Joint Venture entry mode of Marks and Spencer in China Essay

Joint Venture entry mode of Marks and Spencer in China - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that entering into a new market has been commonly accounted as one of the major challenges faced by companies seeking the benefits of internationalization market expansion. In its course to diversify in the global plethora, the company needs to deal with many barriers including cross-border trade regulations, cultural paradoxes and various other socio-economic factors that are deemed to influence business operations in the targeted host country. Contextually, entering into the market of China also posed considerable challenges to Marks & Spencer (M&S), which is a renowned British multinational retail chain. Critics have thereon argued that it is fundamentally owing to lack of market understanding and appropriate strategies adopted by companies to mark its failure in Asian countries like China. Several challenges and problems encompass the entry of M&S in the market of China. With the opening of their first outlet in the Chinese market, the company experienced a dip in its performance, which was accounted as considerably lower than the expected level in the Chinese market. The outlets opened by M&S, at the initial phases of its operations in the Mainland China, failed to satisfy the needs of the Chinese local customers owing to the company’s lacuna to identify customers’ preferences in the market and offer services accordingly. For instance, the M&S stores were unable to provide garments of smaller sizes, as preferred by the customers in China. (Wood, 2012). Reportedly, the supply chain of the company was also lacking its usual effectiveness, which further inhibited the reputation of the company in the Chinese market, at its introductory phase. Additionally, it was also known that the management of the retail chain was implementing its strategic experiences gained from its operations in Hong Kong, irrespective of the fact that the consumer buying behaviour are found to be considerably distinct in these two regions. This again depicts the lack of market survey of the company taking into account the tastes and preferences of customers in the host country (China Retail News, 2009). In addition, the decisions taken by the company for not collaborating with any of the local firms in China, i.e. ignoring the benefits of JV also barricaded the utmost efficiency of its strategies by restricting the cooperation of local firms to a certain extent. It was thus considered as a mistake made by M&S, which retarded its smooth entry in the Chinese market. However the company focused on concentrating on its size and range of services offered to the Chinese customers as its major Unique Selling Propositions (USPs). Subsequently, the first shop of the company was opened in the Mainland and was propounded to be one of the biggest shopping centres in Asia. Nonetheless, this decision of the company came as a surprise for many investors in the stock market, as opening of the store came just after the global economic turmoil that kept investors wondering regarding the finances of M&S. It has also been noted that competition level from the local marketers were observed to be quite h igh in this area, as the local retailers are more competent in serving the customers in the market providing products preferred by customers of lower age groups and lower income groups. On the contrary, it would be vital to mention that the products

Registered Nurse who is being interviewed by magazine about roles and Research Paper

Registered Nurse who is being interviewed by magazine about roles and responsibilities - Research Paper Example To a professional nurse, it this would call for an understanding of the theories and principles upon which nursing practice bases. Therefore, a professional nurse essentially needs to exhibit social perceptiveness, active listening, critical thinking and effective communication skills. Nursing profession has greatly been stereotyped. Some of these stereotypes include nursing as a profession for kind but dumb women, widely perceived to be doctors’ handsmaidens. Timby (2009) blame the media for propagating these stereotypes. Nurses are in reality highly intelligent, required to have a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing before practicing, of which one requires to have had a diploma in nursing or passed high school proficiency examination before enrolment. Moreover, men increasingly choose nursing as a career and do well in specialties such as operating room, emergency and intensive care nursing. What the public does not know is that nurses’ roles include being a clinica l specialist and practitioner. For example, a clinical nurse expert in cardiac disease would provide expertise care to cardiac disease patients and nurse practitioners have been providing primary care health services in health institutions, especially in rural areas. Virginia Henderson, a theorist in the nature of nursing, is my role model theorist. This is because she appreciates the basic role of a nurse as assisting persons, both the sick and the healthy, gain independence, by putting oneself in the patient’s position. Nurses do not have it easy as it seems. Despite the limited room for conscientious objection to doctor’s orders, perceived as a challenge to doctor’s clinical judgment and psychiatry ethos, nurses do not just follow orders since they become morally culpable for every action they take. Thede (2012) cites the notion of moral agency that presumes every rational being as having the ability to reason morally hence responsible for their actions. As s uch, just following orders would be insufficient. Nurses require scientific knowledge to be able to decide the appropriate course of action despite having orders from doctors. The public could not be aware of the nurses’ responsibility of commitment to patient and informatics. Hence, for example, nurses have to ensure that patients sleep on pressure-relieving bedding materials so as to keep them safe from pressure ulcers. The informatics responsibility requires them, say, to use advanced computer and information technology to record patients’ notes faster and sooner than the traditional handwritten notes. There are values that are foundational in nursing career to ensure wellness outcome and optimal health in patients. Three of these that are core to keep during my nursing career include altruism, human dignity and autonomy. Altruism will see to it that I am concerned for the well-being and welfare of others as noted by AACN (2008). This would be reflected by my advoca cy and concern for the welfare of not only patients, but also nurses and other healthcare givers. The value of human dignity which entails respecting the inherent uniqueness and worth of populations and individuals will be reflected through respecting and valuing all colleagues and patients. Finally, autonomy which refers to the right to self determination will be

Health and Nutrition of Developing Nations

Health and Nutrition of Developing Nations Timothy Lee It may seem as an overwhelming task when attempting to understand the factors that are related to the health and nutrition of many, if not all, of the developing nations around the world. There is though one reoccurring factor that is constantly mentioned no matter where you begin your research into the issue, poverty. The mentioning of the term â€Å"developing nation† has become synonymous with the term poverty in my own mind. The issue at hand is how to turn these nations from developing to developed, which in turn would also contribute to the improvement of proper health needs and adequate nutrition standards for all. From malaria stricken nations to malnourished nations across the developing spectrum poverty plays a role. It is becoming more difficult now though to just blame poverty since there has been such a large influx in foreign aid to these developing nations[LL2]. Help is being offered, and it is upon the citizens of these unhealthy nations to take full advantage of these benefits, even if that means teaching the local populations the benefits of say sleeping under a bed net or feeding your children proper nutritional meals even on the low income budget that they have, as a few of the Millennium Development Goals have referenced. Source[LL3]: http://ih887.pbworks.com/w/page/5284039/Micronutrient%20Deficiency One of the biggest health related diseases that impacts such a large number of people and yet can be prevented is that of Malaria. In the case of providing bed nets to all families of developing nations to help in the prevention of malaria, the cost of providing the nets is very small and are in rather ample supply[LL4]. The benefits from using the bed nets, those being less infected citizens, stronger workforce due to the advancement of the individuals’ health, etc.., greatly outweigh any monetary cost[LL5]. The individuals that would use the bed nets would get sick less often, be able to work harder, and the overall income gains would easily cover the initial costs plus more. There are two sides to the argument of providing these simple bed nets for free. The first being that in developing nations where malaria is rampant, the poverty trap is so deep that they are to the point where they can’t even afford to purchase the necessities for the prevention of the disease, thus people like Jeffery Sachs suggests that if we were to finance malaria eradication for these developing nations then they would end up on the right side of his S-shaped curve on the road to opulence. The other side of the argument is that skeptics are not positive that malaria is the actual cause for that countries poverty and that maybe it is because of a corrupt government for their failure to eradicate malaria, and if that is true, then getting rid of the disease wouldn’t help. In my opinion, both arguments make valid points. It is reasonable to assume that a country is poor because of the health of its citizens and if health improved then so to would its economy[LL6]. That being said, it could also be seen as being naà ¯ve to think that the health of a nation would be the only factor in that nation’s economic well-being[LL7]. Despite the size, governments of all countries play an enormous role in their citizens well-being health wise, economic wise, and etc. b ut to look at a poor country and determine that one cause, that being malaria in this case, is the reason for that nation’s poverty, in my opinion, would be a misinterpretation of the causes of poverty as a whole. Note that Malaria is not the only disease that is rampant and plaguing developing nations but is by far the easiest example to point to and say, â€Å"It can be done†, the â€Å"it† being the prevention of the disease, the repossession of several million able body workers into the workforce, and ultimately the building of a weak economy. The next step for a developing nation would be to tackle the nutritional standards of its population and ensure that those needs are being met in a way to guarantee that the population stays healthy. â€Å"Just as micronutrient deficiencies can lead to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, infectious disease can also contribute to micronutrient deficiencies since the body requires increased micronutrients when combating disease. Worldwide, between 140 and 250 million children suffer from Vitamin A deficiency (VAD[LL8]).Primary VAD is usually caused by prolonged dietary deprivation, in particular lack of vegetables and animal products, and is particularly endemic in areas where rice is the staple food (Muller Krawinkel, 2005).† The absence of adequate vegetables and animal products cannot be blamed on the average citizen but rather on the lack focus on the ecology, the economy, and the culture of the regions being observed[LL9]. Sachs view on the health of developing nations is that we should begin â€Å"scaling up† our efforts on the international side and support community health workers. While in previous Sachs arguments, that being about the poverty trap, I would’ve agreed with his views, but when it comes to providing educational matters related to health, or providing all the tools to a nation to improve their own health care system then when would that nation become self-sufficient and no longer need aid, educational help regarding nutrition, or their basic needs be met? [LL10]How long would we as the international community stand by and continuously pour money into these nati ons? In conclusion, there is without a doubt a definite need for foreign aid when it comes to the health and nutritional standards of developing nations[LL11]. These countries are in a rut, also known as â€Å"The Poverty Trap†, and can only climb out of such trap when the proper ladder is offered to help bring them out from the hole they find themselves in as Sachs explains it. This doesn’t however excuse these developing nations from all responsibilities involving their population and the providing of proper education, food, and economic well-being for its citizens. When a nation [LL12]has so called â€Å"low-hanging fruits† available to them but doesn’t or won’t take full advantage of these â€Å"fruits† even after the international community has exhausted its capabilities to educate, influence, and integrate proper health and nutritional standards then in my opinion said nations should be coerced [LL13]into following the protocol that other de veloping nations are following by having some sort of aid reduction policy implemented so that countries would feel obligated to begin doing for themselves what they should be doing all along[LL14], and until they show evidence of taking advantage of the â€Å"low-hanging fruits†. Works Cited[LL15] Banerjee, Abhijit V., and Esther Duflo. Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty. New York: Public Affairs, 2011. Print. â€Å"Micronutrient Deficiency.† Ih887 /. Web. 25 June 2015. Muller, O., Krawinkel, M., (2005)Malnutrition and Health in Developing Countries.CMAJ, 279-286. Sachs, Jeffrey. A Call to Scale-Up Community Health Workers. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 25 June 2015. [LL1]Nice job Tim. Organization needs a little more work though. It’s a little hard to tell if your focus is on aid or health, or both and you’re missing a few opportunities to apply more critical analysis. Esp. conclusion seems a bit abrupt and doesn’t seem to link closely to your intro. It’s a bit short of the word count laid out in the syllabus, and a bit short on analysis and discussion in a few places. Otherwise, a nice project. Grade: 80 [LL2]Can you develop this more? How does the influx of aid make this more difficult? [LL3]Need to discuss/explain/introduce this graphic as part of your discussion. This is a bit choppy. [LL4]Need to cite these two claims. [LL5]According to who? So why don’t more people use them? [LL6]Develop this argument a bit more. [LL7]Good point. [LL8]Citation? And why is this bad? [LL9]Can we blame any other factors? Why are there fewer elephants in Kenya than in Zinbabwe? [LL10]I think I get your basic point, but the wording /structure is making it hard to follow you. [LL11]Not sure you’ve established this point†¦ your intro seemed to suggest that you saw merit in the idea that aid might hurt more than help†¦ [LL12]Do you mean the government/members of government or the population at large? [LL13]By who? We should send in the army? [LL14]Need to develop this idea a bit more in the preceding paragrphs†¦ what are some things that can be done, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of these proposals? Do they seem reasonable to you? Etc. [LL15]Works cited doesn’t seem quite uniform

