Value at Risk (VAR) of a portfolio of 4 shares Assignment

Value at Risk (VAR) of a portfolio of 4 shares - Assignment Example This research aims to evaluate and present risks the financial institutions face with. Credit risk deals with the potential loss resulting from inability of a counterpart to adhere to its obligations. It is characterized by three basic components this being; credit exposure, loss in the event of default and probability of default. Liquidity risk is mainly caused by unforeseen outsized and stressful off-putting cash flow over a short span of time. A firm may be obliged to put up for sale some of its assets at a markdown, if it has vastly illiquid assets and suddenly requires liquidity. Market risk looks at the variations in market conditions and stipulates the uncertainties likely to occur to future earnings. Finally, operational risk includes the risk of regulatory and fraud. It mainly takes into account the errors made in settling transactions or instructing expenditure. Market risk is the most prominent; it highlights the potential economic loss as a result of a decrease in the por tfolio’s market value. Value at Risk (VaR) is the best measure that financial analyst can use to compute this risk. VaR is defined as a portfolio’s maximum potential loss value of financial instruments over a certain horizon with given probability. In this report, we are using the data obtained of four different companies. These data are composed of the total return indices of the four companies for the last ten years. VaR is a challenging statistical problem, though its existing models for calculations employ different methodologies they still follow a general structure. This structure involves three steps: a) Mark to market the portfolio, b) Approximate the distribution of returns, c) Calculate the VaR of the portfolio. The difference in the methods that are used to find VaR lie in step 2, because of the way they address the hitch of how to approximate the possible variations in the significance of the portfolio. For example, CAViaR models do not take account of the distribution matter; the quartile of the distribution is calculated directly in this case. There are a number of methods used in calculating the VaR value; in this report the main methods to be used are the Monte Carlo, Analytic and Bootstrap VAR. The report gives detailed results of all the three methodologies in a systematic manner, with data sample of a 260-day from the provided data of the portfolio shares for the four companies. The data are based on the total return index which takes into account the dividend level which is essential in valuing shares, unlike the price data sample. Background to the data sample The data are sampled from a ten year record of four individual companies, Kingfisher PLC, GKN PLC, Admiral PLC and Burberry PLC. Kingfisher PLC; is a company operating in the retail industry, founded in 1982 by Paternoster Stores Ltd. It expanded through successive acquisitions like Superdrug and B&Q. The company is a multinational now headquartered in London, UK. The c ompany provides products such as home appliances, garden supplies & plants, tools and hardware mostly home improvement products. It deals with brands such as B&Q, Brico Depot, Screwfix and Castorama. Its chain of stores is nearly 900 spread across eight countries in Asia and Europe. GKN PLC; found in the automotive and aerospace industry, its origin dates back to 1759 in the early stages of the industrial revolution. The company is a

Innovations In The Business World Research Paper

Innovations In The Business World - Research Paper Example The higher the scope of coverage especially in scale, the better it is for the firm, because there is a tendency for it to establish a remarkable level of monopoly, at some point. This means that there is a great chance for that firm to dominate in the industry and achieve the highest possible market share. This will mean some remarkable implications. It is about continuing the business and generating higher profit as possible. There are many methods or strategies used today to achieve these possibilities (Porter, 1998).  An example of a company acquiring more companies from time to time is Google. Google is a search brand (Haig, 2011), but this cannot be made possible without its strategic employment of merger and acquisition. This company has been doing merger and acquisition since 2001, and recently at the early part of this year, it has already acquired at least three companies particularly for its business for internet security, home automation and timely application for Android. Eventually, these newly acquired companies are used or integrated with Google+ and other Google’s relevant line of online businesses.  Acquiring these companies eventu ally help Google improve its covered market and its services in ensuring wonderful experience and high value for its target users. This leads the possibility for Google to become a search brand, which allows it to generate a higher competitive advantage over the other companies in its industry. As a result, the other brands in line with Google’s industry are not remarkably known in the market, and if they are known at some point, Google is still holding a competitive advantage over them due to its wider scope of market coverage as one end result of its merger and acquisition strategy.  Merger and acquisition have been a common trend today in the business world.  

Nanotechnologys Impact on the Field of Catalysis

Nanotechnologys Impact on the Field of Catalysis   Mohammed Yusuf What is Nanocatalysis? The word Nanocatalysis is made up of two parts, nano and catalysis. Lets begin my tackling the first part. Nano, short for nanotechnology, is the study of extremely small things, and their applications to society. 1 nanometre is a billionth of a meter (Nano.gov, 2016). And as for catalysis, this refers to a chemical reaction bought about by a catalyst, with a catalyst being a substance that makes it possible for a reaction to be faster, by matching chemicals together quicker (Northwestern, 1999).   Nanotechnology and catalysis go together so well because in order for a catalyst to be as good as possible, it needs to have a large surface area. This allows the catalyst to interact with as much of the reactants as possible. Why I am researching Nanocatalysis? I decided to pursue this topic because the entire chemical industry is dominated by catalysts, nearly every product created via chemical reactions has been produced with the help of a catalyst. Furthermore, I chose this topic because of its futurology aspect its a well-known fact that global warming is slowly destroying our habitat, Earth. According to NASA, the carbon dioxide levels are the highest they have ever been in 650,000 years. This is contributing to the fact that our global temperature is up 1.4o F since 1880 (climate.nasa.gov, 2016). However, the scientists of this world arent just accepting this as our collective future, nanotechnology being used for catalysis has reinvented catalyst designing, and now catalysts can be designed to absorb harmful chemicals and gases that contribute to global warming. Because of nanotechnology, catalyst membranes can be modified to remove unwanted molecules from liquids and gases through the membrane design. (Nanowerk, 2010) What will this report be about?   Ã‚   This report will look into how nanotechnology is reinventing catalysis, Nanocatalysis real world applications, how it could be used to combat global warming, how Nanocatalysis is saving money and   how it is a safe alternative to ordinary catalyst. However, we will also dive into the problems that face the industry of Nanocatalysis, how it could pose health and safety issues to humans and how nanotechnology is very difficult to control. Efficiency: There are two types of catalysts, Heterogeneous and Homogenous. Heterogeneous catalysts are in different phases to the reactants, they are solid while the reactants are liquid. However Homogeneous catalysts are in the same phase as the reactants, if they are liquid, gas or solid so are the reactants. The key objective to making nanocatalysts work is making them as efficient as possible, stabilizing catalysts has been an issue for a very long time you need the catalyst to have a long lifetime, with a very high selectivity (more desired products formed). According toP. Nagaraju Rao, A good stabilizer is one that protects the nanoparticles during the catalytic process, but does not neutralize the surface of nanoparticles resulting in loss of catalytic activity. Catalyst stabilizers come in many forms, from metals to polymers. To increase efficiency as much as possible, scientists have used nanotechnology to create nanocatalysts supports. Through the discovery of a porous aluminium oxide powder, scientists have been able to improve efficiency. Dr Brian Woodfield and David Selck have used this porous material, with its huge network of pores, each 3 nanometres in length, and have filled each pore with expensive catalytic metals each pore 30,000 times smaller than a human hair. This may sound expensive, purchasing platinum and using it to fill holes, but it is on such a small scale that it is saving a huge amount of money. So, in theory, you are using less metal but each tiny piece of metal adds up to produce a huge surface area. In industry, clumps of platinum used to be used which is outrageous. Since it is a known fact that only the atoms on the surface that are exposed to the reaction are useful, this type of nanocatalysts saves so much time, money and effort. Dr Brian Woodfield and David Selck are wor king on producing tiny 1 nanometre crystals of these expensive metals and placing them in porous aluminium oxide, so every atom in the metal is being used. This streamlines production and therefore it improves efficiency. (Cougar Cosmos, 2011)[DS1] Improving reaction yield: Nanocatalysts are more efficient than normal catalysts, as I have established. This major advantage leads to a higher yield of the desired product in a chemical reaction. A real world example of this would be the production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil, where the Solid acid nanocatalysis of Al0.9H0.3PW12O40 nanotubes with double acid sites yield 96% of biodiesel from waste cooking oil as compared to 42.6% with conventional H3PW12O40 catalyst.   (P. Nagaraju Rao, 2010) Absorbing harmful gas emissions: By controlling the pore size of the catalytic membranes in nanocatalysts, you can alter them to remove unwanted molecules, such as harmful gases such as CO2 (global warming) and NO2 (ozone depletion), (Nanowerk, 2016). And through further experimentation by chemical engineers, leading nanotechnology research company Oxonica have produced a nano-diesel fuel additive which decreases fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful emissions. This rock solid research has gone through years of large-scale trials. The science behind this is truly staggering through the utilization of Cerium oxide nanoparticles in the early stages of combustion, the peak pressure of reaction is reduced. This has a knock on effect, because this reduced pressure results in less NOx emission. This prolongs combustion, which leads to a reduction in inburnt hydrocarbon and, ultimately, a decrease in fuel consumption of up to 9%. This research can be applied to nanocatalysts, the genius of the resea rchers behind this discovery used fundamental physics knowledge to manufacture a product that makes the engine do more work for the same fuel used which can be also be done with catalysts! (P. Nagaraju Rao, 2010) Global warming is a very pressing issue, with the 10 warmest years ever recorded being logged since 1997 its these small improvements in existing reactions that add up to something phenomenal. (Friends of the Earth briefing, 2010) Karine Philippot and Philippe Sers research paper into the concepts of nanocatalysis perfectly outlines the benefits of nanocatalysts, as opposed to normal catalysts. Figure 1. (Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013) Shows us how nanomaterials are more efficient than regular materials. Figure 2. (Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013) Shows us how smaller particles (nanocatalysts) have higher selectivity than larger particles. Figure 3. (Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013) Shows how nanocatalysts have larger surface area than traditional catalysts. Lack of support from investors: Although the future for nanocatalysts look bright, it needs funding and support from investors to kick off and dominate the chemical industry. Investors are not heavily investing in research of newer types of catalysts. Instead, they are only investing in commercially approved nanocatalysts such as industrial enzymes. This is very worrying, as research into newer types of nanocatalysts is vital for this field to continue to improve. This wont happen if well-established nanocatalysts continue to receive the lions share of funding and investment. Lack of support from market: Funding may be vital, but so is good commercial performance. Newer nanocatalysts have a hard time finding buyers, as corporations continue to buy commercially well-established nanocatalysts. Commercially well-established nanocatalysts such as zeolites take up 98% of all global sales, which is a staggering figure. Hopefully, through more academic research companies will begin to venture into newer forms of nanocatalysts. (P. Nagaraju Rao, 2010) The market will eventually embrace nanocatalysis: Global Industry Analysts, Inc. predict that nanocatalysis will receive huge interest in the future, as global warming becomes more apparent and companies are either forced to, or willingly embrace more environmentally friendly methods. The global market for nanocatalysts is expected to reach $7.2 billion by 2020 with nanocatalysts focused on removing harmful greenhouse gasses receiving the most attention. The strength growth of automobile production in India and China means the Asia-Pacific will emerge as the fastest growing market. They believe automobile production will be a huge revenue stream for this global market as nano-catalytic converters will be become the new norm for the automobile industry. This makes sense, with the astonishing rise of the electric car, fuel based cars will eventually be phased out of society due to global warming concerns nano-catalytic converters can add a breath of life to this dying business. (Strategyr.com. 2015[DS2]) Furthermore, Global Industry Analysts, Inc. also point to the growing focus on reducing emissions in coal-fired power plants, stringent emission control norms and increasing adoption in waste water treatment. Figure 4. (Global Industry Analysts Inc. 2016.) Nanocatalysts vs catalysts: Normal, expensive metal, catalysts have been used for a very long time this doesnt truly mean they are better. Lets take platinum as an example, which suffers from low efficiency, slow kinetics, high costs and a very short lifetime. Nanocatalysts are efficient, save money, durable and have a high stability. They are essentially the new generation of catalysts. But that doesnt mean that the old will be phased out. As Ive discussed previously, engineers and material scientists such as Dr Brian Woodfield and David Selck are using highly expensive metals such as platinum and putting them in porous nanocatalysts supports to the point where so little of the expensive metal is being used, that the actual cost is reduced extensively. (Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013) Therefore, it would be better to classify nanocatalysis as an evolution, drawing from the old norms of chemistry and material science and using the theory behind this to reinvent the standard. Through secondary research, I was able to gather information from a large number of sources. At the start of this research, I had many goals and vague ideas about what nanocatalysis had the potential to be. Through extensive research I was able to establish that nanocatalysts will be essential to solving large scale issues such as global warming by transitioning the world from large emissions of greenhouse gases to low emissions of these harmful gases. This will have huge effects on the world, with deals such as the Paris Climate Agreement put in place to ensure global warming isnt the end of the world, nanocatalysis will surely be a card government and corporations will be playing. I was also able to establish, through my research, that nanocatalysis is soon to be a very lucrative industry. Industrial predictions show that since nanocatalysts save money, improve efficiency, selectivity and yield it will grow to be a $7.2 billion dollar global market to put this into perspective, this is more than double the valuation of the Cyprus stock exchange. (Visual Capitalist, 2016) Nanotechnology may be the science of extremely small things, but it has a big future ahead of it. 2066 words including citations. YouTube, 2011. Nanocatalysis Smaller, Cheaper, More Efficient [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufVYz-dBJGA [Accessed 17 Aug. 2016] P. Nagaraju Rao, 2010. Nanocatalysis: Applications in Chemical Industry. Nanotech, Volume 1 (Issue 1), Page 13-21 Friends of the Earth, 2010, Briefing: Climate Change Facts. [Online] Available at: https://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/climate_change_facts.pdf [Accessed 12 Aug. 2016] Strategyr.com, (n.d). Nanocatalyst Market Trends. [Online] Available at: http://www.strategyr.com/MarketResearch/Nanocatalysts_Market_Trends.asp [Accessed 13 Aug. 2016] Nano.gov, (n.d). What is Nanotechnology? [Online} Available at: http://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/definition [Accessed 2 Aug. 2016] visualcapitalist.com, (2016). All of the Worlds Stock Exchanges by Size. [Online] Available at: http://www.visualcapitalist.com/all-of-the-worlds-stock-exchanges-by-size/ [Accessed 20 Aug. 2016] Karine Philippot and Philippe Ser, 2013. Nanomaterials in Catalysis. Germany: Wiley-VCH, Page 25 Climate.nasa.gov, (2016). Global Climate Change: Vital Signs if the Planet. [Online] Available at: http://climate.nasa.gov/ [Accessed 4 Aug. 2016] Chemguide.co.uk, (2016). The Effect of Catalysts on Reaction Rates. [Online] Available at: http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicrates/catalyst.html [Accessed 4 Aug. 2016] Northwestern.edu, (1999). What is Catalysis? [Online] Available at: http://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/northwestern/winter1999/winter99coverstoryside1.htm [Accessed 16 Aug. 2016] [DS1]This is not the format for Harvard referencing. [DS2]Good use of examples in this paragraph. [DS3]Should be in alphabetical order.   

