Academic success is more than just getting high grades

Academic success has been found to be strongly associated with fiscal success, societal mobility, higher educational attainment and even higher occupation places ( Goldhaber, 1996 ) . This would intend that educational experiences should jointly fix the pupil for the academic demands of higher instruction in order to see positive academic public presentation that would take to academic success. Academic success is more than merely acquiring high classs and executing magnificently in class demands and tests, it is a positive manifestation of the pupils ‘ ability to larn from their categories and to take what they have learned into a working cognition of their chosen field ( Walberg & A ; Bast, 2004 ) . Academic success in college nevertheless has non been the focal point of high school course of studies ; the chief intent of high schools is to graduate pupils and to be able to measure up them for admittance to colleges. In consequence, it was found that the relationship between high school plans and college course of study is inconsistent at best ( Gradstein & A ; Justman, 2005 ) . High schools have given more focal point on acquiring their alumnuss into college, without much idea about how their pupils would execute in college. It is normally assumed that the old ages spent in old educational degrees would finally fix the pupil for college. However, the nexus between high school and college public presentation remain to be weak and the association seems to be mediated by other factors such as socioeconomic position, type of school ( Bedi & A ; Garg, 2000 ) , personality and course of study. College public presentation has been found to be influenced by high school classs ; nevertheless, the influence was minimum and was merely true at the start of first-year twelvemonth. High school classs were non able to foretell college public presentation in the higher college old ages. This would besides back up the findings that high school instruction does non concentrate on the instruction of accomplishments and cognition that would guarantee academic success in college ( Waters & A ; Marzano, 2006 ) . The weak nexus between high school classs and college nevertheless was pointed out to be due to the fact that during the 3rd and 4th twelvemonth in college, courses become more specialised and geared towards the pupils major. It has been argued that high school classs predicted academic public presentation during first-year twelvemonth where pupils need it most. On the other manus, some argue that college public presentation is more of import in that it teaches the pupil the accom plishments and cognition necessary for the pattern of a calling or profession. Aside from high school classs, old researches on college success had identified the importance of the pupils ‘ attitudes towards their acquisition and experiences in the university. Attitudes have been found to be strongly related to one ‘s behaviour, therefore, it would follow that the more positive the attitude is, the more positive the behaviour will be ( Petty & A ; Krosnick, 1995 ) . Consequently, negative attitudes had been found to be associated with negative and destructive behaviour ( Eason, Giannangelo & A ; Franceschini III, 2009 ) . It would besides follow that the more pleasant and positive the attitudes towards acquisition, so, the better the public presentation in one ‘s classs. Positive attitudes had non been systematically associated with higher motive or better public presentation, but the relationship of negative attitudes to behavior has been good documented. Negative attitudes about ever led to hapless public presentation, hapless classs and les s engagement in the school. Furthermore, less than positive attitudes towards the school or the university in general had been found to be prognostic of dropouts and abrasion rate ( Spillane, 2010 ) . It is hence of import for colleges and universities to measure their pupil ‘s attitudes and experiences in the university in order to supply plans and establish policies that would promote positive attitudes and better acquisition. College public presentation has been traditionally measured utilizing college classs such as GPA and admission trial tonss. College admittance trials non merely screen and topographic point pupils into different classs, but it step prior acquisition, which high schools provide ( Greene & A ; Kang, 2004 ) . However, since high school classs can non wholly predict college success, other pertinent variables that had been associated with college success has to be investigated in order to place which factors impact college public presentation and success. One of the most researched factors is that of school type ( Quah, Lim & A ; Brook, 2010 ) . The argument on private versus public instruction had spurned legion discourse and surveies on how type of school might act upon academic public presentation, particularly high school instruction and how it affects college public presentation ( Epple, Figlio & A ; Romano, 2004 ) . Like high school classs, the difference between private and public school instruction as it pertains to college academic public presentation had been inconclusive ( Sandy, 1989 ) . The difference in the public presentation of pupils from private high schools compared to pupils from public schools were minimum, and decreased even more when the pupils reached higher twelvemonth degrees in college ( Jimenez & A ; Sawada,2001 ) . However, what was a consistent determination from these researches was the observation that private school alumnuss tend to execute better academically, tend to hold higher tonss in admittance trials and achievement trials. Educators and educational research workers have accepted the thought that private school pupils do better when compared to public school pupils even when all confounding variables had been controlled such as socioeconomic position and intelligence ( Frey, 1992 ) . With this statement ; the inquiry of what is the difference between private and public schools and why is it that private schools tend to bring forth better scholars and performing artists than public schools need to be answered. At first pedagogues frequently cited the difference in the sort of pupils catered to by the private schools from the public schools and pointed out that the difference in public presentation can non wholly be accounted to the type of school ( Buddin, Cordes & A ; Kirby, 1998 ) . Factors such as old acquisition, course of study, socioeconomic position, household background and civilization influenced academic public presentation ( Coleman & A ; Hoffer, 1987 ) . Recently, the consistent findings that indicate that private school pupils perform better academically have made educational research workers and theoreticians rethink their premises. Research conducted in Europe and Asia ( Cox & A ; Jimenez, 1990 ; Psacharopoulos, 1987 ) has reported that private school pupils do execute better in academic related undertakings than their public school opposite numbers ( Ridell, 1993 ) . Arguably, type of school is related to college public presentation, being that private school alumnuss besides perform better in college than public school alumnuss. Since, the observation is in the type of establishment or organisation, so factors that might explicate why private school alumnuss are academically better prevarications in the organisational features of the schools and non so much on the sort of pupils they produce ( Walberg & A ; Bast, 2004 ) . It is besides more appropriate to place which organisational factors had been found to act upon pupil outcomes more than any other factors ( Dee, 1998 ) . Literature on school pick and answerability have pointed out that school leading to a great extent influences the entire quality and public presentation of a school. Furthermore, the school ‘s course of study was pointed out as a cardinal determiner of the sort of preparation and direction that the pupils receive ( Wray, 2007 ) . Besides, the sort of instructors that sc hools employ to learn the pupils besides play a immense function in the learning procedure of the pupils, schools differ in their instructor demands, and it would look that private schools have stricter guidelines when it comes to the choice and enlisting of instructors ( Greene & A ; Kang, 2004 ) . School leading has been found to be a primary index of the quality of pupil and school results ( Bess & A ; Goldman, 2001 ) . Schools with a more involved and motivated leader have been found to be associated with better teacher-parent relationships, less school force, higher achievement trial tonss and higher graduation rates. On the other manus, schools with hapless leading fail to make expected school public presentation in footings of pupil accomplishment and are related to higher dropout rates, higher instructor abrasion and school force. School leading has besides been associated with better acquisition environments and the development of plans and steps that cultivate the academic and personal development of pupils ( Bryman, 2004 ) . School principals by and large assume leading functions and they manage, motivate, lead and countenance the instructors, forces and pupils and construct positive relationships with parents and stakeholders. Principals by and large stay in one scho ol for non less than 3 old ages so that they would be able to establish alteration and make a school civilization for that school ( Chance & A ; Chance, 2002 ) . Hence, it is of primary importance that school principals and the sort of leading they pattern would supply rich information on the difference between private and public schools. The really kernel of a school is found in its course of study. The school ‘s course of study provides the acquisition subjects, the instructional stuffs, the educational attacks and larning aims every bit good as the school ‘s topics and class offerings ( Bishop, 1995 ) . There are different types of course of study and it frequently reflects the civilization and the mission and vision of the schools ( Kelly, 2009 ) . Schools differ in their course of study offerings because schools tailor fit their subjects and larning activities to the world of the pupil population that they cater to ( Deng, 2010 ) . If the school chiefly provide developing in the humanistic disciplines, so the course of study would be geared towards the instruction of the different art signifiers and supply the chance for the look of said art signifiers. Alternatively, high schools that follow a more scientific discipline and math-based course of study would besides plan a course of study focused on th e instruction of more math and scientific discipline topics. A closely related factor to course of study is the quality and learning accomplishments of the school ‘s module. Teachers have been trained in different topics so that they could supply a holistic acquisition experience to their pupils. The act of instruction is nevertheless more than merely giving treatments and quizzes. Teachers who consequence alteration or motivate pupils to execute more ; those who facilitate acquisition and the command of accomplishments are the sort of instructors that provide quality instruction to the pupils ( Murray & A ; Male, 2005 ) . Public schools by and large have similar instructor demands and frequently follow what the jurisprudence authorizations, while private schools may be more discriminating and have stringent instructor demands. Therefore, it would follow that better and more effectual instructor are recruited and retained by private schools because they can offer them better wage and benefits and professional support ( Murray & A ; Male, 2005 ) . If better instructors are in the private schools, so public school pupils are already at a disadvantage. The present survey will be analyzing and researching the college public presentation and attitudes of college pupils and distinguish private and public schools in footings of school leading, course of study and instructor demand. The college public presentation will be measured utilizing the university database on the admittance trial tonss and GPA in first-year twelvemonth while the comparing and contrast of private and public schools will be discussed through an interview with school caputs or decision makers harmonizing to leading, course of study and instructor demand in the province of Kuwait.Statement of the ProblemThe influence of old larning experiences to future academic public presentation has been the topic of research in acquisition and school psychological science as it has been established that there is an association between the types of old experiences to the degree of academic public presentation that pupils manifest. For illustration, pupils with prekindergarten ins truction perform better in kindergarten than kids who did non hold any educational experience. In add-on, pupils who take progress classs in math and scientific discipline in high school, do better in math and scientific discipline classs in college ( Murray & A ; Male, 2005 ) . Furthermore, groundss of such influence can besides be found in the admittance trial tonss and the general point norm of high school pupils upon admittance to college. Students who have high admittance trial tonss and high school GPA have better classs in their college classs than pupils who have low tonss and low mean GPA. Equally of import as the old acquisition experiences are to future academic public presentation, the type of school is besides an every bit of import factor that influences future academic public presentation. Previous literature had reported that there is a difference in the college public presentation of pupils from private and public high schools ( Schlesser & A ; Finger, 1963 ) . Being, that pupils from private high schools tend to make better academically than public school pupils in college. This underscores the research job of the present survey, which is to set up the difference in the college public presentation and attitudes towards university of college pupils from private and public high schools. Furthermore, the supposed difference between private and public schools will be assessed in footings of school leading, course of study and instructor demand. The job that this survey aims to decide is why and how does private schools produce alumnuss who perform better academica lly in college.Variables of the StudyThis survey on the college public presentation and attitudes of college pupils towards university experiences as a map