Democracy Essay example -- essays research papers

Democracy may be a word familiar to most, but still I would like to mention the fact that demos means pertaining to people and kratios means to rule. Thus this word original coined by the Greeks means rule of people as a whole and not by an individual or a privileged soul. It is a concept still misunderstood and misused in some parts of the world where totalitarian regimes and dictatorships have witnessed popular support by usurping democratic labels like in Iraq and Pakistan. By the dictionary definition, democracy is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system. In a famous phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.Freedom and democracy are often used in place of each other, but the two are not the same. True, democracy is a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of a set of pract ices and procedures that have been founded through a long history. In short, democracy is the institutionalization of freedom. For this reason, any society must possess time-tested fundamentals of constitutional government, human rights, and equality before the law to be properly called democratic. Democracies can be typified into two fundamental categories, direct and representative. In a direct democracy, all individuals, without the elected or appointed officials, can participate in making public decisions. This system however seems to be impractical possible only with relatively small numbers of people, say for example in a community organization, village of a developing country, tribal council, or the local unit of a labor union, where members can meet in a single room to discuss issues and arrive at decisions by consensus or majority vote. In rural India the head of such committees are called pancha and the place where issues for a small population of the concerned area are discussed is called panchayat.These meetings are held mostly under a village tree with the maximum number of people who can physically gather in one place and practice direct democracy.Modern society, with its enormous size, complexities and ramifications offers few avenues for direct democracy. Today, the most common form of democracy, whether for a town of 50,000 or nations of 50 million, is represe... ...titutional provisions to intervene in the administration of the States. The response of the Central Union Government to the growing economic and political crisis in India has been in terms of greater centralization strategies and interventions.Another equally important limitation of the Indian parliamentary democracy has been that below the state level it was not mandatory to have elected bodies at district, sub district or local level till 1994. In other words it was a system of parliamentary democracy at the central and state levels and bureaucratic governance at the lower levels. Grass root level democracy visualized in terms of selfreliant and selfgoverning villages was an important nationalist ideal. When the new constitution was framed, elected local bodies at the local levels were not made part of the mandatory structure of government, but enshrined in the Directive Principles of the constitution. By and large the Indian democracy is still in a phase of evolution and chang e. It seems that the concept of democracy is interpreted in a subjective manner and changes in nations from time to time according to the whims and fancies of the contemporary affluent and powerful people.

