Samples of an Argumentative Essay - Is it a Scam?

Samples of an Argumentative Essay - Is it a Scam? So, though a lot of people want abortion, and others do not want it, it's not a crystal clear line and nobody has been in a position to locate a decisive definition of when abortion becomes murder and when it ought to be allowed. Even though both work to the improvement of a business, the broad disparity has the capability to induce a good deal of grudge and bad vibes. The number of individuals pointing out to the quite a few explanations for why marijuana ought to be legal is growing daily. In teens, it's challenging to recognize cases of anxiety since they might not say anything in any way or just complain about physical symptoms. There's more work with wonderful demands. Possessing an after-school job helps me pay for a better part of the books and scantrons whom I use daily. Criticizing a part of work doesn't indicate which you are personally attacking its creator. To begin with, whenever you have the freedom to compose an essay about whatever you want, the very first point to think about is how much you care about the problem. Getting the Best Samples of an Argumentative Essay If when you are preparing a report you merely analyze specific literature, the essay demands an excellent penetration into the issue. Following that, you might want to give students a more sophisticated handout about structuring an argument. If given equal attention and funding, humanities can even assist in solving a number of the financial matters confronting the world these days. Locating good essay topics you might discuss effectively and create powerful argumentative essays is a tough work. If you own a list of strong and intriguing topics, you are going to have better probability of writing a compelling essay. To do so, you need to get a guide to compose the very best essay on the selected topic. Should you need professional help with argumentative essay topics, don't hesitate to speak to us. In order to supply an in-depth understanding about the argumentative essay, it is best to take a look at some of the greatest examples of argumentative essay. With the aid of such argumentative essay outline sample, you would have the ability to compose your own essay much faster and with very little work. In this kind of situation, it's more convenient to locate ready-made essays and use them as an example. On Star-Writers blog you'd be able to discover a lot of sample argumentative essays, in addition to articles on popular topics, which might inspire you with a few interesting suggestions for your own composition. Process essay about ways to give up smoking Free essays on my favored newspaper for students use our papers to assist you with yours. You spend a whole lot of education on writing argumentative essays. Reading example essays works the exact same way! To compose a strong argumentative essay, students should start by familiarizing themselves with a number of the common, and frequently conflicting, positions on the research topic so they can write an educated paper. Before concluding the essay, it is crucial to summarise with a strong emphasis on the subject. As a way to compose a successful essay, you ought to make certain you select a topic which allows you to present the ideal case. You don't need to find super technical with legal argumentative essays, but remember to do your homework on what the recent laws about your favorite topic actually say. When it has to do with writing an argumentative essay, the most essential issue to do is to select a topic and an argument that y ou may really get behind. At the conclusion of these list, you will discover links to a variety of argumentative paragraphs and essays. A great topic will ensure it is simpler to pursue the purpose of an argumentative essay, which is, clearly, the whole investigation of the problem you speak about. The key to decide on a great topic for an argumentative essay is to select a subject where there's a lot of debates on topics or stances. There are specific topics that work best and here are some basic suggestions to be sure you decide on a great topic.

Discuss the importance of Religion in To Kill a...

The theme of religion in To Kill a Mockingbird is an extremely important one. It stands as a crucial point for other themes in the novel such as racism, sexism and discrimination. The community of Maycomb County all believe themselves to be devout, wholesome people; we discover that they are using their religion to indulge in other criticisms. Although they listen to the sermons about their religion and pretend that they practise it outside of church on a Sunday, the rest of their time, their beliefs on social harmony are far from the perfect Christian morals they believe themselves to have. This is evident in Chapter twenty-four, the scene that involves the ladies of the missionary tea circle . Here the majority of women believe†¦show more content†¦Just as long as the white people still feel they are a perfect community, full of devout, God-fearing people, they do not care who is put to death and who suffers. The Bible does not say anything about the ill treatment of black people. It does not commend or apprehend racial or sexist discrimination. So, if these people base their lives on the teachings of the Bible, why is their discrimination in their society? Historical reasons. Discrimination and racism had nothingShow MoreRelatedThe Theme of an Oustider in Silas Marner and To Kill a Mockingbird3137 Words   |  13 PagesDiscuss the theme of an oustider in Silas Marner and To Kill a Mockingbird. What is an outsider? The dictionary defines that an outsider is a person excluded from a group. The outsider plays an important part in both novels. In Silas Marner by George Eliot Silas is the main outsider, however in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee even though Boo is the obvious outsider there are many others. Silas Marner is written by George Eliot, which is the pen name of Mary Ann Evans. She had

Critical Care Nursing-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment

Question: Demonstrates the Self Reflection of achieving the Objective that was Identified in the Previous assignment. Answer: This paper demonstrates the self reflection of achieving the objective that was identified in the previous assignment. It also the evaluation of methods used in achieving the objective and identification of areas that require further development. As a registered nurse, I have gained expertise in handling different types of patients such as children, adults, and people belonging to an old age group. I have learnt to deal with very sick patients who were admitted in intensive care units and were on life supporting machines. I have learnt to communicate with them with empathy and patience and also understand their needs and demands. I have learnt to be patient with patients who are on life supporting machines or are taking life saving drugs. I have also learnt to handle the family members of the critical patients and provide proper information regarding the illness, medications and the preventive measures to be followed after the treatment. It will develop a strong relation between myself and the patient . I have learnt to be compassionate enough to listen to my patient. This will help them to develop a trustworthy relation between us. It also leads to increase in patient satisfaction, confidence, health and wellbeing. I have al so learnt various measures that are to be taken for the safety of patients who are admitted in the intensive care units. These are the protective measures taken by the doctors and the nurses to avoid various kinds of infection, injuries or accidents (Ball et al. 2013). It is a top priority in my hospital as it leads to serious complications, slow recovery, increased length of hospitalization and also unnecessary deaths of patients. For example, if there is a gas bubble in blood during a cardiac surgery it will block the flow of blood to all the parts of the body leading to heart attack and death (Daly, Speedy and Jackson 2017). There should be proper teams to handle and proper measures should be followed in order to ensure patient safety (Epstein and Turner 2015). I have also learnt to provide a person centered care especially to patients who have to undergo any surgical process, for example a cardiac surgery. I have learnt to put the patients and their families in the centre and co nsider their desires, families, family situations, lifestyle which will lead to a positive outcome. I am also trained in providing them emotional support, giving them courage and encouragement to fight with the disease they are suffering from. I used to involve family and friends in the discussion by sharing responsibility and power and made sure that the healthcare services are flexible .I have also learnt to contact a social worker and a doctor if the patient needs any sort of help especially if the patient is aggressive. In order to achieve my objective I have also undergone training sessions with my seniors and mentors to handle emergency cases such as cardiac arrest and be patient enough to handle abusive behavior of such patients. During an emergency cardiac arrest, the patient is assessed physically and the electrocardiogram is performed to monitor the activity of heart. The medicines are given by the means of intravenous method and oxygen is given through the help of tubes (Lewis et al. 2015). I was trained to deal with patients who were on life support machine that is ventilator. I have learnt to interpret various machines such as electrocardiogram, defibrillator and pacemaker. My mentor also provided information about various life saving drugs and inotropic drugs to save patients in emergency. I have become more confident in handling emergency cases in the ICU after the ALS course and the VIVA conducted by the university has helped me to understand the importance of leadership in an emergency situation. I am able to interpret ECG and have gained knowledge about invasive and non invasive ventilation in depth. I am also able to interpret ABG and X-Ray. I am able to recognize the abnormal signs and symptoms of a deteriorating patient and have learnt the implementation of various strategies and measures that should be taken to prevent further worsening of the situation (Wall, Andrus and Morrison 2014). I have been trained to take the help of seniors when the patient is in critical condition (Urden et al. 2014). Although, I have gained expertise in the field of nursing in my career, but still there are a few areas in which I need improvement in order to provide quality care to my patients. I need to improve time- management skills during dealing with patients. I need to learn more special skills to monitor the patients and provide quality care to patients. I need to improve my knowledge and learning with my mentors and senior doctors. I also need to improve my knowledge in the field of nursing such as different causes of impaired hearing such as otitis media, otosclerosis, and various disorders of inner ear such as Menieres disease and acoustic neuroma. I will gain knowledge about the different causes of blindness such as cataracts, glaucoma, age- related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. I need to be more efficient in performing a leadership role and improve my performance level in the field of nursing for critical patients. I will take guidance from my seniors about how to deal with patients suffering from intellectual disorders and those who are suffering from blindness and deafness (Huber 2013). I will improve my learning on how to perceive, comprehend and transmit messages during an interaction with patients suffering from schizophrenia. I need to improve my communication skills with the patients who are deaf and blind and unable to handle aggressive patients in ICU. There is a need of setting goals for improvement in these areas.I have learnt clinical and technical skills to deal with patients in the critical care units..There are areas of improvement such as leadership and time management skills, according to the feedback of my mentor and personal experiences with patients admitted in critical care units. (Ehde et al. 2014). References Ball, J.E., Murrells, T., Rafferty, A.M., Morrow, E. and Griffiths, P., 2013. Care left undoneduring nursing shifts: associations with workload and perceived quality of care.BMJ quality safety, pp.bmjqs-2012. Daly, J., Speedy, S. and Jackson, D., 2017.Contexts of nursing: An introduction. Elsevier Health Sciences. Ehde, D.M., Dillworth, T.M. and Turner, J.A., 2014. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for individuals with chronic pain: Efficacy, innovations, and directions Epstein, B. and Turner, M., 2015. The nursing code of ethics: Its value, its history.OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing,20(2) for research.American Psychologist,69(2), p.153. Huber, D., 2013.Leadership and nursing care management. Elsevier Health Sciences in Australia.International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research,8(1). Lewis, S.L., Maltas, J., Dirksen, S.R. and Bucher, L., 2015.Study guide for medical-surgical nursing: Assessment and management of clinical perceived quality of care.BMJ quality safety, pp.bmjqs-2012 problems. Elsevier Health Sciences. Urden, L.D., Stacy, K.M. and Lough, M.E., 2014.Critical care nursing: diagnosis and management. Elsevier Health Sciences. Wall, P., Andrus, P. and Morrison, P., 2014. Bridging the theory practice gap through clinical simulations in a nursing under-graduate degree program