of the difference between private and public schools in footings of school leading, course of study and instructor demand will be researching and analyzing a figure of variables. The first variable is college public presentation ; this would mention to the academic public presentation of college pupils in Kuwait University. This will be operationally measured as the college GPA of pupils in Kuwait University from the first to the 4th twelvemonth degree from 2006 to 2010. The college GPA has been chosen in this survey, as it is a manifestation of the public presentation of the pupils in their single categories. Teachers assign classs to pupils commensurate to their public presentation and command of the said class. The 2nd variable is the attitudes of the pupils towards their experiences in the university. This will be measured utilizing an interview protocol designed to measure the ideas, feelings and behaviour of the pupils towards the different facets of university life, such as larning experiences, instructor qualities, socialisation, learning resources and support and acquisition environment. Selected pupils will be interviewed to pull a rich description of how pupils perceive the quality of their acquisition experiences. The 3rd variable has to make with the premise that private and public schools differ as an organisation, and such factors include school leading, course of study and instructor demand. School leading will be assessed in footings of how school decision makers manage and take the school as a individual organisation. Curriculum will mention to the educational model and class offerings of the school while teacher requirement pertains to the needed competences, accomplishments and educational preparation of instructors hired in the schools. These variables will be assessed through an interview of 10 school decision makers, where each half heads a public and private high school severally. It is hopes that the interviews will clarify the difference in the organisational features of private and public schools in the State of Kuwait.Purpose of the StudyThe intent of this survey is to find the being of the difference and advantage of private school alumnuss from public school alumnuss in relation to their academic public presentation in college. This difference will be identified utilizing the college GPA of the pupils from first to the 4th twelvemonth degree. The pupils â⠂¬Ëœ GPA will be accessed through the university ‘s records database and will be categorized into private and public school alumnuss. This aim is necessary to back up and give grounds of the findings of the old literature on type of high school and college success. A 2nd intent of this survey is to place and depict the attitudes of college pupils towards university experience and to happen out if the attitudes of private school alumnuss differ from their public school opposite numbers. This would enrich the first research purpose, since it would supply a more accessible and human component in the survey. Students are expected to differ in their perceptual experience of university experiences and it is interesting to happen out whether such outlooks will be proved correct or incorrect in the visible radiation of their old educational experiences. A 3rd intent of the present survey is to find why and how private high schools produce alumnuss who perform academically better than public school alumnuss do. This will be explored utilizing an interview of school decision makers on their type of school leading, course of study and instructor demand. The mentioned organisational factors had been found to strongly act upon the quality of instruction that the school provides its pupils than any other factor. The learning experiences of pupils is frequently dependent on the sort of leading that the school decision maker has, it is besides dependent on the course of study of the school as it identifies which topics are offered and what accomplishments are mastered. Last, instructor demands is besides included since instructors facilitate and provide pupils with learning activities and their ain command and accomplishments in their topic and instruction impacts pupil acquisition.Significance of the StudyThe private versus public school a rgument is still a critical issue among parents, pupils, school decision makers and pedagogues since it places one type of school in competition with another school. Research on the differences of pupil results between private and public schools have repeatedly shown that private school pupils do better in steps of academic public presentation such as accomplishment trials, diagnostic trials, admittance trials and college GPA. This observation has besides been found in other states in Europe and Asia where private schools by and large outperform public schools in footings of achievement trial tonss ( Zembat, KocyiAYit, TuAYluk & A ; DoAYan, 2010 ) . In the State of Kuwait, more pupils attend public than private schools and more Kuwaitis attend public school while aliens who reside in Kuwait prefer to go to private schools. The significance of this survey to the educational system of the State of Kuwait is apparent, as it will supply cognition of the public presentation of private and public school alumnuss in college and cognize whether the difference in the public presentation of the said schools is true in the State of Kuwait. This survey will besides take to a better apprehension of how pupils perceive their experiences in the University of Kuwait and will assist the university functionaries come up with plans that would better and keep the positive attitudes of pupils towards the university. Furthermore, this survey would besides supply the educational sector of the State of Kuwait and the field of instruction in general information and apprehension of the difference of between private and public high schools in footings of school leading, course of study and instructor demands. This survey is besides expected to clarify information that will explicate why private schools produce better executing p upils in college and in other steps of academic public presentation. Last, this survey would besides enrich the literature on the private and public school argument in footings of its quantitative and qualitative attack to this survey.Research Questions and HypothesissThis exploratory survey on the college academic public presentation and attitudes of college pupils towards university experiences as a map of differences among private and public high schools in footings of school leading, course of study and instructor demands in the State of Kuwait will supply replies to the undermentioned research inquiries. What is the difference in the academic public presentation of college pupils in the University of Kuwait in footings of their GPA and type of high school? What are the attitudes of college pupils towards their experiences in the University of Kuwait? What are the differences between private high school alumnuss and public high school alumnuss in their experiences in the university? What are the most prevailing leading manner, course of study and teacher demand among private and public high schools in the State of Kuwait? How make private and public high schools differ in their organisational maps in footings of school leading, course of study and instructor demand? What are the deductions of the differences in the leading, course of study and teacher demand among private and public high schools to college academic public presentation? Aside from the research inquiries, a few research hypotheses will besides be tested in this survey in order to set up that there is an apparent difference in the college public presentation of pupils from private and public high schools in the State of Kuwait. This survey aims to prove the undermentioned hypothesis: Private high school alumnuss have higher admittance trial tonss than public high school alumnuss in the admittance trials of the University of Kuwait. Students who graduated from private high schools have higher college GPA than pupils who graduated from public schools. There is a important difference in the admittance trial tonss and college GPA between pupils from private and public schools.Restrictions of the StudyThis survey on the difference of college public presentation and attitudes towards university experiences as a map of the difference in the school leading, course of study and teacher demand of private and public schools in the State of Kuwait have a figure of restrictions that are built-in to the survey. The first restriction is in the usage of admittance trial tonss and college GPA as steps of college academic public presentation, since it does non take into history the possible effects of ripening and acquisition. Students ‘ ability to reply trials and tests and complete documents and demands are to a great extent influenced by their survey wonts, intelligence, and personality to call a few. However, admission trial tonss and college GPA are the most apparent merchandises of the pupils ‘ acquisition and work in their old school and in their topics in college. Since this survey involves the usage of the full college database, the sheer figure of pupil tonss and GPA in this survey will reply the said restriction, as it will guarantee a robust sample size that is closest to the true population. A 2nd restriction of this survey is the usage of one on one interview as a information aggregation method for the attitudes of college pupils towards university experiences and the difference in the school leading, course of study and teacher demand of private and public schools. The interview is a subjective method and sometimes the research worker has no control over what the interviewee will happen interesting and deserving speaking about, sometimes it is beyond the research aims of this survey. Furthermore, since the school decision makers will be interviewed, there is no manner of cognizing whether the school decision makers are being true or non. However, this survey will be following an interview protocol, which will guarantee that the same inquiries for each participant will be asked, therefore keeping standardisation of the interview procedure.Definitions of FootingsIn order to depict and operationally specify the variables of this survey, the undermentioned definition of ea ch variable and footings used in the present survey is provided. College academic public presentation refers to the general public presentation of the college pupil during his or her college instruction in the University of Kuwait. Academic public presentation is differentiated from public presentation merely as it pertains to the public presentation of the pupil in his or her topics, which is given matching classs. These classs are assumed to reflect the sort of attempt and cognition that the pupil brings to his or her college classs ( Schlesser & A ; Finger, 1963 ) . In this survey, college academic public presentation is measured in footings of the admittance trial mark and the college GPA of the college pupils. Admission trial tonss refer to the tonss of the pupils in the admittance trial of the University of Kuwait. The trial is given to graduating high school pupils and serves as a showing and placement step for admittance to college ( Schlesser & A ; Finger, 1963 ) . The tonss that will be used in this survey will be the entire percentile rank tonss of the pupils. College GPA or grade point norm refers to the mean class of the pupil for a given twelvemonth. Since all pupils from 2007 to 2010 will be included in the survey, college GPA for each twelvemonth degree will be represented. The college GPA is computed harmonizing to the figure of unit credits of a given topic and multiplying the figure of units with the topic class. All of the ensuing capable classs will so be averaged to bring forth the GPA ( Schlesser & A ; Finger, 1963 ) . Attitudes refer to the psychological province of wishing or disliking a certain object, event, organisation, experience and societal phenomena. Attitudes are normally cognitive and are manifested through one ‘s behaviour, emotions and thoughts ( Petty & A ; Krosnick, 1995 ) . In this survey, attitudes towards university experience will be explored utilizing single interviews of college pupils. Private schools refer to the type of school found in most societies. Private schools by and large are run and owned by private groups and persons. These types of schools are for or non for net income and pupils normally pay a certain fee to go on analyzing in the assistance schools ( Greene & A ; Kang, 2004 ) . In this survey, private schools in the State of Kuwait will be identified harmonizing to the list of schools provided by the Ministry of Education of the State of Kuwait. Public schools refer to the type of schools that are largely operated and managed by the populace and the authorities. Public schools provide entree to instruction for most members of society and are frequently free of charge. These schools are subsidized by their authorities and are the majority of the educational system of any state ( Greene & A ; Kang, 2004 ) . In this survey, public schools will be identified harmonizing to the list of schools provided by the Ministry of Education of the State of Kuwait. School leading refers to the sort of leader and the leading manner of a given school decision maker ( Spillane, 2010 ) . In this survey, school leading is described by the school decision maker in their response to the interview inquiry of the present survey. Curriculum refers to the school ‘s set of classs and topics which predetermine the sort of cognition and accomplishments that will be taught to the pupils. Curriculum in formal instruction means a larning plan from which the topics, content, accomplishments and stuffs for the instruction and acquisition of the pupils are based ( Fraser, 1981 ) . In this survey, the school decision makers will depict course of study in footings of how it was designed, developed and implemented. Teacher demand refers to put of accomplishments, cognition, experience and preparation that a instructor should hold before using for a teaching occupation ( Koster, Brekelmans, Korthagen & A ; Wubbels, 2005 ) . The Ministry of Education for the public schools frequently determines instructor demands, but private schools have more room for recruiting and choosing instructors harmonizing to a more rigorous instructor demand. In this survey, school decision makers will besides depict teacher demand for both private and public schools in item.

