Global Financing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Financing - Essay Example Countertrade is classified under five divergent types namely; barter, counter purchase, offset, switch trading and buyback. There are five distinct types of countertrade -- barter, counter purchase, offset, switch trading, and buy back. Under this essay, we will focus on the meaning and the significance of each type in the international trade scenario. Barter can be defined as a direct exchange of goods and services, or both, between two parties without a cash transaction. It involves exchange of goods for goods and does not involve cash payments or receipts. Although in theory barter appears to be the simplest arrangement, in practice it is not commonly applied or practically implemented. It can be said that the expansion of bartering in the US is mainly because of barter companies or barter exchanges. According to popular estimates, there were roughly 600 barter exchanges among which 500 acted as clearinghouses for the exchange of goods and services between their clients and 100 were corporate trade brokers that exchange trade credits for assets, and goods and services so as to make it a part trade and part cash transaction. In a manner, barter dealers or barter exchanges facilitate a common platform upon which members exchange goods and services either through pure barter or through mixture of barter and cash. The barter exchange generates its profits from membership and renewal fees and from certain commissions which are based on a percentage of the gross worth of each operation. The fees usually range between 5 to10 percent. Under certain arrangements, some barter exchanges also charge a monthly administrative fee. The most significant purpose of a barter exchang e is to match the needs of potential traders. Counter Purchase Counter purchase is a form of mutual buying agreement. It occurs when a firm agrees to purchase a certain amount of materials back from a country to which a sale is made. Typically, there will be two distinct contracts. One of them will relate to the sale of goods/services by the trading company for which it will be paid a specified amount of hard currency. The other form will require the trading company to spend some proportion of this revenue to buy goods from a list provided by the importing country. The counter-purchase may vary in value between 10 and 100% of the original export order. The imports bought require not be related in any way to the goods/services exported. Generally, there is a specific time period (normally three years) within which the counter-purchase must be made. Thus, in this form of counter-trading (unlike pure barter), exports only partly finance the purchase of imports. In fact, they simply help balance costs on imports at a later date. In this manner, a co unter-purchase transaction is not undertaken because of a lack of convertible currency or incapability to obtain credit. Nevertheless, it has often been used by planned economies as a tool for scheming foreign trade and ensuring that exports balance imports. Offset Offset is similar to counter purchase since the exporter is required to purchase goods and services with an agreed percentage of the proceeds from the original sale. The main difference is that the exporter can fulfill this obligation with any firm in the country to which the sale is being made. Certainly, its importance appears to be growing fast. It involves an agreement under which an exporter integrate into his final product, along with certain components and

Flying vs. Driving Essay Example for Free

Flying vs. Driving Essay Flying vs. Driving Countless times a year, people wander from state to state and/or country to country for various reasons such as working, visiting loved ones, or maybe even searching for an escape from the norm. As obvious as this may sound, the complexity of traveling today has become quite the sight to behold. With the worlds revolutionary technology, commuting has been taken to a whole new level. Although there are many different forms of travel, the most popular are by boat, by train, by a plane thousands of feet in the air, and even the most common type, by automobile. These ypical methods all provide their own unique experiences for the traveler, and they all come with an ever Increasing label. Each of these travel methods has its own distinctive characteristics. Particularly, considering the two most common types, plane or automobile, people should consider their differences to have better travel experiences. Even though soaring through the air is less common than driving, flying is arguably the most effective means of getting from place to place. While travelers might run Into a couple familiar faces while flying, most likely they will be crowded nto small seats next to complete strangers. In some situations, they may end up securing a strong companionship with the person or people sitting next to them on the plane. This usually leads to having casual conversation for the duration of the flight. unfortunately, in other situations, a traveler may get stuck sitting next to the guy in a trench coat who he or she thought was a terrorist upon first glance at the airport! On the other hand, although driving may be a more time consuming process, this type of traveling provides time for more Interaction, as well as extra sights to see

Are Zoos Inhumane? Essays -- Animal Cruelty

In the film, Madagascar, zoos are depicted as a sanctuary in which all the exotic animals are kept safe and are open for the public to view. But many would argue that zoos are inhumane, the caging of animals for our personal entertainment is unjustifiable. Those who believe that zoos are wrong and should be destroyed are animal rights activist; they believe that animals should be allowed to choose their own destiny. Those that believe that zoos are an important part of our lives are scientist and zoologist. This debate has gone on for generations and average folk are stuck in the middle, not knowing which side to stand on. The animals being kept in captivity could not be interviewed; their side of the story will be based on interpretation on their movement and interaction with animals in the zoo and in the wild. Are animals better suited to live in the harsh conditions of the wild or are they better suited to live their lives safely in captivity? Many animal rights activist argue that animals should be allowed to live their lives in the wild instead of captivity. That we as humans have no right to neither alter the fate of other species nor use them for our personal benefits. PETA who is well known for their animal rights view argue that â€Å"Captive animals are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them and as a result, they become bored and lonely and many even suffer from a condition called zoochosis.† (PETA 1) Zoochosis is a condition in which the animal wonders back and forth usually in the same position for hours on end. This condition is only seen in the zoos as a result of the animal’s captivity. As a result zoos provide these animals with Prozac, which is a mood-altering drug to help prevent public atte... ... in todays society. But one thing is for sure many would argue that zoos have brought humans and animals closer together for the good and the bad. Works Cited "Zoos." Animal Cruelty -. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. Lin, Doris. "Emaciated Asian Elephant Started Life at Busch Gardens." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. Kaufman, Leslie. "To Save Some Species, Zoos Must Let Others Die." The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 May 2012. Web. 12 May 2015. "Do We Need Zoos?" : An All Creatures Animal Rights Article. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2015. "CSA - Are Zoos Necessary." CSA - Are Zoos Necessary. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2015. Hone, Dave. "Why Zoos Are Good." Thegauardian. N.p., n.d. Web. Tuesday 19 August 2014 "How Zoos Are Saving Our Animals." – Features – ABC Environment (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2015.