What Is Politics? :: Essays on Politics

What Is Politics On hearing the word politics, what usually springs to mind are images of government, politicians and their policies or more negatively the idea of corruption and dirty tricks. The actual definition seems to have been obscured and almost lost by such representations and clichà ©s that tend not to pinpoint the true essence, which defines this thing, called politics. In order to make an attempt at a definition of politics a systematic approach is required. To begin with, a brief historical overview will be considered, to understand the origins of politics. Following this, different core concepts, which are imperative to a definition of politics, will be discussed, in the hope to discover a true and fair interpretation of the word politics. The word politics comes from the Greek word "polis", meaning the state or community as a whole. The concept of the "polis" was an ideal state and came from the writings of great political thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. In his novel "The Republic", Plato describes the ideal state and the means to achieve it. Hence, the word politics originally has connotations in the ways in which to create the ideal society. An ideal society is in practice a rather difficult aim and even an impossible aim to achieve. Politics implies measures which could and should, in the views of their devisor, be implemented in the hope to create a better society, than that which is already present. The very fact that Plato and Aristotle saw imperfections in the societies in which they lived, prompted them to write their political philosophies. These philosophies provided the first written recognition of politics. In his writings his "The Politics", Aristotle states that "Man is by nature a political animal"(The Politics, 1) in another words, it lies deep within the instinct of man. It is almost primal. Due to his nature man should consider and realise his role within the "polis". So according to Aristotle Politics is not a dreamt up concept, but rather an inherent feature of mankind. To begin with, the basest premise that underpins the notion of politics should be considered in order to arrive at a fair definition. Man is self-preserving by nature. He thinks and acts, whether that is as an individual or as a group who share interests, with foremost regard to his own interests. Self-perpetuation is the number one rule. He therefore possesses his own interests, ideas and preferences, which may

Hrm Ulrichs Model Essay

?Briefly describe the major features you would expect to find in an HR function which has adopted the Ulrich Model as the basis for its structure. The HR model as defined by Ulrich (1997) states that HR function should be: 1. Strategic Partners: Sit at the managerial table and contribute to the organisations strategy and alignment of HR strategy. Communicates efficiently with line management. Understands the business environment and drives key business processes and activities2. Change Agents: Support, facilitate and initiate change,act as a stabilising force for employees in times of change 3. Employee Champions: Takes action to protect the interests and well being of the employees and ensuring they are the voice of the employee. 4. Administrative Experts: Ensures polices and procedures are up to date, they are legally compliant and have the ability to deliver innovative HR practices in HR recruitment, employee development and communication In the 1990’s Dave Ulrich moved to the three legged stool model for the organisation of the HR Function, this provided – Centres of excellence This is a HR unit or an outsourced facility that provides HR services to a number of parties within the organisation. HR experts provide high level advice and solutions on key services and hr activities such as training and development, recruitment, reward and employee relations. Strategic Business Partners Senior HR Managers work closely with business leaders and line managers to contribute to the overall organisations strategy and align with HR strategy. They understand the business environment and drive key business processes and activities. HRM are expected to be creative Shared Services centres Large organisations provide a centralised HR function which deliver routine HR administration such as payroll, recruitment administration or absence monitoring.

The Story of the Aged Mother (Analysis)

THE STORY OF THE AGED MOTHER (A Japanese folktale) SETTING: Shinano at the foot the mountain CHARACTERS: The aged mother- the main character of the story, who has the wisdom that brings to save and benefited their land The young farmer- the son of the aged mother The daimio-the despotic ruler of Shinano but later on he learned to give importance the old folks. THEME: â€Å"A mother’s love is something that no one can explain. It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain, it is endless and unselfish†. CONFLICT: Man vs.Man- the only antagonist in the story was the daimio who proclaimed a law to immediately kill all the aged people. LITERARY MOVEMENT: * Realism- the situation in the story was once happened in the history of Japan, not by putting to death the aged people but abandoning them. It views the once history of a certain country and the simplicity of life. The story also contains lesson and the language used was simple and comprehensive. â€Å"A motherâ⠂¬â„¢s love is something that no one can explain. It is made of deep devotion and of sacrifice and pain, it is endless and unselfish†. Also read: Mother of a TraitorThe story of the aged mother is a folktale from Japan. It tells about how great the love of a mother for her child. It was shown on their situation when the daimio proclaimed a law ordering that all the aged people should be put to death. The order filled the heart of the poor farmer a great sorrow for he loves his mother that much. Instead of putting her mother to death in the hand of the cruel law he decided to give his mother a kind mode of death. He took his mother to the bare summit of Obatsuyama- the mountain of the â€Å"Abandoning of the Aged† and planned to abandon there.On their way to the said mountain the heart of the loving mother grew anxious for she knew that her son will on danger on his way back because he was not familiar to the many mountain paths. What the mother did she snapped the twigs of the bushes they passed and drop it silently on the path to serves as a guide on the way back of her poor child. â€Å"Let not thine eyes be blind, my son. † â€Å"The mountain road is full of danger. Look carefully and follow the path which holds the piles of twigs. They will guide thee to the familiar way farther down†. These lines shows the unconditional love that the mother has for her son, an unselfish love that smote the heart of the poor child and made him cried and decided to take his mother with him backed to their humble hut in the valley. He hid his mother on a walled closet for food beneath the kitchen. Time passed and they both feel secure and safe until one day the daimio sent a messenger and again demanded on the people of the valley present him a with a rope of ashes. To the despair of the poor farmer he told the mews to his hidden mother.And her mother luckily come up with the idea and told him to make a rope of twisted straw and the other thing to do. The despotic ruler was pleased of what he had witnessed and asks the poor farmer if where he obtained that kind of wisdom. The poor farmer stated everything and daimio listened and meditated in silence. Upon hearing the story he now decided to abolish cruel law, and sees the importance of the elder to shape the society and said â€Å"with the crown of snow, there cometh wisdom†.The story shows us two important virtue- love and wisdom. Mother’s love is nothing can compare nor measured; it is pure and unselfish and made of reverence. Truly we can say that we can found heaven underneath mother’s feet for she fought cruelty with love and affection and true hero for bringing out our courage to face the harsh realities of life. Most of all serves as our courage, weakness and strength that guided us to walk through our journey called life.In the saying â€Å"with the crown of snow, there cometh wisdom†- the crown of snow is pertaining to the elders, emphasizes the importance of them in shaping our society. The word â€Å"there cometh wisdom† explained that as we get old our everyday experie nces makes us wit, and as we commit mistakes learning comes. The old folks who undergone on the different challenges in life and had survive serves as our guiding path because their varied experiences teach us to become wise; wise enough to know right from wrong.