Domestic Violence Essay Essay

Domestic violence is defined as acts of physical and/or psychological violence committed by one partner or on to another. Though committed by both sexes, men commit the majority of domestic violence acts. While efforts have been made to prevent men from engaging in domestic violence, these efforts have yet to make a major effect on the rates of violence against women. This is because these efforts often involve reversing long-held cultural and societal beliefs. Given this situation, violence against women will likely continue despite best efforts to decrease women’s vulnerability to such acts unless male risk factors and protective factors are addressed. While general risk factors exist, such as age and familiarity with the person, the majority of perpetrators have adopted behaviors, either learned behaviors or societal beliefs that increase their likelihood of committing domestic violence. Previous acts of violence against women is often the biggest predictor of whether or not a man will commit an act of violence. For example, men who commit rape are likely to have done so multiple times. That’s why individuals with a history of physical violence are more likely to commit future acts. Men who hold traditional gender role beliefs, (men as breadwinners; women should stay at home) and adapt to masculine norms (men need to be self-reliant; have power over women) are more likely to commit violence against women. Men who commit acts of domestic violence are likely to have experienced acts of violence against themselves, so they redirect their abuse to another. A large portion of these men also experienced abuse as a child, so they grow up thinking this behavior is acceptable. On the other hand, there are protective factors that can reduce the chance of men committing domestic violence. There are not many ways of decreasing the chance of domestic violence, but there are some. Some of the most common would be: changing social norms that turn away from or support violence against women (either through community intervention or public education), and/or by creating more stability in low-income communities, since there is a connection between violence and social problems (poverty, substance abuse, etc. )

Global Financing and Exchange Rate

Global Financing and Exchange Rate Mechanisms March 07, 2009 Global Financing and Exchange Rate Mechanisms Hard currencies are a currency, usually from a highly industrialized country, that is widely accepted around the world as a form of payment for goods and services. A hard currency is expected to remain relatively stable through a short period of time, and to be highly liquid in the forex market (Investopedia, 2009). The forex market is the largest, most liquid market in the world with an average traded value that exceeds $1. 9 trillion per day and includes all of the currencies in the world. There is no central marketplace for currency exchange; trade is conducted over the counter. The forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week, and currencies are traded worldwide among the major financial centers of London, New York, Tokyo, Zurich, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris and Sydney (Investopedia, 2009). Another criterion for a hard currency is that the currency must come from a politically and economically stable country. The U. S. dollar and the British pound are good examples of hard currencies (Investopedia, 2009). Soft currency is another name for â€Å"weak currency†. The values of soft currencies fluctuate often, and other countries do not want to hold these currencies due to political or economic uncertainty within the country with the soft currency. Currencies from most developing countries are considered to be soft currencies. Often, governments from these developing countries will set unrealistically high exchange rates, pegging their currency to a currency such as the U. S. dollar (Investopedia, 2009). Hard Currency is used in global financing operations by developed nations. Hard currency is easily traded and bartered throughout the world. Using hard currency ensures that there is an even playing field for all parties in the transaction. Hard currency is important in managing risks because â€Å"a company can counter an imminent devaluation by speeding up collections of receivables, postponing bill paying, and converting cash into hard currency† (Feist, Helly, & Lu, 1999) . Another way that hard currency manages risks is by utilizing or adopting it, it is least likely to be a factor in the loss of funds. World organizations which invest internationally face the prospect of uncertainty in the returns after they convert the foreign gains back to their own currency. Unlike the past when most U. S. investors ignored international investing alternatives, investors today must recognize and understand exchange rate risk, which can be defined as the variability in returns on securities caused by currency fluctuations. Exchange rate risk is sometimes called currency risk. This risk is true for the nations also. For example if a currency is free-floating, its exchange rate is allowed to vary against that of other currencies. Exchange rates for such currencies are likely to change almost constantly as quoted on financial markets, mainly by banks, around the world. This can lead to lot of speculation and also losses especially for weak economies. Moreover investors generally prefer hard currencies to soft currencies at times of increased inflation (or more precisely increased inflation differentials between countries), at times of heightened political or military risk, or when they feel that one or more government-imposed exchange rates are unrealistic. In some cases, an economy may choose to abandon local currency altogether and adopt a hard currency as legal tender. Examples include the adoption in Ecuador and Panama of the US dollar, and the adoption in Kosovo and Montenegro of first the German mark and later the euro. â€Å"Countries open to capital flows can adopt a wide range of arrangements, from free floating to a variety of crawling pegs with broad bands around them (under which the central exchange rate is frequently and marginally adjusted), as well as very hard pegs sustained by policy commitments such as currency boards, dollarization (or, more generally, the adoption of another foreign currency as legal tender), or membership in a currency union† (Finance & Development, 2001). Hard pegs are defined as â€Å"In economics, a policy in which the authorities insist on some permanent, precise guarantee of the value of the local currency to some other thing: a unit measure of gold, the US dollar, the euro, or the pound. Historically, the US dollar had a hard peg to gold from 1946 to 1971, while other currencies in the developed world had a hard peg to the US dollar. Since 1971, most of the world's money is in floating currency (whose relative value is set by the free market)† (Urban Dictionary). A floating currency is â€Å"A currency whose value is set by the currency markets; money whose exchange rate relative to other currencies is determined mainly or entirely by unrestricted trading in the currency. Most currencies are dirty float |dirty floats, which means that the government issuing them attempts to manage their traded value in some way; or else hard peg |hard pegs, in which the value is tied to something specific. When a currency is floating, then its value may rise because the county is running a trade surplus, or it is running a capital account surplus. Floating currencies are not fiat money, although they are often confused for each other† (Urban Dictionary). In some cases the US dollar is considered fiat money because it is deemed â€Å"money that (a) derives its value entirely from the mandate of the government, and (b) cannot be freely traded. Fiat money is not the same thing as floating currency, because if a floating currency is intrinsically worthless then its lack of worth will be reflected in the forex markets. Fiat money, on the other hand, does not require a disciplined monetary of fiscal policy on the part of the issuing authorities; exchange rates are fixed by decree, which means the state also controls supplies of hard (foreign) currency† (Urban Dictionary). â€Å"Times change, and a currency that is considered weak at one time may become stronger, and perceived as a hard currency later on. For example, the pound sterling was considered structurally weak and liable to depreciate (in real terms) for much of the post World War II period; now it is considered to have re-established fiscal and monetary soundness and to be strong. The U. S. dollar (USD) has been considered a strong currency in recent years, and importantly a safe-haven in times of international tension or war, but the USA has large fiscal and trade deficits and an unresolved problem that many Asian currencies are pegged to the dollar and therefore do not appreciate as their trade surpluses with the USA grow; some commentators believe that these considerations imply that the U. S. dollar will now enter a period of weakness, especially that there are signs that China may be relaxing the rate at which the yuan is pegged to the dollar† (Answers, 2007). Soft Currency is used in global operations by underdeveloped or unstable nations. Soft currency is also used as local currency like the Mexican peso. Soft currency is important in managing risks because it is a warning for companies to take proactive measures to reduce currency exchange losses. Soft pegs may lead speculation, which can be costly in industrialized countries, but are frequently harmful to emerging market countries, as in Latin America (Mexico and Ecuador), East Asia (Thailand, Korea, and Indonesia) and Turkey. The breakdown of soft pegs in emerging market countries is as damaging as it is because their debt structure is generally short term and is denominated in foreign currency. Thus a successful speculative attack leads to a sharp deterioration in balance sheets, which in turn leads to a financial crisis. Hard pegs may be desirable, particularly in countries whose political and monetary institutions are especially weak; they can used to stabilize the economy. However, hard pegs will not be successful in promoting a healthy economy unless government policies create the right institutional environment. Thus Pegging has typically been a way to substantiate the value of a local currency against the world's convertible currencies and to stabilize the exchange rate. References Investopedia, (http://www. investopedia. com/terms/s/softcurrency. asp) Feist, William R. , Heely, James A. , & Lu, Min H. (1999). Managing A Global Enterprise. , Greenwood Publishing Group. International Financial Management by Madhu vij Finance & Development, (http://www. imf. org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2001/06/fischer. htm) Urban Dictionary, (http://www. urbandictionary. com/define. php? term=hard%20peg)