High School and Girls Education Unit Essay

1. INTRODUCTION South Africa has a high-cost, low-performance education system that does not compare favorably with education systems in other African countries, or in similar developing economies. There is a multitude of well-publicised problems, including a shortage of teachers, under qualified teachers and poor teacher performance. In the classroom, this results in poor learner standards and results, a lack of classroom discipline and is exacerbated by insufficient resources and inadequate infrastructure. On a government level, difficulties have been caused by a failure of appropriate inspection and monitoring, and confusion caused by changing curricula without proper communication and training. All this has lead to massive demoralisation and disillusionment among teachers and a negative and worsening perception of the teaching profession. Majority of learners in South Africa are bi- or multi-lingual, and attends school in a language that is not their first language. 2. INEQUALITIES FACING EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA 2.1 Educational inequalities amongst blacks Amongst blacks, educational inequality largely follows the lines of income: more affluent Households are better able to support their children through school, implying increasing stratification within black society. Children from the top two black deciles progress Considerably better through the school system than their poorer counterparts and only at age15 start falling behind whites. Private resources were a major factor determining differential black educational outcomes under apartheid. Pupils in Better-off Black households do better in their education, and we find no parallel for Whites. That the education of Blacks but not Whites is constrained by financial resources is further supported by the fact that many Blacks who are not in school (but not Whites). Furthermore, greater recent access to formerly white schools for more affluent blacks may have accentuated qualitative educational differentials amongst blacks. Data from the 1996 census show mean earnings of full-time employed black workers for whom the educational level of a parent is known, children of the head of household still resident in the household to be substantially higher where the household head has at least matriculated. But is this perhaps solely due to more educated parents having more educated11 children, to differential attainment. In some way the better education of the parent translates into higher earnings for children even Compared to other young workers who also have matriculated, but where the parent had less education. However, it is not clear whether this measures the quality of education, or some other non-observed aspect of human capital transmitted from parents to children. Such premier does decline, though, to about 9% in cases where the children have graduated. 2.2 CHALLENGES FACING FEMALES Over the years girls education has been given a high level of priority at the highest level. It has been boosted by initiatives, such as free education for girls, President’s Empowerment for Girls Education, just to name but a few. However, despite all these incentives, girls education in the country is still faced with a series of challenges. The challenges facing girl’s education include; âž ¢ early marriages âž ¢ teenage pregnancy âž ¢ poverty âž ¢ peer pressure âž ¢ low adult literacy As a result of these factors, it has become very difficult to retain the girl-student in school, especially in the rural areas. Our stand here is that girls must be allowed to finish their education to the highest level, before marrying them off. Parents should be encouraged to desist from such practices as it’s not in the interest of the girl child, female students must also be serious and do away with engaging with men until they complete their schooling. The most common saying among the local people, especially at the provincial areas, is that girl’s education is not important this mentality must be changed and people must understand that education is the key to development. The performance of girls in schools concerning because it is disheartening to know that despite numerous opportunities available to them, the performance of girls in school is not the least impressive. Something urgent must be done sooner rather than later, quality must not be compromised in our education system. The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education had set up girls education unit and introduced lots of initiatives towards addressing these challenges. Principal, among the initiatives, was the Sponsorship Trust Fund for Girls which was launched in 1999, to support the enrolment, retention and performance of girls in Upper Basic and Senior Secondary Schools in the Upper and Central River Regions. 2.3 Quality differentials in education One should not forget, though, that the quality of education still varies considerably. This is again not unique to South Africa. In some Latin American countries, the poor receive an inferior quality of schooling, with the result that individuals from the lower deciles receive a primary education whose quality is 35 percent lower than that. Although the old dividing lines of race have blurred in education, with many black pupils now attending formerly white schools, shows that most black pupils were still in schools which were predominantly black. About 5% of the pupils in mainly white schools were black, whilst in mixed schools 40% were black, but there is great quality diversity in mainly black schools, and as a group most formerly black schools still perform much worse than white schools, as reflected in matric pass rates. Judging by the high matriculation failure rates, lenient promotion policies in black schools may cause educational attainment at levels below matriculation to give an inflated impression of educational standards reached, as reflected in cognitive levels mastered. 3. CHALLENGES FACING PRIMARY SCHOOLS South Africa spends a bigger share of its gross domestic product on education than any other country in Africa. Primary schooling is compulsory for children aged 7 to 15 while an integrated approach to early childhood development aims to give all children between birth and school-going age the best start in life. A No-Fee Schools policy has abolished school fees in the poorest primary schools across the country, helping to attract poor, orphaned, disabled and vulnerable children to school, yet performance levels are lower than in many other countries in the region. High levels of school attendance, gender parity in both primary and secondary education and pro-poor school policies are achievements that contrast with the poor quality of education. Many children experience a broken journey through school, interrupted by irregular attendance, absent teachers, teenage pregnancy and school-related abuse and violence. Most public schools do not have running water; some do not have libraries and computers. There is limited provision for preschool and special education, the Department of Basic Education has devised strategies to improve learner achievements by 2014. One of these is the Annual National Assessment, intended to provide regular and credible data on learner achievement and inform decision making in the education system. The assessment in 2011 involved numeracy and literacy tests among six million foundation phase which is grade 1 to 3 and intermediate phase grades (4 to 6) learners at government schools. The findings revealed that the quality of teaching is poor, leading to low performance. The percentage of learners reaching a ‘partially achieved’ level of performance varied from 30 per cent to 47 per cent, depending on the grade and subject considered. Those attaining the ‘achieved’ level of performance varied from 12 per cent to 31 per cent. UNICEF supports government capacity to improve programme planning and results-based management while implementing innovative interventions to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools. UNICEF also works to strengthen gender-sensitive life skills-based education for adolescent girls and boys in and out of school, with a focus on the prevention of gender-based violence, HIV and teenage pregnancy. The programme also pays particular attention to early childhood and the development of strategies for children’s equitable participation in quality ECD services. 4. SOCIAL FACTORS AFFECTING EDUCATION The biggest factor is parents, if parent’s place a high value on education and help their children do well and encourage them to push themselves and learn then it does not really matter how wealthy the neighborhood is. A school located in a lower income area will most likely have lower test scores than a school located in upper-middle class area; also our media as a whole in this country is among the factors does not really encourage higher education or even being smart as values. Even in movies where characters go to college, it is portrayed as a place to party, not to learn. Good parenting in early age of any child, like trying to get them early, and recognition of pictures of dogs, cats, pigs or other animals. Books at home are invaluable to further their education, early reading always enhances a child’s ability to grasp opportunities to progressing a fuller understanding of a subject. Parents who include their children in discussions and opinions are fitting them for communication with others at an early stage. 5. ECONOMIC FACTORS AFFECTING EDUCATION Money can be a factor in access to educational opportunities. In a perfect world, the amount of money in your bank account would have nothing to do with the quality of education to which you have access. But of course, this is not a perfect world. Truth is, despite various different initiatives to create more and better educational opportunities for the financially strapped, there remain many economic factors related to education on all levels. 5.1 PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND HOUSING The best public schools are often located in the most expensive districts for homebuyers. When you are a child, you think all schools are the same and where you live has nothing to do with the quality of education you will receive. That is not the case, and it is the reason why many homebuyers and young families in the housing market say their number one priority is finding a home in a good school district. With so many families looking for good public schooling, the best districts are also often the priciest. 6. CONCLUSION Despite the lasting influence of apartheid, educational access is no longer a major problem in South Africa, as more than 90% of children of all race groups remain at school until attaining matric or reaching age 16. The racial gaps in educational attainment (years of education completed) have also been substantially reduced over the past decades. However, there are severe problems with the quality of education of a large part of the South African school system, as reflected in cognitive tests of numeracy and literacy and also shown by matriculation results. The deficient performance of particularly mainly black schools is a source of concern, as this shows that reduced earnings inequality may well be more difficult than rising educational attainment at lower school levels would indicate. Only limited scope remains for additional resource outlays to redress this malfunctioning of the major part of the school system. Moreover, the evidence shows that more resources is not the solution to bad educational performance, as some of the worst performing schools are well-resourced, whilst some schools perform excellently with limited resources. 7. REFERENCE Bellew, R. & King, E.M. promoting girls and women’s education: lessons from the past. Case, Anne & Deaton, Angus. 1999. School inputs and educational outcomes in South Africa. Quarterly Journal of Economics 114(3): 1047-1084 [WEB:] http://www.google.com [WEB:] http://mg.co.za/article/2012-07-29,world bank education; the only way to reverse inequality in SA

Report of findings to the Community Health Department Essay

It has been brought to my attention that there may be an illness spreading throughout the middle schools due to a recent rise in student absences. In researching the recent absences, I’ve noticed that in 2 of the 4 middle schools, Truman and Jackson, there was an unusual spike in the absences of band students on May 20 and 21. I reviewed the school calendars and noticed that Truman and Jackson Middle School had a Battle of the Bands event scheduled on May 19. Interviews were conducted with some of the absentees’ parents, it has come to my attention that some of the band members likely went out to dinner after the event. I looked into recent health inspections of local restaurants available from the Health Department and there are several health violations at restaurants in close proximity to the schools. The school nurse also provided information that food poisoning symptoms can start within a day or two of eating contaminated food, which, based on interviews conducted, is when these students began seeing symptoms. After reviewing the available data from the health department and schools, I offer that the absences are most likely related to food poisoning and not a contagious illness such as the flu or other epidemic. There would be no need to alert students, parents or the community about an outbreak. Thank you, Joanna Aeschbacker Community Health Department Investigator ? After conducting my investigation, I would have to ask a few other questions to support my hypothesis of food poisoning being the most likely cause of the absences: When were the restaurants inspections conducted? If the inspections were done recently, then this helps support my hypothesis. If the inspections were conducted weeks prior to the event or after the event, the data provided from them I think would not be useful in supporting my hypothesis. Interviews were provided for some of the students, but I would like to interview as many as possible to ask: What symptoms did each absent student experience? I would want to know when the symptoms began to appear. If they all have similar symptoms and symptoms appeared around similar times, this supports my hypothesis. Did each absent student go out to dinner after the Battle of the Bands? If each student went out to dinner then this supports my hypothesis. Where did each student go to dinner? If the students did go out to dinner and went to a restaurant with health code violations, then this supports my hypothesis. Assuming each student did go to dinner at a restaurant with health code violations, what did each student eat for dinner at the restaurant? If many, or all of the students ate the same thing, then this would help support my hypothesis. ? Is the following statement a suitable hypothesis: â€Å"The Brentwood Indians basketball team lost the state championship because there is bad stuff in the stars happening with Mars in Aquarius†? Explain why or why not. I don’t believe this statement to be a suitable hypothesis. Astrology to me is more of a personal belief rather than scientific fact. Sure, there are coincidences that happen. Mars in Aquarius could mean disaster! But to base a basketball team’s performance on where the stars and planets are aligned is preposterous. There is no scientific data to back up this hypothesis; therefore it is not a suitable.

Sailmaker essays

Sailmaker essays Sailmaker by Alan Spence was written with a strong theme. Spence conveys effectively the theme of hope turning to disillusionment. He does this with sensitive characterisation, an effective structure and powerful symbolism. The story is set in Glasgow around the 1960s when the ship building industry was declining. It is about a boy who lives wit his parents in a tenement flat. His dad is a tic man but used to be a sailmaker. The boy finds a small old yacht in the bed recess in their small home. He asks his dad to fix the yacht up because it has no sails but his father keeps on delaying this. The boys uncle paints it for him without delaying but the father never put sails on it. So eventually the boy forgets about it and the yacht goes back to where it came from, the glory hole. In the second part of the story, time has moved on. It is a few years later and the family is not doing well because the mother has died and the father is out of a job, spending most of his time drinking or at the betting shop. Soon the boy and his father become desperate and start burning their belongings in the fire. They find the fathers old tools and the boat, and burn them also. The fathers tools and the yacht are the main symbols in the story. Alan Spence uses them as symbols of loosing hope. The tools were tools that the father used when he was a sailmaker. They are a symbol of part of his life and his pride in his craft, therefore they are important to him. When he puts them into the fire this shows his desperation because he needs to sacrifice these important possessions. Earlier on in the story there is another symbol of hope fading. The torch that the father used when he became a tic man is a pathetic substitute for his sailmaking tools. It emphasises the contrast between the two jobs. The small boat is an ongoing symbol all the way through the story. From w...

