Monday, September 30, 2019

Create a raffle ticket corresponding to the numbers

There several ways of being fair in the distribution of raises (or bonuses). It should be specific first that the 25,000 raise is a one time disbursement and not a continuing one.A fair distribution for raises can mean dividing the money equally among all those who would be receiving the raise, but this is not the common practice. One way to compute the distribution of the raises in compensation should consider the tenure of the services rendered.A fair distribution can mean that the longer the length of service rendered should have a larger share of the US$ 25,000.00. It can be done by summing up all the years of service of each employee then getting the percentage of years of service rendered. This is done by dividing the number of years rendered by one, by the total number of years everybody has rendered, multiply by 100, thereby deriving the percentage. This percentage is multiplied by 25,000 and the corresponding product should be the amount the individual will receive.Another w ay of having a fair distribution is divide the lump sum of 25,000 into unequal amounts, some higher, some lower and some average. Put the divided amounts in envelopes and number the envelopes outside. Make sure that the number of envelopes is equal to the number of employees. Create a raffle ticket corresponding to the numbers of envelops and make everybody draw a number.If the 25,000 will not be distributed, what can be done is to create a savings and loan association. From this association, the employees can borrow money for providential purposes and repay through salary deduction with interest earnings. At the end of a fiscal year, the earning from the savings association can be distributed equally among everybody. Â  

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Financial Intermediary Essay

A financial intermediary is an organization that raises money from investors and provides financing for individuals, companies and other organizations. A financial intermediary is typically an institution that facilitates the channeling of funds between lenders and borrowers indirectly. That is, savers (lenders) give funds to an intermediary institution (such as banks), and then that institution in turn gives those funds to spenders (borrowers). This may be in the form of loans or mortgages. For corporations, intermediaries are important sources of financing. Intermediaries are a stop on the road between savings and real investments. The financial intermediaries in turn raise funds, often in small amounts, from individual households. Two important classes of financial intermediaries include mutual funds and pension funds along with Credit unions and Brokerage houses. Financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies are not only financial intermediaries but they also provide other financial services such as loaning out money to individuals and businesses. KEY FUNCTIONS OF FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES The basic function of financial intermediaries is to provide financial assistance to organizations and individuals. So, financial intermediaries help pool resources from households mostly, and then use these resources issuing them as loans to organizations or invest it in equities. They also contribute in many other ways to our individual well-being and the smooth functioning of the economy. Thus, another important function that emanates from the basic function of issuing cash to businesses is the efficient utilization of one’s savings. This helps increase the overall economic stability and improves the overall efficiency of the economy. Another important function provided by financial intermediaries is the absorption of risk. These intermediaries issue loans and invest money at their own risk, and are legally liable to pay them back to the initial investors incase of loss. Similarly, incase of mutual funds, risk is reduced by efficient and professional portfolio management which results in a high degree of diversification. The portfolio type varies with respect to how risk-averse or contrary the investor may be. Financial Intermediaries also act as a market for Firm’s Assets. Financial intermediaries appear to have a key role in the restructuring and liquidation of firms in distress. In particular, there is rich evidence that financial intermediaries play an active role in the reallocation of displaced capital, meant both as the piece-meal reallocation of assets (such as the redeployment of individual plants) and, more broadly, as the sale of entire bankrupt corporations to healthy ones. A key part of reorganization under main bank supervision or management is the implementation of a plan of asset sales with proceeds typically used to recover bank loans. Financial intermediaries arise as internal, centralized markets where information on machines and buyers is readily available, allowing displaced capital to migrate towards its most productive uses. Financial intermediaries can perform this role by aggregating the information on firms collected in the credit market. The function of intermediaries as matchmakers between savers and firms in the credit market can support their function as internal markets for assets. Intuitively, by increasing the number of highly productive matches in the credit market, intermediaries increase the share of highly productive second hand users in the decentralized resale market. This improvement in the quality of the decentralized secondary market reduces the incentive of firms to address financial intermediaries for their ability as re-deployers. However, by increasing the number of highly productive matches in the credit market, intermediaries create also wealthy buyers without assets and contribute to decrease the thickness of the decentralized resale market. This makes the decentralized market less appealing and increases the incentive of firms to use intermediaries as resale markets. CONCLUSION All in all, financial intermediaries play a very important role in optimizing the performance of firms in the corporate sector and to help individuals and households to manage their savings better and to ensure them minimum and least amount of risk in doing so. REFERENCE Brealey, Richard A. , Myers, Stewart C. & Marcus, Alan J. (2001). Corporate Finance. McGraw-Hill.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Organizational Behavior in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Behavior in the Workplace - Essay Example 3). While these three steps aim to improve a product, they also compel the manager to learn about organizational behavior. Organizational behavior refers to â€Å"the study of factors,† which influences employee behavior, as well as the factors that affect the response of the organization towards the behavior displayed by the employees. In reality, employees have positive and negative experiences in the workplace environment that may affect their motivation (George & Jones, 2012, p. 3). This situation makes it necessary for managers to develop organizational behavior tools, which may be taken up in the short term, and long term; tools that hopefully may mitigate the negative, and increase the positive experiences of employees in the workplace environment (George & Jones, 2012, p. 4). The manager has to begin at the individual level, and apply short term organizational behavior tools that will help unveil an employee’s personality. Personality inventories may be conducte d to gauge the personality of an employee. In this method, the reaction of employees regarding statements that are in line with personality dimensions will be asked that will reveal their level of agreement or disagreement (Ashraf, n.d., p. 157). An assessment centre can also be developed that will guide employees in their career choices (Folsom & Boulware, 2004, p. 21). These tools will help the manager in developing motivational strategies that are in keeping with the preferences of the employees. Personality inventories and the evaluations done in the assessment centre are usually administered for a short period. After the individual level, organizational behavior tools that are intended to address issues at the group level have to follow, and be implemented for a long period. After the process of personality evaluation and enhancement, the manager has to focus on work motivation, and this has to include all employees. One way to enhance employee motivation level is by building q uality circles. Quality circles refer to â€Å"semi autonomous work groups† comprised of employees from the same work areas who regularly gather to talk over issues connected with their work responsibilities (Ashraf, n.d., p. 158). Constant communication is imperative to build a socially-dynamic workplace environment. The manager should encourage subordinates to form quality circles to inspire employees to engage themselves in activities that will help them connect with other employees and the company. It will be hard on the part of the managers to implement changes if employees do not fully trust them or the organization. Trust is something that can never be bought through extravagant rewards, or through flowery words. The trust of the employees to the capacity of the managers in dealing with the happenings within the organization is essential to keep them motivated and to retain them for a long period. As one of the foundations of an organization, the manager has to take pa rt in shaping â€Å"a culture of trust† (Pride, Hughes, & Kapoor, 2013, p. 203). This is an effective big picture strategy that if applied will bring positive transformation in the workplace environment. When there is a culture of trust, rapport is increased, and the relationship between the manager and employee becomes better. One way to build the trust of employees

Friday, September 27, 2019

Data Communication and Networking Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Data Communication and Networking - Term Paper Example The simplest goal to be achieved is the transfer of data. A computer network not only allows us for the faster means of data communication but it also helps in accessing programs, databases, and other software or tools that are distant from our approach. A simple network comprises of computers, network operating system software, cable (wiring) to connect the devices, network interface cards, switches and a router (Laudon, Laudon 299). Almost all the businesses nowadays use spreadsheets, word pads etc. to store their germane information which might also be needed by other departments of that companies and the interruption in transporting this information may cause some hindrances for the organization that might lead to ineffective and inefficient production. Connecting all the computers of that organization within and outside departments really helps a lot in increasing the competitive advantage of the organization as the data will be available on time. In addition, networking also helps in reducing the cost of saving work in different soft copies and hard copies since it allows the sharing of work. Networking is the buzz word these days. ...The data were stored on punch cards and they were the only source of transferring data from one computer to another. In 1960s multi-terminal mainframes were used which were pretty faster. Multiple users used to be connected through a single mainframe with a very good response time of the computers. This computing technique gave birth to the modern form of networking and the concepts of "client" and "server". "This model refers to the client-server relationship. The server is the one specialized powerful computer that provides the information that the client computers require. The client is the computer initiating the inquiry" (History of networking 1). Next, came the era of minicomputers.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Response to 4 students postings with 60 words and 2 references for Coursework - 2

Response to 4 students postings with 60 words and 2 references for each response - Coursework Example The writer presents his findings from an approach whereby he looks at how and why both validity and reliability can be determined by using basic tests and scales. Moreover, the combination of more than one scale at a time is highlighted (OConnor, 2011). This was an important aspect for the writer to have covered because clears researcher who may have some doubts with introducing new forms of scales with an existing scale they may be dealing with from their doubts (Gardener, 2009). An important perspective of the writer’s work has to do with the fact that he stated off by taking more about the advantages of using scales. In this, he explains that scales are used to â€Å"resolve the complexity inherent in people’s behavior† (Frankfort-Nachmias and Nachmias, 2008, pp.422-424). By this, researchers get a first hand information as to the need for them to settle for one form of scale or the other. The writer could however elaborate more on the weaknesses of using specific scales so that researchers can be on the lookout for these weaknesses and address them appropriately in their research processes (Gardener, 2009, p. 232). Much of the focus on the measurement of the validity with the use of scales was narrowed to the population that the researcher has to deal with. In this, the writer emphasized that the population is the accessible group of people that the researcher would have to be dealing with (Experiment Resource, 2011). By this, other researchers are offered an insight into how well to manipulate their populations to ensure that they achieve reliability and validity for each kind of scale that they choose (Gardener, 2009, p.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Critiquing the Article Psycho-Social Factors Affecting Elders Research Paper