Digi Marketing Analysis Essay

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This assignment is about DIGI Telecommunications Sdn. Bhd. (DIGI) company’s strategic analysis of its daily operations. Segmenting, targeting and positioning will clearly show that how DIGI company segments its customers to different types of segments, then they targets those market that will provide profits to the company than lastly positioning them. Then SWOT analysis will provide clear details information about the company’s main strengths and exploit them through opportunities, then understand the company weakness to avoid incoming threats to the company. Just to survive within the competitive market, DIGI should also learn competitors marketing strategy as well so that they can counterattack them just like chess strategy. SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS A situational analysis is where the DIGI Telecommunication Sdn. Bhd. (DIGI) provides the operation of searching an important factor to accommodate the external contingency and internal capability. Then a choice should be decided to overcome all weaknesses and threats along with maximizing the company’s strengths and business opportunity. SEGMENTATION TARGETING & POSITIONING (STP) In order to survive running a business, it is crucial for DIGI to know their market segmentation, targeting and positioning so that DIGI can target their customer accurately and efficiently. After segmentation, targeting and positioning, management will then uses the most appropriate strategies to achieve the company’s goal even faster. SEGMENTATION At this stage, DIGI will have to differentiate their customer into different segments based on their common need or their response to marketing action taken by DIGI. Each of these response will them decide which strategy mix will be used by the company. There are a few ways to differentiate market segments, like demographic, psychographic, behavioral and geographical location. For DIGI, is best to use either psychographic and geographical location segmentation. In psychographic segmentation, customers will then based on the social lifestyle like their daily lifestyle, social class and individual attitudes. DIGI in this section can differentiate customer to high income or lower income customer. In geographical segmentation, customer will then based on their behavior like prior purchases and brand preference. In this section, DIGI may provide phone packages along with well-known brand hand phone like Samsung, Apple and Sony. TARGETING After segmenting customer into different groups, DIGI now will have to choose their targets. There is no strategy suits all kinds of segments, so in order to be effective and efficient, development of the correct strategies is very crucial. There are three general strategies for target marketing and they are undifferentiated targeting, concentrated targeting and multi-segment targeting. In this situation, the appropriate targeting for DIGI to be used is multi-segment targeting. In this target is being used because DIGI has to focus more than two segments and for each of the segments, different strategies must be applied. In this targeting, there are many benefits, but it also quite costly, as it needs more efforts from management, market research and also new promotional strategies to attract more customers. POSITIONING In this stage, positioning is where DIGI will have to develop a product and provide brand image into the minds of the customers. It also involves  advancing customer’s perception to know what does customers experience. DIGI always reminds their customers that choosing DIGI is the smartest choice. DIGI is also well known for yellow man and the logo sign is yellow. To show the unique of DIGI, even the store is painted yellow and it really strikes out the customers view. An effective positioning includes a deep understanding of the competitors’ products as well. DIGI should differentiate their advantages to excel among the competitors. DIFFERENTIAL ADVANTAGES/WEAKNESSES (SWOT ANALYSIS) SWOT analysis is where helps DIGI to understand their strengths and weaknesses, find business opportunities and prevent those upcoming threats. A successful SWOT analysis helps DIGI to seek opportunities and then accomplish them, knowing company’s weakness and then manage them nicely can avoid any up coming threats. SWOT analysis for DIGI is as below: STRENGTHS DIGI always remind their customers that choosing DIGI is always the smartest choice. DIGI always provide smart plans based on customer affordability. Whenever a new electronic device launched into the market, just to catch up with the digital era, new packages will be introduce. Just like when LTE has been introduced to the world, not long then DIGI introduce LTE package to customers. DIGI also has its own customer loyalty. As nowadays, teenagers or even fresh graduate will choose DIGI for its reasonable and affordable rate along with DIGI rarely network failure happens compare to other network communications company. WEAKNESS DIGI telecommunication actually doesn’t have its own satellite yet they still need to rely MAXIS for renting satellite. It would be more appropriate that DIGI can afford a satellite on its own. Their customer service should be  enhance as networking tool its important nowadays, it will cost losses for the businessman who all of the sudden lost contact from the vendor or customers. This will unfortunately causes law cases to the company as the customer will then sue DIGI for network failure causes him all his losses. The customer service staff needs lots of training as well as their have to face many anger customers that have problems with their phone network. It will always be good that DIGI coverage covers more rural areas because they’re its still places where DIGI coverage will not able to covered. OPPORTUNITIES In the network company, due to the enhancing of electronic gadgets, more and more opportunities will automatically come towards DIGI. Once a hand phone gadget like Apple or Samsung launched a new series of smartphones, DIGI will promote along phone packages with the purchase of the hand phone. It wills attracts lots of people who have not owned a hand phone as it includes everything. DIGI telecommunications also provides usage until overseas and they also provide some reasonable overseas rate. Other hand phone supplies will also come to them for cooperation to promote their new series of electronic devices along with providing DIGI telecommunications business opportunities’. On the other hand, DIGI also provides broadband as well and it provides conveniences for businessman to uses DIGI broadband anywhere for their electronic portable computer or even provide Internet line using phone coverage to provide 3G for electronic tablets. THREATS Malaysia has an intense of competition within Telecommunications Company. Many newly entered Telecommunications Company tries to fight for s status within the market but unfortunately fail and ended up bankruptcy. They are MAXIS, DIGI, CELCOM and UMOBILE Telecommunications Company that manage to fight for years within Malaysia and managed to survive. DIGI also frequents faces imitations. When a brand new service or products is launched, a similar service packages will also be provided to the customer from the competitors. Everyone wants to grab these business opportunities but ended  up provide chance for the customer to compare which telecommunication company provides the most reasonable and yet more services for them to enjoy. Because its digital era, all those gadgets staff will obsolete quickly so the market demand its actually very seasonal. When some new stuff is newly introduced, many people wants to get their hand into it, but after a period of time, customer will then gain no more interest in purchasing or even introducing to other people anymore. RECOMMENDED OBJECTIVES AND GOALS In order to achieve the objective, it is crucial for the company to find funds for the company operations. DIGI has to get a strong stand in Malaysia/s market share in order to achieve long term business operation. DIGI has to try to improve their telecommunications skills to provide a better quality of life for the customers and also to improve their ways of living to more digital. DIGI already has its vision of its own that an Excellency of service providing will lead to committed and energetic employees that makes the whole company running fluently. DIGI’s mission is to satisfy customer’s individual needs of requirement for their own communication, connectivity and also their Internet access. The company also successfully bonds its staff together can they grew within a healthy environment and each of them fulfills their duties tremendously. DIGI also provide appropriate returns to their shareholders and they have played am important in improving Malaysian’s lifestyle by providing up to date telecommunications services. In the long term, DIGI will try their best to increase share values by giving innovations and best telecommunication services to the Malaysian’s market. RECOMMENDED MARKETING STRATEGIES AND PROGRAMS DIGI telecommunication competitors are MAXIS telecommunication. In order to be successfully within a market, it is also important to study competitors marketing strategy as well. DIGI has successfully established Excellency, so DIGI will continue to make things simple so that they can understand their customers truly. They also can try to balance the cost optimization exercise  just to meet higher levels of customer satisfaction. Because this is digital era, it is also important to continue improve the system by relooked at all of the business process and activities that already have been done and try to improve them by making them much more efficient. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the best and appropriate strategy for DIGI Telecommunications is product development strategy. This is because that developing new and improved products in the future or even modifying existing product and services can make them more outstanding appearances compared to the competitors. With the up to date service network provider, DIGI can continue operates smoothly by providing excellent service to the customers. This plays an important role in the long term for DIGI. Unfortunately it will still remain highly competitive due to technology advancement and competitor’s spirit, as long as DIGI keep developing and modifying, DIGI products and services will attract more and more subscriber’s customers. The point is the most important for the global consumer as the usage of mobile network is extremely important in daily life nowadays. 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Tips for Pam and Sue

Multiple Regression Project The is the only deliverable in Week Four. It is the case study titled â€Å"Locating New Pam and Susan’s Stores,† described at the end of Chapter 12 of your textbook. The case involves the decision to locate a new store at one of two candidate sites. The decision will be based on estimates of sales potential, and for this purpose, you will need to develop a multiple regression model to predict sales. Specific case questions are given in the textbook, and the necessary data is in the file named pamsue. ls. Assuming that you are reasonably comfortable with using Excel and its Analysis ToolPak add-in, you should expect to spend approximately 2-3 hours on computer work, and another 3-4 hours on writing the report. It is a good idea not to wait until the last day to do the entire project and write the report. Content of the report consists of your answers to the case questions, plus computer output(s) to support your answers. Please keep the entir e report – including computer outputs – under 8 printed pages.Thus, your write up should be concise, and you need to be selective in deciding which computer outputs to include. You can use your discretion in formatting your write up, but use good writing practices and try to make it look professional (more on the report format below). Project Hints and Guidelines It is assumed that you have access to 1. Microsoft Excel with Analysis ToolPak (do NOT use stepwise regression for this project even if it runs on your computer). 2. Data file named pamsue. xls in the DataSets. zip folder.Basic Excel skills you need are the ability to construct histograms and scatterplots, to create dummy variables, copying or moving columns of data in a spreadsheet, and the ability to use the Correlation and Regression facilities under Data Analysis (available when Analysis ToolPak has been added in). Remember that Analysis ToolPak requires contiguous ranges of data for correlation or regress ion. 1. Open the file pamsue. xls. First, move the column for sales so that it is the rightmost column (it is now to the right of comtype).If the old sales column remains but appears empty, delete that column. 2. Obtain a scatterplot of the sales on the vertical axis against comtype on the horizontal axis. This will give you a good idea of whether different categories of comtype appear to differ in sales. In the scatterplot, you should see that sales in the middle categories 3 – 6 are in similar ranges on the vertical axis, but 1 and 2 have somewhat higher sales, and category 7 appears to have somewhat lower sales.This implies that, when you create dummy variables for comtype, dummy variables for categories 1, 2, 7 are likely to be statistically significant in the multiple regression model (and dummy variables for categories 3 – 6 are likely to be not significant). Although it would be desirable to also obtain the scatterplot of sales against every other X variable, yo u can omit these if you do not have time, and use the correlation coefficients instead (see step 4 below). 3. Insert seven new columns immediately to the left of comtype, and in these columns, create seven dummy variables to represent the seven categories of site types.Name them comtype1, comtype2, †¦ , comtype7. At this point, you have 40 columns of data in the spreadsheet with comtype and sales in the last two columns. 4. Use the Correlation facility under Data Analysis to obtain the correlation coefficients between sales and all of the other variables except store and comtype (why exclude comtype? ). This will produce a matrix of correlation coefficients between sales and every X variable, as well as between every pair of X variables. To make them easy to read, you may want to format the cells to show numbers with 2 or 3 decimal places. . Write down the names of 10 quantitative X variables having the highest correlations with sales. From the correlations worksheet, move to t he data worksheet. Select the following columns: sales, plus the 10 quantitative X variables you wrote down, plus comtype1, comptype2, comptype7 (here, you could include up to three more dummy variables, but they are likely to be statistically not significant, so you can save some work – see 2. above). Copy these onto a blank worksheet. Make sure there are no blank columns in within the data range in the new worksheet.Note: To prevent unexpected changes in copying data when formulas are involved, use Paste Special with Values selected when pasting data into a new worksheet. 6. Use Regression under Data Analysis to obtain the regression output table for sales using the variables in the columns you had selected, making sure that Labels and New Worksheet Ply checkboxes are checked, and leave the other boxes unchecked. On the name tab of the output sheet (at the bottom), change the name of the worksheet to Model1. 7. Using appropriate statistics in the regression output table, se e if any of the X variables is statistically not significant.If there is at least one insignificant X variable, write down the most insignificant variable, move to the data sheet and delete that column, and re-run Regression without that variable. Repeat until there are no insignificant X variables. Name each output sheet Model2, Model3, and so on for easy identification. 8. When you get to a model in which all remaining X variables are statistically significant, you will have found the final regression equation for predicting sales. Re-run the last model, but this time checking the Residuals checkbox.This will reproduce the last regression table, but below it, you will see columns for Predicted sales and Residuals. Obtain a scatterplot of Residuals against Predicted sales. Also obtain a histogram of Residuals. 9. Use the final regression equation you found in the last step to predict sales at the two sites under consideration. You have just completed all necessary computer work for your project report. Now you have to write a report to present your answers to the case questions (see pages 388-389 of your textbook), and the reasons for those answers.In terms of physical organization, a reasonable format for the report is described below. Content and Format of the Project Report Cover page Include the report title, your name, course, section, facilitator, and date. Go to a new page, and use the following subsection headings for the report. Introduction One paragraph (two at most) describing the subject and context of the project. Data One or two paragraphs describing the data in plain English (number of variables, number of observations, units for data values, etc. ) Results and Discussion This is the main body of the report.It is where you will describe what you have done, what you found, and answer the case questions with the reasons for your answers. These reasons should be based on the analytical work you have done using Excel. Depending on how concisely yo u write and how many tables and graphs you include, this page could be 3-4 pages long. Conclusion One or two paragraphs discussing any remaining issues (e. g. shortcomings and possible improvements of the analyses in the report). In the Results and Discussion section, you should include a few informative tables or graphs derived from your computer analyses.DO NOT include anything that is not absolutely necessary. DO NOT include entire worksheets form Excel, but only the parts you need. For example, do not include the entire correlation matrix found in step 4 above, but you can make a small table to show the 10 variables having the highest correlations with sales. You should include the scatterplot of sales against comtype, relevant portion of the final regression output table, the final regression equation, and the two residual graphs you obtained in step 8. Please keep the total length of the report under 8 printed pages (5 to 6 pages should be sufficient in most cases).

