative in the last three years. The overall signal of Whole Foods Market, Inc. liquidity is not good and it sends a negative signal towards the debt holders and also on the debt market. Moreover, the liquidity crunch problem makes the performance of Whole Foods Market, Inc. slightly vulnerable. Debt to Equity: Dependency on debt financing is not a bad habit but it has consequences if you rely on more. Whole Foods Market, Inc. debt to equity ratio is lower in comparison with the previous year. The factors of business volume, Inc.rement in sales, fulfilment to pay the suppliers and acquisitions of fixed asset. Due to the expansion in business, Whole Foods Market, Inc. has plenty of financial obligations, most of which has been acquired through debt. In 2008, Whole Foods Market, Inc. reliance more on debt financing as compare to the previous years. Interest Coverage Ratio (TIE): This ratio suggests the fact that TIE ratio is higher in comparison with the industry because of company entertain its business with high proportion of debt financing. Although the company’s management runs business successfully and this is shown in the EBIT which suggest that the Company is keep improving in the EBIT year by year. In comparison with the ability of paying interest expense is fine in comparison with he industry

Qualitative Interviewing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Qualitative Interviewing - Essay Example The sample for the interview would be a neighbourhood man of 24 years, UK citizen, working in the US, who is an ardent Arsenal Football Club fan and enthusiast, a regular EPL follower for last 15 years, since childhood. The qualitative interview would be conducted in view of the Qualitative perceptions of the Sample about the various European Football leagues in comparison to the EPL or the one branded as the Barclays Premier league. The recommendations received along with feedback would be used as primary data for the research in view of the Qualitative Interviewing techniques and mechanisms. Qualitative interviews had been a part of education in various nations across the globe to have an idea about the perceptions and feelings of one who is interviewed to further do necessary assessments for records 1. The qualitative processes in research is dependent upon the knowledge of the interviewee along with the knowledge of the interviewer about the way the questions are framed to get the desired point of view necessary for the research purpose 1. Again, qualitative interview gives an idea about the intrinsic values of a user about a product and its benefits which are not qualitatively depicted but perceptions those can only be felt. Again, 2 qualitative interviews are a part of ethnography where the imaginations of one is interpreted based on sociological perspectives 2. For an example, the person interviewed here cannot quantify his enthusiasm for the game but can obviously express about what and how the league is qualitatively different from another similar league in perspective point of view. Interview however has its own structure in making that may be formal or semi formal, in accordance to the seriousness of the subject and such various other factors. The interview would be conducted in a semi structured manner where the social aspect of the

International Business Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Business - Assignment Example Wal-Mart is the leading entity in retail business globally. It commenced operations in mid-1950s in Arkansas. Later, the entity expanded on a national level then on a global level. The entity seeks to offer the lowest prices in the market. Consequently, the entity attracts enormous clientele. The attractive pricing offered by this entity has priced out the other competitors since the clientele seek to maximise their purchasing power. Wal-Mart’s enormous revenues and stringent cost management have allowed the entity to avail their merchandise at reduced prices. The entity has presence in most regions globally. Nonetheless, the entity has not taped into the Middle East market. The entry of Wal-Mart into this market will alter the dynamics of the retail sector. Wal-Mart’s entry into the UAE market will require proper strategizing. Such strategizing is imperative for a venture of this magnitude. Ill-advised ventures primarily culminate in failure and losses. It is crucial t o make decisions pertaining to ventures on credible information to avoid such a scenario. My knowledge on the dynamics of the UAE economy will assist me in advising Wal-Mart management appropriately. Additionally, the location of retail store will have a considerable implication on the revenues of the entity.rt. Consequently, I will provide the management of Wal-Mart with strategic locations that will enable the entity attract enormous clientele. The above details elaborate some of my roles in the matching and networking of Wal-Mart. Objective of joint venture or strategic alliance Joint ventures denote a business founded on an accord between various individuals. The accord elaborates the input of each party in the venture (Gutterman, 2002). The accord elaborates how long the agreement binds the parties. In this scenario, Wal-Mart will require information on the market and store. As a party in the joint venture, I will provide stores located strategically across UAE. A strategic all iance is cooperation that aims at accomplishing specific objectives. An example of a strategic alliance is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) where the parties involved aimed at securing their nations against military adversaries. In the above case, Wal-Mart aims to boost its revenues via expansion into new market. Similarly, I aim at boosting my income by renting my store to a client that will offer better returns (Frank, 2006). Scope of business This joint venture relates to the retail industry. The prospects of the industry are enormous. The UAE population has generally high income. Consequently, the citizenry have substantial income that they can expend. Conclusively, the market in this nation has immense potential that is unexploited. Additionally, UAE’s retail market lacks a dominant entity. As such, the market is distributed equally among the key players in the sector. This signifies that Wal-Mart can enter the market and attain dominance. Wal-Mart can domin ate retailing since it offers lower prices. Reduced pricing is an aspect of the firm that