Critiquing the Article Psycho-Social Factors Affecting Elders - Research Paper Example Loiselle, McGrath, Polit, and Beck (2010) stated that a good title must reflect the key variables and the population being studied (p. 359). In this case, the article reflects psycho-social factors and maltreatment as variables under study and the elderly as the study population instead of Israeli elderly. Abstract An abstract should correctly summarize the problem, methods, design, results, conclusion, and implications of the study, must be convenient to the reader, and reflects the worthiness of the article (Taylor & Kermode, 2006, 86). Almost all of the contents of the abstract are correct and concise except for the method section. The abstract stated that a quantitative correlational method was used whereas the methodology section identified a quantitative correlational study which made the methods used conflicting. The author also thinks that the abstract of the article is too brief. Upon analysis of the article, the author noticed the following: the aim of the study is too gene ral and stated that the study will examine and analyze ‘major variables’ affecting maltreatment of elderly when the title specifically stated that psycho-social factors will be studied; theoretical frameworks should not be included in the aim and must be included in a separate subheading; the statistical methods were not stated in the abstract; and the conclusion and recommendations did not summarize or recommends anything as it only stated that it is first study to examine elder maltreatment in the long-term care population of Israel. Introduction Statement of the Problem. In my own words, the research problem should be stated as: â€Å"What are the psycho-social factors affecting Israeli elders’ maltreatment in long-term care facilities? What are the relationships of each psycho-social factor in Israeli elders’ maltreatment in long-term care facilities? What psycho-social factor has the major impact in Israeli elders’ maltreatment in long-term ca re facilities?† These are the research problems which came in my mind upon reading the article as it intends to examine and analyze psycho-social factors especially major factors that affect elders’ maltreatment in long-term care facilities. In addition, I have read in the discussion that relationships were identified for each psycho-social factor so the problem could be stated in a way that would illustrate the relationship between psycho-social factors and elders’ maltreatment. According to Loiselle, McGrath, Polit, and Beck (2010), the statement of the problem must be easy to identify, has clear concepts and study population, has significance for nursing, and matches with the paradigms and methods used (p. 359). The article only implied that elderly maltreatment is common in long-term care settings and include various behaviors but did not establish a problem statement; thus, it was not easy to identify. Concepts and population under study are clear and establ ished a cogent and persuasive argument for the new study as the full prevalence of elderly maltreatment in long-term care facilities is unknown. The problem has significance for nursing as it will address the factors on the side of the nurse that leads to maltreatment, leading to prevention. The article matched with paradigms such as the theoretical model for predicting causes of elder maltreatmen

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Econ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Econ - Essay Example In this system, balance of payments is important for financial experts to analyze the currency’s supply and demand. The basic principle is that sales and purchases must be equal. When the supply of the currency exceeds the demand, then there is a balance of payments deficit. When it is the other way, then there is a balance of payments surplus (ibid. 759). In the heyday of government intervention adhering to strict communist principles, the value of the Chinese currency was determined in impractical values in comparison to its western counterparts. In 1978, the Chinese government put in place a dual track currency system where its currency can only be used locally and foreigners must deal through forex certificates. The rules set in currency exchange was also too stringent that there was seen a growth in the black market exchanges. For some time from the mid 90’s till 2005, the yuan was pegged to the value of USD in answer to the 1998 Asian financial crisis. Then in 200 3, the United States had the problem the Chinese exports became extremely competitive when the yuan and the dollar simultaneously dropped. As a consequence, EU and the g& called for a thorough exchange rate evaluation (Poleg n.p.). Bibliography Baumol, William J. and Alan S. Blinder.

Monday, September 23, 2019

IT project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

IT project management - Assignment Example It is a field that gives and collects all the services and processes that have a relationship with computing of data. Projects are one of the best practical experiences that are meant to achieve goals for the technology. They are normally endeavors that are temporal by having the start and end date and at the end a goal is achieved. IT Project management is the key role and responsibility of project managers to use in order to achieve the desired goals. The projects need some methodologies and processes including the tools which assist in the planning, moderation, and execution of the projects. The managers in the projects are the ones who are in charge of the gathering and organization of the resources needed in the development of the project. They also direct the usage of the resources in order to achieve the best production and results of the project. The IT project managers only manage the project relying on the data management and the information that is collected. It is the duty of the IT managers to ensure that the highest productivity is achieved from the project (Kerznar 2002). Software management is another key in maintaining the IT Project because it has the ability and capability of giving accurate information on the data being collected. Data that is being collected goes through stages for the result of the project to become successful. It is the duty of the staff management in the project staff to learn to solve large problems that are very crucial in the IT management team. In the management of projects, finding the solutions is moving to another world whereby the software is treated as a service. This optimizes the requirements needed in the IT project as directed by the project manager. Most of the tools used in the IT project are web based making the information of the project not to be in one place. This makes the project to have several database points creating communication that is quick

Sunday, September 22, 2019

My opinion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My opinion - Essay Example By looking at this, the shifting trends of competitive analysis and the sustainability of the organizations have also been possible. I think that the concept of people management and its role in the sustainability and competitiveness of the organization is directly proportional to one another. The example of Southwest airline mentioned in the article clearly suggests that despite of having the best rates of its stock, the company did not achieve success and growth; while, in the later years, it achieved competitive advantage by successfully competing in the industry with the help of its efficient labor force. The example of Nordstrom also suggests that the favorable employee compensation and benefits schemes led the store to success. The factors such as employment security, selectivity in recruiting, high wages, incentive pay, employee ownership, participation and empowerment, and their training and development contribute to the organization big time. I think that, besides the moneta ry benefits, even non monetary enhancements such as promotions and autonomy also helps enriching the employee’s morale.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Bertrand Russell disagreed with Berkeleys argument Essay Example for Free

Bertrand Russell disagreed with Berkeleys argument Essay George Berkeley was an Irish bishop and empiricist. His core philosophy was ‘esse est percipi’ this translates to, to be, is to be perceived. Berkeley believed that both primary and secondary objects were perceiver dependent believed that the world was not was not separate from the mind ergo; he was an immaterialist (we perceive things in the mind). He started his argument for empiricism by stating that in order for things to exist they must be perceived, due to holding this view point he thought that everything depends on the mind. This raises an immediate problem. If everything is perceiver dependent, what happens when an object is not being perceived? Does it simply pop out of existence? This argument does not seem coherent. This is due to the idea being an extremely irrational understanding of the world. The concept can also be disproved. This is because if we could put a video camera into a room and leave it so no one perceived the room and the objects in it and it would not disappear. Berkeley later added to his argument, as an attempt to solve this problem that no object is un-perceived. He claims objects do not disappear out of exist due to there being a constant perceiver, God. This is as God is omnipresent therefore, he always perceives the world. Thus objects do not pop out existence as they are constantly perceived. However by adding the existence of God to his argument it became weak. This is due to a huge assumption. This assumption is that God exists. There are many arguments both for and against God’s existence, such as the teleological argument and the problem of evil. It seems strange to base a theory of object’s existence on a being whose existence is unproven. Bertrand Russell disagreed with Berkeley’s argument for objects existences. Russell argued that if he was sat in his chair and his cat was in one corner of the room and he turned round on his chair and the cat was at the other side of the room, according to Berkeley there was only two possible ways this could have happened. Firstly the cat could have popped out of existence when Russell turned on his chair and then popped back into existence when he had turned back round. Or secondly, the cat could have walked across the room when he was turned on the chair due to God perceiving it. Russell claimed that these two possibilities were irrational and we could not use these two claims for the existence of objects.

Friday, September 20, 2019

How to Write a Science Essay

How to Write a Science Essay The steps to writing a science essay are much the same as any other type of essay: planning, research and analysis, outlining your ideas and then writing your prose. Once completed you need to edit your manuscript by carefully proofreading for content, context and format required by your instructor. Following a detailed discussion of each of these points, a discussion on the differences between science essays and other types of essays will be presented. If you think of this first paragraph as an example, your first paragraph tells your reader what you’re going to write about. Alternately, your first paragraph can be used to get your reader’s attention with statements or statistics on your topic in order to focus the read into the urgency of your topic. Planning When planning your essay one of the first steps is making sure you understand the research question posed to you by your instructor or that you understand specifically what the topic is about. If not do some preliminary ground work to gain either the level of understanding you need to follow through on the essay or to clarify the topic. The planning phase is also a time to strategise how you will carry out the process and how much time you will need. The larger the essay, the more important the planning phase and the longer the lead time you will require. A well-researched 10,000 word essay probably cannot be written the night before it is due; plan accordingly. Research and analysis While many individuals still use the library for research, the internet is also a source of great volumes of information. Depending on the area of science, professional organisations usually have websites with sections dedicated to publications as well as links to other websites that have professional sources of information. These are excellent sources of information. Additional sources available online include http://scholar.google.com or some of the professional academic databases. Try to stay away from general or generic websites such as www.wikipedia.com or www.ask.com as these are not considered valid sources for most university essays. Once all of your references are gathered and read, analysing your research is critical in order to make proper sense of what you’ve read. Only then can you be assured you have enough material to answer the question posed or to support the type of question you are asking in your essay. Preparing the outline Your outline can be as detailed or as high level as you believe appropriate for your essay. Many people skip outline preparation as an essay writing step if they have no problem organising their thoughts; but for others, the outline serves as a roadmap and a method of staying focused. The outline should serve to assure all topical areas are covered, that the essay has a proper flow of information, that it effectively answers the question posed or discusses all aspects of the topic you wish to cover in an effective manner. Writing the paper One way of transitioning from the outline to the essay is by organising the research you’ve gathered by outline section or point covered. Summarising your reference material and stating how it relates to your topic are your next steps. If you’ve not prepared an outline, your essay flow might resemble something like this: Introduction and background to the problem. Research question posed or topic selected Thematic presentation of the literature gathered on the topic or used to answer to the question. Discussion of how the material gathered relates to the topic or answers the question; perhaps how this relates to a specific area of professional practice. Conclusion summarising your essay. Once again, if you’ve not prepared an outline, it is critical you work hard to stay focused in your essay. The larger the topic area the more you may be tempted to veer off course. A well written science essay is focused. Proper essays require appropriate citations and referencing. There are many websites with formatting guides that accommodate MLA, APA, Harvard and just about any other format your instructor might request. Most science essays require either Harvard or AMA formatting. Be sure to check with your instructor for verification as many university professors will lower your grade if proper formatting is not followed. Conclusion The conclusion should be a short recap of what you’ve written. You’re essentially reminding the reader what you’ve told them and adding any concluding remarks you feel appropriate. Proofreading and editing Proofreading is essential! While it’s tempting to turn in a paper after you write the last word, careful proofreading and editing can make the difference in your grade. If you are using a word processing program, first run your spell-check. It will likely remove most spelling errors and question detected grammatical errors. Once you complete your spell check you need to carefully read your paper one or more times for typos and spelling errors that are not picked up by your spell-check. Additionally, it is important to review your writing for sentences that may be too lengthy – shorten them. Tightening up your writing by eliminating jargon and wordiness make for a more effective and enjoyable essay. How the science essay is different than others The science essay is different than many other types of essays. For example, psychology, marketing, sociology, anthropology or even management essays will all have specific theories you can reference. However, for subject areas such as these the types of research you are likely to find are both a mix of qualitative and quantitative. For the science essay, the type of research you will most likely find is only quantitative – those dealing with statistics and hard facts. Unless asked for your opinion the science essay is not the place to deal in grey areas. In order to write a well regarded science essay stick strictly to factual data and make sure you present your information in a similar fashion, factually. More information on writing the effective essay, proper formatting guides, journal article analysis, research methodologies and essay examples can be found online.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Arab - Israeli Wars :: essays research papers

