Services and facilities offered by third party logistics provider Research Paper

Services and facilities offered by third party logistics provider - Research Paper Example In order to provide a complete supply chain, answers have to be able to take care of the length and breadth of data from outbound, inbound and reverse the processes (Changsen, Z., 2005). RCS Logistics is one of the providers of transport logistics. It has vehicles that range from articulated Lorries to small vehicles. Each is well maintained. The company has fully trained drivers who operate to the highest standard and ensure that customers get the best possible service. RCS Logistics transport services are: contract distribution, reverse logistics, double deck trailers, tail lifts, on line order entry and POD retrieval, Ad- hoc transport. RGF Logistics Limited has a reputation on giving high quality transport service to companies in the United Kingdom. They can provide modern vehicles, fully trained and informed driver. This is the same case as RCS Company. Unlike RCS, RGF Logistics has additional advantages. It delivers the goods within the same day or next day or within 72 hours depending on the customers need. It also distributes throughout UK and Europe. In the provision of warehousing services, all the four companies provide this service. Amethyst group is recognized as a leading company in offering warehousing and distribution services. It offers a specialist service to automotives and machinery, consumer durables and also in clothing fashion sectors. Store it all is another company that offers warehousing services. It offers a complete storage solution as it deals with storage of food stuffs, archiving and palletized storage. It can also receive orders as data downloads, through website integration, telephone, Email, PDF, excel, and other plat forms, data feed formats and layouts. Other services are: pick and pack, dispatch, returns handling, reporting, laser printed paperwork, packaging and print procurement. RGF Logistics have warehoused distribution services, which can cater for the needs of the customer. It has, designed warehouse

Tea with the birds Essay Example for Free

Tea with the birds Essay The human being is a social creature with an essential need to socialize, but in our modern society many people feel that they are isolated and lonely in a world surrounded by people. The people of modern society are prejudice and judgmental towards the ‘unknown’ person, and we will rather observe and assume things about each other than getting to know one another. This is also the case for the main character and her neighbors in Joanne Harris novel ‘Tea with the birds’ from 2001. The narrator lives in a flat in Mortimer Street. The narrator describes Mortimer Street as being â€Å"busy without being comfortable; crowded without being friendly†.Mortimer street has a sense of coldness around it, and no-one really knows their neighbors even though they â€Å"live like birds in cages†. The coldness suits the narrator, because she enjoys the solitude, privacy and silence of her own flat. This has aroused her neighbors’ curiosity and suspicious towards her, because as she describes â€Å"I’m a completely different race from my neighbors†. Both the narrator and her neighbors consider her as an outsider, but this does not bother the narrator. Her neighbors consider her as being snobby cause of her reluctance to speak with them. Therefore her neighbors observe her and presume, she is a student nurse and she doesn’t bother to correct them. Mortimer Street is a reflection on the narrators own personality. She is very introverted and doesn’t have an interest in getting to know her neighbors. The narrator lives her lonely life, until the day when Mr. Juzo Tamaoki moves in the apartment opposite to hers. â€Å"Another foreigner said the Mortimer Street grapevine, with barely concealed disapproval†. This once again shows Mortimer Streets residents’ insecurity towards anyone different from them self. When the narrator and Mr. Tamaoki meet, his expression reminds her of a bird, she once saw in a zoo and still sees every morning, when she looks in the mirror. The bird resembles the narrator in the way that it has been bred in captivity, and the narrator has been kept in captivity in the two years she spent in a psychological hospital. The two years of solitude and silence and being hidden away from others has affected the narrator’s psychology, as she is now overwhelmed by the free and loud world and she has become introverted. The narrators` only wishes towards Mr. Tamaoki is that he will be quiet and leave her alone, and to her surprise he is the most silent neighbor, she ever had and he keeps to himself. Mr. Tamaoki begins to awaken her curiosity and interest, as she realizes that he is as much a foreigner in Mortimer Street as herself. He always nods and smiles, when he meets the narrator. This is the only kind of social contact, they have with each other. Mr. Tamaoki seems as the perfect neighbor, until he starts receiving a delivery of groceries at five-thirty in morning, which wakes the narrator because she suffers from insomnia. The narrator tries to complain to Mr. Tamaoki by pinning notes to his door, and she starts to resent Mr. Tamaoki for his lack of responds. The narrator’s irritation over Mr. Tamaoki lack of responds shows that she has an interest in social human contact. The narrator doesn’t want to admit her interest in social human contact, so she disguises her interest as irritation and resentment. The narrator starts observing Mr. Tamaoki and becomes like the neighbors’ without noticing it herself. Mr. Tamaoki is both a reflection of the narrator’s current person and the person, she wishes to become even though the narrator is ignorant of this fact. Mr. Tamaoki is a foreigner in a new country, where he does not speak the native language. This isolates him from the rest of Mortimer Streets residents. The narrator thinks that Mr. Tamaoki resembles herself ,because she believes that he has chosen to isolate himself from the other residents’ of Mortimer Street. This however is not the case. The narrator overhears Mr. Tamaoki practicing English phrases and this shows that Mr. Tamaoki has a desire to interact with people. This desire is shown again, when Mr. Tamaoki invites the narrator in for a cup of tea. This interaction translates to the title of the novel. The narrator has previously compared Mr. Tamaoki and herself to the bird from the zoo. Now the two birds are sitting in Mr. Tamaoki apartment drinking tea. Even though the narrator and Mr. Tamaoki sit in silence, she feels comfortable around another person. Mr. Tamaoki stands op after a while and get the narrator to look in the refrigerator. There she sees a colorful display of vegetable birds. She is amazed, and she notices how beautiful and detailed every bird is. The narrator`s anger towards the vegetable delivery disappears. When the narrator was unaware of the use of the vegetables’ ,they were an irritation to her but after she discovered the use of them, she sees the beauty in them. The narrator describes how people would perhaps wonder the birds briefly but they where most likely to ignore them altogether and therefore ever discover their beauty. These birds are a symbol of how the people of modern society observe and do not make an effort to discover the beauty and details of others. Mr. Tamaoki leaves Mortimer Street soon after the visit. Mortimer Street was Mr. Tamaokis nest. It was isolated and safe from the rest of world, but Mr. Tamaoki has left the nest by moving and is now facing the world. The narrator starts missing the sounds and movements coming from Mr. Tamaoki apartment after his departure. The coldness of Mortimer Street is no longer a comfort to her, and the narrator starts noticing her other neighbors. One day she finds the door to Mr. Tamaoki apartment open, and she goes inside where she finds a packet of Japanese green tea with her name on it. The narrator decides to invite her new neighbor in for a cup of tea. The departure of Mr. Tamaoki has made the narrator realize that people are not supposed to live like birds in cages. People should interact with each other like birds are meant to be flying among other birds and not be watched though the bars of a cage. The novel also ends with â€Å"†¦ In the semi-darkness of my room, with the fire casting stilted red shadows on the wall, the rising steam looked like a bird’s wings fluttering, ready to fly away.† The narrator is now ready to fly freely among other people.

