Wednesday, October 30, 2019
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020 OBJECTIVE EH-12 Increase recycling of municipal Research Paper
HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020 OBJECTIVE EH-12 Increase recycling of municipal solid waste - Research Paper Example Incidentally, the increasing number of environmental factors has contributed to adverse health such as exposure to harmful substances in the soil, air, water, food, etc. (Scott, 2007). Human activities such as increasing development, activities and use of unsafe chemicals as well as man-made and natural disasters are responsible for increasing environmental pollution (Spilsbury, 2014). Environmental pollution has adverse health effects on everybody. Nurses have a role to play in promoting health environment through incorporating information of the environment in their activities. Recycling of waste and water and energy conservation should be introduced to school going children to increase awareness of environmental health. The increasing rate of waste generation calls for regular measures to reduce the generation and accumulation of such waste. Some of these measures include recycling and conserving water and energy. More than 3, 000 people die every year because of waterborne diseases. Also, 1 out of 6 Americans fall sick because of eating contaminated foods. According to Allender et al., (2013, 286), ââ¬Å"Americans produced about 254 million tons of waste in 2013 and only 87 million tons (34.3) of the waste was recycled.â⬠This was equivalent to 1.51 pounds recycled out of 4.40 pounds of individual waste per day. Through recycling Americans reduced a total of 186 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emission into the air in 2013. The environmental health objectives of Healthy People 2020 concentrate on six themes that highlight components of environmental health. These includes global environmental health, the quality of outdoor air, homes and communities, quality of surface and underground water quality and infrastructure and development. Water is very essential to human life because about 60% of human body is composed of water. By 2018, about 1.8 billion will people will be living in regions with water scarcity. The
Monday, October 28, 2019
Primate Society and Human Society Essay Example for Free
Primate Society and Human Society Essay The present paper is intended to discuss the similarities between the social behaviors of baboons and humans according to the book ââ¬Å"Almost Humanâ⬠by Shirley Strum. The first manifestation of social behavior Shirley Strum noticed is threat signals the animals convey when a newcomer appears (Strum, 1987, p. 24). Furthermore, as the newcomer approaches, juveniles and adult females circle around him and carefully examine him. The animals introduce themselves in an interesting way: ââ¬Å"A female ââ¬Å"presentsâ⬠to a male when she approaches and turns her bottom toward his face; then the male will generally sniff her to see if she is sexually receptive. Two males can also present to each other with no sexual intention at all, and the same greeting is frequently exchanged by females, juveniles and even babies when they can manage it. â⬠(Strum, 1987, p. 25). In several days upon the arrival of the newcomer, he remains an outcast, yet the other tribe members keep their eyes on each movement he makes. When a female comes closely to a male, the latter narrows his eyes, shakes head and smacks his lips ââ¬â this physical manifestation is quite common among baboons. However, if the male is not considered ââ¬Å"popularâ⬠in the group of animals, the female might simply flee without introducing herself, then male continues grimacing as described above and accompanies the grim with soft grunting. The couple play this game for quite a long time ââ¬â the female approaches and then quickly distracts and escapes, whereas the male continues to exhibit his ââ¬Å"infatuationâ⬠. Such social ââ¬Å"gamesâ⬠are played between men and women in our society. For instance, when a woman presents herself to a man, she smiles and shakes hands with him. They also verbally exchange their introductory information ââ¬â name, occupation, hobbies. At the same time, the man, who considers marriage or searches for a sex partner, processes the information about the womanââ¬â¢s appearance and . If he is attracted to the woman, he begins to make slight hints and social gestures ââ¬â e. g. , he might distinguish her amongst his friends and become more sincere, invite her to a theatre, cinema or dinner, give her gifts and flowers and so forth. However, if the woman notices the man has low social position or does not meet her social requirements, she is likely to lose interest in his ââ¬Å"candidacyâ⬠. However, if the man persists and manages to present his interest as genuine and stable, the intimate relationship might begin. Human and baboon behaviors in cross-gender relationships are quite similar. Primarily, baboons present themselves to one another in order to learn more about a stranger; similarly, humans introduce themselves both verbally and through smiling, shaking hands. This introductory stage allows gathering the basic information and determining the primary sources of threat in the ââ¬Å"interlocutorâ⬠(e. g. , contagious disease, among humans ââ¬â armor etc). Among humans, smile acts as a sign of the personââ¬â¢s peaceful intentions, as humans are less proficient in the use and understanding of body language. Further, as a female baboon approaches the male and gives him an opportunity to inhale her odor, she shows to him that she is sexually mature and can have intimate contact. Moreover, such close introduction allows the male to examine her appearance, or ââ¬Å"beautyâ⬠ââ¬â this factor is extremely important, given that ââ¬Å"beautyâ⬠in primate groups is associated with physical health and fitness. The healthier the female is the stronger progeny she can bear and the fewer problems with bearing and birth she will experience. Similarly, human males assess the female during the first seconds of encounter, in particular, they pay attention to such criteria as age, physical beauty and erudition, as they half-consciously select (not always intentionally) a potential sexual partner or spouse and subconsciously believe younger (to reasonable degree, but generally younger in comparison to the male), smarter and more gorgeous women are fitter and better prepared for life in this society. Female baboons show their bottoms when they seek to lure a male, perhaps because appropriate building of this body part serves as a proof of the femaleââ¬â¢s sexual maturity and health. Human females, who wish to look ââ¬Å"attractiveâ⬠, also demonstrate their bodies, not necessarily naked, but always underlined by stylish clothes, make-up and accessories. After evaluating the female and determining whether she fits his criteria of physical development and appearance, the male baboon himself seeks to attract the female by displaying his interest and showing his own fitness and strength. Similarly to the primate society, among humans, there is also a behavioral pattern which consists in maleââ¬â¢s responsibility for making the first step towards a stable relationship (e. g. inviting the woman he is infatuated with to a dinner, entertaining her, paying a lot of attention to her personality). If the female baboon realizes that male is outcast, she will continue ignoring him for some time, as the fittest males, whose inheritance will be most favorable to the future progeny in terms of survival, are normally popular in the tribe and have a high degree of authority. Furthermore, popular member of the tribe is more capable of providing for his female when she is consumed by ââ¬Å"childcareâ⬠. Like female baboons, women become quite suspicious when meeting social outcasts or men of lower social status, who are potentially less likely to meet the needs of the family after the baby appears. However, in both societies, if the male manages to prove his dependability and keeps attending to the female for a long time, the latter might change her mind and find him eligible. As one can assume, human social behavior in cross-gender relationships is driven largely by instincts exhibited by primates. The factors humans and primates consider when selecting a sexual partner are in many cases the same, as males of both groups first and foremost evaluate physical fitness, whereas females in both baboon and human societies make a more complex analysis and also look at the maleââ¬â¢s social position envisioning the necessity of taking care of defenseless and dependent progeny (or children). Both humans and animals are greatly concerned about the physical characteristics of the next generation, which partially backs Darwinââ¬â¢s theory of the survival of the fittest and the inborn striving for the survival of the species.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Easter Uprising in Ireland Essay -- History Historical Irish Essays
Easter Uprising in Ireland On Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, a force of Irishmen attempted to seize Dublin, with the ultimate intention of eliminating British rule and creating a completely independent Ireland. Their leaders, such as Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, knew that they were destined to die, but saw the importance of independence, thus the rebellion was inevitable. In the eyes of many the rebellion was a complete failure, with the loss of lives and damage of buildings, but in the eyes of many Irish patriots the rebellion was a complete success as it promoted Irish nationalism and ultimately lead to an independent Ireland. The circumstances that lead to the rebellion are of an intense complexity, historical, social, political and psychological, and the rebellion itself has lasting impacts on society today. Since 1603, when Ireland was for the first time effectively united under British rule, Irish history has been dictated by the British, and the poor relationship between Ireland and Britain. The root of the problem was that Ireland was a mainly Roman Catholic country ruled by Protestant foreigners, colonial administrators acting on behalf of a Protestant Government far away. During the 18th century, the Irish Catholics were deprived of all rights, as one English judge brutally put it: ââ¬Å"The law does not suppose any such person to exist as an Irish Roman Catholic.â⬠The Irish could only assume that the English did not regard them as human beings at all, and this was clearly seen in the Great Famine of the 19th century. The Great Famine of 1845-1851 was crucial in shaping Irelandââ¬â¢s attitudes towards British rule and leading to the nationalism that provoked the eventual uprising of 1916. The peasants lived on potatoes, it was their only crop, and when the crop was killed by disease famine struck. The potato was primarily grown because it could produce a relatively high yield with little intensive care. Many though relied on the crop and that is why the famine of 1845-1849 was so catastrophic. Ireland had a population of 8 million before the famine, 1 million died from the famine and another 1-2 million immigrated to America. Irelandââ¬â¢s population, which had grown so strongly throughout the 18th century and early 19th century, had been shattered. The impact that the famine had on 1916 was simple: the English were blamed for the famine. Th... ...ellion can be seen to be an utter failure, but the bigger picture shows that the success of the rebellion can not be undermined, as it resulted in a great revival of nationalism and eventually, the establishment of the Republic of Ireland in 1948. In the book, The Modern World since 1870, it is said of Pearse: ââ¬Å"Looking back one can see that his death lit a flame which illuminated Irelandââ¬â¢s path to independenceâ⬠. It must be understood that the Easter Rising was never designed for military victory, it was in the desire of freedom, and in this regard the rebellion can not be seen as a ââ¬Ëfailureââ¬â¢. The Irish Rebellion, stemming from a history of oppression and neglect by the British, was always inevitable. Although the rising was a clear military failure, the legacy of the rising means that it can be seen as a success ââ¬â it did achieve many of the aims of the leaders. The purpose of the insurrection was not to win the battle, but to leave the legacy to the Irish people that without struggle there is no progress. New nationalism was inspired, and in 1948, with the establishment of the Republic of Ireland, the rising was finally seen as a politically and socially successful movement.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Assignment Questions