The term high concept

The term high concept The term high concept The term high concept By Maeve Maddox This is a term much heard in connection with movies, but literary agents also use it: I love high-concept books. A lot of the books I read and represent are high concept and get a lot of film interest. I define high concept as a premise that can be boiled down into one sentence and sets it apart from other stories by its unique hook or angle. Paige Wheeler, literary agent One OED definition is high concept: adj. Of a film, television show, etc.: based on a striking and easily communicable plot or idea; (also) relating to or characteristic of such productions. Sometimes high concept is used in a derogatory sense to refer to a dumbed-down story that will appeal to a mass audience: 2003 Independent 30 Apr. I. 3/1 The so-called ‘high concept’ pitch has long been considered a byword for crass commercialism in the film world, a symptom of studio executives reluctance to focus on anything for more than a minute. OED illustration According to screenwriter Steve Kaire, its the premise that makes a story idea high concept. The premise or logline is the core of High Concept. My comprehensive definition of High Concept is comprised of five requirements, each of which is mandatory. Kaires five requirements are: an original premise mass audience appeal story-specific pitch easy-to-see story potential a pitch no longer than three sentences Alexis Niki at AbsoluteWrite adds the requirement of an empathetic hero who is dealing with a BIG problem. James Bonnet at scriptforsale thinks that a high concept story should have a great title. Certainly the following movie blockbusters have titles that suggest the theme of their stories: Armageddon Titanic Jaws Star Wars Twister Jurassic Park Perhaps the most important ingredient in a high concept work is the same one that every good story requires: a main character with whom the reader or viewer can identify. The chief difference between a high concept story and a regular story is that the main characters success or failure will have huge consequences for others. 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 Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?Acronym vs. InitialismAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt

Verbing Nouns

Verbing Nouns â€Å"Verbing† Nouns â€Å"Verbing† Nouns By Guest Author This is a guest post by Jeannine Sohayda. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. I was disappointed yesterday when, while cruising Facebook, I noticed a national pharmacy company’s request for me to â€Å"fan† them. I simply cannot agree to become a fan of a company that thinks turning nouns into verbs is hip and thereby will increase its customer base. If they had instead asked me to â€Å"become a fan†, I may have indeed considered it, because I do shop there often. I’m no stranger to nouns becoming verbs; we’ve all â€Å"Googled† for information. I must admit, it was refreshing to see that Twitter asks its users simply to â€Å"follow† other users on its site. I suppose â€Å"Twitter me† would make no sense. However, the word â€Å"fan† is already both a noun and a verb, and to see it used in this way was particularly jolting. By the way, even the word â€Å"verb† is a noun. I often wonder what it must be like for people who are just learning English. While they are trying to find words and phrases to get them through their days in English, we are simultaneously butchering and deconstructing our own language, making it difficult even for native speakers to understand each other. If we were to think about it in reverse, about the difficulties of learning Chinese, for example, as Americans we would be infuriated at the idea of their randomly adding new words as we page in vain through our phrase book. If we want people to speak, write and, in general, communicate understandably in English, I’d like to suggest that we set a good example and use the language as it was intended: as a means to illuminate rather than obfuscate. 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 Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:Abstract Nouns from Adjectives5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation Verbing Nouns Verbing Nouns Verbing Nouns By Maeve Maddox Two readers wonder about the practice of using nouns as if they were verbs. Nanerl wonders if journaled is acceptable. Marilyn writes: My colleagues, at a reputable academic institution, all use the word action as a verb, such as: we must action these items and before these items can be actioned. This drives me crazy because Im sure action does not have a verb connotation, but the word is used so frequently with this connotation that I am no longer sure. Id guess that we all have our lists of verbed nouns we hate to hear or read. We may not, however, all agree as to which are abominations and which are not. Some examples from the web: 1. Clause said all three girls were initially conscious at the scene. Swanson and Zeien were flighted to the Milwaukee Area Medical Complex. (An arrow may be flighted with feathers, but injured people in a helicopter are being flown to a hospital.) 2. How many People Were Impacted? and How Severely? (Whats wrong with affected?) 3. Federalist Papers Authored by Alexander Hamilton (Hamilton was the author. He wrote the document.) The capacity of English for turning nouns into verbs is both its glory and its bane. This line from Richard II shows how Shakespeare managed to verb even such a noun as uncle: Henry IV: My gracious uncle- Edmund of Langley: Tut, tut! †¨Grace me no grace, nor uncle me no uncle:†¨I am no traitors uncle; As long ago as 1870 Henry Alford noted that the tendency to use nouns as verbs is so much a part of the nature of English speakers that its futile to rail against it: I do not see that we can object to this tendency in general, seeing that it has grown with the growth of our language, and under due regulation is one of the most obvious means of enriching it. Verbs thus formed will carry themselves into use, in spite of the protests of the purists. The Queens English. In Alfords day people were objecting to the use of experience as a verb. As for journaled and actioned, I think the first is possibly OK while the second is abominable. Sometimes a verbed noun fills a void, but too often it is the lazy expedient of a thoughtless writer. The best course of action I can suggest is to take the trouble to consider appropriate verbs that already exist before taking a noun that has not previously been used as anything but a noun and turning it into a verb. In deciding whether or not to use one of these fairly recent coinages, consider your own sense of aesthetics. If you feel that the word is ugly, dont encourage the spread of it by using it. What can we call this tendency to use nouns as if they were verbs? How about anthimeria? Then we can anthimeria this term and warn people against anthimeriaing nouns! In rhetoric, anthimeria, traditionally and more properly called antimeria (from the Greek: á ¼â‚¬ÃŽ ½Ãâ€žÃŽ ¯, antà ­, against, opposite and ÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ­Ã ÃŽ ¿Ãâ€š, mà ©ros, part), is the use of a word as if it were a member of a different word class (part of speech); typically, the use of a noun as if it were a verb. Here are some rants and observations you may enjoy: Writing, Clear and Simple (Link no longer active) Kathy Schenck (Link no longer active) The Grammar Curmudgeon Judy Muller impact as a verb 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?"Latter," not "Ladder"What the heck are "learnings"?

Environmental Movement History Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Environmental Movement History - Assignment Example The assignment "Environmental Movement History" talks about managing and taking care of the available natural resources. For someone in a community garden class, it is important to have a deeper understanding of environmentalism and the modern-day movements that are being advanced towards a better relationship between humans and the ecosystem. This is because aside from promoting self-sufficiency, reliance to local surroundings, and liberty to decide the land production and aims of the locality, it also prevents the exploitation of other localities. A student of a community garden class should have a deeper perspective on the underlying principles of having a community garden. One should be aware that this is not just about planting, gardening, farming, or spending leisure time on worthwhile activities, but about the desire to achieve a better relationship between the human race and the environment. Overall individual health depends on the environment and involves mental, physical, emotional, and even spiritual well-being. A person may exhibit physical health but still be emotionally disturbed. For the purpose of a more common and general understanding, I will talk about physical health, which is basically the one that we aim to answer especially in community garden classes. I grew up learning to love food that is within the recommended daily intake in the food pyramid. However, one cannot deny that no matter how much we try to be careful about our food intake, we are not in control of the composition of food.