Trench Warfare Essays (1014 words) - Trench Warfare, Trench

Trench Warfare Trench Warfare World War I was a military conflict that lasted from 1914 to 1918. It was a modern war with airplanes, machine guns, and tanks. However, the commanders often fought World War I as if it were a 19th Century war. They would march their troops across open land into the face of machine guns and often slaughter. As a result of this action, a tactic known as trench warfare was implemented. The most recent use of use of trench warfare, before World War I, took place during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). This war attracted worldwide attention among military authorities that were interested in studying the latest technology used in war. Many viewed trench warfare to be an effective tactic against enemy advancement. Because of this view, trench warfare proved to be, in World War I, an ineffective and traumatizing experience for all. In September 1914, the German commander, General Erich von Falkenhayn ordered his troops to dig trenched that would provide protection from the allied troops. When the allies reached the trench, they soon realized that they could not break through the line that the trench provided. They also realized that the trench provided the Germans with shelter from their fire. Soon after, the allies began to dig their own trenches and, therefore, trench warfare began. Not very long, after the first trenches of the war were dug, a network of trenches arose. This network spread across France and Belgium for many miles. Within the network, there were three different types of trenches: front line trenches, support trenches, and reserve trenches. The first line of trenches was called front line trenches. These were usually two meters deep and had a zigzag pattern to prevent enemy fire from sweeping the entire length of the trench. In order to prevent the trench form caving in, sandbags were stacked against the trench walls. Between the trenches of opposing forces laid no man's land. This area between the opposing front line trenches was filled with barbwire and mines to prevent enemy crossing. If a soldier was ever injured in no man's land, he usually was killed because of his vulnerability to enemy fire. The second and third types of trenches were the support and reserve trenches, respectively. These trenches were constructed to easily move supplies and troops to the front trenches. All of the trenches were linked to each other by other trenches, underground tunnels, or telephone communications networks. Barbwire was also stretched across the line to protect from enemy attack. While the design of the trenches and the network of trenches seemed like a great tactic, the reality of the life in the trenches was a different story. Life in the trenches took its toll on the soldiers involved in the war. The soldiers in the front line trenches often stayed there for at least 10 days at a time, usually with very little sleep. "Katczinsky is right when he says it would not be such a bad war if only one could get more sleep. In the line we have next to none, and fourteen days is a long time at one stretch"(p.2). The main reason that soldiers on the front line could not sleep was to be on guard against enemy sneak attacks. Another reason that the soldiers were very tired is that night was used as a time for preparation and maintenance of the trenches. The trenches were constantly being destroyed, either by enemy shellfire, or water damage. Many times, soldiers would be buried alive by the collapsing trench walls. Paul, in All Quiet on the Western Front, states "Our trench is almost gone. At many places, it is only eighteen inches high, it is broken by holes, and craters, and mountains of earth."(p.107). Along with very little sleep and the destruction of trenches, soldiers also had to worry about contracting trench foot. Trench foot is an infection of the feet caused by wet and insanitary conditions. Soldiers stood for hours on end in waterlogged trenches without being able to remove wet socks or boots. This caused their feet to gradually go numb and their skin to turn red or blue. If these conditions went untreated, they would turn gangrenous and result in amputation. Another major concern for soldiers in the trenches was dysentery. Dysentery is a disease involving the inflammation of the lining of the large intestine. The inflammation caused stomach pains, diarrhea, and usually vomiting or fever. The main causes of dysentery were bacteria entering the body through the mouth, contact with human feces, and contact with infected people. Dysentery mainly struck the soldiers because of improper sanitation

suk essays

suk essays Music Music has inspired me through many different vibrations. To be specific, the list includes lyrically, musically, politically-socially. Songs have lyrics. Lyrics are words and words carry energy. It is important that we understand where that energy is going. Lyrics are powerful in meanings. Human beings relate to each other through words. As a musician, I let go of my brain and let the messages carry on. Music helps me to tune into a larger source of notes. It makes me to spread my ideas and thoughts. That is where creativity comes into play. Listening and creating at the same time is an example of lyrical inspiration. Music especially jazz and Hip-Hop have been my focus. My passion has been defining words and discovering word challenges, collaborated with drums and jazz samples over a track. When I listen to my favorite artists lyrics, we connect from different perspectives of communication. Suddenly, we become one nation. Are existence becomes one with are needs and through lyrics we deliver are messages. Lyrics represent character and the artists generalizations. Hip-Hop is made of words and statements. Unfortunately, we do not broadcast the real music. Major corporations own everything and commercial stations have to play what they are told to play. Creativity from the commercial artists disappears after a while and competition becomes the cause for making music. I as an underground artist keep myself independent and inspired by producing and playing underground music and artists. Music has been always a musical inspiration. It is not a physical inspiration, but it appears in the air as we tune into music. Musical inspiration can be in different forms. It can be in a live performance where we get up close and personal with the artist, share the energy of that certain moment and gather around as indivi ...

Difference Between Physical and Chemical Properties

Difference Between Physical and Chemical Properties Measurable characteristics of matter may be categorized as either chemical or physical properties. What is the difference between a chemical property and a physical property? The answer has to do with  chemical and physical changes  of matter. A Physical Property A  physical property  is an aspect of matter that can be observed or measured without changing its chemical composition.  Examples of physical properties  include color, molecular weight, and volume. A Chemical Property A  chemical property  may only be observed  by changing the chemical  identity of a substance. In other words, the only way to observe a chemical property is by performing a chemical reaction. This property measures the potential for undergoing a  chemical change.  Examples of chemical properties  include reactivity, flammability and oxidation states. Telling Physical and Chemical Properties Apart Sometimes it can be tricky to know whether or not a chemical reaction has occurred. For example, when you melt ice into water, you can write the process in terms of a chemical reaction. However, the chemical formula on both sides of the reaction is the same. Since the chemical identity of the matter in question is unchanged, this process represents a physical change. Thus melting point is a physical property. On the other hand, flammability is a chemical property of matter because the only way to know how readily a substance ignites is to burn it. In the chemical reaction for combustion, the reactants and products are different. Look for Tell-Tale Signs of a Chemical Change Usually, you dont have the chemical reaction for a process. You can look for tell-tale signs of a chemical change. These include bubbling, color change, temperature change, and precipitation formation. If you see signs of a chemical reaction, the characteristic you are measuring is most likely a chemical property. If these signs are absent, the characteristic is probably a physical property.

Is Kitsch always ironic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Is Kitsch always ironic - Essay Example All the above descriptions of Kitsch should be regarded as just part of a greater framework. More specifically, Kitsch can be related with various aspects of modern life with a special reference to art (as already explained above). Current paper examines a particular aspect of Kitsch: Irony. This sense is mostly related with Kitsch as part of the art trends within a particular society. In other words, the relationship between Kitsch and Irony could be developed mainly in the greater field of art. Towards this direction, it is suggested by Hjort et al. (1997, 229) that ‘the very notion of "taste" in art necessitates the existence of "bad taste" and, consequently, bad art; but bad art comes in many varieties and is subject to different kinds of objections; there is sheer technical incompetence, just to begin with (although artistic inability as such is much less fatal than it used to be)’. The above descriptions of Kitsch could be considered as valid only if referring to a rt; in other parts of social and political life Kitsch would be considered to take different format in accordance with the conditions applied on each particular area. As already mentioned above, Kitsch can have many different aspects. In accordance with a definition given by the Dictionary of Art (London, 1998) ‘â€Å"Kitsch† has sometimes been used (for example, by Harold Rosenberg) to refer to virtually any form of popular art or entertainment, especially when sentimental; but though much popular art is cheap and crude, it is at least direct and unpretentious’. In accordance with the above, it is stated by Calinescu (1987, 260) that ‘seen as a lie, a kitsch work implies a close relationship and even a collaboration of sorts between the kitsch-artist and the kitsch-man; the latter wants to be "beautifully" lied to and the former is willing to play the game in exchange for financial gain;

Google Analytic and Business Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Google Analytic and Business Intelligence - Essay Example Content group enables the company maximize on its search engine optimization. Monitoring goal conversions enables the company to measure how well the site contributes to its business objectives. Lastly, the e-commerce section contains reports on merchandising and revenue. However, these entire groups only provide the company with data. For actual business intelligence, Google Analytics enables the company cross-reference data from these categories, compare timelines or even compare two metric against each other to help to make sense out of the data (Clicksharpmarketing, 2008). Moreover the derived summaries could be presented in diagrammatic representations and even be shared Google shared with colleagues through email in different formats such as PDF or XML. The extent to which real estate financial organizations could learn from Google Analytics shall only be restricted by their own imagination. That is to say that they could cross-reference data from the five categories: visitors, traffic sources, ecommerce, content and goals to give them a wide breath of information. For example cross-referencing visitors with content real estate financial organization will be able to tell which properties are attracting the most attention as such they could adjust their costing accordingly. Also, traffic sources can inform them of localities having more demand for their services than others which may lead them to open outlets there or vice