Living At The Crossroads Book Review Religion Essay

Living At The Crossroads Book Review Religion Essay The book Living at the Crossroads, by Michael W. Goheen and Craig B. Bartholomew, provides insight into how to live a Christian life at a time in which the Christian worldview has been challenged by the tenets of what is called post-modernism. In this book, the term worldview is used to describe a belief system. That is, what an individual or group of individuals believes as to how and why the world functions, and what the goals of the worlds existence should be. In this way, the worldview of a social community is the way in which this group of people characteristically look outward upon the universe. Worldview is linked especially to the way people in a particular society, such as Christian society; see themselves in relation to God, humanity and the rest of the universe. Although there are different worldviews in our society today, the Christian worldview has come under increasing social pressure to change. This book provides Christians with a path towards understanding their role in society and to help us live faithfully as Christians at the crossroads. Despite our place at the crossroads, Goheen and Bartholomew also demonstrate that Christians need to be able to remember their roots in faith. The role of the Lord Jesus Christ is to reclaim the whole world as His kingdom. This means that our faith in salvation can result in the restoration of the whole of Gods good creation on earth, and His works in Heaven. Goheen and Bartholomew tell their readers that the Gospel as it is recorded in Scripture can been seen to be as broad as creation. Since the gospel is about Gods rule over all of creation, all nations, and all of human life, therefore the mission of Jesus followers is also as wide as creation itself. We as Christians have therefore been engaged as witnesses to the gospel in all of public life business, economics, scholarship, politics, family, criminal justice, art, media and every corner of human experience throughout the world. The challenge, however, is that there are forces working against this role for Christians in our society today. Post-modernism, according to Goheen and Bartholomew, is a term used often in our society today. It is linked to the idea that relative truth is the prevailing issue of the day. Post-modernism says that moral and religions truth do not exist in any objective sense, that individual persons are the product of their cultures, and that we must, as a global society, reject any overarching explanation of what constitutes truth and reality. This means that the Bible should no longer be used as a guide for living our lives as Christians because of the fact that there are other people and cultures which prove that God could mean something different than what we believe. Because of this threat, God has commanded His people to organize themselves into distinct visible communities. The purpose is for giving visibility to His great Kingdom, making known the Gospel of that kingdom, and of gathering all His elect subjects. Each one of these distinctive organized communities are faithful to God represents an integral part of the visible church, and all together constitutes the universal visible church. As a whole, we need to understand our mission. To achieve this goal, we also need to become aware of our own assumptions as Christians by reflecting on three parts of knowing the Bible, namely (1) giving summary expression to the grand story; (2) lifting out the fundamental beliefs of that story; (3) articulating and explicating those beliefs. This is what worldview reflection is concerned to do (Goheen and Bartholomew 26). By doing so, Goheen and Bartholomew state that this formula can be applied to their two narratives, the Biblical story and the Western story. This means that by looking at the story of humanity seen through the eyes of Christianity, and also seen through the eyes of Western culture, we can begin to understand what is happening at the crossroads. In understanding the differences between these two points of view, we can act to protect the Christian faith from a hostile worldview over the long term. Goheen and Bartholomew make three distinctions between the Christian and the Western worldviews. The first distinction is that the Christian worldview is at first religious, while the Western worldview is linked to what is called rational thought. The idea of rationalism is linked to systems theory, in that there is a focus on evolution and the ways in which human society has changed over time. The Renaissances secular humanism and the shift to a focus on science during the Enlightenment period acted to split apart the connection between the gospel and humanism. Over time, this led to a conversion of Western society from a faith in the church to a faith in reason, in that Western society believed that the world would be bettered through science and reason. The second distinction between the Christian and the Western worldviews is that the Christian worldview is first a story, not a system. A Christian worldview demonstrates that there is a deeper meaning that can be reached through faith. As Goheen and Bartholomew write, It certainly is true that Jesus death is for us, but this is too narrow a version of the truth.  In the biblical drama Jesus dies for the whole world, for every part of human life, for the whole nonhuman creation. The cross is an event whereby the course of cosmic history is settled (56).  This means that instead of focusing on the structure of society and the possibility of whether or not there is a God, like the Western worldview, the Christian worldview allows the faithful to discover meaning in life through the narrative of the Bible and its teachings. The third distinction between the Christian and the Western worldviews is that the Christian worldview is first embodied, and then articulated, according to Goheen and Bartholomew. What this means is that we, as Christians, must first live a life of God before moving towards ministry. On an individual level in our walk with Christ, there really is only one goal: to be Christ-like. Ministry is only born out of our love for Christ and our desire to be transformed into His image. If there were no love for Christ, we would have nothing to give and would not have the staying power to finish the race. God is the Creator and Maker of all things and he so desires to manifest Himself and demonstrate how much he really loves us. As well, He is revealing Himself in new, fresh and exciting ways in these days we live in where we are presented with the challenges of living at the crossroads. It is only after understanding these ideas, however, that we as Christians can come together to articulate the work of God as a community. Overall, this means that, as Goheen and Bartholomew note, the very core of human life is religious. This means that not only is we as human beings dependent on and related to God, but that our lives should incorporate a constant response to God and His will for humanity. It is not difficult to figure out how to accomplish this task. Goheen and Bartholomew write that the Gospel is the message of the kingdomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The good news that Jesus announces and enacts, and that the church is commissioned to embody and make known, is the Gospel of the kingdom. We make a grave mistake if we ignore this, the central image of Jesus proclamation and ministry (2). Through the Gospel, we can work our way towards salvation, which is the way that God will be able to reclaim His creation, namely the community of Christian faithful. In this way, Goheen and Bartholomew demonstrate that those who do not serve God are in fact idolatrous. Western culture, with its focus on consumerism and post-structuralism, suffers from idolatry because of the fact that these people serve a leader other than God. Over the last fifty years, the development of consumerism via new methods of advertising, media, and cultural shifts has had an increasing impact on our society, and especially on those most vulnerable to influence, children. We are bombarded with images throughout the day, from television and Internet advertising to billboards and radio spots. We are encouraged to association consumption with cultural events and holidays that were formerly Christian holy days of prayer and contemplation. This intersection of consumer media in our lives has changed the ways in which we see the world, but it has also had a definitive impact on our personal habits and our spiritual health, which is why it is important to show the difference between the Western culture focus on consumer goods and the Christian focus on Gods law. These changes in our global society have led to a shift towards an unhealthy move away from the message of God. This means that we, as Christians, cannot allow those living under the Western culture have the final say on the agenda and interests of Christians today. Because of the fact that we are called to be faithful to God, we need to focus on Gods word rather than that of those who live outside of the Christian faith. At the same time, Goheen and Bartholomew write that faithfulness to the Gospel can be very costly and that suffering can come to be the result of a missionary encounter with the idolatrous powers of society as whole. The move towards what is known as secular and rationalistic humanism in Europe and other northern regions of the world has only led to the dilution and destruction of Christianity. For this reason, the only way to ensure that Christianity is maintained is through faithfulness to the Gospel. One of the most significant things that is pointed out by Goheen and Bartholomew is that the shift towards post-modernism and idolatry within traditionally Christian communities in Europe and other northern regions of the world has allowed for the rise of Islam. Part of the reason for this shift is due to the fact that Islam offers people a deep sense of community where religion and way of life are connected. Law is fundamentally important to the Muslim people and their community governance because it is treated as a way of being, rather than a legal or religious structure that is separate from other aspects of life and the Quran is its defining symbol of identity. As such, evaluation of and adherence to Islamic law has shaped the political, economic and social standards of Islamic Empires throughout history. The scope of Islam has changed because of the necessity of protecting its followers right to practice the religion, and therefore the concept of uniting and increasing Muslim te rritory through Jihad, which is mentioned as the only acceptable form of warfare. In doing so, the Islamic world forced the home of Christianity to Rome, thus essentially Europeanizing the Christian faith. This was a massive social shift, and signalled a new face of power within Europe and Asia. At the present day, this shift is beginning to be felt on a larger scale. In order for Islamic communities to thrive and get along, they follow common rules by which they have agreed to operate, based on religious tradition alone. As noted by Goheen and Bartholomew, the Islamic political and legal system is seen as inseparable from other aspects of life, and it gives a world-view, a vision, and a set of values, and leaves enough room to work out details for different situations under the guidance of its religious leaders. The challenge is that Islam is becoming stronger because it has developed a culturalist reaction against Western cultural values. The Muslim viewpoint of the West is that it is against its own collectivist worldview, because in Western culture, individuals care nothing for those around them, and seek only for self-gratification. At the same time, Western culture is also perceived to be imposing its worldview on other societies, such as Islamic countries. The West is , in this way, linked to the idea of protecting the survival of the fittest, while Islam is linked to the idea of protecting the interests of its internal religious community. For these reasons, Goheen and Bartholomew note that there needs to be a Christian empathy for the way in which Islam is responding to the individualist approach of Western communities. Islamic regions of the world are turning to fundamentalist practices as a way in which to balance out economic and social challenges between themselves and Western culture, and in this way restore order and justice to their communities. The fundamental challenge in the conflict between Muslim and Western thought is therefore not so much who people are and what they believe in, but what they are perceived to be and what they represent for each other on a cultural basis. In this way, Goheen and Bartholomew suggest that Christians need to be aware of these social dynamics on a global basis, and find our own way of challenging the force of secularism which is damaging our culture. In this way, the resurgence of Islam becomes a prophetic challenge to Christians to recover the full dimensions of their faith (Goheen and Bartholomew 124). In the end, we, as Christians, need to follow the recommendations of Goheen and Bartholomew in order to develop a comprehensive approach to cultural engagement. First, we need to be able to recognize that because Jesus Christ is Creator and Redeemer of all things, our collective Christian approach to salvation can be both restorative and comprehensive. In moving toward a kingdom of God, the Church is called to witness to this comprehensive salvation. The Gospel is, in this way, the only means of transforming human life for the better. If we do not work towards these goals in this way, Goheen and Bartholomew warn Christians that we will become a minority community in the world. Although, in remaining faithful, we may experience some degree of conflict and suffering as a community, we must understand that this will allow for restoration though Gods love. Our mission is linked to that of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Goheen and Bartholomew demonstrate that in order to complete this mission, we also need to make its goals clear to our young people who want to profess their faith through education. We must also incorporate our faith into every act or work that we do, through our professions. This may be challenging because of the fact that, in the Western culture in which we live, the word of God may call forth opposition, conflict, and rejection. At the same time, this approach will ensure that God and his faithful will be able to work towards on the final day when the Lord returns in glory to help us all realize our eternal life with Him.

The Decision That Changed Me Essay -- Personal Narratives Education Es

The Decision That Changed Me The decisions we make throughout life can have an impact on our future, directly or indirectly. When things do not always go your way, you can learn from these experiences and grow as a person. It will not be easy, but eventually with time things will improve. All the hard times really make a person cherish all the good times. Saying this, I wanted to do something a little more personal for my final paper. The environment has a certain pull on everyone's' lives whether they realize it or not. This paper expresses how the environment of Illinois College has changed my life. I am also including a poem that I composed recently after events that have occurred in my life. I am hoping that my readers will relate to and understand where I am coming from. I am especially directing to this to my peers, as well as the future generations at Illinois College. Someday As I lay here at night, thoughts swirling through my head. Is this the beginning, or the inevitable end? Clouded mind, what to do? I close my eyes and all I see is you. Thoughts racing, heart aching Dreams fading, tears trailing. Maybe someday you will see what I see, feel what I feel. Maybe you too will dream the same dream. Until that time comes I will stand tall waiting, hoping, dreaming. I will go on. College. That one word alone sent shivers down my spine senior year of high school. The fear was almost overwhelming that summer as I prepared to leave the comfort of my home, and go off to college. I had a clear picture of what I thought college would be like. The giant campus would consume me with tall, brick buildings and rude people scurrying like rodents along the endless gray sidewalks. How wo... ... Although this is my senior year, it is not the end for me. I have one more semester before student teaching. Looking back on freshman year until the present, I have so many memories of friends I have made, people I have met, classes, and all the ups and downs that come along with college life. As I sit here at my computer, I ask myself, â€Å"If I could change anything about my life, would I?† To answer this question, I will end with this: No class in the world could teach me the lessons that I have learned this far in college. Professors do not teach, How To Recover From a Broken Heart 101 or How To Drive Your Roommate Crazy. These things are learned through experience and learning from your mistakes. I truly would not change a thing because only the bad experiences make you stronger, and all the good things allow you to look forward to what is yet to come.