The Tenure of Dianne Feinstein as Mayor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Tenure of Dianne Feinstein as Mayor - Essay Example We analyze how the people of San Francisco tried to preserve a balance among wealthier and poorer elements of the population. We also illustrate the buildings that were renovated or taken down and how Walker assesses whether the efforts were successful or not. San Francisco is a city famously recognized as a beautiful, vivacious and highly habitable. This was not the case in the 19th century because the city was excoriated to an astonishing extent, soon after the rich made it have a scene of improper management. In the present day, it would have been of less admiration if the unusual disturbance opposing to the newly construction could not have taken place. The opposition was remarkably successful, and such a situation had not yet occurred elsewhere in America and this rebellion is the one that makes the city more welcoming for the people’s habitation (Richard 200). Dianne Feinstein offered her service as the 35th mayor of San Francisco. She was the first female to ever get th e position as mayor. Her election was for two complete terms. She served as the mayor in 1978 after the death of Harvey Moscone. She was extremely judicious; she strongly supported law and measures of order. On several occasions, various feminist groups and the gay got annoyed with her. This was so because she was able to manage her attitude with open minded views about the way of life. During her time as mayor, she managed to demonstrate her skills in politics and great level of governmental ability (Mikulski and Catherine 145). In the gubernatorial race in 1990, Pete Wilson defeated Feinstein. However, she effectively managed the portion of the term of Wilsons Senate that was unexpired, in 1992. She became particularly famous in the United States because the active political practice in the state. She also participated actively in the neighboring politics and in the ruling body. Various constituencies in the society got appealed by Feinstein, by the way she followed a moderate pat h which integrated several intriguing political customs and the politics which was conservative. She had center of attention to issues of offense. She was also interested in the police staffing and the centralized expenditure for the cities. She succeeded in controlling the level of crime in the city (Roberts 253). Challenges were there too despite Diane's efforts. This has seen in the balancing of the budget which the cutbacks exacerbated in the condition and centralized spending for the cities. While in the Senate, Feinstein stood on very firm stand regarding several issues. She was remarkably honest against the verdict of President Bill Clinton to formulate Mexico a United State partner in the battle against drugs that are not legal. Later on she successfully managed the city budget, inaugurated the administration that had freedom and the workplace guiding principles. She fully supported the growth of downtown and the expansion of money matters. Through this, she was able to be a friend to downtown business interest. Feinstein always considered the security of civilians to be on the forefront. She was able to make Laguna Honda Hospital acquire grant by creating compliance of the hospital with the state and the centralized law. When Feinstein she was sixteen, her uncle took her to San Francisco Board of Supervisors (the city council) gatherings. Later on she

Definitional argument-euthanasia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Definitional argument-euthanasia - Term Paper Example As a result, their meanings become changed, and they are used more frequently in these new contexts. One example of such a concept is that of euthanasia, which has been used negatively for decades in association with Hitler’s Germany. The negative connotations of euthanasia follow the term unjustly, even today as the practice the word refers to becomes more accepted in throughout the world. By looking at some definitions of euthanasia given by others, we can perhaps formulate what is perhaps the most inclusive understanding at the concept. Definitions of euthanasia often depend upon the political and ethical assumptions underlying them. One can choose a staunchly conservative ethical view that emerges out of a Christian ethical system and oppose euthanasia categorically as wrong. Or one can adopt a more liberal stance and view euthanasia as a matter of choice among individuals whether to live or die, which seems to emerge from a utilitarian ethical perspective. Former Surgeon General of the United States C. Everett Koop represents the conservative Christian side of the spectrum in a definition of euthanasia that characterizes it as the ending of a life which is perceived to be devoid of value (Koop). The liberal, or utilitarian, perspective might direct us to a lighter view of the practice, one intimately connected with utility. That definition might be read like: the ending of a life in order to maximize a sufferer’s happiness and minimize suffering (LeBaron). On this view, we engage in euthanasia as a means o f alleviating suffering and as a service to the sufferer’s individual right to choose how one lives or dies. Less politically- or ethically-centric views of euthanasia direct us toward more neutral definitions of the practice. Philosopher Philippa Foot, for instance, wants us to move away from standard dictionary denotations of the word (â€Å"a quiet and easy death†) that she finds

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

Revelatios - Essay Example Through this he tells the story of African American faith and persistence from slavery to freedom. Revelations is divided into three parts; each includes several dances representing different experiences in Baptist worship: â€Å"Pilgrim of sorrow†-dancers portray people who hope for salvation in spite of life’s difficulties. Movements suggest reaching toward heaven and being pulled back. â€Å"Take me to the water†, Ailey’s own baptism. Ritual where one becomes a full member of congregation. Takes place in ponds in church.is shown by movements suggesting rippling water. â€Å"Move, members, move† begins as church members gathers to worship.is shown by movements that suggest gossiping conservations, discomfort on a hot day and the hope of salvation. Revelations draws on black vernacular culture (derived from what Ailey called the â€Å"blood memories â€Å"of his childhood in Texas);because they were so strong he felt they were part of him as much as the blood that ran through his

Reality Internet Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reality Internet Assignment - Essay Example First of all, reality television is famous for its unexpected twists (Saade & Borgenicht 14). Indeed, the producers argue that there is no script written for the characters and they are absolutely free in their actions. All this results in the fact that it is virtually impossible to predict what happens in an episode since reality television tries to capture life as it is. Secondly, it is obvious that reality television provides the viewers with the content that they really want to see (Slade 156). In other words, there has been a tendency that shows on television reinforce the conventional values in one way or another; so, people get easily fed up with it. They want to see something that is being condemned by the society, but exists in real life. Finally, it may be important to note that the concept of elitism has long been abandoned by the contemporary media (Wyatt & Bunton 1). In other words, the views do not want to see beautiful looking celebrities on the screen: they are willin g to see ordinary people who are engaged in ordinary activities. That is why reality television fully satisfies this desire and shows that people on the screen and in real life are much alike. It may be quite interesting to learn that reality television was able to influence non reality shows. For example, nowadays, when a talk show features a interview in one of the characters, it is conducted in a manner as if the latter confesses some of the most inner thoughts to the camera. This has a certain effect: the audience is touched by the genuine feelings that are expressed and watches the show with a greater interest. Speaking of an example of a recent popular reality show, one might note The Bachelor. There are several reasons why it has attracted so much attention of the people. To begin with, one might note that it reflects dreams of many people which is marrying a wealthy and successful spouse. That is why when

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

Revelatios - Essay Example Through this he tells the story of African American faith and persistence from slavery to freedom. Revelations is divided into three parts; each includes several dances representing different experiences in Baptist worship: â€Å"Pilgrim of sorrow†-dancers portray people who hope for salvation in spite of life’s difficulties. Movements suggest reaching toward heaven and being pulled back. â€Å"Take me to the water†, Ailey’s own baptism. Ritual where one becomes a full member of congregation. Takes place in ponds in church.is shown by movements suggesting rippling water. â€Å"Move, members, move† begins as church members gathers to worship.is shown by movements that suggest gossiping conservations, discomfort on a hot day and the hope of salvation. Revelations draws on black vernacular culture (derived from what Ailey called the â€Å"blood memories â€Å"of his childhood in Texas);because they were so strong he felt they were part of him as much as the blood that ran through his

Nervous Innervations of the Lower Teeth Case Study

Nervous Innervations of the Lower Teeth - Case Study Example As the paper highlights, the mandibular nerve (MN) is a division of the TGG that further branches into the alveolar nerve. The alveolar nerve branches into the mylohoid nerve, alveolar artery, and finally the incisive nerve that provides sensory innervations to the premolar teeth. The loss of feeling in the tongue, dry mouth and change in taste is caused by alveolar nerve block due to the anesthetic effect. This may also be due to chemical damage to the lingual nerve because of direct injection of a neurotoxic local anesthetic such as articaine, procaine, lidocaine, tetracaine and bupivacaine. The loss of taste is caused by the anesthetic effect caused by injuries to the lingual nerve during the dental work. The lingual nerve is anesthetized during an alveolar nerve block. The lingual nerve transfers gustatory fibers responsible for taste sensation to the anterior part of the tongue. Saliva has also been linked by research to taste response where a low flow affects taste sensation. T he motor function of the tongue is not interfered with because the mandibular nerve has an additional motor component that runs separate to the facial component. This provides sensory communication between the myoholid nerve and the lingual nerve that controls motor functions of the tongue.

The Mending Wall Essay Example for Free

The Mending Wall Essay A stone wall separates the speaker’s property from his neighbor’s. In spring, the two meet to walk the wall and jointly make repairs. The speaker sees no reason for the wall to be kept—there are no cows to be contained, just apple and pine trees. He does not believe in walls for the sake of walls. The neighbor resorts to an old saying: â€Å"Good fences make good neighbors.† The speaker remains unconvinced and mischievously presses the neighbor to look beyond the old-fashioned folly of such reasoning. His neighbor will not be swayed. The speaker envisions his neighbor as a living relic from a justifiably outdated era, an example of a dark-age mentality. But the neighbor simply repeats the saying. Review The image at the heart of â€Å"Mending Wall† is striking: two men meeting on terms of civility to build a barrier between them. They do so out of tradition, out of habit. Yet the very earth conspires against them and makes their task Sisyphean. Sisyphus, you may recall, is the figure in Greek mythology condemned perpetually to push a boulder up a hill, only to have the boulder roll down again. These men push boulders back on top of the wall; yet just as inevitably, whether because of the hunters or sprites or at the invisible hand of nature, the boulders tumble down again. Still, the neighbors persist. The poem, thus, seems to be based on three themes: barrier-building (segregation, in a sense), the doomed nature of this activity, and our persistence in this activity regardless. The speaker may dislike his neighbor’s pointless wall-building, may observe the activity with humorous indifference, but he himself goes to the wall at all times of the year to mend the damage done by hunters; it is the speaker who contacts the neighbor at wall-mending time to set the annual appointment. Which person, then, is the real wall-builder? Looking at it from a different perspective, the building of walls, both literal and figurative, mark the very foundation of society. Figuratively, rules and laws are walls; justice is the process of wall-mending. The ritual of wall maintenance highlights the dual and complementary nature of human society: The rights of the individual are affirmed through the affirmation of other individuals’ rights. In this way the neighbor’s need for wall-mending seems justified.

