Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The republic of plato essays

The republic of plato essays The Republic of Plato in which he outlines his conception of the ideal human society analyses the meanings of justice and partiality and their place in governing a city. Plato confronts concepts of the Individual against the Community; pragmatism against idealism and he even suggests principles of morality, logic and even metaphysic (when he talks about the soul being a decisive factor in deciding whether one was just or unjust) when trying to explain in the dialogue the true meaning of Justice. Plato was born in the Greek City State of Athens. For some times they had enjoyed great political, social, cultural development, but Plato grew up in times of great conflicts and eventually war and defeat. When Democracy was restored, great philosopher Socrates was accused of corrupting the minds of the youths and thrown in jail where he eventually died poisoned. It is then that Plato wrote his famous Republic which was like a quest for wisdom, but also a quest for an antidote to the delusions and madness of the society. The dialogue is between the great philosopher, Socrates and his friends. The dialogue starts with Socrates walking along with Glaucon to attend the annual Festivals while they are met by Trasymachus who presses them to follow him to his house; there, they meet Cephalus, Trasymachuss father, Lysias, Euthydemus, Charmantides, Cleitophonm and Thrasymachus. Cephalus greets Socrates, they start a conversation and that initiate the debate or dialogue on justice which goes on till the end of the Republic. The dialogue is very interesting especially passages (340b-353e) where Socrates Idealism and Trasymachuss Pragmatism confront again. Trasymachus wants to hold on to his argument that the just is to do the advantage of the stronger; for according to him, in any society, the ruli ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

How to Get Your CDL in Tennessee and South Dakota

How to Get Your CDL in Tennessee and South Dakota If you live in Tennessee or South Dakota and want to learn about getting a CDL, this article will guide you through the process. For information on all other states, TheJobNetwork has put together a great guide on applying for a CDL in all states. TennesseeThe following people need to apply for a CDL:Operators of any vehicle or combination of vehicles weighing more than 26,000 pounds.Anyone transporting hazardous materialsAnyone transporting more than  15 passengers including the driverAnyone operating a  vehicle used as a school busCDL applicants must bring the following documents when applying for a license:a valid DOT Medical Cardproof of a  Social Security Numbera Tennessee driver’s license or ID, or a valid driver license or CDL from another state.proof (2 documents) of domicile in Tennesseeproof of U.S. Citizenship or Lawful Permanent Resident StatusObtaining a CDL learner’s permitTo obtain a permit, you must take and pass the CDL general knowledge test. Dri ver Service Centers throughout the state offer this   and the knowledge tests for any endorsement needed.Knowledge TestYou will need to take a  knowledge test or tests, depending on what class of license and what endorsements you need.The general knowledge test is taken by all applicants.The passenger transport test is taken by all bus driver applicants.The air brakes test is taken if your vehicle has air brakes, including air over hydraulic brakes.The combination vehicles test is required if you want to drive combination vehicles.The hazardous materials test is required if you want to haul hazardous materials as defined in 49 CFR 383.5.The tanker test is required if you want to haul a liquid or liquid gas in a permanently mounted cargo tank rated at 119 gallons or more or a portable tank rated at 1,000 gallons or more.The doubles/triples test is required if you want to pull double or triple trailers.The school bus test is required if you want to drive a school bus.Skills TestsI f you pass the required knowledge test(s), you can take the CDL skills tests, which include  pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control, and on-road driving.The pre-trip inspection test involves a pre-trip vehicle inspection on your own vehicle. You will be tested to see if you know whether your vehicle is safe to drive, and explain to the examiner what you would inspect and why.The basic vehicle control part tests your skill controlling the vehicle. You will be asked to move your vehicle forward, backward, and turn it within a defined area.The on-road test asks you  to safely drive your vehicle in a variety of traffic situations. The situations may include left and right turns, intersections, railroad crossings, curves, up and down grades, single or multi-lane roads, streets, or highways.South DakotaYou must have a South Dakota CDL to operate:A single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001+ poundsA trailer with a GVWR of 10,001+ pounds if the gross combination weight rating is 26,001 or more pounds.A vehicle designed to transport 16+ people (including the driver)Any size vehicle that  requires hazardous materials placards or is carrying material listed as a select agent or toxinThe following people cannot get  a South Dakota CDL:Anyone  under the age of 18Anyone who has a license under suspension, revocation, cancellation, or disqualificationAnyone who isn’t a resident of South DakotaAnyone  who has accumulated child support arrearages of $1,000 or moreCommercial Drivers Learner’s Permit (CLP)You can obtain a CLP  if you are  at least 18 years old and hold a valid Class 1 or Class 2 operator’s license. A  CLP is valid for no more than 180 days from the date of issuance and may be renewed once in the 1-year period from the issuance date for an additional 180 days without requiring the CLP holder to retake the general and specialized knowledge tests.A 14 day waiting period is required between the issue date of the CLP and to the da te it can be converted to a CDL.Obtaining  a CDLAfter passing the required knowledge test(s), you can be issued a CLP and then take the CDL skills tests. Your CLP must contain all endorsements and restrictions necessary to complete the skills test. There are three types of general skills that will be tested: pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control, and on-road driving. You must take these tests in the type of vehicle for which you wish to be licensed.The pre-trip inspection test involves a pre-trip vehicle inspection on your own vehicle. You will be tested to see if you know whether your vehicle is safe to drive, and explain to the examiner what you would inspect and why.The basic vehicle control part tests your skill controlling the vehicle. You will be asked to move your vehicle forward, backward, and turn it within a defined area.The on-road test asks you  to safely drive your vehicle in a variety of traffic situations. The situations may include left and right turns, inte rsections, railroad crossings, curves, up and down grades, single or multi-lane roads, streets, or highways.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Dreaming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Dreaming - Essay Example It defines their values, beliefs and relationships. Knowledge of the Dreaming has promoted the development of the land. The aboriginals have many dreaming stories, which describe their own origins and how the landscape was formed. They also serve to teach children about various things, such as the world of nature and spirit, right and wrong behaviour, and social norms. As such, they are not merely stories, but expressions of their belief system that once also involved ritual and totemic associations (Tunbridge, 1988). In fact, they describe the history of the people, which was rich in culture and oral literature. Behavioural lessons include examples for demonstrating the importance of good manners, sharing, honesty, respect for elders, etc. The American ethnographer, Deborah Bird Rose, observed, â€Å"the inherent ethos of the Dreaming regarding human behaviour can be summarised as four basic laws †¦ [which] emphasise balance, response, symmetry and autonomy† (McBride, 20 00: 4). Balance is necessary for a system to be able to enhance the quality of life, and each part shares responsibility for sustaining itself and for balancing the others. Response emphasises the reciprocity of communication, and it reminds of the obligation to learn, understand, pay attention and respond. Symmetry ensures the parts in a balance are equivalent and that no one dominates another. Autonomy stresses, â€Å"authority and dependence are necessary within parts, but not between parts (Rose, 1993: 4-5 in McBride, 2000: 5), so no species, group or country should lead over another. A number of further important aspects of The Dreaming also deserve attention. One of these is that it assumes a considerable knowledge on the part of listeners. In particular, â€Å"there are allusions which can only be understood by those with comprehensive linguistic and cultural knowledge† (Tunbridge, 1988: xxx). Even an outsider who is culturally immersed would find some points difficul t to grasp, and some would only be able to be understood by the initiated. However, this shows the need to study a narrative within the context of its roots. Another aspect is change and ‘death’, which are dynamic qualities. For example, there are some accounts of the substitution of species, some site locations become lost due to changes in the social environment, and the accounts too sometimes change as they do in space. The latter demonstrates the need for adaptation due to both physical and social changes. As far as the characters in The Dreaming are concerned, the spirits (nguthuna) feature a lot besides people (yuras), animals, etc. They can assume a variety of forms including mammals and birds, but they have human powers and more besides. They also appear in various social relationships. Sometimes they appear as first stage initiates (vardnapas), sometimes with adult responsibilities, whereas sometimes they are punished for unacceptable behaviour. The Dreaming al so leaves behind certain ‘signs’ as evidence of the reality of events. These indicate the spiritual ancestors’ presence or passing. Sometimes a character could even leave multiple images behind during an event, which are different manifestations. These include marks such as in the form of rock carvings. All of these provide evidence that a Dreamtime Spirit has passed through the place and that the places â€Å"