FEDERAL TAXATION 307__________________________________ Week 2 ââ¬â Chapter 4 Homework: studentââ¬â¢s name #20. Brenda loaned her son Bart $250,000 to purchase a new home. Brenda did not charge interest on the loan. Brenda was required to recognize imputed interest income and Bart had imputed home mortgage interest expense that he deducted as an itemized deduction. Would Brendaââ¬â¢s and Bartââ¬â¢s combined total income taxes likely increase or decrease as a result of the imputed interest? #23. On July 1, 1998, when Betty was 65 years old, she purchased an annuity contract for $108,000.The annuity was to pay Betty $9,000 on June 30 each year for the remainder of her life. Betty died on March 31, 2011. What are the effects of the annuity on Bettyââ¬â¢s gross income and taxable income for 2011? #31. Al is a medical doctor who conducts his practice as a sole proprietor. During 2011, he received cash of $280,000 for medical services. Of the amount collected, $40,000 was fo r services provided in 2010. At the end of 2011, Al had accounts receivable of $60,000, all for services rendered in 2011.In addition, at the end of the year, Al received $12,000 as an advance payment from a health maintenance organization (HMO) for services to be rendered in 2012. Compute Alââ¬â¢s gross income for 2011â⬠a)Using the cash basis of accounting. b)Using the accrual basis of accounting. c)Advise Al on which method of accounting he should use. #34. Color Paint Shop, Inc. (459 Ellis Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17111), is an accrual basis taxpayer that paints automobiles. During the year, the company painted Samuelââ¬â¢s car and was to receive a $1,000 payment from his insurance company.Samuel was not satisfied with the work, however, and the insurance company refused to pay. In December 2011, Color and Samuel agreed that Color would receive $800 for the work, subject to final approval by the insurance company. In the past, Color had come to terms with customers only to have the insurance company negotiate an even lesser amount. In May 2012, the insurance company reviewed the claim and paid the $800 to Color. An IRS agent thinks that Color, as an accrual basis taxpayer, should report $1,000 of income in 2011, when the work was done, and then deduct a $200 loss in 2012.Prepare a memo to Susan Apple, a tax partner for whom you are working, with the recommended treatment for the disputed income. #36. Marlene, a cash basis taxpayer, invests in Series EE U. S. Government savings bonds and bank certificates of deposit (CDs). Determine the tax consequences of the following on her 2011 gross income. a)On July 1, 2011, she purchased a CD for $10,000. The CD matures on June 30, 2013, and will pay $10. 816, thus yielding a 4% annual return. b)On December 31, 2011, she cashed in a CD and received $11,025. She purchased the CD on January 1, 2010 and the yield to maturity was 5%. )On September 30, 2011, she cashed in Series EE bonds for $10,000. She purchase d the bonds in 2011 for $7,025. The yield to maturity on the bonds was 4. 5%. #38. Freda is a cash basis taxpayer. In 2011, she negotiated her salary for 2012. Her employer offered to pay her a total of $250,000 for the year. Freda countered that she would accept $10,000 each month for the 12 months in 2012, and the remaining $130,000 in January 2013. The employer accepted Fredaââ¬â¢s terms for 2012 and 2013. a)Did Freda actually or constructively receive $250,000 in 2012? b)What could explain Fredaââ¬â¢s willingness to spread her salary over a longer period of time? 42. Fran, Gary, and Heidi each have a one-third interest in the capital and profits of the FGH Partnership. Each partner had a capital account of $50,000 at the beginning of the tax year. The partnership profits for the tax year were $240,000. Changes in their capital accounts during the tax year were as follows: Fran Gary Heidi Total Beginning balance$50,000$50,000$50,000$150,000 Withdrawals(25,000)(35,000)(10,00 0)( 70,000) Additional contributions -0- -0- 5,000 5,000 Allocation of profits 80,000 80,000 80,000 240,000 Ending balance $105,000 $95,000 $125,000$325,000In arriving at the $240,000 of partnership profits, the partnership deducted $1,800 ($600 for each partner) in premiums paid for group term life insurance on the partners. Fran and Gary are 39 years old, and Heidi is 35 years old. Other employees are also eligible for group term life insurance equal to their annual salary. These premiums of $10,000 have been deducted in calculating the partnership profits of $240,000. Computer each partnerââ¬â¢s gross income from the partnership for last year. #49. On June 30, 2011, Ridge borrowed $62,000 from his employer. On July 1, 2011, Ridge used the money as follows:Interest-free loan to Ridgeââ¬â¢s controlled corporation (operated by Ridge on a part-time basis)$31,000 Interest-free loan to Tab (Ridgeââ¬â¢s son) 11,000 National Bank of Grundy 5% CD ($14,700 due at maturity, June 30 , 2012) 14,000 National Bank of Grundy 5. 5% CD ($6,678 due at maturity, June 30, 2012) 6,000 $62,000 Ridgeââ¬â¢s employer did not charge him interest. The applicable Federal rate was 5% throughout the relevant period. Tab had investment income of $800 for the year, and he used the loan proceeds to pay medical school tuition. There were no other outstanding loans between Ridge and Tab.What are the effects of the preceding transactions on Ridgeââ¬â¢s taxable income for 2011? #51. Vito is the sole shareholder of Vito, Inc. He is also employed by the corporation. On June 30, 2011, Vito borrowed $8,000 from Vito, Inc. , and on July 1, 2012, he borrowed an additional $4,000. Both loans were due on demand. No interest was charged on the loans, and the Federal rate was 8% for all relevant dates. Vito used the money to purchase a boat, and he had $1,100 of investment income. Determine the tax consequences to Vito and Vito, Inc. in each of the following situations: )The loans are consi dered employer-employee loans. b)The loans are considered corporation-shareholder loans #52. Tess retires after 30 years of service with her employer. She is 66 years old and has contributed $37,800 to her employerââ¬â¢s qualified pension fund. She elects to receive her retirement benefits as an annuity of $3,000 per month for the remainder of her life. a)Assume that Tess retires in June 2011 and collects six annuity payments this year. What is her gross income from the annuity payments in the first year? b)Assume that Tess lives 30 years after retiring.What is her gross income from the annuity payments in the twenty-ninth year? c)Assume that Tess dies after collecting 180 payments. She collected six payments in the year of her death. What are Tessââ¬â¢s gross income and deductions from the annuity contract in the year of her death? FEDERAL TAXATION 307__________________________________ ââ¬â Chapter 5 Homework: #7. Lime Finance Company requires its customers to purchase a credit life insurance policy associated with the loans it makes. Lime is the beneficiary of the policy to the extent of the remaining balance on the loan at the time of the customerââ¬â¢s death.In 2010, Lime wrote off as uncollectible a $5,000 account receivable from Wally, which included $1,500 of accrued interest. When Wally died in 2011, the life insurance policy was still in force, and Lime received $3,500. Is the $3,500 of life insurance proceeds received by Lime included in its gross income? #13. Melbaââ¬â¢s employer provides a flexible spending plan for medical and dental expenses not covered by insurance. Melba contributed $1,500 during 2011, but by the end of December 2011, she still had $300 remaining in the account.Melba intended to get new eyeglasses, but was too busy during the holiday season. Is Melba required to forfeit the balance in her flexible spending account? #23. In 2011, Montgomery County experienced a budget surplus. The County is considering using a po rtion of the surplus to rebate part of the real estate taxes paid by county real estate owners. What would be the income tax consequences to the real estate owners of receiving the rebate in 2012? #25. Molly is a cash basis taxpayer. In 2011, she earned only $6,500, which was less than the standard deduction and personal exemption.In January 2012, Mollyââ¬â¢s employer determined that he had miscalculated her December 2011 bonus and that she should have received an additional $1,000 of compensation in 2011. The employer paid Molly the $1,000 in 2012. If Molly had received the $1,000 in 2011, it would not have resulted in any tax liability because her gross income would still have been less than her standard deduction and personal exemption. In 2012, Molly had over $30,000 in taxable income. Does the tax benefit rule apply to Mollyââ¬â¢s situation? Explain. #28. Ed, an employee of the Natural Color Company, suffered from a rare disease that was very expensive to treat.The local media ran several stories about Ed's problems, and the family received more than $10,000 in gifts from individuals to help pay the medical bills. Edââ¬â¢s employer provided hospital and medical insurance for its employees, but the policy did not cover Edââ¬â¢s illness. When it became apparent that Ed could not pay all of his medical expenses, the hospital canceled the $25,000 Ed owed at the time of his death. After Edââ¬â¢s death, his former employer paid Edââ¬â¢s widow $12,000 in ââ¬Å"her time of need. â⬠Edââ¬â¢s widow also collected $50,000 on a group term life insurance policy paid for by Edââ¬â¢s employer. What are Edââ¬â¢s and his wifeââ¬â¢s gross income? 31. What is the taxpayerââ¬â¢s gross income in each of the following situations? a)Darrin received a salary of $50,000 in 2011 from his employer, Green Construction Associates, Inc. In July 2011, Green gave each employee $2,500 as a bonus for exceeding the monthly sales goals. b)Megan receive d $10,000 from her employer to help her pay the college expenses of her daughter. c)Blake received $15,000 from his deceased wifeââ¬â¢s employer in ââ¬Å"recognition of her 30 years of faithful service to the company. â⬠d)Clint collected $50,000 as the beneficiary of a group term life insurance policy for which his deceased wifeââ¬â¢s employer had paid the premiums. 33. Ray and Carin are partners in an accounting firm. The partners have entered into an armââ¬â¢s length agreement requiring Ray to purchase Carinââ¬â¢s partnership interest from Carinââ¬â¢s estate if she dies before Ray. The price is set at 120% of the book value of Carinââ¬â¢s partnership interest at the time of her death. Ray purchased an insurance policy on Carinââ¬â¢s life to fund this agreement. After Ray had paid $45,000 in premiums, Carin was killed in an automobile accident, and Ray collected $800,000 of life insurance proceeds. Ray used the life insurance proceeds to purchase Carinâ â¬â¢s partnership interest. )What amount should Ray include in his gross income from receiving the life insurance proceeds? b)The insurance company paid Ray $16,000 interest on the life insurance proceeds during the period Carinââ¬â¢s estate was in administration. During this period, Ray had left the insurance proceeds with the insurance company. Is this interest taxable? c)When Ray paid $800,000 for Carinââ¬â¢s partnership interest, priced as specified in the agreement, the fair market value of Carinââ¬â¢s interest was $1 million. How much should Ray include in his gross income from this bargain purchase? #36.Leigh sued an overzealous bill collector and received the following settlement: Damage to her automobile the collector attempted to repossess$ 3,300 Physical damage to her arm caused by the collector 15,000 Loss of income while her arm was healing 6,000 Punitive damages 80,000 a)What effect does the settlement have on Leighââ¬â¢s gross income? b)Assume Leigh also collected $25,000 of damages for slander to her personal reputation caused by the bill collector misrepresenting the facts to Leighââ¬â¢s employer and other creditors. Is this $25,000 included in Leighââ¬â¢s gross income? #39.The UVW Union and HON Corporation are negotiating contract terms. Assume the union members are in the 28% marginal tax bracket and all benefits are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis. Write a letter to the UVW Union members explaining the tax consequences of the options discussed below. The unionââ¬â¢s address is 905 Spruce Street, Washington, DC 20227. a)The company would impose a $100 deductible on medical insurance benefits. Most employees incur more than $100 each year in medical expenses. b)Employees would get an additional paid holiday with the same annual income (the same pay but less work). )An employee who did not need health insurance (because the employerââ¬â¢s spouse works and receives family coverage) would be allowed to receive the cash value of the coverage. #52. Tonya, who lives in Virginia, inherited a $10,000 State of Virginia bond in 2011. Her marginal Federal tax rate is 35%, and her marginal state tax rate is 5%. The Virginia bond pays 4% interest, which is not subject to Virginia income tax. She can purchase a corporate bond of comparable risk that will yield 6% or a U. S. government bond that pays 5. 