Feedback in learning Essay Example for Free

Feedback in learning Essay 1.0What is feedback?:â€Å"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great inspires† William Arthur Ward A teacher carries a big responsibility in area of learning. Some people believe a teacher’s job is to teach and a student’s job is to learn. In today’s classroom, the role of teacher is totally different. Teacher as a facilitator of learning, mentor for learner and classroom supporter. The excellent teacher will take various actions in way to help their students to be successful in their life. So that, one of the action is teacher should provide assessment feedback in way to enhance the learning. Feedback is normally something which happens as a result of cycle teaching and learning action. It can give either before, during or after the learning had been occurs. Generally, what is feedback? Is it guidance, evaluation or praise? As mentioned by Ramaprasad (1983), feedback is information about the gap between the actual level and the reference level of a system parameter which is used to alter the gap in some way. Furthermore, the definition by Ramaprasad also supported of new research by Shute (2007) that define the feedback as represent information communicated to the learner that is intended to modify the learner’s thinking or behaviour for the purpose of improving learning. Hence, in learning, feedback should usually presented as information to a student in response to some action on the current level of performance and help them to be better. Correspondingly the educationist agree that assessment feedback is an important part of learning cycle but nowadays students frequently express disappointment and frustration in relation to the conduct of the feedback process. Students may complain that feedback on assessment is unhelpful or unclear and not provide any tips to them to improve their current performance. As a result, students will always repeat the mistake until they get to know the correct answers. Studies of the impact on student learning achievement indicate that feedback has the potential to have a significant effect on student learning achievement (Hattie Timperley, 2007). Feedback should give immediately during the learning process. That can really help student to do self-reflection on their quality of learning. They can figure out did he/she in the right track and how to improve their understanding. Types of feedback: Main focus of given assessment feedback is to describes qualities of work in relation to the learning target. Teacher should give attention to the quality of their written feedback. There are two types of feedback, evaluative feedback and descriptive feedback. Evaluative feedback refers to a summary of student current achievement or performed on the particular task. This feedback is often come out with letter of grades, numbers, check marks, symbols and generals comment such as â€Å"good†, â€Å"excellent† and â€Å"need help†. While, descriptive feedback is specific or detail information in the form of written comments or conversations that help the student understand what he/she needs to do in improve their level of understanding. There are several examples of evaluative and descriptive feedback: Evaluative Feedback Descriptive Feedback â€Å"Try harder next time† â€Å"Your topic discussion is clear and have good examples, your next step might be to check back your grammatical errors† â€Å"90%! A+! Excellent Work! Keep it up!† â€Å"You’re made some simple mistakes in your calculation, remember back the formula use. Please check back the first step until the last step in your calculation for question 10.† Table 1: Examples of Evaluative and Descriptive Feedback Based on examples given, evaluative feedback more to provide a judgement on the quality of the learning task that student did while descriptive feedback focus on helps the student understand what he or she needs to do to improve their current achievement. Besides that, evaluative feedback shown to us those teachers only tells learner or students how they compare to others and descriptive feedback will provide specific information in the form of written comments or conversations more help learner. Regardless of the types of feedback given, either evaluative or descriptive, effective feedback needs to be informative, prompt and guiding. Informative feedback highlights strengths and weaknesses, giving specific examples or explanations. Prompt feedback is returned to students within an agreed timescale for the work submitted. Guiding feedback offer suggestions about how students can improve their learning. All of that combining together to help students to do better the next time. This statement also have support  by Hattie and Timperley (2007), they mention that the most improvement in student learning takes place when students got information feedback about the task and how to do more effectively. Below are examples of evaluative and descriptive feedback given by teachersFeedback as teaching style of scaffolding: As we already know, feedback provides information and guide to students by teachers about learning. That is one criteria of scaffolding. Scaffolding is the core of traditional apprenticeship. It is refers to given support that provides by expert or teacher as steps to improve their learning. It helps to reduce the gap between the student current level of understanding or performance and a desired goal. According to Hattle and Timperley (2007), they mention that depending on the nature and delivery of the feedback, it can have powerful positive effects on student learning and engagement. Beside that in the research by Assessment Reform Group (2002) , also mention that feedback as coaching and scaffolding students. The given feedback is an essential practice of assessment for learning. The process of seeking and interpreting evidence for use by learner and their teachers to decide where the learners are in their learning, where they need to go and how best to get there by helping of teachers. That the main reason why the teacher’s feedback important, providing the support necessary for student to proceed towards the next stage or level and achieving the learning goal. Student will view the feedback as improving tips in which students receive information and construct meaning to close the gap. The students need to do something based on the guided giving in the feedback. Scaffolding instructional originated from Vygotsky’s ideas on learning. Vygotsky’s comes out with two levels of learning development. The first level is Actual Development that what learner has already reached. It is the level which the learner is capable of solving problems independently. The second level is called Potential Development which the learner not capable of doing the moment but have potential to do so. Between the actual and potential levels, Vygotsky said that there was what was called a Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Proximal means next. In context of feedback, it should act as scaffold by providing tips and support necessary for student to proceed the next stage or level. Without the support students may be unable to accomplish the target. As the result, students will extend their understanding and make improvement. Figure 3: ZPD (Zone of Proximal  Development) Diagram When teacher incorporate scaffolding in feedback, they become more to mentor and facilitator of knowledge rather than the dominant content expert. This teaching style that include with scaffolding will make student active role in class to achieving learning goal. Besides that, it also provides a welcoming and caring learning environment. â€Å"I take care of you and I hope you will be success in future†. Expiration in feedback on student assessment will make them realize that even they did wrong is not means he/she is stupid student. They have room to improve. As conclusion, the best assessment feedback, scaffold student to achieve the higher performance in learning target. Feedback as affective domain in learning: Since 1950’s, research have been done in cognitive theory and educationist had use the Bloom’s (1956) taxonomies of learning. Bloom has mentioned that in learning should have three learning domains. The cognitive domain, affective domain and psychomotor domain. Feedback is referring to affective domain. In affective domain includes feeling, emotion, attitudes, values and motivation. As students that receiving the feedback, they need all of the aspect that include in affective domain. Teacher should play with all of these aspects. Teacher must provide clear understanding. Feedback should be brief, concise statements, in student-friendly language that describe what students are to know and be able to do at the end of feedback. Feedback can be one of the ways to encourage positive motivational belief and self-esteem. There are some ideas for motivating students. Teachers can start the feedback with praises like good job, excellent job, great, brilliant idea, â€Å"You are starting to understand this but†, â€Å"This is quality work because†, â€Å"Two things you really did well are† and many more on what they do well. Praise the work or process that focus in achieving the learning goal. Second step, teachers proceed with intervention that tells the student what needs improving and give enough information in way to help them to do better. It can sound like â€Å"Your thinking shows.†, â€Å"One thing to improve on..†, â€Å"You need more†, and many more. Next step, teachers share the improvement strategies such as â€Å"Your next steps might be..†, and â€Å"You might try†. The ways that teachers give the  feedback have relationship with the flow of affective domain as described by Krathwohl et.al (1964). They start with receiving, responding, valuing, organizing and ended with acting. Students will receiving the feedback as their new information of mark, wrong answers and the current level that he/she mastering the knowledge. Am I really understood or I just understand little bit? Step 2, responding. Students will respond on feedback given by teacher. They being actively participating based on feedback given to achieve learning g oal. Step 3, valuing. They attaching worth to feedback given and try to do correction on the task. After they do the correction, they will organize the new concept and change their existing understanding. The last is characterization. They have the correct understanding and will apply the concept in correct way without misconception. It is the effective way that feedback can help students learn better in positive environment in implement the affective domain. Feedback will demonstrate appropriate ways of enhancing the performance on the task and offer strategies that invite more learner responsibility to improve. â€Å"Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire† William Butler Yeats Feedback as reflection on learning process: Reflection needed students to capture back on their performance in the task given. It also needs students to have clear comparison about their previous performance and current performance. There are three types of reflection that suite with the feedback: reflection on your process, comparison of your performance to that of others and comparison of your performance to a set of criteria for evaluating performance (Schon, 1983). How feedback can be as reflection on learning process? Firstly, reflect on the feedback process. By feedback, students are encourages to look back at how they react and given answer on the task. Teachers will describes the qualities of work in relation to the learning targets. That can make them see how they might have done better and what they need to improve. That is the first step as feedback starter, reflect on achievement. Second, compare of student performance with others. These types of reflection are referring to evaluative feedback. In evaluative feedba ck teachers will give grades, numbers, check marks, symbols and generals comment such as â€Å"good†,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"excellent† and â€Å"need help†. Based on the feedback, students analyze by comparing their performance with friends in hope he/she will motivate to achieve better. The final types of reflection are comparison of student performance to a set of criteria for evaluating performances. These are focus on intervention and improvement that include in feedback. Teachers will share idea on what students needs to improve and gives enough information so the students will knows what the next step to apply. That really show the function of feedback as reflection, facilitates the development of self-assessment in learning.Conclusion: Assessment feedback should play as important role in teaching and learning. Firstly, feedback is a way that teacher can use to determine and analyse how far your student gain the knowledge and what should you suggest to them in helping them success in mastery the knowledge. Secondly, assessment feedback will attract low achievement students to be active learner and more motivated to achieve the learning goal. Overall, assessment feedback should take as important aspect in learning process. Teacher need to apply and change the feedback given in way to help student to be success in future.

Durkheim and Levi-Strauss and Thought Essay examples -- Psychology Phi

The ritual examination of the other functions as a harvesting of intellectual resources to formulate a theory of the western self. In the case of the sensitive but scientific anthropologist, the mind of the other is a key to understanding the universal nature of the human mind. Durkheim and Là ©vi-Strauss consider ‘primitive thought’ to be rooted in certain modes of classification which they consider to be precursors and parallels, respectively, to ‘modern’ Euro-American scientific rationality. They take this connection between modes of classification and thought as indicative of a universal condition of human existence that shows the subject is rule bound and order loving. This conclusion of thought from classification from society is ultimately but the reenactment of their definitions and presuppositions that arise from the form of religious thought they call ‘rationality’. To begin with, for both Durkheim and Là ©vi-Strauss , ‘primitive thought’ is the result of how the ‘primitive’ classifies the world, which in turn is the result of accident and human nature. Classification is the center of thought, for both writers. Durkheim explains this well in his reconciliation of the theories of apriorism and empiricism. He argues that the categories that are the sine qua non of thought are themselves the results of social conditions. â€Å"If the categories are essentially collective representations †¦ they translate states of the collectivity, first and foremost. They depend upon the way the collectivity is organized, upon its morphology, its religious, moral, and economic institutions, and so on.† (Durkheim 15) He then takes up the remainder of the apriorist narrative; these categories are the foundations of thought and it is only ... ... ordered mind seems a perfect example of Durkheim’s division in all ‘religious thought’ between the sacred and the profane. For both writers, a universal and order loving subject is a sacred necessity which cannot be questioned within and by the structure of their modes of religious thought. But of course, this totalizing theory would not grant my argument an exception either, if my view of the subject were also an article of faith, but this presumes the very system of classification of the academic in describing the classification of the subject that this argument is meant to question. In the case that we do not presume the existence of a classifying, order loving thinker, religious thought may well never even occur, as there is no one to think of the profane and the sacred, and no one to generate a science of the concrete. There is, instead, only the concrete.