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Tourism Product in Ambleside Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tourism Product in Ambleside - Research Proposal Example Differences in attitudes have been examined according to degree of tourism development (Long, Perdue and Allen 1990), level of an individual's involvement in the tourism industry (Smith and Krannich 1998), maturity of destination (Sheldon and Abenoja 2001), type of tourism development in both the U.S. and abroad (Carlsen, 1999; Ryan and Montgomery 1998), and specific to one major event (Wall 1990). A number of small-scale studies have been conducted utilizing research from one to a few immunities (Andressen and Murphy 1986), but until recently there has been little research that examines a wide range of communities located within close proximity of each other in aggregate (Indirect and Vogt 2000). This study examined the attitudes toward tourism of residents in a dozen communities in Arizona, generally following the model developed by Perdue, Long, and Allen (1990) as part of their studies. . The research utilized social exchange theory as a foundation to formulate three research questions: 3) what variables contributed to support for tourism planning. ... 2) did the extent to which one benefited personally from tourism development impact perceived positive impacts of tourism, perceived negative impacts of tourism and support for additional tourism; and did the extent to which one benefited personally from tourism development, perceived positive impacts of tourism, and perceived negative impacts of tourism affect support for additional tourism; and 3) what variables contributed to support for tourism planning. The attitudes of that the residents hold towards tourism and perceptions of its impact on community life must be continually accessed.". (Allen et al. 1988) Methodology: Part Two: It has been established that the objective for this study is to obtain in-depth perceptions of tourism on the residents of Ambleside Lake District because the success of tourism depends upon the perceptions of the residents. The best methodology to meet these objectives is that primary data collection will be collected in the form of a Postal questionnaire of around 100 applicants from the Amber Side Lake district. Mail surveys are a cost effective method of gathering information. (Kaiser and Helber 1978) They cost a little less than telephone interviews, however, they take over twice as long to complete (eight to twelve weeks)." Because there is no interviewer, there is no possibility of interviewer bias. The main disadvantage is the inability to probe respondents for more detailed information.' (Kelly 1992 p 51) Although Email questionnaires are an option it has been decided that this method will not be used. The reason is Email and internet surveys are relatively new and little is known about the effect of sampling bias

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Human factors in technology Essay Example for Free