6% interest.Tonya does not itemize her deductions. Which investment will provide the greatest after-tax yield? Chapter 6 Homework #7 Nanette is a third-grade teacher. Potential deductions are charitable contributions of $520, personal property taxes on her car of $225, and various supplies purchased for use in her classroom of $225 (none reimbursed by her school). How will these items affect Nanetteââ¬â¢s income tax return? #11 Mary Kate owns a building that she leases to an individual who operates a grocery store. Rent income is $10,000 and rental expenses are $6,000.On what Form 1040 schedule or sch edules are the income and expenses reported? #20 Gordon anticipates that being positively perceived by the individual who is elected mayor will be beneficial for his business. Therefore, he contributes to the campaigns of both the Democratic and the Republican candidates. The Republican candidate is elected mayor. Can Gordon deduct any of the political contributions he made? #25 Are there any circumstances under which taxpayers can rent their personal residence and not be required to report the rent income received?Does this have an effect on the deductions allowed? #37 This has not been a good year for Betsy. During the year, she had losses from the following sales: Personal use sailboat$ 6,000 Personal residence$30,000 Rental house$12,000 Orange, Inc. stock$ 4,000 City of James bonds$ 2,000 a)What is the amount of Betsyââ¬â¢s deductible losses b) Classify the deductible losses as deductions for or from AGI #45 Vermillion, Inc. , a publicly held corporation (not a TARP recipient ), pays the following salaries to its executives: Retirement Plan SalaryBonus ContributionCEO$2,000,000$100,000 $80,000 Executive vice president 1,800,000 90,000 72,000 Treasurer 1,600,000 -0- 64,000 Marketing vice president 1,500,000 75,000 60,000 Operations vice president 1,400,000 70,000 56,000 Distribution vice president 1,200,000 60,000 48,000 Research vice president 1,100,000 -0- 44,000 Controller 800,000 -0- 32,000 Vermillion normally does not pay bonuses, but after reviewing the results of operations for the year, the board of directors decided to pay a 5% bonus to selected executives.What is the amount of these payments hat =Vermillion may deduct? #47 Terry traveled to a neighboring state to investigate the purchase of two hardware stores. His expenses included travel, legal, accounting, and miscellaneous expenses. The total was $52,000. He incurred the expenses in June and July 2011. Under the following circumstances, what can Terry deduct in 2011? a)Terry was in the hardw are store business and did not acquire the two hardware stores. b)Terry was in the hardware store business and acquired the two hardware stores and began operating them on October 1, 2011. )Terry did not acquire the two hardware stores and was not in the hardware store business. d)Terry acquired the two hardware stores, but was not in the hardware store business when he acquired them. Operations began on October 1, 2011. #58 The Robin Corporation is owned as follows: Isabelle26% Peter, Isabelleââ¬â¢s husband19% Sonya, Isabelleââ¬â¢s mother15% Reggie, Isabelleââ¬â¢s father25% Quinn, an unrelated party15% Robin is on the accrual basis, and Isabelle and Peter are on the cash basis. Isabelle and Peter each loaned the Robin Corporation $40,000 out of their separate funds.On December 31, 2011, Robin accrued interest at 7% on both loans. The interest was paid on February 4, 2012. What is the tax treatment of this interest expense/income to Isabelle, Peter, and Robin? #59 For each of the following independent transactions, calculate the recognized gain or loss to the seller and the adjusted basis to the buyer. a)Bonnie sells Parchment, Inc. stock (adjusted basis $17,000) to Phillip, her brother, for its fair market value of $12,000 b)Amos sells land (adjusted basis $85,000) to his nephew, Boyd, for its fair market value of $70,000. c)Susan sells a tax-exempt bond (adjusted basis $20,000) to her holly owned corporation for its fair market value of $19,000 d)Ron sells a business truck (adjusted basis $20,000) that he uses in his sole proprietorship to his cousin, Agnes, for its fair market value of $18,500. e)Martha sells her partnership interest (adjusted basis $175,000) in Pearl Partnership to her adult daughter, Kim, for $220,000. #61 Lee incurred the following expenses in the current tax year. Indicate, in the spaces provided, whether each expenditure is deductible for AGI, from AGI, or not deductible. DeductibleNot Expenses Item For AGI From AGI Deductible a) Leeââ¬â¢s personal medical expenses. ______ ______________ b) Leeââ¬â¢s dependent daughterââ¬â¢s medical expenses _______ ______________ c) Real estate taxes on Leeââ¬â¢s rental property _______ ______________ d) Real estate taxes on Leeââ¬â¢s personal residence _______ ______________ e) Real estate taxes on daughterââ¬â¢s personal residence _______ ______________ f) Leeââ¬â¢s state income taxes _______ ______________ g) Interest on Leeââ¬â¢s rental property mortgage _______ ______________ h) Interest on Leeââ¬â¢s personal residence mortgage _______ ______________ i) Interest on daughterââ¬â¢s personal residence mortgage _______ ______________ j) Interest on Leeââ¬â¢s business loans. _______ ______________ k) Leeââ¬â¢s charitable contributions. ______ ______________ l) Depreciation on Leeââ¬â¢s rental property _______ ______________ m) Depreciation on auto used in Leeââ¬â¢s business _______ ______________ n) Depreciation on Leeââ¬â¢s personal use auto _______ ______________ o) Depreciation on daughterââ¬â¢s personal use auto _______ ______________ Chapter 7 Homework: studentââ¬â¢s name #7Many years ago, Jack purchased 400 shares of Canary stock. During the current year, the stock became worthless. It was determined that the company ââ¬Å"went underâ⬠because several corporate officers embezzled a large amount of company funds. Identify the relevant tax issues for Jack. #22Green Corporation made extensive modifications to a portion of a building so that it could be used to conduct product research. Discuss whether the modification costs would qualify as research and experimental expenditures. #29Monty loaned his friend Ned $20,000 three years ago.Ned signed a note and made payments on the loan. Last year, when the remaining balance was $11,000, Ned filed for bankruptcy and notified Monty that he would be unable to pay the balance on the loan. Monty treated the $11,000 as a nonbusiness bad debt. Last y ear Monty had no capital gains and taxable income of $12,000. During the current year, Ned paid Monty $5,000 in satisfaction of the debt. Determine Montyââ¬â¢s tax treatment for the $5,000 received in the current year. #32Mary, a single taxpayer, purchased 10,000 shares of à §1244 stock several years ago at a cost of $20 per share. In November of the current year, Mary received an offer to sell the stock for $12 per share.She has the option of either selling all of the stock now or selling half of the stock now and half of the stock in January of next year. Mary will receive a salary of $80,000 for the current year and $90,000 next year. Mary will have long-term capital gains of $8,000 for the current year and $10,000 next year. If Maryââ¬â¢s goal is to minimize her AGI for the two years, determine whether she should sell all of her stock this year or half of her stock this year and half next year. #35Heather owns a two-story building. The building is used 60% for business us e and 40% for personal use. During 2011, a fire caused major damage to the building and its contents. Heather purchased the building for $800,000 and has taken depreciation of $150,000 on the business portion.At the time of the fire, the building had a fair market value of $900,000. Immediately after the fire, the fair market value was $200,000. The insurance recovery on the building was $600,000. The contents of the building were insured for any loss at fair market value. The business assets had an adjusted basis of $220,000 and a fair market value of $175,000. These assets were totally destroyed. The personal use assets had an adjusted basis of $50,000 and a fair market value of $65,000. These assets were also totally destroyed. If Heatherââ¬â¢s AGI is $100,000 before considering the effects of the fire, determine her itemized deduction as a result of the fire. Also determine Heatherââ¬â¢s AGI.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Lucent Technology Case
Lucent Technologies Case Yulissa T. Ortiz Salgado March 30, 2013 Financial Reporting: Peeking Under the Financial Hood Mrs. Darcie Sargent The Lucent Technologies is a company that helps creating new revenue generating opportunities for customers through the communication service. We all know how useful and important communication services have become throughout the years. Lucent Technologies is compounded of three organizations around the products and they are: Integrated Network Solutions, Mobility Solutions and Lucent Worldwide Services.Integrated Network Solutions also known as ââ¬Å"INSâ⬠provides a service related to voice networking like voice messages, data and network management. Mobility offers software and wireless equipment to support radio like we do it on a car, and other electronic devices; however, all these equipment requires money to keep it running and to maintain it, so economy plays a very important place on this company like in every other. It is mentioned in the reading that throughout the years the economy was affected and the revenues or earnings as well.In 2003, the balance sheet shows a balance of total assets of 15,911. Also, it shows a debt of 19,282. We see that there is no earning but a loss in the balance sheet. On 2003 the loss shown is 4,239. Besides the economy downs and cons we can see that one year after, on 2004 things started to get better financially talking. It is not a big difference, but we can see it is helping the company to hang in there. The assetââ¬â¢s balance shows a 16,963, 1,052 more than the year before. The liabilities went down from 19,282 to 18,342.Also, the loss has decrease, by going up from (4,239) to (1,379). For this company would be hard to find investors because of the financial deficit they are confronting. The liabilities are way bigger than the earnings, because there are no earnings at all. If I were an investor, I would not put my money on a company that I see itââ¬â¢s not generating any money. It is true that the liabilities are decreasing, but in a real slowly way. Possibly if the liability was the same, but the earnings were about the same amount would be different.If I were an investor, I would also like to look at the Statement of Cash flows of the company to see where the money is exactly being spent on and were the money is also coming from. When a company is showing this kind of deficit it is very important as an investor to be able to determine why this is happening. The financial statements definitely provide the complete information needed to find out that information. Going deeper into the loans and the liabilities information would also help to determine how we could lower the debt to help the company run in a better way.Finally, I think I would just like to see all financial statements to determine how could my investment help in a positive way the company and also the company help me financially with the time. Usually we do not expect a company t o generate lots of money right away, but we do expect to live from it after a while. Therefore, it is needed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the company and financial statements are the perfect tools to find all that information. Reference: Understanding Financial Statements, Eight Edition, by Lyn M. Fraser and Aileen Omiston. Published by Prentice Hall, 2007.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Macbeth and Gladiator Essay Essay Example