What to Expect During a Grad School Interview

What to Expect During a Grad School Interview Knowing what to expect during a grad school interview is key to effectively answering the questions youre asked. Graduate school acceptance rates in 2017 were approximately 22% for doctoral programs and 50% for masters degree programs, according to the Council of Graduate Schools. The interview is your opportunity to show the admissions committee the person you are beyond test scores, grades, and portfolios. Describe Yourself Interviewers often begin by asking applicants about themselves to put them at ease and for the interviewers to get a sense of who the applicants are as individuals. Admissions officers and faculty want to know what motivates you as a student and how your personal interests relate to your goals as a graduate student. Some common questions are: Tell me about yourself.What are your strengths and weaknesses?What do you believe your greatest challenge will be if you are accepted into this program?How would your professors describe you?Describe your greatest accomplishment.Why should we choose you over another candidate?Are you motivated? Explain and provide examples.What would you change about yourself and why?If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be? Why?What do you do in your spare time?What volunteer experiences do you have?What contribution have you made to your department or school?What was the last movie that you saw?What was the last book that you read? Describe Your Professional Goals Personal questions often segue into ones about your professional plans and interests. These arent limited to the graduate program to which youre applying. Be prepared to talk about what you may do if you arent admitted to grad school as well as what you plan to do upon graduation. Interviewers ask these questions to get a sense of how much thought you have put into your plans. If youre not accepted into graduate school, what are your plans?Why did you choose this career?How will you be able to make a contribution to this field?What are your career goals? How will this program help you achieve your goals?How do you intend to finance your education?What do you plan to specialize in? Describe Your Academic Experiences Academic institutions want to make sure theyre bringing in students who will become positive members of the departmental community and will develop healthy faculty relationships. Your experience as an undergraduate may indicate how good a fit the program is for you. In college, what courses did you enjoy the most? The least? Why?Describe any research project youve worked on. What was the purpose of the project, and what was your role in the project?In what ways have your previous experiences prepared you for graduate study in our program?Tell me about your experience in this field. What was challenging? What was your contribution?What skills do you bring to the program?How will you contribute to your mentors research?Why did you choose to apply to our program?What do you know about our program, and how does it align with your goals?What other schools are you considering? Why?If you could change one thing about your undergraduate college, what would it be?Tell me about a professor who you dont like. Why? Describe Your Problem Solving and Leadership Skills Grad school can be a stressful time for even the most successful students. There will be times when you will be pushed to your intellectual limits and must find your own way forward. Interview questions about your leadership skills and problem-solving abilities are a way for admissions advisers and faculty to understand how you function by yourself and in a group during demanding times. Explain a situation in which you had a conflict and how you resolved it. What would you do differently? Why?What do you believe can be determined about an applicant at an interview?Define success.How well do you handle stress?Discuss a situation in which you showed leadership ability.Do you think one person can make the world a better place? Why or why not?How will you make the world a better place?Explain an ethical dilemma that you faced and how you dealt with it. Tips for a Winning Grad School Interview Experts and academic admissions officers offer these hints for having a positive grad school interview.   Practice your answers: Now that you know some of the questions to expect, think about how youd respond. Write down your thoughts to organize them, but dont memorize them or you might come across as stiff during the interview.Think of relevant personal stories: These stories demonstrate how your life experiences have led you to grad school.Dont forget about funding: Higher education is very expensive, and many graduate programs offer their students teaching assistantships or grants to help them defer costs.Interview your interviewers: You want to make sure youll be studying with faculty who share your academic goals and intellectual interests. Think of questions that youd like to ask about the culture of the program and how students and faculty interact.Be yourself: Youre committing yourself to a year or more of intense academic study, and grad school isnt cheap. If you cant honestly tell your interviewers why you want to be admitted to their program, that may be a sign that that prog ram wouldnt be a good fit. Sources 2017 CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment and Degrees.Murray, Gregg R. 7 Key Questions to Ask During Your Grad School Interview. PsychologyToday.com. 18 Dec. 2014.Petersons blog staff. Graduate Admission: Tips for a Great Interview. Petersons.com. 29 Nov. 2017.Struefert, Billie. How to Ace Your Grad School Interview. USAToday.com. 20 Feb. 2015.

FDRs NEW DEAL A SUCCESS essays

FDRs NEW DEAL A SUCCESS essays Franklin Delano Roosevelts New Deal programs for relief and works projects were beneficial to Americas economic collapse while helping the nation as a whole. Before these programs, however, the nation was in a most needy state. On October 24th 1929 a day known as "Black Thursday" came. The stock market crashed and so did the economy. Unemployment ran rapid through the country whereas millions of Americans were out of work and money. The nation succumbed to one of the fiercest events in history- the Great Depression. Roosevelt, the governor of New York at the time, was well aware of the need for action and swept the election of 1932. In his inaugural speech he spoke of a "New Deal" for America and thus the New Deal was born. As soon as Roosevelt took office, help was on the way as he created many programs to take the nation out of hard times. The most important ones were FERA, or Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the CWA, or Civil Works Administration, and the WPA, or Works Pro gress Administration. Each one of these programs had an impact on the nation that aided in helping the people and the badly scarred economy. They also lifted the spirits and morals of the people. In addition, the lasting effects of the New Deal programs are still felt today, which proves that the relief and works progress programs were of outmost benefit to America. Roosevelt was determined to directly relieve the suffering of the American people. In his inaugural speech he said, "I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people". He meant that, as president, he promises a new America that will help the people and preserve their morale. Roosevelt was committed to helping the nation out of the economic crisis and directly helping the people. The New Deal was made up of numerous programs to help the nation surpass the depression. Roosevelt had long been a supporter of direct government assistance. He believed the governmen...