Human factors in technology Essay Man is the only being who has utilized technology, to the point that it also caused technology to change rapidly through time. Technology has been one of the most influential concepts in the lives of every human being throughout history. It was so influential that it had become one of the major deciding factors in the direction of history. Technological innovations had evolved from the simple to the very complex. From the simple stone cutting tools that prehistoric man had, to the contemporary blades that virtually do not need any resharpening at all. There had also been evolution from the very crude computing technique such as the finger counting, to the very complex supercomputers. In terms of transportation, from the very simple mode of walking and running, man had innovated transportation technology by inventing and innovating cars, planes, ships, etc. Technology had not only affected transportation and computing, but also the social and psychological scene as well. Companies whose general trade is information and technology are the ones whose organizational structure is very much affected by the technological changes. Most of the companies are either computer manufacturers or technological research companies. Apple Inc. , formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc. is an American-based multinational corporation which has its focus on technical manufacturing and designing of electronics and software programs for variations of consumers all around the world. It headquarters can be found in Cupertino, California (Apple, Inc. , 2007; History of Apple, 2007; Mesa, 1998; Apple. com, 2007). This company basically focuses on the development and support of several electronic gadgets for the market. This same company currently has its eyes focused on the innovation of already existing technologies, as well as the formation of a new breed of technology for the market. Some of its world-famous creations are the iPod, iPhone and the AppleTV. Aside from these electronic equipment and gadgets, the Apple, Inc. is also into the creation of new and better software programs. In the past, it had focused on creating and developing operating systems (OS), and specific application programs. Today, Apple, Inc. is now setting the path before it releases its newest operating system, the Mac OS X â€Å"Leopard†. Apple is very much into expanding its frontiers by exploring new ways of marketing and product presentation (Apple, Inc. , 2007; History of Apple, 2007; Mesa, 1998; Apple. com, 2007). It is now into the trend of having an online store where its products, whether hardware or software, can be bought by just a click of the mouse. The company is well-known for their very user-friendly hardware as well as software. Their iPod series, as well as their iPhone, Macintosh series of personal computers and peripherals, iLife software suite, and the Mac OS are just some of their best-known software and hardware products. Also, the company is a major supplier of prosumer software products for specialized purposes such as the audio and film industry (Apple, Inc. , 2007; History of Apple, 2007; Mesa, 1998; Apple. com, 2007). The mentioned things about Apple, Inc. , set up a background for the contemporary company. Technology has an implicit message, and that is to put everything into a very objective perspective, where everything could and should not be subject to an individual’s / group’s personal judgments or beliefs. By virtue of technology, man was able to do things such as measurement and judgment without having biases. With the use of technology, organizations can track their development without having doubts if the people who assessed them were biased about the evaluation process. But this strength is also its weak point. Being very objective would mean that the assessment would be very strict, and it would be guided by certain sets of quantified measurements such as numbers and / or a set of quantified codes. These standards for judgment and assessment can be used to evaluate employees’ activities, company sales and company economic standing. Having these strict standards would mean an easier, more efficient and more economic way of assessing the company. With these, companies such as the Apple could rely on machines about their company’s survival. Machines, which are products of modern technology, could be programmed to assess particular aspects of the company and suggest possible options about how to make the company even more productive. This may sound farfetched, but it could be a good way of looking at the possibility of how machines could help organizations in optimizing their parts. Business oriented companies such as the Apple is currently facing the possibilities of having less human members, and more help from the technology they are developing. These companies, with the help of modern technology, could be able to assess their employees using certain standards that can be input to a computer for further assessment. This way, there would be less processing time, less need for human HRD team members, less specialists in the field of assessing people, more possible members for the pool of computer and technology specialists (which could also mean more capital would be invested on the specialty of the company), and less expenses on the part of the company. Looking at the advantages posed by this method, it would be good to conclude that this could boost company income, thus uplift the lives of its employees in an economic and political sense. On the other hand, this method could also pose a very detrimental effect to the company as a whole, both in the macro and micro perspectives. One disadvantage of this method would be that without the subjective judgments of humans on human resources, it would be possible to miss important and potentially able applicants. Also, it would be possible that the programmed machines would not be able to look the implicit factors such as family background and the personality types of the applicants. Another is the fact that hardcore statistics, which programmed machines use, does not claim that the results are products of the interplay of all possible factors, instead it can only present results with the extraneous factors (which may possibly matter) omitted. References: Apple. com (2007).Retrieved August 9, 2007 from http://www. asia. apple. com/. Apple, Inc. (2007). Wikipedia: The Fee Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 9, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Apple_Computer. History of Apple (2007). ). Wikipedia: The Fee Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 9, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.. Mesa, A. (2007). Apple History Timeline. The Apple Museum. Retrieved August 9, 2007 from http://applemuseum. bott. org/sections/history. html.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

deatharms Comparison of Death in Farewell to Arms and The Outsider (Th

Death in Farewell to Arms and The Outsider  Ã‚      Hemingway once said that "all stories...end in death." Certainly, each living person's "story" ends that way. The interrelationship of a narrative to a life, of the "boundary situation" of an ending, is of vital importance to the existence of these two fictional narratives, A Farewell to Arms and The Outsider. Death plays an important, one might say necessary, part in both novels, too: Frederic Henry is, of course, in war and witness to death many times, wounded himself, and loses Catherine; Meursault's story begins with his mother's death, he later kills an Arab, and then is himself tried and sentenced to death. In fact, the defining death-confrontations (Frederic's loss of Catherine, Meursault's death sentence) transform the characters into narrators; that is to say, the stories are told because of the confrontations with death. We must recognize that the fictive characters are attempting to provide or create an order or meaning where it appears there is none. Or, there are pre-exi sting versions, meta-narratives, which prove inadequate or unsatisfying, and which must be replaced by the narrative each character produces. Meursault responds directly and violently to the priest who represents one such meta-narrative for Meursault's life. In the crescendo of the final scene of that novel when Meursault confronts the priest and finally re- leases the pent up anger and frustration repressed for so long, he does experience an epiphany: As if this great outburst of anger had purged all of my ills, killed all my hopes, I looked up at the mass of signs and stars in the night sky and laid myself open for the first time to the benign indifference of the world. And finding it so much... ...s of The Myth of Sisyphus in The Outsider, and particularly to the discussion of the search for truth. In the Myth Camus goes through an inventory of accepted sources for truth and finds them all lacking: first he tries religion, but surprisingly it is too relative, for which god is god; second he tries science, but finds that it offers not precision but metaphor (the world is like...); third he tries logic, but finds that paradoxically it leads to contradiction (for if "all statements are true" is true then "no statements are true" must be one of the true statements). He is left with the "I" - not the Cartesian "I" - but the Humean "I" (a bundle of perceptions) as the foundation for a meaning system. That changing, evolving, non-static "I" is at the heart of both of these works. Works Cited: Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Simon, 1957.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Does ‘Better’ corporate governance cause better firm performance? Essay