Can You Imagine a World Without a Superpower?

Coined by Dutch-American geo-strategist Nicholas Spykman in 1943, the political term ‘superpower’ is used to refer to a country with the ability to influence events or project power on a global scale. ’ It is difficult, if not impossible to envisage a world without a superpower. There are a number of reasons to support this assumption. We begin with the first and most blaring- It is simply difficult to imagine a world without a superpower because history itself has shown that there has yet to come a time when one or more powers do not rise above its counterparts in terms of economic and/or political factors to the extent that they are able to impact various issues on a global level. From the ancient civilizations such as the Persian, Roman, Mongol, Portuguese and Spanish empires to the Russia during the Cold War and the USSR today, we have yet to observe a period of time when the world has observed an equitable balance of power. It can be argued that just because it has not happened yet, does not mean it will not happen one day. This is a firm basis for a counter-argument, however, it must be understood that in the foreseeable future, with more and more powers working towards this ‘superpower’ status (examples include China, Brazil, India and Russia), a world without superpowers is merely a sanguine, idealistic idea. Another issue that would make a world without a superpower a seemingly utopian concept is the difficulty of administrating such a world. Indeed, if no policing power (such as the USA) had the ability to influence global issues, the world would lack a clear sense of direction. Indeed, major decisions would probably be taken by a representative, multilateral body such as the UN (without a system of permanent seats). In such a scenario, it would be quite difficult to please all the parties involved and a conflict of interest would be inevitable. In a setup such as today, whereby the United States largely acts as the dominant political enigma, at least decisions are made and issues addressed. For example, in 1991, when the USSR was finally removed from its position as the dominant power of Eastern Europe, its surrounding sphere of influence fell into a spiral of economic and political despair. One can only imagine the repercussions if this happened on global level. According to Professor Niall Ferguson at New York University’s Stern School of Business ‘power, like nature, abhors a vacuum. In the history of world politics, it seems, someone is always the hegemon, or bidding to become it. ’ This idea proposed by professor Ferguson, is based on the theory that inherently, every country would like power. It is this elusive pull of power and all that it brings with it that would make a world without a superpower merely a product of idealism.

Psycholgy exhibited in the film John Q Essay

When asked to find something in the media that directly relates to subject matter that had been discussed in our psychology class there were a couple of topics that came to mind. However, one stands out to me in particular, and that is a movie that I have seen recently called John Q. In this film Denzel Washington plays the role of John Q. Archibald, a man who will go to any lengths to keep his one and only son, Michael, from dying. During the movie, John and his wife, Denise, learn that Michael has an enlarged heart and needs an emergency transplant operation. On top of that, John has recently been reduced from full-time to part-time work. He can’t afford the operation and his health insurance won’t cover it, so he vows to do whatever it will take to keep his son alive. This obviously becomes an extremely difficult moral decision that Archibald must make. In the psychology textbook, there is very similar example to what occurred in the movie John Q, this example was used by a psychologist by the name of Kohlberg to conduct a moral reasoning experiment. The situation in the text tells of a woman that is near death with a special type of cancer, and there is only one, recently developed drug that could possibly save her. However, the druggist was apparently charging 10 times what it cost to make the drug, which is 2000 dollars. The woman’s husband tried to get all the money he could however came up short, and the druggist refused to cut him a deal, and therefore, leaving the man two choices, to either let his wife die, or steal the medicine. And like any good husband the man broke into the store and stole the drug for his wife. This above situation when described in class made me immediately think of the movie John Q, and is the reason this paper is being written. In the film however, the victim was a child who has barely experienced life yet, and measures for his survival were much more desperate. Instead of a just a simple pill or treatment this boy needed a new heart, and a matching heart with that, and without the proper insurance the transplant was near impossible. So, John took the matter into his own hands. He felt that his only option is to take the emergency room hostage until the doctors agree to give his son the operation that he desperately needs and find him a compatible heart. After locking himself, his son and a handful of doctors  into an operating room, the operation gets underway; however, a compatible heart still is yet to be found. Much of the time in this film is spent on the search for a compatible heart, and also John’s communication with the media and police outside the hosp ital like it is some sort of negotiation, when in reality what he wants is just a good life for his son. Nearing the end of the movie, a heart still cannot be found. So John is on the verge of killing himself so that his son can live. So he puts a single bullet into his gun and puts the gun slowly toward his head. At this point in the movie, it is revealed that the whole time John was holding up the hospital with an unloaded pistol. However, just in the nick of time, a donor is found and John’s wife runs hysterically toward the hospital to assure that both her husband and son make it out of that building alive. Eventually the heart reaches the hospital and the young boy survives. John is sentenced to something like 2 to 3 years in prison for holding the emergency room hostage. The movie John Q presents to the viewer in a very clear fashion what is known as an ethical vignette, which was introduced in the 80s by Kohlberg. As our class talked about rather extensively and the textbook touches on Kohlberg, was a famous psychologist in the early 80’s. His studies were primarily focused on moral reasoning, or the thinking that occurs as we consider right and wrong. Kohlberg also presents the idea of vignettes, or a perplexing moral situation where something morally wrong must be done in order to do what a particular individual sees as right or mandatory. Apparently in his research Kohlberg conducted an experiment where he asked people of various age groups to determine the morality of a situation, as well as what they would do if they were in this persons place. And from the responses that these people gave, Kohlberg could tell how well developed these people were intellectually. Kohlberg describes 3 stages of moral development in the text. They are preconventional morality, conventional morality, and postconventional morality. Each of these stages are usually achieved by certain ages however, some people may never fully develop into postconventional morality. In conclusion, I believe in John Q, what John did was totally in his and his families’ best interest, and is a perfect example of an ethical vignette. I  also believe that John thought on a very postconventional scale. He knew what he was doing was morally wrong and against his ideals, however, since the insurance companies are such bloodsuckers, he was left with no choice. However, he was looking out for the best interests of his family and himself and simply refused to let his son die. I think very few people are throw into a situation as drastic as this as quickly as John Q was in the movie, however, it just goes to show that there is no price for a human life and that hospitals simply shouldn’t deny care to those that aren’t rich. I feel that what John did in this movie was perfectly acceptable, and it played out very well in Hollywood however, in reality I think he would have been unable to single-handedly take a hold a whole emergency room hostage. But, i t still remains a very clear example of an ethical vignette. And is a perfect portal of the saying â€Å"desperate times call for desperate measures.†