Proteins Therapy for Drug Discovery

Proteins Therapy for Drug Discovery Proteins are most dynamic and diverse macromolecules in our body, thus numerous functionally distinct proteins hold enormous promise for the development of new therapeutics for a variety of human ailments which contain mutated or other abnormal proteins, or those in an abnormally high or low concentration. However, the clinical application of protein therapeutics is still in its infancy since the poor physicochemical stability of proteins in the circulation and their limited membrane permeability interrupt successful delivery to the target sites. This review discusses advantages and limitations of current strategies, as well as the recent developments in protein delivery using nanoparticles. We also highlight nanoparticle-mediated alternative administration routes to injection, including oral, nasal, pulmonary, and transdermal delivery. Keywords: nanoparticles, protein delivery, protein therapeutics, administration routes, drug delivery systems Introduction With the strong growth in biopharmaceuticals and advanced drug delivery technologies in recent years, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning toward protein therapeutics in the search for drug discovery targets. A study by BCC Research indicated that the global market for bioengineered protein drugs was valued at $151.9 billion in 2013 and the market is further expected to grow to about $222.7 billion in 2019 for a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% from 2014 through 2019 [1]. Compared with the conventional small-molecule drugs that currently make up the majority of the pharmaceutical market, protein drugs offer the advantages of high specificity and less toxicity, whereas the high specificity often requires structural complexity of the proteins which can make them difficult to formulate, as well as challenging to deliver proteins to target disease sites. Nanotechnology-based approaches, including drug delivery systems using nanostructures such as liposomes, polymer nanoparticles, metallic nanoparticles, stimuli-responsive nanoparticles, and nanofabricated devices, has improved therapeutics in the field of biomedical applications [2,3]. This review describes current protein delivery technologies including those in the market, recent progress, and unmet needs in the formulations and delivery of proteins. The advances in nanotechnology reviewed here highlight that major hurdles in protein delivery can be met even through the patient-friendly, non-invasive routes. Progress and challenges in protein delivery To achieve successful protein therapeutics, the intrinsic characteristics of proteins such as structural instability and short half-life should be improved by designing appropriate protein delivery platforms. Inadequate design or formulation of protein drugs can cause degradation, denaturation, and/or aggregation of the protein molecules, and these could potentially cause immunogenic side effects after administration as well as lead to a loss in pharmacological activity. Effective intracellular protein delivery also remains a challenge as hydrophilic and large sizes of proteins are hardly permeated through the cell membrane. In this section, current technologies to deliver proteins, including intracellular delivery strategies, and their limitations will be discussed. Current protein formulations and modifications Biodegradable microparticles (1-1000 à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­m) are attractive parental depot formulations for long-term protein drug release (from week to month). They enable sustained release of the proteins by both the diffusion of proteins from the polymer matrix and the degradation/erosion of the polymer [4,5]. The most widely used material for the encapsulation of proteins is poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), as they are mechanically strong, biocompatible, biodegradable with favorable degradation rates, non-toxic, and approved for use in humans by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [6]. Encapsulation of proteins into the microparticles can be prepared by several methods such as double emulsion, which is most widely used technique, phase separation (coacervation), ultrasonic atomization, spray-drying, microfluidics, etc. [7]. Once the proteins are encapsulated into microparticles, their release kinetics depend on the microparticle size, molecular mass of polymer, ratio of hydroph ilicity/hydrophobicity, polydispersity of microparticle size, and loading amount of proteins. Generally, larger size of microparticles lead to more prolonged protein release, but they can cause potential blockage of the needle required for administration, also the stability and bioactivity of the released proteins in the physiological condition need to be considered for long-term delivery. Degradation and erosion of PLGA can lower the pH inside the microparticles, which can further bring denaturation of the protein as well as aggregate formation. Currently, there are few microparticle drug delivery formulations (e.g. Trelstar depot) on the market and various microparticles have been designed for therapeutic protein delivery such as bone morphogenetic protein-2 [8], insulin [9], recombinant human epidermal growth factor [10], and recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) [11]. Proteins smaller than 70 kDa are mostly cleared from the systemic circulation by glomerular filtration [12]. Chemical modification of proteins with hydrophilic polymers can reduce this renal clearance by increasing their molecular weight and/or hydrodynamic dynamic radius. The covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains to proteins (PEGylation), as a typical example, enhances protein stability and pharmacokinetic (PK) properties, and the benefits of PEGylation have the PEGylated therapeutic proteins have reached the market with many examples on various stages of clinical development including Naloxegol (MovantikTM; AstraZeneca) which was approved by FDA in 2014 for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation [13,14]. Hyperglycosylation can also extend biological half-life and improve stability by improving solubility of proteins and reducing immunogenicity. The addition of sugar molecules to a protein is more natural process than PEGylation since it is already a part of endogenous post-translational enzymatic process as well as polysaccharides are readily degraded into native glucose molecules [15]. N-glycosylated EPO (Aranesp) is marketed by Amgen from 2001, and there are more glycosylated protein drugs under preclinical and clinical investigation such as polysialylated forms of EPO, granulocyte-colony stimulation factor (G-CSF), and insulin [16]. Although the chemical modification provides the prolonged circulation half-life of the proteins, this approach can result in unfavorable conformational changes, a loss of biological activity and binding affinity to their target due to steric hindrance, and heterogeneity [17]. This reduction in physicochemical properties leads to the systemic exposure of proteins to get enough pharmacological potency, but toxicities related to peak exposure can limit their clinical use. Various efforts aiming for the maintenance of protein activity are being made by designing site-specific modification. For example, chemi cal ligation of synthetic peptides including levulinyllysine to EPO indicated superior hematopoietic activity compared to native protein [18]. More recent advances in chemoselective targeting show that the incorporation of canonical and noncanonical amino acids can enhance the selectivity, while improving PEG architecture [19]. In addition to chemical modification, genetic constructs and fusion technologies have been intensively studied to elevate protein half-life and delivery efficacy. Fc-based fusion proteins that are composed of an immunoglobin Fc domain and genetically linked therapeutic protein to this domain are promising approaches as Fc-fusion can endow a protein with unique effector functions mediated by Fc receptor binding and complement fixation [20]. The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) mediated recycling and transcytosis process results in half-life extension (e.g. IgG: up to 21 days) and also the increased molecular weight of fusion proteins through the size of the Fc-domain (~50 kDa) reduces renal clearance [21]. A number of therapeutic proteins based on fusion with the IgG Fc domain are on the market for clinical use since Fc-fused tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-2 (Enbrel; Amgen/Pfizer) was approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis in 1998, and several candida tes are currently under clinical trials [22]. Recent Fc-fusion platforms focus on the ways to retain biological activity and binding affinity which can be commonly decreased after fusion process [23,24]. Jung et al. included a ‘chaperone’ protein in Toll-like receptor 4 Fc-fusion to stabilize the desired partner [25]. The development of heterodimeric Fc platforms based on strand-exchange engineered domain CH3 heterodimers consisted of alternating segments of human IgA and IgG CH3 shows multiple specificities within homodimeric Fc-fusion platform [26]. To utilize alternative backbones, such as IgA, IgE, and IgM, may also serve benefits to the activity of the fused partner [27-29]. However, concerns are ongoing about the immunogenicity of Fc-fusion proteins because interactions between the Fc domain and its receptors have multivariable immunological consequences, which can raise concerns in the treatment for chronic disease [30]. Other attempts to target FcRn including al bumin fusion which has direct interaction with FcRn and genetic engineering of Fc domains have also been reported. A glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) albumin fusion achieved ~ 5 day half-life and received FDA-approval (Albiglutide; GSK) for the treatment of type-2 diabetes [31]. A recombinant polypeptide fusion construct which consists of an unstructured polypeptide and protein drug is another example of generic fusion technology capable of extending plasma half-life. Schellenberger et al. developed an exenatide-XTEN fusion and demonstrated ~58 times increased half-life and a low rate of immunogenicity in animals, even in the presence of the adjuvant [32]. Still, issues remain in safety of fusion approaches, in particular in the case of fusions with native human proteins because of the cross-reactivity with endogenous homologues which can affect on a long-term safety and clearance of subsequent doses [33].