A study had been generated and said that performance are affected either the implemented governance is good or bad: †¦ In summary, our results are as follows. First, we do not find significantly different firm performance between firms with â€Å"good† changes in governance and firms with â€Å"bad† changes in governance, except for isolated instances. This result holds for all the three samples (i. e. the Moderate Performance sample, the Abnormally Bad Performance sample and the Abnormally Good Performance sample). Second, both â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† changes in governance are followed by positive as well as negative changes in industry-adjusted performance. Indeed, more than 50% of the firms with â€Å"good† governance changes exhibit negative industry-adjusted performance. Third, we find that both â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† changes in governance lead to significant changes in performance. Therefore, if one restricts the analysis to only â€Å"good† changes in governance or only â€Å"bad† changes in governance, one would incorrectly conclude that changes in governance lead to changes in performance. Fourth, we observe that different firms vary in directions of governance changes when they experience the same direction in performance changes. A same firm also often simultaneously changes its different governance characteristics in conflicting directions (i. e. both â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad† governance changes). Last, our measure for Aggregate Governance Change confirms the first result for individual governance measure that the firms with â€Å"good† changes in governance do not have better performance than the firms with â€Å"bad† changes in governance. Our results present strong evidence against the null hypothesis that â€Å"better† governance causes better firm performance. Note that our results do not imply that governance is irrelevant. Instead, it implies that firms are endogenously optimizing their governance structure in response to observable and unobservable firm characteristics. These results are consistent with the strand of the literature that has shown each governance mechanism to be related to observable and unobservable firm characteristics. The statement proves that all decisions and change causes an effect to a business. This however means that every day, new challenge may face the company. It is normal for demands, and conflicts to happen. The thing that is important is the management and the organization as a whole would stand as one and face all the challenges with a positive outlook to solve it. From the study that we’ve conducted, the writer concluded that the main cause of business failure are the management’s negligence, improper planning. Conducting good and bad governance both causes changes in an organization so it’s better to be alert in all times. Decision making should be done carefully and the organization should choose the people who they will trust. Recommendations Having all the different factors of company failures and the experiences of the UK Industry Company and MISnet Inc. , the writer recommend that the top management should not take the needs of the company for granted but they should also be careful in giving. Decisions should be done care. The financial capacity must always be monitored and all departments must always be alert in all times. The management should encourage the workers to work with passion, be loyal to the company and work hand and hand to achieve all the goals that the company has. It is also important that the people working in the company are capable of doing their assigned job description. Workers are the company’s working hand. It is a must that the workers are at their best to bring the best product that the company wants to have. Investment has been always a part of life in a company. When it comes to people investment, the company must be sure that spending money for a person must be worth paying for. Hence, the company must be very careful of choosing the right people to trust and the right people for a certain job. Documentation is always a must. Never let any situation happen without any documentation. All reports and transactions must be done with papers and with the PIC’s (Person in Charge) signature to make it even more valid and powerful in meetings and agreements. Even important conversations must be recorded and documented to ensure understanding between parties. Meetings are also important and dissemination of information is a must. Memoranda should always be disseminated to all employees. Discipline has been an issue in all companies. The company must enforce a strict and fair rule and policies that the employees must do in order to organize a company. Make them come in the company on time and finish their work fast. Over time on work is not a measurement of quality service, it only show two things: its either the worker can’t handle too many work because of pressure or multi tasking or the worker can’t finish the work on time because he/she wasted it. The company should always have a room for improvement. Benchmarking or company observation is a big help to improve the company’s usual workflow and environment. People used to compare one thing to another. Make it a positive way of upgrading the company. Have a group of trusted people to assist the company to make improvements. Lastly, a company must have a goal or mission. No company must have an inspiration to look forward to. Set a series of mission, vision, the company’s commitment, core values and principles so that the workers will live by the company’s principles and for the company’s goal. There are series of ways and measurements that can be done through quality audits, and meetings. Implement good data management and all department management. Some analyst says that most business fails after its 8 years of operation it still depends on the teamwork of the people in an organization and its willingness to survive. Reference Websites N. K. Chidambaran, Darius Palia , Yudan Zheng , Does ‘Better ‘Corporate Governance Cause Better Firm Performance? , [2006], viewed on 28 January 2008. Greg Bustin, ‘Why Companies Fail? Take Charge! How Leaders Profit From Change’ [2005], viewed on 28 January 2008. Susan M. Heathfield, ‘Performance Management Process Checklist’ < http://humanresources. about. com/od/performancemanagement/a/perfmgmt. htm > viewed on 27 January 2008 ‘Management’, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia viewed on 28 January 2008. NEERAJ BHARGAVA, ‘Good Governance is Good Business’, The Wall Street Journal, [2006] < http://online. wsj. com/article/SB115671755403846763-search. html? KEYWORDS=Good+Governance&COLLECTION=wsjie/6month > viewed on 29 January 2008 ‘Good Governance’ Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia viewed on 28 January 2008 Herb Greenberg â€Å"Corporate Governance as a ‘Risk Factor’. Finding Relationship between Performance and a company’s board of directors† [2007] < http://www. marketwatch. com/news/story/weighing-risk-factors-bad-corporate/story.aspx? guid=%7B55BF9816-8CC4-4570-8D6D-13EBD531F5CE%7D > viewed on 28 January 2008 ‘Process Audit’ viewed on 27 January 2008 Customer Audit < http://www. understanding. co. uk/customeraudit. htm > viewed on 27 January 2008 ‘Final Assembly Supplier Audit Report’ < http://images. apple. com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Final_Assembly_Audit. pdf > (2007) viewed on 28 January 2008 West Cumbria Council for Voluntary Service, ‘Effective Meetings’ (2005) < http://www. westcumbriacvs. org. uk/docs/FactSheet4. pdf> viewed on 28 January 2008. Books Terry Collison â€Å"How to Write an Effective Business Plan in Just Three Hours†, 1993 Paul Todd, ‘Swot Equity and Trust (Swot)’(Gaunt; 5Rev Ed edition (October 1996)) Jeffrey Abrahams, ‘The Mission Statement Book: 301 Corporate Mission Statements from America’s Top Companies’ (TEN SPEED PRESS; Rev Sub edition (1999)) ARTICLES Evangeline Santos ‘How Failures Happen’ IT Tribune (Philippines December 2007) Bruce G. Posner ‘Why Companies Fail’ Inc. com Magazine (June 1993) Manuel Toledo ‘Coping With Business Failure: A Kaizen Approach’ Ginto (Philippines 2004) Term Papers. Hubert Ooghe, Sofie De Prijcker ‘Failure process and causes of company bankruptcy’ (Universiteit Gent) Wayne L. Welsh CPA, ‘Best Practices For Good Management’ Office of the Legislative Author General (2001) R Massey, J Widdows, K Bhattacharya, R Shaw, D Hart, D Law, W Hawes, ‘Insurance Company Failure’ < http://www. actuaries. org. uk/files/pdf/giro2002/Massey. pdf > viewed on 28 January 2008 Conference John Hunter, Natalia Isachenkova ‘Aggregate Economy Risk and Company Failure: An Examination of the UK Quoted Firms in the Early 1990s’ Department of Economics and Finance’ (Brunel University).

