Aviation Professionalism

Aviation Professionalism The Qualifications, Attributes, Ethics, and Responsibilities of Aviation Professionals Yadvinder Singh ASCI – 202 Anthony Miller March 7, 2013 Once someone joins the Airlines industry as a professional, be it a pilot, a technician, or an air traffic controller, they are committing to a certain level of responsibility and expectation. In my experience I have come across professionals who I have felt suited their role to near perfection while others in the same position at times fall short of basic expectations.The issue of professionalism and responsibility in the airline industry has been in focus recently due to some recent events like the Northwest pilots flying past their destination airport, in-flight breakdowns and rants by pilots and flight attendants, and airline mergers. I feel that sometimes media speculation exaggerates the issues presented to society and highlights mistakes where the public gets the impression that these types of incidents a nd errors are taking place daily.The reality is that safety measures are an integral part of an airline worker’s training and major errors or incidents occur rather infrequently. At the same time, another reality is that a mistake made by an airline employee, whether pilot, technician, or air traffic controller runs the risk of being fatal and this is where the attributes and ethics of an individual come into play. Pilots are required to complete extensive training and log thousands of hours of flight time before they can land a job with the major carriers, soI feel the qualifications alone can be met by many but perhaps there needs to be some sort of training or measure of ethical behavior of an individual because that can help determine how they will treat the level of responsibility associated with their job. Most flights complete their course without incident and this can naturally cause someone to relax their mind or reflexes a little, but no flight should be treated wit h any negligence whatsoever. The incident with the Northwest flight (NY Times 2009) crew is an ideal example of this.The pilots had a combined flying experience of over 30,000 hours, yet they committed an error that resulted in a major embarrassment and which could have cost lives. The main cause cited for this blunder is that the pilots were distracted during flight because they were engaged in personal matters on their laptops, which is a violation of airline safety guidelines. Is the root reason for this incident just poor judgment and misbehavior of the pilots or perhaps not enough emphasis on responsibility in their training?The hundreds of hours of flight time required to be a pilot come with a hefty price, so anyone who is a pilot has surely proven their passion and persistence for flying. However, it’s a wonder that this same dedication doesn’t follow through for some once they’ve landed a job with a major carrier and I think it may be because the path i s often so strenuous that getting a job itself is treated as the goal, when it actually is a stepping stone to really being a pilot. Air traffic controllers have also been in the news recently with incidents of suspicion that they are distracted and even sleeping on the job (USA Today, 2011).Here is a profession where mistakes are simply not allowed because the repercussions can very likely be fatal. I think there has to be a close monitoring of on the job behavior because the job itself runs the risk of complacency. It’s important to note that fatal incidents have been few and far between, but the risk is still great enough to warrant better oversight. A person who works as an air traffic controller needs to be one who is naturally very focused and detail oriented because the rules, the risks, the guidelines and need to be responsible and focused can be taught, but ultimately, this is behavior they have to showcase.Technicians are a group of people I’ve had several ye ars of close working experience with as both a former technician and in my current role of Inspector. Unfortunately, the current crop of technicians are a group I find to be well intentioned, but without enough working experience as they’re often straight out of high school. This doesn’t mean they don’t possess the necessary attributes or approach to be successful and responsible technicians, because these are often the deciding factors but I think there needs to be more training and understanding of the great deal of responsibility they are taking on as technicians.Professionalism to me is a good mix of knowledge, a candid commitment to ones job, the disciplined passion, and the ability to make proper but sound judgments. To put it into simple terms Professionalism simply means doing the right thing, even when you have had a long day and also when you are not in some spotlight. Whether you are a pilot, a technician, or an air traffic controller or any employee in the aviation profession these attributes or qualities have to be considered in taking the professional approach in today’s aviation profession.Works Cited Matthew L. Wald (2009, Oct 26). Off-Course Pilots Cite Computer Distraction. NY Times. Retrieved October 26, 2002 from http://www. nytimes. com/2009/10/27/us/27plane. html? _r=0 Alan Levin (2011, Apr 21). Recent air controller incidents no signs of crisis, experts say. Us Today. Retrieved April 21, 2011 from http://travel. usatoday. com/flights/story/2011/04/Recent-air-controller-incidents-no-sign-of-crisis-experts-say/46338056/1

Econ case study Essay

1) Why is economics central to an understanding of the problems of development? It is because that the development of a country depends on economic factors. Economics helps you to interpret how a country is developing, economic policies of a country that determine whether or not it develops and how fast it develops if it performs. In addition, economics helps you to understand how wealth and finance are distributed, and the causes and effects of borrowing and lending. Problems of development are like not having enough money, economics teaches us about problems in development and so we can better interpret these problems primarily by looking at the economic components that define the troubles. Furthermore, economics is a social science and is concerned with people and economic development problems also stemming from people so these fields are related and understanding the one helps you better understand the other because you can build up a bigger picture. 5) Why is an understanding of development crucial to policy formulation in developing nations? Do you think it is possible for a nation to agree on a rough definition of development and orient its strategies accordingly? It is important because, like I answered on question number one, development of a country rely on the economic policies of a country which decide the country is developing or not, and how fast it develops. Depends on what policy formulation the country select, it may result different ending. In my opinion, currently nations cannot agree on a rough definition of development because most of them have different approaches, measurements and standards. However, I believe in the future there might be a working definition that the nations can agree on and orient its strategies. Like the textbook  mentions there are three basic components that help understand the meaning of development which are sustenance, self-esteem and freedom. 6. Why is a strictly economic definition of development inadequate? What do you understand economic development to mean? Can you give hypothetical or real examples of situations in which a country may be developing economically but still be underdeveloped? The Strictly economic definition of development was inadequate due to not taking into account the factors other the financial or economical. I considered that economic development meant financial growth or the increment in yield of goods. An example of a country that is developed economically, but still underdeveloped would have to be India, which I selected for the group presentations, because it is producing a lot of goods and services, but many of its citizens are living in poverty and there’s still a high inequality between genders. 7. How does the concept of â€Å"capabilities to function† help us gain insight into development goals and achievements? Is money enough? Why or why not? The capacities to function help us clear insight into development goals and achievements by letting us determine how much freedom of choice a person experiences in their country which makes it a full measurement of growth. Money is not enough to gain insight of development goals and achievements because money does not help people from living long, and it does not guarantee people’s happiness. 8. What forces may be at work in giving the Millennium Development Goals such a high profile in international economic relations? In my opinion, money forces work in giving the Millennium Development Goals. If a country get high incentive of money, they can borrow money easier than the other country who does not perform well on money. 2. Brazil has special interest because its growth performance from the 1960s  through the 1980s was the best in Latin America, with at least some parallels with East Asian policy and performance (Todaro & Smith, P.28). Moreover, other indicators of development in Brazil lagged, eventually undermining growth prospects. After the civil war and gaining benefits from the other Central American countries, it seems that Brazil should have been in a much better position to fight extreme poverty trap and social equity. Rather, it has continued to insure an extremely high percentage of its population in extreme poverty in an upper middle income country, and remains one the countries with the highest degrees of inequality in the world. 3. Chapter 2 1) According to the textbook, the problems that most developing countries have in common are poverty, high levels of unemployment and underemployment, low levels of agricultural productivity and sizable imbalances between urban and rural levels of living and economic opportunities (Todaro & Smith, P. 92). The most significant problem is serious poverty because every person should at least have the most basic needs such as home, basic clothes and food. 2) According to the textbook, low levels of living is the amount of money on average a person makes in a country. (Todaro & Smith, P. 29). In my opinion, low levels of living can exist simultaneously with high levels of per capita income because there might be a few that are earning a lot with the majority of the population earning less. For instance, on 1980’s Portsmouth, Ohio and Brazil, which is an upper medium income country with nice levels of per capita with a bulk of its citizens living in poverty. 4) In my opinion, among health, labor productivity, and income levels, there are huge, and strong relationship because I think labor productivity decides the income levels, and it also affects people’s health. For instant, people can observe that people’s health is low when labor productivity is low and it comes with low productivity the income levels are lower than the normal  countries. 5) â€Å"Dominance, dependence, and vulnerability† in their relations with rich nations is that many developing countries do not have any means of their own that they come to depend on the rich nations handouts and pretty much become vulnerable and dominated. In other words, rich nations can kind of force the developing countries to do what they want, and make them poor if they refuse. For example, rich countries are forcing or suggesting Iran and North Korea to give up nuclear weapons by interrupting their economy. Moreover, a developing country is so poor that it cannot invest and that is where the rich countries come and provide financial aid to make that poor nation depend on rich countries. 6) Developed countries produce large quantities of goods, services, and in general do a lot of manufacturing. Countries such as these use science to improve technology and generally have good health care and education for their people. Compared to developed nations, developing countries practice subsistence agriculture and often suffer a miserable income, clothing, and housing. Only few people in developing countries receive proper health care or education. In addition, and life expectancy is relatively short. Most developing countries also lack the resources needed for economic growth. Also, developing countries’ primary sector of economic is the major contributor to the GDP of the country. Low GDP per capita is there. Usually exports agricultural goods or natural resources and imports value added goods from developed countries. 7) The composition of the Index reflects dissatisfaction with income as a measure of well-being: income is not the only argument in a person’s utility function. The Human Development Index is an attempt to develop a better measure of well-being. If I design the new HDI, I want to set up the standard of get information from people. Quality and trustworthiness of those data is disputable, especially when we get the information from UN non-democratic members. It is because I think it might much better if we have a standard method to get adequate data which shows their own interest for strengthening their credibility and legitimacy. 12) According to Jan Kees van Donge, he states that in Southeast Asia, the transition to sustained growth has consistently been associated with policies aimed at macroeconomic stabilization; improving life in the rural sector, increasing agricultural productivity, and ensuring an ample supply of food. In contrast, sub-Saharan Africa initiatives in these directions have in some instances been present, but the concurrent pursuit of all three policy objectives has not. Other factors that appear to be of somewhat lesser importance, but that nevertheless deserve further study are: industrialization on the basis of foreign direct investment; systems of politics and governance; and cultural patterns as manifest in policy choices. (â€Å"Tracking Development in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa: the primacy of policy†, par.3) 13) According to the textbook, colonial legacy is described as the colonies and institutions that were created and controlled by European and other foreign powers. These colonies and institutions that were created in the developing countries had a negative effect on the development of those countries that still continues today (Todaro & Smith, P. 69). The advantage of colonial legacy is that arrangement might be exists. A disadvantage would be that in many cases, these countries or institutions will not rich by its own country’s ability. 14) According to the textbook, five characteristics of the developing world are physical and human resource endowments, per capita incomes, climate, population, and historical role of migration. It says that developed countries are more natural resources when the country started to grow were as most developing countries usually did not have a lot of natural resources (Todaro & Smith, p.71). Per capita incomes are a lot higher in developing nations than in growing nations. The growth rates of populations in developing rural areas are usually higher compared to that of a developed nation. 15) The differences between the traditional HDI compare to NHDI, HDI uses arithmetic mean. In contrast, NHDI uses geometric mean. HDI uses GDP and the  NHDI replaces that with GNI. Traditional HDI added the three components and divided by three. However, NHDI takes the cube root of the product of the three component indexes. In my opinion, NHDI is better than HDI because it gives us a realistic average and the traditional HDI gives us an arithmetic average which is not realistic. 4. a. R1=-21%, R2=42%, R3=59%, R4=9, R5=0.87% = 14.42% b. R1=-40%, R2=56%, R3=-90%, R4=0 =-44.69% c. R1=-20%, R2=78.12%, R3=91.34% =39.7% 5. Chapter 3 (page 136-137): Questions for Discussion 1-6 1) The structural change model of Chenery focus on structural changes in the stages of the process of economic change, industrial and institutional structures of emerging economies. Chenery research conducted on the transformation of production structure shows that the increased role of the industrial sector in the economy in line with the increase in income per capita is happening in a country closely linked with the accumulation of capital and improving human resources (human capital). The neo-Marxist is an indirect outgrowth of Marxist thinking. The main idea is that a disproportionate relationship between the central state which consists of the developed and the periphery is composed of the developing world. The false-paradigm model is the model that advice or suggestions may mean well but often do not have enough information about the country to be assisted, especially developing countries. For the developing nations, I think the  best explanation is related to the situation in most developing countries is the neocolonial dependence model (neo-Marxist). This model explains that economic development on developing countries depend on developed countries, especially in direct investment in the mining sector and import of goods produced. 2) Dual societies means that rich nations and poor nations at world level are exist; and a few rich complemented with a majority of poor people in the developing countries. Thus, dualism is a concept which represents the existence. I think it does not portray the development picture in developing country because it seems like a concept that divide the world into only two part. Development or developing countries. 3)  According to the text book, it says that different sets of conditions, of which some are â€Å"superior† and others â€Å"inferior,† can coexist in a given space (Todaro & Smith, p.125). Also, the interrelations between the superior and inferior elements are such that the existence of the superior elements does little or nothing to pull up the inferior element, let alone â€Å"trickle down† to it. These are reason why it is a valid conceptualization. 4)  According to text book, neoclassical economic theories designed to accelerate the growth of GDP as the principal index of development (Todaro & Smith, p.125). it is valid policy because it is all connected to the False-Paradigm Model and a policy of autarky. 5) I do not think that there is a single unified theory that explain the one country. Including the economic theory, a situation should be explained by the several theories arising from various branches. Also, we can observe that there are many factors which are put into the section of output or input. 6) Even though the free-market theory and the dependence theory indicates the opposite meaning of explaining the market, in my opinion, neoclassical, free-market theory is not necessarily incompatible with dependence theory. In case of the rich countries or the country, which is developed country yet it was developing countries at past, both free-market and dependence theory is needed to explain their economic status. 6. Chapter 4 (page 195-196): Questions for Discussion 1-10 1) Actions can be taken by one agent reinforces incentives for others to take similar actions. With Multiple Equilibria graph, there are pressure which hit equilibrium point. Also, one equilibrium to other points there are demand shock, supply shock and government interruption which indicates the metaphor of economic problems. For example, on our daily life basis we can observe the invisible hand in the market which means that government makes decision for economy and affect our life. 2) According to the PowerPoint, indivisibilities in amounts of investment imply a region of increasing returns to scale, as in the fixed costs of the big push model. Once again, increasing returns plays a key role in generating multiple equilibria. This is related to how the investment works with big push model. In case of O-ring model, investment is one of the outpour sector which effects the formula. It was hard to find the limitation in o ring model, but I would like to say and would like to ask why q is only between zero and one. It can be the limitation points of O-ring model? 3) I do not think that developing countries can escape all of the traps described in this chapter. Especially developing countries cannot escape from the poverty trap because poverty fuels move the poverty. It is happening in underdevelopment countries. Therefore, if a country is in poverty trap and try to escape, they should have positive information externality from development countries. In case of development countries, it is still hard to escape the poverty trap but it is movable than the developing countries. 4) High levels of inequality lead to lower rates of growth and development because it makes rich countries more rich and poor countries poorer. If there is a high level of inequality on growth and development rate, it supports the poverty trap, which is the most difficult thing to get out of the trap, to develop. 5) In case of central planned market, such as public ownership of resource and governing board that makes decision for economy. If government interrupt the free market and give pressure to equilibrium point, it makes new prices from government. Also, it leads to a lack of private investment. Finally, the market might have a failure results. 6) In my opinion, low level of trust of people outside one’s extended family is related to information externality. It always better to accept positive information. Also, it is connected with the Haussmann-Rodrick-Velasco Growth Diagnostic Decision Tree theory. In case of low levels of private investment and entrepreneurship, it may causes low return to economic activity and high cost of finances which cause low social returns and market failure. 7) O-ring production function is complementarity between workers’ skills. Therefore, we can find O-ring production on our daily life where the place indeed high technology or the worker’s skills. For example, if the producer of IPhone 6 has more significant skills, the price may different. 8) I think the two approaches cannot be used together to inform each other. If I assume that logically cohesive model with strong assumptions is the big push model, the other theories, such as O-ring model can supports the limit of the big push. However, in my opinion, the two approaches cannot be used together to inform the same situation at the same time. Because there might be some overlap sections and limitations between two theories. 9) As a reader of chapter 4, The Big Push model described in this chapter is useful in shedding additional light on the nature of problems considered. It shows market failures lead to a need for public policy intervention. Moreover, it is more efficient for economy because it assumes that perfect  competition with traditional firms operating, limit pricing, monopolist with a modern firm operating. If there is an intertemporal, urbanization, infrastructure and training effects, a big push may necessary. 10) According to my research, Egyptian reforms launched in 2004 appear to have focused well on the most critical constraints-reducing red tape and tax rates, and improving access to foreign exchange-thereby getting a strong growth response out of a limited set of reforms. However, inefficient bureaucracy remains an important obstacle to higher growth and reforms in this area should continue to have high payoffs. Ongoing reforms are also addressing constraints that are likely to become binding soon (or have become so already), such as inefficient financial intermediation and high public debt. Improvements in education may rapidly become a critical factor for sustaining higher growth ( Enders, Klaus-Stefan, sec.1).