Macbeth and Gladiator Essay Essay Example Macbeth and Gladiator Essay Paper Macbeth and Gladiator Essay Paper Although composed centuries apart, both Shakespearean Macbeth and Riddled Coots Gladiator explore the similar idea of ambition, through their villainous characters Macbeth and Commodes. Macbeth composed In 1606 for King James delineates a noble soldiers character transformation from an ambitious Individual to corrupted tyrant as supernatural Witches and Lady Macbeth Ignite his desire for power. Similarly, Gladiators vicious antagonist Is a malevolent personage, whose desire to be loved transforms into corrupted ambition. These similar ideas of ambition are presented in very different ways, one through the medium of drama while the other wrought film. Despite the differences, the texts establish, through literary and film techniques that ambition, without a moral framework will lead to destruction and downfall. Shakespeare portrays the destructive consequences of ambition, through the character transformation of his eponymous protagonist Macbeth. Macbeth is initially characterized as a brave and noble soldier, who is highly respected by many. However, through the interactions with the abhorrent witches, it is revealed that the physical courage he holds is Joined by a consuming ambition for power. The itches prophecies that Macbeth will be Thane of Castor and Shall be king hereafter tempt his latent ambition for power, metaphorically poisoning his psychological state, full of scorpions Is my mind; prompting him to perform treacherous acts. Macbeth believes committing regicide, ironically, Might be the be- all and end-all, although his ambitious usurpation of the throne results in destructive consequences such as remorse, paranoia and his demise. In contrast to the start of the play, Machetes characterization changes from good to evil, illustrated by Malcolm metaphorical comment This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our onuses. Shakespeare establishes through Malcolm inimical words, that Macbeth is no longer seen as a noble soldier, but as a tyrannical murderer whose name cannot be spoken of, depicting the consequences of unchecked ambition. Lady Macbeth Is the driving force behind Machetes Immoral acts and corrupted ambition. She Is ruthless, stronger and more ambitious than her husband. Her ambition causes her to go to extreme measures to gain power to the throne; Including neglecting her femininity to be able to perform acts of cruelty and violence of a man, Come to my mans breast and take my milk for gall, metaphorically revealing the evil and corrupted ambition within her. When Macbeth hesitates to murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood and calls him a coward; manipulating him into committing regicide. However, the psychological implications of murder result in her infected mind and she slowly descended into madness. Lady Macbeth is so plagued with guilt from her ambition that her hands become bloodstained and she is unable to wash the blood away, Out, damned spot! Out I say! Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? Shakespeare utilizes a blood motif to symbolize the everlasting guilt for the murder of the king; a consequence of ambition without a moral framework. Machetes hamster, unchecked ambition, causes his rise as king, yet also leads to destructive consequences Initiating his downfall. Through Macbeth and Lady Machetes disruption to the Chain of Being, Shakespeare downfall. This is displayed with Machetes character foil Macadam. Macadams ambition was only for the good of Scotland, contrasting to Macbeth who only had fatal self- desires. Macbeth begins to erode the Chain of Being by murdering King Duncan, causing a storm that makes the earth ferrous and shake. The symbolism of the storm during Dunces murder reflects the disorder and chaos within the state from the disruption of the Chain of being. Immediately after Dunces murder Macbeth starts to unwind the natural world around. Restoration to the chain of being is returned by Macadam who kills Macbeth Shakespeare ends the play with Macadam killing Macbeth, restoring order to the country and chain of being, appeasing his audience. (Add quote) Riddled Coots 2001 film, Gladiator, utilizes film techniques and horse-trading to portray the destructive consequences of ambition without a moral frame. Commodes, Gladiators antagonist is the son of emperor Marcus Aurelias who desperately desires to be loved, yet also has a vaulting ambition to gain power to the throne. His characterization is comparable to Shakespearean Macbeth who also is corrupted by his ambition for power yet also desires to be loved. Commodes, who is not a moral man, is portrayed as an evil and corrupted character throughout the entire film, which is exemplified by the constant chiaroscuro lighting. Commodes irrupted ambition is initially depicted after he is informed that the emperors power will be passed to Maximum, causing him to murder the emperor in order for him to gain power. His ambitious usurper to the throne reflects the regicide of King Duncan by Macbeth. However, Commodes ambitious yearnings have physical consequences, metaphorically splitting [his] head to pieces depicting that corrupted ambition will lead to ones downfall. Maximum is Romeos greatest general, the antithesis of ambition which is portrayed through his humility and passion for his country. This is established through the motif of him rubbing dirt into his hands, metaphorically emphasizing that he is grounded and passionate towards his home land. His passion for Rome makes him comparable to Shakespearean Macadam who cares for the well-being of Scotland. Commodes character being told by the people to Go Away! delineates the disrespect he has through the low saturated scene. However, Juxtaposing Commodes, Maximum is adored by the people of Rome which is depicted through the brightly saturated longings and dietetic sound of the crowd repeatedly chanting Maximum! Reflecting Macadams character, Maximum is similarly humane, dirt cleans Off lot easier than blood, and respected by many. The pinnacle of Commodes corrupted ambition is represented through his duel with Maximum to gain the peoples adoration. His self-proclaimed invincibility and ambition exacerbates his hubris. As the dramatic , non-dietetic music crescendos, Commodes rises embracing light however in contrast Maximum has his head hung portraying his humility. The inversion of atypical costuming of heroes and villains depicts Commodes self-glorification- as he is dressed in white and Maximum in black. The white robes Commodes arrogantly wears become covered in blood portraying his insincere purity and corrupted ambition. Maximum, mirroring Macadam, restores order to Rome by killing Commodes. However, unlike Commodes, Maximums death is recognized -he was a soldier of Rome, honor him. A high shot reveals Rome honoring Maximum. Both Shakespearean Macbeth and Riddled Coots Gladiator development; however have differing contexts. Macbeth and Commodes are destroyed by excessive ambition which leads to their downfall, didactically conveying the importance of ambition being accompanied by a moral framework.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous for ESL
Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous for ESL The two most advanced tenses in the past are the past perfect and past perfect continuous. There are slight differences between these two tenses, but both are used to speak about actions that occur before another point in time in the past. Intermediate level English learnersà can study the basic structures below, and then use the activities provided below. Teachers can print out and use materials in-class to help students acquire these two complicated tenses. There are also a number of lessons referenced below that focus on comprehension materials for both of these tenses. Finally, teachers can get ideas and tips from these guides to teaching the past perfect and past perfect continuous. Past Perfect There are two past tenses used to describe things that happen before another point in time in the past. Use the past perfect to talk about an event which had happened at some point in time before something took place. Tom had interviewed five times before he got his first job.She had already eaten by the time they arrived. Past Perfect Continuous The past perfect continuous is used to express how long something had been going on before something important happened in the past. Jane had been studying for four hours when he came home.Jack had been driving four over six hours when he finally pulled over to have lunch. Past Perfect Structure Positive Subject had past participle I, You, He, She, We, They had finished before I arrived. Negative Subject had not (hadnt) past participle I, You, He, She, We, They hadnt eaten before he finished the job. Questions Question word had subject past participle What - had he, she, you, we, they thought before I asked the question? Past Perfect Continuous Structure Positive Subject had been verb ing I, You, He, She, We, They had been working for two hours when she telephoned. Negative Subject had not (hadnt) been verb ing I, You, He, She, We, They hadnt been paying attention for long when he asked the question. Questions Question word (often How long) had been subject verb ing How long - had he, she, you, we, they been working before he arrived? Study the Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous in Depth Here are detailed guides to the past perfect and the past perfect continuous tenses. Each guide provides situations, common time expressions used with the tense, as well as examples. This guide is for choosing between using simple perfect forms or continuous perfect forms (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect vs present perfect continuous, past perfect continuous, future perfect continuous) is perfect for advanced level students looking to understand the fine points of these tenses. The past unreal (3rd) conditional also uses the past perfect form. Test Your Knowledge of Past Perfect and Past Perfect Continuous Once youve studied the rules - or if you already know the rules - test your knowledge with a past forms review or conditional forms quiz. Teach a Lesson about the Past Simple and Past Continuous Here are lessons on the site which have elements of the lesson which focus on the past perfect simple or past perfect continuous and their use with other tenses. Tense Identification Review - Integration Lesson for Upper-Level Studentsââ¬â¹A Difficult Situation - Using Modal Verbs of Probability in the PastMultinationals - Help or Hindrance? - use of past perfect/continuous to in debate lessons to provide contextGuilty! - communication lesson using a variety of past tensesSentence Auctions - students try to decide whether a sentence is a genuine masterpiece worth buying, includes examples of past perfect. Activities with the Past Perfect Simple and Past Perfect Continuous Some activities that will help you practice: Waiting for a Friend - Advanced past and future forms (future continuous, 3rd conditional, etc.)English Tenses Timeline Chart - study how the past perfect and past perfect continuous relate to other tenses on a timeline.