Olivers life Essays

Olivers life Essays Olivers life Essay Olivers life Essay After nine years with Mrs Mann, Oliver is moved to the workhouse to undergo even more pain and suffering where the boys are so hungry that one boy says he is scared that he will eat the boy that sleeps next to him. Eventually the starving boys decide that one of them will ask for more at the next meal and they come up with a way of deciding it and, as it turns out, Oliver gets the short straw and ends up saying Please sir, I want some more. Mr Bumble almost cant believe what Oliver has said and his face turns pale and he stumbles and clings for support. This is one of the most important parts of Olivers life because it changes the path of his life completely. Straight away he is marched down to the market by Mr Bumble offering Oliver together with five pounds. Eventually they come across Mr Gamfield, a vicious chimney-sweep who offers to take Oliver on as an apprentice for 5 pounds which is later lowered to 3. Mr. Bumble, Mr. Gamfield, and Oliver appear before a magistrate to sign the documents for Oliver to be taken. At the last minute, when he was looking for his inkbottle to sign the document, the magistrate notices Olivers pale face. He asks the boy why he looks so petrified. Oliver tells the magistrate that he would rather be beaten or killed rather than being an apprentice to Mr. Gamfield. The magistrate refuses to allow Oliver to be an apprentice. This is also a big turning point in Olivers life as a hint of fate comes in that if the ink bottle had been in the right place he would have been a chimney-sweep but he is put back for sale again and a kind undertaker called Mr Sowerberry takes him on trial for one week. His wife, Mrs Sowerberry, is not a very nice person and as soon as Oliver enters the shop she remarks that he is very small, only for Mr Bumble to assure her that he will grow but she isnt happy and says I dare say he will on our bittles and our drink and complaining that the workhouse boys always cost more than they are worth. Mr Sowerberry points out that Oliver is a good-looking boy and would make a good mute in proportion. This is the only time we get told about Olivers facial features this links back to the beginning of the book where Oliver is branded and described as it.  Noah Claypole works under the Sowerberrys he is slightly higher in the hierarchy of the lower class yet he still has a go at Oliver just because he has some little form of power. He keeps saying to Oliver Hows your mother, Workhouse Oliver tries to be nonchalant about this and gets on with his job even though it is bothering him. Eventually Noah gets on his nerves so much by saying your mother, she was a nice one, a regular right down bad one. Its a good thing she died when she did otherwise shed be in prison doing hard labour even though Noah doesnt have a clue who Olivers mum is. Eventually Oliver lashes out at him and jumps on him and starts punching him. Noah is a coward because he starts screaming to get people in the room and when two people have Oliver pinned Noah takes two cowardly cheap shots from behind. Then Noah runs to get Mr Bumble from the Workhouse and they lock Oliver in the cellar until they can decide what to do with him. In the cellar Oliver escapes and decides to walk to London and there he finds Jack Dawkins, more commonly known as The Artful Dodger. Oliver tells him that he has come to London to make his fortune. At this The Dodger says I suppose youll want some place to sleep tonight and this takes Olivers fancy since he has no lodgings and no money and so he agrees. The Dodger says as it happens I know a rather kind and respectable gentleman wholl give you lodgings for nothing. Oliver follows him to Fagins hideout where the children are sat around playing cards, smoking and drinking gin. Fagin is a good man that bad things have happened to and Oliver is very grateful because he would have probably died of starvation if Fagin had refused to take him in. Fagin then tells Oliver to make The Artful Dodger his role model because hes going to be a right little Bill Sykes. During Olivers first night he wakes up and sees Fagin looking at all his stolen treasure. Fagin then gets really concious that Oliver will tell the authorities and so he threatens him with a knife to the throat. The next day Oliver wants to go on his first job with The Dodger, so Fagin thinks it over and agrees. During the job The Dodger steals an elderly mans wallet who we later know as Mr Brownlow and he mistakes Oliver for The Dodger as Oliver wasnt ready to run away. Mr Brownlow gets the police to chase after him and eventually the police catch him and take him to the magistrates, or the beaks as The Dodger refers to them. Then Fagin starts yelling at The Dodger saying, why didnt you look after him, why didnt you bring him back This shows that Fagin is very worried because Oliver could tell the police everything about Fagin and his associates so Fagin and Bill Sykes decide to send Nancy to the court hearing. In the hearing the magistrate is drinking behind his desk and doesnt care what anybody says which mirrors the surgeon and the drunk nurse at the begging of the novel. Eventually the shop owner from outside where the robbery took place comes in and says it wasnt Oliver but another boy all the charges are dropped. Mr Brownlow decides to adopt Oliver and all the parts of Olivers life are falling right into place. It then gets even better when Mr Brownlow comes across a necklace that he gave to his niece for her 18th birthday one that was taken off her by a drunk nurse at her death when she gave birth to young Oliver. Fagin is still not convinced that Oliver wont tell the police of his wearabouts so they decide to kidnapp Oliver, which completley rips his troubled life apart, just as it was beginning to come-together.  Unlike other characters throughout the book Nancy is not entirely good. She has battles between her inner conscience and her devotion to  Bill Sykes. Nancy cares for Oliver so overwhelmingly she tries to take Oliver back to Mr Brownlow and it results in her death. Eventually Bill Sykes is killed trying to escape after everybody comes to try to save Oliver.  This book changed peoples opinion towards the poor and the rich people loved reading it and couldnt wait for the next issue to come out every month.

Investing in the UAE

Investing in the UAE Introduction The United Arab Emirates has caused a stir in the Middle Eastern region due to increased attention from foreign investors based on its investment potential. It is critical to look at the reasons behind this tendency through theoretical lenses as well as specific case studies.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Investing in the UAE specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Economic environment for FDI in UAE Growth and direction of FDI in the UAE Several recent reports show that FDI in the UAE is a force worth reckoning. One such report was the Kearney FDI confidence interval that was released this year i.e. 2010. It placed the UAE as the eleventh best country to invest in the world. In the North African and Middle Eastern region, this country was ranked as the most preferred destination. Additionally, it was asserted that approximately 21 billion US dollars worth of Foreign Direct Investment entered this Gulf regio n (Razin Sadka, 2007). This country is a stable hub for investment although it has a few flaws here that can be corrected given the right time. Theoretical implications and government policy towards FDI in UAE The government of the UAE is firmly committed to the development of infrastructure because it is aware that the backbone to investment. Consequently, continual infrastructure growth has promoted a higher number of FDI. Furthermore, because the UAE is seen as a hub in the Middle Eastern and North African region, many investors can start with the UAE so as to gain access to other regional markets through this country. Furthermore, the geographical location of the country is what has attracted most investors there. It is considered as a gateway not just to the region but to other international markets (Dubai Chamber, 2009). Consequently, a business person from a developing nation will first start with Dubai in order to gain entry to other traditional world markets such as New Yo rk or London. In order to do well in any foreign market, one must be assured of finding the right business partners through the efforts of local entrepreneurs. It is therefore imperative for countries seeking foreign investment to develop the skills and capabilities of their local workers because these individuals will cooperate with foreign businessmen to make their ventures work (Dunning, 2002). Many analysts and businesspersons assert that there are capable and well qualified individuals in the UAE who can make solid business partners with these respective investors.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Government policy is such that it aims at encouraging as much foreign investment as possible. However, in order to avoid cases of exploitation, this country has created a policy where local agents must be involved (Abu Dhabi Chamber of commerce and industry, 2010). T his means that any foreign investor must be willing to comply with their ownership laws. All business activities initiated by foreigners must be such that not less than fifty one percent of ownership is ascribed to a UAE national. Only those expatriates who come from partner zones are allowed full ownership of businesses in the UAE. Furthermore, foreign companies that choose to open companies there must do so with the assistance of a local representative who will then act as a service agent. Even those individuals who are interested in selling their services and goods to the UAE must do so through a commercial agent who is located in the UAE who works hand in hand with the foreigner. Many economic specialists have argued that this is a major challenge because certain areas of the economy would benefit tremendously if this law of UAE part ownership was abolished such that one hundred percent foreign ownership was plausible. Whey developing and developed countries have increased to th e UAE A high number of developing and developed nations are looking towards the UAE because of a number of reasons. Some of them enter because they are interested in pursing new and promising foreign markets (Alasaad, 2010). The global economic downturn has not done much to improve conditions for businessmen in traditional world markets, consequently, investors have been looking for a place that was not as directly affected by this downturn as the traditional markets in western nations and the UAE has been one such area. Additionally, in order for people to start any investment then there should be ample business opportunities in target markets. The UAE is rich in these business opportunities and has therefore witnessed the rise in the number of foreign investors visiting such a destination. Many people from developing nations with low level skills will approach the UAE in order to provide their labour. Even professionals from developed nations will do the same because they are awar e of the opportunities present there.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Investing in the UAE specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lastly this nation has attracted so much FDI because of the provision of investment of information by the concerned ministries as well as the prevalence of capable administrators in these areas. Furthermore, it has been marketed as investor friendly. FDI participants are often entitled to tax based incentives that make it quite favourable. In case of business start ups and disputes, matters are often resolved through a stable legal system. So generally speaking, Dubai and the UAE has a good business climate. Its growth prospects as well as the political and economic conditions make the country ideal for investment by interested parties. Foreign company that has invested in the UAE The company has several branches worldwide but was established in the UAE during the year 1975. It is a constructi on company that has become successful owing to increased building expertise and proper management of very complex projects within this nation. It has a sound relationship with architects, contractors and sub contractors thus being in a position to deliver high quality buildings to their respective clientele (Turner Construction Company, 2010). Problems and benefits faced by it The UAE has benefitted from rapid growth owing to the rapid growth of their construction sector. Prior to 2008, this sector was experiencing a rapid boom. However, after the economic downturn, countries around the world began witnessing declines. Since the UAE was highly dependent on foreigners for investment in construction, these potential clients could no longer afford making huge investments and construction projections went down. Turner Construction Company was a victim of this external factor because the construction boom it was enjoying no longer held true. At this time, new projects from the government are scanty and the firm has had to look to other areas for business.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, the country is still the biggest construction market in the Middle Eastern and North African region with seven hundred and fourteen billion US dollars worth of construction projects still in their planning phase. It is such figures that make the Turner Construction Company optimistic about prospects for the future (Turner Construction Company, 2010). Turner Construction Company is still highly profitable because it has redefined its business model. In the past, the latter firm was relying on government sponsored projects. However, this has now changed dramatically. Now the company has forged new alliances with members of competitive environments. However, it is still keeping its focus on some infrastructural projects that have been sponsored by the government in order to stimulate the economy. In this regard, the latter organisation has been responsible for the growth of certain public facilities including some in the health sector and others in the education sector. Usuall y, this company may engage in a number of projects that differ in their design and their purposes. Sometimes, constructions may be done in order to create development properties designed to support certain economic centres such as airports. Conversely, the company may engage in construction of buildings for entertainment purposes. These include hotels, casinos and the like. Most of the clients in the latter category normally focus on the coastline and tourist attractions. Although, these have not been the main area of focus, they have still played a small part in maintaining profitability for the latter organisation. The company has also been challenged by the fact that most government attention is now being directed to road, rail, power and the like. This means that the amount of money allocated to projects that are the speciality of Turner Construction have been reduced and this may lead to subsequent changes in the manner in which businesses are being managed. No serious construc tion company can lay claim to the management or design of properties without involvement of sustainability concepts. The company has been involved in green building construction. It has also played a part in the creation of infrastructure in plants designed to offer green energy to the population. Turner Construction Company has had some strong points in 2009 and 2010 as well. First, this organisation has benefited from lower material costs. Between the period of 2009 and 2010, construction based materials have been dropping dramatically in the UAE more than any other country in the Middle Eastern region. Furthermore, the economic downturn has contributed towards lower labour costs in this country. This may be a problem for individuals who came to look for work in the UAE but it has benefited construction companies such as the one under analysis (Bende Nabende, 2002). In fact, the latter company has been able to save a lot on its operating costs because these expenditures normally t ake up a huge portion of costs. Currently, this company is benefiting from the ambitious plans that the UAE’s government has cut out for its respective individuals. Here, areas such as Abu Dhabi have dispensed a plan known as Plan 2030. The intension is for the creation of a new capital city, sporting and cultural centre development as well as development of about 200 islands linked to Abu Dhabi. These targets represent huge opportunities for the company under analysis because Abu Dhabi administrators are now inviting tenders for some of these projects from the private sector (Abhu Dhabi government, 2010). In this respect, it is likely that the organization will grow well into the future. On top of this, the government frequently makes announcements on commitments to infrastructure so it will then be possible to achieve that through the help of construction companies. Even though private developers may be tumultuous and hesitant towards the development of new projects, it is likely that the government plans will be adequate to sustain the construction companies like Turner. Another benefit enjoyed by the latter company is the fact that it has a strong local presence. Since it has been in operation from 1975, the firm uses this strong presence and relationship in order to market their services and get some business (Moran, 2006). Normally, most construction projects in Dubai and other parts of the UAE will invite bids. Assignment or selection of the right candidates to carry out the project will depend on a number of factors. However, the most crucial one is prevalence of a strong reputation in construction. This is even more of an advantage if the respective firm happens to have carried out those projects in the UAE. Turner enjoys such qualities and rarely has problems securing contracts. In terms of the kinds of services offered, this company has been having it easy because it has diversified into a range of provisions. It sometimes does construction c onsultancy. In certain situations, it may participate in contracting for its clients while in other scenarios it may actually be in charge of actual constructions. As stated earlier, the sound relationship or network created between several architects and contractors in the UAE market has made provision of these services quite smooth. In the end, the company has enjoyed and keeps enjoying a strong position in the sector. Normally, building materials are imported into the country. Therefore, construction companies must be in a position to access these markets in places like China. This may sometimes prove to be a challenge to the said company because imports are subjected to a range of tariffs and barriers (Dubai Chamber, 2009). In fact the need to have relationships and partners is what has made Turner what it is today. On the downside, government policy in the UAE has contributed towards some losses in this organisation because local construction companies are normally given a ten percent cut off on price over their foreign owned experts when importing products into the country. This acts as a serious disincentive for companies like Turner Construction Company. Conclusion The UAE is an ideal investment location because of its strong infrastructural base as well as the strong political and economic back up. On the other hand, there are certain barriers that companies witness and this has especially been revealed through the case study. This firm is hampered by the advantages offered to locals on imported construction materials as well as the vulnerability to international economic markets. References Alasaad, N. (2010). Investors looking to Dubai as the preferred FDI destination in MENA. Retrieved from zawya.com/pdfstory.cfm?storyid=ZAWYA20100629084415l=084400100629 Abu Dhabi Chamber of commerce and industry (2010). For new investors. Retrieved from abudhabichamber.ae/user/NodeId=915Page=1Edit=1#ARTICLE%20313%C2%A0 Abhu Dhabi government (2010). Opening a branc h of a foreign company in Abu Dhabi. Retrieved from http://business.abudhabi.ae/egovPoolPortal_WAR/appmanager/ADeGP/Business?_nfpb=true_pageLabel=P5800295121229247844294did=134980lang=en Turner Construction Company. (2010). Turner UAE. Retrieved from turnerconstruction.com/international/content.asp?d=3975p=3969 Dubai Chamber (2009). Foreign Direct Investment in Dubai. Chamber Economist, May 2009, 1-3 Moran, T. (2006). Harnessing foreign direct investment for development. Center for global development Razin, A. Sadka, E. (2007). Foreign direct investment: analysis of aggregate flows. Princeton: Princeton university press Bende Nabende, A. (2002). Globalisation, FDI, regional integration and sustainable development: theory, evidence and policy. NY: Routledge Dunning, J. (2002). Global capitalism, FDI and competitiveness. Oxford: OUP