Teachings of the Buddha

Buddhism is has always been considered a religion and a philosophy by its followers and believers. Its origin and widespread practice in Asia notwithstanding, Buddhism has been quite adaptive to many cultures that it has encountered. For centuries Buddhism practices had only been restricted to the Asian countries and although it exhibit variations in various Asian countries, there are still some common features witnessed across these cultures. Coming to the west, Buddhism and its believers have faced many challenges to incorporate their practices into the cultural norms of the west.However, whether Buddhism can adapt to the attitudes and values of the western countries and still maintain its unique philosophy is the ongoing question among religious scholars. This paper will examine the background of Buddhism and its importance to the current adherents in the United States where there are many diverse cultures. I had a chance to attend a Buddhist pre-wedding ceremony – well, it looked like one. I am told Buddhism is all about simplicity and all its practices and rituals reflect the same. Unlike other religious wedding ceremonies, the Buddhist wedding is nothing but simple and has no pomp and color.It comprises virtually no rituals as we would expect of a wedding ceremony. Their marriages are focused more on the faith and belief between consenting individuals than any other thing. Buddhists are more inclined on ensuring a lasting and harmonious relationship is created between couples seeking each in marriage. I was also told that Buddhists do not compel their followers to undergo some compulsory rituals before marriage and that the decision as to whether to go the courts for marriage or to the few registered temples solely lies with the couple.Nevertheless, a Buddhist wedding would involve two parts; the first part involves engaging in hearty prayers accompanied by offering gifts to the monks and the almighty. And it is during this process that couples are expected to make vows of understanding and faithfulness. The second part which is regarded as a non-Buddhist component consists of all traditional practices which are followed by the specific families of the couple and may involve attending the spirit house for prayers, a feast or gift exchange. Back to the pre-wedding I attended.The ceremony as you make call it, took place at the groom’s family home. I was shocked that the marriage ceremony was very simple unlike any other wedding ceremony I had attended before. There are no strict religious rules or regulations and unlike other religions where such ceremonies are regarded as religious affairs, Buddhists’ ceremony is purely a social affair. There was a small feast organized by the groom’s families over which gifts were exchanged and people chatted freely and without any formal procedures in the entire duration of the ceremony.After the pre-wedding ceremony the couple was declared wife and husband by a friend o f the groom’s family and the congregation dispersed thereafter. The couple was told to decide whether to visit a temple or go to court the following day to secure a marriage certificate. When the ceremony was almost over, I secure a moment a friend of the groom and asked him a few questions regarding Buddhism and here is the excerpt of our talk. 1. Is your religion an actual way of life for you? How integral is it to your daily life? Shimano Roshi: Very important to me.One of the fulfilling aspects of my religion is that it helps me to understand the true nature of life and the universe. Again, it does not only teach me to respect others but also to be tolerant of other people’s way of life. 2. What are some of the main practices, or daily components of your religion? Shimano Roshi: Normally Buddhist prayers in the temples would involve monks reciting the suttas and preach as well. However, there are variations across Buddhists traditions. Personally, I do pay homage t o our spiritual leader the Buddha and chant (recite the suttas) every morning and before going to bed.3. What are some restrictions in your religion, if any, such as dietary, dress code, etc? Shimano Roshi: I don’t know about other religion but I know that Buddhism is one of the most accommodating religions in the world. Buddhism lays emphasis on peace and being harmless. While a dietician may tell you what to eat and a Muslim how to dress up, a Buddhist will tell you that you are what you think. we are define by our inner thoughts and not what we wear or eat. 4. What is the favorite aspect of your religion? Why?Shimano Roshi: To me there is no single aspect I may consider as my favorite because my religion is simply all embracing. 5. Do you feel that you are supported in your town, or in this country, practicing your religion, or do you feel any discrimination? Shimano Roshi: American had had problems earlier accepting us and our way of life but things have changed these day s. It is quite common to see a black Buddhist in the temple, and people of different races are converting every day. I feel Buddhism has been embraced well by the Americans. 6. What is the most misunderstood element of your religion?Shimano Roshi: I don’t know, but if there is any then I think that is there own problem. What I believe is quite important to me to think of how others think about me. 7. Is it important to you that your family/children continue your religious practices/tradition? Shimano Roshi: Absolutely! Buddhism offers a good and stronger foundation for a healthy living both spiritually and physically with others and I would love to impart such teachings on my children. 8. Do you have any holy places or countries that are important to your religion and that you have been to?Why are they considered holy? Shimano Roshi: I have been to the Gangetic plains in northern India and an area in southern Nepal. Buddhist visit this place because Gautama Buddha, our spirit ual leader lived and taught there and therefore we believe the place is much connected with his life. 9. What do you think is most unique about your religion in relation to other religious traditions? Or do you feel there are more similarities? Shimano Roshi: Just like Christian religion, Buddhism has got sects, traditions, lineages, schools and many other smaller groups.It has evolved over the centuries and some even more reformed than others. However, one unique thing in Buddhism is the Enlightenment process. 10. If there were only one thing about your religion that you could share with the world, what would it be? Shimano Roshi: Simplicity! We relate with one another and approach the daily living with utmost simplicity while we are still devoted to our almighty Overview Buddhism its unique combination of religious and philosophical teachings encompasses a number of beliefs, traditions and practices derived from the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama or Buddha ‘the awakened one †.According Buddhist, Buddha lived in northeastern part of India between 6th and 4th centuries BCE. His followers recognized him as an awakened one who used his knowledge to assist the sentient beings avoid suffering (dukkha), attain nirvana and finally escape the cycle of suffering and rebirth (Robinson & Willard, 1970). The religion has two main braches namely; the Theravada – the school of the elders and the Mahayana – the great vehicle.Theravada is considered the oldest surviving branch and enjoys a wide following in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. The Mahayana on the other hand has a heavy presence in East part of Asia and involves the traditions of Zen, Tibetan Buddhism, Pure Land, Shigon, Nichiren Buddhism, Tendai and Shinnyo-en (Fisher, 1997). Vajrayana which is a branch of Mahayana is sometimes categorized as the third branch of Buddhism. While it has always been considered a religion of the Asian countries, Buddhism is today found in every part of the wor ld.According to the recent estimates, the Buddhists in the world are numbering about 230 million to 500 million which the religion the fourth largest in the world. Different schools of Buddhists have different interpretation of the path to freedom, the importance and understanding of the scriptures and teachings, as well as different practices. However, the foundation of Buddhist practices and traditions are primarily based on the Three Jewels; the Buddha, the Dharma (also known as the teachings), and the Sangha (also known as the community) (Fisher, 1997).Adhering to the three jewels is considered a declaration as well as commitment to the ways of the Buddha and generally distinguishes a follower from a non-Buddhist. Other rituals would depend on a particular branch of Buddhism and include practices like ethical precepts, meditation, monastic communal support, renunciation of conventional living and becoming a monastic, cultivation of spiritual wisdom and discernment, devotional pr actices, studying of scriptures and invocation of Buddha and bodhisattvas common among the Mahayana followers (Keown & Prebish, 2004).Conclusion Buddhism will continue penetrate other cultures because of philosophical and religious nature. The three Jewels of Buddhism are all-encompassing and answers most of our problems. The Buddha provides us with the spiritual nourishment; the dharma provides ideas for our most controversial issues like abortion and bioethics while sangha provides understanding of our social life and world.Buddhism is not only the way of life a few Asian population but would continue to spread due to its more embracing and simplistic nature. References Fisher, M. P. (1997). Living Religions: An Encyclopedia of the World's Faiths. I. B. Tauris: New York. Keown, D. & Prebish, C. S. (eds. ) (2004). Encyclopedia of Buddhism, Routledge: London Robinson, R. H. & Willard L. J. (1970; 3rd ed. , 1982). The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction Wadsworth Publishing: Belmont, CA (Shimano Roshi, personal communication, July 25, 2010)