Fin 331 Study Guide

Finance Final Study Guide FIN 331 – Moser – Study Guide for Exam 1 – Spring 2011 Important Concepts * Forms of Business Organization * Proprietorship- an unincorporated business owned by one individual * Partnership- legal arrangement between two or more people who decide to do business together * Advantages * Ease of formation * Subject to few regulations * No corporate income taxes * Disadvantages * Limited life * Unlimited liability * Difficult to raise capital * Corporation- legal entity created by a state, and it is separate and distinct from its owner and managers. Advantages * Unlimited life * Easy transfer of ownership * Limited liability * Ease of raising capital * Disadvantages * Double taxation * Cost of set-up and report filing * Conflicts between Managers and Stockholders * Managers are naturally inclined to act in their own best interests (which are not always the same as the interest of stockholders). * But the following factors affect managerial b ehavior: * Managerial compensation packages * Direct intervention by shareholders * The threat of firing * The threat of takeover * Shareholder Value The price at which the stock would sell if all investors had all knowable information about a stock. * The primary financial goal of management is shareholder wealth maximization, which translates to maximizing stock price. * Value of any asset is present value of cash flow stream to owners. * Most significant decisions are evaluated in terms of their financial consequences. * Stock prices change over time as conditions change and as investors obtain new information about a company’s prospects. * Intrinsic value * In equilibrium, a stock’s price should equal its â€Å"true† or intrinsic value. Intrinsic value is a long-run concept. * To the extent that investor perceptions are incorrect, a stock’s price in the short run may deviate from its intrinsic value. * Ideally, managers should avoid actions that reduc e intrinsic value, even if those decisions increase the stock price in the short run. * Capital allocation process * In a well-functioning economy, capital flows efficiently from those who supply capital to those who demand it. * Suppliers of capital – individuals and institutions with â€Å"excess funds. † These groups are saving money and looking for a rate of return on their investment. Demanders or users of capital – individuals and institutions who need to raise funds to finance their investment opportunities. These groups are willing to pay a rate of return on the capital they borrow. * Direct transfers * Investment banking house * Financial intermediaries * Types of financial markets * Physical asset markets versus financial asset markets * Physical asset markets are for products such as wheat, autos, real estate, computers, and machinery. * Financial asset markets, on the other hand, deal with stocks, bonds, notes, and mortgages. Spot markets versus futu re markets * Spot markets are markets in which assets are bought or sold for â€Å"on-the-spot† delivery. * Future markets are markets in which participants agree today to buy or sell an asset at some future date * Money markets versus capital markets * Money markets are the markets for short-term, highly liquid debt securities. The New York, London, and Tokyo money markets are among the world’s largest. * Capital Markets are the markets for intermediate- or long-term debt and corporate stocks. The NYSE * Primary markets versus secondary markets Primary markets are the markets in which corporations raise new capital. If a company were to sell a new issue of common stock to raise capital. * Secondary markets are markets in which existing, already outstanding securities are traded among investors. * Private markets versus public markets * Private markets, where transactions are negotiated directly between two parties, are differentiated from†¦public markets. Ex. Com mon stock and corporate bonds * Public markets, where standardized contracts are traded on organized exchanges. Ex.Bank loans and private debt payments to an insurance company. * Importance of financial markets * Well-functioning financial markets facilitate the flow of capital from investors to the users of capital. * Markets provide savers with returns on their money saved/invested, which provides them money in the future. * Markets provide users of capital with the necessary funds to finance their investment projects. * Well-functioning markets promote economic growth. * Economies with well-developed markets perform better than economies with poorly-functioning markets. * Derivatives A derivative security’s value is â€Å"derived† from the price of another security (e. g. , options and futures). * Can be used to â€Å"hedge† or reduce risk. For example, an importer, whose profit falls when the dollar loses value, could purchase currency futures that do well w hen the dollar weakens. * Also, speculators can use derivatives to bet on the direction of future stock prices, interest rates, exchange rates, and commodity prices. In many cases, these transactions produce high returns if you guess right, but large losses if you guess wrong. Here, derivatives can increase risk. * Financial institutions Commercial banks * Bank of America, Citibank, Wells Fargo * Investment banks * Help companies raise capital * Financial services corporations * Conglomerates that combine many different financial institutions within a single corporation. * Credit unions * Employees, members or organization * Pension funds * Life insurance companies * Mutual funds * Hedge funds * Largely unregulated * Large minimum investment * Exchange traded funds (ETF’s) * Private equity companies * Like hedge funds * IPO * An initial public offering (IPO) is where a company issues stock in the public market for the first time. â€Å"Going public† enables a companyâ €™s owners to raise capital from a wide variety of outside investors. Once issued, the stock trades in the secondary market. * Public companies are subject to additional regulations and reporting requirements. * Efficient market hypothesis – implications * Securities are normally in equilibrium and are â€Å"fairly priced. † * Investors cannot â€Å"beat the market† except through good luck or better information. * Efficiency continuum * When markets are efficient, investors can buy and sell stocks and be confident that they are getting good prices.When markets are inefficient, investors may be afraid to iinvest and may put their money â€Å"under the pillow,† which will lead to a poor allocation of capital and economic stagnation. * Balance sheet * Provides a â€Å"snapshot† of a firm’s position at a specific point in time. The left side shows the assets that the company owns, while the right side shows the firm’s liabilities and stockholders’ equity, which are claims against the firm’s assets. * Assets * Current assets: * Cash and equivalents * A/R * Inventories * Total Current Assets * Net fixed assets: Net plan and equipment(cost minus depreciation) * Other assets expected to last more than a year * Total Assets * Liabilities and Equity * Current liabilities: * A/P * Accruals * Notes Payable * Total current liabilities * Long-term bonds * Total debt * Common equity: * Common stock * Retained earning * Total common equity * Total liabilities and equity * Income statement * Summarizes a firm’s revenues and expenses over a given period of time. * Sales * (COGS) * (Other Expenses) * (Depreciation) * EBIT * (Interest Expense) * EBT * (Taxes) * Net Income Statement of cash flows * Reports the impact of a firm’s activities on cash flows over a given period of time. Shows how much cash the firm is generating. * Cash @ end 2007 * O/A * I/A * F/A * Cash @ end 2008 * Working capital * An ything that is cash or can be converted to cash within a year. A/R and Inventory * Net working capital (NWC) * Current assets (A/R, Inventory, Cash) – (Payables + Accruals) * Free cash flow (FCF) * Everything left over for investors. Amount of cash that can be withdrawn to investors without harming the ability of the company to operate and produce. FCF = EBIT(1-T) + Depreciation – (Capital expenditures + Increase in NWC) (Income Statement) ( in gross FA/current) Balance Sheet * Corporate and personal taxes * Both have a progressive structure (the higher the income, the higher the marginal tax rate). * Corporations * Rates begin at 15% and rise to 35% for corporations with income over $10 million, although corporations with income between $15 million and $18. 33 million pay a marginal tax rate of 38%. * Also subject to state tax (around 5%). * Individuals * Rates begin at 10% and rise to 35% for individuals with income over $349,700. May be subject to state tax. * Tax t reatment of interest and dividends * Interest paid – tax deductible for corporations (paid out of pre-tax income), but usually not for individuals (interest on home loans being the exception). * Interest earned – usually fully taxable (an exception being interest from a â€Å"muni†). * Dividends paid – paid out of after-tax income. * Dividends received – Most investors pay 15% taxes. * Investors in the 10% or 15% tax bracket pay 0% on dividends in 2008-2010. * Dividends are paid out of net income which has already been taxed at the corporate level, this is a form of â€Å"double taxation†. A portion of dividends received by corporations is tax excludable, in order to avoid â€Å"triple taxation†. * Taxes – carrybacks and carryforwards * Tax Loss Carry-Back and Carry-Forward – since corporate incomes can fluctuate widely, the Tax Code allows firms to carry losses back to offset profits in previous years or forward to offs et profits in the future. * Taxes – capital gains * Defined as the profits from the sale of assets not normally transacted in the normal course of business, capital gains for individuals are generally taxed as ordinary income if held for less than a year, and at the capital gains rate if held for more than a year.Corporations face somewhat different rules. * Importance of ratios * Ratios standardize numbers and facilitate comparisons. * Ratios are used to highlight weaknesses and strengths. * Ratio comparisons should be made through time and with competitors. * Trend analysis. * Peer (or industry) analysis. * 5 categories of ratios * Liquidity: Can we make required payments? * Current = current assets/current liabilities * Quick = Current assets-inventories/current liabilities * Asset management: right amount of assets vs. sales? * Inventory T/O Ratio = Sales/Inventories * Days sales outstanding(DSO) = AR/(Sales/365) Fixed Asset T/O Ratio = Sales/Net Fixed AssetsNet FA=Balanc e Sheet * T/A Turnover = Sales/Total AssetsTA=Balance Sheet * How many times the PM is earned each year * Below avg. T/A T/O means that it has more assets than it needs * Debt management: Right mix of debt and equity? * Debt Ratio = Total Debt/Total AssetsBalance Sheet * Times-Interest-Earned(TIE) = EBIT/Interest ExpenseIncome Statement * Profitability: Do sales prices exceed unit costs, and are sales high enough as reflected in PM, ROE, and ROA? * Operating Margin = EBIT/Sales * Profit Margin = Net income/Sales PM is how much a firm earns on its sales * Below avg. PM means that the firm’s costs are not being controlled as well as they should be, therefore they cannot charge premium prices * Basic Earning Power(BEP) = EBIT/Total Assets * ROA = Net Income/Total Assets * ROE = Net Income/total common equityBalance Sheet * ROE and shareholder wealth are correlated, but problems can arise when ROE is the sole measure of performance. * ROE does not consider risk. * ROE does not co nsider the amount of capital invested. * Might encourage managers to make investment decisions that do not benefit shareholders. ROE focuses only on return and a better measure would consider risk and return. * Market value: Do investors like what they see as reflected in P/E and M/B ratios? * Price/Earnings (P/E) ratio = Price per share/Earnings per share * Earnings per share * Market/Book Ratio (M/B)= Market price per share/Book value per share * Book Value per share = Common equity/Shares outstandingBalance Sheet * P/E: How much investors are willing to pay for $1 of earnings. * M/B: How much investors are willing to pay for $1 of book value equity. For each ratio, the higher the number, the better. * P/E and M/B are high if ROE is high and risk is low. * DuPont system * ROE = Profit Margin(PM) X Total Asset Turnover X Equity Multiplier(EM) NI/Sales Sales/TA TA/Total common equity I______ _______I I ROA * ROA Focuses on expense control (PM), asset utilization (TA TO), and debt ut ilization (equity multiplier). * Uses of freed up cash * Old A/R * (New A/R) * Cash freed up * Uses: * Repurchase stock * Expand business * Reduce debt * All these actions would likely improve the stock price. * Limitations of ratio analysis Comparison with industry averages is difficult for a conglomerate firm that operates in many different divisions. * â€Å"Average† performance is not necessarily good, perhaps the firm should aim higher. * Seasonal factors can distort ratios. * â€Å"Window dressing† techniques can make statements and ratios look better. * Different operating and accounting practices can distort comparisons. * Sometimes it is hard to tell if a ratio is â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad. † * Difficult to tell whether a company is, on balance, in strong or weak position. * Sales forecast * Use historical sales data (approx. 5 years) Collect input from product development, marketing, and operations * Sales growth has a cost * Bad forecasts have a cost * Forecasting sales is the most important input in predicting future financial performance * Additional Financing Needed (AFN) * AFN = (A*/S0)? S – (L*/S0) ? S – M(S1)(RR) * = Projected asset increase – Spontaneous liabilities increase – Increase in retained earnings (How many assets to buy)L*(liab. Bs) M(S1)=future profits * A* = assets * L* = spontaneous liabilities * S = sales * M = profit margin * RR = retention ratio * FIN 331 – Moser – Study Guide for Midterm II – Spring 2011Important Concepts * Time Value of Money * The  idea that money available at the present time is worth more than the same amount in the future due to its potential earning capacity. This  core principle of finance holds that, provided money can earn interest, any amount of money is worth more the sooner it is received. * Future Value (FV) * The amount to which a cash flow or series of cash flows will grow over a given period of time when compounded at a given interest rate. * Finding the FV of a cash flow or series of cash flows is called compounding * What is the FV of an initial $100 after 3 years, if I/YR = 10%? N=3I/YR=10PV=100PMT=0FV=CPT * Future Value = 133. 10 * Present Value (PV) * The value today of a future cash flow or series of cash flows * What is the PV of $100 due in 3 years, if I/YR= 10%? * N=3I/YR=10PV=CPTPMT=0FV= 100 * PV=-75. 13 * Solving for Interest Rate * Solving for I: What interest rate would cause $100 to grow to 125. 97 in 3 years? * N=3I=CPTPV=100 PMT=0FV=125. 97 * Interest Rate = 8% * Solving for # of Time Periods * N = Number of periods involved in the analysis. * If sales grow at 20% per year, how long before sales double? * N=? I/YR=20PV=-1PMT=0 FV=2 * N=3. 8 * Ordinary Annuity vs. Annuity Due Ordinary Annuity * Payments occur at the end of each year(deferred annuity) * Set calculator to END * FV * 3-year ordinary annuity of $100 at 10%? * N=3 I/YR=10 PV=0 PMT=100 FV=CPT * FV=331 * PV * N=3 I/YR =10 PV=CPT PMT=100 FV=0 * PV=-248. 69 * Annuity Due * Set calculator to BEGIN * The payments are made at the beginning of each year * FV * 3-year annuity due of $100 at 10%? * N=3 I/YR=10 PV=0 PMT=100 FV=CPT * FV=364. 10 * PV * N=3 I/YR=10 PV=CPT PMT=100 FV=0 * PV=273. 55 * Perpetuity * An annuity with an extended life. * N=infinity * PV of a perpetuity = PMT/I * PV=PMT/I=$100/0. 