An Autobiography Of Josh Hamilton

Ashley kennedy Autobiography of Ashley kennedy I was born on August 24th, 2000 into a family of 4. I came home to a two story house where I sill live in even to this day. When I was 5 my parents decided to get a divorce. Up until 2008 there had always been someone else taking care of me and my brother while we were living with my dad in picnic point. My father met my current stepmom in 2006 through work and she happened†¦ is about a college student named Josh Wheaton, who enrolls in a philosophy class taught by Professor Jeffrey Radisson. In this class, Josh’s professor make his student write on a piece of paper â€Å"God is dead† and to sign their names. Josh refuses to do this, which result in him giving three twenty-minute lectures about God’s existence. In the first two lectures, Professor Radisson has counterclaims against Josh’s. However, in the last lecture that Josh gives, Josh asks Professor Radisson â€Å"Why do you†¦ In the article, "The Real Troy," the author, Josh Fischman, states that while not all Trojan myths maintain historical accuracy, most contain some elements of truth. The author cites instances in the Iliad and The Odyssey that archeologists are now finding might be historically relevant. In the article, Fischman quotes Manfred Korfmann saying, "The town makes Troy about 15 times larger than previously thought." (Fischman 56) In this statement, Korfmann is describing the discoveries that had been†¦ Joshua Joel Cosby, my uncle, also known as Josh Cosby, was born June 30, 1982. He grew up as the youngest child out of eleven siblings in St.louis, Missouri. After graduating high school in 1997, he skipped college to start a professional basketball career that included stops in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. On June 13, 2000, he helped the Yakima Sun Kings win the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) Championship and earned first team honors while leading the Colombia Copa†¦ JOSH MCDOWELL Slide 2: * Josh McDowell is a Christian apologist, evangelist, and writer. He is within the Evangelical tradition of Protestant Christianity. * Born August 17, 1939 in Union City, Michigan with the given name Joslin, now he obviously goes by Josh and lives in California. * He was 1 of 5 kids born to Wilmot McDowell. * Struggled with low self-esteem as a result of an alcoholic and abusive father. * After being sexually abused by a hired farm hand from the ages†¦ lifelong friend I would like to tell you about, his name was Josh Childs. We met in my freshman year of high school and became closer over the years. We remained friends outside of school and continued to be friends even after I graduated. The bond Josh and I had developed been simple, he was very motivational! For example, Josh was an amazing two year wrestler when I joined the wrestling team my freshman year. It was a co-ed team, so Josh and I were allowed to partner up. He constantly tackled me†¦ "Sound and Fury," a documentary by Josh Aronson, is a compelling story of a struggle between two cultures; the hearing community and the deaf community, grounded in a conflict between members of one family, split over the perceptions and beliefs of what it means to be"normal." It is a film about identity and culture, belonging and being an outsider, misconceptions and a desire to be understood. It is a film about the struggles of a cultural minority to find its place and acceptance in the larger†¦ The play Hamilton is about Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton was an immigrant who came to New York to improve his life. Despite what was thought of his past he improved his image, â€Å"How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore, and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean by providence, impoverished, in squalor, Grow up to be a hero and a scholar?†(Aaron Burr, â€Å"Alexander Hamilton.†) It doesn’t matter if you grew up†¦ Marketing Challenge Josh Howard, a founder of the charitable, Intercamp Classic (IC) held in Brampton, Ontario faced a marketing decision in October, 2012. Developed from an idea in 2010, the graduated Ivey student from Western University created a multisport tournament to which had been highly successful in its 3 completed years. As the primary decision maker for the tournament, Howard wanted to continue to improve the charitable donations of the 2013 event by 25% of the previous year’s donation†¦ From an Electrician to a Teacher: An Autobiography â€Å"The heart of human excellence often begins to beat when you discover a pursuit that absorbs you, frees you, challenges you, and gives you a sense of joy, meaning and passion.† – Angel Chernoof* I firmly believe that to be successful and flourish in education and childhood learning, your heart must lead you to this passion – as my heart did a year ago. Coming out of high school, my dreams were far beyond teaching and spending a lifetime discovering†¦