Since the United Nations partition of PALESTINE in 1947 and the establishment of the modern state of ISRAEL in 1948, there have been four major Arab-Israeli wars (1947-49, 1956, 1967, and 1973) and numerous intermittent battles. Although Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979, hostility between Israel and the rest of its Arab neighbors, complicated by the demands of Palestinian Arabs, continued into the 1980s. THE FIRST PALESTINE WAR (1947-49) The first war began as a civil conflict between Palestinian Jews and Arabs following the United Nations recommendation of Nov. 29, 1947, to partition Palestine, then still under British mandate, into an Arab state and a Jewish state. Fighting quickly spread as Arab guerrillas attacked Jewish settlements and communication links to prevent implementation of the UN plan. Jewish forces prevented seizure of most settlements, but Arab guerrillas, supported by the Transjordanian Arab Legion under the command of British officers, besieged Jerusalem. By April, Haganah, the principal Jewish military group, seized the offensive, scoring victories against the Arab Liberation Army in northern Palestine, Jaffa, and Jerusalem. British military forces withdrew to Haifa; although officially neutral, some commanders assisted one side or the other. After the British had departed and the state of Israel had been established on May 15, 1948, under the premiership of David BEN-GURION, the Palestine Arab forces and foreign volunteers were joined by regular armies of Transjordan (now the kingdom of JORDAN), IRAQ, LEBANON, and SYRIA, with token support from SAUDI ARABIA. Efforts by the UN to halt the fighting were unsuccessful until June 11, when a 4-week truce was declared. When the Arab states refused to renew the truce, ten more days of fighting erupted. In that time Israel greatly extended the area under its control and broke the siege of Jerusalem. Fighting on a smaller scale continued during the second UN truce beginning in mid-July, and Israel acquired more territory, especially in Galilee and the Negev. By January 1949, when the last battles ended, Israel had extended its frontiers by about 5,000 sq km (1,930 sq mi) beyond the 15,500 sq km (4,983 sq mi) allocated to the Jewish state in the UN partition resolution. It had also secured its independence. During 1949, armistice agreements were signed under UN auspices between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. The armistice frontiers were unofficial boundaries until 1967. SUEZ-SINAI WAR (1956) Border conflicts between Israel and the Arabs continued despite provisions in the 1949 armistice agreements for peace negotiations. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs who had left Israeli-held territory during the first war concentrated in refugee camps along Israel's frontiers and became a major source of friction when they infiltrated back to their homes or

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Judaism Essay example -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"When people around the world were worshiping thunder and wind, the Jews had but one word to say - God.† Judaism is one of the three major religions in our society today along with Islam and Christianity. Judaism believes there is only one God who created and presides over the world. Their God is all powerful, all knowing and is in all places at all times. He is also compassionate and just. The Jewish religion is passed on via the mother of a child. If the mother is Jewish, the child is 100% Jewish. According to Jewish law, one will remain a Jew even if they don’t practice Judaism or they do not believe in God.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Israelites accepted the Ten Commandments from God at Mount Sinai therefore they devoted themselves to following a code of law which regulates both how they worship and how they should treat other people. The Ten Commandments were given to Abraham and they serve as a moral code not only for the Jews but for all of society. The Ten Commandments are as follows: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am the Lord your God 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You shall not recognize the gods of others in My presence 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Remember the day of Shabbat to keep it holy 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Honor your father and your mother 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You shall not murder 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You shall not commit adultery 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You shall not steal 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Do not give false testimony against your neighbor 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You shall not covet your fellow's possessions (http://godstenlaws.com/commandments.htm) The Torah is the Jewish holy book. Jews believe that it is God's instructions to the Jews with guidelines on how they should act, think and even feel about life. It includes every aspect of life, from birth through death. The Torah contains 613 commandments, but the Ten Commandments are considered the most important commandments. There are two parts to the Torah; The written and the oral Torah. The Written Torah contains:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. Five Books of Moses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &nb... ... and ending after dusk on the day of Yom Kippur. Jews refrain from eating and drinking anything on Yom Kippur. The Jews fast to atone for the sins they have committed through out the past year. Passover is the most widely observed Jewish holiday. On Passover, Jews all over the world conduct a Passover Seder. Seder means order or organization. The Passover Seder is a celebratory meal that is performed in an organized way so that all the commandments of Pesach will be performed. The Torah commands Jews on Passover to tell the story of the Exodus and to eat matzah. On Passover Jews must eat bitter herbs this is done to remind them of the Israelites' suffering. They must also eat extra matzah called afikoman to remind them of the sacrifice of Passover. They must recite Hallel psalms of praise, drink four cups of wine, and demonstrate acts of freedom such as sitting with a pillow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Believers of Judaism await the coming of the Messiah. The importance placed on a future occurrence is one of the strongest factors that is responsible for the continuance of any religion. It supports the need to follow the customs, ethics, morals of the particular belief system.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Lofts at Las Colinas Apartments

My area of choice is Irving, Texas. My evaluation shall be based on a one bedroom apartment. The cost of renting apartments across this area will vary depending on various factors, some of which include the location of the apartment, how pet friendly it is, and the amenities available (e.g. swimming pool, fitness center, high speed internet, etc.).The ten apartments that I shall evaluate are: Archstone at MacArthur Apartments (located on 1100 Hidden Ridge Road), Lincoln Lakeside (on 6727 Deseo), Huntington Ridge Apartments (situated at 4220 Esters Road), Hillcrest Apartments (located on 3149 West Walnut Hill Lane), Tuscan Villas Apartments (located on 6445 Love Dr), Delano Apartments (located on 1001 Lake Carolyn Parkway).Lofts at Las Colinas Apartments (located on 1050 Lake Carolyn Parkway), Glen Arbor Apartments (located on 4003 N Belt Line Rd), and Surrey Oaks I and Surrey Oaks II Apartments (both located on 1814 Estrada Parkway) (MyNewPlace, 2008).Standard amenities across all th ese apartments include a pool, spa, package receiving, storage space, a fitness center, a BBQ/Picnic area, and on-site maintenance. For a standard one bedroom house, Archstone at MacArthur charges an average rate of $845. In addition to these amenities, the location of Archstone at MacArthur is ideal. Situated in the heart of Las Colinas, it is sandwiched between shopping malls and restaurants.Las Colinas’ central location between   Dallas and Fort Worth and its proximity to the DFW Airport has made it a magnet for the offices of corporate bodies, and also boasts of luxury hotels, country clubs, exclusive resorts and luxurious mansions. This has made it a prestigious address both for up market homes and offices and it remains a planned community. In addition, pets are also allowed (MyNewPlace, 2008).Lincoln Lakeside Apartments, in La Villita, San Antonio, charge much more than Archstone at MacArthur Apartments.At $930, these apartments however offer more amenities. In addit ion to the amenities offered by Archstone at MacArthur Apartments, Lincoln Lakeside also offers high speed internet, a sundeck, a business center, and a clubhouse. These extra facilities would help explain the higher rates charged.Like the Las Colinas, La Villita is a planned community, located on the eastern banks of the San Antonio River, and is served by a large number of shops, galleries and restaurants. It is in the Central Loop (â€Å"downtown San Antonio†) area which is bound by Interstates 35, 37 and the US highway 90, which run around it (MyNewPlace, 2008).Lofts at Las Colinas Apartments charge even more. At $1, 219 for a one bedroom apartment, it is one of the most expensive addresses in Irving. However, it offers much more in the way of both amenities and location than either Lincoln Lakeside or Archstone at MacArthur.In addition to the standard facilities and in addition to high speed internet, a sundeck, a business center and a clubhouse, Lofts at Las Colinas Apa rtments offer controlled access, a courtyard, night patrol, a rec room, and elevators.In addition, it offers access to four major freeways, is located at the heart of the Los Colinas CBD, and fronts the promenade of the Lake Carolyn. It restricts some breeds of pets and as a matter of policy allows a maximum of only two pets (MyNewPlace, 2008).In contrast, apartments such as Surrey Oaks 1 Apartments which have only the standard amenities cost much, much lower. At Surrey Oaks 1, one would pay an average of only $450.Surrey Oaks II, with the only extra feature being night time patrols, go for a comparable rate of $470. Glen Arbor Apartments, which have similar amenities and no extras, go for only $489. Hillcrest Apartments have even fewer amenities and charge only $480 for a one bedroom apartment. At $535, Huntington Ridge Apartments throw in an extra benefit in the form of night patrols (MyNewPlace, 2008).At an average rate of $979 for a one bedroom apartment, Delano Apartments are a lso considered upscale. Reflective of the rates are the extra amenities that the apartments offer. In addition to the standard facilities that one would find in Surrey Oaks for example, Delano Apartments also offer concierge services, a sundeck, elevators, high speed internet, a courtyard, a rec room, a clubhouse, and a business center.Like the Delano Apartments, Tuscan Hill Villas Apartments also charge premium rates for more top-of-the-class amenities. At $935 a month for a one bedroom apartment, the apartments have all the facilities that upscale apartments such as Delano, Lofts at Las Colinas, and Lincoln Lakeside Apartments offer (MyNewPlace, 2008).An examination of the location also shows that homes that are considered upscale (more luxurious and comfortable) charge higher rates. This explains why the exclusive Lofts at Las Colinas is almost two times as expensive as Surrey Oaks 1.   Those with more amenities are more expensive.That explains why Delano is much more costly th an Hillcrest. Those apartments which are located close to transit systems, in downtown locations, or close to shopping malls charge relatively higher rates than those which are not.Lofts at Las Colinas’ close proximity to the downtown of both Dallas and Fort Worth has certainly also contributed to the princely sum of $1,219 that it charges for a one bedroom apartment. Areas that charge more than $900 are considered upscale (MyNewPlace, 2008).