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Dos and Donts for Parent-Teacher Conferences
Dos and Donts for Parent-Teacher Conferences Parent-Teacher Conferences, handled correctly, are an opportunity to form a cooperative team for the coming school year. You will need each students parents on your side in order to have the maximum positive impact on learning. Follow these guidelines and youll be on the right track: Dos Give parents plenty of notice. Remember that parents have busy lives and challenging work schedules. The more notice you give them, the more likely they will be able to attend the Parent-Teacher Conference.Start and end the Parent-Teacher Conference on a positive note. Remember that parents are often nervous, too. Set them at ease by starting off with your positive observations of their child. After youve explained some areas of improvement, finish the conference off with more things the parents can feel good about. This goes a long way toward creating a positive working relationship with them.Be organized. Fill out a pre-conference form for each student, complete with space for your notes and follow-up issues. The conference may be your first impression on the parents, and your organization will inspire confidence in your abilities to help their child this year.Listen actively. When the parents speak, concentrate and really hear what they are trying to communicate to you. You may ev en want to take notes. When parents feel heard, you are setting up a cooperative relationship for the coming school year. Have samples of student work to back up your points. When discussing specific learning goals for the student, show the parents what you observed in the classwork that shows a need for improvement. On the flip side, you can also show samples of work well done, so they can see how much the students are learning with you.Give the parents homework. Think of 2-3 customized tasks that the parents can do at home to help their child learn this school year. It may not always happen as you hope, but its worth a shot. Offer worksheets, websites, and tools to support their efforts.Call in the principal for touchy situations. Sometimes teachers need to call for backup. If a specific set of parents have already shown some hostility towards you, a trusted administrator can act as a facilitator who has everyones best interests at heart. Moreover, the principal can act as a witness for you, if the tone of the conference starts to sour. Donts Dont stray from the topic at hand. Its easy for conversations to wander off into fun topics, such as shared interests. But remember why you are having this conference in the first place and keep the meeting on track.Dont Get Emotional. Stay professional and objective as you describe the behavior youve observed from a particular child. If you stay rational and calm, the parents likely will, as well.Dont run late. Once the Parent-Teacher Conference schedule is set, do everything possible to keep things running in a timely manner. Parents have busy lives and have dropped everything to meet with you at the appointed time. Respecting their time will make a great impression.Dont have a messy classroom. We all know that classrooms can get messy during the busy course of a school day. But spend some time straightening up your room, especially your desk, in order to make the best possible impression.Dont overwhelm the parents with too many at-home tasks. Choose 2-3 doable ways that the parent s can support learning at home. Be specific and offer them the tools they will need to help their child.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Motorola analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words
Motorola analysis - Essay Example In addition, Mr. Reed also helped the Company generate significant cost savings by consolidating suppliers and implementing a comprehensive supply chain strategy. 16 DOUGLAS, Isle of Man - 5th March 2008 - Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) has been chosen by the Isle of Man Government Department of Home Affairs to supply a fleet of covert TETRA terminals. Motorola will supply the covert devices in mid 2008, which will be used by the Isle of Man Constabulary and Customs & Excise. 16 Motorola worked closely with a number of public safety users including the Isle of Man Department of Home Affairs, Isle of Man Constabulary and Isle of Man Customs & Excise during the design process to ensure it delivered a covert TETRA radio that met the special needs of the users. The new TCR1000 TETRA Covert Radio will help improve operational effectiveness as the small ergonomic design means officers do not feel as though they are wearing a radio, helping them to disguise their equipment during covert operations. "At last Motorola have a covert radio that is fit for purpose," says Robert Williamson, technical director, Isle of Man Department of Home Affairs. ... DOUGLAS, Isle of Man - 5th March 2008 - Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) has been chosen by the Isle of Man Government Department of Home Affairs to supply a fleet of covert TETRA terminals. Motorola will supply the covert devices in mid 2008, which will be used by the Isle of Man Constabulary and Customs & Excise. 16 Motorola worked closely with a number of public safety users including the Isle of Man Department of Home Affairs, Isle of Man Constabulary and Isle of Man Customs & Excise during the design process to ensure it delivered a covert TETRA radio that met the special needs of the users. The new TCR1000 TETRA Covert Radio will help improve operational effectiveness as the small ergonomic design means officers do not feel as though they are wearing a radio, helping them to disguise their equipment during covert operations. "At last Motorola have a covert radio that is fit for purpose," says Robert Williamson, technical director, Isle of Man Department of Home Affairs. "TETRA is a very appropriate communications technology for policing activity, but until now Motorola have not had a suitable form factor for covert operations. Motorola's innovative TETRA radio design will be of real benefit in everyday covert activities. Our users are delighted with the new covert set." The small, lightweight design of the TCR1000 Covert TETRA terminal incorporates many innovative features to address the unique requirements of covert users such as discrete audio, radio control and battery lifetime. Despite the compact design, the Motorola covert TETRA radio performs to the same high standards as more mainstream Motorola TETRA terminals and offers excellent functionality including options for integrated GPS and end to end
The importance of analysis and analitical skills to the manager making Essay
The importance of analysis and analitical skills to the manager making decisions in business - Essay Example Business opportunity of get fit quick Competition, coupled with increased changes in the business environment, has combined to execute powerful impact on the way managers and their different organizations conduct businesses. In this regard, organizations have been forced to develop and implement the most sophisticated decision-making techniques in order to ensure available resources are economically and optimally utilized. In order for business to get fit quickly and successfully, managers are required to explore the different available alternatives of decision-making. The alternatives should have the ability to outline, in the most efficient way, how the organization can make use of the available resources in a way that differs from competitors and give returns that enable the business to create competitive advantage (Casey and Capella University 2006). Available resources in an organization can be used in ways that provide opportunity for the organization to achieve maximum utility. However, this is possible through selecting the best alternatives of decision-making as it pertains to resource utilization, environmental scanning, and goals to be achieved. Approaches of decision-making process Management literature depicts that decision-making process can benefit greatly from the four main approaches that are generally used in making decisions. As a result, in order for decision-making process to be successful and productive, managers are either to select one or multiple approaches that include logical systems approach, contingency approach, quantitative approach, and the qualitative approach. Logical systems of decision-making are premised on the rationality essence that is needed to make decisions (Wysocki 2010). In this case, an individual (manager) is perceived to have rational set of stages that should be followed before arriving at the appropriate conclusion regarding decision (Wysocki, 2010). Contingency approach on the other hand categorizes or program alternatives that can be used to achieve decision goals (Sengupta and Bhattacharya, 2006). A problem is presented to have different ways of solving it and this lead to development and evaluation of different ways of finding solution. On the other hand, quantitative approaches dictate that, decision-making process succeed when concept such as project management are adopted (Anderson, 2011). In this way, figures are seen to possess great ability of providing management with chances of finding solut
Friday, October 18, 2019
English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
English - Essay Example However, in 2008, this type of household, at 36%, still represents the biggest cohort among all the other different types in Great Britain. The percentage of families with dependent children has stayed relatively steady; while the composition of single parent families in the overall study decreased at a relatively small change rate, over the years. This latter cohort also represents the smallest group. Other types of households, which comprise of same sex couples and civil partners, have increased from 19% to 25%. Overall, people in private households have increased over the decades from 53.4 million to 58.8 million. Let us now take a deeper look at the size of households using the second table. This table looks at the size of households based on the number of persons living in them, from 1 person up to 6 or more. This study also covers nearly 40 years from 1971 to 2008. The biggest group in these cohorts is comprised of two people households, which is related to the couples and fami lies with no children data shown in the earlier table. Starting at 32% in 1971, this category has increased marginally to 35% in 2008. One person households have increased significantly over the decades also, going from 18% in 1971 to 29% in 2008. This single group, in fact, represents the biggest chunk in the overall increase in households that Great Britain has seen since 1971. It is interesting to note that all the other categories of households of more than two people, including households with three, four, five and more than six people, have decreased in the past decades: three people households have decreased from 19% to 16%; four people households have decreased from 17% to 13%; five people households have gown down from 8% to 5%; and households with 6 or more people have decreased from 6% to a mere 2%, maintaining its status as the smallest group. This data concludes effectively that the size of the average household in Great Britain has decreased from 2.9 persons to 2.4 per sons from 1971 to 2008. The contributing factors to this change are a) the increased number of one and two person(s) households, and b) the decreased number of households with 3 or more persons. Assignment 2: Examine the argument that neighbourly relations are characterised by friendly distance. Neighbours make a very important component of societal life: how neighbours behave and interact with each other has a direct effect on the type of communities that are established; whether these communities have cordiality, understanding and generosity or aloofness and mistrust is dependent on how neighbourly relations are. This essay attempts to describe the various characteristics, components and manifestations of strong and good neighbourly relations to shed light on the question of whether these relations are best when friendly but at a distance. The word ââ¬Ëneighbourââ¬â¢ is used to describe the person living right next door to another person; in speaking terms, neighbours includ es people who reside close together on a street or residential area. A ââ¬Ëneighbourââ¬â¢ holds an intrinsic social identity (Taylor, p. 167) and associations based on a neighbourââ¬â¢s role. Having good neighbours or a ââ¬Ënice neighbourhoodââ¬â¢ is a very important characteristic of fruitful social life. However, the definition of a ââ¬Ë
Risk Allocation for an Insurance Company Term Paper
Risk Allocation for an Insurance Company - Term Paper Example The level of risk of an insurance company is measured by the probability to pay out under an insurance policy that they have issued. Identification of risk factors is very important for an insurance company. Actuary studies the insurance payout history and also identifies the risk factor for each and every insurance policy due to which the insurance company has to pay out. For example: - people who are in their sixties may die in next five years than who are in their twenties (Crews, 2009). According to insurance companies, they need to bear the risk of occupancy like common hazards due to heat and power, special hazards due to flammable hazards in manufacturing industry or hazard caused by smoking habit of an individual. To protect the insured from those hazards, insurance companies provide some protections like improvement in quality of fire department in municipality to protect the interest of public. To protect any individual or any particular organization, they recommend smoke d etectors, fire alarm, watchmen and automatic water sprinkler system. Insurance companies also recommend that a high hazardous business should not set up beside a lower hazardous business. Insurance companies choose their risk based on different criteria like- 1. Lifestyle 2. Behavioral Risk 3. Occupational Risk. Lifestyle risk defines that insurance companies certainly does not like those people who are engaged with Sky diving, car racing or bungee jumping. Because these activities involve high risk and leads difficulty in getting insurance. Insurance companies have identified some behavioral risks like people who have habit of smoking or chewing tobacco as these habits involve risk towards serious illness. Thus insurance companies choose it as their asset risk. Insurance companies have identified some occupational risk for which they either charge high premium or donââ¬â¢t want to cover it which includes occupations like explosive handling, law enforcement officers. There are al so some insurance companies who are specialized in insurance related to high risk with a high premium rates. The premium helps them to cover cost of risk. Insurance companies choose their liability risk such as conditions for coverage which includes risk related to breach of the contract, damage and duty of the contract. Generally liability depends on its likeliness to happen and on the product. Underwriting Process in Insurance:- Underwriters are those people who assess the capability of a business enterprise or an individual. Underwriting refers to a specific process which is used by financial service providers like banks, insurance companies, and investment house to analyze the ability of a customer to receive equity share, insurance, mortgage and loan. Purpose of underwriting includes achievement and maintenance of profitability of a business and to reduce the adverse effect of risk. Underwriting also helps to earn adequate surplus over the cost of production by following the gu idelines of underwriting. Insurance underwriters analyze the exposure and risk portfolio of the client to decide that whether the client should get the insurance coverage or not and even if he gets then how much should be the premium and the amount of coverage he should receive. Insurance companies have their own set of guidelines which helps the underwriter to decide how much risk the company should accept.