Americal Labor Issues (as it relates to unionized labor) Essay

Americal Labor Issues (as it relates to unionized labor) - Essay Example It will also emphasize on the fact that this influence is often felt in a radical sense in many working environments. The paper will give the function of unions and how unions are lawfully the employee's only representatives, which represent both union and non-union members. The only method an employee has for manipulating important decisions such as strike votes, contract approval, or strategies of negotiation is to join the union. As a result employees have to join so that they can be represented in the negotiations of union regarding wages and working conditions (Tait 2005). It will portray how for a lot of American employees, union membership may be their only choice as union members have authority over non union members when it comes to working conditions as well as wages. In the analysis section of the paper in order to portray the authority union members have over non union members a few cases, of union's mishandlings of workplace affairs that have hurt non-union workers will be given .

Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Art History - Essay Example This particular link must affect the viewer. So, real art must have the capacity to unite people via communication. Art can also be the constant state of change and therefore, finding an exact meaning for the word â€Å"art† can be difficult. Art has a name; it has a shape, size, stroke, color and texture. And every piece of art is unique. In light of that piece of information, one can better grasp the concept of art and all of its beauty. Peter Paul Rubens was born in 1577 and was considered a seventeenth century baroque painter. His style of art emphasized movement, color and sensuality. This is clearly visible in all of his paintings but one painting in particular. Because Peter was well known for his counter-reformation altarpieces, landscapes and history paintings and mythological allegorical subjects, he was criticized. He was a classically educated humanist scholar art collector and diplomat who was knighted by both the king of Spain and the king of England. Peter did not just paint for any reason. Every painting has a certain frame, stroke, color and size which will lend to his reasoning behind the painting. His 1639 paining of he, his wife and son has a particular view and purpose. It is first and foremost an oil painting on wood. The dimensions are 80.25 high by 62.25 inches long. Rubens’ wife Helena became the model for ideal beauty or love. His paining switches the focus to Helena being the ideal mom of that time and away from him being the dominant half. The parrot symbolizes the Virgin Mary and in the background you can see Peter’s garden which he painted as a reminder of his courtship to his wife Helena. Rubens combines bold brushstrokes, luminous color and shimmering light of the Venetian school with the fervent vigor of Michelangelo’s. His use of color richness adds to the painting and highlights certain aspects that he feels to be important either by experience in travel or connections to people. His art is

Assignment 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Assignment 5 - Essay Example It is one of the causes for discrimination prevailing in the minds of individuals that lead them to make bias decisions for people belonging to different racial and ethnic background. Barrack Obama is symbolized because of the skin color. It has been evident in the history that Americans were perceived as corrupt and impure. As the commander in chief is a black American, due to this he has been symbolized with inferiority, the commander in chief can face great threats. In order to provide evidence to this perception Ridley in the video shows the past historical evidences in the ancient civilization and their perceptions and experiences with a particular race or caste (Griffin 132). In a similar manner, as one of the symbolic expressions of the nation towards the other nation can create a major difference due to which Barrack Obama can face severe threats on racial and ethnic grounds. Symbolic expression of religion is one the major cause of the discrimination at workplaces. Some of the employees at the workplace develop preference in the workplace because of their religious backgrounds. Religious icons at workplaces can create strains and discrimination among the other employees (especially minorities) on the bases of skin, racial and ethnic backgrounds. (Griffin 129). Al-Qaeda can be identified as a greatest example for religious symbolizing and oppression due to which most of the security and other organization have symbolized Muslims as terrorist. It has globally impacted Muslim individuals throughout the world. The symbolic expression of the Al-Qaeda has created an image of oppression in the mind of people for all Muslims in the world. In order to overcome the fragmentation in the retailing system, the firm should sell products either to the import agents or wholesalers. It shall allow the organization to enter in too fragmented retailing system in India with better