The role of operational management in the construction industry Essay

The role of operational management in the construction industry project - Essay Example The study provides an analysis of actions to be taken by strategic project management which can enable planning and completing construction process in time and within set cost targets. A brief conclusion is provided touching on key lessons that project management can learn from experiences in the project. Szkieletor also known as Skeletor is an incomplete building in Poland. It is located in the sides of Krakow near Rondo Mogilskie. The building stays incomplete in its construction since 1975. It is one of the tallest structures around and it was intended to be headquarters of the main Technical Organisation. The reasons for the incomplete building construction are a result of deterioration of the economy and high costs of construction materials. Szkieletor construction was intended to be made into an international four star luxury hotel, A-class offices, several commercial facilities and luxury apartments. Construction of Szkieletor was based on location of apartments in relation to targeted market. Luxurious apartments constructed were targeting individuals who were well off in terms of income and thus payment. The offices and commercial facilities were to be constructed for those in a position to acquire them since the city was growing up fast enough to demand the offices. The costs of the apartments were to be set as per the market price. The adjustments of the project were flexible enough to incorporate the ever adjusting activities during the construction process.... The offices and commercial facilities were to be constructed for those in a position to acquire them since the city was growing up fast enough to demand the offices. The costs of the apartments were to be set as per the market price. The adjustments of the project were flexible enough to incorporate the ever adjusting activities during the construction process. The cost budget was well set by qualified management team and construction process commenced. Several adjustments were made during the construction process so as objectives in the proposals would be met. The project management team selected to head and run the project was not qualified enough to address factors that would affect the project before commencing construction process. Lack of proper qualification may result into several inconveniences due to poor construction process and even failure of the project. The selected project management team should be made aware of the requirements of the project and the necessary resour ces availed to them. Duration that the construction process expected should also be conveyed out so that when construction strategies are being made time factor is kept in mind. Since the project management is the one supposed to control the project, it should be fit to undertake the given work. Where investment is involved there is an aspect of risk. If the risk is passed to a staff that cannot handle apartment construction then great losses are anticipated. It is required that the selection panel be careful to award the tender to the right team which will not cause defaults of the programs jeopardizing the whole project. Assessment of the extent of risk involved should be carefully done so that no mistakes are left out before the start

Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Renaissance - Essay Example All these paintings are extremely soothing as they, "appeal to both the mind and spirit" (Portrait of the Artist). These paintings reflect the artist's unique and personal style. The painting that I have chosen, 'Madonna and Child with Adoring Angel' (Tempera on panel, Norton Simon Art Foundation), is exceptional for its three dimensional effect as obtained by the view of the country-side in the background as seen through the window arches. Equally brilliant is how the artist has captured the expressions of love, tenderness and adoration on the faces of his three subjects. The attention paid to the surroundings in the form of the pillars and arches also lend authenticity to the entire composition. All these aspects combined give depth and perspective to the painting as well as a sense of realism, which was a hallmark of art of this period. The artist has gone in to minute detail in every aspect of the painting - be it the main subjects, the overall setting and even the decorative aspects. For example, the depiction of the decorations on the panels and arches makes one fell as if one were actually present in the room.

Film review of an Australian feature film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Film review of an Australian feature film - Essay Example rican influence, most Australians in the 50s and 60s prefer American movies, but in the emergence of the Australian film industry revival the citizens had little choice on what to watch. The people in the industry struggled to make the industry alive by catering the needs of the Australian viewers (Cetti, 2010). The efforts were seen as great revival for the pride and culture of Australia as the government supports the local film industry. Despite of the popularity of American films in Australia, the local movie industry made its contributions to bring itself up. In line with its endeavor, the film Cane Toads: An Unnatural History together with other movies was made to promote its local culture. After all, movies are made to add value to the lives of people and the entertainment industry. Brens (2000, p. 60) stated that the film industry does not exist plainly for making money through movies. Perhaps the movie Cane Toads highlighted the topic of free will in contrast with needs of various people coming from different genders, social standings and their opinions regarding the fast increase in the population of a toad introduced in the 30s to combat the pests in the sugarcane plantations. The movie was presented not only as an eye-opener for the ecological consequences of the booming population of the cane toads but also to make use of the movie as a way of sociological inquiry as stated by Taussig (1992, pp. 79-80). The movie contained the natural science elements mixed with sociological issue that showed how culture can transform the view of people upon the existing pests. The cane toads came from South America and were brought to Queensland and other parts of Australia to remove the proliferation of grey back beetles that pester the sugarcane plantations. Sugarcane plantation owners lost profits as many types of sugarcane were destroyed by the beetles despite of the quick breeding of cane toads (Crotty 2006). Unluckily, toads cannot reach the beetles as those do

Entrepreneurship Business Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Entrepreneurship Business Plan - Assignment Example ...............................................................................................3 Company description...................................................................................................3 Opportunity Analysis..................................................................................................4 1. Business Model...............................................................................................4 2. Competitors.....................................................................................................4 3. Business Selection ........................................................................................4 Marketing Strategy and Plan .....................................................................................5 Funding Request and Exit Strategies .........................................................................5 I. Revenue Stream .......................................................................... ...................5 II. Revenue sources..............................................................................................5 SWOT Analysis .........................................................................................................6 i. Strength ..........................................................................................................6 ii. ... ..........................................................................................8 i. Politics ....................................................................................................8 ii. Economical..............................................................................................8 iii. Social.......................................................................................................8 iv. Technological .........................................................................................8 v. Environment ...........................................................................................8 vi. Legal........................................................................................................8 Porter’s Five Forces ...................................................................................................9 i. Supply Power.......................................................................................... ..9 ii. Buyer power .............................................................................................9 iii. Competitive Rivalry..................................................................................9 iv. Threat of Substation..................................................................................10 v. Threat of New Entry.................................................................................11 Financial Analysis and Projections ............................................................................12 3-Year Strategic Plan ...............................................................................12 Income Statement ........................................................................12 Summary of Income Statement

Reaching a Position of Chief Radiologic Technologist Assignment

Reaching a Position of Chief Radiologic Technologist - Assignment Example I plan to become a chief Radiologic Technologist by the next five years, that is, in 2018. For me to reach the set goal, there are interim goals I need to achieve to be well equipped and qualified for the position. I have listed these interim goals based on the order I need to achieve from the first to the last. First, is to introduce skill development program within my department. This will ensure that employees are well trained and have the ability and confidence to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. The other benefit of introducing the program is that the senior officers in my department will train me together with other employees on the skills that are appropriate to become an effective leader in Radiologic technology. This will give the skills and outlook of what shall be required of me when I get the position. The second interim goal is to complete my Bachelor Degree in Radiology technology by 2016. This is a requirement for one to take any managerial position within the Radiologic Technology. The third goal is to obtain a managerial position in Diagnostic Me dical Imaging department. I will be a manager in this department for two years after, which I will move to the next goal. The managerial position will assist me in assuming more role and responsibility in my department to prepare me for the Chief of Radiologist Technologist by the end of the year 2018. In doing this, it is my hope that I will be showing to the management my ability to assume higher roles in the department and the organization as a whole. Lastly, I will resume the chief executive position where I will remain until I create the next resolution. The resources needed to meet the set career goal vary accordingly, but some of the interim goals require the same resources. To begin with, the first interim goal, introduction of skill development program, requires thorough research into the type of the training and the equipment appropriate to achieve the skill development goals within the department and research into other departments of the radiologic technology and other organizations that have successfully implemented such training in their departments.     

Property law - Land Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Property law - Land - Essay Example The next year, Mr. Kernott and Ms. Jones acquired a loan to extend their house, with Mr. Kernott undertaking most of the construction work. The couple separated in 1993 and Mr. Kernott left their home in Badger Hall Avenue. Mr. Kernott stopped contributing to the household bills and the mortgage. Further, he made little contribution towards maintaining the two children that the couple had. Three years later, Mr. Kernott and Ms. Jones decided to redeem their life insurance policy, dividing the proceeds between themselves. Mr. Kernott bought a house on 114 Stanley Road in Essex with his share of the proceeds. However, in 2006, he sought payment for the value of his share of the house on Badger Hall Avenue. Ms. Jones declined, requesting that the Appointment of Trustees and Trusts of Land Act 1996 grant her total ownership of the property2. The court decided, after considering precedence in the cases of Dowden v Stack and Hiscock v Oxley that both parties share the total value of the property in different proportions, awarding 10% of the property to Mr. Kernott and 90% awarded to Ms. Jones. According to this judgment, Mr. Kernott would recieive  £24355 and Ms. Jones would receive  £219,190 in the event that they sold the property then Mr. Kernott appealed this decision at the High Court4. Mr. Kernott argued at the High Court that the judge wrongly imputed or inferred an intention that after the separation of the couple, both parties’ beneficial interests were supposed to change. Further, he claimed that the court was unfair in its quantification of the beneficial interests owned by both parties. By a simple majority, Mr. Kernott’s appeal went through. The court declared that both parties were joint owners of the property, and were tenants with equal shares5. Judges Wall P., Rimer L.J. and Jacob L.J. presided over the appeal6. Wall and Rimer argued that there was no way to indicate a change in the intentions of both parties

Derivatives and Foreign Exchange Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Derivatives and Foreign Exchange - Term Paper Example Within the financial context, derivatives include several financial contracts such as the swaps, futures, options, forwards, and; variations i.e., floors, caps, credit default swaps, and collars. Quite a number of derivatives are marketed via the off-exchange (over-the-counter) or through exchanges i.e., the Chicago Mercantile Exchanges, even though a number of insurance contracts have adopted the use of separate industry (Moffett, Stone-hill, & Eiteman, 2009). Financial Exposure Risks a) Economic Exposure Economic risks or operation exposure are experienced by any business organization when its targeted market’s value has been completely influenced by any unexpected exchange rates’ fluctuations, which have the impact of severely influencing negatively the market position/share with respect to its active competitors (Moffet, Stone-hill, & Eiteman, 2009). With this happening, the organization’s future cash flows and values are also affected. Therefore, transaction s exposing any organizations of firms to certain foreign exchange risks have additional potential exposure risks to the economical performance, as can be caused by any other business involvements, i.e., future cash flows from the available fixed assets. Hence, it can be concluded that a shift in the exchange rates that influences the demands for goods in some region or countries can as well be considered as an economic exposure for firms that sell that particular type of products. b) Transaction Exposure This occurs whenever a company has any payables and receivables, or contractual cash flow with any value subjected to unanticipated alterations within the exchange rates as a result of contracts being denominated in foreign currencies. To react to this change and for the company to ensure realization for its domestic values of its foreign-denominated cash flows, it has to effectively conduct an exchange of foreign currencies for the domestic types of currencies. Therefore, the proce ss of immense negotiation contracts with the laid down prices and delivery dates in the face of a volatile foreign exchange market with exchange rates that are in a constant rate of fluctuations, such institutions are bound to face risks of changes in the exchange rates between the foreign and domestic currencies. c) Contingent Exposure Firms do face contingent exposures whenever they are in the processes of bidding for foreign projects, or while making negotiations for other contracts and/or foreign direct investments. Contingent exposure therefore steps in from the potentials of the firms to abruptly undergo the economic foreign exchange or transactional risks. d) Translation Exposure A translation exposure is an extent to which firms’ financial reporting are affected by the exchange rates’ movements. This is brought about by the fact that all firms are bound to come up with their consolidated financial statements for their reporting reasons, the consolidation proces s for the multinationals have to take into account the translation of foreign assets and liabilities or the stated financial reporting of foreign subsidiaries for the foreign to domestic currencies (Levi, 2005). Although such exposures may not be of