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Postmodernism in the Field of Anthropology Research Paper
Postmodernism in the Field of Anthropology - Research Paper Example The research paper "Postmodernism in the Field of Anthropology" states the postmodernism in the field of anthropology. Comprising the idea of this new practice, they do not anymore depend completely on the answers that have been given by the church or biblical canon, eminent intellectuals and scholars have provided with concrete theories so that they can account for the formation of the world and its dwellers. While differentiating between various concepts like humanism which was applied by Franz Boas and E.E. Evan Pritchard, did exist altogether with the method based epistemology of science, around 1980 a very concrete theory emerged which led to the systematic study of human life namely postmodern anthropology. The postmodern epistemology has been exempted from the similar fields like of symbolic and feminist anthropology, this constitutes the significance of our ethical responsibility, the importance of the relativity of our position it also deals with the consequent subjectivity it develops, and it by force challenges the aloof ideal of the uninfluenced view. The purpose of developing this field was to understand, examine and reason. To evaluate and draw conclusions about our ancestors and their lives. The postmodernist who is criticizing or critiquing on science usually has two formal interlinked arguments that is epistemological and ideological. Both of these are based on subjective approach. The initial debate that arises is that anthropology cannot be a branch of science. in accordance with the epistemogical approach and the reason is that basically the purpose of science is objectivity and a relatable conclusion. Secondly, the concept of objectivity is too vague and fantasized, therefore one relates to science in an ideological perspective, it tends to camouflage itself by supporting and voicing the rights of the suppressed class, women, ethnicities, etc. The universally recognized act of developing a scientifically indifferent view which was severely criticized by Clifford Geertz, who deviated from the universal formulations of prior anthropologists and carried on that features of culture, like religion, should be visualized and sorted by the meaning it contains, irrespective of what sort of reaction it may develop in the society. Culture is something which differs for everybody. It's how one takes it to be not something homogenous for all. As all humans perceive and adopt things differently therefore culture is then different within people living together as well. Feminist anthropology trails across the limitations of academia and changes the gathered research and makes it concrete. Fieldwork doesnââ¬â¢t only cover up the entire thing, it acts like a spark igniting the effort for better morality in culture as well as socially.(Salzman 2001). These joined principles of symbolic and feminist theories emerge as the basics that lead to postmodernism; it is a great combination of relativist epistemology and advocacy (Salzman, 200 1). When we take the initial one under consideration, a very essential point of this postmodern theory is the eager denial of science, a limiting tool within an powerful dominant class. The stress is laid upon that the symbolic and feminist anthropology that has been based on morality and subjectivity; hence, it negates the consumption of the empirical scientific method in best context that defines the authencity. (Heartney, 2001)Those who were working with the assumptions were not credited while now the room for the postmodern
Pinterest Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Pinterest - Research Paper Example Pinterest Community is an archive site that articulates different forms of communication given the fact that the community takes into account the aspect of technology at hand. These forms of communication include; Email has turned into a standard manifestation of business correspondence, particularly for short messages that oblige movement. This sort of engineering based correspondence permits you to deal with a ton of clients, and also accomplices and different stakeholders without long discussions. Advanced programming of Pinterest permits one to send the same email to all invested individuals with the goal that you can keep the message, name, and items in the front line of their brains. Messaging has turned into the most individual manifestation of business correspondence the extent that Pinterest Community and their movement is considered. While you may give your email location to numerous individuals, your particular content number is saved for a couple of close cohorts. Your correspondences by content have a tendency to be more critical than email. In the event that Pinterest business is moving excessively gradually, this has been considered a channel to analyze whether there is message exploitation. Interpersonal organization destinations, for example, Facebook and Myspace has been a vital apparatus to contact of different society through offering of thoughts the extent that Pinterest group is of concern. The group has changed in accordance with these types of correspondence style to a more casual methodology. Rather than deals pitches, spot messages on these locales that sound like you have a great arrangement for your companions. The statement "website" is another way to say "web log." Amateurs frequently compose these destinations, however getting a blogger to survey an item or administration might be a great approach to spread the saying about your little
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Postmodernism in the Field of Anthropology Research Paper
Postmodernism in the Field of Anthropology - Research Paper Example The research paper "Postmodernism in the Field of Anthropology" states the postmodernism in the field of anthropology. Comprising the idea of this new practice, they do not anymore depend completely on the answers that have been given by the church or biblical canon, eminent intellectuals and scholars have provided with concrete theories so that they can account for the formation of the world and its dwellers. While differentiating between various concepts like humanism which was applied by Franz Boas and E.E. Evan Pritchard, did exist altogether with the method based epistemology of science, around 1980 a very concrete theory emerged which led to the systematic study of human life namely postmodern anthropology. The postmodern epistemology has been exempted from the similar fields like of symbolic and feminist anthropology, this constitutes the significance of our ethical responsibility, the importance of the relativity of our position it also deals with the consequent subjectivity it develops, and it by force challenges the aloof ideal of the uninfluenced view. The purpose of developing this field was to understand, examine and reason. To evaluate and draw conclusions about our ancestors and their lives. The postmodernist who is criticizing or critiquing on science usually has two formal interlinked arguments that is epistemological and ideological. Both of these are based on subjective approach. The initial debate that arises is that anthropology cannot be a branch of science. in accordance with the epistemogical approach and the reason is that basically the purpose of science is objectivity and a relatable conclusion. Secondly, the concept of objectivity is too vague and fantasized, therefore one relates to science in an ideological perspective, it tends to camouflage itself by supporting and voicing the rights of the suppressed class, women, ethnicities, etc. The universally recognized act of developing a scientifically indifferent view which was severely criticized by Clifford Geertz, who deviated from the universal formulations of prior anthropologists and carried on that features of culture, like religion, should be visualized and sorted by the meaning it contains, irrespective of what sort of reaction it may develop in the society. Culture is something which differs for everybody. It's how one takes it to be not something homogenous for all. As all humans perceive and adopt things differently therefore culture is then different within people living together as well. Feminist anthropology trails across the limitations of academia and changes the gathered research and makes it concrete. Fieldwork doesnââ¬â¢t only cover up the entire thing, it acts like a spark igniting the effort for better morality in culture as well as socially.(Salzman 2001). These joined principles of symbolic and feminist theories emerge as the basics that lead to postmodernism; it is a great combination of relativist epistemology and advocacy (Salzman, 200 1). When we take the initial one under consideration, a very essential point of this postmodern theory is the eager denial of science, a limiting tool within an powerful dominant class. The stress is laid upon that the symbolic and feminist anthropology that has been based on morality and subjectivity; hence, it negates the consumption of the empirical scientific method in best context that defines the authencity. (Heartney, 2001)Those who were working with the assumptions were not credited while now the room for the postmodern
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
DEMONSTRATION OF A CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING & AWARENESS OF PROJECT Essay
DEMONSTRATION OF A CRITICAL UNDERSTANDING & AWARENESS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT ISSUES - Essay Example At present, it is quite difficult to find a project, in progress without Project Management, as it can be very catastrophic at the end with huge losses of time, money and reputation. Even the working environment is in complete disarray, with everyone being confused over the sequencing of the task. We all know that the road to success is not one without challenges; and there are factors of Project Management that, if not fulfilled properly, can cause hindrances and thus, failure of the project. Following are such factors along with their courses of action in a particular framework. Information is the most vital resource for the completion of a successful project. It is mainly concerned with detailed information about the required standards of the final product, the time given for its completion, and the budget available for the task. Information regarding the nature of every aspect of the project is very important for the correct choice of work force hired for that particular job, but still keeping budget constraints in mind. In the same way, you should have knowledge of places where you can extract the maximum out of the initially set budget when looking for the required equipment for the project. Lack of information can lead to a complete disaster of the project. ... For example, if you do not have information regarding the aim of the final product, it is impossible to manufacture a product that perfectly meets its purpose. Lack of information regarding the different constraints and details of the nature of the product can lead to a bad choice of human and material resources along with defective quality management. All these problems combined will create a product nowhere near the required one. Let us keep the BSI (2006): 6079-4 framework in consideration and go through it systematically with inadequate information. First, the feasibility of a project cannot be deduced correctly if you do not know the detailed nature of the product. Then, a slight change in the outline design of the project will start a chain of events disrupting the scheme and detailed designs too. This obviously causes defects in engineering and construction works and thus the desired product is not manufactured. (Structured PM and CW) Example: Figure 1: The Eden Project in Cornwall. "Building" (Rawlinson, 2006) The Eden Project is a recreational place in Cornwall now in its fourth phase of construction. It has been a success until now as it is a huge tourist attraction and an exceptional construction project being well within budget and time constraints. In fact, it was actually a milestone, as fine points from this project, were used in the development of the 'DLivering Success', a popular system that analyses the status of a project. The Eden Project is a huge success as the information fed into its framework was appropriate and complete. It had no missing feature either in its planning, sequencing or in designing. That is why it has a faultless design and is quite within the range of the available time and money. So now, we can see
Monday, October 14, 2019
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller Essay We soon see another side to Hale. Abigail mentions Tituba and Hale requests to see her. Hale is quite convinced on meeting Tituba that she is compacting with the Devil and that she has bewitched Betty. He orders Tituba to wake her but when Tituba says she cannot Hale turns angrier and Parris threatens her with whipping. It is not long until Tituba is drawn into making accusations with Abigail and certain names get repeated. Hale is now convinced that the work of the Devil is going on in Salem At the end of Act One, we see how much Hale has a very strong belief in God and that God is with the people of Salem because he announces, Glory to God! It is broken, they are free! Hale enters Act Two at the end. He is drawn a little, and there is a quality of deference, even of guilt about his manner now. He explains how the girls have mentioned Rebecca Nurse and he has just come from her house. He is now on the outside, absolutely certain that it is the work of the Devil going on in Salem, No man may longer doubt the powers of dark are gathered in monstrous attack upon this village. There is too much evidence now to deny it. However, I do feel that Hale is torn between what he feels emotionally, that so many outrageous accusations are being made and therefore something is wrong, and what he feels he must do, keep looking for signs of the Devil in the people of Salem. At the end of Act Two, we see Herrick come to the Proctor household. He has come to arrest Elizabeth by order of the court. Hale seems shocked and speaks with uncertainty about Elizabeths link with the Devil but goes on trusting that God will prevail, I shall pray God open up our eyes. In Act Three Hale has changed somewhat. Hale is not convinced at all with Elizabeth Proctors link with the Devil and also with many other people being held by the court. He is now starting to think and speak what the audience reading the play would be thinking and saying. When Elizabeth Proctor defends her husbands name by lying in the court, Hale cries out, Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell: I beg you stop now before another is condemned! This means that Hale thinks that the people who have been condemned are innocent and it cannot go on. He speaks exactly what everyone reading the play will be thinking in their heads. By the end of Act Three I dont think that there is any doubt I the readers head and that of Hales that the witchcraft is being made up and that Abigail is behind the hysteria. This girl has always struck me false! Abigail begins to twist the court away from believing Proctors and Mary Warrens story when they are summoned to the court to talk about the Poppet. She starts to scream and point at the ceiling, insisting that there is a yellow bird up there. The other girls soon follow suit and start to pretend as well. Mary Warren cannot handle this and soon returns to the group of girls where she feels safer. She now lays an accusation of witchcraft on to Proctor. (pointing at Proctor): Youre the Devils man! Hale once again speaks for the audience, You cannot believe them! I see nothing, Your Honour! and Excellency, this childs gone wild! Hale sees that everyone has been engulfed by this mass hysteria and so he walks out of court, he doesnt want to be involved in these false accusations any longer. I denounce these proceedings I quit this court! In Act Four, Hale is no longer the strong, influential character he was at the beginning of the play. He is now trying to get the convicted prisoners to confess so as to save their lives. I think this perhaps show some guilt on Hales head. He was drawn into believing the accusations and freely did his job, basically condemning people to death. Hale asks the people to abandon their principles and confess.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Managing Capability Nandos | Executive Summary