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Farm Size and Efficiency Comparative Profit Analysis

1. Introduction The largest and biggest contributor to Bangladesh’s economy is the agricultural sector. Seen often as the ‘unsung’ hero of our growth revolution, it still serves as the most significant industry in this country. In spite of its large contribution to employment, relatively speaking, its contribution to GNP falls short of expectations. Hence, as with other developing countries, the agriculture sector in Bangladesh can be classified as predominantly being ‘traditional’.This implies that it is mainly comprised of small households that suffer from technological stagnation, unskilled labor, and supply chain and market linkage problems. In spite of this, a modern agriculture sector does exists which enjoys substantial economies of scale. It is a well established fact that with increase in scale of output, efficiency increases up to an optimum point and this paper will put this to the test by investigating whether this holds true in the agricu lture sector as well. 2. Problem statementIdeally, government policy should be directed towards increasing the capacity of the traditional agriculture sector in order to transform it towards a more modern one. However, with a weak local government structure, lack of strategic planning and corruption, effective government support towards this sector cannot be expected. Even if policy makers could come up with viable policies to help rural farmers, it would be very costly as most of these rural farmer’s are too small and dispersed in remote areas. Therefore, any aggregate development would either fail in cost effectiveness or fail in implementations.This leads to the point that increase in farm size needs to take place in the grassroots level This paper therefore will look into the possibility of rural farmer’s joining together to ‘pool in’ their limited technology, land, labor and skills to achieve some form of economies of scale that can increase their eff iciency and lower the costs. Such a framework could be done in the style of a producer’s cooperative. An agriculture cooperative is â€Å"a type of cooperative that unites agricultural producers for production or other activities needed by the members (such as processing, marketing of output, or supply of the means of production). An increase in efficiency can be contributed to a variety of factors such as improvement in technology, more efficient use of land, increase in skilled labor etc. While individual quanitative analysis is beyond the scope of this paper, a single variable can be used to do a comparative analysis to see whether belonging to a cooperative, through which there would be an increase in farm size, actually lead to any increase in efficiency. In terms of the variable, net profit of individual farmer’s not belonging to cooperatives and that of cooperatives will be used.Hence, a hypothesis can be developed at this point: The hypothesis will therefore t est the probability that belonging to a ‘co-op’ leads to increase in profit holding output constant. 3. Literature Review There has been extensive work done farm size and efficiency, and agricultural cooperatives as an extension. Oduol and Hotta examined the effect of farm size on the productive efficiency of smallholder farms in a land–scarce Embu district of Kenya.In particular, the study seeks to establish the relationship between farmsize and three components of productive efficiency, namely technical, scale and allocative efficiency, â€Å" Farm Size and Productive Efficiency: Lessons from Smallholder Farms in Embu District, Kenya Judith Beatrice Auma ODUOL1*, Kazuhiko HOTTA2, Shoji SHINKAI2 and Masao TSUJI3† There has been extensive work done on cooperative movement in the agriculture sector by leading academics.However, a point to be noted at the very outset is that there is clear evidence of a lack of study in this field in the South Asia region. T his is not only surprising but also indicates a clear need for research and investigation of this topic with a special focus on country’s like Bangladesh as South Asia is a primary producer of agricultural products. Assistant Professor Richard J. Sexton, in his paper â€Å"Factors critical to the success or failure of emerging agricultural cooperatives† provides a powerful insight into the strength and limitations of the cooperative movement in general.He argues that a solid foundation in supply chain and market linkage is critical if agricultural cooperatives are to survive. â€Å"Agricultural cooperatives and markets in developing countries† by ANSCHEL, K. R. ; BRANNON, R. H. ; SMITH, E. D. treats the matter more specifically in context of developing countries. In his study, it was found that belonging to cooperative movement gives farmers’ a form of ‘institutional’ support to carry out its production and marketing.Furthermore, a paper titl ed â€Å"Revitalizing Market-Oriented Agricultural Cooperatives in Ethiopia† conducted in cooperation with USAID’s Cooperative Development Program by Tesfaye Assefa provides insightful analysis on a comparative study done on a developing, agriculture developing country similar to Bangladesh. This study sheds light on the fact that developing countries are particularly in need of farmer’s receiving certain technical support in order to reduce their costs. Economic analysis on this issue has been dealt with fairly in the text â€Å"The economic theory of agrarian institutions†, Bardhan, P.K. (eds. ). – Oxford (United Kingdom): Oxford University Press, 1991. Finally, the future prospects and potential of the cooperative movement has been addressed in the paper â€Å"Future Roles for Agricultural Cooperatives† by Peter Helmberger where he argued that agricultural cooperatives will take on a larger role in the coming years with the rise in linkag e with large food retailers. A paper titled â€Å"AGRICULTURAL CO-OPERATIVES: ROLE IN FOOD SECURITY AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT† investigated the link between the need for food security and the development of agricultural co-operatives.This is a highly important point as food security is seen as one of the major threats to the 21st century. The role of cooperatives into only being a profit making structure, but also a socially beneficial function in terms of addressing the question of food security should not be taken lightly. This is especially true in a country like Bangladesh where the current government is aggressively trying to address the problem of food security for one of the most densely populated countries.In terms of classifying the agriculture sector in a more academic sphere of economics, it can be deduced that a developing country’s agriculture sector is divided into the traditional agriculture sector comprising of unskilled, self sufficient rural households an d the modern agriculture sector consisting of a capital intensive, efficient, large scale producer. T. W. Schultz, in his paper highlighted the significance of transforming these traditional sectors into a more modern agriculture sectors and the possible consequences of these in the development process, Schultz T. W (1964),Transforming Traditional Agriculture, Yale University Press, New Haven. One of the underlying reasons for a larger farming structure in the form of cooperatives is the technological innovation that comes along with it. Bachman, K. L and Christensen highlighted the need to remove technological stagnation from the traditional agriculture sector in order to achieve long term development, Bachman, K. L and Christensen, R. P (1967), ‘The Economics of Farm Size’, in Southworth, H. M and Johnston, B. F. (eds), Agricultural Development and Economic Growth, Cornell University Press, Ithaca.Finally, Berry and Cline investigated the correlation in productivity a nd farming structure and found there to be a positive trend between increased output and productivity levels, Berry, D. A. and Cline, W. R. (1979), Agrarian Structure and Productivity in Developing Countries, John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. This study provided a case in point about the possible role of cooperatives in making the traditional agriculture sector much more productive. 