Definition and Examples of Epiplexis

Definition and Examples of Epiplexis In rhetoric, epiplexis is an interrogative figure of speech in which questions  are asked in order to rebuke or reproach rather than to elicit answers. Adjective:  epiplectic. Also known as  epitimesis and percontatio. In a broader sense, epiplexis is a form of argument in which a speaker attempts to shame an opponent into adopting a particular point of view. Epiplexis, says  Brett Zimmerman, is clearly a device of vehemence. . . . Of the four kinds of rhetorical questions [epiplexis, erotesis, hypophora, and ratiocinatio] . . ., perhaps epiplexis is the most devastating because it is used not to elicit information but to reproach, rebuke, upbraid (Edgar Allan Poe: Rhetoric and Style, 2005). Etymology From the Greek, strike at, rebuke Examples and Observations Epiplexis a more specific form of [a rhetorical question] where a lament or an insult is asked as a question. Whats the point? Why go on? Whats a girl to do? How could you? What makes your heart so hard? When, in the Bible, Job asks: Why died I not from the womb?  why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? its not a real question. Its epiplexis. Epiplexis is the puzzled grief of Why, God? Why? in Miss Saigon; or it is the bemused disdain in the film Heathers that  prompts the question: Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?(Mark Forsyth,  The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase.  Penguin, 2013)Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?(Joseph Welch to Senator Joseph McCarthy at the Army-McCarthy Hearings, June 9, 1954)Are we children of a lesser God? Is an Israeli teardrop worth more than a drop of Lebanese blood?†(Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, July 2006) O how little a thing is all the greatness of man, and through how false glasses doth he make shift to multiply it, and magnifie it to himselfe?(John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, 1624)You think what I do is playing God, but you presume you know what God wants. Do you think thats not playing God?(John Irving, The Cider House Rules, 1985)Ah, sorry to interrupt you there, Bobbo, but I gotta ask you a quick question. Now, when you were born, nay, spawned by the Dark Prince himself, did that rat bastard forget to give you a hug before he sent you along your way?(Dr. Cox in the television program Scrubs, 2007)Canst thou with impious obloquy condemnThe just Decree of God, pronounct and sworn,That to his only Son by right endudWith Regal Scepter, every Soule in HeavnShall bend the knee, and in that honour dueConfess him rightful King?(Abdiel addressing Satan in Paradise Lost by John Milton) Epiplexis in a Restaurant Review Guy Fieri, have you eaten at your new restaurant in Times Square? Have you pulled up one of the 500 seats at Guy’s American Kitchen Bar and ordered a meal? Did you eat the food? Did it live up to your expectations?   Did panic grip your soul as you stared into the whirling hypno wheel of the menu, where adjectives and nouns spin in a crazy vortex? When you saw the burger described as Guy’s Pat LaFrieda custom blend, all-natural Creekstone Farm Black Angus beef patty, LTOP (lettuce, tomato, onion pickle), SMC (super-melty-cheese) and a slathering of Donkey Sauce on garlic-buttered brioche, did your mind touch the void for a minute? . . .How did nachos, one of the hardest dishes in the American canon to mess up, turn out so deeply unlovable? Why augment tortilla chips with fried lasagna noodles that taste like nothing except oil? Why not bury those chips under a properly hot and filling layer of melted cheese and jalapeà ±os instead of dribbling them with thin needle s of pepperoni and cold gray clots of ground turkey? . . .Somewhere within the yawning, three-level interior of Guy’s American Kitchen Bar, is there a long refrigerated tunnel that servers have to pass through to make sure that the French fries, already limp and oil-sogged, are also served cold?(Pete Wells, As Not Seen on TV.   The New York Times, November 13, 2012)   Epiplexis in Shakespeares Hamlet Have you eyes?Could you on this fair mountain leave to feed,And batten on this moor? Ha! have you eyes?You cannot call it love; for at your age The heyday in the blood is tame, its humble,And waits upon the judgment: and what judgmentWould step from this to this? Sense, sure, you have,Else could you not have motion; but sure, that senseIs apoplexd; for madness would not err,Nor sense to ecstasy was neer so thralldBut it reserved some quantity of choice,To serve in such a difference. What devil wastThat thus hath cozend you at hoodman-blind?Eyes without feeling, feeling without sight,Ears without hands or eyes, smelling sans all,Or but a sickly part of one true senseCould not so mope.O shame! where is thy blush?(Prince Hamlet addressing his mother, the Queen, in Hamlet by William Shakespeare) ​​The Lighter Side of Epiplexis Whats with you, kid? You think the death of Sammy Davis left an opening in the Rat Pack?(Dan Hedaya as Mel in Clueless, 1995)Does Barry Manilow know  that you raid his wardrobe?†(Judd Nelson as John Bender in The Breakfast Club, 1985)Have you no shame, coming in as Gandhi and stuffing yourself with Buffalo wings? Why didnt you come as FDR and go around with crazy legs?(George Segal as Jack Gallow in Halloween, Halloween.  Just Shoot Me!  2002)

Recognize the relationship of the general journal to the general Essay

Recognize the relationship of the general journal to the general ledger - Essay Example General journal usually records the transactions that are not recorded in other journals thus they are non routine transactions such as depreciation, bad debts, sale or purchase of non-current assets. In short, it would be right to say that the transactions for which there are no specific journal, they ended up with general journal. The main purpose of general journal is adjustment (Gilbertson and Lehman, 2012). General ledger is the summarized version of all the entries. It serves as the main record for financial accounts. Ledger breaks accounts by their nature and type such as inventory purchases, office supplies, and equipment purchases. Thus each account reflects particular information regarding a specific group of transaction. It includes the involvement of cash as purchases and payments. The general ledger should include the date, description and balance or total amount for each account. It acts as the backbone of any accounting system which holds financial and non-financial data for an organization (Porter and Norton, 2011). Thus the difference between the two is that general journal is the place where the transaction is first recorded where as general ledger is the group where all similar transactions are recorded together. But there is a significant relationship between the two, as for the preparation of general ledger, the information derived from general journal serves as an input. As each general ledger account does have a debit and credit account in it which is the result of general journal entries. When accountants are preparing general ledger entries, they need to refer to general journal first (Gilbertson and Lehman, 2012). Both of these accounting tools have some specific purposes. Businesses depend on ledger when it comes to monthly reporting. It shows the total expenses for the month. However, few details are lacking from the transactions. For example off setting. On the other hand, General journal shows the amount of total sales for

The ZOPA model will soon dominate personal banking in the UK Essay

The ZOPA model will soon dominate personal banking in the UK - Essay Example Zopa UK has been operating in the UK virtual environment for 6 years. ZOPA has been providing a lending and borrowing medium to people at cost-effective and competitive rates unlike banks that charge higher rates to borrowers at their own terms and conditions. Zopa member strength was just 300 when it started in 2005. Within next 4 months, it reached to 26,000 members. Zopa has been able to offer competitive rates as its products are riskier to other market players (Chaffey, 2008). The company was established by the three founders namely chief executive Richard Duvall, chief financial officer James Alexander and David Nicholson. All the three founders of Zopa had some connection with Egg; Richard Duvall was the leading man behind the creation of online bank for Prudential in 1998; Mr. Alexander had been the strategy director when he joined Egg in 2000 and before that he was working for Smile, an online bank. Egg’s brand development director Sarah Mathew also joined the league to write a successful story on Zopa in 2005 (Chaffey, 2008). Zopa is an online marketplace that brings investors and borrowers on the same platform for the realisation of a personal loan at competitive rates to both the parties unlike banks that charge higher interest rates. At Zopa there is no need to worry about overhead charges, unethical investments, managing employees in thousands and branches in hundreds.

Gender Reassignment Surgey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender Reassignment Surgey - Essay Example The first one is that newborns may be born with sex deformities and must then be assigned to either the male or the female sex at the earliest possible time (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 4). The second reason is that some men or women may believe that they were physically born of a sex different from their mental and emotional make-up. This belief is powerful enough to trigger their desire to have the surgery (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 4). Some considerations for the surgery affect the sex change and often dictate its progress. Many of these surgeries are being performed in the US and are estimated to number about 100 to 500 on an annual basis (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 6). The conversion from male to female involves the removal of the penis, the reshaping of the tissue to make them appear more female, and the construction of a vagina; the vagina is often constructed through skin grafting and through an isolated loop of the intestine (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 7). Female hormones are taken by the patient in order to reshape the contours of the body and stimulate breast enlargement. The other side of the coin – female to male sex change – has not had as much success as male to female sex change, primarily because of the difficulty in creating a functioning penis from the small clitoral tissue in the female genitalia (Devor, p. 51). Penis construction is often carried out after a year from the primary surgery to remove the female organs. The breasts are also modified in order to give them a more masculine appearance. Before sex change operations are carried out, patients are often asked to undergo an in-depth psychological counseling in order to determine what their intentions are and whether or not they are prepared to meet the consequences and the implications of their choice. It is after all an irreversible procedure; therefore, the patient must not have any second thoughts or doubts about the surgery (Encyclopedia of Surgery, 15). It

Gender and Sexual Violence Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gender and Sexual Violence - Term Paper Example The issue has also been common in some Asian and African countries especially those, which are Islamic, dominated. They argue that violence against these people has an adverse psychological effect and can lead to one committing suicide. Introduction With the recent efforts to fight against inequalities, gender and sexual violence is a topic, which has drawn scholarly interest in the recent past. In fact, Ussher believes that the exposure of sex into rigors secular stare and scrutiny of the sexual body has drawn both scientific and legal intervention (380). So violence against gender may take different directions, it seems to be more inclined to the female gender. Paludi Michelle, in her publication, Feminism and Women's Rights Worldwide, defines gender violence as any act that will suggest in any way the convention, elimination, and discrimination one gender and that result to any form of physical, sexual, or psychological harm of the same. Actions that deem gender violence are rape, dowry violence, genital mutilation and other tradition practices that do not favor or are harmful to women. Women can also be intimidated at work or in educational institutions (Paludi 12). Women trafficking and forced prostitution are other forms of gender violence. Sexual violence on the other hand is the subjective experience a targeted person undergoes which is against his will. Sexual violence may take forms of rape, forced prostitution, or state-sanction violence against women. This sexual harassment based on gender has hindered or compromised the ability of women to rise to higher levels in the society or authority. Hate violence against LGBTQ people Hate and sexual violence against the lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender rose by more than thirteen per cent in the year 2010 alone. The report released by national coalition of anti-violence indicated that violence against persons tend to be more vicious as compared to other forms of bias-motivated crimes. These groups o f minorities have records of mistreatment in the various regions of the world having violated of their rights through murder, kidnapping, assaulted, or made to undergo other forms of psychological torture (Nelson 169). Despite the reported cases, many of them go unreported because the victims do not actually trust the police or are afraid of reprisal because they fear their identity as having sexual behavior. However, public information campaigns should be introduced in the public oriented zones to counter the homophobia. Law enforcement by officials should also take its course and all people be exposed to equal and fair treatment inconsiderate of their sexual basis. Hate-motivated violence’s against the minorities with queer sexual behaviors have been a common phenomenon in the current society. These persons (the lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, and queer commonly known as LGBTQ) have been undergoing verbal attacks, sexual assailment, and discriminations in the work p laces. The intimate partners are being beaten and tortured, all because of hatred against this group (Ungar 41). The recent report by the Harvard school of public health affirmed that those with sexual abnormalities are two or more times likely to undergo abuse and their rights violated. The public also exhibited high probability of attacking and violating