1 = $1,000 Compound Interest * A 20-year-old student wants to save $3 a day for her retirement. Every day she places $3 in a drawer. At the end of the year, she invests the accumulated savings ($1,095) in a brokerage account with an expected annual return of 12%. * How much money will she have when she is 65 years old? * N=45 I/YR= 12 PV=0 PMT= 1095 FV=CPT * FV = 1,487,262 * Solving for annual payment * PV of uneven cash flows * * Effect of compounding more often * Compounding more often results in building interest upon interest * Nominal vs. Periodic vs. Effective Interest Rate * Written into contracts, q uoted by banks and brokers.Not used in calculations or shown on time lines. * Nominal rate (INOM) – also called the quoted or stated rate. An annual rate that ignores compounding effects. * INOM is stated in contracts. Periods must also be given, e. g. 8% quarterly or 8% daily interest. * Periodic rate (IPER) – amount of interest charged each period, e. g. monthly or quarterly. * * IPER = INOM/M, where M is the number of compounding periods per year. M = 4 for quarterly and M = 12 for monthly compounding. * Effective (or equivalent) annual rate (EAR = EFF%) – the annual rate of interest actually being earned, accounting for compounding. Used to compare returns on investments with different payments per year. Used in calculations when annuity payments don’t match compounding periods. * EFF% for 10% semiannual investment * EFF%= ( 1 + INOM/M )M – 1 * = ( 1 + 0. 10/2 )2 – 1 = 10. 25% * Should be indifferent between receiving 10. 25% annual inte rest and receiving 10% interest, compounded semiannually. * Semiannual/quarterly/monthly compounding * Annually * N=3 I/YR=10. 25 PV=0 PMT=100 FV=CPT * FV=331. 80 * 100(1. 025)^3=331. 80 * Semiannual * N=6 I/YR=5. 125 PV=0 PMT = 100 FV=CPT * FV=682. 33 * 100(. 5125)^6 * Quarterly * N=12 I=2. 6 PV=0 PMT=100 FV=CPT * * Loan Amortization * Amortization tables are widely used for home mortgages, auto loans, business loans, retirement plans, etc. * Financial calculators and spreadsheets are great for setting up amortization tables. * A loan that is to be repaid in equal amounts on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis * Bonds * A long-term debt instrument in which a borrower agrees to make payments of principal and interest, on specific dates, to the holders of the bond. * Treasury * Government bonds * No default risk * Municipal * Bonds issued by state and local governments * Some default risk Advantage: Munis are exempt from Federal Taxes and from state taxes if the holder is resident of issuing state. * Corporate * Issued by business firms * Exposed to default risk * Higher the risk, the higher interest rate is demanded * Foreign * Issued by a foreign government * Currency exchange issues * Par value * face amount of the bond, which is paid at maturity (assume $1,000). * Coupon interest rate * Stated interest rate (generally fixed) paid by the issuer. Multiply by par value to get dollar payment of interest. * Maturity date * Years until the bond must be repaid. * Yield to maturity Rate of return earned on a bond held until maturity (also called the â€Å"promised yield†). * Call Provision * Allows issuer to refund the bond issue if rates decline (helps the issuer, but hurts the investor). * Borrowers are willing to pay more, and lenders require more, for callable bonds. * Most bonds have a deferred call and a declining call premium. * Sinking Fund * Provision to pay off a loan over its life rather than all at maturity. * Similar to amortization on a term loan. * Reduces risk to investor, shortens average maturity. * But not good for investors if rates decline after issuance. * Convertible Bond May be exchanged for common stock of the firm, at the holder’s option. * Warrant * Long-term option to buy a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price. * Puttable bond * Allows holder to sell the bond back to the company prior to maturity. * Indexed bond * Interest rate paid is based upon the rate of inflation. * Valuing a bond * Problem * Discount bond vs. Premium bond and how you can tell by comparing the coupon and the YTM * Bond Values over time * Solving for YTM * Expected Total return= YTM = (Expected Current Yield) + (Expected Capital Gains Yield) * CY=Annual coupon payment/Current Price . 09(1000)/887 * CGY= Change in price/Beginning price * Or CGY = Current yield + Capital gains yield * Interest rate risk * The concern that rising interest rates will cause the value of a bond to fall. * 10year bond has more r isk than just a 1 year bond * Reinvestment rate risk * Reinvestment rate risk is the concern that rd will fall, and future CFs will have to be reinvested at lower rates, hence reducing income. * EXAMPLE: Suppose you just won $500,000 playing the lottery. You intend to invest the money and live off the interest. * You may invest in either a 10-year bond or a series of ten 1-year bonds.Both 10-year and 1-year bonds currently yield 10%. * If you choose the 1-year bond strategy: * After Year 1, you receive $50,000 in income and have $500,000 to reinvest. But, if 1-year rates fall to 3%, your annual income would fall to $15,000. * If you choose the 10-year bond strategy: * You can lock in a 10% interest rate, and $50,000 annual income for 10 years, assuming the bond is not callable. * Semiannual bonds * Multiply years by 2: Number of periods = 2N * Divide nominal rate by 2: Periodic rate (I/YR) = rd/2 * Divide annual coupon by 2: PMT = Annual coupon/2 * Yield to Call * Problem * Default risk If an issuer defaults, investors receive less than the promised return. Therefore, the expected return on corporate and municipal bonds is less than the promised return. * Influenced by the issuer’s financial strength and the terms of the bond contract. * Mortgage bond vs. debenture * Mortgage bond- backed up by collateral e. g. house,car,jewelry * Debenture- Not backed up * Investment-grade vs. junk bond * Investment grade-GE bond, lower risk and thus lower return * Junk bond- Speculative bonds that have high risk, but sometimes higher return * Significant risk of going default * 2 chapters of bankruptcy Two main chapters of the Federal Bankruptcy Act: * Chapter 11, Reorganization * If company can’t meet its obligations †¦ * It files under Chapter 11 to stop creditors from foreclosing, taking assets, and closing the business and it has 120 days to file a reorganization plan. * Court appoints a â€Å"trustee† to supervise reorganization. * Management u sually stays in control. * Company must demonstrate in its reorganization plan that it is â€Å"worth more alive than dead†. * If not, judge will order liquidation under Chapter 7. * Chapter 7, Liquidation * Typically, a company wants Chapter 11, while creditors may prefer Chapter 7. Priority of Claims in Liquidation * Secured creditors from sales of secured assets. * Trustee’s costs * Wages, subject to limits * Taxes * Unfunded pension liabilities * Unsecured creditors * Preferred stock * Common stock * Reorganization * In a liquidation, unsecured creditors generally get zero. This makes them more willing to participate in reorganization even though their claims are greatly scaled back. * Various groups of creditors vote on the reorganization plan. If both the majority of the creditors and the judge approve, company â€Å"emerges† from bankruptcy with lower debts, reduced interest charges, and a chance for success.Formulas that will be provided * Chapters 5 and 7 from Appendix C * Instructions on switching your calculator from END to BGN mode Chapter 8 * Investment Risk * Investment risk is related to the probability of earning a low or negative actual return. * The greater the chance of lower than expected or negative returns, the riskier the investment. * stand-alone risk * The asset is considered by itself * The risk an investor would face if he or she held only this one asset. * Portfolio risk * Asset is held as one of a number of assets in a portfolio * Average returns (stocks vs. bonds) Bonds offer relatively low returns, but with relatively little risk * Stocks offer the chance of higher returns, but stocks are generally riskier than bonds * Expected return r^ * The rate of return expected to be realized from an investment; the weighted average of the probability distribution of possible results * Standard deviation (sigma) * A statistical measure of the variability of a set of observations * The tighter the probability distributio n, the lower the risk * Measure of how far the actual return is likely to deviate from the expected return * Coefficient of variation (CV) The standardized measure of the risk per unit of return; calculated as the standard deviation divided by the expected return * CV= ? /r^ * Risk aversion * Assumes investors dislike risk and require higher rates of return to encourage them to hold riskier securities. * Risk premium * The difference between the return on a risky asset and a riskless asset, which serves as compensation for investors to hold riskier securities. * Portfolio expected return r^p The weighted average of the expected returns on the assets held in the portfolio * The weights being the percentage of the total portfolio invested in each asset * Diversification effects on a portfolio * ? p decreases as stocks added, because they would not be perfectly correlated with the existing portfolio. * Expected return of the portfolio would remain relatively constant. * Eventually the diversification benefits of adding more stocks dissipates (after about 10 stocks), and for large stock portfolios, ? p tends to converge to 20%. * Market risk vs. diversifiable risk Stand-alone risk = Market risk + Diversifiable risk * Market risk – portion of a security’s stand-alone risk that cannot be eliminated through diversification. Measured by beta. * Diversifiable risk – portion of a security’s stand-alone risk that can be eliminated through proper diversification. * Failure to diversify * If an investor chooses to hold a one-stock portfolio (doesn’t diversify), would the investor be compensated for the extra risk they bear? * NO! * Stand-alone risk is not important to a well-diversified investor. * Rational, risk-averse investors are concerned with ? , which is based upon market risk. * There can be only one price (the market return) for a given security. * No compensation should be earned for holding unnecessary, diversifiable risk. * Ca pital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) * Model linking risk and required returns. CAPM suggests that there is a Security Market Line (SML) that states that a stock’s required return equals the risk-free return plus a risk premium that reflects the stock’s risk after diversification. * ri = rRF + (rM – rRF)bi * Primary conclusion: The relevant riskiness of a stock is its contribution to the riskiness of a well-diversified portfolio. Beta * Measures a stock’s market risk, and shows a stock’s volatility relative to the market. * Indicates how risky a stock is if the stock is held in a well-diversified portfolio. * Can the beta of a security be negative? * Yes, if the correlation between Stock i and the market is negative (i. e. , ? i,m < 0). * If the correlation is negative, the regression line would slope downward, and the beta would be negative. * However, a negative beta is highly unlikely. * The Security Market Line (SML) (calculating required rates of return) * SML: ri = rRF + (rM – rRF)bi * ri = rRF + (RPM)bi Assume the yield curve is flat and that rRF = 5. 5% and RPM = 5. 0%. * Market risk premium * Additional return over the risk-free rate needed to compensate investors for assuming an average amount of risk. * Its size depends on the perceived risk of the stock market and investors’ degree of risk aversion. * Varies from year to year, but most estimates suggest that it ranges between 4% and 8% per year. * Portfolio beta * The beta of a portfolio is the weighted average of each of the stock’s betas. * bP = wHTbHT + wCollbColl * bP = 0. 5(1. 32) + 0. 5(-0. 87) * bP = 0. 225 * Portfolio required returns The required return of a portfolio is the weighted average of each of the stock’s required returns. * Or, using the portfolio’s beta, CAPM can be used to solve for expected return. * rRF + (rpm)(stocks beta) * Discounted dividend model * Value of a stock is the present value of the future divide nds expected to be generated by the stock. * * Valuing stock with constant growth * A stock whose dividends are expected to grow forever at a constant rate, g. * D1 = D0(1 + g)1 * D2 = D0(1 + g)2 * Dt = D0(1 + g)t * If g is constant, the discounted dividend formula converges to: * * Dividend yield vs. capital gains yield Dividend yield * = D1/P0 = $2. 12/$30. 29 = 7. 0% * Capital gains yield * = (P1 – P0)/P0 * = ($32. 10 – $30. 29)/$30. 29 = 6. 0% * Valuing stock with nonconstant growth * During nonconstant growth, dividend yield and capital gains yield are not constant, and capital gains yield ? g. * Corporate Valuation model * Also called the free cash flow method. Suggests the value of the entire firm equals the present value of the firm’s free cash flows. * Remember, free cash flow is the firm’s after-tax operating income less the net capital investment. * FCF = EBIT(1 – T) – Net capital investment * Terminal value Often preferred to the discounted dividend model, especially when considering number of firms that don’t pay dividends or when dividends are hard to forecast. * Similar to discounted dividend model, assumes at some point free cash flow will grow at a constant rate. * Terminal value (TVN) represents value of firm at the point that growth becomes constant. * Firm Multiple method * Analysts often use the following multiples to value stocks. * P/E * P/CF * P/Sales * EXAMPLE: Based on comparable firms, estimate the appropriate P/E. Multiply this by expected earnings to back out an estimate of the stock price. Preferred stock * Hybrid security. * Like bonds, preferred stockholders receive a fixed dividend that must be paid before dividends are paid to common stockholders. * However, companies can omit preferred dividend payments without fear of pushing the firm into bankruptcy. Chapter 10 * Sources of capital * Long-term capital * Long-term debt * Preferred Stock * Common Stock * Retained earnings * New common stock * Weighted average cost of capital (WACC) * WACC=Wdrd(1-T) + Wp rp + Wc rs * W’s refer to the firms capital structure weights * r’s refer to the cost of each component Before-tax vs. after-tax capital costs * Stockholders focus on A-T CFs. Therefore, we should focus on A-T capital costs, i. e. use A-T costs of capital in WACC. Only rd needs adjustment, because interest is tax deductible. * Historical costs vs. Marginal costs * The cost of capital is used primarily to make decisions that involve raising new capital. So, focus on today’s marginal costs (for WACC). * How weights are determined * Use accounting numbers or market value (book vs. market weights)? * Use actual numbers or target capital structure? * Cost of debt * WACC = wdrd(1 – T) + wprp + wcrs rd is the marginal cost of debt capital. * The yield to maturity on outstanding L-T debt is often used as a measure of rd. * Why tax-adjust; i. e. , why rd(1 – T)? * Cost of preferre d stock * rp is the marginal cost of preferred stock, which is the return investors require on a firm’s preferred stock. * Preferred dividends are not tax-deductible, so no tax adjustments necessary. Just use nominal rp. * Our calculation ignores possible flotation costs. * The cost of preferred stock can be solved by using this formula: * rp= Dp/Pp * = $10/$111. 10 * = 9% * Cost of equity * Is there a cost of retained earnings? Earnings can be reinvested or paid out as dividends. * Investors could buy other securities, earn a return. * If earnings are retained, there is an opportunity cost (the return that stockholders could earn on alternative investments of equal risk). * Investors could buy similar stocks and earn rs. * Firm could repurchase its own stock and earn rs. * CAPM * CAPM: rs = rRF + (rM – rRF)b * DCF * DCF:rs = (D1/P0) + g * Bond-yield-plus-risk-premium * rs = rd + RP * Flotation costs * Flotation costs depend on the firm’s risk and the type of ca pital being raised. * Flotation costs are highest for common equity.However, since most firms issue equity infrequently, the per-project cost is fairly small. * We will frequently ignore flotation costs when calculating the WACC. * What affects WACC * Market conditions. * The firm’s capital structure and dividend policy. * The firm’s investment policy. Firms with riskier projects generally have a higher WACC. * The composite WACC reflects the risk of an average project undertaken by the firm. Therefore, the WACC only represents the â€Å"hurdle rate† for a typical project with average risk. * Different projects have different risks. The project’s WACC should be adjusted to reflect the project’s risk.