Discussion topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Discussion topic - Assignment Example For example, z-test can be used in a research study that involves comparison diabetes prevalence between male and female adolescents in a certain city; this is because the population shall be very large. A t-test is a hypothesis in statistics whereby the test statistics follows a t- distribution and the null hypothesis is congruent. In essence, the t-test can be assumed to establish whether two sample sets of data is significantly different from one another, and it is usually applied where the statistics being tested would have a normal curve distribution and the scaling term well known. The t-test examines the t-statistics as well as the level of freedom to establish a p-value, which can be utilised to determine if there is a difference in the population means (Senn, 2008). The statistical significance in t-test indicates whether there is a difference between two sampled group and the mean mostly reflects the actual difference in the study population from which they were sampled. t-test can be  utilised  to establish  Ã‚  if the slope of regression line has got significant difference from zero and to test null hypothesis when the difference between two answers have a mean value of 0 when measured on similar statistical unit. For example suppose, we are assessing the size of the prostate gland with cancer prior and post radiation. If the radiation was effective, then the tumour should decrease in size for several patients post treatment. This is often termed as paired

Conan Doyle create suspense Essay Example for Free

Conan Doyle create suspense Essay Suspense is to create a state of excitement or anxious uncertainty about what may happen. This brings the audience more into the story and makes them want to continue reading. Crime fiction stories have and need suspense to draw in the readers and make the story much more interesting. This is what Conan Doyle is most noted for: his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on 22nd May 1859, Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle graduated with a degree in medicine from Edinburgh University in 1881. Dr. Joseph Bell was one of his professors who was an expert in diagnosing disease using careful observation. Bell showed Doyle how to create deductions about patients by observing them closely. People suspect Bell to be one of the models for Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes first appeared in 1887 in A Study in Scarlet. The Sherlock Holmes stories became very popular and famous. The Stand Magazine published the short stories in 1890 bit by bit, and this made the public want to read them more as the suspense made them buy the magazine again and again so they could find out what happened next. I will be explaining how Doyle uses tension and suspense in the Sherlock Holmes stories and how this makes the audience continue reading. In addition, I will also be describing the methods that Doyle uses. Furthermore, I will be comparing and contrasting the following stories: Silver Blaze, The Red-Headed League and A Scandal in Bohemia. The introductions of all three stories differ, yet they all pull the reader into the story and make them continue reading. The beginning of Silver Blaze is speech; I am afraid, Watson that I shall have to go, this raises many questions in the readers head such as, why is he going? where? how long for? and so on. The sudden statement is followed with quick, sharp questions and answers; Go! Where to? and To Dartmoor to Kings Pyland. These are sentences that utter surprise and intrigue the reader to ask even more questions. So the reader feels they must keep on reading. Instead of starting with speech, The Red-Headed League starts with a description of a very stout, florid-faced, elderly gentleman with fiery red hair. This creates an image in the readers mind and they wonder why Holmes is in deep conversation with such a man. Also, it is rather odd that Watson would mention the colour of the mans hair, perhaps the reader thinks it has something to do with the story and so reads on. A Scandal in Bohemia starts off extremely different to the other two stories. To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. This story does not start with speech such as in Silver Blaze, or with a description like The Red-Headed League. No, this story starts with Watson informing us about something, Holmess feelings and his relationship with this woman. The reader is intrigued as to why Holmes refers to her as the woman, why the is written in italics and why Watson is mentioning her to us. Also we want to know this womans name, which when the reader reads on finds out is Irene Adler. She is described by Watson as of dubious and questionable memory. We wonder why he illustrates her this way and what the connection is between Holmes and Miss Adler. Watson tells us that in Holmess eyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. So we are now asking why this is, what could she have possibly done to make Holmes think this of a woman. Also, the reader thinks she must have done something as the title of the story indicates a scandal. However, Watson continues to explain and the reader is captivated to read on. All of Doyles stories are structured in a similar way, meaning he begins with a detailed account of the crime that has happened or will happen, and then Holmes and Watson investigate the scene of the crime, and finally right at the end of the story the solution is supplied by Holmes and all becomes clear. This structural technique keeps the reader guessing for the majority of the story, leaving the reader in suspense until all is revealed at the end. Also, it creates a sense of stability because the readers know that the stories follow a certain order and that all will be revealed. This is excellent since the reader is (typically) given all of the clues and has a chance to play the part of the detective to try and unravel the crime, generally without success, which makes it more exciting, and the reader is kept in suspense for most of the story. Doyle uses language that seems relatively old to us but was normal for him in the 1880s, and this proves to be very effective because the words and general language are strong and varied, with a wide range of vocabulary used. The language is very formal yet easy to understand, apart from some words that had a different meaning from what they mean now, for example in Silver Blaze Doyle uses the word drag which was a private horse-drawn coach in the time that this story was written, whereas today we use the word drag to describe pulling something. In Silver Blaze Doyle makes Holmes tell Watson about the crime and what he finds peculiar about this case. Watson listens carefully until he notices something and says Did the stable-boy, when he ran out with the dog, leave the door unlocked behind him? Holmes replies, Excellent, Watson; excellent! This emphasises Watsons use as a plot device. Watson will ask the questions that the reader is thinking and Holmes will answer the questions giving clues along the story and making the reader feel like they are working alongside the detective to solve the crime. In Silver Blaze there is a paragraph on page 18 (Why should he take the horse out of the stable? ) where Holmes is asking a lot of questions, this makes the reader understand Holmess intelligence, that he does not overlook the things that we may consider small. In addition, it also makes the reader ask themselves the questions and try to work it out for themselves. Once again they feel like they are working beside the detective. Something that builds tension in the story is how Holmes and Watson are always talking about the case but never about the actual conclusion itself, more like dodging around the issue and never really reaching the conclusion until the end.

Film Review of The Others (2011)

Film Review of The Others (2011) THE OTHERS FILM REVIEW:  Make Sure You all Double Check Youre Alive. By DYLAN B. TO Published March 6, 2017 Nicole Kidman as Grace in 2001s The Others Over sixteen years ago, on Thursday August 2, 2011, Alejandro Amenà ¡bars The Others, was released to the public. Why exactly are we looking back on this sixteen-year-old ghost story that was awarded a very respectable 82% on Rotten Tomatoes? Because it still manages to be relevant. It tackles modern issues of domestic abuse, violence as well as challenges the formula[DT1] of an evil scary monster or ghost that haunts an individual that produces the movies we know today. In a day an age when the slated line up of horror films for the year consists of a multitude of sequels such as The Conjuring 3, Insidious 4, and Saw VIII, a movie like The Others is a refreshing watch. The Others, an almost two-decade old film is a tantalizing ghost story that takes place in 1945 on an isolated rustic house on the island of Jersey, located in the English Channel[DT2]. However, it is curious, the mother and children, as well as the three servants, don age old Victorian attire, as well as other [DT3]elements reminiscent of its inspiration, the classic Victorian novella, The Turn of The Screw, by Henry James, such as the setting itself, as well as the plot line of deceased servants of the home coming back and haunting the new residents. The Spanish director who wrote and directed the film, Alejandro Amenabar, (his first film in English) accentuates the horror of the film through a complex and intelligent setup. Three servants (Fionnula Flanagan as Mrs. Betha Mills, Eric Sykes as Mr. Edmund Tuttle, and Elain Cassidy as Lydia) arrive at the doorstep of the manor, where Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman), the matriarch of the house, tells them about the lack of electricity, phone or radio in the home. Additionally, the windows of the home must be covered with heavy curtains, as well as no door must be opened unless the one before is closed.[DT4] Due to her young children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley), both being ultra-photosensitive to a point where light is fatal to them. Thus, 50 doors, the 15 keys, poorly lit corridors, cavernous lit only by a lamp or fire places, molds a skeleton for the director to manipulate.[DT5] Amenabar manages to pilot with this peculiar setting with incredible precision and efficiency, producing frightening context that is unveiled over the two-hour run time. The large Victorian house seems to be haunted mysterious laughter and weeping could be heard through the walls, Anne swears she sees an unknown young boy and old woman, locked doors are left open, and a piano playing by itself. Director Amenabar knows that what is unseen scares us viewers more than what we can, and he utilizes some of the most minimal old school cinematography techniques to enhance this: snappy tracking shots, reverse cutting, and littering the soundtrack with bellowing cellos and ear-bleeding shrieking violins maximizing the jabs of terror and horror of the setting. Within the first 40 minutes of screen time, Amenabar manages to produce a fog of ambiguity out of his fog machine of directorship, reminiscent of the films inspiration from The Turn of the Screw. Are the children playing tricks on their hysterical mother? Do the servants have some sort of hidden agenda? Is the film psychological or paranormal? Are any of the ghost in the movie as frightening as Grace herself, whose strict and borderline insane parental skills are a mixture of high-strung temperament and religious bigotry? Actress Nicole Kidman nails her performance of this unstable mix with such conviction that it adds its own element of terror to the film. The exciting moment where Kidman is ravaging through the hallways and doors, with immense rage and confusion, cocking an old shotgun is a highlight that shows her acting chops[DT6]. Her stylish and multilayered performances that can be seen in some of her recent work, gives the film some extra incentive to watch. The film is not without flaw, however. The directors technical direction doesnt quite match his conceptualization. The film takes some confusing turns and is not entirely proficient in displaying the rule of thumb[DT7] of horror movies. The supernatural elements must have some sort of explanation, as the product of fear is not sold without its believability. Perhaps this is the same reason the film is openly compared to M. Night Shyamalan The Sixth Sense. This movies premise, is stated clearly by Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), the housekeeper, is that the world of the dead gets mixed up in the world of the living.. Further through the story, she claims the intruders are bad and not to be trifled with, and yet is contradicted by her own statement in the closing of the film, we must all learn to live together, the living and the dead. The methods the film uses to address [DT8]the rest of its ghostly phenomena as confusing and contradicting as those moments in the movie. Despite[DT9]The Others not making complete sense in some ways, it has its fair share of pleasantries. There is something refreshing about seeing a filmmaker embrace classic and old fashion horror essentials with such care and precision. And there is a deeper satisfaction and enjoyment found in watching Nicole Kidman transcend the haunted paranormal that threatens to consume her. Her bone-chilling performance sells the product of fear that convinces even me, someone that considers himself a realist, that ghosts exist. As I have mentioned before, the film tackles various relevancies in current times. The truth we find in the end ties to domestic abuse shown by the intense dynamic between the mother and children, violence from the context of WWII and certain qualms with religion. The flow of events generally ties back to these, in subtle ways control the plot. Due to these ties, the relevant themes add some extra meaning to the film if connected back to our current situations with war in the middle east, violence that is still occurring in homes, as well as some religious bouts elsewhere in the world. As a film in general, The Others, though not at all plot driven, is something entirely unique from what you would see today in theaters. The craftsmanship of the screenplay, on its own sets itself apart from films such as The Conjuring, and its sequel(soon to be trilogy), that rely on the standard paranormal villainy and horror. The Others banks on the never before seen perspective of those that are the paranormal rather than those of the affected by the paranormal (well other than Casper the Friendly Ghost). The robust and engaging acting of the characters such as Kidman, and unique perspective of the film, makes this 2001 horror movie something to be seen even in this day and age.