Terrorism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Terrorism - Term Paper Example Subsequently, he utilized this hard gained skill to conduct several campaigns of violence and intimidation. Prabhakaran used the LTTE cadres for this purpose, and his targets were the longstanding and moderate Tamil political leaders (Biziouras, 2012, p. 554). The LTTE membership was chiefly from the lower-caste Tamils hailing from the rural areas of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The leadership of the LTTE was replete with these lower-caste individuals, who brought about the institutionalization of the LTTE, by repeatedly emphasizing their intention to promote the lower castes in the independent Tamil state that they would be creating. This ideological posturing was nationalist, radical, and unique with respect to the traditional political parties of that region and the competing Tamil revolutionary groups (Biziouras, 2012, p. 555). The LTTE’s moves served to enhance Sinhalese apprehensions regarding the continued territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. In addition, the political and institutional solutions suggested by the traditional Tamil political leadership were rejected outright by the LTTE, which strongly promoted sustained armed struggle against the Sinhalese dominated Sri Lankan State (Biziouras, 2012, p. 555). During the 1970s, the LTTE and other armed Tamil groups embarked upon an armed struggle, with a view to seceding from Sri Lanka. This strife underwent considerable intensification, in the aftermath of the anti-Tamil riots. These riots transpired in July 1983 in Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka. Several attempts were made to resolve this strife, notably in the years 1985, 1989-1990, and 1994-1995. However, these attempts ended in a fiasco, and the armed engagement between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed forces underwent an escalation in scope and intensity (Nadarajah & Sriskandarajah, 2005, p. 88). During that epoch, approximately 90,000 people lost their life, and the majority of

Answer the Q Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Answer the Q - Essay Example Due to the rise of the contemporary issues pertaining to the advancement, kinship, feminism, feminism gender and sexuality, political and legal, nature science and technology in the modern universe anthropology tend to go further beyond its historical set goals. Development of perception from critical perspective of anthropology mainly addresses issues of poverty, gaps in regard to the outlined strategy and results. This makes anthropologist to work in development thus disregard history and the lessons it might offer, reasons for driving development externally rather than having an internal basis, and reasons that make planned development fail. The prevailing distinction amidst anthropology of development and corresponding development anthropology is mainly the application of the anthropological perspectives in regard to numerous branches development studies (Haviland, Fedorak & Lee, 2008). This also takes into account the international development and the international aid as primary objects. Thus, advancement of anthropology encompasses social action in modification of the economic, technical, political and social life for particular locations in the universe. This greatly compromises the historical goals of anthropology. This is because they tend to concentrate on impoverished, formerly colonized regions. Development anthropologists have a commitment to simultaneously critique and contribute to projects and institutions that create and administer Western projects that seek to improve the economic well-being of the most marginalized, and to eliminate poverty. Kinship mainly deals with both the patterns of social relationships in numerous human cultures and corresponding patterns of social relationships in them. Thus, anthropology practically develops associated related concepts and terms entailing descent, descent groups, lineages, affines, cognates and fictive kinship. Nevertheless, kinship patterns developed by anthropology mainly

Terrorism Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Terrorism - Term Paper Example Subsequently, he utilized this hard gained skill to conduct several campaigns of violence and intimidation. Prabhakaran used the LTTE cadres for this purpose, and his targets were the longstanding and moderate Tamil political leaders (Biziouras, 2012, p. 554). The LTTE membership was chiefly from the lower-caste Tamils hailing from the rural areas of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The leadership of the LTTE was replete with these lower-caste individuals, who brought about the institutionalization of the LTTE, by repeatedly emphasizing their intention to promote the lower castes in the independent Tamil state that they would be creating. This ideological posturing was nationalist, radical, and unique with respect to the traditional political parties of that region and the competing Tamil revolutionary groups (Biziouras, 2012, p. 555). The LTTE’s moves served to enhance Sinhalese apprehensions regarding the continued territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. In addition, the political and institutional solutions suggested by the traditional Tamil political leadership were rejected outright by the LTTE, which strongly promoted sustained armed struggle against the Sinhalese dominated Sri Lankan State (Biziouras, 2012, p. 555). During the 1970s, the LTTE and other armed Tamil groups embarked upon an armed struggle, with a view to seceding from Sri Lanka. This strife underwent considerable intensification, in the aftermath of the anti-Tamil riots. These riots transpired in July 1983 in Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka. Several attempts were made to resolve this strife, notably in the years 1985, 1989-1990, and 1994-1995. However, these attempts ended in a fiasco, and the armed engagement between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed forces underwent an escalation in scope and intensity (Nadarajah & Sriskandarajah, 2005, p. 88). During that epoch, approximately 90,000 people lost their life, and the majority of

Causes of the boom years in the 1920s Essay Example for Free

Causes of the boom years in the 1920s Essay Causes of the boom years Employers were working fewer hours however were being paid more. This therefore meant industrial goods produced were also increasing. American’s had more time for leisure and more money so electrical labour-saving devices were being introduced becoming affordable by many people. Motor cars eased travel to and from work as well as for leisure pursuits. It was the golden age for cinema and sport attracted vast crowds. Reasons for prosperity: government policies Calvin Coolidge stated ‘the chief business of the American people is business. ’ This was his government policy to let business operate as far as possible, free of regulation. Andrew Mellon and him believed wealth filtered down naturally to all classes and to ensure increased living standards for all was to allow the rich to continue make money to invest in industrial development which therefore meant more job opportunities, more wage earners, more consumption etc. this policy was laissez-faire but the government intervened to support business in 4 ways: High tariffs: Fordney-McCumber Act 1922 à ¯ raised tariffs to cover difference between domestic and foreign production costs Cheaper to buy goods from USA than abroad Tariff level à ¯ foreign goods more expensive than USA even though produced cheaper in USA Foreign trade reduced = domestic demand for goods high Tax reductions: Government reduced federal taxes – 1924, 1926 and 1928 (benefited wealthy) Mellon à ¯ handed out tax reductions Coolidge à ¯ operated on surplus Aim à ¯ reduced national debt, federal tax cuts = meant little to poor as not able to pay taxes Fewer regulations: Federal Trade Commission à ¯ unable and unwilling to operate effectively causing businesses unhindered Foreign policies: Coolidge à ¯ avoided involvement in foreign affairs due to budget cutting an recognition that Americans didn’t want to see troops getting caught up in foreign disputes. This meant that investors would favour profit ever over ethical concerns Technical advances: Technical advances in industrial production made increases in quantity and variety of products Motor vehicle industry: This industry grew dramatically in the 1920s. It was the largest for commodities. Previously cars had only been for the wealthy but Ford wanted the ordinary to be able to afford one Effects of growth in car ownership: Ford thought this would strengthen traditional American values but it led to: Road deaths à ¯ 20,000 per year By 1929, motor industry employed 7% of all workers and paid them 9% of all wages Closure of Ford à ¯ factor to recession of 1927 Loss of business by companies providing components to Ford real problems in economy Road building: Breaking of laissez-faire à ¯ federal government expend on road building in 1920s Federal Highway Act 1921 à ¯ responsibility for road building to central government and highways. Construction = 10,000 miles per year by 1929 Chief Designer in Bureau of Public Roads 1936 à ¯ roads built unfit for use because of amount of traffic Motor vehicles à ¯ new service industries e.g. garages, petrol stations etc. Improved transportation = new opportunities for industry Electrical consumer goods: New technology = large scale development of labour saving devices as cheaper to produce Serious over production = problems in economy New business methods: Growth of huge corporations Large corporations manufacturing business = could invest in and exploit raw materials of USA on vast scale Large corporations could dominate industry by: Operating cartel (group of companies agreeing to fix output and prices to reduce competition and maximise profits). Although illegal, government accepted which involved exploitation of raw materials, retail outlets etc. Some organisations were able to adapt to holding companies which resulted in firms competing against each other Management science: Increased size of businesses à ¯ complex to manage = different management roles by different people in administration Growth of business schools Management science, occupation for upper class = indication harder to start own company Increased production Advertising and salesmanship: Cinema Millions of cinema-goers to copy lifestyle of stars meant potential for advertising was enormous Radio: Began with KDKA station which announced results in 1920 elections Radio’s controlled by 2 companies with a vast audience Constant need to create demand: Growth in industrial production needed a continuous market in order to fuel the boom as people needed to be convinced to buy things frequently. An aspect of a campaign needed to be bought in which would differentiate between one’s product and that of the competitors to promote unique selling point. Advertising techniques worked for many consumers. Easy credit: Massive consumer boom was financed largely by easy credit facilities 1929 à ¯ $7 billion goods were sold on credit – 75% of cars and half of major household appliances Availability of credit meant borrowers took on debts which they could not repay Influence in foreign countries: High tariffs were used to protect US markets however the government also encouraged businessmen to develop extensive interests abroad in terms of raw materials that fuelled technological developments. US exported vast amounts of manufactured products. In the 1920s with almost full employment, low inflation, high tariffs keeping foreign goods out of USA, benevolent government policies and a consumer boom the prosperity would go on forever.