Teaching of Ethics and Humanity in USA and Indonesia Essay

Teaching of Ethics and Humanity in USA and Indonesia - Essay Example This cultural value is highly evident in the education systems of the Universities in USA and Indonesia as they give very high emphasis to Human Values, Respect for others and Ethics in their education systems. Example, Seattle University practices the Jesuit Tradition which requires that the students should be made aware of the importance of what they need to do with the knowledge that they are in the process of acquiring. Similarly, Santa Clara University teaches moral thinking and decision making following the Utilitarian Approach, Rights Approach, Fairness Approach, Common-Good Approach, and the Virtue Approach. The Indonesian Universities teach Humanity, Respect for others and Ethics as well but the lessons imparted are more from the perspective of Religious teachings. As a matter of fact, Islamic and Buddhist education has prevailed quite strongly due to their strong influence on the society. Span and Quality of Education in USA is much better th... They prefer to expose their students to the real world challenges of the subject of choice. Example, the education in Finance & Accounting would not be limited to subject matter learning only but would also incorporate a number of surveys/researches required to be carried out by students even at the undergraduate level. When compared to education system in USA, the width & depth of education system in Indonesia is not comparable to the same in USA. Indonesia education system is based on improving subject matter expertise in technology whereby their applicability is sharply focused on the potentials of global competitive advantages that the country can derive out of such expertise. In this context, the teachers in Indonesia are definitely good experts but more focused towards the coverage of the subject than the applicability of the subject. Example, if the subject matter is networking the teachers would ensure that the entire concepts of network technologies are covered for the students at tremendous pace but fewer opportunities shall be opened to work on live networking projects. Expression of thoughts in USA is more freely allowed than in Indonesia (Thesis 3): USA believes in conversion of Tacit Knowledge into Explicit for the benefit of the future of Mankind. Hence, they tend to develop this culture in the educational system as well. The students in USA need to express their thoughts in class and in group discussions. Example, seniors discuss their internship experiences in open forums such that the juniors can avoid their mistakes when planning for their own internships. In addition to self expression, the Universities also give lot of emphasis in developing the writing skills of the

The Essence of Time Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Essence of Time Management - Essay Example I only had two days out of three months to complete the three projects. I was up and down, panicking as I rushed through my projects, I did not have enough time to conduct extensive research concerning critical details of the project. In addition, I also lacked some materials that could enable me to complete my project as well. I eventually got low marks on one of the projects it was because of the last minute rush. It is there advisable that one completes an assignment on time instead of waiting until the last minute The feeling of regret is what I experienced most. The feeling was not pleasing at all since I knew it was my entire fault considering that I had three months to complete the assignment but I did what was contrary. I experienced this feeling during the rush hour period and it demoralized me making me swerve from concentrating on my project. In addition, when the results of the project were out, I even regretted more upon realizing that I had underperformed in one of the three projects. I was affected more as I acknowledged the fact that I would have done better were it not for the procrastination. An article dwelling in procrastination and regrets claims that â€Å"†¦it is conclusive that in numerous studies, procrastination is shown to be associated with poor academic performance (Kuhnle, Hofer & Kilian 34)† and this explains my results. I had greater capabilities and I had failed to maximize them by choosing to do last minute rushes. Looking back, I agree that I made the wrong judgment when I assumed that the three months given to us was too long. This judgment was the root cause of everything as I ended up thinking that I still had more time to do the projects. It was a wrong judgment as I ended up failing in one of my projects since I did it without extensive research and without all necessary materials. It is a judgment I will not take again considering the effects it had on me.

Finance (Principles) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Finance (Principles) - Essay Example Jack wishes to have the exact same amount of monies available at the end of the 12 months as his friend Sandra. Thus Jack is aware he must re-invest the principal and any interest earned at the expiry of the 9-month term deposit. Jack should re-invest his money in the next three months at 0.47% interest rate per month, or at 5.6% interest per annum, in order to make his investment equal to that of Sandra at the end of 12 months. You plan to borrow $380,000 from ANZ Bank to fund an investment opportunity. The Bank offers you a reduction in principal loan (in this type of loan repayments comprise principal plus interest) with a nominal interest rate (APR) of 6.8% compounded monthly over a 12-year period. This is a typical type of business loan where the bank negotiates a loan with the customer based upon a given period (in this case payments are based on a 12-year term) BUT in this particular type of loan the Bank requires you to repay the loan balance in full earlier than 12 years (BEFORE MATURITY) - unless you re-negotiate a new loan with them. You have $100,000 at your disposal today. You wish to endow a college scholarship. You structure the scholarship so that, beginning today, it will pay out the same amount of money per year forever. The endowment discount rate is 7%. Dreamliner Airline is considering investing in several new aircraft. The initial investment will cost them $675 million. The investment is expected to produce revenue of $118 million per year over the next 25 years. The cost of running the new planes is $23 million per annum over the 25-year period. c) Using the WACC you calculated in Q5 (you will not be able to answer this question until you complete Q5!) and following the IRR investment rule, should Dreamliner Airline take on the investment opportunity to buy the new planes? Explain why or why not? (4 MARKS) d) Theory suggests the WACC calculation is simply an estimated figure for the cost of capital.

Technical aspects of cables stayed bridges Essay

Technical aspects of cables stayed bridges - Essay Example In simple terms, cable-stayed bridges carry mainly vertical loads that act on the girder. Immediate support for the girder is provided by the stay cables so that the bridge can extend over a long distance. Basically, the structure of a cable-stayed bridge is such that it is constructed of a series of overlapping triangles made up of the tower, the pylon, the girder and the cables, which are usually under axial forces, and are considered flexural and efficient. The cables are always under tension whereas the girder and the pylon are under compression. This report looks at the history of cable stay bridges, examines the configuration and design structure, technical requirements, offers a description of various bridge structures and an analysis of the bridge structures. The report concludes by offering recommendations for stay-cable design, installation and testing. Introduction A first glance at cable-stayed bridges raises some interesting questions from both the public and bridge engi neers, who find them technically challenging and innovative, as well as the architects. The cable-stayed bridges attracted public attention when the Stromsund Bridge in Sweden was completed. ... Basically, the structure of a cable-stayed bridge is such that, it is made up of a series of overlapping triangles, made up of the tower, the pylon, the girder and the cables, which are usually under axial forces, and are usually considered flexural and efficient. The cables are always under tension whereas the girder and the pylon, under compression (Dayaratnam 2000). Overtime, cable-stayed bridges have become very popular in bridge engineering; there are more than seven hundred cable-stayed bridges in the world today. With advancement in technology and architectural design, the length of cable-stayed bridges has significantly increased over the years. For instance, the first major cable-stayed bridge built in 1955, the Stromsund Bridge in Sweden, spanned 183m; in the 1970’s, the Neuenkamp bridge in Germany spanned 350m and was considered the longest one then until the 1980s when another bridge, the Alex Fraser-Annacis Island bridge, spanned 465m was completed (Denney Pate & Rohleder, Jr., 2008). This was, however, surpassed in 1994 by the Normandie bridge that spanned 856m. Today, the longest span cable-stayd bridge is the Russky Bridge, in Vladivostok, Russia, spanning 1,104m, completed in 2012 (Svensson 2012). Configuration of Cable-Stayed Bridges The concept of cable-stayed bridges as illustrated in Figure 1 was that cable suspension was to be used to replace piers as intermediary support for girder, so that it could withstand the vertical load over a long span or distance (Morgenthal & Yamasaki 2010). As a result, the first cable-stayed bridges spaced stay cables far apart based on the maximum girder strength. The

Internet Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Internet Security - Essay Example Internet security is a concern for all the world because due to internet, where people have gained many benefits, there are also many disadvantages such as internet fraud, loss of security and privacy, virus attacks, spamming, threat to data protection and computer misuse. Internet is accessed daily all over the world and is employed for multiple purposes is under threat. The companies, organizations, institutions and workplaces of the world that make use of internet are in need of internet security (Bhimani, 1996). Internet has minimized the gaps between people and their wanted works but it has also given us many disadvantages such as security threat. The computers that are kept and used in global settings are at threat in terms of security and if they are accessed illegally, there will be security threat and the private data of the companies or organizations that are working on international basis can get lost. In the lieu of internet security, there are a number of security measures that are taken such as anti-virus software, spyware, firewall and copyright authentication. There are many other security measures taken by various global organizations such as passwords for security purposes. The companies that are working online are at higher stake of lapsing of internet security. The online companies suffer from online monetary frauds that are quite problematic for the organizations. For all these purposes, further measures are required to be taken in order to safeguard the private and confidential data of internet companies. Global internet access is easier but internet security is considered very important by all the users of internet operating globally. Internet is an essential resource for all working institutions whether they are educational or business oriented. The sharing of it can be a key to growth and success of the institution. Internet security can be linked to computer security because internet is dependent on computer.

Finance (Principles) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Finance (Principles) - Essay Example Jack wishes to have the exact same amount of monies available at the end of the 12 months as his friend Sandra. Thus Jack is aware he must re-invest the principal and any interest earned at the expiry of the 9-month term deposit. Jack should re-invest his money in the next three months at 0.47% interest rate per month, or at 5.6% interest per annum, in order to make his investment equal to that of Sandra at the end of 12 months. You plan to borrow $380,000 from ANZ Bank to fund an investment opportunity. The Bank offers you a reduction in principal loan (in this type of loan repayments comprise principal plus interest) with a nominal interest rate (APR) of 6.8% compounded monthly over a 12-year period. This is a typical type of business loan where the bank negotiates a loan with the customer based upon a given period (in this case payments are based on a 12-year term) BUT in this particular type of loan the Bank requires you to repay the loan balance in full earlier than 12 years (BEFORE MATURITY) - unless you re-negotiate a new loan with them. You have $100,000 at your disposal today. You wish to endow a college scholarship. You structure the scholarship so that, beginning today, it will pay out the same amount of money per year forever. The endowment discount rate is 7%. Dreamliner Airline is considering investing in several new aircraft. The initial investment will cost them $675 million. The investment is expected to produce revenue of $118 million per year over the next 25 years. The cost of running the new planes is $23 million per annum over the 25-year period. c) Using the WACC you calculated in Q5 (you will not be able to answer this question until you complete Q5!) and following the IRR investment rule, should Dreamliner Airline take on the investment opportunity to buy the new planes? Explain why or why not? (4 MARKS) d) Theory suggests the WACC calculation is simply an estimated figure for the cost of capital.