Competition in International Markets Theories and Concepts

Competition in International Markets Theories and Concepts FIRMS, NOT INDIVIDUAL NATIONS COMPETE IN INTERNATIONAL MARKETS Competition has always been central to the agenda of firms. It has become one of the enduring themes of our times and the rising intensity of competition has continued until this day thereby spreading to more and more countries. As a result of globalisation, most industries with the topics of international business and competitive advantage have received much attention from business executives, public policy makers and scholars in recent years. This; in conjunction with the rise of global competitors has helped to explain why a countrys competitive advantage can be determined by the strength of its business firms. This has resulted in numerous rankings, where industries and firms are compared on a global scale to see which are the most competitive. Most firms prefer to compete in the business environment so that it will help determine the competitive advantage of the country in which they operate. A firms ability to deliver the same benefits as competitors but at a lower cost or deli ver benefits that exceed those of competing products, then such a firm is said to possess a competitive advantage over its rivals. Todays development in communication, information technology and transportation technology have enabled firms to market their products and services beyond national borders. This level of involvement has contributed to the concept of firms marketing their products in international markets. Analysis Global competitiveness occur at the cross roads between international economics and strategic management. Wassily Leontief (1998) was one of the scholars to add an empirical element to the theoretical realm of international trade with his popular paradox of the Heckscher-Ohlin (1919) theory. Later, management scholars (Buckley Casson, 1998, Tsang 1999) adopted the concept of competing globally in their research. Hamel and Prahalad (1994) later reinforced the concepts of core competencies, industry level analysis and competing for the future. After much research by these scholars, most would agree that global competitiveness in the aggregate for a nation is not equivalent to global competitiveness at the individual firm level. Corden (1994) states that there are three major areas of national competitiveness: sectoral or industry competitiveness, cost competitiveness and productivity. Many of Porters (1990) ideas were shared by earlier scholars. Vernon (1966) attributed national compe titiveness to a nations technology and capabilities, which are similar to Porters advanced factors. With Hymers (1976) idea that firms have specific competitive advantages that allow them to overcome the liability of foreignness is similar to Porters concept of firm-specific advantages that lead to global competitiveness. Caves (1982) discussed the practice of firms transferring knowledge gained in one country to another because of global competition is by utilizing the right mix of factors of production would lead to probable success. According to Papanastassou Pearce (1999), Porters diamond is one of the few models in international business research that illustrates what comprises national competitiveness within a given industry. Thus Porter tried to analyse why some nations succeed and others fail in international competition. He tries to solve this problem using the four determinants of national competitive advantage. The Determinants of National Competitive Advantage Michael Porter, in his book ‘The Competitive Advantage of Nations has introduced a model that helped to determine a nations international competitive advantage. This model of determining factors of national competitive advantage is known as Porters Diamond. Porter distinguishes four determinants; Demand Conditions, Factor Endowments, Related and Supporting Industries and Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry. Demand conditions describe the size and affluence of the domestic market. These are important because they play a role home demand plays in upgrading competitive advantage and serves as the primary source of competition for firms in a given industry. A similar example can be found in the wireless telephone equipment industry, where sophiscated and demanding local customers in Scandinavia helped push Nokia of Finland and Ericsson of Sweden to invest in cellular phone technology long before demand for cellular phones took off in other developed nations. Factor endowments include any factors of production that a firm uses in its business to maintain economic competitiveness. Thus, the natural resources which include land, labor, capital and also naturally occurring raw materials. Other factors of production can include manmade structures that facilitate commerce, including communication infrastructure, sophiscated and skilled labor, research facilities and technological know-how. An obvious example of this phenomenon is Japan, a country that lacks arable land and mineral deposits and yet through investment has built a substantial endowment of advanced factors. Related and supporting industries are the third attribute of national competitive advantage. These are beneficial to MNEs because it provides them with low-cost inputs and supply them with information regarding industry environmental changes thereby helping them achieve a strong competitive position internationally. For example, Swedish strengths in fabricated steel products have drawn on strengths in Swedens specialty steel industry. Similarly, Switzerlands success in pharmaceuticals is closely related to its previous international success in the technologically related dye industry. Firm strategy, structure and rivalry are also important in ensuring national competitiveness. Strategy refers to several key strategic factors that characterize a firm thus, actions firms utilize to achieve both long-range and short-range goals. This is important because it helps the firm to utilize the best actions with which to compete and the market it wants to compete in. Structure refers to the industry composition, thus, the degree to which an industry is concentrated or dispersed, competitive or monopolistic, global or domestic. Rivalry indicates both the number of players and the level of competition among firms in an industry. Greater rivalry in an industry would lead a firm to higher levels of competitiveness visa vis its rivals. Rivalry is thought to be the most comprehensive of the three factors, as it often indicates the underlying strategy and structure of the competitors. This is more evident in Japan, where Japanese auto-makers have become competitive in the world mar ket and has taken over major US and European auto producers. Some of the Challenges Faced By MNEs A multinational enterprise (MNE) is an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. There are some challenges faced by MNEs that transact business in international markets which can hinder its competitiveness hence its controversies and these are as follows; Market imperfections It may seem strange that a corporation has decided to do business in a different country, where it doesnt know the laws, local customs or business practices of such a country is likely to face some challenges that can reduce the managers ability to forecast business conditions. The additional costs caused by the entrance in foreign markets are of less interest for the local enterprise. Firms can also in their own market be isolated from competition by transportation costs and other tariff and non-tariff barriers which can force them to competition and will reduce their profits. The firms can maximize their joint income by merger or acquisition which will lower the competition in the shared market. This could also be the case if there are few substitutes or limited licenses in a foreign market. Tax competition Countries and sometimes subnational regions compete against one another for the establishment of MNC facilities, subsequent tax revenue, employment, and economic activity. To compete, countries and regional political districts must offer incentives to MNCs such as tax breaks, pledges of governmental assistance or improved infrastructure. When these incentives fail they are liable to face challenges which limit their chance of becoming more attractive to foreign investment. However, some scholars have argued that multinationals are engaged in a race to the top. While multinationals certainly regard a low tax burden or low labor costs as an element of comparative advantage, there is no evidence to suggest that MNCs deliberately avail themselves of tax environmental regulation or poor labour standards. Political instability Many multinational Enterprises face the challenge of political instability when doing business in international markets. This kind of problem mostly occurs when there is an absence of a reliable government authority. When this happens, it adds to business costs, increase risks of doing business and sometimes reduces managers ability to forecast business trends. Political instability is also associated with corruption and weak legal frameworks that discourage foreign investments. Market withdrawal The size of multinationals can have a significant impact on government policy, primarily through the threat of market withdrawal. For example, in an effort to reduce health care costs, some countries have tried to force pharmaceutical companies to license their patented drugs to local competitors for a very low fee, thereby artificially lowering the price. When faced with that threat, multinational pharmaceutical firms have simply withdrawn from the market, which often leads to limited availability of advanced drugs. Countries that have been the most successful in this type of confrontation with multinational corporations are large countries such as United States and Brazil, which have viable indigenous market competitors. Lobbying Multinational corporate lobbying is directed at a range of business concerns, from tariff structures to environmental regulations. Companies that have invested heavily in pollution control mechanisms may lobby for very tough environmental standards in an effort to force non-compliant competitors into a weaker position. Corporations lobby tariffs to restrict competition of foreign industries. For every tariff category that one multinational wants to have reduced, there is another multinational that wants the tariff raised. Even within the U.S. auto industry, the fraction of a companys imported components will vary, so some firms favor tighter import restrictions, while others favor looser ones. This is very serious and is very hard and takes a lot of work for the owner. Conclusion The discussion so far, points out that, the degree to which a nation is likely to achieve international success in a certain industry is a function of the combined impact of factor endowments, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and domestic rivalry. It is very obvious that these determinants are interrelated. Each is influenced by the others and in turn, influences the others. The presence of all these four components is usually required for this diamond to boost competitive performance although there are exceptions. Porter also points out that government can influence each of the four components of the diamond either positively or negatively. Factor endowments can be affected by subsidies, policies toward capital markets, policies toward education and others. Domestic demand can also be shaped through local product standards or regulations that mandate buyer needs. Government policy can also influence supporting and related industries through regulation and influe nce firm rivalry through such devices as capital market regulation, tax policy and antitrust laws. Countries should therefore be exporting products from those industries where all four components of the diamond are favourable, than importing in those areas where the components are not favourable in order to achieve competitive advantage. References Buckley, P. Casson, M. (1998). Models of the multinational enterprise. Journal of International Business Studies, 29(1), 21-44. Caves, R. (1982). Multinational enterprise and economic analysis. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Corden, W. (1994). Economic policy, exchange rates and the international system. Oxford University Press. Hamel, G. Prahalad, C. (1994). Competing for the future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Hymer, S. (1976). The international operations of national firms: A study of direct foreign investment. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. Leontief, W. (1999). Domestic production and foreign trade: The American capital position re-examined. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 97, 331-349. Papanastassou, M. Pearce, R. (1999). Multinationals, technology and national competitiveness. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Porter, M. (1990). The competitive advantage of nations. New York: The Free Press. Tsang, D. (1999). National culture and national competitiveness: A study of the microcomputer component industry. Advances in Competitiveness Research, 7(1), 1-20. Vernon, R. (1966, May). International investments and international trade in the product life cycle. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 190-207. Bibliography Daniels, J., Radebaugh, L., Sullivan, D. (2007). International Business: environment and operations, 11th edition. Prentice Hall. Joshi, Rakesh Mohan, (2009) International Business, Oxford University Press. Roger Sugden (2000). The nature of the transnational firm. Routledge. Travis, T. (2007). Doing Business Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Going Global. Hoboken: John WileySons. Hill, W.L. (2001) International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace, McGraw-Hill. Veiyath, R. Zahra, S. (2000). Competitiveness in the 21st century: Reflections on the growing debate about globalization. Advances in Competitiveness Research, 8(1), 14-27. Bresman, H., Birkinshaw, J. Nobel, R. (1999). Knowledge transfer in international acquisitions. Journal of International Business Studies.

The Effectiveness of Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Essay

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are eating disorders that severely affect both men and women around the world. The cause of the eating disorder usually derives from psychological, biological and social forces. Eating disorders have become an epidemic in American society, twenty-four million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S. (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.\, 2011). There are many ways to address and treat an eating disorder. There have been multiple studies conducted to test the effectiveness of different types of treatment. My central research question analyzes the relationship between the continuation of the eating disorder with the presence of intervention or some form of therapy. The use of therapy will take place as the dependent variable due to its relationship toward the termination of the eating disorder. There are social processes involved in the ceasing of an eating disorder or alleviating the symptoms of the disorder as shown through group therapy (Mclorb and Taub, 1987). I will review different sociological literature that approaches the relation between the continuations of eating disorders with the presence of treatment. In the observational case study by Mclorb and Taub, (1987), they interviewed participants of a group therapy session involving a group of fifteen young women battling a range of eating disorders. The therapy sessions were modeled after alcoholics anonymous meetings. The subjects would meet weekly in search of support, this was a form of therapy that allowed the subjects to involve or remove themselves at any point in time. The main purpose was to seek a sense of support from people dealing with the same issue. They discusse... ... IL: National Association of Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders. Retrieved November 30, 2011 (http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/). 6) Yager, Joel, Michael J. Devlin, Katherine A.Halmi, David B. Herzong, James E. Mitchell III, Pauline Powers, Kathryn J. Zerbe. (2006) Practice guideline for the treatment of patients with eating disorders, Third edition Washington D.C.: American Psychiatric Association. (http://www.karwautz.at/documents/apaedsguideline2006.pdf ). Original Citation found in Bosch, Amanda, Raymond Miltenberger, Amy Gross, Peter Knudson and Carrie Breitwieser. 2008. "Evaluation of Extinction as a Functional Treatment for Binge Eating." Behavior Modification 32(4):556-576 (http://exlibris.colgate.edu/Mondo/remote-or-local-url.asp?http://search.proquest.com/docview/811355510?accountid=10207).