4. Study methodology Secondary data from the available records of Ferdous Biotech Pvt. Ltd, an agro-based company based in Gazipur has been used to compile these statistics.The data has been derived from potato farmers that the company employs in the northern region of Bangladesh. Regional variations have been held constant while similar output levels have been selected between farmers belonging to ‘co-ops’ and not belonging to them so that a single variable (profit) can be tested. Further assumptions have been made in terms of seasonal variability being minimum and fertility showing unremarkable changes. The data was tabulated and statistic measures such as central tendencies, bar charts and hypothesis testing was undertaking to infer the data.SPSS software was used for most of the data analysis. It should be noted out that some of the data was filtered out due to create an appropriate sample. 5. Descriptive statistical analysis As seen in the frequencydistribution table that in each corresponding category of data with holding output constant, the farmers belonging to co ops show a signficinant rise in profits as opposed to those not belonging to co ops. While there are certain variations, there are not signficant enough to be inferred as statistically inconsistent. A clear trend analysis of the data can be seen from the chart seen above titlted Profitibality Study.For most data, belonging to to co-ops as signified by the blue bars shows a higher trend then the red bars indiciating profits by farmers not belonging to co ops. The measures of central tendency fo r these data show a significant variation. The middle values for each profit level stands at 75650 and 73100 respectively with the highest frequency for each category (with co op and without co op) standing at 60050 and 42400 as well. The average profit shown by farmers belonging to co ops stands at 81590 while those opting out of co opt standing at 79986.These values clearly shows that belonging to a co op does lead to better off profits as seen by the higher central tendency values in each category. This can be extended to be proved through the lowest values and highest values also. The lowest value for farmers in co ops stand at 14000 while those for without co ops are at 12500. Corresponding higher values are at 160300 and 159200, with the range standing at 146300 and 73100 for co-ops and without co-ops respectively. In terms of the quartiles, Q1 stood at 42075 and 41450 for co-ops and without co-ops while Q3 stood at 121925 and 118050 respectively.It is worth noting at this poi nt that from central tendencies along, it can be inferred that consistently, farmers belonging to a larger farm size in terms of co-operatives show a higher profit levels than those not belonging to such co-operatives. However, there is significant dispersion in the data that can be seen through the standard deviation for each data set standing at 46106. 9 and 45687. 8 respectively. Dispersion between the data as used for the development of the confidence interval, the standard deviation here stands at 8636. 9.In terms of the confidence level the range is at -2556. 076 to 5763. 74 As stated in the problem statement the hypothesis will there test the probability that belonging to ‘co-ops’ leading to increase in profit holding output constant. To analyze this, a hypothesis test was undertaken using SPSS and the results are presented below: Hypothesis T-Test One-Sample Statistics NMeanStd. DeviationStd. Error Mean Profits With Co-ops3081590. 166746106. 984718417. 94519 Pro fits Without Co-ops3079986. 333345687. 855448341. 42301 One-Sample Test Test Value = 0 tdfSig. 2-tailed)Mean Difference Profits With Co-ops9. 69229. 00081590. 16667 Profits Without Co-ops9. 58929. 00079986. 33333 One-Sample Test Test Value = 0 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference LowerUpper Profits With Co-ops64373. 535698806. 7977 Profits Without Co-ops62926. 207797046. 4589 It is clear from the above results that with the mean for co-ops consistently being higher than that of profits of farmers not belonging to co-ops that the hypothesis cannot be rejected. Therefore, belonging to co-ops does tend to show a higher profitability than in absence of it. . Summary The test results clearly demonstrate that belonging to co ops show a significant increase in profits. While there are certain variations in the data, these could be due to miscalculations due to large number of sample data or through farmer’s misinterpretation of market calculations as well. There are quite a few justifications for the results that have been shown. Clearly belonging to such co ops increases the technical capacity of the farmers to achieve lower costs and higher revenues leading to increase in profits.Through marketing economies of scale, they are able to sell at a better rate while their technical economies such as specialization and indivisibility of capital allows them to achieve the lower costs as stated above. In conclusion the data clearly supports the hypothesis that belonging to co-ops is a much better option for farmers then not doing so. This leaves us with the question – in terms of farm size and efficiency, is there a role for the cooperative movement? While the tests results clearly show hat belonging to co-operatives leads to an increase in profit, this point comes with strong qualifications because a profit function in itself cannot be used to make absolute inferences regarding efficiency. This is especially true due to the fact that most of the agraria n households belong to the traditional sector and as discussed earlier, they suffer from certain problems such as technological stagnation, unskilled labor and lack of capital. These serve as a major impediment towards achieving efficiency.While belonging to cooperatives may bring in certain economies of scale which may mitigate some of these problems, the underlying problem of transforming the traditional agricultural sector a modern one would need much more than just formation of co-operatives. It requires extensive long term technological and financial investment by the government and the non government sector. There is no doubting the role of agriculture in the economy of Bangladesh, but with regards to the extent to which it can contribute to an ever modernizing economy is up for debate.Appendix I – Output (Kgs) Profit (Co-ops)Profit (Without Co-ops) 2001400012500 2501750016300 3001880017500 3502320021300 4002780026800 4503210031050 5003750038600 5504360042400 6004820042 400 6505340052100 7005960060050 7506005062300 8006005064700 8506890066300 9007350070000 9507780076200 10008340084000 10508900087060 11009750096000 115010010598030 1200110500105500 1250115600110300 1300120300117200 1350126800120600 1400130100125200 1450141500139300 1500147300148200 1550152400151300 1600156900157200 1650160300159200