Monday, September 16, 2019

Before the Volcano Erupted: The Ancient Cerén Village in Central America

The archaeological site of Joya del Ceren, located in the broad Zapotitan Valley in the fertile region of western El Salvador, is a remarkable and important find that has been compared to the ancient ruined cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy. Like Pompeii, Joya del Ceren was preserved under layers of volcanic ash in the catastrophic Loma Caldera eruption from the nearby Ilopango volcano approximately 600 AD. This eruption forced the sudden abandonment of the site by its inhabitants who were forced to leave their possessions behind.Dr Payson Sheets of the University of Colorado-Boulder has been leading the excavations of the site, and as this ancient farming village of the Maya is now being revealed, many important insights into the household and community life of the ancient Maya, as well as their economic, social, and religious activities are becoming better understood. In Dr. Sheets’ book, Before the Volcano Erupted: The Ancient Ceren Village in Central America, an o verview of the knowledge gained by recent excavations is provided.The book opens with a discussion of volcanology, geophysics, and paleobotany. It is clear that the presence of the nearby volcanic hills around the site presented both benefits and hazards to the ancient inhabitants. The volcano provided a source of hard stones for making manos and metates, its ancient eruptions deposited a fertile bed of ash for fruitful agriculture, but it also proved the destruction of their village.What is so amazing is the fine state of preservation that the volcanic eruption gave to the material culture of the site. The buildings, complete with their thatched roofs (mice included) and painted walls, the beautifully painted gourds and pottery vessels, whole and filled with foodstuffs, liquid residues, utensils and other personal items, the craft tools, and the clear evidence of craft production are all on hand, looking untouched despite their fourteen centuries of age. Consider this remarkable st atement:â€Å"The numerous seasonally sensitive plants preserved at the site indicate the eruption probably occurred in August. Further, the positions and conditions of artifacts indicate the eruption probably occurred in the early evening, after dinner was served but before the dishes were washed, likely between 6:00 and 7:00 P. M. † (Sheets) For all the fury and destruction that volcanoes can cause, such an outcome is nevertheless a joy to historians and archaeologists, and should be to anyone curious about the lives of prehistoric peoples.The focus of the explorations at Joya del Ceren is centered on â€Å"Household Archaeology,† with the household being defined as â€Å"the domestic coresidential social and adaptive unit intermediate between the individual and the neighborhood. † (Sheets) Part II of the book describes the four households excavated prior to publication, with eleven building having been completely excavated, and seven others partially excavate d. Professor Sheets summarizes the work to date as follows:Four buildings of Household 1 have been excavated, including a domicile (for sleeping, eating, and various daytime activities), a storehouse, a kitchen, and a ramada-style building that occasionally was used for chipped stone tool maintenance, among other functions (Structures 1, 6, 11, and 5, respectively). Two buildings of Household 2 have been excavated, the domicile and the storehouse (Structures 2 and 7). The kitchen has yet to be excavated, and we do not know if Structure 18 is a part of this household.Only a part of the kitchen of Household 3 is known (Structure 16). The storehouse of Household 4 has been excavated, and it is a storehouse and much more (Structure 4). The maguey (Agave americana) garden south of the building produced fiber for about a dozen households; the leaves were depulped to liberate the fibers using Structure 4's northeast corner pole. † (Sheets) The results of these excavations revealed a good deal about household and village life of the people of the Maya frontier circa 600 AD.We have an expanded view of what they ate (maize, beans, chiles, squash, manioc, maguey, cacao and guayaba among others), the wealth they possessed (over 70 vessels in household 1 alone), and their source of livelihood (both subsistence farming and craft specialization). Indeed it is possible to speculate that each household produced a certain type of finished craft for export trade within or beyond the village.Sheets describes how â€Å"each household overproduced at least one craft or commodity and used that for exchange within the community and to obtain long-distance traded items that generally were produced by specialists, such as obsidian tools, hematite pigments, and jade axes. † (Sheets) It is shown how household 1 produced groundstone items such as manos and metates, and a tool called a donut stone. Household 2 likely served as a painted gourd factory, as evidenced by the prese nce of cinnabar paints and the use-wear on chipped stone tools found at the site.In addition to the household structures, some other community buildings have been identified. These include Structure 9, a large sweat bath that could accommodate a dozen people , structure 10, considered to be a religious festival building of some kind, as evidenced by the presence of some sacred artifacts, such as a deer skull headdress, and an obsidian blade with traces of human blood. There is also a large community center or civic complex, perhaps used for local government functions or religious purposes or both. The religious buildings were painted white and are the only white buildings found at the site.Some of the agricultural fields have been examined, and the results are very interesting. For example, the rows for maize were ridged, and some areas show where portions of the crop have already been harvested and the ground replanted with the second crop for the year. Many species of plants are i dentified by plaster casting, including â€Å"maize, beans, chiles, squash, manioc, maguey, various trees such as cacao and guayaba, and a number of palm and deciduous trees. † (Sheets) The manioc field is known as the first evidence of the cultivation of this crop in the Americas.In a recent CU-Boulder news release article, Sheets said â€Å"we have long wondered what else the prehistoric Mayan people were growing and eating besides corn and beans, so finding this field was a jackpot of sorts for us. Manioc's extraordinary productivity may help explain how the Classic Maya at huge sites like Tikal in Guatemala and Copan in Honduras supported such dense populations. † The work at Joya del Ceren is far from over. The book explains how the archaeologists are using ground penetrating radar equipment to locate numerous other buildings for future excavations.As time goes on, the riches of Joya del Ceren will continue to emerge from the ashes. Before the Volcano Erupted: The Ancient Ceren Village in Central America is a rather typical archaeological report, fairly dry for reading, but full of fascinating information if you take the time to pick through it. What is important is what the Archaeology of the site can teach us of the ancient people that lived there. The site must be an outstanding place to visit, for to see such well-preserved artifacts would surely spark the imagination.I would surely recommend the book to anyone interested in the Maya, in archaeology and history in general, or to anybody that is curious about the way that ordinary people from the past may have lived their lives. Works Cited Sheets, Payson. â€Å"CU-Boulder Archaeology Team Discovers First Ancient Manioc Fields In Americas. † CU-Boulder News. August 20, 2007. http://www. colorado. edu/news/releases/2007/305. html Sheets, Payson (ed. ) Before the Volcano Erupted: The Ancient Ceren Village in Central America. Boulder, Colorado. 2002

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Existentialism in the Stranger and the Metamorphosis Essay

â€Å"We are thrown into existence first without a predetermined nature and only later do we construct our nature or essence through our actions. †(Existentialism)This quote is present through the main characters of The Stranger, Blade Runner, and The Metamorphosis in each of these works the characters create their own nature. These works are similar several ways; in all three the men create their own nature by the free choices they make. Through these choices they also create their own values. The characters values and meanings of life are where these works differ. Initially, in The Metamorphosis, Gregor’s life seems to have meaning, through providing for his family, until he changes into a bug and determines for himself that his life really has no meaning. This is very unlike The Stranger because Meursault, throughout the entire work, lives his life as if there is no meaning to life and he dies knowing this. Finally Deckard, at the beginning of his life, seems to have lived his life with no meaning or values, until he encounters Roy and Rachael who change his perspective. Throughout these works these men make makes choices that determine who they are and what their about, but ultimately every one of them knows their subsequent mortality. It is clearly understood through Meursault’s narration that life to him is meaningless. The choices he makes and things he says are without thought or meaning. They are usually in the spur of the moment of what will please him. For example the novel starts by Meursault telling the audience â€Å"Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the home: â€Å"Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours. † That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was yesterday†(The Stranger). Meursault treats his mother’s death with the same demeanor with which he will later treat the death of the Arab. Both of these events are usually different in the types of emotions they reveal, but Meursault shows no emotion at all. He just goes through the day to day motions of life. Through his narration and the tone of the novel the reader is clearly able to determine Meursault lives with no emotion or essence. He accepts who he is and his mortality. In the end he accepts a punishment that is not worthy of the crime. He knows even if he doesn’t get executed he will die anyway whether its ten years from now or fifty. Clearly The Stranger questions the reader whether humans really have a meaning for life since in the end everyone will die and be forgotten. It seems that Camus meant to get the point across that in life there is no predetermined nature people create it through their choices. Meursault chooses to live his life with little or no meaning. Unlike Marie who falls in love with Meursault and chooses to support him even though he didn’t care if they got married. Like Marie in The Stranger Gregor, who is the main character, in The Metamorphosis has a mean and value to his life. Gregor supports his family because his father failed and never went back to work. Gregor had it all good job, money, and ability. He chose to support his family and allow them to live a nice life while he worked and traveled with little time for himself. Gregor doesn’t like his job, but he chooses to stay because it offers good money and he will pay of debt. All of these choices are Gregor’s they are what he based his life off of. When he changes into a bug his mentality is altered. He begins to realize that all that he did for his family eventually is forgotten and soon he is forgotten about too. Kafka relates this to the human race and its inevitable end. When humans die in the beginning they are remembered, but slowly people forget, or lose interest, until eventually that person is totally forgotten about and life goes on. This previous statement is clearly seen in the novel when the family moves and decides that is time to marry off their daughter. They never mention anything about the loss of their son. In Blade Runner the main character Deckard destroys replicants. He does his job and usually never questions the reasons why he destroys the human-like robots. The director seems to try to get across the point early that Deckard lives a meaningless life. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants. At first it seems like he lives a life much like Meursault, but later it becomes clear that he is trying to find a meaning for life. When talking to Roy, Deckard realizes that in life everyone is going to die and that everything that person did would be forgotten and lost. At the same time Roy explains the value of life, the choices, love, and things humans can experience. Blade Runner tries to get across to the viewer that they are who they want to be and that in the end the choices and things they’ve seen will be forgotten and meaningless. In all three works the slogan â€Å"Existence precedes Essence† (Existentialism) is present. Each one of the main characters makes their choices which determine their nature. Every one of the characters at some point realizes that they all share a common trait with the rest of the human race and that is death. They also know that in the end they will be forgotten about and eventually everyone will move on with their lives as if they never existed. These works differ in the way each character goes about their lives. Meursault believes there is no meaning to life so he lives his life on the fly. He does whatever pleases him. Gregor begins with a life he has chosen for himself only to realize that eventually all that he has done will be forgotten and lost. Finally Deckard begins with no meaning and tries to determine a meaning through replicants. He realizes that the choices in his life are what makes his life meaningful. Throughout these works Existentialism was present. The characters offered a glimpse of the reason for existence. Whether it was for providing for a family or killing replicants each one of the character in the end determined that life was only the choices that they make. Ultimately they all learned that everything they did and chose to do was meaningless when they were dead and there is no way to avoid it.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Vegan vs Vegetarian