Whole Foods Market Inc 2005 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Whole Foods Market Inc 2005 - Case Study Example Considering that customers insist on green products or products that pose no threat to the environment, they are more aware of eating food that has no side effects to their bodies. Most foods have been blamed for causing different ailments and for their low nutritional value, which has resulted in increased awareness among consumers on the need to stay healthy by watching what they eat. Whole Foods Markets Inc. is a company that takes care of these worries from consumers. The company offers natural healthy foods that are valuable in a market crowded with canned inorganic foods. Whole Foods in its provision of natural foods makes a wide range of natural food available to its consumers. The company is currently the only firm operating in a waterfront seafood facility after acquiring Pigeon Cove (Hitt, Ireland & Hoskisson 334). The company enjoys a monopoly in production of fresh seafood, which is a delicacy for many fish lovers. The other sustainable competency that makes Whole Foods c ompetitive in the market is its operating conditions. The company ranks among the 100 best companies to work in globally, a ranking that attracts highly skilled expertise to the business across the globe. Today’s employee is sophisticated and is highly motivated by working in a versatile environment that recognizes and adapts to their needs and not the traditional fixed working environments. These strengths are sustainable in that today more people are concerned about their eating lifestyles. This is a boost to companies such as Whole Foods Market, which pioneered offering fresh and healthy foods for those requiring special diets and the general population in the business. The company has a strong market niche that guarantees increased growth and a huge customer base into the future. Q2 Since Whole Foods pioneered the sale of natural and fresh perishable goods in the market, there have been tremendous changes in the industry. One of the significant changes have been sensitizi ng people and creating awareness on the need for people to use natural foods and not processed foods. Over the time, most people used processed foods, which has been blamed for increased diabetic cases among other complications. Whole Foods in pioneering to deal with natural fresh foods enlightened many consumers on the need to use natural foods for the betterment of their health, which explains the drastic growth of the natural food industry today. Another development has been an increase in the number of companies offering such foods. Due to the high numbers of consumers seeking to consume natural food, more entrepreneurs and food-based companies started offering natural foods to their clients as the market for natural foods broadened. For instance, Wal-Mart began selling freshly prepared foods to its customers in encouraging a one stop shopping experience among its clients. The need arose from an increasingly busy life, where some couples worked for long hours, lacking enough tim e to prepare meals at home. The increased demand for natural food led Whole Foods to open numerous stores in major metropolitan areas, where the company sold its products at relatively lower prices than their competitors. Essentially, as the need for fresh and organic products increased, there was a shortage of such products in the market as more stores searched for suppliers of different produce to satisfy the customers’ changing tastes and preferences. Moreover, companies such as Whole Foods sensitized producers on the need to observe organic farming, making organic farming a treasured practice across their market areas. Whole Foods had a strict code of practice to be followed by all its suppliers. This included the need for a supplier to outline the entire production process in animals and other

Woolf and Wollstonecraft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Woolf and Wollstonecraft - Essay Example With the introduction of the production line factory and the machine during the 1800s, more and more individuals were moving to the cities to seek work. This had the effect of bringing the women in from the fields on the farms to the kitchens and family rooms of the urban middle class. This emerging middle class gave birth to what has since been referred to as the Cult of the True Woman. This term was first coined by Barbara Welter in the mid-1960s (1966) to be used in referring to a set of ideas and beliefs regarding the proper structure of the quintessential well-bred family. The ideal middle class life was thus firmly established as consisting of a father going off to work and a mother who stayed at home and reared the children. Yet, recognition of the fallacies of this doctrine had already long been recognized. Virginia Woolf, writing during the early 20th century is widely recognized as one of the first modernist feminists of the 20th century, but comparison with another revolut ionary feminist writer of the 18th century, Mary Wollstonecraft, reveals that she was perhaps not as innovative as she is credited. The introduction of the feminist movement was a long-time coming and a slow process, yet inevitable with the advances that were being made in the lifestyles of humans in developing countries. â€Å"The onset of industrialization at the beginning of the nineteenth century highlighted differences among women just as it exacerbated those between men and women workers† (Kessler-Harris, 1991). Widows, single women and women with no better prospects flocked to the growing mill towns of England and America attracted by the relatively high wages that were promised in the factories as compared to the low yield of the fields, but the glorious dreams of potential quickly faded in the realities of the city. Factory owners began working to reduce costs, lowering wages and demanding more work at the same time that living expenses in the city continued to

The Psychology Victimization of Miss Lonelyhearts Essay

The Psychology Victimization of Miss Lonelyhearts - Essay Example This paper analyzes the psychological victimization of Miss Lonelyhearts. It argues that Miss Lonelyhearts is a victim of his society, relationships, and his own spiritual and emotional disintegration, and his psychology has become too nihilistic that he could no longer feel his humanity and find meaning in his existence. Society has victimized Miss Lonelyhearts through the capitalist labor system that treat people as means to corporate ends. Capitalism has numbed Miss Lonelyhearts and made him incapable of acknowledging and responding to human suffering (Scheurich and Mullen 572). He receives many letters that range from the mundane to the terribly appalling. One letter is from a vain girl with no nose, while the other confides that his mentally-ill sister has been raped, and he does know what to do. These letters, however, are not trivial for they represent a â€Å"great mass of suffering† that have interrelated social, economic, political, and cultural dimensions (Scheurich and Mullen 573). Particularly recurrent is the demand for material goods and physical attraction. Correspondents are concerned of their physical appearance to institutions or individuals that they regard as important. People are also complaining of getting more money and not feeling that they have enough wealth to satisfy their needs, as well as others, and so life has become a means of pursuing materialist existence. Capitalism is represented in this pursuit of superficial happiness that spans physical and material needs (Bromige 4). In addition, capitalism exists in the labor markets and its dynamics. Workers like Miss Lonelyhearts are trapped in jobs that are monotonous and exploitative, but they cannot easily find new ones for lack of better job opportunities. Furthermore, their managers treat them as means to corporate ends. Shrike uses Miss Lonelyhearts as an emotional punching bag. He also demeans correspondents, because their plight is not truly important to him. Shrike fin ds joy in using people and ensuring readership for his newspaper. Different social relationships also oppress Miss Lonelyhearts. Miss Lonelyhearts is a victim of a bully at the workplace. Because of his emotionally and spiritually exhausting job, he often feels unwell and looks for means to alleviate his inner turmoil. One time, after being sick and staying in his room for three days, Betty nudges him to leave his job. Miss Lonelyhearts admits that he took the job as a joke, but the joke no longer means anything to him. Pleas for advice force him to examine his own values and conditions, and he, too, has turned into â€Å"the victim of the joke† (Bromige 3). Shrike breaks into the room and mocks him to live at the South Seas: â€Å"I take your silence to mean that you have decided against the soil. I agree with you. Such a life is too dull and laborious. Let us now consider the South Seas† (West). The South Seas represent the expanse of opportunities that are paradoxic ally not available to Miss Lonelyhearts. He can only dream about his attempt to escape his world. Miss Lonelyhearts also victimizes his own identity by not resolving his inner conflicts. He uses Betty and other people to fill his emptiness. For instance, in a vacation, he spends time with Betty, but he does not feel better afterwards. The same feeling of