Guide to Past Simple and Past Continuous Verb Tenses

Guide to Past Simple and Past Continuous Verb Tenses There are two principal past tenses used to make general statements about the past: The past simple and the past continuous. The two tenses are quite different. Use the past simple to talk about an event which happened at some point in time in the past. Tom flew to Chicago last week.Peter visited his friends in Florida two months ago. If you are a teacher, use this guide on how to teach the past simple tense for more help. The past continuous is usually used to refer to events happening at the same time that something important happened in the past. They were doing their homework when she arrived.Jack was studying while Dave was cooking dinner. The past continuous is also used to express what was happening at a precise moment in the past. I was attending a lecture at 2.30 yesterday afternoon.Alice was reading a book at six yesterday evening. If you are a teacher, use this guide on how to teach the past continuous tense for more help. Past Simple Structure Positive Subject Verb ed OR Irregular Past Form Objects I, You, He, She, We, They played golf yesterday afternoon.I, You, He, She, We, They went lunch at noon. Negative Subject did not (didnt) Verb Objects I, You, He, She, We, They didnt go on vacation last summer. Subject did not (doesnt) Verb Objects Questions (Why, What, etc.) did Subject Verb Objects? Did I, you, we, they attend the meeting last week? Past Continuous Structure Positive Subject conjugate the helping verb be verb -ing. I was, You were, He was, She was, We were, You were, They were watching TV when I arrived. Negative Subject conjugate the helping verb be not verb -ing. I wasnt, You werent, He wasnt, She wasnt, We werent, You werent, They werent working when he came into the room. Questions Question word conjugate the helping verb be subject verb -ing What were you, they doing at seven oclock?What was I, he, she doing at seven oclock? More Guides for Past Simple These guides were prepared especially for beginners and include dialogues and a short quiz. Past simple with the verb to be for beginnersPast simple with regular and irregular verbs for beginners Teach a Lesson About the Past Simple and Past Continuous Here are lessons on the site which focus on the past simple or past continuous and their use with other tenses.Then - Now - integration lesson for upper-level students.Time Expressions - past simple and present perfect compared and contrasted.Integrating Past Continuous - integrating past continuous into writing.Guilty! - communication lesson using a variety of past tenses. Activities With the Past Simple and Past Continuous Some activities that will help you practice: What Were You Doing? - Use of the past continuous in combination with the past simple.A Holiday in Italy - Describing a past holiday.Time Expressions and Tenses.

Populism essays

Populism essays During the late nineteenth century, the agrarian movement evolved into a political force that energized American farmers to voice their political and economic grievances like never before. Although the movement essentially died after William Jennings Bryan's loss of the 1896 Presidential election, many of the reforms they fought for were eventually passed into law. American farmers found themselves facing hard times after the Civil War. In the West, the railroad had opened up enormous opportunities. Farmers were now able to cultivate land that had previously been to far from the Eastern markets to make a profit. However, that opportunity came at a price. The farmers increasing dependence on the railroads and other commercial interests made them an easy target for exploitative business practices. The growth in land also contributed to overproduction, which was another factor contributing to the farmer's hardships. The expansion of farmland combined with the mechanical advances in agricultural technology greatly increased production in the west. In the south, sharecropping and the cycle of debt it generated led to overproduction. In order for a tenant farmer to get out from under debt to the landowner they needed to increase planting, creating a surplus of cotton and tobacco. In both sections of the country overproduction led to falling crop prices and soil exhaustion. In 1867, Oliver Kelley saw the plight of the American farmer and created the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, the National Grange. Loosely modeled after the Masons, the Grange originally set out to be more of a social and educational outlet to help combat the isolation felt by many farming families and included women among its members. Eventually the purpose of the grange expanded into the political sphere. The Grange became the head of a nationwide agrarian movement, serving a purpose similar to that of a union to industrial laborers. Membership rose rapi...

Java Statements (Definition, Types and Examples)

Java Statements (Definition, Types and Examples) Statements are similar to sentences in the English language. A sentence forms a complete idea which can include one or more clauses. Likewise, a statement in Java forms a complete command to be executed and can include one or more expressions. In simpler terms, a Java statement is just an instruction that explains what should happen. Types of Java Statements Java supports three different types of statements: Expression statements  change values of variables, call methods, and create objects.Declaration statements  declare variables.Control-flow statements  determine the order that statements are executed. Typically, Java statements parse from the top to the bottom of the program. However, with control-flow statements, that order can be interrupted to implement branching or looping so that the Java program can run particular sections of code based on certain conditions. Examples of Java Statements //declaration statement int number; //expression statement number 4; //control flow statement if (number 10 ) {   Ã‚  //expression statement   Ã‚  System.out.println(number is less than ten); }

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Measles, Mumps, and Rubella - Research Paper Example Its vaccine was made and licensed in 1968 (Barone, Crocetti and Oski, 321). (d). Pathogenesis and pathology of Rubella involves measles virus entering the body system, then to the epithelial cells, and finally to the blood where it multiplies (MPS). In blood the virus advances to general toxic level. The general toxic level of the disease is associated with the presentation of rashes, pigmentation as well as koplik’s spots (Shmaefsky, p.83). (e). Clinical manifestations of Rubella appears after an incubation period 6-18 days. The clinical signs include fever, catarrhal inflammation, koplik’s spots, and appearance prodromal rashes on the skin surface (Shmaefsky, p.85). (d). The pathogenesis and pathology of Ruboela involves measles virus entering the body, then virus moves to the epithelial cells, then to blood where it multiplies (MPS), blood and later generates to general toxic level. When it is at the general level, Ruboela is presents rashes, pigmentation and koplik’s spots (Black, p.90). (e). Clinical manifestation of Ruboela are portrayed after the incubation period of between 6-18 days. The clinical manifestations include fever, catarrhal inflammation, koplik’s spots on the skin as well as prodromal rashes (Black,

Global Operation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Global Operation - Essay Example Moreover, there may be disagreements between the local community and PPQ (Cateora and Graham 19). This is because PPQ will introduce new employees who will be accompanied by their family members in the host foreign country. The host foreign country will experience strain in its communities and social amenities, for example, schools. This is because the communities and social amenities where PPQ is situated will experience an enhancement in number of individuals largely from PPQ. Also, the host foreign country will experience issues associated with the unfamiliar characteristic of the dealings between employees of PPQ and the existing people of the region where PPQ has decided to establish its stores to sell their products. It is imperative that PPQ anticipates any issues that may have a negative impact on the host foreign country and device ways of dealing with them before it starts its process of expansion. Question 2 International organizations frequently go through abundant cultur al issues when they extend their activities into diverse and new territories. When a company expands to new territories, its employees may have difficulties dealing with clients who are from a diverse and different culture. There is the issue of cultural sensitivity which requires the employees of the international company to accommodate the cultural practices of their clients. In addition, workers of international organizations may face difficulties in overcoming language barriers in the new areas of operation (Cateora and Graham 122). These may pose a severe challenge to the ability of workers providing adequate and sufficient services to the customers. Individuals with an identical value system, religion, beliefs, and language share a similar culture. As a result, this is imparted to every individual in the cultural system. Therefore, workers of international organizations, who are not from the same cultural system as the customers, find it difficult to comprehend the customersâ €™ cultural system, hence affecting the process of interaction. Question 3 Diversity has become an extremely essential subject in the international field. Any knowledgeable businessperson or manager should be aware that the universe is decreasing in size due to opportunities and services facilitated by globalization. Inventions, for example, the internet has made diversity an extremely essential subject in the international field because it has made engaging in business activities in different parts of the world less complicated, and trade is making the most of the opportunities caused by being diverse. In addition, diversity has made a number of financial restraints that were in existence in the past to be eradicated as organizations are attempting to engage in business activities all over and across the universe (Cateora and Graham 159). Also, diversity has become a significant subject in the international field because people are moving from their native lands to look for emp loyment opportunities in other areas. This is evident in areas, for example, Europe and North America where there are individuals of mixed ancestries and races. Therefore, diversity has enable individuals preserve their original identity while being part of different geographic regions. Question 4 There are a number of things that may happen if issues relating to diversity and multiculturalism are not paid attention to in a global organization. One, the international

HMLS 302 Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

HMLS 302 Case Study - Essay Example ers to drones as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAV’s, which it claims will enhance the effective response to national and international matters such as disaster, homicide, terrorism, rescue operations, and various other situations that require an overhead surveillance approach, mostly in security (Homeland Security News Wire, 2012). The Bill signed into law by President Obama after Congress passed it in February 2012 requires of the military and security bodies to develop and fine-tune the not-so-common-now technology, referring to it as a necessary and significant step in advancing America’s aerial surveillance and security. In addition, the permission will extend to private and commercial UAV’s that will see them access the airspace above America which is currently ruled by manned aeroplanes. The explanation of this is that such measures will enhance the landings and take-offs of planes which currently rely on out of date and complex systems (Wagstaff, 2012). The following discussion will highlight the key controversies of this debate that circle within safety and privacy of the wider American population in regards to the UAV technology. It is unclear whether the debates arise from a foreshadowed implication that is likely to arise from the use of UAV’s or due to lacking knowledge regarding their handling and operation. It is however important to come to terms with what drones really are, how they operate and what their largest implications are likely to be. Commonly known as drones, these technological giants are referred to as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or Remotely Piloted Air Systems by security bodies such as the Homeland Security Department. Unknown to many, drones have been in existence for a while, only that their use has been in small-scale discreet (military) operations such as hunting down and tracking wanted personnel in terrorist bases such as Pakistani. The original idea of creating drones was to use them in areas termed as difficult or too

Importance of multicultural education in early childhood education Essay

Importance of multicultural education in early childhood education - Essay Example Conventional patterns of travel has been replaced by new avenues, and destinations (Silverstone, 2005, p.9). Mass media has allowed better cultural interactions and in turn has people and communities to understand each other quickly (Silverstone, 2005, p.39). The overall result is that people are now settling in areas which were perceived to be hostile and unfavorable to human life decades ago. Each and every society has now its own special group of migrant populations resulting in social diversity, and new patterns of social living but this has posed each society, a great many challenges as well (Reitz, Breton, Dion and Dion, 2009, p.11-17). The original communities have developed a fear of losing their cultural identity while the migrant groups fear a hostile environment (Reitz, Breton, Dion and Dion, 2009, p.168-175). The original dwellers tend to have a dominating trait that result in newcomers suffering suppression and cultural hegemony (Reitz, Breton, Dion and Dion, 2009, p.168 -175). When this is not restrained, minority cultures will be forced to assimilate majority culture and the result is that they loose their own culture (Reitz, Breton, Dion and Dion, 2009, p.168-175). As Robinson and Jones-Diaz (2006) have pointed out, such a change will eventually lead to racism and homophobia. This study is of the view that one way of making a deliberate effort in building respect for and safeguarding different cultures is including multiculturalism in early childhood education. This way, children can grow up under equitable environments which treat all cultures equally. Neither majority or minority culture is put in a more than or less than equal position in such a scenario. Thus this study dwells on the merits as well as reasons why multicultural education should be adopted or incorporated in early childhood education. The choice of this topic was inspired by the current social context in Singapore. The country is home to many cultural groupings,