Managing Capability Nandos | Executive Summary This report aims to describe and evaluate capabilities it will use the resource based view to examine them in more detail and the importance of them. After this the report will then evaluate Nandos resources and capabilities and will discuss ways in which these may possibly lead to a competitive advantage. Subsequent to this it will go on to divulge using an assortment of analytical frameworks associated with Nandos to investigate in more detail the competitive advantage they have over their competition. After this it will ascertain how the management of Nandos is able to develop and manage these capabilities. Introduction This report will be based around Nandos the restaurant chain. Nandos whose food, along with wacky advertising campaigns has captured the hearts of thousands of beloved customers. The origins of Nandos can be traced back to South Africa where the first restaurant opened in 1987, with Portuguese style food an ingrained idea within the business; basing their menu around chicken has afforded them the chance to gain a substantial stake in their chosen market. It has had rapid expansion overseas seeing triumph in many of the 25 countries they operate, although it has not been successful everywhere they laid their eggs.(REFERENCE IN HERE) In order to comprehend the strategy as well capabilities the companies possess, it is essential to look at all the pieces of the Nandos puzzle, this report will do this by drawing on real life examples of how Nandos have utilised resources and capabilities, in addition will be using analytical frameworks to support findings and present further understandin g. Resource Based View The resource-based view of strategy conjoins both resources and capabilities together; Grant states that it is the principle foundations of strategy along with correct understanding and implementation of these are a firms key basis to profitability. (Grant 2007) Grant deems it important to distinguish between resources and the capabilities of a firm; resources are, The productive assets owned by the firm whereas capabilities are what the firm can do (Grant 2007). One of the foremost sources of profitability is the competitive advantage in their market. Establishing competitive advantage can be achieved through the development and deployment of resources and capabilities, and thus has become the primary goal for strategy.'(Grant Page 124). Furthermore, Grant affirms that if external environment alters drastically, this in turn could have an effect on the markets an organisation operates in; then the need for a secure basis of internal resources and capabilities becomes of utmost importance an formed within the firm (Grant Book). This strong assortment of resources and capabilities can utilised by the firm to exploit different markets in which these capabilities could complement, instead of allowing the market in which they operate along with customers to control how they should go about doing business, further supporting the significance of competitive advantage in a market, as well as the need to possess this. Resources and Capabilities as a source of Competitive Advantage Resources are defined as the productive assets of a business, these consist of; tangible, intangible and human (knowledge) (Grant, 2007). Resources and Capabilities as Sources of Competitive Advantage Resources are the productive assets, both tangible (such as cash and plant), intangible (technology, reputation culture) and human (skills, capacity for communication and collaboration motivation), in control by the organisation (Grant, 2007). Capabilities are defined as the things a firm can do (2007, p. 130-131), these capabilities are formed by a firms capacity to utilize and deploy their resources for a desired end result Helfat Lieberman (2002 p.135 quoted in Grant 2007). The RBV of competitive advantage is born out of having a capability or resource that has the two following conditions; scarcity relevance. This advantage however is only useful and an advantage if it is durable, hard to imitate and replicate by other firms (Grant, 2007). In Appendix 1 the tangible, intangible and human resources of JnJ have been identified, along with their capabilities, I shall now define what a core and dynamic capability is with some brief examples of JnJs taken from the resources in the table. I shall then go on to show linkages further and ultimately if and how they provide JnJ with a competitive advantage, part 3 will go onto use frameworks to evaluate further if these are in fact sustainable. The nature of competitive adavantage is formed through a cpabilitiy or resource which have two conditions; there relevancy and there scarcity The benefits from these resources and capabilities depend not just on their ability to establish a competitive advantage but also on how long that advantage can be sustained (BOOK 2009). Also it is dependent on how resilient the companys capabilities are; as well as if a rival company can replicate specific capabilities. Figure 1 shows Nandos tangible,intangible and human resources identified, as well as their current capabilities, this report will now analyse what a core and dynamic capability is, including certain relevant examples related to Nandos from Figure 1. After this, I will go onto discuss in depth the linkages and how they may be able to present Nandos with effective advantage over their competition, following on from this, I will then utitlise certain frameworks and analyse and determine whether these are sustainable or not. Grant believes that Capabilities can be defined as either core or distinctive, the differences between the two is; core are the main fundamental capabilities a company must possess to compete in the chosen market, whereas distinctive are the capabilities which spate the company from the competition, giving them a competitive advantage.(Grant 2009) I will now look further into Nandos capabilities with reference to their capabilities in forms of core an distinctive. It is capability that is the essence of superior performance In order for Nandos or any company for that matter, to stay in a position that is both profitable and sustainable is a very hard thing to do. The understanding of their capabilities is imperative, as if they dont understand them then they could find themselves out of the market or even worse out of business. Capabilities are split up into to two different sectiosnScarce capabilities are widely available in their chosen market. If this is the case in Nandos chosen market then there is no real chance of gaining a larger segment of the market, they have to give the customer something new and different. Another factor is the relevance of these capabilities to the company and chosen market, as if they are not giving the target market what they want then they cant stay competitive, for example Nandos is established as a company who solely serve chicken, but whats to say people go and eat at KFC as they just serve chicken as well, its the taste and quality of the food which keeps customers coming back, as well as Nandos unique restaurant experience which is relevant to the market they are in. When we apply this to Nandos they have a specific part of the company that they focus everything around and thats chicken, they only serve chicken on their menu, which in some areas could be beneficial as no other large company is dedicated to that type of menu other than KFC but theres is Kentucky fried chicken and they are a fast food restaurant rather than Nandos established as a restaurant/takeaway so they arent in direct completion in their markets. Conclusion Acquisition of GBK over the last few months Tangible Intangible Human Financial (Cash, securtities, borrowing capacity) Physical (plant, equipment, land, mineral reserves) Technology (patents, copyrights,à trade secrets) Reputation (brands, relationships) Culture Skills/Know-how Capacity for communication and collaboration Motivation Organisational Capabilities Strategy Industry key factors success factors Competitive Advantage Nandos SWOT Analysis Strengths Advantages of proposition? Capabilities? Competitive advantages? USPs (unique selling points)? Resources, Assets, People? Experience, knowledge, data? Financial reserves, likely returns? Marketing reach, distribution, awareness? Innovative aspects? Location and geographical? Price, value, quality? Accreditations, qualifications, certifications? Processes, systems, IT, communications? Cultural, attitudinal, behavioural? Management cover, succession? Weaknesses Disadvantages of proposition? Gaps in capabilities? Lack of competitive strength? Reputation, presence and reach? Financials? Own known vulnerabilities? Timescales, deadlines and pressures? Cashflow, start-up cash-drain? Continuity, supply chain robustness? Effects on core activities, distraction? Reliability of data, plan predictability? Morale, commitment, leadership? Accreditations, etc? Processes and systems, etc? Management cover, succession? Opportunities Market developments? Competitors vulnerabilities? Industry or lifestyle trends? Technology development and innovation? Global influences? New markets, vertical, horizontal? Niche target markets? Geographical, export, import? New USPs? Tactics surprise, major contracts, etc? Business and product development? Information and research? Partnerships, agencies, distribution? Volumes, production, economies? Seasonal, weather, fashion influences? Threats Political effects? Legislative effects? Environmental effects? IT developments? Competitor intentions various? Market demand? New technologies, services, ideas? Vital contracts and partners? Sustaining internal capabilities? Obstacles faced? Insurmountable weaknesses? Loss of key staff? Sustainable financial backing? Economy home, abroad? Seasonality, weather effects? à Department Areasà Finance Return On Investmentà Cash Flowà Return on Capital Employedà Financial Results (Quarterly/Yearly) Internal Business Processesà Number of activities per functionà Duplicate activities across functionsà Process alignment (is the right process in the right department?)à Process bottlenecksà Process automationLearning GrowthIs there the correct level of expertise for the job?à Employee turnoverà Job satisfactionà Training/Learning opportunitiesCustomerDelivery performance to customerà Quality performance for customerà Customer satisfaction rateà Customer percentage of marketà Customer retention rateà http://www.businessballs.com/balanced_scorecard.htm
Saturday, October 12, 2019
The gallery report :: Essays Papers
The gallery report ââ¬Å"The poisoning of the American south by Richard Misrachâ⬠â⬠Since the late ââ¬Ë70s, Richard Misrach has been known for his large format, eight by ten inch color photographs of the Nevada desert. His epic series of 18 Cantos or groups, of photographs range from lyrical to political. The west was a vision or absolute purity, Misrach tries to temper that reverence with the truth about momââ¬â¢s occupation of the land. In 1999, Misrach accepted a commission from Atlantaââ¬â¢s High museum of art as part of their ââ¬Å"Picturing the Southâ⬠. He chase to photograph Louisianaââ¬â¢s infamous cancer alley, for decades oil refineries and fertilizer plants have dumped their pollutions into the Mississippi river along this 150-miles stretch between New Orleans and Baton Rough. The Mississippi is the dominant river basin North America and drains more that 1.2 million square miles or about 40 percent of the continental United State. It provides 18 million people with drinking water, 1.5 million in Louisiana alone. The Salton Sea The Nature Trail on the West Shores of the fabulous Salton Sea is a three mile adventure along the shores of the Sea. Visitors can see a mixture of birds, native cacti, and wild flowers. The West Shores bird sanctuary borders on the beautiful greens of the Salton City Golf Course. The Bird Watch and Nature Trail, by a MAJOR FLYWAY, is host to over 250 species of birds and 96 accidentals. Migratory birds include Canada geese, snow geese, American avocetes, eared grebes, black-necked stilts, green-winged teals, brown & white pelicans, Scott's orioles, redstarts, burrowing owls, mountain plovers, long-billed dowitchers, long-billed curlews, marsh wrens, and ruddy ducks. Every year the Salton Sea International Bird Festival attracts thousands of bird lovers from around the world. Gentile da Fabriano, ââ¬Å"Adoration of the Magiâ⬠Palla di Noferi Strozzi commissioned this famous altarpiece, signed and dated 1423 on the frame, for his family's chapel in the church of Santa Trinita in Florence. Wealth and culture of the donor are reflected in the lavish use of gold and in the pomp of the Magi procession, including also exotic animals as leopards and monkeys. If in this picture clearly emerges the persistence of International Gothic at the beginning of 15th Century, in the meanwhile the panel is ahead of its time showing in the propellerââ¬â¢s scenes (Nativity, Rest during the Flight into Egypt and Presentation to the Temple) one of the basic innovations of Renaissance art: the blue sky at the place of the traditional gold background
Friday, October 11, 2019
Cultural Conflict Essay