Organizational Change Master Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Organizational Change Master - Essay Example While it has many ramifications including corporate ones that need a greater degree of focus and analysis within the socio-economic environment in which the company operates, there is also the need for a more practical view of the challenges faced by the society. It's here that Unilever has succeeded. Many writers have defined the concept of sustainability in a variety of ways. However the definition given by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) is considered to be of prime importance - "Sustainability represents forms of progress that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs". Big organizations meet most of these constituent elements in its efforts to sustain the very environment in which they operate. Both the production process and the consumption process in the economy of a country are shaped by the innovative strengths and the subsequent summation of the "five basic sustainability principles" as enunciated by Buckminster Fuller (Dresner, 2002, p.37). They are the material domain, the economic domain, the domain of life, the social domain and the spiritual domain. According to Fuller the material domain is the central principle necessary for the regulation of the mobility of materials and en ergy that help to sustain life as it's. The economic domain serves as a main mechanism to husband wealth.On the other hand organizational change and sustainable development refers to a process in which individuals, processes, practices and whole organizations are transformed from their current position to a new desired position. According to Warren Bennis organizational development and sustainability is a complex strategic process in which attitudes, values, beliefs and the organizational structure are subject to change through adaptation to new challenges and techniques in equally new market segments. In other words it's a dynamic process intended to bring about systemic improvement and change. Thus organizational response to sustainability issues plays a very significant role here. The process of transformation from what an organization now is to a new dimensional growth trajectory is determined by how best change is accepted by the staff. AnalysisDuring the past two decades organizational change and sustainability has become a very important aspect in the modern day management practice. Change is more appropriate when everything else has failed to ensure the continuous survival of the business (Clark, 1999). However change and sustainability in itself might not be desirable when the degree of resistance to change becomes stronger because when resistance gathers momentum that in itself is an indicator of the existence of other solutions. If organizational change and development were focused on improving critical success factors related to financial management, Human Resource Management (HRM), employee relations, supply chain management, quality management, marketing and corporate social responsibility (CSR), then the organization would have to face considerable resistance.In the first

The Dynamics of Business Ethics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Dynamics of Business Ethics - Article Example The fine was imposed by the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and is considered as one of the largest fine imposed in accounting history (Rankin, 2013). RELEVANCE: How does this relate to the class materials? A large amount of fine was imposed on Deloitte because it failed to adhere to the accounting policies and breached ethical accounting standards when it had advised the above-mentioned companies for a merger, which led to the catastrophic outcome (Leake, 2013). REFLECTION: What are my thoughts and opinions regarding this article or report? As per my opinion, the management not only failed to identify potential conflicts but also failed to adhere to the ethical corporate standards. UNIT Article 2: ( Marta Steeman, 27 June 2013, 8000 painters under Ecan scrutiny, Source: Business Day). DESCRIPTION: In June 2013, the management of Environment Canterbury (ECan) imposed restrictions on the paintings of 8000 painters in Christchurch (Steeman, 2013). It was observed that the painters we re using illegal disposal paint that had the potentiality of polluting and harming the environment (Steeman, 2013). Ecan has requested the paint companies to use paints, which are relevant to the quality requirements of the Environmental Regulation Authority (Steeman, 2013). RELEVANCE: The paint companies have been requested to use environmentally friendly paints which can be discharged directly into the wastewater without hampering or blocking the city drainage system (Steeman, 2013). Ecan has also started a nationwide anti wash campaign to prevent the paint companies using illegal paints (Steeman, 2013). REFLECTION: As per the notice issued by Ecan, paint companies are requested to carry the trade license for purchase of containers of paints which are environment-friendly and come in between the range of $200- $ 4500. As per my opinion, there is a huge interrelationship between personal and organizational ethics. The alignment between the two goals is necessary for the productivit y of the organizations (Svensson and Wood, 2003). The employees failed to follow the ethical standards of the company. Article 3: ( Juliette Garside, 31 May 2013, Leaked: Europe probes Apple overexploitation of mobile networks, Source: The Guardian) DESCRIPTION: The European Commission is investigating whether Apple Inc has performed unfair means and methods to the mobile network companies that sell its phones. Although the management claims that it has complied with the local laws and regulations, the papers shown by the European commission reflect that the company has been using unfair means for yielding profitability. The European Commission is investigating the matter related to Apple Smartphones (Garside, 2013). RELEVANCE: Although the management of Apple claims that is has complied with the local laws and regulations to continue its business operations, European Commission has shown papers which depict the leaked allegations with the signature of the regulatory authorities. RE FLECTION: As per my opinion, Apple Inc tried to gain a competitive advantage or profitability through unfair means or methods, which is really offensive.  

Capital budgeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Capital budgeting - Essay Example In addition, NPV approach provides a clear indication on how the profits will be obtained, unlike IRR and payback approaches. Therefore, the NPV is the most useful tool in project valuation (Arthur, 2014). Of the three techniques (NPV, IRR, and payback period, the least useful tool to use is the IRR, because discount rate has an inverse relationship with NPV. When NPV continues to increase, the anticipated future cash flows become less valuable and hence making IRR least useful tool to use in project valuation. On the other hand, payback approach is the second least useful tool to use after IRR. The Payback period indicate how long the cash flow obtained from the project will recover the initial capital outlay. In addition, the payback period fails to indicate the amount of cash flow to be generated from the project. However, it is the simplest method of calculating project forecast (Arthur, 2014). The answer would not be the same because a negative NPV will be obtained when cost of capital increases from 14% to 25%. It means that as the cost of the capital increase the return obtained from the project decreases significantly up to a negative (Peterson & Fabozzi,2002). Such decrease makes the project un-profitable and, therefore, it is advisable for the EEC not to invest when cost of capital increases to 25%. If EEC did not save an even cash flow of $500,000 per year, the answer would be the same.The least amount of investment that would make this investment attractive to EEC is $100,000. From the above scenario, the EEC would be willing to pay the supplier $2000, 000. The president of EEC should be aware that if the cost of capital increases as discussed above, the underlying effect is a negative NPV. It means that the project will be no longer profitable to the company (Arthur, 2014). If the expected savings are less than $500,000 per annum, it will be difficult for the ECC to pay its supplier a capital of $2000, 000, and

Discussion Question 2 Week 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Question 2 Week 6 - Assignment Example New employees have to be retrained so as to think outside the box when making decisions. The employees have the ability to relate with people they meet outside the business hence creating a good rapport with potential customers. Empowerment of the employees creates trust in them, as they are motivated in displaying their creativity, initiative and commitment in the decision making process required to propel the achievement of the hotel’s goals (Cameron, 2010). Also by being entrusted with decision making about their own jobs, the employees invest more in the overall performance of the company. By adding challenges to their jobs and giving them a sense of ownership, the employees became motivated (Rutkowski, 2011). With this empowerment, services provided to customers are of highest standards. Services such as stocking extra towels in the guest rooms, provision of quality food, and quick delivery of the customers’ requirements is observed. With this empowerment, organizational goals were achieved, and ways of performing jobs in the boutique hotel improved (Rutkowski,

Disclousuer requirments in securities regulation between Saudi Arabia Research Paper - 1

Disclousuer requirments in securities regulation between Saudi Arabia and united States (compareson) - Research Paper Example Disclosures imply that public should be informed of any investment decisions, while the undermining of this confidence leads to the collapse of the securities market harming national economy for a very long period of time. Saudi Arabia is considered to be one of the largest developing stock markets in the world. Nowadays it shows increasing demands for various investments in corporate securities. While in 2006, Saudi Arabia securities market was regarded as the market which suffered from the lack of transparency and disclosure credibility less than average due to the economic crisis happened in this state. Great part of the investors received no compensation for the caused damages and had no any practical possibility to protect their rights with respect to the securities rights. Thus, some scholars define the current legislation of Saudi Arabia on the securities law and its disclosure as existing in place, but not functional in practice. Despite this fact, some states share the views that Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that has relatively strong disclosure requirements. This country is able to ensure investor’s protection during exercising of business transactions. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to describe the disclosure requirements applicable to the securities in Saudi Arabia and it comparison with the strong securities market conditions prevailing within the USA market. In Saudi Arabia, some principles applicable to the issuers of securities exist. Hence, issuers that offer securities through public offer are always subject to disclosure requirements involving shareholder voting decisions and equal treatment to each other. In any case, the body governing the issue of securities requires submission of the reports on the disclosure of significant amount of shareholders of the companies. At the same time, Saudi Arabia implements main