18th century :: essays research papers

The Eighteenth Century During the 18th century, Louis XV became the King of France at age 5. A new style, Rococo, was introduced which created a more slender and delicate appearance with an asymmetrical balance. Also, during this period of time France was involved in many wars which caused the country to go into debt. Louis XV died in 1774 who was known to be the most hated king. His grandson, Louis XVI became king. At the age of 14, he married an Austrian princess, Marie Antoinette, who did not like the customs and etiquette of the French court. Due to the success of the American Revolution, which France assisted in the financing of, Frenchmen were encouraged to reform the government and society. In 1789, the French government went bankrupt resulting in the writing of the constitution. The center of France became Paris. Louis XV, at the age of 13, returned to Versailles and the palace was once again the center of royal life. It became not as important during the reign of Louis XVI, because of Queen Marie Antoinette and her dislike of the French etiquette. She was extravagant in her spending when France was having financial difficulty. Marie and her friend created a fashion for peasant-style dresses and hats. Her lifestyle was a cause in the decline of support for the monarchy. For England, the center of fashion was London, but small towns and country estates had their own social class structure and had an interest in fashion. Fashionable clothing was divided based on the time of day. Men’s garments were divided by undress or lounging clothes, dress was daytime or evening wear, and full dress was the most formal evening dress. Nightgown was not for sleeping but a dressing gown or informal robe that was worn indoors. A powdering jacket was worn when the men had their wigs powdered. Women’s clothing was divided as undress, half dress or morning dress. Habit was a riding costume or a tailor-made costume. Her coat was not for outdoors, but was the petticoat. Her coat was called a greatcoat. The Flying Shuttle was invented in 1733, which increased the production of clothing. Cotton became less expensive. Textiles that had elaborate and sophisticated patterns were manufactured in Europe. The 18th century influenced male tailors to make men’s suits and coasts and women make dresses for women. The 18th century styles reflected the increased trade between Europe and the Far East.

The Nile River, Sahara Desert and Islam

The Nile River has always been the backbone of Egypt. The mighty river flows for some 4,000 miles from the mountains of Equatorial Africa and Lake Victoria before it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Without the Nile River and its annual inundation Ancient Egypt would never have come into being. Its fertile valley was renewed every year with rich silt deposits laid down during the flooding. As the agriculture of Egypt revolved around the Nile, so did the social life of the ancient Egyptians. During inundation when there was less to do, people had more time for recreational activities, they played games, held sporting tournaments and regularly feasted. When the River Nile receded the appearance of the land had radically changed and there was a great rush to restore boundaries. There were many disputes as markers had moved, banks had collapsed, and distinguishable features had disappeared. The river was also the chief means of transport. It was their highway, making unnecessary roads, except between close villages. Virtually everything moved by boat. The Nile, for the most part, is a gently flowing river and in the time of the ancients, was crammed with fish. It’s easy flow made fishing very popular. Everyone enjoyed fishing, from the young to old, peasant to noble. The Egyptians believed that the Nile was the centre of the world. And the place from which it originated was, ‘the beginning of the world’. In Lower Egypt, in the area of the Nile Delta, the river splits into two great arms. The area between the two was densely populated from the earliest times. Many of the major religious group centers developed in this region. Even the soul of a deceased had to cross the Nile before he could enter the kingdom of the dead. The Sahara desert covers around 9,000,000 square kilometers and the overall area is as large as the continental United States. The Sahara desert also has the reputation of being the world’s largest hot desert. The landforms in this desert often undergo constant change. These landforms are shaped as per the direction of the wind and the occasional rainfalls. Although being a desert area, one can notice annual rainfall in many regions of this vast land area. There are different climates witnessed in different regions such as the subtropical climate in the northern land where as a tropical climate in the southern area. Over the years, the climate of the Sahara desert has undergone humungous changes. This desert therefore, is known for its harsh climates so typical of all deserts. This hot desert has annual temperatures that can exceed 30 degrees C. Some of the hottest months have temperatures exceeding 50 degrees C. In the winters, the temperatures drop below freezing points. This it explains the diverse climates of this hot desert. Studies have revealed the changing size of the Sahara desert! Observations made with the help of satellite photographs have proven this desert can shrink or even grow in size. The Sahara desert is home to quite a few species of animals. Camels and goats are the only ones amongst the domesticated animals one may see out here. Apart from these, the Saharan cheetah, the sand vipers, scorpions and monitor lizards can be found out here. This desert has some of the tallest sand dunes and these can reach 189 meters in height. The land area also has stone plateaus, large gravel plains, dry valleys and even sand flats. The Sahara desert has around 500 species of flora. These consist of mainly ephemeral plants known locally as Acheb. At some oases, close to the Nile Valley, one can find olive trees growing out here. Vegetation is found in areas where the ground water reaches the surface of the land. This place has mainly nomadic groups of people that move from place to place. Nomads wear a particular headdress known as Howli. These people are mainly engaged in trading and hunting. The low population is due to the rather difficult conditions seen in the Sahara desert. The Sahara desert stretches over areas of Northern Africa, from the Red Sea to the areas close to the outskirts of the Atlantic Ocean. This desert shares it boundaries with the Atlas Mountains, the Mediterranean Sea, Egypt, Sudan and valley of the Niger River. Islam is a religion that has existed for millions of years. The followers believed that there is one God and Muhammad is his messenger. Muhammad was deeply troubled by the idols worship of Arabs and the moral ills of society. When he was about 40, he was meditating and heard a voice. According to Muslim the belief the voice was that of the angel Gabriel it said, â€Å"Proclaim. † When Muhammad asked what should I proclaim the voice responded with proclaim in the name of God. Muhammad was a young man born in Mecca about the year 570. Orphaned at an early age, Muhammad was cared for by his uncle. In his youth he worked as a shepherd among the Bedouins. Later he led caravans across the desert for merchants. When he was 25, Muhammad married Khadija. It was at age 40 when he had his first vision. Islam has a book similar to that of the Holy Bible. It is called the Quran. To Muslims, the Quran contains the sacred text as spoken to Muhammad from god. The Quran not only teaches about God, but about how to lead a good, faithful, life. It sets harsh penalties for stealing or murdering.

Birthday party by Katharine Brush

They were a couple in their late thirties, and they looked unmistakably married. They sat on the banquette opposite us in a little narrow restaurant, having dinner. The man had a round, self-satisfied face, with glasses on it; the woman was fadingly pretty, in a big hat. There was nothing conspicuous about them, nothing particularly noticeable, until the end of their meal, when it suddenly became obvious that this was an occasion—in fact, the husband’s birthday. And the wife had planned a little surprise for him.It arrived, in the form of a small but glossy birthday cake, with one pink candle burning in the center. The headwaiter brought it in and placed it before the husband, and meanwhile the violin-and-piano orchestra played â€Å"Happy Birthday to You† and the wife beamed with shy pride over her little surprise, and such few people as there were in the restaurant tried to help out with a pattering of applause. It became clear at once that help was needed, bec ause the husband was not pleased. Instead he was hotly embarrassed, and indignant at his wife for embarrassing him.You looked at him and you saw this and you thought, â€Å"Oh, now don’t be like that! † But he was like that, and as soon as the little cake had been deposited on the table, and the orchestra had finished the birthday piece, and the general attention had shifted from the man and the woman, I saw him say something to her under his breath—some punishing thing, quick and curt and unkind. I couldn’t bear to look at the woman then, so I stared at my plate and waited for quite a long time. Not long enough, though. She was still crying when I finally glanced over there again.Crying quietly and heartbrokenly and hopelessly, all to herself, under the gay big brim of her best hat. Purpose of the story is that Appreciation is the best reward of the hard work in close relations. In story the woman wants to surprise his husband on his birthday, for that p urpose she arranged cake for him and also she dressed a big hat which shows her happiness on that occasion. But at last the husband shows a rude behave. Literary devices used by Narrator: Devices used by narrator to show efforts did by wife to surprise. 1. Glossy birthday cake 2. One pink candle3. Served by headwaiter 4. Music of violin-and-piano The women walk with a huge hat to show excitement on her husband’s birthday. Hot behave of husband to show that he is now happy with his wife excitement. Opposite to narrator ( not included in answer) . The women walks in with a huge hat [looking for attention] and grabs a seat. The man is want a simple birthday party with dinner only. The waiters come out with a huge PINK cake. It sounds like the women is doing much for her husband, and is excited. He says something short yet hurtful and she bursts out in tears.Attention here once again. It was a pink cake and the man wasn't looking for to much attention, and narrator seems to direc t all the attention on the cake purchased by wife. Therefore when reading it, you may think at first, how rude of the man. But analysis shows that hey, it wasn't really all his fault, the women was trying to make a scene. But we can't see this because of the narrator is watching from a far and doesn't show the thoughts and emotions. Reference: 1. www. sccollege. edu/projects/433/Birthday%20Party%20K. %20Brush. doc