Estimation of Northern Bobwhite Densities in South Texas

Estimation of Northern Bobwhite Densities in South Texas Principal Investigators Bart M. Ballard, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas AM University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas 78363. Fidel Hernà ¡ndez, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas AM University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas 78363 Leonard A. Brennan, Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas AM University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas 78363 PROJECT JUSTIFICATION Northern Bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) are a wide-ranging species and are commonly hunted throughout Texas. Their population has been declining since about 1880 and are decreasing in abundance in over 75% of their range in the United States (Leopold 1931, Errington and Hammerstrom 1936, Lehmann 1937, Guthery 2002). Texas has been seen as one of the remaining strong holds in North America (Rollins 2002) but recent evidence shows that populations are also declining within Texas (DeMaso et al. 2002). These declines have spurred an increase in research and management of the species and an improved understanding of the species (Guthery 2002). Declining numbers however can be difficult to understand because of their natural boom-bust population cycles and influence of weather on the population (Lehmann 1953, Keil 1976, Guthery et al. 1988, Bridges et al. 2001, Lusk et al. 2002). In order to properly manage quail within south Texas where there is large annual variation in precipitation an d temperatures local population trends are needed. Current hunting regulations are set at the state level where a liberal hunting framework (15 birds/day over 120 season; Brennan 2014) is assumed to have is little to no impact on the population (Guthery et al. 2004b). However, these state-wide regulations are not appropriate when managing at the fine scale where such a liberal harvest quota could negatively affect local populations (Roseberry and Klimstra 1984, Peterson 1999, Brennan et al. 2014). Bobwhites variable population cycles make it necessary for local land managers to set harvest limits based on local population trends (Brennan 2014). By setting sustainable harvest limits based on local population densities the likelihood of population crashes goes down and there is quicker recovery following drought conditions and natural population declines (Brennan 2014). Recent recommendations for harvest values were made by Brennan in 2014 for south Texas where there is extreme variability in precipitation and temperatures compared to other regions of their range. These recommendations are based on the assumption of good environmental conditions, a 20% harvest rate, and are density depended. It is also recommended to conduct fall surveys in late November-mid December when detection is highest and basing the harvest on pre-hunt population numbers to minimize the probability of local extinction (Guthery et al. 2000, Sands 2010). Estimating yearly and seasonal population densities can be difficult for many reasons including observer variability, local habitat variability and change between years, environmental factors such as weather, and species characteristics (Rusk et al 2007). Common methods include estimating abundance using indices or using distance sampling (Rusk et al. 2007). However, the accuracy of indices is sensitive to changes in detection (Anderson 2001, 2003, Rosenstock et al. 2002; Thompson 2002). During bobwhite population lows it becomes even more difficult to estimate population density due extremely low encounter rates (1 covey/7km; Kuvlesky et al. 1989). Distance sampling allows for varying detection probabilities while estimating densities and is a popular method that has been used successfully for bobwhites in many studies in south Texas (Brennan and Block 1986, Shupe et al 1987, Guthery 1988, Guthery and Shupe 1989, DeMaso et. al. 1992, Rusk et al 2007). Unlike census techniques that are based on the assumption that all individuals within the survey area are counted, distance sampling works under the assumption that more animals are missed the farther you get from a transect (Brennan and Block 1986). To calculate density within a survey area, the perpendicular distance from a transect to an animal is recorded and then used to calculate a probability density function (Burnham et al. 1980, Buckland 2004) from which the density throughout the study area can be estimated using Program Distance (Thomas et al. 2010). Assumptions of distance sampling which must be met include: 1) all animals on the transect are detected, 2) animals are detected at their original locations prior to any movement in response to the observer, and 3) distances are measured accurately (Buckland 1992). These assumptions can be difficult to meet in field condition but most issues with these assumptions can be addressed using proper survey design, post processing of the data, and statistical analysis. Assumption one can be relaxed if needed by incorporating a double observer design in which two counts are occurring simultaneously (Laake and Borchers 2004) or by applying an adjustment term. Assumption two can be violated if animals have the chance to respond to the surveyors by running, coming closer, or learning to hide (Buckland et al. 2001). Careful analysis of data can help determine if and how this assumption is violated and certain techniques can be implemented to account for animal responses such as truncation of data close to the line in cases were animals run (Fewster et al. 2008). Assumption three can be violated by untrained observers, lack of proper technology, or inaccurate estimates of cluster sizes if animals are clustered (Buckland et al 2001). Another assumption which can be violated includes independence between animal observations which can be an issue if surveys are done on roads or too close together (Thomas et al 2009). Careful survey design is crucial to accurately estimating population densities and local knowledge of habitat, densities, and environmental gradients help when designing surveys. Once densities are estimated for a region careful consideration and local knowledge is needed to make the proper recommendations for hunting regulations and habitat management. Given accurate densities, harvest can be optimized at the ranch or pasture levels while also decreasing the likelihood of local population extinction. OBJECTIVES The purpose of our study is to design a repeatable helicopter line transect survey for the King ranch study location which will be implemented over a three-year period from Sept 2018-December 2021. From this data fall bobwhite quail densities will be estimated using Program Distance from which management recommendations can be made. Specifically, our goals are; Develop a repeatable helicopter line-transect survey protocol for bobwhite quail Implement survey over three fall survey seasons Use Distance software to develop detection probability functions and estimate fall densities which can be used to aid in management and conservation decisions. METHODS Study Area The study area includes a 25,000 acre section of the King Ranch (King Ranch, Kingsville TX) located south west of Kingsville (Figure1). The study area is located in the South Texas Plains ecoregion and may include parts of the Gulf Prairie and Marshes ecoregion (Gould 1975) Within this region there is high variability in rainfall (Correl and Johnsonston 1979; Omernik 1987) causing local populations to exhibit strong boom-bust population cycles. Major plant communities present on the King Ranch include blue stem prairie (Schizachyrium scoparium), mesquite-granjeno thornbrush (Prosopis glandulosa- Celtis pallida), mesquite-bluestem savannah, oak-bluestem (Quercus virginiana, Quercus stellata) (McLendon 1991, Fulbright and Bryant 2002). Major land uses on the King Ranch include commercial hunting and cattle production (Schnupp et al 2013). Annual rainfall is on average 65.4 cm with monthly values ranging from 1.4-13cm (Williamson 1983). Figure 1. Divisions of the King Ranch (green), located in south Texas. Habitat includes but are not limited to shrub land, grasslands, mesquite-woodlands, oaklands, freshwater wetlands, and saltmarsh. Habitat is managed for cattle, white tail deer, and quail. Experimental Approach:       Transect design To estimate fall densities within the survey area we will first develop a three-year helicopter based, line-transect count survey. We will develop the transects in such a way that if desired, the surveys can continue past three years. Spatial layers will be made for the study area boundary and line transects in ArcGIS 10.3 (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA). Sample transects were placed parallel to each other leading north to south (Figure 2) and further stratification will be done using post processing techniques if desired. Transects were places at a distance of 400 meters from each other with a random starting location and giving a survey coverage of 50 percent. Given this design we have 30 transects of 8 km in length and a total survey length of 240 km (Figure 2). Figure 2. Sample study area with transects (n=30) with survey zones of 100m to each side of the transect. Landcover includes woodland/shrublands (dark green), grasslands (light green), agriculture (light brown), wetlands (blue) and urban (red). Given previous encounter rates of 1 covey/0.95km observed during a comparable study on another section of the King Ranch (Rusk et al. 2007), this design would yield an estimated 250 observations. However, encounter rates have been reported to be much lower during population lows; Rusk 2007 documented as low as 1 covey/7.38 km while walking transects in a low year verses 1 covey/ 1.96 km in an abundant year. Given flying transects gives roughly twice the number of detections per km, we will assume a helicopter flight on a low population year would give an encounter rate of  ¼ km and 60 observations. To make sure that this transect design will provide a 25% or less Coefficient of Variation for population