Vegan And Vegetarian Being a vegan in many ways could help the world from suffering the hunger and many more issue such as the global warming, because veganism ideology doesn’t to use even an animal product and not to eat all kind of meat. But sometimes, a vegan mostly becomes an activist of the animal rights, and even worse a vegan sometimes can become very fanatic, for example some of them won’t come to movies which contain an animal in the play, because they know that the animal was being pushed to do the exact scenario.While being a vegetarian is consuming non-meat food, but still can consume any dairy product, such as milks and eggs. And being a vegetarian is only a belief for some people who usually become a vegetarian for some primary target, sometimes it could be to be healthy or for diets only, because based on the research, being a vegetarian is the healthiest diets ever after being a vegan which is healthier. Since being a vegan is more difficult than being a vegetarian, and then I myself assume that most of vegan people must be started from being a vegetarian.So being a vegan is a higher class above a vegetarian, it’s like being a vegan is taking a next step from being a vegetarian, but still there are many people who does be a vegan immediately, means they don’t start from being a vegetarian. In addition, if every people in the world is being vegans, then the world would never suffering the hunger and the stocks of the food can be multiplied by 3, because the food that we used to raised dairy animal isn’t equal to the result of the meat.

Book review: 1776 by David McCullough Essay

Thesis statement   The year 1776 was the year of battle for the revolutionary war. Great Britain had abandoned slavery many years ago but the revolutionaries had not stopped up until 1862 when they decided to stop it. Book summary The book talks of the revolution in the good year 1776. It was a year that was well started with the barefoot boys and men who came to the farm and the streets to become an army of provincials. According McCullough (1), the old men and the little boys were playing the fife and drum. After chasing the red cots from Boston, later the rag tag revolutionaries of British subjects who had few guns were chased from New York. The book advocates of the ill clad fundamentals and traitors to the top people who fought the legal government that was composed of 13 colonies. On July that year the continental congress took a step forward to dissolve the relationship with Britain. It was considered to be a dangerous move of fighting the most powerful nation of the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   King George was not happy with this and spoke before the parliament to order the revolution to be stopped. The commanders chosen by the king had their own view on this revolution. Lord George German thought that the upheaval had crushed with a critical drive. Edmund Burke was speaking considerably for the pioneers of the revolution but used to term it as their colonies. After 236 years the early part was considered to be a myth and history and the revolution was already forgotten. McCullough (1) emphasizes that the CIA can fight revolutionaries; these are the people who flock behind the populists as Fidel’s and trespass out for Oriented province into Havana. The year 1776 had its Tories who would flee behind the British lines to spy against the Americans and withdraw through the islands of Nova Scotia and common wealth. The black slaves would join the Tories when necessary. Great Britain had abandoned slavery many years ago but the revoluti onaries had not stopped up until 1862 when they decided to stop it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   David McCullough a great story and good record that is an action adventure of a history. He wrote about the myths and stories of the people who would write to the leaders of the nation. However it is believed that the story of David McCullough does not come true. The king, George Washington would always stay brave and straight always as this was a requirement for a leader. Everyone believed in him to lead them in the fights, encouraging and examination of the men in order to learn them. The king was referred as the Virginia gentleman who came after the introduction of the dollar. The English colony or the world power lies on the braveness of this king who introduced the most valuable money in the whole world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However there has been a decline in the nations economy. The revolutionary that took place put the constitution in danger. There was an introduction of a democratic government that was ruled by law and not kings. The formation of a government is the start of having a nation in a country. The king was a brave person and presented his character as symbol that he can solve the problems of the nation. He was elected at the continental congress though he was not sure of his eligibility. The king had a burden of defeat and failures in various areas, people were dead and others were continuing to die. Also he was burdened by the men who could not act on the attack that was heading towards the Delaware River to stop the battle of Brooklyn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The beginning of august came with the rebel siege of Boston and Washington discovered that the available gunpowder was only 10, 000pounds. This was not enough to fight the experienced British army and hired Hessians who were well equipped with better weapons. Cowley & Beevor stressed that, the army had about nine rounds per man and this was not sufficient to beat the British army and hired Hessians. In December 1776 were the difficult moments for most of the men. Washington was tempted when his army became undisciplined and would go away after their period of service was over. He had difficult times of changing the army in the middle of the battle. The congress had given him a command to handle the army but not enough money. This is what made the army to go away very easily in the middle of the battle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fort Washington and his army were defeated in the disastrous Battle of Brooklyn and this led to the loss of New York City. In this battle the continental Army was the only successful withdrawal and this left their enemies surprised that they are defeated but it did not mean that they would win the battles. The army matched with fear towards Philadelphia where two men became frozen to death during the march. General Nathaniel Green suggested wisely of a trail of goods that were to be taken as long as the British navy and the nature of New York arrive at the port. Washington was seen to continue defending facts that could no longer be defended. He was brave and charismatic and would lead the colonies to nationhood but he was not always right.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fort Washington surrender on the 16th of November and this was a severe blow to the colonists. It was a big blow to the colonists at the time, Two thousand of the colonists were taken to prison, fifty-nine killed, one hundred and forty six guns were lost to the British and Hessians within hours. However, the loss of fort Washington created a new achievement in that a new heroine known as Molly Corbin. She was the widow of John Corbin who came from Pennsylvania. She was a brave colonial woman who accompanied her husband into the battle and after his death she took his position. She continued loading and firing the cannon until she was shot nearly to have her arm removed. This is when her captors allowed her to go back to her home in Pennsylvania.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story given by McCullough is clearly described with maps and clear descriptions of the forces placement and the landscape. The scene in the battles can be represented by movies of blood, spear and glory. In this book there is good explanation of why Washington crossed the Delaware. The withdrawal from New York was accomplished without losing the army and the war that outnumbered the British and their navy. In order to cross the Delaware, the General with his staff planned to pass above Trenton and New Jersey by three elements of his army. However only one element could succeed in crossing due to the blowing cold wind and snow. The other two elements of flanks would be prevented from crossing by the freezing river.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      On 3rd of August 1776, the soldiers were ordered to prohibit blasphemy. The American values have changed definitely since the troops are now allowed to have an opportunity to attend public workshop. They are also permitted to rest after going through the great fatigue. In future, the General except at the shipyards or on special occasions excuses them from fatigue duty on Sundays. The General cannot be pleased with the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing. The officers are expected not have the influence of these practices. Strengths and weakness of the book This book is seen to be an amazing book because it is not exactly a book but an experience. It was designed to instill a feeling of pride among the people who served them. The book does not cover many of the areas that readers expected from his book. Hence more details should have been given about the revolutionary war. To add on the book is not clear because many readers may find themselves not remembering anything about the revolutionary war at the end of the book. The book is seen to be attractive as well as convincing; this is because it is written in an educational approach that makes the reader feel present at the events that are happening. Conclusion   The book is a very detailed account of the American revolutionary war as told by chronicles of the real people who lived through it. The only thing it did not mention a whole lot was the pivotal role Vin diesel played when taking the guns from Ft. Greyskull or the path where George Washington jumped the Delaware River on his wacky big front wheel bike. Work Cited McCullough David, 1776, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005:1-4 Cowley Robert & Beevor Anthony, What ifs? Of American history: Eminent historians Imagine what might have been. USA: Penguin group. 2004. Drake Samuel, the Campaign of Trenton, 1776-1777, Washington DC: Lee & Shepard, 2007:23-30 Dwyer William, the day is ours, November 1776-January 1777, an inside view of the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, New York: Viking press. 1983: 101-156 Wood Gordon. The creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787. New York city: UNC Press. 1998: 1-9

Friday, September 13, 2019

Trusts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Trusts - Essay Example There are a number of benefits where trust is concerned. For instance, specific terms can be made hence controlling who or when distributions can be made (Ramjohn, 8). Agatha was a renowned business woman in London who was believed to be without parents and grew up in the streets. She had a fleet of public transit buses, 20 business stores, 5 clothing lines, and 30 restaurants among others. As fate would have it, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer final stages. Like any other person would do, she knew that she had to leave a responsible person to manage the assets. Her firstborn son was business oriented. Her youngest daughter was barely 16 years old. In her trust therefore, she let his son benefit from the business stores and the public transit buses only when he would marry and have at least one child. The rest of the property was a trust for her daughter Eva, after completing her master’s level of education so that she would be at a better position to manage. This infor mation was taken with great amazement by her children as none of them had any idea in the first place how much their mother had left for them. She had not shown any signs that she was leaving anything behind for them as they knew that she owned nothing much. Meanwhile, the family lawyer was left in charge of all property. A trust that is properly structured can protect an asset the creditors of the beneficiary or beneficiaries who are not at a position to wisely manage their money. A trust can also be allowed to change from a public record and become private (Watt & Todd, 20). Robert was brought up from a very rich background. However, due to peer influence and the fact that his parents never denied him anything, he turned out to be an arrogant man and a drunk. Unfortunately, his parents were involved in a road accident and were pronounced dead at the arrival of the hospital. As the only child, he was placed on a trust for the family business, a top cream 5 star hotel, only when he would stop taking alcohol and own up. When Robert learnt about the trust, he was taken aback. He never would have thought that his parents would ever make him a beneficiary for anything due to his irresponsible behavior. It took him a few days and Robert sought ways of becoming sober. The board of the hotel was therefore placed in charge until then (Watt & Todd, 45). Types of trusts Marital Trust- this is whereby the beneficiary is the surviving spouse. Adam, a mechanical engineer working for Ford Motors Company, has been overly ill. At the time of his date, he made a trust for his wife as a beneficiary of all his businesses which was approximated to be about a $2,000,000. This was done by Adam without his wife’s knowledge with his reason being that she may not carry his wishes to terms. He made his wife the beneficiary so that she would be at a position to educate their two children, Paul and Eva. Adam knew his wife too well and there was no other kin he had in mind to carry such obligations rather than his wife. Adam had not given his wife reason to believe that he would place a trust on for her. At first, his wife thought it was a big joke the minute she learnt about the figure placed in her trust. That is the time that she realized how much her husband believed in her. Charitable lead trust- This kind of trust allows some benefits or assets to go to charity and what remains can go to the beneficiaries (Clements & Ademola, 121). Thomas is a person who has worked at a number of hospitals. The last years of his living, he worked for Penzance hospital. He has several houses in St Ives and Penzance. In his will, Thomas decided to place a trust for charity in the Cornwall County. The charity was to