Art History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Art History - Essay Example This particular link must affect the viewer. So, real art must have the capacity to unite people via communication. Art can also be the constant state of change and therefore, finding an exact meaning for the word â€Å"art† can be difficult. Art has a name; it has a shape, size, stroke, color and texture. And every piece of art is unique. In light of that piece of information, one can better grasp the concept of art and all of its beauty. Peter Paul Rubens was born in 1577 and was considered a seventeenth century baroque painter. His style of art emphasized movement, color and sensuality. This is clearly visible in all of his paintings but one painting in particular. Because Peter was well known for his counter-reformation altarpieces, landscapes and history paintings and mythological allegorical subjects, he was criticized. He was a classically educated humanist scholar art collector and diplomat who was knighted by both the king of Spain and the king of England. Peter did not just paint for any reason. Every painting has a certain frame, stroke, color and size which will lend to his reasoning behind the painting. His 1639 paining of he, his wife and son has a particular view and purpose. It is first and foremost an oil painting on wood. The dimensions are 80.25 high by 62.25 inches long. Rubens’ wife Helena became the model for ideal beauty or love. His paining switches the focus to Helena being the ideal mom of that time and away from him being the dominant half. The parrot symbolizes the Virgin Mary and in the background you can see Peter’s garden which he painted as a reminder of his courtship to his wife Helena. Rubens combines bold brushstrokes, luminous color and shimmering light of the Venetian school with the fervent vigor of Michelangelo’s. His use of color richness adds to the painting and highlights certain aspects that he feels to be important either by experience in travel or connections to people. His art is

GNU Public License Essay Example for Free

GNU Public License Essay There are multiple operating systems out there available for a number of platforms, or systems, to run. The most popular of which, is Microsoft Windows. As we all know, Windows is not a free program and Microsoft is trying to instill a subscription fee to use Microsoft products. For years, the money hungry corporation has left many people searching for an alternative. In comes Linux. Linux is a UNIX based platform that uses the GNU General Public License. Linux is a very popular platform for a multitude of reasons, but above all else, it’s because it’s a free platform that has become what it is now due to GNU. The purpose of this paper is not, in fact, to speak about Linux, Windows, or any other operating system, but to talk about what the GNU public license is, and it’s role in information technology today. So what is the GNU public license? According to â€Å"GNU Operating System† (2007), â€Å"The GNU General Public License is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works.† (Preamble). What does this mean? Well, a copyright license for software, or any other type of works, are designed to take away the freedom of developers to share or change the software or work licensed. For example, Microsoft has a license agreement that prevents you from doing any modifications to any of their software, and stipulates any fees or distributions with that software. The exact opposite is true for the GNU General Public License as its intentions is to guarantee your freedom to modify and share any and all versions of a program or software covered by the GNU. This, in turn, ensures the software, or works, will remain free for all of its users. The GNU Public Licenses are designed to enable individuals the right to freely distribute copies of the free software, with provided source code, that you can modify and charge for if you like. If you modify it, add your own source coding to enhance or individualize the program, you have the right to charge for the software. You can also use parts, or all, of the coding from these software applications in new free programs. In order to protect your rights, the GNU prevents others from denying, or  forcing you to relinquish any rights you have to the software. Now, with that being said, if you wish to distribute copies of the software, modify it, or sell it, you will need to comply with certain responsibilities to respect the freedom of other potential users of this software. So, if you decide to distribute copies of a program you’ve been working on under the GNU, free or otherwise, you should pass on the same rights to others that you received yourself. This means you need to make the source code available for those just as it was made available for you. Developers using the GNU general public license protect your rights in two ways. This is done by asserting a copyright on the software, as well as offering you access to this license to legally give you permission to modify, copy or distribute it. On the same note, for the author or developers’ protection, the GPL states there is no warranty to cover any software obtained under the GNU. For the protection of the developers, or any authors, the GPL requires that any modified versions must be marked as changed, so that any potential problems will not be attributed mistakenly to any previous developers. Finally, software patents constantly threaten all programs. To ensure their protection, the GPL assures that all patents cannot be used to render any program as non-free. The GNU general public license is a remarkable agreement giving many developers the free reign to modify and personalize software that they did not originally develop. This allows businesses the right to customize programs to fit their needs, and not be liable for any wrongdoing by modifying the original software. I am a huge fan of the GNU, and highly recommend you look into the use of GNU software as well. References GNU Operating System. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html Stalling, W. (2012). Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principles (7th ed.). Retrieved from https://newclassroom3.phoenix.edu/Classroom/#/contextid/OSIRIS:44214502/context/co/view/activityDetails/activity/987e268c-c478-4f85-ab08-ea8d45bb90a3/expan