The Causes of the American Revolution Essay -- Essays on American Revo

The American Revolution began for many reasons, some are; long-term social, economic, and political changes in the British colonies, prior to 1750 provided the basis for and started a course to America becoming an independent nation under it's own control with its own government. Not a tyrant king thousands of miles away. A huge factor in the start of the revolution was the French and Indian War during the years of 1754 through 1763; this changed the age-old bond between the colonies and Britain, its mother. To top it off, a decade of conflicts between the British rule and the colonists, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to the eruption of war in 1775, along with the drafting of The Declaration of Independence in 1776. Originally the fighting between Britain and France began in 1754 with a quarrel in North America. It had two different names. In America it is known as the French and Indian War. In Britain and Europe it is known as the Seven Years? War, because the fighting lasted from 1756 to 1763. A result of the French and Indian war was a British decision to reconsider its relationship with its colonies. Prior to the French and Indian War, Britain had loosely controlled its colonies. British leaders regarded the colonial government as inferior. As long as only a few serious conflicts between Britain and America occurred, the British government permitted colonial assemblies to oversee the royal governors and to pass new laws that suited to the needs of the colonists. In addition, the British did not always enforce their laws in the colonies. For example, the British Customs Service, which was unproductive, understaffed, and open to corruption, did not enforce the Molasses Act of 1733. British leaders did not insist on strict enforcement of this tax or other commercial duties because thriving American trade was making Britain very wealthy and powerful nation. British statesman and political theorist Edmund Burke, a orator who successfully championed many human rights and causes by bringing people to attention through his moving speeches. Described his country?s policies toward the colonies as ?salutary neglect? because he believed their leniency was actually beneficial. As a result of this salutary neglect, the colonists developed a political and economic system that was virtually independent. They were loyal, although somewhat... ... Townshend duties on certain imported goods. Indeed, American patriots used tar and feathers to wage a war of intimidation against British tax collectors. These were the actions that made our country leap towards a revolution and eventually make it free. As the first line of the constitution says ?We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.?, and this selection along with the rest of the constitution still stands today and has not been changed or altered since it was made. Works Cited Carroll, Andrew, Letters for a Nation, Broadway New York, 1997 Gottschalk, Louis. "Cause of Revolution." Schenckman Publishing Company, Inc.: Cambridge, 2011. "American Revolution" Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution Olsen, Keith W., et al. An Outline of American History. Web. 20 July 2015. http://202.194.48.102/englishonline/world/AmericanStudies/Am-history/index.asp The Causes of the American Revolution Essay -- Essays on American Revo The American Revolution began for many reasons, some are; long-term social, economic, and political changes in the British colonies, prior to 1750 provided the basis for and started a course to America becoming an independent nation under it's own control with its own government. Not a tyrant king thousands of miles away. A huge factor in the start of the revolution was the French and Indian War during the years of 1754 through 1763; this changed the age-old bond between the colonies and Britain, its mother. To top it off, a decade of conflicts between the British rule and the colonists, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to the eruption of war in 1775, along with the drafting of The Declaration of Independence in 1776. Originally the fighting between Britain and France began in 1754 with a quarrel in North America. It had two different names. In America it is known as the French and Indian War. In Britain and Europe it is known as the Seven Years? War, because the fighting lasted from 1756 to 1763. A result of the French and Indian war was a British decision to reconsider its relationship with its colonies. Prior to the French and Indian War, Britain had loosely controlled its colonies. British leaders regarded the colonial government as inferior. As long as only a few serious conflicts between Britain and America occurred, the British government permitted colonial assemblies to oversee the royal governors and to pass new laws that suited to the needs of the colonists. In addition, the British did not always enforce their laws in the colonies. For example, the British Customs Service, which was unproductive, understaffed, and open to corruption, did not enforce the Molasses Act of 1733. British leaders did not insist on strict enforcement of this tax or other commercial duties because thriving American trade was making Britain very wealthy and powerful nation. British statesman and political theorist Edmund Burke, a orator who successfully championed many human rights and causes by bringing people to attention through his moving speeches. Described his country?s policies toward the colonies as ?salutary neglect? because he believed their leniency was actually beneficial. As a result of this salutary neglect, the colonists developed a political and economic system that was virtually independent. They were loyal, although somewhat... ... Townshend duties on certain imported goods. Indeed, American patriots used tar and feathers to wage a war of intimidation against British tax collectors. These were the actions that made our country leap towards a revolution and eventually make it free. As the first line of the constitution says ?We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.?, and this selection along with the rest of the constitution still stands today and has not been changed or altered since it was made. Works Cited Carroll, Andrew, Letters for a Nation, Broadway New York, 1997 Gottschalk, Louis. "Cause of Revolution." Schenckman Publishing Company, Inc.: Cambridge, 2011. "American Revolution" Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution Olsen, Keith W., et al. An Outline of American History. Web. 20 July 2015. http://202.194.48.102/englishonline/world/AmericanStudies/Am-history/index.asp

Reflections for Creativity Essay

1. What reflections will you need to make before you can start brainstorming ideas? We will need to reflect on each team members personal skills. Evaluate the team’s needs and what the team wants to acheive. 2. Why is it important to acknowledge and learn about the backgrounds and skills of the team members within your group? Its important to know the skills of the people in the group to know what their strong points are and to delegate them to task to efficiently work together. 3. as team leader, give 5 examples of ground rules you would establish, after consulting with the other members of your team. 1) All team members should respect each other’s ideas. 2) Hold each person accountable and responsible. 3) Communication and information sharing procedures 4) Encourage creativity and the development of effective relationships between members of the team. 5) Accept that each member comes from diverse backgrounds, must treat each other with fairness and honesty. 4. Name 5 characteristics you believe you need to possess in order to be an effective team leader? 1) Must be fair and honest 2) Knowledge of how to encourage team members to produce effective results. 3) Provide resources, time and support for the team to form and develop. 4) Teach winning strategies and tactics for the team 5) run interference and remove barriers in order to let employees do their jobs. 5) It is important to utilize external stimuli, to effectively generate new ideas and solutions. Name 5 sources of external stimuli that you could access? 1) Legislation 2) Research data 3) Customer, supplier, shareholder and other stakeholder feedback 4) Best practice information  5) Political and socio-economic information that will impact on operations 6) Describe 3 methods of encouraging your team members to share their knowledge and experience. 1) Celebration of successful innovation 2) Employee recognition, such as employee of the month program 3) Rewards, could be monetary incentive 7) Why is debriefing an integral activity that should be exercised regularly? It is necessary to debrief regularly to ensure that team members are confident of their own abilities and those of other team members. This allows them to reflect individually and as a team on what they have achieved and what is needed to be improved. 8) Your team is generating ideas that you believe have been over used by other fundraising volunteers. List three constructive ways that you can push your team to generate more innovative ideas? 1) We can hold a drawing, and the person with the most innovative idea wins a large prize. 2) Suggest to the team to use external stimuli or other resources to come up with more innovative ideas. 3) Suggest to the team to network and attend seminars to build on more innovative ideas.

He tendency for human beings to copy one another is shown in the popularity of fashion and goods Essay

The tendency for human beings to copy sensation an otherwise is shown in the popularity of fashion and goods. check up on or disagree. Agree Economic advocate Easy to copyDisagree non easy to copy due to obscure procedures Other fields ar easier to be copiedFashion and goods are becoming more(prenominal) similar between brands. Some mess think that settlers are copying ideas of each(prenominal) other in such products part others claim that this is hardly necessarily reflected largely in fashion and goods. I conceptualize that in any field, people coffin nail copy from other and sometimes, fashion and consumer goods are far from easy imitation. First of all, it is concept that copying the style of fashion and goods is easier than other types of imitation. Just a glance at invention is sufficient enough to pass on other competitive brands to follow and manufacture right after the original position comes into being. Nevertheless, peoples desire is to jazz products wi th good appearance and quality at the same time.De hostility the copying write out of outstanding appearance, if the quality of products is below antepast of consumers, for instance, short durability and mellow footing, the last mentioned ones will shun away these items soon. endorse of all, people mostly need goods in their daily life. The rate of consumption in daily goods adds up to billions of dollars for producers, which motivates them to copy each other. Yet, when it involves the assembly line and advanced scientific applications, it is far from easy to follow suit. technical goods need expertise, significant investment and long research. Hence, though goods may look uniform each other, they are rarely products of elegant emulation and mass- consumed.Chinese products, for instance, in spite of being believed to be of lower price and copy others in the world, are button up not as attractive as original ones as created in the States and Japan due to their unfashionabl e design and short-time durability. In addition, copying trend is noticeable in other fields. In arts, the musical comedy style of one nation borrows greatly from that of other countries to enrich cultural inheritance of each nation while products of high intellectuality such as writing styles are somehow similar to each other. eve in choice of life, when a mortal has little inkling about what he or she does in life, it is more liable(predicate) that he or she will expedition the same journey as predecessors to be on the safe side. When it comes to work purlieu where competition is higher, to ingratiate oneself with bosses, employees are likely to copy ideas of others, which actually proves easier than to imitate the complicated business models to generate fashion designs or consumer goods. written by lena pham-