Culture is a lot more than what language a person is speaking how they are dressing and what kind of food they are eating. Cultural groups share nationality, race and similar ethnicity. However, culture could also include religion, sexual orientation, gender and even generation. Although culture is not visible, it plays a major role in how we handle conflict. It is often the starting place of our thinking and our behaviors. Cultures are sort of implanted in every conflict because conflicts arise in every human relationship. When it comes to handling conflict, we tend to handle it by using lifelong messages that we have received due to our culture. Cultural messages are unique in different cultures. The message one culture sends could be perceived and interpreted to totally something else by a different culture receiver. Living in a world with so many different cultures, we almost have to be cultural fluent. Cultural fluency means being familiar with different cultures, how they work and how they intertwine with our relationships when it comes to conflict. One of the major dimensions of cultural fluency is communication, which refers to different starting points about how to relate to and with different culture groups. Two of the different variations of communication are high and low context. Besides being used in individual communication, high and low context is also used to understand different cultural groups. In high context communication, large part of the message conveyed lies in the physical context, including tone of voice, facial expression, and gestures. In low context communication, the spoken word carries most of the meaning, whatever is trying to be conveyed is simply said directly. Coming from a big Armenian family, culture and conflict are very high context between me and the rest of my family members. Every little tone of voice, facial expression, and gesture has a major meaning behind it, to decode the true meaning you would have to be part of the family. Growing up, my parents were not strict at all with me and my brother. However, we knew how to decode them without them even saying anything. If I brought a new friend to my house, just by the way my mother would look at me I would know that this person is not coming to my house anymore. Even in conversations, a two word response from my parents meant a lot. Going to a restaurant owned by another Armenian person with Armenian employees is also involved in high context communication. You simply know how to act, what to do, what to say and what not to say. When it comes to conflict, I have friends of different nationalities. Being in an argument with one of my fellow Armenian friends is way different than being in an argument with a friend that was born and raised here in The United States with parents that were born and raised here also. A few words back and forth with my Armenian friend would simply end the argument with both of us understanding who was right and who was wrong. However, when involved in an argument with one of my friends who comes from a low context background, I almost have to argue with him in a low context matter by explaining every little detail. A few different gestures and facial expressions do not mean anything to him and it does get frustrating at times. A personââ¬â¢s cultural background affects communication in a major way when a high and low context communication is involved. How things are perceived and interpreted depend on the personââ¬â¢s cultural background. In low context cultures individuals rely more in spoken words. In high context cultures there are more contexts involved, like tone of voice, facial expression, and gestures. Growing up in a high context family and having different perception of things embedded in me, I have learned how to deal with conflict in a high context matter. Also, having friends who come from a low context culture, I have dealt with communicating differently and also have experienced situations differently than them. In order to better communicate with the people involved in your life you have to understand how they perceive and interpret what you are communicating with them.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Assessing strategies to combat neighbourhood disputes (Anti-social behaviour)
Assessing strategies to combat neighbourhood disputes (Anti-social behaviour) in deprived council estate areas: A case study on the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Project Issue: The Crime and Disorder Act, 1998, defines anti-social behaviour as behaving: ââ¬Å"In a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household as (the defendant).â⬠(Home Office (a) 2003) As this definition covers a wide range of crimes from prostitution, to having excessively high hedges1, I have decided to specifically focus on neighbour disputes such as noise pollution, violent occurrences, and inconsiderate rubbish dumping and similar neighbour to neighbour disputes. The central issue of the dissertation will be firstly, the evaluation of how well four researched strategies used to combat anti-social behaviour, all used in four case studies, actually combat and prevent anti-social neighbour disputes. Secondly, how well those strategies would be placed to deal with neighbour disputes in the Isle of Dogs. Each strategy that has been researched has a relevant case study that illustrates precisely how that strategy works when deployed in practice. Each strategy will be assessed in light of the relevant case study. Case studies have been used concerning anti-social neighbour disputes from the Isle of Dogs (East London), Blackburn, Manchester, and Scotland. The questions that this dissertation will be seeking to find out are: * What are the most prominent and researched strategies that have been analysed, evaluated, and used by academics and practitioners? * How useful are each of these strategies, and what are their strength's and what are their weaknesses? * To what extent, can each of these strategies be successfully applied to neighbour disputes within the Isle of Dogs, with its own unique situation e.g. diverse ethnic population, and extreme poverty on the doorstep to a wealthy area (Canary Wharf)? * How high is the level of anti social behaviour within the borough, relative to other London boroughs? * What is so different or peculiar about the Isle of Dogs? I will locate this central issue within the wider context of the causes of anti-social behaviour, and take into consideration the various dimensions of neighbour disputes. For example I will also consider the age and racial dimensions (Lucey & Reay 1999), and the gender dimensions (Nixon & Hunter, 1999), of anti social behaviour and in particular, neighbour disputes. METHOD Summary of the academic research required: The aim of this project is to research, analyse, and evaluate the various arguments and strategies concerning the best method to combat anti-social behaviour with regards to neighbour disputes. There are three main strategies or approaches to combat (anti-social) neighbour disputes that my research has discovered: 1. Improving exclusion from certain areas (as advocated by the government). This would include laws making it easier for social landlords to exclude or kick out tenants from social housing at little notice. It could also include restriction orders whereby the accused is not allowed to come within a certain distance of the property or use certain language in the presence, or audio range, of their neighbours as shown in one of the case studies I have researched (Home Office, 2003)2. It could also come in the form of issuing curfew orders3. 2. The second possible response is the ââ¬ËDundee Families project model (Hunter, 2003). This is similar to the 1970's method of rehabilitation through intensive social work and constant nurturing of offenders, as well as the nurturing of community stakeholders. 3. The third approach is one of the Webster-Stratton programme as advocated by a senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry Stephen Scott4. This is a parent teaching programme, similar to the rehabilitation method above, but involves working strictly with young children (below 10 years of age) and is based in a secure environment talking kids through a video presentation, and group discussions on how they should diffuse problematic situations when encountered upon. 4. The fourth possible approach is the one advocated by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: The new deal for Communities (NDC) approach whereby large sums of money, à ¯Ã ¿Ã ½800 million, is given to various neighbourhoods throughout the country for the regeneration of their local community. This could involve building a new park, refurbishing the local community hall, or creating a voluntary organisation aimed at cleaning up graffiti. Through my preliminary research in the form my annotated bibliography, I have discovered that there are widely contrasting views as to the causes of anti-social behaviour, and what strategies work in combating neighbour disputes and those that are a lot more contentious. Each of these strategies will be examined in my dissertation and I plan to analyse and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each of these strategies. For each strategy that I have researched I have also researched a corresponding case study that illustrates precisely how that strategy works in practice. With this in mind, I plan to test each strategy by examining the relevant case study against benchmark factors such as: * How well would this strategy work in the Isle of Dogs? * Who are the main beneficiaries, and who are the main losers? * Is it practical? (e.g. cost effective and workable in today's political climate) * Does it pay attention to gender ethnic, or cultural, differences? * Does it build relations within the community as opposed to exclude sections of the community? Anti-social behaviour is commonly thought to occur in regions and areas where there is a high density of council houses, high levels of unemployment, and low levels of education opportunities (Home Office (b), 2003). However this assumption can be challenged, and the main aim of my research is to do precisely that, provide a balanced yet provoking argument providing both sides of the argument to this debate. It could be argued that only by spending money in the regeneration (e.g. building new community facilities, installing double glazing windows, giving grants for local businesses etc) will people take pride in their communities and their housing and stop the anti-social behaviour (Home Office (d), 2003). However it could be argued that only by including those that commit anti-social behaviour crimes into society, would there be a decrease in the amount of neighbour disputes [as opposed to excluding them from housing, facilities, benefits etc] (Scott, 2001) & (Hunter, 2003). Alternatively it could be argued that only by some form exclusion can there be a settlement to anti-social neighbour disputes (Home Office (a), 2001. Data collection: I plan to research and investigate: (a) Various academics think tanks, and the government's views on how to combat anti-social behaviour. (b) How these strategies are deployed on the ground by evaluating the case studies that I have selected. (c) Research previous government funded anti-social behaviour projects and organisations, and evaluate these claims against the previously mentioned benchmarks such as: * Practicalities such as cost, manpower, etc * How the people within the community viewed the project * Does it pay attention to gender ethnic, or cultural, differences? * Does it build relations within the community as opposed to exclude sections of the community? My data collection process will rely heavily upon case studies that I have obtained from various academic journals and government reports. Case studies will be taken from the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets (Nixon & Hunter, 1999), from Scotland (Scott and Parkey, 1998), from nation-wide studies (Nixon & Hunter. 2001), and the British Medical Journal (Scott, 2001), amongst others. I have refined my research sources to be more dependent on case studies and journal articles as opposed to other forms of data collection. This is because this specific dissertation is looking for detailed analyses of projects that have combated anti-social behaviour disputes, as opposed to general information, or the views of certain people. I have also devised a questionnaire that I will put forward to a representative sample of 50 Isle of Dogs residents. The questionnaire will not form a significant part of my research, as I will be relying heavily on the case studies. However the results of the questionnaires will be used to back up, or refute, the arguments that I will be presenting in my dissertation. The questions that I will put forward to interviewees are as follows: Questionnaire. What type of incidents would you describe as anti-social neighbour disputes? How big an issue would you rate anti-social neighbour disputes within the Isle of Dogs on a scale of 1 ââ¬â 10? (1 being not significant and 10 being an extremely big issue) Do you feel that the Isle of Dogs has an above national average level of anti-social neighbour disputes? What do you think is the best method to prevent neighbour disputes concerning adults? * Punish the parents after several warnings * Punish the parents immediately * Give the children extensive social worker attention * Put the child and parent through a psychologically designed training programme on how to behave. * Or other, or a combination of these. If so please explainâ⬠¦ Have you been involved in an anti-social neighbour dispute within the last five years? If yes, then ask? (b) Where you an offender or a ââ¬Ërecipient' of the dispute? I will be asking these questions to the interviewee on a one to one basis and will arrange these interviews by visiting the local Bengali cultural community centre, the local high street, the local cafà ¯Ã ¿Ã ½, and visiting the local benefits agency (dole office). In addition to these sources I will also collect data from reliable websites such as: Regeneration and anti-social behaviour organisations * http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk * http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk * http://www.odpm.gov.uk * http://www.london.gov.uk * http://www.lda.gov.uk * http://www.go-london.gov.uk (Government Office for London) * http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk * http://www.bura.org.uk (British Urban Regeneration Association) * http://www.cabe.org.uk (Commission for Architecture and Built Environment) * http://www.civictrust.org.uk * http://www.coalfields-regen.org.uk (The Coalfields Regeneration Trust) * http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk * http://www.cprregeneration.co.uk * http://www.dta.org.uk/index2.html (Development Trusts Association) * http://www.europa.eu.int * http://www.idea.gov.uk (Improvement and Development Agency) * http://www.renewal.net * http://www.urcs-online.co.uk (Urban Regeneration Companies (URC's)) * http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/323/7306/194?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=1&author1=Stephen+Scott&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1071092635458_16583&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=1,2,3,4,10
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