The Best Thing Ever Essay Example for Free

The Best Thing Ever Essay Victoria McQueen Doctor-Assisted Suicide is it Right or Wrong? Suicide in all shapes and forms is wrong. There are so many reasons to fight and keep hope, taking the life of yourself or having a doctor assist you with taking your life is absurd. Having the gift of life is exactly that; a gift. Taking something so precious that some people don’t even have the option to is a terrible thing. No matter what you believe or what other people believe there has and always will be a plan for you, if you are alive right now you’re not done with your plan. Getting to choose when you want to die is not right, not when there are people struggling to stay afloat. I think that having the capability to have a doctor assist you in suicide is a terrible idea and I am against it. Depression is a difficult thing that hits Americans today; with our issues on body image, and stress from work and keeping and job and then still coming home to a family has become more challenging for people today. There are people who get depressed and wish to take their lives. If it is that important for them to end their lives I am sure they could find a way. Then there are the people who come to the doctors who try and have them help them with it. Its almost as if they are looking for an â€Å"Okay† from someone to end their life because they have a belief system that frowns upon suicide or something like that. If it’s in the cards for you I am sure you can get through it. You should not think that taking your life is the way to do it. The doctors who are involved in situations like this should have restrictions and guidelines that a person has to follow before even mentioning this option because for this task to even be brought up and seem okay would be wrong. Life gets hard we all know this, you hit rock bottom go through some tough spots but it’s up to you to pick up your boot straps and move on. I think there are certain moments when the doctor-assisted suicide should be ok but they have to be under very strict guidelines because someone having the ability to pick and choose when they want to die is just ridiculous. I think if you elect to have a doctor assisted suicide you should have to create a relationship with the doctor and you should be ask more than once if this is what you really want so there are no chances in making a mistake. In the event you have a disease that requires a cure; what if that very next day or even very next hour they find that cure you just gave up on everything you were fighting for after so long. Giving up on life when you cannot handle it anymore is something that no one should get to decide. Some people live the easy life but in rare cases life gets incredibly hard; paraplegia when you have no use of your limbs. Locked-In Syndrome; you have no use of anything just your brain so you are basically stuck in your body sometimes you can use your eyes to communicate. ALS you lose control of all voluntary muscle movement. These are the moments when someone is suffering that I believe that you should have other options rather than just wasting away locked in your own mind and body. There are other terminal illness that occur where keeping a person as happy as possible and keeping them comfortable becomes very hard. Cost of living is expensive for one then you have the price of round the clock nurses among all the pain medicine that has to be purchased so pain can be managed. There are so many jobs that have to be fulfilled to keep a person happy but how long can that last, unless you are rich and can have whatever you want. Take for instance, Stephen Hawking; he is a rich man but after everything he has been through he continues to fight and it’s not some measly little fight to get through the days he is still so adamant about research and the things he continues to do today. He continues to impress people and wants to keep doing things with his life. Having the will to push on and pursue great things no matter what’s going on is very admirable. Reasons that doctor assisted suicide is wrong is there are also faiths and beliefs and hopes that people have been living by and making it okay to end a life for the fact that it got too hard for someone is not right. With that being said I am against physician-assisted suicide, unless there are dire emergencies and the person is suffering beyond belief. We all have different levels of suffering some people can last longer than others in dealing with that but we should also be able to recognize when a person is really suffering and we should do anything in our power to help a person maintain comfortably and allowing them not to suffer.

Youth Empowerment And Promoting Peace

Youth Empowerment And Promoting Peace Peace is not just absence of war but also a state of mind, individual or collective a social cultural, political and economic harmony. Peace is also a way of being and a way of living. Hence to build a true culture of peace, we need to develop justice and respect of human rights to fight against poverty. We need to favour intercultural dialogue which should be among civilizations and to empower youths. As youths it is our governments concerning at dialogue to build a culture of peace. Therefore, we must support the following concrete proposals to support youth against oppression and we have to recognize the number of existing obstacles for the realization of a true culture of peace. Now the time has come to activate the youth of the world to get the best from the atom by using it properly and bringing peace in the world. The youths of new millennium must work hard for linking and networking research with the international peace movement. To promote inter nation discussion of youths common problems we must approach UN and its related agencies on the topics of human rights and rights of the children. Let the youths make special request for providing advice, help with setting up courses and conferences on the world peace to assist in workshops on peace education for the youth. Youth must be encouraged to appeal to the world leader to create peaceful and sustainable world. Every youth has different knowledge and capabilities. International peace and security can not be achieved without the promotion of mutual understanding, cooperation and goodwill among the youth of the world. The world community must give a new dimension to task of education, producing a new kind of spirit of harmony and understanding in the art of living in the world community. UN must empower every youth with the education and resources to sustainable livelihood and provide social security and solution building concerning peace. However the United Nations has seeds of hope and peace. We should remember that in comparison to the United Nations the world is very old and it is not easy to change the world. Youth can be said to be the most innovative and uncompromising part of society. UN was setup from the ashes of the Second World War and the declaration of human rights was one of the first things that it produced. We should understand that whole universe is created for peace not for destruction. People should therefore live together in peace and do whatever they can for the wellbeing of the suffering ones. However, we have not been successful in stopping the arm race among the great power yet. The exercise of human rights and freedom is an essential element of peace. Peace is an essential requirement for the satisfaction of human basic needs such as food, shelter, health, education, labour and environment. The young general assembly is uniting young people from all over the world in responsible action to initiate practical activities through promoting youth empowerment in decision making and solution building. The children of the world are calling for a better future. They have the chance to develop their potential. They need a peaceful world. Childrens rights are being violated every day and yet the offenders continued to say Children are the future. To educate and enlighten the youths about social services and also promote community organizing as a tool to reconnect people to each other with a common goal of building supportive and good community. To create spaces for the youths of the world including people who are young of color, queer, poor and or have disabilities to invest in the power of collective action. The world community is highly concerned about the continued deterioration of the status of world wide youths who face growing levels of unemployment, poverty, epidemic diseases, functional illiteracy and other social and economic challenges. Youths continue to face serious health issues, in particular the HIV/AIDS which is the biggest challenge facing our generation. The world community is highly concerned about the prevalence of human rights violation with regard to young people such as child labour, trafficking and living in countries under occupation. We recognize that there are too many young people lacking the necessary education and training for good productive jobs, too few jobs and too many unproductive jobs with poor remuneration and security. The world community must increase an investment in relevant skills training, emphasizing training appropriate to the job market. Growing awareness of the interdependence of the world and of global problems is concern to all people of the world. The purpose of youth network is to increase the youths respect for human beings, love for humanity and develop a peace loving mind all of which should be the foundation for international understanding. Therefore moral education is very closely related to international understanding. Special activities play an important role because they help the youths develop international understanding through actual experiences. We must empower all the youths of the world and encourage them to pay need to the followings: Interests in the world surrounding and in human cultures. Understanding of world and cultures. Transformation of consciousness to include the world and other cultures. Formation of an attitude of international harmony and cooperation. Often teaching for international understanding is based on a description and analysis of different international social systems. The aim is to develop a critical idea in young people who should be able to discern the political and economical structure, which are the causes of conflict, violence and war. This is right but not enough. The young people will be encouraged to take part in activities of understanding other people and to discover the cultures of other races such as Japanese, the Africans and the Arabs. They may learn in other lands such as the famine crises, earthquake crisis in Pakistan and may decide to sponsor a child in Africa in order to help pay for his education. The venture may be successful in bringing the awareness amongst the young people about the value of understanding and peace and benefits, peaceful cooperation amongst the different people of the world. The people of the world should take keen interest in identifying and advocating for initiatives that empower young people to have greater control over their individual and collective destinies and their ability to contribute effectively to the advancement of the global community and achieve peace and international understanding. To form a youth network which could mechanism to ensure the participation of young representatives reconciliations process, negotiations and peace building. Lets develop and support the education of culture of peace in programmes of schools in all levels. It is crucial to break stereotypes in education by raising awareness the role and contribution of girls and young women in society. The United Nations system should encourage, promote and find ways to recognize the participation, facilities and technical assistance for their work. Education, training and capacity building of youth are of paramount importance to encourage youths to contribute their time and energy in the field of international understanding and peace. Especially the young people of the developing countries are facing lots of problems for example, lack of opportunities for education and training, unemployment, drug abuse, poor health facilities and services etc. the young people constitute the major human resource for development. They are in many sectors, the key agents for social change and technological innovations. Young people are frequently the last to benefit directly from general progress, living without basic resources curtails the participation of youths in the lives of their communities and nations. It also has an adverse impact on the access to education and skill development. Poverty undermines the aspiration of millions of young people globally, manifesting itself in illness, illiteracy, drug abuse, trafficking and crime. Faced with too many demands, too few resources, the needs of youth go unanswered to the long term detriment of development. It is evident from the foregoing facts and figures that youth need support if they are to play a central role in society. The international communities also have objectives, to promote youth activities as an integral part of social and economic development; to enhance the active participation of youth in society and to promote among young people, the ideals of peace and international understanding.