Ap 1988 Euro

1988 MC bailiwick AP europiuman Hi narrative Exam coke questions in 75 minutes. 1. Salvation by faith al mavin, the ministry of all(prenominal) believers, and the authority of the watch term be principles basic to (A) the deliverymanian nabionateism of Erasmus (B) the Church of England (C) Catholicism after(prenominal) the Council of Trent (D) Luth periodnism in the other(a) sixteenth coke (E) the cordial club of Jesus (Jesuit order) 2. The Edict of Nantes in 1598 did which of the avocation? (A) Ensured Anglo- french cooperation throughout the 17th century. (B) Created a french church separated from papal authority. (C) cease the fightfare of the Spanish Succession. D) Proclaimed the toleration of Calvinism. (E) Precipitated the French wars of Religion. pic 3. The sketch in a higher place, d edgedn by Galileo in 1610, was employd to argue that the daydream (A) has no phases (B) has an irregular surface (C) is one of the planets (D) does non revolve around th e universe (E) is illuminated by Mars 4. You worship the saints and delight in touching their relics, precisely you despise the surpass one they left everyplace(p) behind, the use of a holy livelihood-time . If the worship of Christ in the mortal of His saints pleases you so very very much, see to it that you imitate Christ in the saintsThe quotation supra expresses the sensible horizons of which of the pursuit? (A) hydrogen VIII of England (B) Catherine de Medici (C) Erasmus of Rotterdam (D) Leonardo da Vinci (E) Niccolo Machiavelli 5. earth-closet Locke establish his Two Treatises on G everyplacenment primarily on which of the avocation views of kind dis set? (A) toilet be basi scruby rational and learn from ca-caing experience. (B) people atomic round 18 weak and skanky and need the counselor of organized religion. (C) People are fallible and need guidance from the cumulative wisdom of tradition. (D) People are inherently quarrelsome and should never be encouraged to revolt against convey authority. E) People are born with all cognition, and eruditeness is the process of remembering that innate knowledge pic 6. The map supra of 18th-century Russia suggests which of the quest slightly Russian soil between 1689 and 1796? (A) The tuffet pudding stone annexed the Crimea (B) Peter the Great added to a greater extent territory to Russia than did Catherine the Great (C) roughly Russian intricacy withalk situate in the eastern United States (D) Russia ceded territory to Poland in the new-fangled ordinal century (E) Russia acquired navigable seaports in both the north and the south 7.Which of the succeeding(a) go around describes the policy-making and economical environment of much of fifteenth century Italy? (A) A a couple of(prenominal) large bring ups rule by a wealthy landed magnanimousness (B) A impregnable unified Italian monarchy that patronized the arts (C) Many indep residualingent city-states with gilt merchant oligarchies (D) Control of near of Italy by the pope, who encouraged mer messtile organic evolution (E) stand of the arts in Italy by the kings of France and the hallowed papistic emperors, who were competing for do feat 8. The receipt of the roman print Catholic church to the Protestant reformation include all of the pastime remove A) the abolition of the Index of Prohibited Books (B) the ecesis of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit order) (C) the convening of the Council of Trent (D) the knowledgeableness of womens orders active in gentility and care of the sick (E) an profit in the derive of parish grammar schools pic 9. The Pieter Brueghal painting (circa 1569) sh ingest above depicts the carnage of liquidationrs in A) the Netherlands by Spanish troop B) Russia by pansy troops C) Spain by aim troops D) France by Swedish troops E) Hungary by Austrian 10. The commencement semi governmental use of the terms right-hand(a) and left was to describe the A ) division of France into preponderantly Protestant and predominantly roman type Catholic areas (B) seating arrangements in the French depicted object fable chamber during the French transition (C) party alliances in the English home plate of Commons during the debates prior to the Ameri stool gyration (D) two wings of the Versailles palace that housed the Roman Catholic and the Huguenot nobility (B) factions in the English Parliament that condenseed James II or William of Orange 11. Which of the avocation statements trump describes the writers of the Romantic school? (A)They stressed sensation rather than rea give-and-take. B)They continued the traditions of the Enlightenment. (C)They were advocates of change magnitude political rights for women. (D)They modeled their work on the enlightenics of Greece and Rome. (E)They based their writing on scientific and numeral models. 12. During the Crimean war (1854-1856), just about deaths among the war machine occurred as a re sult of (A) trench war and poisonous gas (B) guerrilla war (C) naval engagements (D) disease and inadequate medical examination care (E) heavy artillery barrage fire 13. In fifteenth-century atomic number 63. Muslim culture exerted the great influence on which of the followers societies? A) English (B) French (C) German (D) Italian (E) Spanish 14. In 1500 the two intimately almighty autocracies in Eastern europium were (A) Muscovy and the Ottoman conglomerate (B) the Ottoman and the mired empires (C) the Byzantine imperium and Poland-Lithuania (D) Poland-Lithuania and Hungary (E) Hungary and Kievan Russia 15. The principal reason wherefore Louis XIV (1643-1715) built his palace at Versailles was to (A) tighten his guarantee over the nobility (B) strengthen ties with the Huguenots (C) move the kings re fountnce nearer to the center of the democracy (D) provide thousands of jobs E) absorb the excess gross produced by mercantilist tax policies 16. In the minute of arc h alf of the seventeenth century, which of the quest countries dominated atomic number 63an culture, politics, and diplomacy? (A) England (B) The Netherlands (C) Russia (D) France (E) Prussia 17. Which of the chthonicmentioned scoop characterizes the western atomic number 63an economy, as a whole, in the sixteenth century? (A) far-flung un involution (B) Declining apportion wind and commerce (C) Technological breakthroughs in fade (D) Unrestricted trade among nations (E) spiraling largeness 18.In the fore close half of the seventeenth century, the Austrian Hapsburgs subdued revolt and centralize control in their territories by doing which of the adjacent? (A) Emancipating the peasantry and encouraging verdant phylogenesis (B) anyying with the urban middle manikines and encouraging commercial outgrowth (C) Establishing a bailiwick church headed by the Hapsburg emperor and redistributing former church properties (D) Creating a customs kernel to promote trade and acq uiring new territories to issue merchants with raw materials (E) Waging warfare against rebel groups and instigateing the Catholic reformation 9. Which of the pursual was a study result of the cardinal Years War (1618-1648)? (A) The long-term strengthening of the Holy Roman Emperors authority (B) The criminalise of Calvinism in the German states (C) The founding of buckram Russian influence in the blue German states (D) The loss of as much as one- third of the German-speaking earth of discourse through war, plague, and starvation (E) The encouragement of quick economic development in galore(postnominal) German-speaking cities 20. After the defeat of great power Charles I in the English civil War and his execution in 1649, England was governed for a decade by A) a elective re overt with universal suffrage (B) a commonplacewealth led by Oliver Cromwell and his son (C) a constitutional monarchy at a lower place study power James II (D) the king of Scotland (E) a p arliamentary council dominated by egalitarians 21. Which of the future(a) most clearly distinguishes the northern conversion from the Italian Renaissance? (A) Interest in science and engineering science (B) Greater busy with religious piety (C) Cultivation of a Latin style (D) Use of subject area phraseologys in literature (E) Admiration for scholastic thought 22. Adam Smith maintained that A) workers real wages decrease in the long run (B) world ceaselessly t eat ups to outstrip food supplies (C) monopolies benefit the state (D) competition is socially beneficial (E) social vicissitude is inevitable 23. Which of the avocation early nineteenth-century political figures was most closely identify with the c at a timept of the concert of atomic number 63? (A) Castlereagh (B) catnap I (C) Talleyrand (D) Alexander I (E) Metternich 24. A factor accelerating the British judicatures repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 was the (A) southerly Sea Bubble scandal (B) American revolut ion C) Irish potato dearth (D) development of relatively inexpensive nautical transport (E) worldwide mechanization of cereal grass farming 25. Which of the interest spared atomic number 63 a universal multi subject field war during the uphold half of the nineteenth century? (A) The surgical procedure of an effective counterbalance of power (B) atomic number 63s preoccupation with industrial development (C) The strength of the German navy (D) dismay of Ottoman expansion into the rest of Europe (E) A policy of let go and unexclusive trade 26. The 18th-century philosophes believed that society could best discover progress through A) prayer and musing (B) intuition (C) hard work and defense (D) scientific empiricism (E) analysis of Hellenic and Latin texts 27. The model of the universe which resulted from the scientific work of Galileo and Newton embraced (A) Aristotelian school of thought (B) a belief in an acclivity chain of being (C) a whim of a spiritually animate universe (D) the belief in the fixed, central position of the Earth (E) the science of mechanics 28. The installment of events that led to the French mutation of 1789 is best summarized by which of the following? A) Lafayettes call for democracy, royal suppression of the home(a) Assembly, Robespierres direct a peasant revolution (B) Peasant uprisings, royal abdication, election of the content Assembly (C) Franco-Austrian war, urban riots, convening of the Assembly of Notables (D) Widespread famine, repression of riots, guerrilla war (E) magnificent financial crisis, convening of the Estates General, storming of the Bastille 29. In place of the old bourgeois society, with its syllabuses and class antagonism, we shall stomach an association, in which the free development of separately is the condition for the free development of all. These lyric express the ideas of (A) Alexis de Tocqueville (B) John Locke (C) Jean-Jacques Rousseau (D) Edmund remove (E) Karl Marx and Fried rich Engels 30. Which of the following best describes an important trend in typical family sizing in western Europe after 1870? (A) It increased in urban areas due to improvements in public health and housing for workers. (B) It decreased in working-class families due to legislation restrict child ride. (C) It decreased sharply because of inveterate food shortages (D) It decreased initially in the middle classes because of the increased approachs of raising children. E) It remained unchanged because of massive emigration abroad 31. English economic expansion was in earnest threatened in the eighteenth century by a fastly change magnitude supply of (A) peat (B) wood (C) coal (D) anele (E) water power pic Left side of graph should read Population (in millions), the first number is 1700 not 700 32. completely of the following statements roughly Europes cosmos in the eighteenth century can be inferred from the graph above tho (A) For most of the century, France had the larg est tribe of any European power. (B) The population of Eastern Europe outstripped that of Hesperian Europe in size. C) Russia experient the largest increase in rate of population growth. (D) The population of the British Isles grew throughout the century. (E) Rates of population growth increased after 1750. 33. The beauty parlor was a weekly gathering held in the home of one of the dominant ladies of the society, at which dinner was ordinarily parcel outd, cards usually played, but conversation led by the hostess predominated. A few salons were cognise as having the ideal mixture of leading intellectuals, open-minded nobles, and clever, elegant women. The handing over above describes an important aspect of social aliveness in which of the following? A) Geneva during the Reformation (B) Florence during the Renaissance (C) London during the Glorious renewing (D) Paris during the Enlightenment (E) Berlin during the Kulturkampf 34. Enlightened monarchs of the eighteenth cent ury supported all of the following omit (A) religious tolerance (B) increased economic harvest-feastivity (C) pacifist contradictory policy (D) administrative reform (E) temporal and technical education 35. Which of the following characterized European warfare between the Peace of Utrecht (1713) and the outbreak of the French Revolution (1789)? (A) Standing armies move limited strategic goals B) Citizen armies fighting for their native Australian lands (C) Feudal armies fighting for their lords (D) Mass armies prosecute global strategies (E) Highly mobile armies unrestrained by traditionalistic defenses 36. Under the snoozeic schema, peasants in territories conquered by French armies were slackly given (A) the right to vote for representatives to serve in newly created parliaments (B) control over the appointment of village priests (C) exemption from manorial obligations (D) free lessons in the French language (E) sets of laws designed specifically to fit topical anaest hetic conditions 37. The greatest happiness for the greatest number was the explicit goal of which of the following movements? (A) love story (B) Utilitarianism (C) Pietism (D) Anarchism (E) Jansenism 38. In the presence of my guests I reduced the telegram by deleting words, without adding or altering a single word . . . which make the announcement appear decisive. My guest verbalise Now it has quite a contrary ring. In its original form it sounded deal a parley. Now it is like a flourish of trumpets in act to a challenger. I went on to exempt . . . it will feature the effect of a red flag on the Gallic bullThe individual recounting the story above was (A) Napoleon III (B) Cavour (C) Disraeli (D) von Bismarck (E) Alexander II 39. The disease most common in industrialized areas of nineteenth-century Europe was (A) bubonic plague (B) tuberculosis (C) smallpox (D) malaria (E) leprosy 40. In 1917 the Bolsheviks look to rally support from the Russian people with which of the following slogans? (A) Peace, land, wampum (B) Socialism in one solid ground (C) Blood and iron (D) Family, work, fatherland (E) Liberty, equality, corporation 41. French leaders decided to carry Ger numerouss Ruhr Valley in January 1923 in order to A) counterbalance Soviet influence in Ger many another(prenominal) (B) incorporate German territory permanently into France (C) halt the rise of the Nazi party among workers in the region (D) use the regions industrial production to accelerate Frances rearmament (E) seize goods as payment for Germanys reparations debt 42. By 1948 Soviet-dependent regimes existed in all of the following countries EXCEPT (A) Bulgaria (B) Hungary (C) Poland (D) Rumania (E) Yugoslavia 43. The French monarchy in the seventeenth century sought to expand Frances borders to its natural frontiers by gaining control of (A) Schleswig-Holstein B) Milan (C) Alsace (D) Spain (E) Tuscany 44. Which of the following caused the deepest and most retentive internal o pposition to the French Revolution? (A) The Great Fear (B) The storming of the Bastille (C) The publication of Burkes Reflections on the Revolution in France (D) The advent of the Thermidorean reaction (E) The enactment of the cultivated Constitution of the Clergy 45. Architecture produced in the Napoleonic Empire was influenced most by (A) antediluvian Egyptian pyramids (B) classical models (C) Romanesque churches (D) Islamic structures (E) gothic churches pic 46.The graph above depicts the lengths, from longest to shortest, of the railway line systems of (A) the United Kingdom, the Italian states, France (B) the United Kingdom, the German states, France (C) The German states, the United Kingdom, the Italian states (D) France, the German states, the Italian states (E) France, the United Kingdom, the German states 47. bloody shame Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill both wrote (A) critiques of the French Revolution (B) tracts on liberty and the rights of women (C) Utopian novels (D) polemics against alcohol consumption (E) satires of George III of England 48.all(a) of the following cities experienced major uprisings in 1848 EXCEPT A) Paris B) Berlin C) London D) Rome E) capital of Austria pic 49. The image shown above is an example of a new technique for examining the human be which was discovered by (A) Faraday (B) Pasteur (C) Lister (D) gas constant (E) Planck Questions 50-51 are based on the passage below. Where liberal parties, now liberal provided in name, remained in power, they embraced protectionism and imperialism, undertook social regulation, and retain from the old liberal creed merely Opposition to the extension of the franchise and to the church. 