Islam, Christianity And Buddhism In The Post Classical Era Essay

Islam, Christianity And Buddhism In The Post Classical Era - Essay Example By confusion, it is meant that there was no particular ruling force and everything was haphazard taking on its own directions. To sum it up, The Roman Empire, Gupta Empire of India and Han Dynasty of China had been overthrown. This meant that the large populations that these Empires ruled over were left without a leader, direction as well as discipline. This further more led to the instability of political and economic conditions of the region. Hence this period specifically highlights the changes and innovations that were made in order to overcome this chaotic situation. A major part of these changes was the spread of three major religions, namely: Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. (2012-2013 APWH Unit 3: The Post Classical Age - Howard's History 2013) When these typical classical and royal Empires fell, the only way out of it was an automatic power to take over. And this automatic power was taken over by the religions of those times. As mentioned above, these three religions are am ongst the most commonly practiced religions of today’s times. ... Now that we are focusing on Islam and the changes that it brought in Arabia especially, because this is where the basic advent of Islam started. Before the post classical era, Arabia was a place of great hospitality but little rules and peace. Arabs were always caught up in some war or battle; they were unsophisticated and would spend a larger portion of their life by taking revenges. Clans were the way of living, loyalty to one’s clan was considered to be of great importance and disloyalty meant nothing but straight away. 3 Moreover, Arabs by profession were traders. However, there was a distinct difference in classes, there was an elite class and then there was the labor class. To put it in small, easy words, Arabia was in a total disarray and required revolution in order to set things right. And obviously, this revolution was brought when Islam came into being with the birth of Muhammad, who claimed to be the last prophet of Allah. Islam brought it with it a complete packag e of life; it was a religion of peace and prosperity. It provided rights to everyone, from elites, to slaves and animals even. The status of women was affected greatly when Islam came into the picture. Previously, women had little or no rights but after Islam came their way, this was one of the many things that changed. (KschlegelApwHP2 - The First Global Civilization The Rise and Spread of Islam 2013) After the death of Muhammad, Islam had become quite popular in Arabia itself. People had started accepting Islam due to its message of equality and sense of balance between everything. It eradicated every such bad thing that could harm the human race in any way. Islam is a religion of peace and it gave rights to

Banking and Insurance Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Banking and Insurance Law - Essay Example Letters of Credit (LCs) is an instrument of maritime trade which has long been acclaimed as the nerve center of international trade. LCs are not "contracts" or "surety ship obligations" or "negotiable instruments" or an "agency agreements", but separate independent obligations to be interpreted on their own terms and conditions without reference to any other documents. ... or non-performance; transfer, assignment and back-to-back LCs; wrongful dishonor and anticipatory repudiation of it etc.UCPDC have technical rounded-up the standardized procedures and definitions on types of credit, teletransmitted and pre-advised credits, standard for examination of documents, discrepant documents and notice, disclaimer on effectiveness of documents, disclaimer on the transmission of messages, Force Majeure, bank-to-bank reimbursement arrangements, ambiguity as to the issuers of documents, unspecified, issuers or contents of documents, issuance date of documents v. credit date, Marine/Ocean Bill of Lading, Non-Negotiable Sea Waybill, Charter Party Bill of Lading, Multimodal Transport Document, Air Transport Document, Road, Rail or Inland Waterway Transport Documents, Courier and Post Receipts, Transport Documents Issued by Freight Forwarders, 'On Deck', 'Shipper's Load and Count', Name of Consignor, Clean Transport Documents, Freight Payable/Prepaid Transport Documents, Insurance Documents, Type of Insurance Cover, Commercial Invoices etc (UCPDC 500, 1993).In fact complete codified instructions on documentary credits can be had only through joint readings of the UCPDC and universal commercial codes (UCC). Despite the support of uniformity and standardization provided by provisions of UCPDC and UCC disputed transactions have grown multifold in maritime trade. Some of these disputes were genuine trade disputes and could be resolved by fulfillment of deficiencies whereas a good number of them were categorized as trade malpractices with the primary objective of defrauding the other part(ies).It is the latter category of documentary credit transactions which forms the focus of this paper and the general leeway given to fraudulent parties by English

Islam, Christianity And Buddhism In The Post Classical Era Essay

Islam, Christianity And Buddhism In The Post Classical Era - Essay Example By confusion, it is meant that there was no particular ruling force and everything was haphazard taking on its own directions. To sum it up, The Roman Empire, Gupta Empire of India and Han Dynasty of China had been overthrown. This meant that the large populations that these Empires ruled over were left without a leader, direction as well as discipline. This further more led to the instability of political and economic conditions of the region. Hence this period specifically highlights the changes and innovations that were made in order to overcome this chaotic situation. A major part of these changes was the spread of three major religions, namely: Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. (2012-2013 APWH Unit 3: The Post Classical Age - Howard's History 2013) When these typical classical and royal Empires fell, the only way out of it was an automatic power to take over. And this automatic power was taken over by the religions of those times. As mentioned above, these three religions are am ongst the most commonly practiced religions of today’s times. ... Now that we are focusing on Islam and the changes that it brought in Arabia especially, because this is where the basic advent of Islam started. Before the post classical era, Arabia was a place of great hospitality but little rules and peace. Arabs were always caught up in some war or battle; they were unsophisticated and would spend a larger portion of their life by taking revenges. Clans were the way of living, loyalty to one’s clan was considered to be of great importance and disloyalty meant nothing but straight away. 3 Moreover, Arabs by profession were traders. However, there was a distinct difference in classes, there was an elite class and then there was the labor class. To put it in small, easy words, Arabia was in a total disarray and required revolution in order to set things right. And obviously, this revolution was brought when Islam came into being with the birth of Muhammad, who claimed to be the last prophet of Allah. Islam brought it with it a complete packag e of life; it was a religion of peace and prosperity. It provided rights to everyone, from elites, to slaves and animals even. The status of women was affected greatly when Islam came into the picture. Previously, women had little or no rights but after Islam came their way, this was one of the many things that changed. (KschlegelApwHP2 - The First Global Civilization The Rise and Spread of Islam 2013) After the death of Muhammad, Islam had become quite popular in Arabia itself. People had started accepting Islam due to its message of equality and sense of balance between everything. It eradicated every such bad thing that could harm the human race in any way. Islam is a religion of peace and it gave rights to

Drunk Driving Essay Example for Free

Drunk Driving Essay Driving under the influence, driving while intoxicated, drunken driving, drunk driving, drink driving, operating under the influence, drinking and driving, or impaired driving is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit . Similar regulations cover driving or operating certain types of machinery while affected by drinking alcohol or taking other drugs, including, but not limited to prescription drugs. This is a criminal offense in most countries. Convictions do not necessarily involve actual driving of the vehicle. In most jurisdictions a measurement such as a blood alcohol content in excess of a specific threshold level, such as 0.05% or 0.08% defines the offense, with no need to prove impairment or being under the influence of alcohol. In some jurisdictions, there is an aggravated category of the offense at a higher level e.g. 0.12%. In most countries, anyone who is convicted of injuring or killing someone while under the influence of alcohol or drugs can be heavily fined, as in France, in addition to being given a lengthy prison sentence. Some jobs have their own rules and BAC limits, for example commercial pilot, and the Federal Railroad Administration has a 0.04% limit for train crew. Some jurisdictions have multiple levels of BAC; for example, the state of California has a 0.08% BAC limit, which is lowered to 0.04% if the operator holds a commercial drivers license. The California BAC limit is 0.01% for those younger than 21 years of age and those on probation for a previous DUI conviction. Some large corporations have their own rules; Union Pacific Railroad has their own BAC limit of 0.02% that, if violated during a random test or a for-cause test — for example, after a traffic accident — can result in termination of employment with no chance of future re-hire. Many states in the U.S. and provinces in Canada have adopted truth in sentencing laws that enforce strict guidelines on sentencing, differing from previous practice where prison time was reduced or suspended after sentencing had been issued. Some jurisdictions have judicial guidelines requiring a mandatory minimum sentence. The specific criminal offense may be called, depending on the jurisdiction, driving under the influence, driving under intense influence, driving while intoxicated, operating under the influence operating while intoxicated, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, driving under the combined influence of alcohol and/or other drugs, driving under the influence per se or drunk in charge . Many such laws apply also to motorcycling, boating, piloting aircraft, use of motile farm equipment such as tractors and combines, riding horses or driving a horse-drawn vehicle, or bicycling, possibly with different BAC level than driving. In some jurisdictions there are separate charges depending on the vehicle used, such as BWI, which may carry a lighter sentence. In the United States, local law enforcement agencies made 1,467,300 arrests nationwide for driving under the influence of alcohol in 1996, compared to 1.9 million such arrests during the peak year in 1983. In 1997 an estimated 513,200 DWI offenders were in prison or jail, down from 593,000 in 1990 and up from 270,100 in 1986. Blood alcohol level With the advent of a scientific test for blood alcohol content, enforcement regimes moved to pinning culpability for the offense to strict liability based on driving while having more than a prescribed amount of blood alcohol, although this does not preclude the simultaneous existence of the older subjective tests. BAC is most conveniently measured as a simple percent of alcohol in the blood by weight. Research shows an exponential increase of the relative risk for a crash with a linear increase of BAC as shown in the illustration. BAC does not depend on any units of measurement. In Europe it is usually expressed as milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. However, 100 milliliters of blood weighs essentially the same as 100 milliliters of water, which weighs precisely 100 grams. Thus, for all practical purposes, this is the same as the simple dimensionless BAC measured as a percent. The per mille measurement, which is equal to ten times the percentage value, is used in Nor way, Sweden and Finland. The validity of the testing equipment/methods and mathematical relationships for the measurement of breath and blood alcohol have been criticized. Driving while consuming alcohol may be illegal within a jurisdiction. In some it is illegal for an open container of an alcoholic beverage to be in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle or in some specific area of that compartment. Drivers have been convicted even when they were not observed driving if it could be safely concluded they had been driving while intoxicated. Within the American system, citation for driving under the influence also causes a major spike in car insurance premiums – 94.1% in the first year, and still 63.5% higher by the third year. The German model serves to reduce the number of accidents by identifying unfit drivers and removing them from until their fitness to drive has been established again. The Medical Psychological Assessment works for a prognosis of the fitness for drive in future, has an interdisciplinary basic approach and offers the chance of individual rehabilitation to the offender. George Smith, a London taxi driver, was the first person to be convicted of drunk driving, on 10 September 1897. He was fined 25 shillings, which is equivalent to  £71.33 in 2005 pounds. Field sobriety testing Historically, guilt was established by observed driving symptoms, such as weaving; administering field sobriety tests, such as a walking a straight line heel-to-toe or standing on one leg for 30 seconds; and the arresting officers subjective opinion of impairment. The officer must correctly perform the Field Sobriety Tests that are approved by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration . The US Department of Transportation explains the Field Sobriety Test as, a battery of three tests administered and evaluated in a standardized manner to obtain validated indicators of impairment and establish probable cause for arrest. Starting with the introduction in Norway in 1936 of the world’s first per se law which made it an offense to drive with more than a specified amount of alcohol in the body, objective chemical tests have gradually supplanted the earlier purely judgmental ones. Limits for chemical tests are specific for blood alcohol concentration or concentration of alcohol in breath. Drunk driving law by country The laws relating to drunk driving vary between countries and varying blood alcohol content is allowed before a conviction is made. Comparison with cell phone use Studies show that cell phone use is comparable to driving while intoxicated in rate of increase of likelihood of causing an accident, yet is not even illegal in many locations. This comparison has led users of alcohol to question why DWI should be illegal, and others to consider making cell phone use while driving illegal. The penalties where this is done are never commensurate with the penalties for DWI. Texting while driving is very dangerous, as it takes eyes off the road for an average 4.6 seconds at a time. When laws against drunk driving were implemented in the United States in 2000, fatalities due to drunk driving increased, as was predicted by opponents.