The International Strategy of TESCO PLC

Abstract This study explores the different theories of international entry strategies and then analyses the international strategy of Tesco Plc. Firms can enter the international markets through different strategies, including licensing technology abroad, direct investment acquisition, exporting, strategic alliance in foreign market and establishing joint ventures. The findings of this study indicate that Tesco Plc uses international joint ventures, acquisitions and Greenfield investments to enter into foreign markets. However, Greenfield investments have led to failures and as such it is recommendable that the company explores international joint ventures and acquisitions as part of its future entry strategies. Introduction International strategy is very important for all business organisations operating in the international market. This is because the strategy plays an important role in determining the opportunities present in the international market and how to exploit them (Hensmans et al., 2013). Tesco Plc. is one such company with significant development in the international market. The supermarket chain has managed to expand its operations across Europe, Asia and North America with huge success. This international expansion has affected all the facets of the company like business structure, financial status, corporate culture and organisational structure (Ryans, 2013). This study looks at different international strategies, why they are important to Tesco Plc, related theories and their applications. International Strategies The current business environment is very competitive and as such companies need to venture into the international markets in order to generate more profits (Hitt et al 2008). However, choosing the right international strategy is never easy; whether it is licensing technology abroad, direct investment acquisition, exporting, strategic alliance in foreign market, or establishing joint ventures. This study will focus on a few of these strategies that are of importance to Tesco Plc. These strategies are joint ventures, foreign acquisitions, and Greenfield investments. All these strategies have their own benefits and risks arising from the products or services being offered and the cultural, economic and political environment of the target market (Sternquist & Witter 2011). However the choice of the choice of international strategy is highly dependent on organisational resources, commitment and the extent of risk that it is willing to incur. Joint ventures involve cooperation among different companies. The partners often come together to consign risks, allocate resources and delegate responsibilities (Krafft & Mantrala 2010). These ventures are often disbanded once the project is completed. Joint ventures can enable an organisation to market its products or establish its manufacturing plants in a foreign country with the assistance of the local foreign partners. These local partners equip the foreign organisations with the relevant knowledge on government regulations, workings, local markets and the available channels of distribution. Joint ventures are ideal for Tesco Plc. as it will help it in understanding the foreign markets and mitigate risks (McLoughlin & Aaker 2010). In foreign acquisitions a foreign organisation acquires an interest in a local firm through foreign direct investment (Hensmans et al 2013). In most cases foreign acquisitions occur only in proven markets after years of exporting or success experienced through existent joint ventures. Once an organisation has obtained controlling interests, it attains full authority over policies regarding aspects like quality control, finance, production, marketing strategies and expansion programs. Foreign acquisitions are ideal for Tesco Plc. as it will help it acquire other companies that are already performing well in foreign markets. The last strategy is Greenfield investment which is a type of foreign investment that entails investing in foreign markets by starting new subsidiaries and then fully owning them. This is a strategy that is suitable for Tesco Plc. because it allows it to venture into new unexploited markets and exploit the opportunities present. Theories of International Strategies There are different theories that explain the reasons why an organisation opts to pursue a specific international strategy in a specific target market. This is the reason why organisations pursue different foreign markets using different strategies depending on their unique characteristics (Hitt et al 2008). These theories are monopolistic advantages, transaction cost, internalisation, strategic behaviour, internationalisation, bargaining and eclectic theories. These theoretical perspectives at times hold divergent perceptions on the relative importance of the different factors that influence choice of entry into foreign markets. The monopolistic advantage theory was proposed by Hymer and represented a major shift from the previous theories of capital investments and international trade (Sternquist & Witter 2011). The previous theories like that of Heckscher and Ohlin had restrictive assumptions on the immobility of the factors of production. Hymer argued that organisations could use their firm-specific advantages or monopolistic advantages that other organisations do not have to expand into foreign markets. These advantages are things like superior technology, economies of scale, superior knowledge in finance, marketing or management (McLoughlin & Aaker 2010). Therefore foreign direct investment was made possible by product and market imperfections. These market imperfections are structural and are as a result of control ownership advantages like proprietary technology, economies of scale, special access to inputs, product differentiation and gathered managerial expertise. According to this theory, the dir ect investor is often a monopolist or an oligopilist in product markets. Therefore these organisations pursue market power and monopolistic advantages in the foreign markets leading to the increased growth of international trade. Internationalisation theory builds on the monopolistic advantage theory and it holds that firms often expand into foreign markets whenever there are market imperfections and they can gain advantage by internalising markets across countries (Seth & Randall 2011). This results to the growth of the firms as they increase their operations across the borders to take advantage of the existent opportunities. As the organisations increase their efficiency through internalisation of transactions, the vertical integration of operations across the world lead to efficiencies and economies that include long term contracts, opportunity to exploit tax differentials and better quality control. The theory perceives the internalisation process and entry strategies as being products of series of incremental decisions that result in increases involvement in international operations (Alexander & Doherty 2009). Therefore firms move from exporting to foreign production as they continually gain internatio nal experience. This experience enables the firms to build their knowledge and developing deeper understanding of the foreign markets. The transaction cost theory holds that firms try to minimise the costs associated with exchanging resources with the environment and the bureaucratic costs of exchanges within the firm (Krafft & Mantrala 2010). Therefore they weigh the costs of exchanging resources with the environment against the bureaucratic ones that arise from performing the same operations within the firm. It perceives institutions and markets as possible forms of organising and coordinating economic transactions. Firms grow whenever the external costs exceed the internal bureaucratic costs because they are able to operate more cheaply compared to performing the same operations in the market (Seth & Randall 2011). However, the firms should be downsized whenever the bureaucratic costs exceed the external transaction costs. Therefore the firms will keep expanding for as long as they can perform their operations cheaply within the companies compared outsourcing them to external market providers. The bargaining theory was advocated by Fagre and other scholars and holds that the choice of entry is a function of the bargaining processes between the firm and the host countries (Ryans 2013). The interaction between the host country and the firms is often characterised by power struggles. Although the host country can exercise its bargaining power through controlling market access, the bargaining power of the firms lie in the ownership advantages that they have (Hensmans et al 2013). Therefore the relative power determines the entry strategy of a firm into a foreign market. The last theory is the strategic behaviour theory and it is based on the premise that firms derive comparative advantage from the resources that contribute towards giving them the advantage over the others (Thain & Bradley 2012). This is particularly true when some resources are worth more to an organisation owing to the special linkages between the firm and such resources. When the firms have such resources, t hey are more likely to opt for high control strategies for instance wholly owned subsidiaries. This decision is mostly made with the assumption that such linkages will be influential in enhancing the relative position of the firm in the new foreign market. In addition to the highlighted theories, the integrative theoretical perspective on foreign market entry holds that the firm’s decision to enter into a foreign market and its choice of entry are functions of multiple factors that arise from location and ownership-specific advantages (Alexander & Doherty 2009). Although these theories differ in many important aspects they allow for broad generalisations on the factors that influence an organisation to enter into a foreign market and the entry strategy. The next section analyses the international strategy of Tesco Plc based on the integrative framework. Tesco Plc International Strategy The company enters foreign markets mainly through joint ventures with local firms, acquisitions and Greenfield investments (Mosley & Barrow 2013). The company aims at being the market leader in the foreign country it enters within a period of five years. It has registered huge successes in Asia and most of the European markets. However, the situation in America has been different because the company has struggled to gain market control (Harrison 2013). The success of Tesco Plc in the international market has been aided by its sensitivity to the local culture of the host countries and the market environment. This has mainly been done through partnerships, mergers and acquisitions which have made it easier for the company to offer the local markets with what they want by serving their unique needs. This has been particularly helpful in high context cultures like in the Asian market. The global expansion and diversification of Tesco Plc are based on the long-term desire for the company to develop sustainable growth and development. Morschett (2011) claims that one of the main reasons why the company decided to pursue the international market was that the local UK market had reached saturation and maturity making it very difficult to grow without exploiting overseas opportunities. This was therefore the only viable solution for the company if it was to remain relevant for the economy in the long run. The main factors influencing the choice of entry for Tesco Plc are the different threats that it may encounter in the international markets. Some of the common threats are industrial structures and cultural factors. Nonetheless, the primary influencers of the choice of entry for the company are based on cultural factors (Harrison 2013). Tesco Plc has consistently preferred to use international joint ventures as an entry strategy in the Asian market. This is partly because these countries have high context cultures that require organisations to build interpersonal relationships (Alexander & Doherty 2009). In these cultures, relationship networks among business associates, colleagues and even clients tend to be close and personal. As a consequence, it is important for firms to build trust and relationships during business interactions. The importance of these relationships arises from the fact that they have high uncertainty avoidance levels; therefore relationships and trust reduce the level of uncertainties, risks and ambiguities (McLoughlin & Aaker 2010). For instance in South Korea, the international joint venture with Samsung helped the company establish contacts with the local suppliers and manufacturers. This was very important in penetrating the market in South Korea because the customers there often shop freq uently as they prefer fresh and quality products like vegetables and meat which is different from the customers in the UK who like piling stock. Based on the internalisation theory, Tesco Plc gained advantage by internalising the market in South Korea. This was done through building local networks to ensure that the company sales remain as high as possible. Therefore it employed all the employees of Samsung to ensure that the normal operations were not interfered with. The local managers were also given the authority to make decisions on behalf of the company because of their experience with the local market. Additionally, this was part of the company’s plan to deal with the challenges associated with the competitive environment by positioning itself using localisation and decentralisation while the other players in the industry pursue globalisation strategies (Hitt et al 2008). According to the bargaining theory, localisation and decentralisation gives the company a local im age thus making it highly responsive to the tastes and lifestyles of the local consumers. This gave Tesco Plc a competitive advantage in the South Korean market compared to the other foreign firms like Wal-Mart and Carrefour. The entry strategies of Tesco Plc have also been shaped by cultural factors like psychic distance. Psychic distance refers to the extent to which a firm is uncertain on the nature of the foreign market (Thain & Bradley 2012). Acquisitions and international joint ventures with the local businesses in the high context cultures are important in reducing risks, adaptation costs, psychic distance and cultural barriers. The acquisition of the local distribution channels gave the company a huge advantage over the other multinationals like Wal-Mart which were struggling because the Korean market is characterised by a strong nationalist outlook. The company pursued the same strategies in Thailand and China and this enabled it to penetrate the market with ease compared to other multinational companies. Therefore international joint ventures and acquisitions enabled Tesco Plc. to succeed in markets where Carrefour and Wal-Mart had failed eventually being forced to exit the market in 2006 (Mosle y & Barrow, 2013). In Thailand for instance, after the acquisition of Lotus, Tesco Plc has managed to grow and is currently the market leader as it has pumped huge investments into organic management. The company also diversified its operations in Thailand to include smaller express stores so as to reach more customers. Tesco Plc has made huge successes whenever it chose to enter foreign markets through strategic alliances and acquisitions; however Greenfield entries have proved to be costly and inappropriate. Although Greenfield entries provide the company with full control and ownership over its operations, it has proved to be unsuitable because of the dismal results. Despite the extensive research that the company made prior to joining the US market, its failure there demonstrates that the research was either flawed or inadequate (Krafft & Mantrala 2010). Additionally, its operations in the US were an attempt to duplicate its operations in the UK because it tried to standardise instead of localising them. Part of the problem with the market research was that it only concentrated on the buying behaviour of the Americans and ignored other important variables like shopping experience, value, aesthetics, store atmosphere and quality. This was a great mistake because corrective investments should have been made in response to these marketing aspects (Morschett 2011). For instance the Tescosells pre-packaged fruits was a big mistake because Americans prefer selecting their own fresh fruits. Tesco failed to appreciate the US customer base because it underestimated it. This is the reason why the company handled its operations in the US as an extension of the UK market. The company was attracted to the US market by the booming economy and the ever rising property value (Ryans 2013). These are the factors that prompted it to go for Greenfield investments in US. This was a viable option; however the company failed to account for the deeper financial dynamics that could have saved it from the 2009 financial crisis. In addition to this, the choice of Tesco Plc to enter the US market through Greenfield investments was partly influenced by managerial short termism and egoism. As a consequence, several mistakes can be pointed out from its entry and post entry strategies. The first mistake that the company made at the point of entry is that it increased its exit barriers by aggressively increasing more stores despite the fact that it was making huge losses. Secondly, the company may have been driven by managerial subjective interest for power emanating from the previous international successes. This led to overconfidence therefore blurring the vision of the managers to see that they were driving the company in the wrong direction (Morschett 2011). However, the biggest mistakes that Tesco Plc made was that it failed to plan and strategize for post entry and this led to flaws in its quest to compete in the home market of the world’s largest retailer. As a result the company made huge loses in the US and was eventually forced to exit without ever recording any profits. In Taiwan, the situation was the same as that of the US; Tesco entered the market in 2000 without partnering with the local companies. The company was able to establish six hypermar kets through organic growth. However, just like in the US the Taiwanese retail market was hugely dominated by Carrefour which had the advantage of having all the strategic positions. Just like in the US, the company was unable to attain the market scale necessary for building central distribution centres. Therefore in 2005, it was forced to exit the market through a divestment deal with Carrefour. Recommendations Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations can be made for Tesco Plc for it to succeed in its quest to establish its presence in other international markets. First off, the company should abandon Greenfield investment strategies because they have proved to be very costly in the past. The company struggled in the US and Taiwan and was eventually forced to exit because lack of local partners made it very difficult for it to succeed in markets that are dominated by the two retail giants. The company should have strategies that fit into the culture of the target market like it did in South Korea. The retail industry is very sensitive because it represents the daily necessities of the consumers and as such must be responsive to their cultural habits. For a multinational company to succeed in a foreign market it must have strategies that are responsive to the needs and culture of the local people. Therefore Tesco Plc. should continue incorporating localisation strat egies and respond to the culture of the local markets. It should be more innovative and proactive in its marketing strategies in the international markets. For instance the company should enhance its market intelligence and customer database in order to be able to customise service delivery to the customers. References Alexander, N., & Doherty, A. M. (2009). International retailing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cunningham, J., & Harney, B. (2012). Strategy & strategists. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Harrison, A. L. (2013). Business environment in a global context. Oxford: Oxford university press. Hensmans, M., Johnson, G., & Yip, G. S. (2013). Strategic transformation: Changing while winning. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2008). Strategic management: Competitiveness and globalization. Mason, Ohio: South-Western. Krafft, M., & Mantrala, M. K. (2010). Retailing in the 21st century: Current and future trends. Heidelberg: Springer. McLoughlin, D., & Aaker, D. A. (2010). Strategic market management: Global perspectives. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Morschett, D. (2011). European retail research: Volume 25, Issue I. Wiesbaden: Gabler Verlag. Mosley, R., & Barrow, S. (2013). The employer brand: Bringing the best of brand management to people at work. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Ryans, A. (2013). Beating low cost competition: How premium brands can respond to cut-price rivals. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Seth, A., & Randall, G. (2011). The grocers: The rise and rise of the supermarket chains. London: Kogan Page. Sternquist, B., & Witter, G. (2011). Retail strategic international expansion (SIRE?) theory and cases. Haslett, MI: BSC Publisher. Thain, G., & Bradley, J. (2012). Store wars: The worldwide battle for mindspace and shelfspace, online and in-store. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.