density estimates we can plug use the equation (Buckland 1993): L= Where L= total line length needed, = the coefficient of variation for population density estimate, and L0/n0 = encounter rate, or the number of quail detected per km of transect. The value b is typically between 1.5-3 (Burnham 1980) and it is most frequently assumed that b=3 (Buckland 1993). Given this equation, under an assumed encounter rate of 1 covey/.95 km and a 25% CV the minimum total transect length is: L= However, when the encounter rate is dropped to 1 covey/4 km during a population low, the needed length becomes: L= By conducting more surveys than is needed to achieve a 25% CV there is less of a chance that during a dry year we will not be able to estimate density because of lack of encounters. After year one we will re-evaluate transect design by incorporating the first years encounter rate to help determine transect lengths for years two and three (Buckland 1993). Field Surveys Surveys will take place in the first week of October to give enough time to provide updated recommendation for harvest quotas before the onset of quail regular season on October 29th (TPWD, Outdoor Annual). October 1st of each year a mock survey will be done in which tools are calibrated and extra surveyor training done if need following protocols similar to Schnupp et al. (2013). This test flight will occur along a 3 km transect with 16 targets (Otto and Pollock 1990, Shnupp et al. 2013). Each side of the transect will have 8 targets (dove decoys suspended at 1.2m) distributed randomly between 10-70m at 10m intervals from the line and spaced 300m apart along the transect (Schnupp et al.). This will help reduce potential errors counts due to equipment malfunction and surveyor error. The full survey will begin the day after the mock survey and all transects will be surveyed once per year. If detections for an entire survey are below 80 then a second survey will be done. Surveys will take place in the first 3 and last three hours of day light when possible and the start location will vary each survey. From the start location, every other transect will be sampled to reduce the probability of over counting and then returning to skipped transmitters as soon as possible. We will use a four person helicopter such as the Robinson R-44 (Robinson Helicopter Company, Torrance, California) or similar models equipped with a parallel swathing lightbar for navigation (2005; Raven RGL 600, Raven Industries, Sioux Falls, South Dakota). Surveys will be conducted at approximately 48 km/hour and at a height of 18 m (Shupe et al. 1987, Rusk 2007) One observer will be facing forward counting coveys directly on the line and two rear-facing observers counting quail which flush on the s ides or behind the helicopter. When a covey is spotted, the helicopter will hover briefly to allow observer to use the range finder and count the number of quail in the covey. The forward facing technician in addition to counting coveys will help navigate to the transects, and will start and stop the survey recordings (Schnupp 2013). The two rear observers will collect data as well as enter data for all surveyors. Covey counts and covey size will be recorded for 100 meters to each side of the helicopter using laser electronic range finders, differential global positioning systems, personal tablet computers, and keypads (Schnupp et al. 2013). Tablets will be installed with ArcPad (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, CA), and connected to the laser range finders with sub meter accuracy. The differential global positioning system will collect 5 points/second to track the flight path. Electronic range finders will be synced to tablets using blue tooth and will measure distance to covey, compass bearing, angle of inclination and horizontal offset of covey from the helicopter for each covey. Key pads were also used to record sizes of coveys. Raw survey information is then imported into ArcMap 10.3 for data processing and then imported to Program Distance. Distance Analysis Using distance survey data collected over three years we will calculate densities and variance estimates in Program Distance 7.0 similar to Rusk et al 2007. Program Distance calculates estimated densities and variances as s) Where is density, n is the number of coveys detected, is the effective half-band width, cv is the coefficient of variation, L is the length of transects, and E(s) is average covey size. Effective half widths with be calculated in distance by fitting detection functions to histograms of distances and covey counts. To improve model fit, 5% of the right hand data will be truncated (Buckland et al. 2001; Shnupp 2013) and data will be evaluated visually for any signs of violation of the basic assumptions. We will consider a variety of detection functions (uniform, half-normal, and hazard-rate with several series adjustments) and choose the best fitting model using Akaikes Information Criterion values (AICc) and chi-square analysis (Buckland 2001; Shnupp 2013). We will then develop a global detection function for each year to estimate fall densities and use confidence intervals and coefficient of variation reported from distance. If stratification by pasture is desired and there are enough observations to do so, then detection functions will be built at the pasture level otherwise a global detection function will be applied to each pasture. A coefficient of variation of less than 20% is recommended for bobwhite density estimates (Guthery 1988) but we will consider a coefficient of variation of 25% acceptable. EXPECTED RESULTS AND BENEFITS From these three fall bobwhite quail surveys, we will be able to report yearly bobwhite density estimates and begin to understand local population trends. Once funding is approved, exact methods will be refined using actual ranch and pasture boundaries and habitat gradients. Survey design will be reviewed by quail researchers at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute to ensure proper design. Yearly encounter rates, detection functions, estimated population density, and recommendations for harvest rates will be provided in annual reports. A final report will be submitted in the form of a dissertation chapter within one year after the completion of the last fall survey. This chapter will summarize yearly results as well as trends observed throughout the study region and will include recommendations for sustainable harvest limits. Research results may be presented at professional meetings and will include one or more King ranch employees as authors and King Ranch will be acknowledged as the primary funding contributor. Project deliverables include: P.h.D dissertation chapter and corresponding scientific publication Scientific presentations Spreadsheets of density estimates and recommended harvest rates ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSIDERATIONS Not applicable to the proposed project. ETHICAL USE OF ANIMALS Animal and Care Use form is not required PERSONNEL This study will be a cooperative project between the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute (CKWRI) and the King Ranch. Drs. Bart M. Ballard, Fidel Hernandez, and Leonard A. Brennan will be primary investigators. This project will include one P.h.D. student who will act as project coordinator and field supervisor. The graduate student hired will also be responsible for hiring part-time student technicians to aid in surveys. The student hired will conduct fall densities surveys on the King Ranch as a partial fulfillment of P.h.D contract and will also be conducting other quail research in assistance of other projects. SCHEDULE 2018-2019 Activity Jan-April: Await funding April-May: Search for P.h.D candidate June-Sept:Hire student, coordinate field surveys and hire part-time surveyors for Survey week October: Fly surveys and estimate fall densities November: Further data analysis and reporting 2019-2020 Activity Aug-Sept: Refine transects/protocol if needed, hire technicians for Survey week October:Fly surveys and estimate fall densities November: Further data analysis and reporting 2020-2021 Activity Aug-Nov:Same schedule as above December: Provide final analysis and Report BUDGET Equipment Estimates: 2 Electronic distance estimators ($18,000 each) =36,000 2 Tablets w/accessories: = $1,600 2 Keypads: $100 1Raven Cruiser: $2,000 Rounded Estimate: $40,000 Annual Expenses: -P.h.D student stipend: $1500 with fringe benefits at .7% of salary and medical (up to 250$/month) = $22,260/year -2 Short term technicians: 100$/day during fall surveys. Total=2 technicians*$100*7 days a year= 1400/year -Helicopter time: 500$/hr *estimated 10 hrs per year= $5,000/year -Driving costs: $0.50/mi+ gas. Exact distance to site in unknown, preliminary estimate= $10,000/year Summary of Annual Cost: 2018-2019: $78,660 2019-2020: $38,660 2020-2021: $38,660 LITERATURE CITED Anderson, D. R. 2001. The need to get the basics right in wildlife à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ eld studies. Wildlife Society Bulletin 29:1294-1297. Anderson, D. R. 2003. Response to Engeman: index values rarely constitute reliable information. Wildlife Society Bulletin 31:288-291. Brennan, L. A., and W. M. Block. 1986. Line transect estimates of mountain quail density. Journal of Wildlife Management 50:373 Brennan, L.A., F. Hernandez, E.D. Grahmann, F. C. Bryant, M.J. Schnupp, D.S. Delaney, and R. Howard. 2014. 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Beasom. 1987. Use of helicopters to survey northern bobwhite populations on rangeland. Wildlife Society Bulletin 15:458-462. Thomas, L., S. T. Buckland, E. A. Rexstad, J. L. Laake, S. Strindberg, S. L. Hedley, J. R. B. Bishop, T. A. Marques, and K. P. Burnham. 2010. Distance software: design and analysis of distance sampling surveys for estimating population size. Journal of Applied Ecology 47:5-14. Thompson, W. L. 2002. Towards reliable bird surveys: accounting for individuals present but not detected. The Auk 119:18-25. Williamson, D. L. 1983. Soil survey of Brooks County, Texas. United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Washington, D.C., USA.   Ã‚