Factors Affecting Child Development Essay

What is prenatal care? Prenatal care is the health care you get while you are pregnant. Take care of yourself and your baby by: †¢Getting early prenatal care. If you know you’re pregnant, or think you might be, call your doctor to schedule a visit. †¢Getting regular prenatal care. Your doctor will schedule you for many checkups over the course of your pregnancy. Don’t miss any — they are all important. †¢Following your doctor’s advice. Return to top Why do I need prenatal care? Return to top I am thinking about getting pregnant. How can I take care of myself? You should start taking care of yourself before you start trying to get pregnant. This is called preconception health. It means knowing how health conditions and risk factors could affect you or your unborn baby if you become pregnant. For example, some foods, habits, and medicines can harm your baby — even before he or she is conceived. Some health problems also can affect pregnancy. Talk to your doctor before pregnancy to learn what you can do to prepare your body. Women should prepare for pregnancy before becoming sexually active. Ideally, women should give themselves at least 3 months to prepare before getting pregnant. The five most important things you can do before becoming pregnant are: 1.Take 400 to 800 micrograms (400 to 800 mcg or 0.4 to 0.8 mg) of folic acid every day for at least 3 months before getting pregnant to lower your risk of some birth defects of the brain and spine. You can get folic acid from some foods. But it’s hard to get all the folic acid you need from foods alone. Taking a vitamin with folic acid is the best and easiest way to be sure you’re getting enough. 2.Stop smoking and drinking alcohol. Ask your doctor for help. 3.If you have a medical condition, be sure it is under control. Some conditions include asthma, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, obesity, thyroid disease, or epilepsy. Be sure your vaccinations are up to date. 4.Talk to your doctor about any over-the-counter and prescription medicines you are using. These include dietary or herbal supplements. Some medicines are not safe during pregnancy. At the same time, stopping medicines you need also can be harmful. 5.Avoid contact with toxic substances or materials at work and at home that could be harmful. Stay away from chemicals and cat or rodent feces. Return to top I’m pregnant. What should I do — or not do — to take care of myself and my unborn baby? Follow these do’s and don’ts to take care of yourself and the precious life growing inside you: Health care do’s and don’ts †¢Get early and regular prenatal care. Whether this is your first pregnancy or third, health care is extremely important. Your doctor will check to make sure you and the baby are healthy at each visit. If there are any problems, early action will help you and the baby. †¢Take a multivitamin or prenatal vitamin with 400 to 800 micrograms (400 to 800 mcg or 0.4 to 0.8 mg) of folic acid every day. Folic acid is most important in the early stages of pregnancy, but you should continue taking folic acid throughout pregnancy. †¢Ask your doctor before stopping any medicines or starting any new medicines. Some medicines are not safe during pregnancy. Keep in mind that even over-the-counter medicines and herbal products may cause side effects or other problems. But not using medicines you need could also be harmful. †¢Avoid x-rays. If you must have dental work or diagnostic tests, tell your dentist or doctor that you are pregnant so that extra care can be taken. †¢Get a flu shot. Pregnant women can get very sick from the flu and may need hospital care. Food do’s and don’ts †¢Eat a variety of healthy foods. Choose fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium-rich foods, and foods low in saturated fat. Also, make sure to drink plenty of fluids, especially water. †¢Get all the nutrients you need each day, including iron. Getting enough iron prevents you from getting anemia, which is linked to preterm birth and low birth weight. Eating a variety of healthy foods will help you get the nutrients your baby needs. But ask your doctor if you need to take a daily prenatal vitamin or iron supplement to be sure you are getting enough. †¢Protect yourself and your baby from food-borne illnesses, including toxoplasmosis (TOK-soh-plaz-MOH-suhss) and listeria (lih-STEER-ee-uh). Wash fruits and vegetables before eating. Don’t eat uncooked or undercooked meats or fish. Always handle, clean, cook, eat, and store foods properly. †¢Don’t eat fish with lots of mercury, including swordfish, king mackerel, shark, and tilefish. Lifestyle do’s and don’ts †¢Gain a healthy amount of weight. Your doctor can tell you how much weight gain you should aim for during pregnancy. †¢Don’t smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs. These can cause long-term harm or death to your baby. Ask your doctor for help quitting. †¢Unless your doctor tells you not to, try to get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week. It’s best to spread out your workouts throughout the week. If you worked out regularly before pregnancy, you can keep up your activity level as long as your health doesn’t change and you talk to your doctor about your activity level throughout your pregnancy. Learn more about how to have a fit pregnancy. †¢Don’t take very hot baths or use hot tubs or saunas. †¢Get plenty of sleep and find ways to control stress. †¢Get informed. Read books, watch videos, go to a childbirth class, and talk with moms you know. †¢Ask your doctor about childbirth education classes for you and your partner. Classes can help you prepare for the birth of your baby. Environmental do’s and don’ts †¢Stay away from chemicals like insecticides, solvents (like some cleaners or paint thinners), lead, mercury, and paint (including paint fumes). Not all products have pregnancy warnings on their labels. If you’re unsure if a product is safe, ask your doctor before using it. Talk to your doctor if you are worried that chemicals used in your workplace might be harmful. †¢If you have a cat, ask your doctor about toxoplasmosis. This infection is caused by a parasite sometimes found in cat feces. If not treated toxoplasmosis can cause birth defects. You can lower your risk of by avoiding cat litter and wearing gloves when gardening. †¢Avoid contact with rodents, including pet rodents, and with their urine, droppings, or nesting material. Rodents can carry a virus that can be harmful or even deadly to your unborn baby. †¢Take steps to avoid illness, such as washing hands frequently. †¢Stay away from secondhand smoke. Check out our more detailed tips on Pregnancy do’s and don’ts (PDF, 176 KB). Return to top I don’t want to get pregnant right now. But should I still take folic acid every day? Yes! Birth defects of the brain and spine happen in the very early stages of pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. By the time she finds out she is pregnant, it might be too late to prevent those birth defects. Also, half of all pregnancies in the United States are not planned. For these reasons, all women who are able to get pregnant need 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid every day. [Return to Top] How often should I see my doctor during pregnancy? Your doctor will give you a schedule of all the doctor’s visits you should have while pregnant. Most experts suggest you see your doctor: †¢About once each month for weeks 4 through 28 †¢Twice a month for weeks 28 through 36 †¢Weekly for weeks 36 to birth If you are older than 35 or your pregnancy is high risk, you’ll probably see your doctor more often. [Return to Top] What happens during prenatal visits? During the first prenatal visit, you can expect your doctor to: †¢Ask about your health history including diseases, operations, or prior pregnancies †¢Ask about your family’s health history †¢Do a complete physical exam, including a pelvic exam and Pap test †¢Take your blood and urine for lab work †¢Check your blood pressure, height, and weight †¢Calculate your due date †¢Answer your questions At the first visit, you should ask questions and discuss any issues related to your pregnancy. Find out all you can about how to stay healthy. Later prenatal visits will probably be shorter. Your doctor will check on your health and make sure the baby is growing as expected. Most prenatal visits will include: †¢Checking your blood pressure †¢Measuring your weight gain †¢Measuring your abdomen to check your baby’s growth (once you begin to show) †¢Checking the baby’s heart rate While you’re pregnant, you also will have some routine tests. Some tests are suggested for all women, such as blood work to check for anemia, your blood type, HIV, and other factors. Other tests might be offered based on your age, personal or family health history, your ethnic background, or the results of routine tests you have had. Visit the pregnancy section of our website for more details on prenatal care and tests. Return to top I am in my late 30s and I want to get pregnant. Should I do anything special? As you age, you have an increasing chance of having a baby born with a birth defect. Yet most women in their late 30s and early 40s have healthy babies. See your doctor regularly before you even start trying to get pregnant. She will be able to help you prepare your body for pregnancy. She will also be able to tell you about how age can affect pregnancy. During your pregnancy, seeing your doctor regularly is very important. Because of your age, your doctor will probably suggest some extra tests to check on your baby’s health. More and more women are waiting until they are in their 30s and 40s to have children. While many women of this age have no problems getting pregnant, fertility does decline with age. Women over 40 who don’t get pregnant after six months of trying should see their doctors for a fertility evaluation. Experts define infertility as the inability to become pregnant after trying for one year. If a woman keeps having miscarriages, it’s also called infertility. If you think you or your partner may be infertile, talk to your doctor. Doctors are able to help many infertile couples go on to have healthy babies. Return to top Where can I go to get free or reduced-cost prenatal care? Women in every state can get help to pay for medical care during their pregnancies. This prenatal care can help you have a healthy baby. Every state in the United States has a program to help. Programs give medical care, information, advice, and other services important for a healthy pregnancy. To find out about the program in your state: †¢Call 800-311-BABY (800-311-2229). This toll-free telephone number will connect you to the Health Department in your area code. †¢For information in Spanish, call 800-504-7081. †¢Contact your local Health Department.