Pest Analysis Hong Kong Ocean Park Tourism Essay

Pest Analysis Hong Kong Ocean Park Tourism Essay Ocean Park is considered as a major attraction in Hong Kong, the luminous pearl of the Orient and known as the financial center of Southeast China. It is located on the south end of Hong Kong Island. The larger two sections are located on the headlands of Mount Nanlang, while the smaller section is located in the Huang Zhu Keng Valley lowlands. It is considered as one of the largest ocean in the world, having an area of 170 miles (2008). Organizations change and organizations compete for the same resource, competencies as well as customers. It is the cruel reality that must not be neglected by any management, thus the strategy as well as strategic management must not be neglected as a vital integral part of what managers do ( 2002,). This paper will focus on the strategic management process of the Ocean Park of Hong Kong towards their foreigner or tourists customers, particularly those mainland Chinese. It will first tackle the details about the Ocean Park. Second, it will analyze the external environment such as the economic and culture aspect that can affect the relationship of the organization to their possible foreign customers or tourists. Furthermore, it will focus on the internal environment of the organization such as its core competency, together with its strengths and weaknesses. Ocean Park Hong Kong Ocean Park Hong Kong is considered as one of the most important amusement park in Hong Kong, and even in the world. Opened in January 1977 as the countrys unique local park with the heritage of delivering family, fun and fond memories, it was chosen by the citizens of the country as their number 1 favorite scenic spot in the country in 2005 ( 2007). It was also ranked by on June 1, 2006 as the 7th among the top ten most popular amusement parks in the world (China Travel Golden Route 2007). Ocean Park combines the elements of entertainment, education and conservation in their services. It is consists of six main areas which are: Lowland Gardens, Kids World, Marine Land, Headland Rides, Adventure Land and Bird Paradise ( 2007). Furthermore, provides all of its guests with memorable education, while inspiring life long learning and conservation involvement. It also focuses on maintaining a healthy financial status, while offering the guests a diverse range of activities at competitive prices. It exists for the benefits of the public and strives in order to deliver the highest standard of safety, animal care, products as well as guest service (Ocean Park Hong Kong 2008). The Ocean Park of Hong Kong is part of the growing global industry of amusement park in the world, as well as part of the tourism industry. The organization is focuses in global market, and taking advantage of the improving tourism industry of the country, targeting their tourists, regardless of their age. The main goal of Hong Kong Ocean Park is to be the world leader in providing excellent guest experiences in a theme park environment that connects people with the nature (Ocean Park Hong Kong 2008). The park is currently undergoing a massive expansion to be finished in 2010. However, there will no rides to be closed during the said period (2008). External Environments of Ocean Park PEST Analysis Figure 1 PEST Analysis Hong Kong Ocean Park Political Analysis Political factors have a direct impact on the relationship of Ocean Park Hong Kong, to their foreign customers or visitors. One of the most important factors that are associated with amusement park industry of the country is the easiness of the restrictions and promotion of the free travel of China in 2003 that helped to inject a new life to the tourism industry of Hong Kong (2004). The said improving relationship between China and Hong Kong, can impact the relationship of Ocean Park to their foreign customers, particularly the Chinese tourists, largest portion of the countrys visitors ( 2007). The growing economic clout, as well as the success of the Individual Visit Scheme results to the increase focus of the entire industry towards China and most of the players will focus on catering to the greater range of budget types but throughout the entire tourism industry ( 2008). Economic Analysis Locally and globally, different businesses are being affected by the different economic factors. In terms of the country, the development and growth of the entire tourism industry influence the performance of the entire amusement park industry. The number of Chinese visitors of the country increased from 13.1% in 1998 to 27.1% in 1999 in 2007, of all visitors ( 1999). There are total of 12.9 million tourists that came to the country, and more than 50% of it arrived from mainland China ( 2006). Find statistic before 2005 !!!! cant use new one Ocean Park Hong Kong showed an increase in tourists coming from mainland China in the last few years. The mainlanders make up the 45% of all the visitors of Ocean Park, having a high attendance of 2.2 million, showing an increase of 70% from 2003 ( 2008). find statistics about mainlanders!!! Social Analysis The entire tourism industry, particularly the industry of amusement park of the country is being affected by major events and influences. This can be observed during the peak season such as Chinese New Year and School holidays that enables each and every player of the industry to gain more than 50% of total attendance ( 2008). statistics about attendance in this peak-times before 2005!!! It is also important to consider different media views. This is due to the fact that it can affect or influence of the foreign customers regarding visiting the place. Furthermore the advertisement and publicity is important, that is the reason why it is important for different amusement parks to take part in different events what kind of major events were of the country in order to showcase the culture and history of Hong Kong to their visitors. Technological Analysis The Internet has increasingly become a popular medium for marketing and customer relationship . This is due to the fact that the Internet can offer a great connection with huge and immeasurable possible market. This is important because the industry, primarily Ocean Park Hong Kong is focusing on its relationship to its global market. Furthermore, it is also important to consider the improvement and development of the amusement machinery industry. Industry Analysis Five Forces Analysis Figure 2 Five Forces Analysis of Ocean Park (Hong Kong Amusement Park) Threat of New Entry The threat of new entrants refers the possibility that the profits of established firms in the respective industry may be eroded by new competitors. In terms of the amusement park industry, the entry barrier is high due to the need to invest large amount of financial resources ( 2004). Typically it ranges from $50 million to $3 billion, depending on the real state market. In addition to that amusement park required over 50 acres of land for a full scale development; other can utilize 10,000 to 30,000 acres ( 2006). The said factor is important because Hong Kong has a high land price real state market This is also connected to the fact that the location of the amusement park is a very important factor. Threat of Rivalry Rivalry among the existing competitors takes the form of process of jockeying for the position. Firms usually implement different tactics like price competition, advertising battles, product introductions as well as increased customer services ( 2004 ). It is important to consider the lack of differentiation, that is why the customers choice based greatly over the price and service, thus causes pressure for the intense price and service competition ( 2004). This can be observe in the amusement park industry of the country, due to high threat of rivalry, different players are implementing different plans and activities such as renovation and introduction of new attractions in order to catch the attention of the customers. Threat of Substitution All firms within a given industry compete with an industry that produces the substitute products and services. Substitutes limit the potential returns of an industry by the process of placing a ceiling on the prices of the firms in the given industry can profitably charge ( 2004). In the industry, the threat of substitution is relatively low because the main substitute for the product is other aspects of leisure and tourism industry such as sport and casino industry. On the other hand, because of the popularity of the amusement park industry as well as the growing number of Chinese tourists, the industry is not that affected. Threat of Suppliers Suppliers can exert a bargaining power over participants in an industry by threatening to raise prices or even reduce the quality of purchased goods and services ( 2004,). In the case of the industry, the suppliers doesnt have that much power because of the improving and growing industry of the amusement equipment industry, that enables the technology exchange between the different local and international players particularly in China ( 2007). In addition to that, the airline industry, which is considered as the primary supplier of visitors for the company is also facing impact of competition as well as the growing demand for cheap travel packages. Buyer Power The buyer or the visitors and tourists have a medium or mediocre influence over the industry because the product and service of the industry is important for the customers. This is due to the fact that amusement is considered as part of necessity of every family in Hong Kong, as well as the mainland China market. Furthermore, the said industry cannot be replaced by other substitute. Competitor Analysis Disneyland Disneyland opened in September 2005 and had helped to reposition the country as a premier destination for families. On its opening day, it had set a record of 16,000 visitors, and 1/3 of it are from the mainland China. It had maintained its 13,000 to 14,000 average visitors (cited in 2006). The main advantage of the company is that it holds the name of the Disney which is well known in the world in terms of entertainment. Furthermore, it targets the children, thus the whole family because of the different rides and attractions that focuses on different well-known Disney characters. This can help the company to attract more visitors or tourists from different part of the globe, particularly those who are from the US and Europe. On the other hand, the main disadvantage is that most of the mainland Chinese doesnt have those strong attachments with Mickey and friends and other Disney characters ( 2006). The said aspects are important for the company because most of the visitors of the co untry come from mainland China. !!!!!!!!!!!! Wetland Park Wetland Park is a conservation, education and tourism facility that is located at the northern part of in Yuen Long. It is compromises of 10,000 square meter large visitor centre, Wetland Interactive World and a 60-hectare Wetland Reserve. The main advantage of Wetland Park is that it offers a different type of service compare to Disneyland and Ocean Park. The main mission of the organization is to foster public awareness and understanding regarding the values of wetlands throughout the East Asian Region. The visitors will be given a chance to experience the wildlife with different animals that will help them to be close with nature and observe different animals in the natural environment (cited in 200). On the other hand, the organization will not be able to meet experienced the demand of those visitors or tourists that are looking for excitements and extreme pleasure that can be in different rides and parts in Disneyland and Ocean Park. Internal Environments of Ocean Park SWOT Analysis Figure 3 SWOT Analysis Hong Kong Ocean Park Strength The main strengths of Hong Kong Ocean Park focuses on their offering of hybrid of thrills, animals, fun and education to their foreign visitors, more specifically those mainland Chinese visitors (2007). The main advantage or strength of the company is that it enables to meet the cultural aspects of different people from different part of the globe, particularly the mainland Chinese visitors that are not that familiar with different Disney characters. This can be seen in the different services and features of the company that incorporated education with thrill. Above all, the main advantage of Hong Kong is that it is considered as the oldest amusement park in the country; therefore, it can be considered as experienced and knows the demands and behavior of the mainland Chinese visitors. Furthermore, it had become successful because of its connection to the local government that helped them to have a subway line for the visitors ( 2007). This enables the organization to give the foreign visitors, particularly those from mainland, who are price sensitive, to save their money for other luxury, thus helping them to save time in traveling. Weaknesses On the other hand, the main disadvantage of Hong Kong Ocean Park is their structure of geographic location. This is due to the fact that they have the limitation regarding the land development because the location is hilly. Furthermore, the organization is facing lack of strong financial support and backup, that is why the organization is responsible for their own income and operation cost. Furthermore, because of the fact that Ocean Park is considered as oldest amusement park in Hong Kong, there are different facilities that are old and un-attractive, although the organization is already starting their innovation process, it would take some time and it will be completed after 6 years. Opportunities The main opportunity of the company focuses on the Individual Traveling scheme of China, as well as the improving relationship of the country to the mainland China, that had helped to improve the number of the visitors in the country. In addition, the strong economy in Mainland as well as the improving middle class with the purchasing power helped to increase the demand for the outbound travel. Furthermore, the organization also has a strong marketing support from the local government that recommends the Ocean Park to the foreign visitors. It is also important to consider the development of new transportation South Island Line that would cause convenience and fast access direct to the Park for the foreign and local visitors. The Internet is also another factor; this is due to the fact that it can help the organization to connect to a vast range of possible customers or visitors. Above all, the development and improvement of the amusement machinery industry can also impact the services and features of the organization, thus their relationship to their foreign visitors. Threat One of the threats that must be considered by the company is the renovation plan of the Disneyland Hong Kong that can help the said organization to regain their past position in the market. Particularly, it will also cause popularity of the organization from other foreigners, particularly those from America and Europe. On the other hand, it is also important to focus on the global financial crisis that is going on, that can affect the visiting behavior and buying behavior of the tourists. Competitive Advantage Figure 4 Competitive Advantage Model of Hong Kong Ocean Park Core Competency (à Ã‚ ¾Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ Ãƒ Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ²Ãƒ Ã‚ ½Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ Ã‚ µ à Ã‚ ¾Ãƒ Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã‚ »Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã‚ Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸ Ñ Ãƒ Ã‚ ¿Ãƒ Ã‚ µÃƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ °Ãƒ Ã‚ »Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã‚ ·Ã‚ °Ãƒâ€˜Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ Ã‚ ¸) better definition on p.97 The core competency of the organization is the length of its operation and service both to the locals and foreign visitors of the country that give the organization the knowledge regarding the likes, dislikes as well as the flow and trends in the behavior of the customers. Furthermore, cultural aspect is also an important factor, primarily to their growing mainland Chinese visitors. Furthermore, it also helps the organization to capture the attention of other visitors from different part of the globe, primarily those from the US and Europe, that are looking for new and local experience about the country. Competitive Advantage When a given firms maintain its profit that exceed the average for its industry, the firm is said to have a competitive advantage against its rival. This can be seen in the current position of Hong Kong Ocean Park, over its direct competitor, which is the Hong Kong Disneyland. Hong Kong Ocean Park is using the cost advantage, where in it offers cheaper ticket that costs HK$208 for adult and HK$103 for children, compare to HK$295 for adult and HK$210 per child of Hong Kong Disneyland. In addition to that, Hong Kong Ocean Park acquired a good location compare to Disneyland, because it is nearer o the main urban districts. In addition to that, Hong Kong Ocean Park also offers a differentiation advantage because it is considered as bigger than the Hong Kong Disneyland, thus enabling the first organization to offer more and new features and shows than the second organization. It also offer different features and services compare to its competitors primarily the Disneyland, because it focuses on showing the reality regarding the nature, while Disneyland focuses on fantasy. Tangible Resources p.95 The reputation of the organization is its most important tangible resource. Ultimately, reputations have economic value to the company because it will be difficult to imitate. Rivals cannot simply replicate the unique features and intricate process that produced those reputations ( 1996). The fact that the company features educational aspects regarding the environment, gives it a reputation that is close to nature. This is important because of the growing awareness of the world regarding the different natural and environmental problem, primarily global warming. Value Creation The core competency of the organization gives it both advantage and disadvantage. Advantage, because it helped them to know more about the behavior and culture of their different local and foreign visitors. Furthermore, it also enables the company to create an image that is considered as one of the most important aspect in gaining and maintaining competitive advantage. On the other hand, it gives the organization the disadvantage because some part of the facilities and features of the organization are considered as old, and in great need for renovation, however, due to financial aspect as well as effort that must be exerted, it will take some time in order to come up with the ever changing demand of the foreign visitors for entertainment and leisure. On the other hand, the competitive advantage of the company which focuses on the cost advantage and differentiation advantage is the result of the continuous effort of the organization in their relationship with the customers as well as their continuous effort in process of research and development. Conclusion As of now, Hong Kong Ocean Park is experiencing a comfortable position in the entire amusement industry, as well as the entire tourism industry of the country. It is important to consider that the said organization is considered as number 1 or most loved amusement park by local and foreign visitors, despite of the fact that it has the Disneyland, a very prominent and successful player in the global industry of amusement park. Primarily, the main reason behind the success of the organization is because of the support from the government of Hong Kong and mainland China that can be seen in the different public facilities that are being implemented for easy access of the said place, as well as the implementation of the Individual Tourist of China. The company had been able to use the issue of culture in order to attract more locals as well as foreign visitors, as well as its usage of the current spread of the environmental awareness, which enables the organization to incorporate educatio n and thrill in their features and services. That is the reason why it is frequently visited by families from different part of the globe. Furthermore, the organization had been able to create two important competitive advantage which focuses on the cost and differentiation. It had been able to offer cheap but fun-packed experience. But it is also important for the company to continue its innovation and strategic management in order to make sure that it will continue its competitive edge against its competitor. This is due to the fact that Disneyland is currently into renovation process, in order to regain their competitive position in the market.