Classroom Management Techniques for Classroom Disruption

Classroom Management Techniques for Classroom Disruption Statement of the Problem Disruptive behavior is defined as any behaviors that hinder teachers from teaching and students from learning. There are many factors that can influence these behaviors in prekindergartners, such as, not having the social skills that are needed to interact with others (Lawson, 2003), being exposed to a structured environment for the first time, unsupervised time at home where the television is the babysitter and children are exposed to violence and aggressive behavior which can influence some to think that this behavior is the norm (Collins, 2013). When students act out, teachers focus their attention on ceasing the behavior rather than teaching (Gregory, Skiba, Noguera, 2010), which interrupts the daily routine of classroom activities and hinders students learning (Gable et al., 2009). One method for dealing with disruptive students is to remove them from the classroom or out of school suspension. Children that are suspended from prekindergarten are more likely to display disruptive behavior in kindergarten, which could lead to them not being able to be successful in their academic journey unless there are some type of intervention implemented to deter unacceptable behavior. Two ways of intervening disruptive behavior are proactive and effective classroom management and the use of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program which is a positive approach to creating the behavioral supports and social culture that is needed for all students in a school to accomplish social, emotional and academic success. Classroom management is becoming a major issue in and has been since classrooms were first established. has been an issue since the first classrooms were established. Teachers are the primary enforcer of classroom management in their classrooms. Although there is a certain protocol to follow concerning discipline because of the young age of the children in prekindergarten, however, there are prekindergarten classes in many public schools where prekindergarten children are faced with the same disciplinary consequences by administrators as stated in the schools Code of Conduct. An inadequate skill of strong and effective classroom management skills will eventually lead to teaching in a stressful environment, low teacher morale, and teachers deciding to leave the teaching profession (Walker, 2009; Wong Wong, 2005). Furthermore, when present strategies in classroom management do not aid in removing the classroom discipline problems there needs to be an alternative strategy to be implemented to eradicate the issue of classroom disruptions. Although teachers possess the primary responsibility to enforce their classroom management strategies (Freiberg Lamb, 2009), there may still be a need of extra support from the schools administrators. Researchers have conducted several studies on individual types of classroom management skills and their impact on student achievement (Rosas West, 2009; Wong Wong, 2005). Some stated that with the use of effective classroom management, a change in the classroom environment will occur and produce a positive learning environment. Teacher (Beaty-OFerrall, Green, Hanna, 2010; Flutter, 2006). Teachers and administrators are continuing to try to form an atmosphere that is conducive to the leaning of all students to improve learning and to increase positive behavior (Rosas West, 2009), especially in prekindergarten which is the foundation of student learning and sets the pattern for students throughout their academic endeavor. This study will focus on exploring and understanding the classroom management strategies of teachers with low discipline referrals compared to teachers with a number of high referral in prekindergarten classroom. However, in the prekindergarten classrooms, there have been an increase in classroom disruptions referrals that resulted in out of school suspension. Marzanos research study indicated that an orderly school atmosphere is essential for students to learn and that discipline is a problematic issue in most schools (Marzano, 2003). The problem is that prekindergarten children are being suspended from school for disruptive behavior at an increased rate than students in kindergarten through high school.   Per Gilliam (2005), 6.67 percent of 1,000 preschoolers were given out of school suspension, as compared with 2.09 percent of 1,000 elementary, middle, and high school students, (Gilliam, 2005). Purpose of the Study The purpose of this qualitative, case study will be to explore how classroom  management practices that exists in the prekindergarten public school setting effect classroom disruptions, and how the use of Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) program deters classroom disruptions. Even though classroom disruptions occur for several causes, teachers continue to struggle with decreasing unwanted behavior in the classroom (Moorefield, 2005). To explore the effects of classroom management strategies on the classroom disruptions, the researcher will select 20 prekindergarten teachers in a public-school district in the state of Georgia to participate in the study. The 20 teachers will consist of first year, three to five years, and more than five years of teaching in the prekindergarten classroom. The researcher will also attempt to understand the teachers perception of PBIS, and its effect on decreasing classroom disruptions. The researcher will observe the teachers during a regular school day, and interview the teachers after each classroom observation. The researcher will also request access of discipline referrals written by the teachers to group the teachers by the number of referrals, and use data collected from the questionnaire answers. To study the teachers, the researcher will review the School-Wide Information  System (SWIS) to gather the referral information. The researcher will explore the strategies of classroom management that are used to manage the classroom disruptions. The researcher will choose a qualitative case study method because it will allow a detailed investigation of the phenomenon (Yin, 2014). A case study method also will allow the researcher to collect other  data that could be examined, including observations of classrooms, teacher interviews, PBIS discipline referral data, and questionnaire answers. One essential characteristic of a case study is a collection of variety of data collection (Yin, 2014), therefore a variety of data collection will be used by the researcher. Research Questions Prior research identified the need to understand classroom management practices  better (Sutton, Mudrey-Camino, Knight, 2009). Specifically, the researcher needed to understand further the specific effective practices for managing classroom disruptions (Magableh Hawamdeh, 2007). Therefore, the focus of this research was to understand the differences in the practices of teachers who had a relatively low numbers of classroom disruptions versus teachers who had a relatively high numbers of classroom disruptions. The researcher developed questions to compare and understand the specific practices used to manage disruptions as well as understand the effects of the culture in the classroom on those specific practices. Research questions that will guide data collection: RQ1: What specific classroom management strategies did prekindergarten teachers who had a reported high number of discipline referrals use? RQ2: What are the prekindergarten teachers perception of the effects of PBIS on decreasing classroom disruptions in the prekindergarten classroom?

AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays

The media is full of aids stories these days. Articles in different newspapers and magazines headline the death of celebrities, new aids tests, and controversies about who should be tested, promising advances in the research labs, and frustrating and tragic problems of coping with the disease using the treatments available today. Aids is not only pervading the newspapers and magazines, but the television fare as well, not only the news items and features, but also in dramas sitcoms and soap operas. Aids has become an impetuous monster that has wrapped up society in its terrible claws through the fears it has promoted, the people it has affected, the true reality of the disease and the consequences it has brought upon its prey. With all this media coverage, it seems as though aids is the number one health problem facing the world today. In opinion polls, this disease now rivals cancer and blindness as the health problem most people fear. The pervading of aids have prompted a reassessment of our beliefs and customs and have challenged our laws and social institutions (Mathews 21). At first glance, the statistics do not seem to support this heavy emphasis. The total of all the aids cases reported in the United States has continued to rise, reaching more than 160,000 by the end of 1990, and the number of aids cases worldwide is close to a third of a million (Hull 22). These numbers may seem impressive compared to the number of people who gather to watch a World Series game or the Super Bowl and in reality they are. Yet each year three-quarters of a million Americans die of heart disease and close to a half million die of cancer, while the total of aids related deaths in the United States in 1990 was about 30,000. In 1990, aids ranked 10 among our top leading causes of death. Worldwide, aids tolls are only a fraction of the 200 to 300 million new cases and 2 million deaths from malaria each year (Silverstein 47). Why all the attention to aids, then? It is just the latest media hype, playing on our emotions and needlessly building up our fears? There are several reasons why people have reacted so emotionally to aids. First of all, it is a new disease. Cancer, heart disease, and malaria have been killing people ever since there have been humans on earth, but scientists did not even find out about aids since 1981. AIDS :: Free AIDS Essays The media is full of aids stories these days. Articles in different newspapers and magazines headline the death of celebrities, new aids tests, and controversies about who should be tested, promising advances in the research labs, and frustrating and tragic problems of coping with the disease using the treatments available today. Aids is not only pervading the newspapers and magazines, but the television fare as well, not only the news items and features, but also in dramas sitcoms and soap operas. Aids has become an impetuous monster that has wrapped up society in its terrible claws through the fears it has promoted, the people it has affected, the true reality of the disease and the consequences it has brought upon its prey. With all this media coverage, it seems as though aids is the number one health problem facing the world today. In opinion polls, this disease now rivals cancer and blindness as the health problem most people fear. The pervading of aids have prompted a reassessment of our beliefs and customs and have challenged our laws and social institutions (Mathews 21). At first glance, the statistics do not seem to support this heavy emphasis. The total of all the aids cases reported in the United States has continued to rise, reaching more than 160,000 by the end of 1990, and the number of aids cases worldwide is close to a third of a million (Hull 22). These numbers may seem impressive compared to the number of people who gather to watch a World Series game or the Super Bowl and in reality they are. Yet each year three-quarters of a million Americans die of heart disease and close to a half million die of cancer, while the total of aids related deaths in the United States in 1990 was about 30,000. In 1990, aids ranked 10 among our top leading causes of death. Worldwide, aids tolls are only a fraction of the 200 to 300 million new cases and 2 million deaths from malaria each year (Silverstein 47). Why all the attention to aids, then? It is just the latest media hype, playing on our emotions and needlessly building up our fears? There are several reasons why people have reacted so emotionally to aids. First of all, it is a new disease. Cancer, heart disease, and malaria have been killing people ever since there have been humans on earth, but scientists did not even find out about aids since 1981.