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Battle of Fallen Timbers - Northwest Indian War

Battle of Fallen Timbers - Northwest Indian War The Battle of Fallen Timbers was fought August 20, 1794 and was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War (1785-1795). As part of the treaty ending the American Revolution, Great Britain ceded to the new United States the lands over the Appalachian Mountains as far west as the Mississippi River. In Ohio, several Native American tribes came together in 1785, to form the Western Confederacy with the goal of dealing jointly with the United States. The following year, they decided that the Ohio River would serve as the border between their lands and the Americans. In the mid-1780s, the Confederacy began a series of raids south of the Ohio into Kentucky to discourage settlement. Conflict on the Frontier To deal with the threat posed by the Confederacy, President George Washington instructed Brigadier General Josiah Harmar to attack into Shawnee and Miami lands with the goal of destroying the village of Kekionga (present-day Fort Wayne, IN). As the US Army had essentially been disbanded after the American Revolution, Harmar marched west with a small force of regulars and approximately 1,100 militia. Fighting two battles in October 1790, Harmar was defeated by Confederacy warriors led by Little Turtle and Blue Jacket. St. Clairs Defeat The following year, another force was dispatched under Major General Arthur St. Clair.  Preparations for the campaign began in early 1791 with the goal of moving north to take the Miami capital of Kekionga. Though Washington advised St. Clair to march during the warmer summer months, incessant supply problems and logistical issues delayed the expeditions departure until October. When St. Clair departed Fort Washington (present-day Cincinnati, OH), he possessed around 2,000 men of which only 600 were regulars. Attacked by Little Turtle, Blue Jacket, and  Buckongahelas on November 4, St. Clairs army was routed. In the battle, his command lost 632 killed/captured and 264 wounded. In addition, almost all of the 200 camp followers, many of whom had fought alongside the soldiers, were killed. Of the 920 soldiers who entered the fight, only 24 emerged uninjured. In the victory, Little Turtles force only sustained 21 killed and 40 wounded. With a casualty rate of 97.4%, the Battle of the Wabash marked the worst defeat in the history of the US Army.   Armies Commanders United States Major General Anthony Wayne3,000 men Western Confederacy Blue JacketBuckongahelasLittle Turtle1,500 men Wayne Prepares In 1792, Washington turned to Major General Anthony Wayne and asked him build a force capable of defeating the Confederacy. An aggressive Pennsylvanian, Wayne had repeatedly distinguished himself during the American Revolution. At the suggestion of Secretary of War Henry Knox, the decision was made recruit and train a legion which would combine light and heavy infantry with artillery and cavalry. This concept was approved by Congress which agreed to augment the small standing army for the duration of the conflict with the Native Americans. Moving quickly, Wayne commenced assembling a new force near Ambridge, PA at a camp dubbed Legionville. Realizing that previous forces had lacked training and discipline, Wayne spent much of 1793 drilling and instructing his men.   Titling his army the Legion of the United States, Waynes force consisted of four sub-legions, each commanded by a lieutenant colonel. These contained of two battalions of infantry, a battalion of riflemen/skirmishers, a troop of dragoons, and a battery of artillery. The self-contained structure of the sub-legions meant they could operate effectively on their own.   Moving to Battle In late 1793, Wayne shifted his command down the Ohio to Fort Washington (present-day Cincinnati, OH). From here, units moved north as Wayne built a series of forts to protect his supply lines and the settlers in his rear. As Waynes 3,000 men moved north, Little Turtle became concerned about the Confederacys ability to defeat him. Following an exploratory attack near Fort Recovery in June 1794, Little Turtle began to advocate in favor of negotiating with the US. Rebuffed by the Confederacy, Little Turtle ceded complete command to Blue Jacket. Moving to confront Wayne, Blue Jacket assumed a defensive position along the Maumee River near a copse of fallen trees and close to British-held Fort Miami. It was hoped that the fallen trees would slow the advance of Waynes men. The Americans Strike On August 20, 1794, the lead elements of Waynes command came under fire from Confederacy forces.   Quickly assessing the situation, Wayne deployed the his troops with his infantry led by Brigadier General James Wilkinson on the right and Colonel John Hamtramck on the left.   The Legions cavalry guarded the American right while brigade of mounted Kentuckians protected the other wing.   As the terrain appeared to preclude the effective use of cavalry, Wayne ordered his infantry to mount a bayonet attack to flush the enemy from the fallen trees.   This done, they could be effectively dispatched with musket fire. Advancing, the superior discipline of Waynes troops quickly began to tell and the Confederacy was soon forced out of its position. Starting to break, they began to flee the field when the American cavalry, charging over the fallen trees, joined the fray. Routed, the Confederacys warriors fled towards Fort Miami hoping that the British would provide protection. Arriving there found the gates closed as the forts commander did not wish to start a war with the Americans. As the Confederacys men fled, Wayne ordered his troops to burn all of the villages and crops in the area and then withdrawal to Fort Greenville. Aftermath Impact In the fighting at Fallen Timbers, Waynes Legion lost 33 dead and 100 wounded. Reports conflict regarding the Confederacys casualties, with Wayne claiming 30-40 dead on the field to the British Indian Department stating 19. The victory at Fallen Timbers ultimately led to the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, which ended the conflict and removed all Confederacy claims to Ohio and the surrounding lands. Among those Confederacy leaders who refused to sign the treaty was Tecumseh, who would renew the conflict ten years later.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