Should You Start Your Job Hunt in the Summer

Should You Start Your Job Hunt in the Summer Although the long days of summer often mean the hiring process can be slower than usual, that doesn’t mean you should put your job search on hold until the leaves start to change color. Summer is as good a time as any to sharpen your resume and put yourself out on the job market. Even if you are a seasoned employee and not interested in an entry-level position, you can ride the wave of positions opening up for newly graduated seniors. Companies account for an influx of grads when they plan out their year, so take advantage of new job openings, especially if you are making a lateral move or a career change.The season is also often a time of turnover. People have already received their bonuses, and with the end of a school year often comes changes for many families.  Since most office-based jobs are slower-paced due to vacations and long weekends, current employees have more time to job hunt, which ideally will leave open positions for new hires.Don’t use the excuse of lazy summer days to take a break in your job quest! Summer is a fine to to begin your hunt as long as you realize response times from recruiters will be a bit slower than usual. Use the extra time to perfect your resume, hunt for open positions, and make job searching your priority.

75 Terms Pertaining to Color

75 Terms Pertaining to Color 75 Terms Pertaining to Color 75 Terms Pertaining to Color By Mark Nichol This post lists numerous nouns and adjectives that describe or pertain to qualities of color, plus brief definitions. 1. ablaze: bright and full of light or color 2. bleached: washed out as a result of exposure to chemicals or sunlight 3. bold: very bright, clear, or strong in color 4. brash: contrasting vividly 5. bright: filled with light, or having a light but strong color 6. brilliant: very bright 7. chatoyant: having a changeable color 8. chroma: purity of color 9. color scheme: combination of colors used in a design 10. colorful: distinguished by bright colors or many colors 11. colorless: lacking color 12. complementary: matching well 13. contrast: differences in color or light 14. cool: containing blue or green 15. dappled: marked with spots of color or light 16. dark: heavily saturated 17. deep: see dark 18. delicate: a charming or dainty quality 19. depth: brightness of a color 20. discolored: see faded 21. dusty: dark or dull 22. faded: lacking brilliance or freshness 23. fast: resistant to fading 24. fauve: see vivid 25. festive: bright and cheerful 26. fiery: very bright red, orange, or yellow, or a combination of two or three of these colors 27. flamboyant: brightly or elaborately colorful 28. flaming: bright or glowing red, orange, or yellow 29. fluorescent: very bright and reflective 30. gay: see brilliant 31. glowing: see bright and warm 32. ground: color used as a base in painting 33. harmonious: pleasantly complementary 34. harsh: excessively bright 35. hue: color 36. intensity: see chroma 37. iridescent: showing various colors in different types of light or from different angles 38. light: pale or minimally saturated 39. loud: ostentatiously bright 40. matching: of the same color 41. medium: between light and dark 42. mellow: clear, warm, and soft 43. monochrome: made of one color or of shades of one color 44. monotone: uniform 45. multicolored: consisting of many colors 46. muted: soft, not bright 47. nacreous: see iridescent 48. neutral: not bright or strong 49. opalescent: see iridescent 50. pastel: pale and soft 51. pearlescent: see iridescent 52. psychedelic: very bright, with busy patterns 53. pure: clear, unmixed 54. rich: deep, vivid 55. riot: disorderly or random 56. saturation: see chroma 57. shade: a variation of a color caused by the addition of black 58. sickly: unpleasantly pale 59. sober: plain, not bright 60. soft: pale and gentle 61. somber: dark and dull 62. tinge: slight shading 63. tint: a variation of a color caused by the addition of white 64. tonal: pertaining to a tone 65. tonality: range of colors in a painting or image 66. tone: see shade 67. translucent: very light or pale or light 68. two-tone: having two colors 69. value: degree of brightness 70. vibrant: bright and colorful 71. violent: very bright, intense 72. vivid: very bright, strong 73. warm: containing red, orange, or yellow 74. washed out: pale, desaturated 75. watery: pale Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives 25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)Personification vs. Anthropomorphism

Country Analysis Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Country Analysis - Outline Example is a landlocked country in north-eastern Africa with most of the people belonging to the different tribes but many of them are not Muslims unlike that of Sudan itself. South Sudan had one of the longest civil wars in Africa starting from 1972 and ending in 2005 with a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Much of the country is dependent on subsistence farming due to the ancient nomadic agriculture. Frankly speaking, the country has very few resources except oil but has plenty of challenges to tackle before it can make any significant progress. (186) Political situation – it is quite ironic how a young country like South Sudan which had just emerged from a long and protracted civil war is now again embroiled in another civil war that is being fought between two former political allies. Its current president Salva Kiir Mayardit has accused his former vice president and other accomplices of trying to stage a coup detat. President Kiir belongs to the Dinka ethnic tribe while his ex-deputy Mr. Riek Machar belongs to the Nuer tribe. The conflict has drawn outside forces from nearby Uganda who are helping government troops fight the rebels lead by Machar and other allied tribes. This new ensuing political instability due to a power struggle along ethnic lines has disrupted the development plans of the young country and has killed at least 10,000 from both sides with 400,000 who fled to neighboring countries while another 1 million people are displaced internally. The current conflict poses a serious risk to South Sudan and if allowed to linger, it can be the source of further political instability that weakens government institutions and possibly make it a failed state like Somalia where there is no central government. Although the people of the country had identified themselves as members of a group distinct from pre-partition Sudan as they are not Muslims but Christians and animists, the new government has so far failed in its mission and vision to implement a new

Affordable care act Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Affordable care act - Assignment Example Some of the reasons that led to its failure were technical, and others were political. Political problems came about due to the presidential over-promising as well as radical political opposition that the project faced. The process used to choose companies that were supposed to create a website by the government was faced with fraudulent. This resulted to massive failure of the website that was intended to make it simple to apply and acquire insurance hence the process was not running the way it was supposed for everyone. The website was too slow, and people could get stuck throughout the process of application. The government should have solved this problem by invalidating the list of contractors who had been chosen through a fraudulent process and carry out transparency procurement process.Regardless of the problems officials of federal health proceeded with the designed rollout. The outcome was that the website went down shortly after many people tried to run the process. This fai lure was said to have been caused by the government over-reliance specific contractors for the technology work hence the process producing uninspiring outcomes. However, other people attributed the problem to be poor planning and implementation rather than contractors hired from private companies. In addition, companies that offered insurance services complained that they were getting incomplete information about customers. This led to suggestions that made Obama hire outside experts to try to help in fixing the website tribulations.

Public Law in the UK Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Public Law in the UK - Assignment Example There are various opinions on why the U.K does not have a written constitution. Some observers feel that the U.K does not have a codified constitution because it has been politically stable for too long. The royal families in other European countries like France and Germany have had to step down and draw up constitutions as a result of a revolt by the masses. In contrast, Great Britain never faced any revolt or rebellion against the crown during the 19th century. Instead, it has transformed itself into a democracy over the years. [Nigel Morris,2008] In the process of drafting a Bill of Rights and Responsibilities outlining citizens' rights and codifying the political system last year, Jack Straw, Secretary of State for Justice remarked that "The constitution of the United Kingdom exists in hearts and minds and habits as much as it does in law." This statement provides a good enough reason as to why there is no codified constitution on the U.K. He also points out that the passing of this Bill could bring U.K in line with the most progressive democracies in the world. [Nigel Morris,2008]. Morris, however, argues in favor of a written constitution stating that British democracy is in a crisis as citizens eye politicians with cynicism and the turnout in general elections has been falling over the years. This could be due to a lack of interest on the part of citizens as there is no written code of law stating their rights and responsibilities. The true essence of a democracy is the manner in which its elections are held. Since democracy is the rule by representatives of the people, a larger voter turnout could mean an active interest on the part of citizens in the affairs of the State. An alarming trend has been observed in the turnout in elections in Britain in recent times. Each time, the number of voters keeps decreasing from the previous one. Other than the general elections in 2001, where the turnout was 59.2%, only a miserable 23% of the population of U.K voted in the European elections in 1999. This was the lowest turnout among all European countries. The following table shows the voter turnout over time in British elections. While the turnout in local elections saw regular fluctuations between 1979 to 1992, it seemed to follow a downtrend from 1992 onwards. The General Elections saw a marginal decline in turnout from 1979 to 1983, though it was a respectable 75% till 1992, after which it appears to have declined to 70% in 1997 and crashed to below 60% in 2001. Similarly, while the turnout in bye-election was almost 55% in 1979, it had declined to almost 40% in 2001.