Essay --

"I feel at home wherever I go" . This is what a person who's not place-bound would say . This is what a person whose love is not confined to family and friends, but is spread everywhere and to everyone would say. This is what a global citizen would say. It is surprising how someone can be away from home but still feel like at home. A global citizen has cultivated his/her abilities to achieve this in a couple of ways. Let me tell you how . A global citizen has realized that we are all interconnected no matter where we come from or what religion we follow. No matter what our race or nationality is we are all part of a larger process which is human life. A global citizen has become aware that everyone on this planet is a brother or sister. The global citizen has read a lot about different countries , has learned different languages,has been interested in what's going on across the oceans , has found a connection between his daily life and the lives of others who live far away. I take my hat off to a such person . One of the global citizen's characteristics that I admire most ,i... Essay -- "I feel at home wherever I go" . This is what a person who's not place-bound would say . This is what a person whose love is not confined to family and friends, but is spread everywhere and to everyone would say. This is what a global citizen would say. It is surprising how someone can be away from home but still feel like at home. A global citizen has cultivated his/her abilities to achieve this in a couple of ways. Let me tell you how . A global citizen has realized that we are all interconnected no matter where we come from or what religion we follow. No matter what our race or nationality is we are all part of a larger process which is human life. A global citizen has become aware that everyone on this planet is a brother or sister. The global citizen has read a lot about different countries , has learned different languages,has been interested in what's going on across the oceans , has found a connection between his daily life and the lives of others who live far away. I take my hat off to a such person . One of the global citizen's characteristics that I admire most ,i...

Difficulties disabling growth of market oriented system in China Essay

Difficulties disabling growth of market oriented system in China Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The total achievements of the ongoing social economic reforms in china are very astounding, China from among the poorest nations up to 1976 when Mao Zedong died. Since then, the economy of china has grown rapidly to assume the second position of the biggest economy in the. The rapid growth of the china’s economy has brought sufficient resources to the government to further development and also has rescued million citizens from abject poverty. It is amazing to see the success and speed of the china miracle. The rapid development in china has attracted attentions worldwide in the recent years. The consequences of various aspects of the rise of china ,starting from its military muscles and expanding influence to its expanding energy supply demand, are be mostly debated within china and the international community. Thus it is crucial to correctly comprehend the achievement of china and its wide path toward higher development (Harry J Wa ters, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   China has continuously faced many challenges to accomplish its performance in developing as in other developed states. Since 2001, commercial banks have been poorly allocating its funds disorderly. This has been a severe problem in china. The Chinese banking system has been a problem on the way has allocated funds.. The private business has relied on the informal finance for a long time. This has affected the success of the private sector. This situation is caused not only by banking system but also is due to capital market. The banks could have solved this challenge if it had lent out loans to the private sectors enterprises with a reasonable interest rate. The lack of reliable corporate credit information made it difficult for commercial banks to assess the risk of lending the loans (Wang, 1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The china government improved the legal environment, which occurred remarkably. China made changes to this legal system in accordance with the country’s accession. Even though, the law was so good in the country did not mean that market system was in phase. In fact, the banking system was deteriorating on the way was performing their duties. The senior executive specified some issues basing his argument on banking sector such as absence of regulations and rules on credit registry, the underdeveloped businesses liquidation law, the inability in criminal investigation for financial theft and irregularities(Rotberg, 2008). The PBC senior executive also launched the study project with association of World Bank and other monetary financial institutions (Wang, 1990). The main task was to propose a series of reforms to attain a new framework on the market system. The private sectors concerning the law on the banking system proceeded to the court with an aim to get loans from commercial banks with reasonable interest rates (Wang, 1990). This did not even succeed as planned by the complaints.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Nowadays when the commercial banks require enforcing their bill of rights to the collateral, they face many challenges. This occurs when they try to register some projects system, which they have to intervene with the court. The banks lack motivation of reconciliation therefore has to intervene with the court. They usually face trouble enforcing court decisions due to local government interference (Rotberg, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   China has faced numerous challenges affecting the whole government and even the development of the country. In china, there has been fraud reports and corruption in banking sector. It is not of necessity whether financial frauds are on the increase or whether more crimes are reported and uncovered. There are three main challenges facing the banking system in China, which are high-technologically financial offences; the use of criminally obtained money to corrupt officials in order to run away punishment and to keep away from regulation, and funds crimes report with a more sophisticated means, global focus. The Chinese government is increasing institutional mechanisms for exposing and eradicating financial crime. This has been a prolonged challenge of fraud and corruption affecting the banking system in China (Wang, 1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Chinese commercial banks’ strength to vie with foreign banks was posed in the context of three areas. These areas are in the domestic financial markets, in the open and developed domestic markets for future, and in world markets. Therefore, this is not easy for foreign banks to enter into the Chinese market. Banks involve in local currency where its mission does not move forward. This is much more expensive than simply opening branches (Rotberg, 2008). This affected the market oriented system negatively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   China indeed has achieved most of the objectives it set in 1978.it has improved significantly the well being of the citizens although it’s economic development has often been uneven and narrow. The last twenty seven years of growth and reforms has presented to the world the size of its, labour force, purchasing, creativity, commitment to development and the level of national cohesion. The contribution of china to the whole world as a way of growth will be ground breaking after mobilization of all of its resources. China has struggled with economic development mostly because of its population since a small challenge in its social development or economic when spread over a vast population become a huge problem. The most important strategic choice the government of china has made was to accept the economic globalization instead of separating itself from it .during 1970s the great signs of economic globalization and technological revolu tion was unfolding with huge momentum when Beijing held the trend and overturned the practices of Cultural Revolution (Kiichiro Fakasaku et al , 1999).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on the judgment of the development, the president of china alongside other great leaders in the government chose to take up the historic chance and shift the focus of their undertakings on the domestic development and hence tapping in to the international ones .they enforced the system of household contracting in the rural areas hence opening up fourteen coastal cities thus bringing in the economic period take off. Once again, china invoked a strategic because of the financial crisis that was rampant in. Asia and the continued struggles against globalization the decision of china to take part in economic globalization that it was facing was a great challenge .by clearly considering the advantages and the disadvantages related to economic openness and getting lessons from the history, the leaders in china decided to expanded china even more by deepening home economic reforms and world trade organization   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The leadership of china has been striving to improve the relation with the whole world as their pursue their objective of rising in peace despite the downs and up the relationship of china and the united states for many years together with other dramatic alterations in the worldwide politics like the death of the soviet union. The leader in china has stuck to the fact that there are more good opportunities than problems for china in the international market today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With respect to the strategic plans of china, it will take 45 years from today before it can be termed a modernized, medium level grown country. China will encounter several challenges before it get to 2050 mostly because of it’s over population, environmental pollution and lack of coordination among the two key factors of economic and social development. Another great challenge chain must encounter is clearly shown in series of tension that the government officials must deal with. The most common one are the gross domestic product growth and also social progress, between increasing job opportunities and upgrading technology, also the leaders are not sure whether to foster urbanization or expanding agricultural areas and others .to be able to solve all these dilemmas successfully, several properly coordinated policies are required to foster development which is more balanced and faster.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   China is continuously losing its ample due to economic development and erosion that has swept the most top layer which is essential for crop production. The government of china is looking forward to add more energy creation capacity from other sources apart from oil and coal and is shifting their focus more on alternative energy development and nuclear sources. The major problem which are associated with setting up nuclear facilities and to maintain them .they are charged with the responsibility of putting heavy boundary the prevent radiation leakage which otherwise would cause terminal diseases such as cancer. Several other factors are converging to decelerate the growth and development .the debt overhang resulting from the stimulus program, slow recovery of the partners trading with china and industrial overcapacity. The economic growth in china has benefited eastern and the southern region more than the region. This has led north to inc reased disparity between south and north .the agricultural activity in has been left behind. Many farmers are struggling to make cater for their daily bread. Consequently this kind of imbalance has favored migration of workers to south china. It is struggling hard to fix this regional inequality (Shahid Yusuf, 2008). References Fukasaku, K., Mello, L. R., Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, & â€Å"Decentralisation, Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations and Macroeceonomic Governance†. (1999). Fiscal decentralisation in emerging economies: Governance issues. Paris: OECD. Waters, H. J. (1997). China’s economic development strategies for the 21st century. Westport, Conn: Quorum Books. Yusuf, S., & Saich, T. (2008). China urbanizes: Consequences, strategies, and policies. Washington, D.C: World Bank. Dorn, J. A., Wang, X., UniversiteÃŒ  de Fudan (Shanghai, Chine), & Cato institute (Washington, D.C.). (1990). Economic reform in China: Problems and prospects. Chicago: University of Chicago press. Rotberg, R. I. (2008). China into Africa: Trade, aid, and influence. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press. Source document

Madame Butterfly

Ali Appelbaum WGST 199-01 Professor Uman March 16, 2008 Society puts a strong focus on individuals who experience the act of cross-dressing to create an identity for themselves. The act of cross-dressing helps a person to feel comfortable with themselves because they are able to gain a sense of independence, confidence, and individuality. In the play M. Butterfly, by David Henry Hwang, constructing an identity is made through the character Song. By looking at Song’s appearance in M. Butterfly, we can see that clothing and disguise constructs an identity. The play, M. Butterfly uses the character Song to show the audience how cross-dressing is common, and can make one’s personality. Song cross-dresses from an Asian male, to an Asian female. Throughout the play Song plays the role of a female but expresses herself in a more confident, and independent way as an Asian female. This is because Song has had a gender cross to a women, she is able to demonstrate these qualities in her new identity she has formed. M. Butterfly is about a French diplomat, Gallimard and his love attraction for Song. Gallimard feels as though he’s never been in love, and has a hard time relating to women, until Song comes along. Song, playing the romantic role of Gallimard’s lover takes charge without Gallimard realizing a male was really wooing him the whole time. Song possesses traits of a female, which gives her confidence to pursue her relationship with Gallimard until he’s fallen in love. In the end, Song reveals herself for the man she is, but continues to act with more confidence and independence as a woman than as a man. In the play, you can see that disguise constructs an identity through the character Song. During a scene, Gallimard comments on Song’s feminine appearance and the other women he see’s in China. Song responds to Gallimard, â€Å"Please. Hard as I try to be modern, to speak like a man, to hold a Western woman’s strong face up to my own†¦ in the end, I fail. A small, frightened heart beats too quickly and gives me away. Monsieur Gallimard, I’m a Chinese girl. I’ve never†¦ never invited a man up to my flat before. The forwardness of my actions makes my skin burn† (1. 11 Hwang). This quotes shows that Song posses traits as a female and is proud. Although Song is a male, he has built himself a female identity from disguise. Confidence is expressed in Song’s remarks by telling in conversation how she believes she is more knowledgeable than Gallimard. Song also makes sure notice is taken of her delicate and pretty appearance. Song remarks back to Gallimard, â€Å"Your history serves you poorly, Monsieur Gallimard. True, there were signs reading â€Å"No dogs and Chinamen. But a woman, especially a delicate Oriental woman—we always go where we please. Could you imagine it otherwise? Clubs in China filled with pasty, big-thighed white women, while thousands of slender lotus blossoms wait just outside the door? The clubs would be empty. We have always held a certain fascination for you Caucasian men, have we not? (2. 4 Hwang). Song has shown to her audience that she has a strong confidence about the female body and face. She explains to Gallimard that her new identity, a delicate Oriental woman, is always welcomed in society. Song also feels a sense of power because although she is a man working for the Chinese government, she feels comfortable in her feminine identity. A conversation between Song and her advisor Comrade Chin demonstrates how Song has created has created an identity for herself in disguise. When Song is in quarters where she can act like man, she still acts in a feminine order, rather than a masculine tone. Chin asks Song, â€Å"†¦Is that home come you dress like that? † (2. 4 Hwang). Song responds by saying, â€Å"Like what, Miss Chin? † (2. Hwang). Chin remarks with what he believes is reality by saying, â€Å"Like that dress! You’re wearing a dress. And every time I come here, you’re wearing a dress. Is that because you’re an actor? Or what? † (2. 4 Hwang). Song reveals her identity by saying, â€Å"It’s a†¦ disguise, Miss Chin† (2. 4 Hwang). This conversation between Comrade Chin and Song shows the audience that Song is aware of the fact that she is a male, but possesses more of an interest in the feminine personality and ways of life because she is more confident.