New Baby and Experience of Birth Quotations

New Baby and Experience of Birth Quotations For a first-time mother, the experience of having a baby is indescribable. The new feeling of life taking from inside her, the physical and emotional changes, and the anticipation of bringing forth a new life is wonderful. A new baby brings untold joys to the life of a mother. These new baby quotes beautifully express the joys of motherhood. This collection of new baby quotes has famous people articulating their feelings on the arrival of a new baby. Whether or not you have a baby, you will find immense pleasure in reading these new baby quotes. New Baby Quotes Nancy ThayerWho is getting more pleasure from the rocking, baby or me?David LettermanCongratulations are in order for Woody Allen. He and Soon Yi have a brand new baby daughter. Its all part of Woodys plan to grow his own wives.AnonymousAdoption is when a child grew in its mommys heart instead of her tummy.Shannon Boff[After having twice been a surrogate mother] I think Im going into retirement. Any more babies coming from me are going to be keepers.AnonymousThe joy of having a baby today can only be expressed in two words: tax deduction.Irena ChalmersThere are three reasons for breast-feeding: the milk is always at the right temperature; it comes in attractive containers, and the cat cant get it.Jimmy Piersall[on how to diaper a baby] Spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with you at bat. Then fold second base down to home and set the baby on the pitchers mound. Put first base and third together, bring up home plate and pin the three together. Of course, in case of rain, you gotta call the game and start all over again. Marion JonesI loved having my baby inside of me, but I was very happy when he was finally here.Dave BarryThe old system of having a baby was much better than the new system, the old system being characterized by the fact that the man didnt have to watch.Kate HudsonI got so much advice; I just started tuning it out. If one more person told me what I had to do when the baby comes, I was going to shoot em.Sam BrownbackUnborn children can experience pain even more so than adults as the baby has more pain receptors per square inch than at any other time in its life.Eileen Elias FreemanWhen babies look beyond you and giggle, maybe theyre seeing angels.Terri GuillemetsIt was the tiniest thing I ever decided to put my whole life into.Lucinda FranksChristmas in Bethlehem. The ancient dream: a cold, clear night made brilliant by a glorious star, the smell of incense, shepherds and wise men falling to their knees in adoration of the sweet baby, the incarnation of perfect love.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

My experience viewing in 1869 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My experience viewing in 1869 - Essay Example I am finally on the grounds of the globe amphitheater. As expected, the grounds are crowded with playgoers. There is an array of activities with merchants selling refreshments to the playgoers. Just by looking at the dress code of the playgoers I can almost tell that this play has attracted more groundlings than the previous one. I make my way to the stall selling hazelnuts and oranges, and I purchase some for my refreshment during the act. At the entrance, to the globe is a box where all playgoers deposit their entrance fee (Wilson &Alvin 17). I join the growing queue and after a few minutes am at the entrance. Upon placing my entrance fee in the box, I find my way to the theatre pit from where I will catch the play. On arrival at the pit, I discovered that I am amongst the first of to arrive in this section. I am fortunate to find sitting place on the standing grounds. Fellow commoners soon join us at the theatre pit. The nobles, who pay an excess of four pennies, take their well-c ushioned seats in the three-level galleries surrounding the central yard. This comical play has attracted large numbers of spectators. The audience comprises members of different social classes; the lower class by the groundlings at the theatre pit, and the upper class by the nobles in the Lord’s rooms. The Lord’s rooms are behind the stage sheltered from the elements used in the play. I see the nobility class adorned in apparels that define their upper social class. Some of them mask their faces to hide their identity.... The amphitheatre has limited artificial lighting that is why most performances occur during the afternoons (Wilson &Alvin 16). I am finally at the grounds of the globe amphitheatre. As expected, the grounds are crowded with playgoers. There is an array of activities with merchants selling refreshments to the playgoers. Just by looking at the dress code of the playgoers I can almost tell that this play has attracted more groundlings than the previous one. I make my way to the stall selling hazelnuts and oranges, and I purchase some for my refreshment during the act. At the entrance, to the globe is a box where all playgoers deposit their entrance fee (Wilson &Alvin 17). I join the growing queue and after a few minutes am at the entrance. Upon placing my entrance fee in the box, I find my way to the theatre pit from where i will catch the play. On arrival at the pit, I discovered that I am amongst the first of to arrive in this section. I am fortunate to find sitting place on the stand ing grounds. Fellow commoners soon join us at the theatre pit (Wilson &Alvin 19). The nobles, who pay an excess of four pennies, take their well cushioned seats in the three level galleries surrounding the central yard. This comical play has attracted large numbers of spectators. The audience comprises members of different social classes; the lower class by the groundlings at the theatre pit, and the upper class by the nobles in the Lord’s rooms. The Lord’s rooms are behind the stage sheltered from the elements used in the play. I see the nobility class adorned in apparels that define their upper social class. Some of them mask their faces to hide their identity (Wilson &Alvin 19). Royalty is also represented in this