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Social Responisbility and marketing ethics Coursework

Social Responisbility and marketing ethics - Coursework Example Employees also require more than just a paycheck and the society generally requires the firm to be a better corporate citizen, employ from the community, take care of the environment and so on. Regulators require the firm to tow the legal line and communities expect firms to be philanthropic enough and give back by reaching out to the community and assisting them in what they do. Milton Friedman, who was an American statistician, economist as well as a writer is accredited with the above statement. Some examples of socially responsible product decisions include; the Body Shop created a lasting business model by virtue of investing in the development as well as encouragement of products that shun animal testing in addition to using ingredients that are environmentally friendly. The second is decision by Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics –spent 3 years on research and development to come up with a soap not made from palm oil (Bryan, 2010). The concept of sustainability is a step in the right direction and that businesses should embrace since it creates the potential to maintain a system functioning indefinitely without necessarily depleting resources, maintains economic viability as well as nourishing the requirements of not only the present but also future generations. Though there are rising indications that many American businesses at present are not sustainable, there have been efforts to make others sustainable. A number of visionary business managers and owners are already assisting create consensus by building and maintaining organizations that are sustainable (Steven, 2013). To those who feel that marketing is manipulating the consumer, the answer would be that they need to realize that marketing exists since there is a product developed by a company that it needs to sell to people. A company therefore will use any possible means to make sure that consumers are aware of the product so they can go out and buy the

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

TOPIC FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE MUST BE FIRST HAND EXPIERENCE WRITTEN Essay - 1

TOPIC FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE MUST BE FIRST HAND EXPIERENCE WRITTEN IN OWN OWRDS USING THE PRONOUN I - Essay Example I happen to have a very good handwriting, too bad it never helped me in getting good grades when it came to Algebra. I looked around to see a whole lot of people were busy talking and laughing. Some were hard at work and some were simply copying stuff from the others. Thinking that I should also get to work now, I turned my attention to the textbook. I turned the book few pages back to look up some pointers on cyclic equations. Sitting right behind me, Kimberly and Amy were comparing notes about how to best avoid split ends in hair. I tugged at my ponytail, groaning inwardly at their frizzy texture. Suddenly, I realized I had been staring at the same page for past ten minutes, contemplating uselessly on hair care. Bracing myself, I got back to work and resolved not to get distracted again. To my surprise, the first few steps of the problem went well but halfway through I found myself stuck again. Mike, from the other row, chose the moment to disrupt the class with his famous imitation of buzzing bees. Fuming inwardly, I tried to concentrate but to no avail. I ended up spending another five minutes making tiny flowers around the page number and a face right above the Exercise heading. â€Å"This looks better now†, I thought looking at the page number. I looked around to find a completely engrossed Hannah, sitting next to me, had solved the problem and was already jotting down the next one. I felt the usual wave of frustration building up inside me at the difficult nature of this subject. Irritated with my lack of concentration, I compared my work with Hannah’s and learnt that the reason I was stuck with very wrong looking values was because I had made a few dumb mistakes. Taking the lead from her, I set about correcting my work. I was confident that I will be able to solve it then. Hannah was kind enough to explain the equation functions to me. Patiently bearing my occasional spacing out due to noise distractions in

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

I don't have an exact topic right now Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I don't have an exact topic right now - Essay Example He even mentions one of his top ranking songs if the scale for each has to be chosen. But in as much as this ranking may be, he owes Thunder Road the attention it depicts by the more number of times he listens to it. In his explanation as to the reverence the song is accorded, he insists that the song is more than just mere experiences they yield (Hornby, 16). Will, as he is giving the account of his work on the Lyrical Ballads, especially when he points out to the experience in â€Å"Dead weight† is categorically to mention that in as much as he is going to remark various subjects of life; music can be such captivating and eventually make one wholly submerged into the whole process. This he points out when he says, â€Å"The twins looked like they’d been concocted in some secret lab buried deep in the vanilla heart of America† (Will, 73). Will confirms the sentiments, exemplifying this to Hornby’s account in the context of Thunder Road; music and its powe r to captivate is dictated by the aura with which it is presented. When this treatment is given to a piece of literature, a distinction must emanate from the individual items when subjected to comparisons. These judgments are based on many factors other than just emotions. They have under the scope, spatial scrutiny, time connections, just to mention but a few. Songs can vary in effect and outcome and this basically stems from an artiste’s structuring which in effect influences the listener’s preference for them. Will accounts this in one of the scenarios when he writes, â€Å"†¦one of the guys ran out of the songs and told me they were cutting the sound†¦. It started to happen: all thought and conscious effort dropped away†¦. After three more songs, I could feel myself rising.† (Will, 85). These genres are especially given a variety approach so that they are likable by a wide range of age groups; often brought about by the

Monday, September 9, 2019

Heritage Tourism UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Heritage Tourism UK - Essay Example The heritage tourism’s main product issues include knowledge management and transfer, The danger of over-supply, Geographical concentration, Product standardization, competition, Dead, Changes in education, Forgotten and ignored themes, Soft heritage and hard heritage, The medium in relation to the message, Quality and customer satisfaction, Commercialization or conservation, Changing nature of the market, competition. The need for partnerships, popular culture and heritage, and Making the past relevant to the present and future (Sethi, P. 1999:213).The small tourism enterprises highly depend on knowledge manipulation (Nagle, G. 2002:128). A good number of willing clients will not visit the various heritage tourism sites unless they have information of its existence. The product role of marketing in tourism is to make the potential clients aware of the services that the company is offering. The product for tourism may include a bus tour, a hotel stay, a cruise and many others. The management, therefore, has a huge responsibility of making sure that the information gets to their clients. They attain this by creating awareness campaigns to lure the potential clients. They create awareness either through mass media or internet. However, the as the small-scale tourism enterprises venture into creating awareness, there is an alarm on oversupply which might lead to congestion of the sites (Timothy, 2011:214). The UK is rich in heritage, and the wide variety of its heritage attractions proves it. As time goes on, the mode in which heritage is presented to the visitors is becoming ever more predictable. A tourist could for example, walk into a museum and correctly predict what to expect. This has highly affected the small tourism enterprises as it reduces the number of potential clients. Quality and customer satisfaction are important in management in all industries. The quality of the services that the enterprises render to their clients plays a very big role in improving the industry (Graham,

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Autocallable Structured Notes - involving the knowledge of exotic Essay

Autocallable Structured Notes - involving the knowledge of exotic options and portfolio replicating skills - Essay Example With reference to the term sheet, the issued autocallable structured notes however are principal protected which is a significant deviation in the structure of the security since it was originally issued. One issue which is more prominent since the launch of this type of security is its pricing. Pricing models have now proposed a new approach to the pricing of autocallable structured note by incorporating stochastic volatility by taking on the correlation between the interest and equity. Due to the high return offered by these structured notes owing to their inherent structure as they tend to increase in value when markets go down as well as when markets are rising. The reason for the issuance of these investment securities during Oct/November 2007 was because of the fact that due to credit crunch in the financial sector at International Level and resulting volatility in the equity markets resulted in creating opportunities for the investors to engineer instruments which provide a confirmed high return coupled with principal protection. This fact can also be corroborated in the sense that the overall credit crunch in western financial institutions resulted in upward surge in the interest rates hence necessitating a raise in the required rate of return by the investors in the equity markets also. Since these structured notes are structured in a way that they either go in tandem with some benchmarking rates like LIBOR thus any fluctuation in benchmarking rates also pu sh the returns on these instruments in more favorable position for the investors. Apart from that autocallables are considered as yield enhancement strategies. Trading units and size of the issue do not seem to be having any implications on the risk return profile of the investor however it must also be noted that the underlying currency of the asset may have some implications on the value since any changes in the interest rates will have impact on the exchange rates and this may

Saturday, September 7, 2019

What were the idealistic qualities of communism Research Paper

What were the idealistic qualities of communism - Research Paper Example It was based on the economic principle of ability and need. The principle enunciated by Marx was followed by Russian communist leadership, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs†. Class domination was abolished as it was not conducive to the welfare of the masses. Production was not for profit and human labor had a new social role. The State was in absolute control of all the economic activities. Worker worked with the missionary zeal and produced commodities not for the profit of his individual master, but he was part of the collective efforts for the welfare of the state. He would work hard to give maximum output. Political power was not an instrument of organized class oppression as under Capitalism and Socialism and classes stood dissolved and there was no possibility of class oppression. Every human being shared equal responsibility, but all this was mere idealism and the grassroots realities for the common man were entirely different and they went through a period of unmentionable miseries. The realities of daily life for people living under Stalin Stalin did not learn something from his own sufferings in childhood and inflicted cruelties on the people and terrorized those who opposed him. He sent his political opponents to prison and labor camps, where grueling hard work awaited them. As a youth leader he had taken part in violent attacks and strikes and he continued with the same working style on getting the supreme position of power in the communist hierarchy in Russia. He initiated the five year plans for development of Russian economy, introduced collective farming, and took away land from the rich farmers to created state-owned farms. This was his first stroke of highhandedness to destroy the farming community and their individuality. He hoped for bumper production of food grains but that did not happen and many people starved. On the political front, he usurped more power and those who opposed his reforms were eit her shot dead or sent to Siberia. He created a dreaded intelligence agency to spy over the activities of people and to collect information from all over the world. Destiny played its part and more suffering awaited the people of Russia. World War II broke out and in 1941 Hitler broke the pact and invaded Russia. The Soviet army defeated the Germans and in the process millions of military personnel and the civilians died. A section of the people benefited during the regime of Stalin. He supported women empowerment, gave them jobs and education. On the economic front, with the improvement in transportation facilities and with the construction of new railway lines, people heaved a sigh of relief. Stalin exhibited sterling qualities of a statesman, when Germans captured Yakov, son from his first wife; they desired to trade him for a German Officer. Stalin did not relent and asserted that he had millions of sons and that Germans must free all or none of them. Communist ideology did not t hrive under Stalin and people suffered much. The original revolutionaries lost much of their fire and inspiration and exploitation of the people began. Turn the pages of history, and we find that the people were always attracted by the lofty ideals of fraternity equality and liberty. When these rights were denied to majority of the citizens, societies went through great convulsions. With the onset of industrial revolution, workers migrated from rural areas to towns and lived in a new set up. Gradually, the worker became a victim of injustice, harassment and exploitation. Protest movements