Germany and Sweden as Cmes

To what extent would you regard Germany and Sweden as coordinated market economies? 1. Introduction In an era where internationalism is contemporary, it has become crucial for countries to liberalize markets and renovate traditional structures. This is particularly important for countries whose social values and economic relationships are based on public coordination. This essay is going to explore the degree to which we consider Germany and Sweden as modern coordinated market economies, and the changes brought about in recent decades.To assess the changes we shall look at trends in trade union and employers’ association participations, collective bargaining reforms, training systems amendments, renewals in corporate governance and fluctuations of wage inequality; first by uncovering the basics in each element and then evaluating their stability in relation to globalization. 1. 1 What is a coordinated market economy (CME)?Being one of the wings of capitalism in which industria l relations and economic conditions are measured, as Bamber, Lansbury and Wailes (2011) state, CMEs can be used as â€Å"an approach for comparing†¦different countries, [with this comparison, it allows us] the understanding of convergence and/or divergence† between different economies. And in each of the key elements we mentioned, companies in CMEs resolve problems through relational, non-market based strategies and the outcome will be strongly dependent upon co-operation with supporting institutions. . 1 Past dominance of trade unions and employers’ associations A key feature of a CME is the dominance of employers’ association and trade unions within the country’s industrial relations; both Germany and Sweden have had a high degree of centralization during the 1980s. Trade unions were a powerful, acting as representative for labour in large corporations and also intermediaries of employment between labour and employers.A common characteristic is tha t the labour unions in the two countries manage institutions for all labour participation; Hancke (1996) states that in Germany, three quarters â€Å"of the members of works councils are union members and they coordinate actions with the labour union sections (Vertrauensleute). In Sweden, local â€Å"shopfloor clubs† (Verkstadsklubben) not only negotiate company agreements with the firm†¦[but also] recruit every newly arrived worker†.On the other hand, employers’ associations were also well-managed in both countries for a long post-war period; German industry federations are able to authorize private firms that are even no longer part of central arrangements on cases involved in collective bargaining, employee training and other social policies. In Sweden, Kurzer (1993) finds, â€Å"large companies in the export sector are part of financial conglomerates holding, which allows for high coordination capacities amongst large firms†. 2. 2 Recent trends i n membershipsHowever, both countries have become less concentrated in the recent decades as both have experienced less union and association densities for the massive individualization of enterprises and the falling popularity of collective agreements – now with the society seeing less value of group negotiations, which makes the industrial relations less compact compared to before. In Germany, both employers’ associations and trade unions have been experiencing a slump in the number of members since late 1990s.This is particularly evident in industries from Eastern Germany, where many organisations have resigned or become reluctant to join associations and took preference in company level negotiations. Shroeder and Silvia (2007) use the Metals Industry Employers’ Association to exemplify that employment density in Eastern Germany has fallen more severely than Western Germany. We can notice from the diagram below that since 1992, the percentage of Eastern associ ation density has decreased dramatically from over 65%, down to less than 25% in a decade.After the German unification, union members have clearly declined, Eurofound (2009) shows that â€Å"from 1991 to 1998, German Trade Unions lost almost 3. 5 million members†. The majority of these resignations were found to be eastern German labour, Eurofound states, â€Å"leaving the unions because of unemployment and disillusion with the western-type unionism†. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2013) further shows the downward sloping of German Trade Unionists density since 1999; from 25. 3% it has dismounted to 18. 8% in 2009.The main cause for this trend is due to the loss of traditional dominant union memberships in manufacturing industries and public sectors, worsened by issues in persuading younger generation in the expanding service industries within private sector. Hence, the value of collective agreements has been called into que stion as it is becoming extremely difficult to positively coordinate the relations between employers’ associations and trade unions. This is predominant in â€Å"a growing number of private services industries†, Eurofound informs, where â€Å"concluding collective agreements at all has shown to be increasingly difficult or not realizable†.Unlike Germany, Sweden on the other hand has dealt with much higher historical density in trade union members which suffered recent decline but continuously concentrated employers’ associations; the decrease in trade unionists is spread evenly between white-collar and blue-collar workers, men and women, and more problematic amongst the younger working generation who have less regard for unions – a drop in the private sector from 78% in 1993 to 65% in 2009 as shown in the table above; â€Å"the decrease in membership is mainly due to the government’s amendments of the fees to the unemployment benefits in Ja nuary 2007†, presented by Kjellberg (2007); the main objective to significantly amending the funds was to â€Å"to persuade unions with high fund fees to be more moderate in wage negotiations†. As for employers’ associations, unlike trade unions, its density has been rather stable over the years, with only 2% drop from 1995, private sector labour in 2009 has still got over 75% density in employers’ associations.Therefore, when compared to Germany, Sweden has a higher degree of coordination in balancing the density of the two sides of its industrial relations over the years, and has remained rather stable; if not long-term then this rather forecasts the near future of these two economies – the summary being Germany becoming more market-oriented with less collective participation of its social partners, whereas the Swedish economy is more likely to maintain a coordinated market in this sense. 2. 3 Decentralization of collective bargaining In this sect ion we will discover that the industrial relations within both countries are becoming more decentralized in the second half of 21st century as the level of collective bargaining decreases, and therefore moving further away from a coordinated market system;The initiation of Germany’s decentralization has actually long been observed by researchers since early post-war periods. Many have argued that the main outcome of this renewal was to avoid the rise of another â€Å"centralized super-state†, says Johnson (1973). In hope this will bring separated powers of legislation, politics and administration between the government, the federated states and the local authorities, to produce the ideal, ‘good government’. Following such perception, the German economy has been made key amendments in its industrial relations policies – extending its collective bargaining with opening clauses into agreements within sectoral level, making terms more flexible and less controversial.This has been seen as an improvement to prevent organisations from completely abandoning the usage of collective conditions. Such clauses were put into four categories listed by Schnabel (1998): 1) Hardship Clauses; enabling companies to be exempted from certain industry-level bargaining when facing bankruptcy and show signs of making viable strategies for future. 2) Clauses with Veto Rights; these give social partners such as managers and works council to negotiate particular agreements related to individual firms. 3) Clauses without Veto Rights; unlike the previous category, these clauses empower plant-level social partners to terminate collective terms that show signs of irrelevance with industry-level agreements. ) Small Enterprise Clauses; giving special treatment to small companies facing economic downturn by allowing them to set wages below the minimum level which was collectively agreed upon. In terms of the distribution of such opening clauses, the IAB Institu te for Employment Research (2005) shows that more than  Ã¢â‚¬Å"13% of the companies surveyed in both eastern and western Germany that are covered by collective bargaining confirmed that opening clauses exist in their collective agreements. Of these establishments, 52% made use of opening clauses in 2005†. However, even with such adjustments in the system, the use of opening clauses will rely heavily on the economic situation of the specific organisation. When the figures are favorable, then such clauses will be implemented less often.Compared to its neighbouring countries, Sweden has showed early signs of decentralization beginning late 1980s with government sharing more responsibilities with local administration; the most symbolic being the release of ‘free communes’, as mentioned by De Vries (2000), a system â€Å"in which a limited number of communes and counties were allowed to apply for dispensation of state laws, rules and regulations†. Together wit h the downsized central government, closer attention was then paid to market forces and began the establishment of â€Å"hollow states†. One of the nationwide movements was the erosion of collective bargaining within the past two decades, as social partners have become more willing to pass on the negotiation on wages and working hours to local level. For instance, certain terms on wages are left intentionally ambiguous to let the local level authority take charge and decide on the specific figures on final rates and figures.However, there still remains a high degree of controversy as employers harshly pursue a improvements in the bargaining system while attempting to take payment agreements to local levels – making to extremes in manual industries such as negotiating wages individually; the state is facing difficulties to respond to these demands, because from the perspective of economists, it is most ideal to be either highly centralized or as it was before, greatly d ecentralized, not somewhere in between. When making decisions, as debated by Eurofound (2009), parties at national level will consider the economy as a whole and correspond with a collective responsibility, whereas with enterprise leveled agreements, only individual firms’ stakes are considered – but when placed in the middle, parties often lose the acuteness in authority.The national coverage of collective terms remains a high figure in recent period; reported by Eurofound (2009), as much as 92% in 2001 and 91% in 2007 – however, such coverage figures is extremely misleading in this case with the decreasing rate of unionists and employers associations in Swenden – that is, although remaining high above EU average and constantly used as an indicator to measure the strength of bargaining powers and the extent of benefits received by social partners, less of them are actually being bounded by collective agreements in recent years, making the coverage less e ffective. 2. 