Meaning and Importance of Physics :: essays research papers

What is Physics? The Meaning and Importance During the seventeenth century, the modern science of physics started to emerge and become a widespread tool used around the world. Many prominent people contributed to the build up of this fascinating field and managed to generally define it as the science of matter and energy and their interactions. However, as we know, physics is much more than that. It explains the world around us in every form imaginable. The study of physics is a fundamental science that helps the advancing knowledge of the natural world, technology and aids in the other sciences and in our economy. Without the field of physics, the world today would be a complete mystery, everything would be different because of the significance physics has on our life as individuals and as a society. In the natural world, physicists find new discoveries constantly. Some of these discoveries include the study of motion and forces. The well-known scientist, Isaac Newton, came up with the three laws of motion, which state rules and facts about the movement of an object. Our textbook states the laws of motion, as ?A body in motion will remain in motion at a constant speed and direction unless an outside force acts upon it. The net force acting upon an object is directly related to the mass and acceleration of the object resulting acceleration is in the direction of the net force, which is the vector sum of all forces acting upon the object. Finally, the third law of motion states that when one object applies a force to another, the other object applies the same amount of force back to the first object, but in opposite directions.? With these laws of motion, we can understand in detail how our world works. Also, that the movement of an object is more complex than a simple push. This discovery is taught to students all over the world because of its great importance and will continue to enhance the knowledge of the mystery of our earth. The importance of physics not only lies in the discoveries of the natural world, but in the technology in our modern lives. Today we use many gadgets in our everyday tasks, which act as convenient aids to all of our needs. Some of these little novelties are cell phones, radios, computers, lasers used in eye surgery, fiber optics used in phone lines, calculators, hearing aids, and even global positioning systems.

Subdivisions and American Agriculture Essay -- Geography USA Essays Pa

Subdivisions and American Agriculture Across Wyoming and the West, you can see miles and miles of undeveloped land. However, in the next 100 years will that be true? This once-frontier land has had massive growths in population. For retired people, the West and Midwest are becoming more attractive due to the cheap land that is less populated. Subdivisions are moving farther and farther out into the country. From 1990 to 1995, the counties in the Rocky Mountain region increased three times faster than the rest of the United States (Theobald, Miller, and Hobbs 26). Due to this increase, other areas in the environment have been negatively affected. Numerous problems have surfaced as a result of 5 acre plots. Wildlife habitats have been disturbed through construction. In conjunction with the disturbance of wildlife, plant population and landscape have also been removed and disturbed. The recent building increases have also sparked arguments over water rights and ground water. From â€Å"Ranching the View: Subdivisions versus Agriculture,† the authors suggest subdivisions can have profound impacts on rural areas. This is primarily due to the organization of the subdivisions to gain the most housing sites possible, the subdivisions have been arranged into small plots. The houses then take up a large amount of acreage and are compacted. However, separately each individual plot is around 5 acres. And this is especially relevant if the subdivisions are located near protected areas. With an increase in human population more housing is needed. Valuable farmland, range land, and grassland have been constructed into subdivisions. Besides the subdivision layout problem, subdivisions also bring roads, fences, wells, lawns, and buildings. Ano... ...tion biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology 9.2 (1995): 459-461. Agricola. 29 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com. Radeloff, Volker C., Hammer, Roger B., and Susan I. Stewart. "Rural and Suburban Sprawl in the U.S. Midwest from 1940 to 2000 and Its Relation to Forest Fragmentation." Conservation Biology 19.3 (2005): 793-805. Academic Search Premier. 28 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com. Theobald, D.M., Miller, J.R., and N.T. Hobbs. â€Å"Estimating the cumulative effects of development on wildlife habitat.† Landscape and Urban Planning 39 (1997): 25-36. 29 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com. Veech, Joseph A. "A Comparison of Landscapes Occupied by Increasing and Decreasing Populations of Grassland Birds." Conservation Biology 20.5 (2006): 1422-1432. Academic Search Premier. 29 March 2007. http://search.ebscohost.com.