Friday, September 6, 2019

Competition in American Elections Essay Example for Free

Competition in American Elections Essay Elections are a crucial element of representative democracy. They are the direct link between citizens and their representatives in government: if the public approves of their elected officials’ actions, they continue to vote them back into office; if the public doesn’t like how things are going in the government, they vote for other candidates with different ideas. The electorate has to have this choice between candidates in order to effectively express their preferences. However, if the incumbent or incumbent party seems certain to win, a vote for a new candidate would be of little value: the election is not competitive; therefore, the public is hindered from voting into office a candidate that represents their true interests. It is therefore essential to examine the true meaning of what makes an election competitive and to determine whether American elections of various types adhere to this requirement. The literature competitiveness in elections is extensive, but all definitions more or less come down to the question of whether or not someone other than the winner might have won (had circumstances been different, had the opposition campaigned more effectively, had the public been more welcoming to the opposition’s ideas, etc.). A very minimalistic definition of a competitive election is given by Hyde and Marinov (2012) in the form of three criteria: â€Å"opposition is allowed, multiple parties are legal, and more than one candidate competes† (p. 192). Five requirements for determining if an election was competitive are given by Janowitz and Marvin (1955-1956): high levels of participation, political self-confidence and self-interest among the citizenry, effective public deliberation, a media not monopolized by one particular side, and campaigns operating mostly independently of the mass media (pp. 384-393). These criteria are meant to measure the degree to which the election represented a â€Å"process of consent† rather than a â€Å"process of manipulation†. Buchler (2007) defines competitive elections as those in which the candidates have about an equal chance of winning, or when their vote shares are about the sameso, the more the two-party vote for the winning candidate approaches 50%, the more competitive the election is. In their study on the effects of competition on legislator performance, Koninsky and Ueda (2011) define a competitive election as one in which the winner earned 90% or more of the two-party vote (p. 201), whereas Niemi et al. (2006) define competitive elections as those in which the winner received at least 60% of the two-party vote (cited in Koninsky and Ueda, p. 201). Such strictly defined, outcome-based requirements for electoral competitiveness have been criticized for being more or less arbitrary (Buchler, p. 336); however, for the purpose of this paper, such definitions are the most practical choice. The minimalistic definition of Hyde and Marinov is in fact too minimalistic for an examination of electoral competitiveness in America, where an open and democratic political process is an integral aspect of the Constitution itself. Janowitz and Marvins definition will be excluded for practical purposes because while the criteria to allow for analysis of electoral competitiveness pre-election, and therefore do not count as uncompetitive elections in which the opposition simply wasn’t strong enough, this method is much more suited to an in-depth study of a single election rather than a comparison between multiple election years and types because of the normative questions involved (the researchers in question used this method to examine the 1952 presidential election). While strictly statistical, outcome-based definitions of competitiveness are perhaps arbitrarily defined, they are simple and useful in studying electoral competitiveness over long periods. To avoid restraining myself to one statistic, I consider both the 60% requirement proposed by Niemi et al. and the 90% requirement used by Koninsky and Ueda. In order to study competition in presidential elections, I have compiled both the popular vote and Electoral College vote for the presidential elections since 1980. I only included data from the two candidates who received the most votes. I then calculated the percentage of the two-party vote (popular and Electoral College) received by each candidate. The percentage of the two-party popular vote received by any given winner of the presidency never exceeded 60%, and can, therefore, be considered competitive by both the 60% and 90% requirements. However, the results of the two-party Electoral College vote were not always so close. In fact, in seven out of the ten presidential elections held in the past 37 years, the percent of the two-party vote in the Electoral College received by the winning candidate exceeded 60%, and in two of these elections, this percentage exceeded 90%. Therefore, by our most strict definition of a competitive election, most presidential elections in the past th irty-seven years have not been competitive if we use the data provided by the Electoral College votes. This could suggest that the structure of America’s presidential elections (i.e., indirect vote via the Electoral College) compromises the competitiveness of our elections, as all the presidential elections examined were found to be competitive in the popular vote, but the Electoral College votewhich is, in fact, the deciding factor in who will become Presidentwas found to be uncompetitive in most cases. It is clear that the Electoral College does extrapolate the margin of victory of the winner, most clearly evidenced by the elections of 1980 and 1984, when Reagan was elected with a two-party popular vote of 55% and 59%, respectively, but by a 91% and 98% two-party vote in the Electoral College (Woolley and Gerhard 2017). I have employed the same method used for presidential elections to measure competitiveness in statewide elections in Missouri (Governor and United States Senator elections) and the district-based Missouri United States Representative elections (except that the Electoral College factor was not applicable). I have used the past five elections for each type of election; therefore I have gone back to 2000 for the Governor election data, to 2004 for the U.S. Senator data, and to 2008 for the U.S. Representative data. The elections for Missouri governors and U.S. Senators all fall within the 60% requirement off competitiveness. However, the U.S. House elections rarely satisfy this requirement (one out of eight districts in 2014, three out of nine districts in 2010, and one out of nine districts in 2008 had a two-party vote of less than 60% for the winner). None of the elections ever had a two-party vote that exceeded 90%, so these elections are competitive by Koninsky and Ueda’s req uirement (Ashcroft 2017, â€Å"Missouri Election Results† and â€Å"Previous Elections†). However, the disparity is obvious: while U.S. Representative elections are still competitive by the 90% test, they are generally nowhere near as competitive as state Governor, U.S. Senator, or presidential elections. This most likely arises as a result of gerrymandering, defined by Lowi et al. (2017) as the practice of drawing district maps that favor one party or the other based on the partisan makeup of different regions (p. 198). This practice reduces the competitiveness of districts so that the party that drew the map will have certain victory in most districts while allowing their opponents to win in a handful of districts where their party has the clear majority. For statewide and nationwide elections, this is not an option, but for district-based elections, gerrymandering is common practice. In response to a lack of competition in district-based elections, many propose intentionally drawing electoral districts to narrow the margin of victory and encourage more robust competition. There are many reasons to advocate for increased competition. As previously mentioned, the electorate cannot express its true preferences if election results are more or less determined in advance. According to Lowi et al., competition among politicians incentivizes them to reveal more information about themselves and about the other candidates, which in turn makes citizens more apt to pick the candidates that best represent their interests (p. 428). The threat of competition incentivizes elected officials to steer clear of corrupt practices and to remain responsive to their constituency to ensure re-election (Brunell and Clarke 2012, p. 124). This same threat also means that officials elected in competitive elections are more active lawmakers (Koninsky and Ueda, p. 199). And according to Huckfe ldt et al. (2007), while electoral competitiveness does not seem to produce any direct effect on turnout, it still has an indirect effect in that parties and candidates put more campaign effort into competitive elections, which in turn encourages higher turnout (p. 809). Indeed, the word â€Å"competition† often has a very positive connotation in American culture. This is natural, as it is the founding block of the free market system which our country has embraced possibly more than any other country. It may, therefore, come as a surprise that not all scholars advocate competition in the electoral sphere. A fairly intuitive, though the easily disregarded aspect of competition in elections is that as the margin of victory decreases, the number of people who voted for losing candidates increases. Brunell and Clarke argue that these people are more dissatisfied with the outcome of the election and feel that their interests are not being represented in government (p. 125). A study conducted by Bowler and Donovan (2011) suggests that increased competition leads to dissatisfaction in the electorate because people dislike being exposed to politics (p. 159). Janowitz and Marvin argue that high levels of competition divide the electorate and disintegra te more moderate, compromise-oriented groups (p. 400). It would seem that competitive elections, while allowing the public to hold elected officials accountable to their constituents, also lead to less happy constituents in general. Buchler goes on to point out that in order to draw competitive districts, the actual partisan makeup of the electorate must be disregarded, and a smaller margin of victory increases the chances of an error in the declared winner (pp. 333, 336). So when we draw districts to be more competitive, we may end up with representatives who do not actually represent the people to any significant degree. While the arguments for and against electoral competition seem valid, it is important to distinguish which definition of â€Å"competitive† we are actually working with. For example, while the 60% requirement proposed by Niemi et al. judges that nearly all U.S. House elections in Missouri were non-competitive, the more minimalistic model proposed by Hyde and Marinov would classify all of the elections studied in this paper as competitive simply because they were truly democratic elections. At the same time, the broadest definition of a competitive election used, the 90% definition proposed by Koninsky and Ueda, would define nearly all of the elections studied as competitive. I doubt that those who wish for less electoral competition because of its divisive effect on the electorate would suggest that the two-party vote for the winning candidate must exceed 90% every time, just to keep people happy. The obvious gerrymandering that takes place in redistricting maps is not to be t aken lightly, but the solution is not necessarily an effort to draw more competitive districts. As Buchler (2005, cited in Buchler 2007) argues, an unbiased map is the best way to ensure true representation of the citizens of a given region, even if the map is, in fact, uncompetitive (p. 333). Perhaps this is what we should really be working towards the true ideological representationrather than the potentially random results that come from toss-up districts.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