Internet Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Internet Security - Essay Example Internet security is a concern for all the world because due to internet, where people have gained many benefits, there are also many disadvantages such as internet fraud, loss of security and privacy, virus attacks, spamming, threat to data protection and computer misuse. Internet is accessed daily all over the world and is employed for multiple purposes is under threat. The companies, organizations, institutions and workplaces of the world that make use of internet are in need of internet security (Bhimani, 1996). Internet has minimized the gaps between people and their wanted works but it has also given us many disadvantages such as security threat. The computers that are kept and used in global settings are at threat in terms of security and if they are accessed illegally, there will be security threat and the private data of the companies or organizations that are working on international basis can get lost. In the lieu of internet security, there are a number of security measures that are taken such as anti-virus software, spyware, firewall and copyright authentication. There are many other security measures taken by various global organizations such as passwords for security purposes. The companies that are working online are at higher stake of lapsing of internet security. The online companies suffer from online monetary frauds that are quite problematic for the organizations. For all these purposes, further measures are required to be taken in order to safeguard the private and confidential data of internet companies. Global internet access is easier but internet security is considered very important by all the users of internet operating globally. Internet is an essential resource for all working institutions whether they are educational or business oriented. The sharing of it can be a key to growth and success of the institution. Internet security can be linked to computer security because internet is dependent on computer.

Comment closely on the following poem Essay Example for Free

Comment closely on the following poem Essay The Self-Unseeing portrays Hardy reminiscing over his childhood life with his parents. In the first stanza, the setting their old house is described in a way that conveys a sense of age and weariness, through such words and phrases as ‘ancient’ (emphasizing the age), ‘footworn and hollowed and thin’ (alluding to the emptiness which has overtaken it through the passage of time after it has been abandoned), ‘former’ (revealing the extent of change in the house, eg. by the door no longer being there), and ‘dead feet’ (those of his parents). At this point in the poem Hardy speaks in the present tense from the outside of the house, in order to convey its emptiness to the reader. The second stanza ignores these aspects of the house, instead focusing on his memories of his parents, which contrast with the first stanza by filling the house with life and action. A happier mood is created here, through a sense of warmth created by the fire, and his mother’s smile, which, along with his father’s playing the violin (‘bowing it higher and higher’), shows the happiness he felt while living with his parents. The musical effect of the violin is also complemented by that of the smooth-flowing ‘abab‘ rhyme scheme. The present tense verbs ‘smiling’ and ‘bowing’ imply that these memories were vivid, as if by introducing the setting to the reader he is reliving them. Hardy’s reference to his parents using the pronouns ‘she’ and ‘he’ rather than their actual names transforms the personal tragedy of the death of his parents to a universal one to which the reader can more easily relate. However, this tragedy is buried beneath the warm, welcoming mood established by the aforementioned use of language in this stanza. Hardy illuminates these memories in the final stanza with light imagery ‘blessings’ (which tend to be associated with heaven and therefore light), ‘day’, ‘glowed’, ‘gleam’, which underscore the joyful feelings previously evoked. This use of light imagery serves as a metaphor to reveal how Hardy, ‘childlike’, ‘danced in a dream’, and overall, the diction shows that his memories had a dazzling and pensive quality. However, it can be seen from the concluding line, ‘Yet we were looking away! ’, that he feels remorseful for not fully appreciating what he had at the time. It is this line which gives meaning to the poem’s title he (the ‘self’) was ‘unseeing’ and could not see the true value of his life with his parents. This makes the light imagery all the more powerful, as Hardy uses it to show that he is now able to see what he was unable to in his childhood. His newfound appreciation for his memories is also evident in the first stanza, where ‘here is’ and ‘here was’ sorrowfully reveal the setting of which he is about to reminisce. Overall, Hardy’s memories are presented in this poem with both regret and happiness. The phrase ‘hollowed and thin’ in the first stanza, in light of this regret, describes the likely state of his soul following the loss of his parents. The regret is subtle at first, but becomes much more apparent after reading the last line; it is as if Hardy uses this line to allow the reader to look back (as he had looked back on his past) and be filled with regret through this reflection. The past-tense verbs ‘walked’, ‘sat’, and ‘stood’, which are simply describing what once was, become tinged with regret (as if mourning) upon a second glance. In contrast, the passive verbs ‘danced’, ‘emblazoned’, and ‘glowed’ preserve their cheerful connotations, which suggest that to Hardy, reminiscence is a bittersweet experience. This idea is supported by the structure of the poem: three quatrains with ‘abab’ rhyme schemes; although the rhyme scheme establishes a sense of reminiscence, there are emotions both positive and negative associated with it. The simple pattern of it also mirrors the simplicity and naivety of childhood. The structure, rhythm, and diction of the poem thus convey a powerful message that pleasant experiences will eventually become memories, carrying both the happiness of their past occurrence and the regret and sadness of knowing that their time is past.