Lies My Teacher Told Me Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lies My Teacher Told Me - Assignment Example The true celebration was not for founding America, but from massacring natives.The first impact was the plague. Diseases from European animals like cowpox becoming smallpox, chickenpox, and other diseases. This created a plague that killed the Anishinaabe. The second impact was the taking of land. Land and resources once available became unavailable due to the settlers fences, armies, and settlements. Finally, another impact was the loss of life and freedom. Natives were enslaved or massacred. The Wampanoag people allied with the pilgrims due to the weakening of the tribe due to the plaque. After losing so many tribe members, the Wampanoag leader wanted to have help from other native tribes. He was especially concerned about the Narragansetts in the west. However, the Wampanoag tribe was decimated by a fresh outbreak of smallpox. By the time the tribe recovered a little bit, the settlers had taken over the land and villages once inhabited by the natives. The main difference between the natives and European worldviews was regarding nature. The Europeans believed territories and lands were made to conquer. Europeans did not just believe the land was to conquer but to be exploited as well. Gold, timber, sugar, crops, and other things could be mined from the new land. The natives believed that they did not own the land. They took what was needed, but left the rest. Europeans wanted dominance over nature. That was what man was put on Earth for. The natives did not want dominance, but peace with nature. This was the main difference between the two peoples.

Alternative Health Paradigms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alternative Health Paradigms - Essay Example gathering scientific knowledge but also with establishing institutions for the production of scientific knowledge free inherently from ideological biases. The technological dimension of science has been apparent in how science has bred and has interlinked with technology for economic uses and benefits. These dimensions were also temporally successive in that Western science was borne out of philosophical study which emphasized the requirement of empirical investigation and rationalization. Science in its nascent stages was more on shaping its characteristically Western attitude of objectification and reductionism; that is, scientific truths were either derived from viewing Nature as an object for man’s benefit or from the deconstructive analysis of knowledge. Subsequent philosophies of Western science shifted its focus from experimental results to experimental processes. Although Jamison did not point it out explicitly, one can infer that the institutionalization of science was borne out of the early scientific community’s shift from its study of the results of experimentation to the study of the process of experimentation. This segued into the production of knowledge by means of formulating hypothesis and carrying out the experimentation to verify and produce new kn owledge. With science out in the open, its progress escalated and the production of knowledge led to new knowledge that can be of economic advantage; Western science has thus come to where it is now – a commodity. Criticism has dogged Western science from the time of its inception and up to the present. Jamison (1994) narrowed down his analysis of the various criticisms to relevant issues pertaining to how the relativism between Western science and traditional knowledge apply to contemporary concerns. Jamison (1994) grouped the criticisms into three thematic categories: romantic critique, environmental critique, and feminist critique. The romantic critics claimed that Western science