50.In what era did the developments describe in the passage most probably take place? (A) 1715-1788 (B) 1789-1800 (C) 1815-1830 (D) 1880-1905 (E) 1945-1970 51. Which of the following factors best explains the transformation and decline of liberalism described in the passage? (A) The continued obl igingness of peasants to aristocratic influence (B) The rise of industrial society and of mass political movements (C) The general decline in literacy order (D) The softness of laissez-f coursee economics to uproot traditional communal agriculture and guilds (E) A strong popular reaction against liberal anti-clericalism 2. Which of the following ideas did Darwin draw on in maturation his theories of evolution? (A) The Romantics ideas about the importance of sublime individuals (B) The scientific view that species are eternal and unchanging (C) The Biblical account of creation in Genesis (D) Nineteenth-century theories of manifest requirement (E) The population theories of Thomas Malthus pic 53. The nineteenth-century English toon above depicts (A) the weakening of Great Britain caused by emigration (B) Thomas Manns demise in Venice (C) the pollution resulting from industrialization D) British naval losses (E) criminals lurking around British waterways 54. The immediate cause of the 1905 Russian Revolution was social strain resulting from (A) the agitation of the Russian Social Democratic party (B) the mass emigration of skilled workers to the New universe of discourse (C) attempts by the politics to reform the Russian Orthodox church (D) the demands of ethnic groups for political autonomy (E) Russian losses in the Russo-Japanese War pic 55. According to the graph above, which class in sixteenth-century England benefited most from the trends shown? (A) Landowners B) Landless laborers (C) dwelling servants (D) Merchants (E) Small-scale artisans 56. Which of the following was a principal(a) result of the Glorious Revolution of 1688? (A) The establishment of universal male suffrage (B) The yield of Roman Catholicism to both England and Scotland (C) The confinement of monarchic power (D) The execution of Charles I (E) The crow of Puritanism 57. Important prerequisites for Great Britains industrialization in the mid-eighteenth century included which o f the following? (A) Innovations in agricultural techniques and increases in food production B) Dramatic improvements in workers housing in the cities (C) A rapid increase in the amount of money imported from New adult male colonies (D) urge ony growth of a national system of rail transport (E) Strong monarchical leadership and a centralized governance bureaucracy pic 58. The shaded areas on the map above represent which of the following? (A) Dynastic lands of the Hapsburgs in the sixteenth century (B) Participants in the Thirty Years War in the seventeenth century (C) Protestant regions in the eighteenth century (D) Members of the Holy Alliance in the nineteenth century E) Members of the join Atlantic conformity Organization in the ordinal century 59. Which of the following European countries experienced the greatest degree of political mental unsoundness in the nineteenth century? (A) Austria (B) France (C) The Netherlands (D) Prussia (E) Russia 60. When Sigmund Freud remar ked that in mental life nothing which has once been formed can perish, he meant that (A) human beings are rational creatures (B) human beings can remember and recall all experiences at will (C) all mental acts are conscious mental acts D) the unconscious maintain unpleasant as well as pleasant thoughts (E) the unconscious obliterates excess thoughts pic 61. The chronologically arranged maps above illustrate the (A) cogitate phases of the Franco-Prussian War (B) Schlieffen Plan (C) concluding phases of the counterbalance World War (D) settlement of the Treaty of Versailles. 1919 (E) invasion of France in 1940 62. Which of the following ideas is common to the works of both Karl Marx and the classical economists? (A) The countermine of the bourgeoisie by the revolutionary labor movement is inevitable. B) Class struggle is the mechanism of historical progress. (C) The free exchange of wages for labor ensures social harmony. (D) The nurse of a product is largely determined by the value of the labor used to produce it. (E) The triumph of the proletariat will bring about a classless society. 63. During the last third of the nineteenth century, new industries, such as those producing electric power and chemicals, progress most rapidly in which of the following European countries? (A) France (B) Italy (C) Germany (D) Belgium (E) Spain 64. What the breechloader, the machine gun, the steamboat, the steamship, quinine, and other innovations did was to lower the cost in both financial and human terms of penetrating, conquering, and exploiting new territories. So efficient did they make imperialism that not simply national governments but even individuals like Henry Stanley and Cecil Rhodes could precipitate events and stake out claims to vast territories which later became parts of empires. The historian quoted above would most likely use which of the following statements to explain imperialism in Africa after 1870? A) Europes major corporations used merciless force in their search for overseas trade and salary. (B) The power of European technology provided the mechanism that made imperialism cheap and easy. (C) European politicians were willing and eager to risk war for the sake of national prestige. (D) Individuals like Stanley and Rhodes were more(prenominal) important than economic forces in the achievement of Africa by Europeans. (E) The European officer class was eager to use Africa as a testing ground for new weapons. 65. All of the following were invented in western United Statesern Europe during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries EXCEPT A) firearms (B) portable printing type (C) the compound microscope (D) the compass (E) the flying shuttle 66. It was an important confederacy of commercial towns in northern Germany with its own laws, diplomats, and flags. Its membership of merchants earned large profits shipping fish, timber, and other resources to areas to the west and to the south. prosperity declined, however, when trade routes shifted from the Baltic to the Atlantic after 1500. The description above refers to the (A) fusion of the Rhine (B) Hanseatic partnership C) Merchants of the Staple (D) Holy Roman Empire (E) Schmalkaldic League 67. In the sixteenth century, all of the following had religious civil wars or political insurrections EXCEPT (A) Muscovite Russia (B) England (C) the scurvy Countries (D) France (E) the German states 68. The teachings of which of the following had the greatest shock absorber on the Reformation in Scotland? (A) Ignatius of Loyola (B) John Calvin (C) Martin Luther (D) Desiderius Erasmus (E) Ulrich Zwingli 69. Mercantilism was principally characterized by (A) government efforts to build a strong. elf-sufficient economy (B) the efforts of the merchant class to influence policy by subsidizing the government (C) efforts by bankers and exporters to establish free trade (D) the scheme that gold and argent were not real wealth (E) the view that labor ought to be able to seek its own market 70. In the late seventeenth century, which of the following countries led Continental Europe in shipbuilding, navigation, and commerce and banking? (A) France (B) Russia (C) The Netherlands (D) Denmark (E) Spain 71. In eighteenth-century Europe, the most important imperial rivalries existed among which three of the following? A) Russia, France, and Great Britain (B) The German states, the Italian states, and Great Britain (C) The German states, the Italian states, and France (D) The German states, the Italian states, and Spain (E) Spain, France, and Great Britain 72. All of the following occurred as a result of the settlements reached at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) EXCEPT (A) A balance of power was reestablished. (B) Belgium was united with the Netherlands under the House of Orange. (C) The neutrality of Switzerland was recognized. (D) Italy was unified under Sardinian leadership. E) A personal union between Sweden and Norway was created. 73. In th e mid-nineteenth century, industrial growth in Western Europe was significantly stimulated by the (A) abolition of national customs barriers (B) introduction of assembly-line production (C) investment of United States Capital (D) expansion of cargo ships systems (E) expansion of labor unions 74. Which of the following factors most stimulated the entrance of large numbers game of women into the labor force in many European countries during the First World War? (A) The decline in the average size of families (B) The increase in divorce rates C) Woman suffrage (D) The spread of Wilsonian principles (E) The shortage in the labor supply 75. A social historian would be most likely to research which of the following topics? (A) French diplomacy, 1742-1763 (B) Frederick William I and the General Directory of War, Finance, and Domains (C) The philosophical assumptions of Montesquieus Persian Letters (D) Napoleons Freudian relationship with Madame de Stael (E) Family life in a French vill age 76. In late nineteenth-century Great Britain, women were in the majority in which of the following categories of employment? (A) Transportation B) Mining (C) Factory work (D) Domestic service (E) Construction work 77. Which of the following scientific theories of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was used to support notions of racial favorable position? (A)Jamess hypothesis of pragmatism (B)Freuds psychoanalytic theory (C)Darwins theory of natural selection (D)Plancks quantum theory (E)Pavlovs theory of conditioned response pic 78. The painting above, Musical Forms (1931 ) by Georges Braque, is an example of which of the following schools of painting? (A) Romantic (B)Impressionist (C) cubistic (D) Expressionist (E) Realist 79.Albert Einstein is well cognise for theorizing that (A) atoms are stable, basic building blocks of nature (B) time and space are dislocated concepts (C) light contains energy only when it is perceptible (D) mass and energy are interconvertible (E ) the speed of an aircraft cannot exceed the speed of sound 80. Most historians would agree with which of the following descriptions of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919? (A) A treaty that spelled out the Soviet northerns reparation obligations (B) A triumph of farsighted political and economic readiness (C) A treaty that dismantled the British Empire D) A destructive placidity dictated by the United States (E) A treaty that the defeated thought too harsh and the victors thought too gentle 81. The political and social values of the Vichy government in France during the Second World War are best described as (A) democratic, socialistic, peaceful (B) radically fascistic, antichurch, antielitist (C) conservative-authoritarian, corporatist, Catholic (D) monarchist, nationalistic, anti forces (E) republican, liberal, expansionist pic 82. The map above represents the British Empire in (A) 1776 (B) 1850 (C) 1919 (D) 1950 (E) 1961 83. Man, being the servant and congressman of Nature, ca n do and understand so much . . . as he has observed.. . . beyond this he neither knows anything nor can do anything. The passage above was written by (A) Francis Bacon (B) Martin Luther (C) Rene Descartes (D) Georg Hegel (E) Friedrich Nietzsche 84. Which of the following European states was the last to manage legal discrimination against Jews? (A) Austria-Hungary (B) France (C) Great Britain (D) Italy (E) Russia 85. All of the following were among President Wilsons cardinal Points EXCEPT (A) an independent Poland (B) absolute freedom of navigation C) the limitation of armaments (D) the autonomous development of the peoples of Austria-Hungary (E) the autonomous development of the peoples of the Russian Empire 86. The major objective of the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) was to (A) end the use of war for solving international controversies (B) end the Russo- reflect border conflict (C) end tensions between France and Great Britain over the export of French farm surpluses to Great Bri tain (D) end the French occupation of the Ruhr (E) replace the Dawes and youth plans pic 87. The illustration above from a 1940 German magazine suggests that women should A) bear as many children as possible (B) not be discouraged by shortages of food and consumer goods (C) not work outside the house (D) support the war effort by doing their sons and husbands jobs (E) draught in the army to help the war effort 88. The primary instrument of economic integration in Western Europe since the Second World War has been the (A) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) (B) European Economic Community (EEC) (C) World jargon (D) United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (E) European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 9. The most notable social effect of the 1923 inflation in Germany was the (A) depletion of the savings and income of the middle class (B) encouragement of population shifts from cities to the countryside (C) strengthening of the position of women in the work force (D) speedup of a trend toward the establishment of accommodating pension plans (E) reduction of social tensions 90. All of the following are policies to which totalitarian states have traditionally adhered EXCEPT (A) encouragement of multiparty political systems (B) promotion of social welfare measures C) expansion of the military (D) economic planning (E) memory of periodic elections 91. Which of the following was a major factor in German military victories in1939-1940? (A) Overwhelming German technological and numerical superiority to the French and the English (B) French insistence on continuing to fight, heedless of the cost (C) Britains campaign in Norway, which diverted British troops from Western Europe (D) The German armys effective use of armor and air power in the Blitzkrieg (E) The German defeat of the Russian army at Tannenberg in August 1939 92.Which of the following statements about twentieth-century existentialists like Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre is true? (A) They questioned the efficacy of reason and science in disposition the human situation. (B) They counseled an integration of Christian principles into unremarkable life. (C) They promoted the development of nuclear technology. (D) They advocated a return to the ideals of the Enlightenment. (E) They advocated nationalism and the strengthening of the individual nation-states. 93. In the 1960s a factor that imposing Soviet social structure from the societies of advanced industrial nations in Western Europe was theSoviet sum of moneys (A) lack of lingual and ethnic divisions (B) high percentage of workers busy in agriculture (C) rising number of workers in service-sector jobs (D) integration of women into the political elect (E) system of compulsory education 94. Which of the following was the major reason for the establishment of the bivalent Monarchy in 1867? (A) To satisfy the demands of the Magyars (B) To resist Turkish encroachment into Europe (C) To resis t demands made by Napoleon III (D) To balance the power of the North German Confederation (E) To curb the growing strength of a united Italy 5. The immediate aim of the Truman teaching of 1947 was to (A) promote the economic recovery of Europe (B) block the spread of communism in France and Italy (C) prevent the overthrow of the Greek and Turkish governments (D) bring about Soviet coitus interruptus from Czechoslovakia (E) forestall Soviet plans with regard to West Germany 96. Which of the following areas was conceded to Hitler at the Munich Conference of 1938? (A) The Polish Corridor (B) The Rhineland (C) The Saar (D) Silesia (E) Sudetenland 97. The Western Allies and the Soviet Union agreed to all of the following easures to be implemented after the Second World War EXCEPT (A) the division of Berlin into intravenous feeding occupation zones (B) an international trial at Nuremberg of major Nazi leaders (C) a denazification program (D) the placing of Germany under the control of the United Nations (E) the disarmament of the German military 98. Nikita Khrushchevs program of de-Stalinization heterogeneous all of the following EXCEPT (A) keep back the power of the political police (B) fight Stalins cult of personality (C) disbanding agricultural collectives (D) reestablishing the primacy of the Communist party E) loosening controls over culture and society 99. Which of the following characterized Mussolinis ideal of the fascist corporate state? I. Organization of the population into syndicates of employers, employees, and government arbitrators II. brass of semiautonomous regional governments III. Abolition of strikes, lockouts, and the older trade unions (A) I only (B) II only (C) I and II only (D) I and III only (E) I, II, and III 100. Which of the following was a central part of National Socialist ideology? (A) Anticommunism (B) Conservatism (C) Protestantism (D) Utilitarianism (B) Syndicalism