Language: Effect On Thought And Perception

Language: Effect On Thought And Perception Begley, Sharon. Whats in a Word: Why Language May Shape Our Thoughts. Newsweek. Harmon-Newsweek, 9 July 2009. Web. 7 October 2010. Begleys article investigates various points within psychologist Lera Boroditskys work on language and perception, raising such examples as whether a languages nouns are feminine or masculine have an effect on how speakers of that language view everyday objects and how separate words in other languages for different colors may even affect how we see those colors. Begley also points out that how each languages system of grammar can affect the way we describe similar events. Boroditsky, Lera. How Does Our Language Shape The Way We Think? Whats Next: Dispatches on the Future of Science. Ed. Max Brockman. New York: Vintage Books, 2009. 116-129. Print. In her essay How Does Language Shape the Way We Think, psychologist Boroditsky argues that language does indeed play a crucial role in how we humans think and how we perceive the world. Referencing her experiments results for the bulk of her essay, she maintains that language affects the way we think aboutand so describenot only the concrete but also the abstract like special relationships and time. Boroditsky, Lera. Linguistic Relativity. MIT. n.d. PDF File. In an experiment designed to test psychologist Benjamin Lee Whorfs 1956 suggestion that how one analyzes and responds to the world reflects differences in their languagea suggestion long-abandoned by the scientific community, Boroditsky asserts that language has a profound effect on thought and perception. While also describing how language influences perceptions of space and time, Boroditsky demonstrates how differences in grammar contribute to different ways of describing and perceiving amounts, shapes, and other characteristics of objects. Casasanto, Daniel, et al. How Deep are the Effects of Language on Thought? Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. n.d. PDF File. From experiments conducted to test whether language affects how speakers experience the world, Casasanto et al. suggest that, through on linguistic and two non-linguistic experiments in native speakers of various languages that our grammar does influence how we mentally envision abstract ideas and that language influences even the most basic of psychological processes. Deutscher, Guy. Does Language Shape How You Think? New York Times. The New York Times, 26 August 2010. Web. 10 October 2010. In his article Does Language Shape How You Think, Deutscher offers a general view of the controversy surrounding the question of languages influence of thought. Deutscher first describes the fallout from psychologist Whorfs proposal about language and its connection to the mind, and then references other noted experiments designed to test the suggestion. He then depicts the general outcome of these experiments as that individual languages do contribute to distinctions in perception toward objects and space. Harms, William, and Robert Sanders. UC Berkeley. 31 January 2006. Web. 7 October 2010. Harms and William begin their review by acknowledging the difficult scientists have in testing whether language plays a direct part in how we see the world. They promote a paper published in the monthly journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that suggests that language does affect perception, but only in the right half of our visual field; in other terms, what we see out of our right eye. Citing experiments based on color conducted at UC Berkeley, Harms and Sanders describe the papers argument that languagewhich is predominantly based in the left hemisphere of our brain, which processes the right visual fieldmay help us recognize colors more quickly in our right visual field but provide slower recognition in our left. Ramachandran, V.S. and E.M. Hubbard. SynesthesiaA Window into Perception, Thought, and Language. 2001. PDF File. In their paper, Ramachandran and Hubbard attempt to debunk certain myths about synesthesia and the people who experience it. Synesthesia is an interesting and strange phenomenon in which a synesthetic person may experience a combination of sensory activity at once, such as seeing the number 7 and viewing it as a dark blue-green or eating an egg and then hearing a high note. A phenomenon not under any serious experimentation for some time, Ramachandran and Hubbard conduct experiments to find links to their twelve overriding ideas and see how synesthesia connects to language and how and why sensory activity is perceived. Regier, Terry and Paul Kay. Language, Thought, and Color: Whorf was Half Right. 2009. PDF File. Through experiments conducted to test Whorfs theory of language and its effect on how we perceive and adapt to the world, Regier and Kays results suggest that Whorf had the correct idea, for the most part. Using color and placement to test how quickly participants recognized a different shade of blue among a circle of other blue squares enabled them to conclude that separate languages that have varying degrees of classification for colors influences color perception mainly in the right half of the visual field. They also suggest that the amount of distinction a language has between individual shades contributes to the speed of color perception. Stafford, Amy. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. Minnesota State U, n.d. Web. 10 October 2010. In her paper Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, Stafford describes the thought process behind psychologist Whorfs proposal that semantics impact our awareness of the world. She also provides different views on the idea, suggesting methods and studies that offer a more rounded opinion. Stafford then defines how she believes Whorfs hypothesis can affect our understanding of each other and of individual cultures across the world. Thierry, Gullame, et al. Unconscious Effects of Language-Specific Terminology on Pre-Attentive Color Perception. 2009. PDF File. In an attempt to discover whether languages effect on ones perception is driven by conscious, language-based evaluation of the environment or if the difference lies in the psychological processing of speakers of other languages, Thierry et al. conduct color experiments. Using the separate Greek words for light and dark blue (ghalazio and ble), and the English versions, Thierry et al. suggest that Greek speakers can distinguish between shades of blue more quickly than English speakers because of the distinct separate words for each color instead of adding light or dark to the main color of blue. Anne Seeley Professor Yerks Composition 106 11 October 2010 Language and its Effect on Thought and Perception Even with the incredible advances in technology and science, certain areas of the brain remain a mystery to scientists. As scholars endeavor to discover more connections and illuminate reasons for why we humans behave cognitively the way we do, hypotheses proposed in the past that may have fallen out of favor are being reexamined using todays technology. One such proposal, known as the Whorf Hypothesis, attempts to show the link between the uniquely human quality of spoken and written language and the effect it has on our thoughts and perceptions of the world (Stafford). This relatively recently revived proposition provides ample room for ground-breaking questions, and everyone from scientists to philosophers have argued for and against it, for nearly seventy years (Begley). Benjamin Lee Whorf, states Guy Deutscher, author of the New York Times article Does Language Shape How You Think, was the psychologist of disputable reputation that suggested in 1940 that language was not only the medium through which we communicate, but that it defines the way we think and consequently restricts what we are able to think. Deutscher explains that Whorf proposed that different languages have such a profound impact on the way we think that Native American languages impose on their speakers a picture of reality that is totally different from ours, and thus these speakers do not have the same grasp on some of our most basic concepts, like the flow of time or the distinction between objects and actions as speakers of other languages do. Though his theory entranced the scientific community and world at large for a time, gradually the idea that language constricts our ability to see reality faded and was eventually abandoned, especially when, Deutscher quips, it was shown t hat Whorf never actually [had] any evidence to support his fantastic claims. Recently, however, new studies have been conducted whose results suggest that language really does change the way we think and perceive the world. Lera Boroditsky, a noted Stanford psychologist, argues in her essay How Does Language Shape the Way We Think? that language does indeed form the way we think about abstract concepts like space and time as well as concrete objects. The results of her experiments on the connection between language and thought (known as linguistic relativity) are fascinating; for instance, in an experiment examining how speakers of different languages process the concept of time, English speakers (who talk about time in terms of horizontal spatial metaphorse.g., The best is ahead of us [or] The worst is behind us) will point in a horizontal direction (such as behind or next to them) when asked where yesterday would be on a three-dimensional timeline. Mandarin speakers, however, use a vertical metaphor for time e.g., the next month is the down month and the last month is the up month and will most often point vertically to describe the concept of yesterday. Boroditsky offers another thought-provoking ins ight: that the fluke of grammar in many languages where nouns are given genders actually changes the way speakers perceive those objects. In her experimental results, it was shown that while German and Spanish speakers both understood the concept of a key, they thought about and consequently described the key in completely different ways. The feminine Spanish word for keys is llaves, and were described as golden, intricate, little, [and] lovely whereas the German speakers described the masculine Schlssel as being hard, heavy, jagged, metal, [and] serrated This trend continues when describing abstract entities such as death, sin, victory, or time. Boroditsky urges us to look at famous artworks that personify these concepts, and states that it turns out that in 85 percent of such personifications, whether a male or female figure is chosen is predicted by the grammatical gender of the word in the artists native language. Though Boroditsky made no comment of it in her essay, these resul ts raise another question: how would English speakerswho give no gender to nounsdescribe an object like a key or a concept like time? Nevertheless, experiments like these are clearing the path for even more intriguing theories about language and thought, such as those conducted in the spirit of understanding a condition known as synesthesia. Synesthesia, according to V.S. Ramachandran and E.M. Hubbards paper SynesthesiaA Window into Perception, Thought, and Language is an intriguing phenomenon in which an otherwise normal person experiences sensations in one modality when a second modality is stimulated, like reading the word kindness and seeing it as a salmon-pink color or thinking of the concept of hope and tasting an egg. Though many may at first think that instances of synesthesia are in fact metaphors used every day, such as a loud color, Ramachandran and Hubbard propose that it is an actual condition that may [run] in families [and] creative people and is more common in females than males. They also suggest that a synesthetic person are more likely to have more than one form of synesthesia if they already have one, such as seeing words as having colors as well as seeing colors when hearing music. As a synesthetic person, I can attest that it is not an imaginary or imaginative event, but an actual phenomenon. Over y ears, I have encountered constant and various forms of synesthesia in myself, including the word-color association, a letter- and number-color association (as well as a gender association for letters and numbers), and, less prominently, a music-color association. This fascinating condition is an excellent breeding ground for continuing experiments to see how deeply language affects our cognitive behaviors and how we perceive the world. Using language is not something that we often think about during our lives, and yet recent experiments suggest that it has a fundamental influence on how we respond to our environments and view the world. Once an abandoned proposition, the connection between language and thought gains notoriety throughout the scientific community. As scientists strive to understand just how deeply it impacts our mental capacities, our ability to communicate through spoken and written language remains one of our most profound human characteristics.

tom clancy :: essays research papers

"Vampire, Vampire!" The CIC talker said aboard Ticonderoga. "We have numerous incoming missiles. Weapons free."1 Tom Clancy, the best modern fiction writer, and probably, one of the all time best. Above was an excerpt from his second number one bestseller, Red Storm Rising. Tom Clancy is a civilian genius that knows more about top-secret weapons systems than the men who designed them. This makes for an explosive, could be real, story. It is because of his gripping story lines, and powerful descriptions of battle scenes that have drawn me, along with millions of other Americans to his master works of art. Ironically Mr. Clancy’s dream of becoming a writer was not fulfilled until he wrote The Hunt For Red October in 1984. Until then, he was an insurance salesman whose previous stories had been turned down. That is another thing that I like about Mr. Clancy, he doesn’t give up. Clancy once said, "In America, there ain’t no excuses. You can go out and do anything you damn well please if you try hard enough."2 Finally, this author, was the only one that didn’t p ut me to sleep with a warm cup of milk. Thomas L. Clancy Jr., son of a mailman and department store credit employee, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1947. He attended a local catholic parochial elementary and secondary school. Most of his friends were interested in sports, and following their favorite teams throughout the season, but Tom had more important things on his mind like guns, tanks, and planes. He went to Loyola College, a Jesuit college of liberal arts in Baltimore where he majored in English. While attending college he joined the ROTC in order to serve in Vietnam, but poor eyesight kept him from fulfilling his desire. The first short story he wrote was rejected by Analog Sci-Fi magazine, crushing another dream of having his name on a book. In 1973 he became an insurance agent, as he wasn’t making any head way as a writer. Eventually he joined his wife’s father’s insurance agency, and later bought it in 1980 for $125,000. It was an established business with around 1,000 clients. Tom was so effective, and the business so profitable, that he could accomplish all the work in the morning and have the rest of the day to devour all sorts of technical journals and papers.3 After his writing career took off in 1984, he eventually moved into a 400 acre estate on the Chesapeake Bay.

Interaction of Human Culture and the Environment :: Environment Environmental Pollution Preservation

Interaction of Human Culture and the Environment In the mid 1970's and early 1980's, the field of clinical psychology underwent a revolution with the emergence of family therapy. Therapists initially understood disorders as being the result of a linear chain of causality. For instance, one theory of schizophrenia held that the disorder resulted from exposure to a certain pattern of behavior on the part of the patient's mother. Mothers of schizophrenics were often found to be particularly cold, unresponsive, dominant, and conflict-inducing towards their children. Researchers argued that such "schizophrenogenic" behavior was the direct cause of the disorder. Successful treatment, then, required the patient and mother to examine their relationship and seek out better, more positive methods of interaction. Family therapists, however, then began to realize that the etiology of the disorder was far more complex than simply the mother inducing the disorder within the child. The schizophrenic and the mother were enmeshed within a complex system of interactions both within, as well as outside, the family. Thus, the schizophrenic was affected by both his mother and father, the schizophrenic himself had an impact on his parents, the father and mother affected each other through their marital relationship, and social and cultural norms had an overall impact on all members of the family. Family systems researchers realized that these various relationships were constantly changing, and that each one had a significant effect on the others. Problems within the family were now understood in terms of circular causality rather than linear. For instance, it might very well be true that the schizophrenic's mother is cold, conflict-inducing, and unresponsive towards him. It is also true, however, that t he schizophrenic manifests very bizarre behavior, such as hearing voices, acting on paranoid impulses, hallucinating, and displaying inappropriate (or flat) emotional responses. These behaviors would certainly affect the mother, as she would be stressed and deeply concerned for her child's well being. The mother might also be affected by a strained marital relationship with her husband, which itself might be negatively impacted by the child's schizophrenic behavior. Finally, the family might be negatively affected by the society in which they live, as their neighbors or colleagues might view them as outcasts and purposely isolate them because of their child's inappropriate behavior. Ultimately, this series of negative interactions may result in a feedback loop, in which maladaptive behavior is amplified and the child's schizophrenic behavior worsens.