The Business Models Used By Dell Information Technology Essay

The Business Models Used By Dell Information Technology Essay Business Models are the one of the most discussed most overvalued and least understands aspects of the World Wide Web. A business model is a concept arising out of e-commerce and the Internet age. A good planned and successful business model will maintain their business in the longer term it will give the business a competitive advantage in its business enabling it to earn more profits than its competitors. (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2008) Now, Dell Computer Corporation is the worlds leading direct computer systems company, and it grows larger everyday. Dell sells directly to consumers by using Internet. They build products to consumer (customer) to order. Dell eliminates retail mark-ups and costs. They reduce risks associated with large inventories of finished goods. Relationship with consumers is also very important. Direct business model of delivering a better customer experience through direct, general customers relationships, cooperative research and development with technology partners, custom made computer systems built to customer specifications and service and support programs customized to customer needs. (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2008) Dells believes that the direct model provides it with some clear competitive advantages. First is the model that eliminates the need to the support a well-known network of wholesale and retail dealers, which allows them to avoid dealer mark-ups; and its avoids the higher inventory costs to connected with the wholesale or the retail outlet and the competition for retail shelf space. The direct model also allows them to maintain their study and update the customer database that can be used to manipulate future product gifts, service and support programs. (Awah, Elias, 2004) The Internet lets customers to configure the product by using online, order online, check the status of their order online, and get support, learn and study upgrade service online. Dell enables them to list their product at a sale and order it online. And that is the kind of customers experience that builds a long-lasting relationship between customers and Dell. Affiliate marketing Marketing partner refers consumers to the selling companys web site for a commission. Dell provides affiliate partners the opportunity to link from their Web sites to dell.com. Dell pays about 2 to 4 percent on any qualifies sale made from clicking on Dells link at the partners sites. Many people can click the link that the website provides to understand more about Dell. (Case study and Dell, 2011) Products and Services customization Many of the online stores have expanded their online offerings to include customer reviews and product news in addition to their product catalogs. This means people will visit dell.com to view the online catalogs that offer additional information rather than those that dont offer this product knowledge. It also increases the time the shoppers spend on a website and it increases the chance that they will refer items to their friends. (Victoria Duff, 2010) Supply Chain Management Dell supply chain management Dells strategy is to provide customised, low cost, and quality computers that are delivered on time. Dell takes orders directly from its customers by using online system (services). Therefore, Dell reduces the cost of intermediaries that would otherwise add up to the total cost of computers for the customer. Dell also saves time on processing orders that other companies normally deserve in their sales and distribution system. By directly dealing with the customer Dell gets a clearer indication of market trends. This helps Dell to plan for future besides better managing its supply chain. (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2010) 2. Explain the different types of EC transactions used by Dell. EC transactions used by Dell are B2B, B2C, B2E, B2G, and e-learning. a. B2B Business-to-Business is a model in which all of the participants are businesses or other organization. Business-to-business as when one company buys its supplies from another company online. E-business has transformed how the business world operates from the supply side to the selling side and all the banking and commercial transactions in between. This affects everything from small family-run enterprises to international stock exchanges. (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2008, Awah, Elias M., 2004) Dell delivers business-to-business transactions that allow your organization to lower their procurement costs. With the B2B transaction, you can shop online from within your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) procurement application and return the contents of your shopping session back to your ERP system by e-mail. No longer had you required to enter duplicate information in the order to purchase the products. The electronic application can now be routed through your standard ERP workflow where it can be approved by e-mail. Once this electronic application is approved, it can become an electronic purchase order and be transmitted straight away to Dell. These orders flow directly go into Dells manufacturing system where your orders are built immediately, this will saving you hours or days in processing time. This brings you the latest technology at the quickest speed. If a customer is not currently able of integrate their procurement systems and processes with their suppliers, Dell ca n provide the necessary hardware, software, and consultation to help build and set up a solution that not only connects the customer to Dell, but one that can to connect to even other suppliers or customers. (Dell, 2010) b. B2C Business-to-Consumer is a model which businesses sell to individual shoppers. Business-to-consumers (B2C), as when you purchase from a shops website (Turban, King, McKay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2008, Awah, Elias, 2004). Consumers shop at dell.com by using electronic catalogs. Dell also sell their computer or laptop to consumer (customer), they can search the latest product at the Internet. (Case study) Customers can purchase the product by using online. It is very convinces and easy for customers to purchase a computer by using online services like Dell. Dell provides many different type of computer example: desktop type computer, laptops, printer and so on. Example: Customer can use online services to purchase Dell products. And it is secure for customer to using the payment system that Dell provides. Customer also can make their order easy. We can just sit at home, using the online services to purchase a product or more than 1 product from Dell. After the payment transaction make from the payment system, Dell receives your order they will arrange the time table and send it to you. It is very easy for us to purchase products from Dell. Customers can save their time to shopping, to compare the products, save cost to travel the place and so on. These are the benefits for the customers. (Dell, 2011) c. B2E Business-to-employees is a model which an organization delivers services, information, or products to its individual employees (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2008). Dell provides EPP Employees Purchase Program for all the employees that has 1 account number. They can get Best Price to purchase product from Dell. And if have any request the employees can call or chat with Dell expert. (Dell, 2010) Example: employees from Dell. They can enjoy more than 25% discount for any products from Dell. d. B2G Business-to-Government is a model which a government buys or provides goods, services, or information to businesses or individual citizens. Businesses sell goods or services to governments and government agencies (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2008, Awah, Elias M., 2004) Dell provides their computers to government. Government will purchase some product with Dell. Example: The U.S. government is at a critical juncture. Citizens are demanding more accountability and transparency, and government agencies are responding by breaking down barriers that have caused inefficiencies. More than at any point in history, IT is expected to be a driving force of change that moves the government forward. IT leaders are under greater scrutiny to spend budgets effectively and are increasingly being measured on project performance. Yet many are dealing with fragmented IT environments that are complex, outdated, and costly to maintain, leading to further challenges with security, interoperability, and manageability. (Dell, 2010) e. E-Learning E-learning is used a lot organizations for training and retraining employees. It is also practical at virtual universities. E-learning is the online delivery of information for purposes of education, training, or knowledge management. Dell provides e-learning for the customers, who dont know how to use their products, installing the hardware or software, and so on. Dell not only provides e-learning for customers is also including employees who need to learn and training (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2008) Dell provides some training courseware to employees or even students also can join; they can learn more and detail. (Dell, 2010) Why choose the Dell leaning system? Because employees and students can saves money to help maximize training budget. And E-Learning reduces travel expenses and time away from the office. And it also easy-to-use, the interface through the Learning Management System enables administrators and students to navigate efficiently through e-Learning programs. Dell has 24 hours and 7 days online services; online access to live experts and resources for help with course study, daily work activities, and topics relating to information technology, desktop applications, and business skills. They are many benefits to help you improved. Dell provided. (Dell, 2010) Analyse the competitive advantages Dell has over its brick-and-mortar competitors. Brick-and-mortar retailers are retailers who do business in the non-Internet, physical world in traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Traditional retailing frequently involves a single distribution channel, the physical store. In some cases, traditional sellers also may operate a mail-order business. (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2008) Dell has operated kiosks in shopping malls in the United States, but the physical stores add a new dimension to their move to click-and-mortar. Various models of computers are ion display in the stores, provide the different model of the computers catologs and Dell staffs are available to recommend or suggestion and support and assist customers in personalizing their purchases. However, the stores hold no inventory, so interested customers must still place their orders online from within these stores (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2010) Online services and Delivery Dell provides online services and delivery services. Online services are customer can purchase products at the online payment system. After purchasing online, the staffs will delivery the product to you. (Dell, 2011) Dell brings products to market faster than its competitor. Dell was able to make computers much faster than it produced earlier. Computers have life cycles of only a few months. Thus, dell enjoys early-to-market advantage. (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2010, Dell, 2011) Quick response Dell will keep the feedback from the customer and will reply them if their customer has any problem with the products. Dell has their own database to save all the customers detail. (Dell, 2011) Reduce bullwhip effect Dell provides special web pages for suppliers. Dell let them to view the orders they has made. This allows suppliers to plan based on customer demand. (Dell, 2011) Advertising and Promotion Advertising is very important. Dell provides many different advertising so that everyone is starting to concern its products. In addition to let everyone knows that the products, Dell also hopes to attract more customers and so do a lot of different promotional campaigns to boost turnover. (Dell, 2011) After brick-and-mortar, Dell has made a miracle. Dell do their own business by using internet, customers can purchase products by using online payment system. (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2010) Doing online services is more easy and convenient for all peoples. And the most important things in now Dell provides online training, online learning for those who dont know how to use Dell products, or something happen they can just search the information on dell.com to learn more. Is not just good for the employees who know more about Dell products and also good for the student to look for it. (Dell, 2011) E-Commerce is not that easy to control, but the things is we need to learn from the beginning just like the Dell whos done the business with a very good result, they earn profits, and many customers like their products and identify their products. Relate this case to supply chain management improvements. The term of supply chain is comes from the concept of how the partnering organizations are linked together. (Turban, King, Mckay, Marshall, Lee and Viehland, 2008) Dell has become famous for its use of the Web to sell computers to individuals and businesses and even government are now started to use; it has also used technology-enabled supply chain management to give customers exactly what they want. Dell reduced the amount of inventory it keeps on hand form three weeks sales to six days sales. Eventually, Dell wants to see inventory levels measured in minutes. By increasing the amount of information it has about its customers, Dell has been able to significantly reduce the amount of inventory it must hold. Dell has also shared this information with members of its supply chain (Schneider, 2007). Now, Dell use internet online and web technologies in managing supply chains has yielded much increased process like example speed, reduced costs, and increased flexibility. All of these attributes combine and to allow a coordinated supply chain to produce products and services that better meet the needs of the ultimate consumer. Just-in-time services When you purchase a product online at dell.com, the system from dell will receives your order. The staffs will delivery your product just in time, with the services that they provide. (Dell, 2011) Online Services E-learning and e-training are provided online at the website dell.com. And there also provides online chat, to chat with the technical assistance. Dell provides 7 days 24 hours for the online services. Customers can online purchase any products. (Dell, 2011) Close to customer Dell gives discount to customer if the customer purchases more products. Relationships with customer and suppliers allow us to know what we must be able to supply in real time and then very quickly and precisely meet that demand while maintaining low inventory. (Dell, 2011) RFID Radio Frequency Identification RFID is suitable to the effectiveness of the information that it provides leading to much better real time data. Dell has plans for the retirement and decommission of the old technologies as a forecasting technique as well. By using the RFID, customers are able to follow the progress of their computers and decide the delivery dates automatically. Due to the fact that Dell now manufacturers almost all of the products that they sell, there can be little to no problems with excessive storage in warehouses. The benefits of RFID and real world awareness aid in keeping Dells supply chain extremely successful. 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