Environmentally Friendly Hospital Menu

Environmentally Friendly Hospital Menu MANASA PENTA As a Registered Dietitian at the Sandringham Public hospital the below briefing paper on a proposal to revise existing hospital menu and plan a greener menu by including 100% foods used from local food producers around Melbourne. This is submitted to the Broad of Directors of the hospital for their approval. Context: According to the IPCC (2007), the global climate and other life-supporting environmental systems are seriously perturbed and depleted. Climate change-related drought prone and long-term drying conditions emerging in some sub-tropical regions around the world, higher temperatures, raising sea levels, increasing frequency of flooding, and acidification of oceans are now contributing to reduced quantity, quality and affordability of food in many countries. Australia is also facing environmental challenges, with an expected increase in average surface temperature of 0.6-1.5c by 2030. (Fd systems En sustain Pg1) Consequently, public concern over climate change, information and opportunities for people to lower their â€Å"carbon foot print†, a measure of the total consumer responsibility for greenhouse emissions, have become increasingly available. It is imperative that human health is placed within the context of the health of the planet. (food miles pg 3058). In general much of the research around climate change has concluded that food, home energy, and transportation together form a large share of most consumers’ personal impact (food miles pg 3058). Food has a huge impact on the environment. Food production contributes up to 29% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (http://www.foodalliance.org.au/article/healthy-sustainable-diets/). Every step of the food supply chain, from production, to transport, processing, packaging and distribution has potential environmental consequences. There is a bi-directional relationship between environmental degradation and food systems. This requires us to consider the impact of climate change on food production and the impact of food production on the ecology of the biosphere, both of which have significant implications on public health. Food production over the past fifty years in particular has had severe environmental impacts in Australia and around the world. To a significant extent, this is due to unsustainable methods being used all the way along the supply chain from agricultural practices through to distribution methods and consumer habits. Due to the increasing acknowledgment o f environmental degradation through the unsustainable nature of many agricultural methods used around the world, the concept of sustainable diets has become popular. (http://www.foodalliance.org.au/article/healthy-sustainable-diets/). According to FAO 2010, Sustainable Diets are those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Why us? While there isn’t a ‘silver-bullet’ that will solve all the environmental issues of our food system at once, there are a number of actions our community can take to drive change in specific areas. The tremendous purchasing power and public visibility of hospitals could be a key lever for building infrastructure and demand for local food. Hospital efforts may also bring attention to public health impacts of the food system, including air and water pollution, residues from pesticides and other toxins, and health inequities in agricultural communities. A stronger focus on food helps hospitals play a role in promoting environmental sustainability and in raising awareness of its links to human health. Plan of Action On analysis the following food sustainable issues within the organisation need to be addressed to contribute to the overall Food is transported great distances Purchasing food that’s grown out of season Resources (especially water, fertiliser, Energy ) are used unsustainably Food Wastage Packaged Food Biodiversity impacts of agriculture Impacts of livestock production on environment Land being swallowed by urban sprawl Above issues can be address by following below practices to achieve food sustainability that not only benefit the organisation but also have an impact on local, national and global food sustainability issues. In Australia, food in the average shopping basket has travelled over 70,000 kms—that’s nearly two times the distance around the Earth. In fact, four imported items alone can account for nearly 50,000 kms. Even if a product is labelled as Australian-made it can still have ingredients from all over the world, adding to its transport footprint. Transporting food long distances, either across Australia or from overseas, generally uses up more non-renewable resources than producing and eating food locally. Energy, fuel, gas and water are consumed during transportation and storage adding to foods’ environmental impact. Transportation from farm, to processing plant, to consumer, can account for up to 11 per cent of food’s total greenhouse gas emissions. We can reduce emissions by buying food produced locally. Perhaps the most significant element of any sustainable food strategy is the menu. Appetising food is more likely to be eaten, so it is important to develop a menu that on the one hand is appealing to patients and staff, while on the other hand being high in both nutritional and sustainable value. Menu planning drives the choice of ingredients required, so it is important to design a menu that reduces the use of ingredients that have high environmental and health impacts. (6) Currently our hospital menu offered to patients and cafeteria offers a wide range of food choices without much emphasis on food sustainability. The aim of this project is to revise the hospital menu that is served in the cafeteria and for in-patients and in a years’, plan a â€Å"Greener Menu† that incorporates environmentally sustainable foods which are procured within 100 kilometres of radius around Melbourne. This initiative helps patients, staff and visitors to make healthy food choices and in turn helps in reducing our hospital’s eco-footprint on climate and environmental changes. Short term goals: In 3 months’ time, a minimum of 5% of foods used in the hospital kitchen to come from locally produced foods. In 6 months to aim for a minimum of 25% foods used in the hospital kitchen to come from locally produced foods. In 9 months to aim from a minimum of 50% In a years’ time to achieve the actual goal of 100% foods used to be procured from locally produced foods Above aim can be achieved by following below objectives: (5) By aligning the hospital menu with seasonal production and harvesting cycles Sourcing food locally Adding vegetarian and dairy-free option to the menu Choosing sustainably farmed meat and dairy Including meat dishes that have low environmental impact such as chicken, pork and eggs What needs to be done and how? Overview of evidence: There are various studies conducted in the past that have proven that adapting a healthier and sustainable food choices into the organisation’s menu in turn increased intake of these foods A definition of healthy food procurement that has been used in a review of policies is â€Å"a process which encompasses not just how public bodies procure food, but also how they determine what food they want to buy and from whom; receive and store food; prepare and serve food; dispose of waste food; and monitor their costs† [26]. In Ireland, the impact of a structured catering initiative on food choices was evaluated in a hospital setting [60]. A cross-sectional comparison was made using a 24-hour dietary recall and questionnaire of participants aged 18–64 years in two hospitals; one implemented a catering initiative that promoted nutritious food and reduced sugar, fat, and salt, and the other was used as a control (Table 3) [60]. Overall, this study found that improving the dietary quality of menu items provided in hospitals can reduce the amount of unhealthy nutrients such as fat, sugar, and sodium in foods served to patients in a hospital setting by up to 30% [60] 480 homebound, low-income seniors receiving Meals on Wheels over 4 months in Seattle, WA (USA) Increased access to fresh fruit and vegetables via home delivery. Seniors receiving baskets consumed 1.04 more servings than those in the control group. The number of seniors consuming >five servings per day increased by 17% from baseline. (62) Comprehensive initiative for food public institutions such as schools, hospitals, and prisons in the United Kingdom developed and disseminated a report to encourage consumption of locally grown foods and availability of healthy foods and build momentum for progress. Awareness of the program increased by 24% in 2 years; 72% of local authorities and 69% of schools supported initiative; 54% of users find the guidelines very useful or extremely useful; constraints were identified.(64) How this goal can be achieved? Firstly the current menu needs to evaluated and analysed to see where improvements can be made in regards sustainable change can be adapted. A short survey in the form of questionnaire can be used to determine staff and patients view on moving towards a sustainable menu Educating the food service staff, chefs and hospital management staff about the importance of moving towards a sustainable menu with in the hospitals. This session will also highlight the benefits of sustainable menus for the organisation’s food consumers and to the community. Create a seasonal fruit and vegetable calendar depending on what’s available around Melbourne. This information can be obtained from websites, for example www.vicfarmersmarkets.org.au/content/whats-season www.woolworths.com.au Need to source the local farmers for different foods, for example fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry and also any suppliers for locally produced food items such as jams, relishes, ice creams etc. While choosing the contractors, food sustainability specifications such as including organic, seasonal produce, choosing sustainability farmed meat and dairy. Some of the organisations that can find sustainable food producers around Melbourne. www.sustainabletable.org.au, www.localharvest.org.au, www.foodalliance.org.au, www.vicfarmersmarkets.org.au www.aco..net.au (Australian Certified Organic) Once this information is gathered, depending on what’s in season and what foods are available locally, different seasonal menus have to planned and consolidated by liaising with the hospital chefs and the food service team. When creating the menus by adding the region in the dish name or in the description, patients and staff can know where their food came from which in turn acts as role model to purchase local and seasonal produce. Once these menus are consolidated a short survey in the form of questionnaire among the staff can be conducted to get any feedback and suggestions that can be used to make any alterations. Finally, a review of the menus need to conducted to access if the original aim of including 100 percent locally and sustainably produced foods are incorporated in the menu initiative has been achieved. Also analysing the staff and patients food choices before and after the implementation of the Greener menu helps to evaluate if there a change in the way they chose the food items. Who is likely to support and challenge this proposal? The Key supports of this proposal at the community could be from The Local council – considering the proposals is addressing few food sustainability issues which in turn would benefit the community at both local and indirectly at a national scale. Government organisations and NGOs Local farmers as this proposal would the demand for their produce and contribute to their sales. The hospital patients, staff and people who access the hospital’s cafeteria as by purchasing this food they indirectly contributing towards a sustainable environment Challenges Challenges related to instructional buy-in Beyond the foodservice department, hospital leadership is crucial to building institutional capacity and commitment to buy local food. If senior administrators in charge of budget, human resources, procurement, community benefits, and overall institutional strategic direction do not support local food efforts, they can be can be severely crippled. By educating the foodservice department and the hospital leadership about the benefits of the proposal can build help building trust and also gives an opportunity to address their concerns towards the proposal. Challenges related to supply: It is important to note that farm-to-hospital initiatives may be substantially challenged by supply-side issues. Local production of food does not mean that producers would prefer to sell locally, or to sell to institutions. Many farmers are part of existing markets and do not produce enough additional food to supply high-volume institutional buyers. Large farmers may be uninterested in the additional marketing and customer relations that might be required to sell their products locally. So some research needs to be done to understand local producers and their supply ability. Local food may not always mean it’s from sustainable sources It is important to note that ‘local food’ doesn’t always mean it’s produced in environmental friendly conditions. So before accepting any contracts, it’s important to note what sustainable agricultural procedures are used. Visiting the farm yards or the food production units is a good idea to ensure sustainable farming or food productions methods are used. Summary: Recent studies suggest that there is a growing attention towards climate change and opportunities for people to lower their â€Å"carbon foot print† towards the growing Greenhouse gas emissions. It is now imperative that human health is placed within the context of the health of the planet. Every step of the food supply chain, from production, to transport, processing, packaging and distribution has potential environmental consequences. Hospital efforts may also bring attention to public health impacts of the food system, including air and water pollution, residues from pesticides and other toxins, and health inequities in agricultural communities. A stronger focus on food helps hospitals play a role in promoting environmental sustainability and in raising awareness of its links to human health This proposal aims at creating a greener menu in place of the current hospital menu where by addressing few food-sustainability issues that can be modified within the organization. The aim is to procure locally produced food items thereby decreasing food miles, buying local and seasonal foods, choosing sustainably produced food and animal products. This also helps to provide better sustainable and healthy choices to the patients and staff within the hospital. References 5. We Need to Talk About Food – How We Can All Build A Better Food System, https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/Sustainability/WhatCanIDo/Pages/SustainableFood.asx 6. Sustainable Food: A Guide for Hospitals 7. Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States 8. Identifying Sustainable Foods: The Relationship between Environmental Impact, Nutritional Quality, and Prices of Foods Representative of the French Diet Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsVolume 114, Issue 6, June 2014, Pages 862–869 26 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3986994/ [L’Abbà © M., Sunohara D., Wan J. Environmental Scan of Public Food proCurement Policies Related to Sodium. Public Health Agency of Canada; Ottawa, ON, Canada: 2011. pp. 1–93.] 28. 26 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3986994/ 60 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3986994/ The impact of a workplace catering initiative on dietary intakes of salt and other nutrients: a pilot study.Geaney F, Harrington J, Fitzgerald A, Perry IPublic Health Nutr. 2011 Aug; 14(8):1345-9. [PubMed] [Ref list] In Australia, food in the average shopping basket has travelled over 70,000 kms—that’s nearly two times the distance around the Earth. In fact, four imported items alone can account for nearly 50,000 kms. Even if a product is labelled as Australian-made it can still have ingredients from all over the world, adding to its transport footprint. Transporting food long distances, either across Australia or from overseas, generally uses up more non-renewable resources than producing and eating food locally. Energy, fuel, gas and water are consumed during transportation and storage adding to foods’ environmental impact. Transportation from farm, to processing plant, to consumer, can account for up to 11 per cent of food’s total greenhouse gas emissions. We can reduce emissions by buying food produced locally. Buying local produce also addresses some of the other food sustainability issues such as encouraging Promotes sustainable agriculture Gives fair and equal opportunities for local farmers Promotes healthy eating by choosing seasonal produces, Reducing the usage on fuel in terms of land / water and air travel for transporting food across the globe. Considering the multifactorial benefits that local food procurement has on the organisation’s food sustainability issues, it is identified as a key initiative that needs to be addressed in the organisation as a main priority. While there is no single solution to solve all the environmental issues of our food system at once, there are a number of actions our community can take to drive change in specific areas. Hospitals in the community act as role models 1