4 Transforming education and training One of the most noticeable features of a CME is its highly proficient education and training system; the purpose is to have an extremely skilled labour force with skills specific to the industry or enterprise in which they are employed in. Culpepper (2001) states that in order for companies to coordinate employee capabilities and for workers to receive beneficial employment, there are various ways how a CME manages its training systems;In Germany, the responsibility of training and education is shared amongst firms and public authorities, â€Å"organized on a co-operative, tripartite basis†, referred by Hoffmann (2004); the German â€Å"Dual-system†, is acknowledged as world’s leading model for high-quality training, business practices and theoretical learning. The foundation of the dual-system is built by altering training in vocational schools and private firms, â€Å"while in-firm training is regulated natio nally, the vocational school instruction programs are the responsibility of the Lander (states)†, Trembaly and Le Bot (2003) mention. However, the durability of this system has been at the centre of debate ever since the elimination of the nation’s Training and Apprenticeship Law back in 1969.The model faces numerous challenges in meeting demand from rapid changes brought about by modern production systems; it is essential to keep a large working population to sustain its framework, but becoming problematic as currently Germany is having an ageing population, thus harder to recruit as many apprentices as forty years ago. As the occupational structure is dependent on collective agreement, when lacking skillful labour, Masden (1990) worries that if in such â€Å" difficult labour market situation, some firms [do not comply to regulations by] increasing wages to attract apprentices or, alternatively, poaching apprentices trained in other firms, then the whole system may p rogressively be brought into question†.The focus of this system also faces a huge dilemma between the increasing demand for theoretical learning amongst younger workers and the higher standard of skills wanted within productive systems, Gehin and Mehaut (1994) discuss it is potentially challenging the logics of the whole system while creating stocks of unskilled workers out of the job market. Additionally, issue is raised for the outpaced training speed against technical changes in the modern production system, especially for key requirements in multi-tasked occupations and practical de-compartmentalization. Kern and Schumann (1989) suggest that this trend of demand for â€Å"theoretical, general and vocational training are increasing and will continue to do so†. Therefore, if the dual-system were to be sustained, serious adjustments would have to be made to comply with modern requirements.Since the 1940s, new forms of vocational training have taken shape in Swedish org anizations, where the majority was still conducted by public institutes. This has started to shift, however, in the final quarter of the century, where responsibility began to move to local authorities from the central government. Following this trend of decentralization, the manufacturing industry in particular, has taken chance to put large investments into different training programmes to enhance productivity. But serious questions has been raised as trainees in the manufacturing sector face challenges â€Å"with the increased amount of theoretical education†¦as firms’ demand for workers with better theoretical knowledge† began to soar at the same time, Lundahl and Sander (1998) mention.With this given circumstance in Sweden, four models of education and training are used to demonstrate the degree to which coordination is deteriorating and decentralization has taken place; firstly, we have to acknowledge that the demand for labour competence has changed vastly with the increasing demand of formal education amongst new workforce and the general rise of demand for new products and practices in organisations. Within the industrial programme, the most controversial of all models, as Lundalh and Sander (1998) describe, a system in which inhibits a distinctive characteristic of â€Å"education in workshops† (arbetsforlagd utbildning); although very intensive and effective, it requires a large amount of time in workshops and includes theory as well as practical exercises. Many firms are reluctant to take initiatives as they argue that not enough human capital or time can be allocated to give proper training to each group of trainees.Continuously debated by researchers, such as Olofsson (1997), is the relevant application of the apprenticeship system onto modern organisations as its value has been rethought alongside secondary education, now deserted in most large cities, remaining exclusive to areas such as Svedala. The third model, Firmà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Schooling, is a highly demanding system that require 50% more time input and only submits students with outstanding performance, applied only in large enterprises such as Volvo or Scania where intensive training is seen as obligatory to match international competition. Lastly, Technical Programmes is widely accepted by municipalities with provisions of extra vocational studies, and also organizations can be more involved in supervision. It is a co-operation between groups of firms in terms of common facilities and cost-sharing, and has become more popular after producing impressive recruitment effects.According to Trembaly and Le Bot (2003), several amendments were proposed to reform the German system following the listed principles; â€Å"1) modernization of regulation, 2) inclusion of new occupational fields, 3) mutual recognition of the various parts of the system and 4) differentiation of training†. Hence, in order to adapt to evolving market demands, the German training system still is, and needs to be coordinated by public authority to a great extent to aid the private sector in improving employability, incorporating occupations and general training. As for Sweden, the transition of training responsibility onto individual organizations from local authority is due to its failure to provide emerging labour with desired competence.At the present, different methods are implemented by firms that deliver contrasting quality levels in training programmes; this is hugely differentiated from traditional forms of Swedish vocational training. The four models all demonstrate a degree of success but act more as a forecast of future vocational practices in Sweden – the extinction of conventional industrial programmes, further proving the liberation of Swedish economy from central coordination. 2. 5 New models for Corporate Governance In terms of corporate governance, a CME is established through the solid relationships between its financial inst itutions and private organizations. In this section we shall look specifically at the role of public financial institutions and other external stakeholders on the corporate operations of organizationsIn Germany, there was definitely a strong coordination of economic exchanges between industrial companies and institutions by means of cross-shareholding, supported by many scholars and again proves Hall’s relational view of CMEs; such â€Å"close relationships and interlocking between board members of different companies† and financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies, Hopt and Prigge (1998) also support, which composite the country’s main characteristics of corporate governance, together with heavy reliance on personal connections. It is essential to discover the features of the German model before discussing the reforms in recent years; there is a universal banking system that permits banks to possess equity shares in industrial organisations â €“ allowing banks to alter company’s decisions. Porter (1992) refers this as the â€Å"shareholder direction† situation since more the equity share, the larger the influence. This relationship between banks and firms is long-term and fairly stable because as well as equity, the banks also provide a large share of debt and carries operational management in the firms’ finance, this strongly protects companies from being taken over.To get further involved with company decisions banks are able to release proxy votes, as clarified by Onetti and Pisoni (2009), â€Å"this is done in relation to votes related to direct equity shares, [for instance by exercising] the voting rights for the shares that retail customers deposit with them†. Consequently, this gives more authority to banks in public firms. Since the German model is heavily influenced by banks, the stock market has therefore a small role to bear in corporate governance, proved by the IMF World Econo mic Outlook (2007) the fact that during 1990 to 2005, the capitalization as a percentage of GDP in Germany was only 38%, compared to 132% in UK, a much more liberal market economy.Since the shareholding in Germany is usually long-term with companies, there is a reciprocal of equity connections between firms themselves and firms and banks, creating a system of cross-sharing. Despite its robust features mentioned, the Germany corporate governance system is bending due to socio-economic changes brought about internally and externally; the globalization of Germany markets, enabling the listing of top companies on international stock exchanges, such as Daimler being traded on the New York Stock Exchange. There is a substantial increase in the amount of foreign investment in domestic industries, referred to by Jurgens et al. (2000) as the â€Å"turning point in the transformation of the German system of corporate governance.Due to recent economic recessions that caused a wave of bankrupt cies in German markets, banks have started to reduce the amount of their corporate equity in shareholding as more value is discovered in freer financial markets, stated by Jurgens and Rupp (2002), and began to focus more on economic performance; this in turn gave more freedom to the financial market legalizing numerous new financial choices for companies. On the other side, Swedish corporate governance consists of a great division of ownership from control by means of â€Å"pyramids, dual class shares, and cross-holding [that] increases the potential for private benefits of control†, cited by Holmen and Knopf (2004).The basic structures are formed by two types of partnerships; first, it is between entrepreneurs and rich families, then there is the alliance between engineers and technology innovators. Sometimes Sweden is described as an extreme version of â€Å"Rhineland model†, as Habbard (2008) stresses, it contains corporations that are owned by big industrial groups , â€Å"privileging organic growth† and features of a typical CME. Taking a closer look at the Swedish model of ownership we notice that the power is usually held by one to two owners, who are most of the time wealthy families. Henrekson and Jakobsson (2003) conclude that â€Å"regarding controlling ownership, the Swedish ownership model thus resembles the predominant corporate governance model on the European continent†.The rigidity and concentration of this structure has been based on a few important Swedish families and banks, Habbarb (2008) continues; Wallenberg, Lundberg, Stenbeck, Klingspor, Von Horn families and Svenska Handelsbanken SHB, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken SEB banks. There are two main fundamental differences when Sweden is compared to other European corporate models; the whole ownership of shares on the stock exchange is controlled by just a few holders. Secondly, the capital base that this ownership is constructed on, is usually much smaller compar ed to other EU countries. Nevertheless, even the most stable models have their weaknesses. During the last two decades, there had been some drastic transformations in the corporate models within Swedish organizations.The most challenging is the rise of foreign investment and ownership in domestic firms. This has been more dramatic than any other industrialized countries in Europe, shifting the power of control and operation from foreign owners. Hence, as Henrekson and Jakobsson (2003) propose, new models are likely to form under the inadequacy of the traditional one; first and the least likely it is the complete ownership by foreign investors – where domestic firms transform into subsidiaries to companies such as multinationals. â€Å"Dispersed ownership†, as in shared ownership between foreign investors and Swedish owners where no one supersede the other in terms of control.Having an external institution such as the state pension or corporatist as owners; more probabl e as currently joined with the central government they are already biggest shareholders of stock exchange. Lastly and most likely to surface is the ownership by entrepreneurs supported by public authorities; especially during crisis where governments put more faith in worthy investors to The observed changes in the financial exchanges within German economy forecasts a certain extent of convergence towards a market-oriented financial model. However, due to the deep roots of German customs in its bank-firm relation, certain aspects of its corporate governance will remain nchanged in the near future due to the emphasis placed on â€Å"Mitbestimmung, or co-decision and co-responsibility† culture quoted by Hacketal et al. (2003) and other scholars in defense of the German persistency in relational structure. On the other side, the predictions for corporate governance amendments are various in shape and none will be take over completely in the future. Some conceive of more coordina tion from the government and other less so. But it is for certain that the old model will lose its dominance over time and the Swedish overall corporate structure will become more market-oriented for economic wellbeing. 2. 6 Wage distribution and inequalityA CME should not only have a highly skilled workforce but when compared to liberal market economies, it should also high wage levels with low dispersion across different deciles of its population. It is essential to look at our two countries starting from the 1990s to have a deeper insight of the impact of the great recession upon its income distributions over the following years, and to verify whether the advancement in modern socio-economic models have weakened their coordination powers. From the study conducted by Bach, Corneo and Steiner (2007), there proved to be a general rise in the dispersion of German market incomes between 1992 and 2003.Using the Gini coefficient, as a â€Å"standard summary indicator† to measure the equality of income levels we can observe that dispersion of market income from the average earners has increased substantially since the 1990s; from 0. 6155 it has gone up to 0. 6522 in 2003. As detailed by the following table, the median income has dropped by more than 30%, being â‚ ¬12. 496 per individual in 1992, compared to â‚ ¬8,173 in 2003. An obvious trend is the accumulation of market income on the top percentile of income earners. Back in 2003, around 41% of total market income was composited within the higher percentile earners. Bach, Corneo and Steiner further point out that â€Å"this group was formed by about 640 individuals, with an average income of 16 million euro, excluding capital gains†.The sources of rising inequality in German income levels are as follow; the unemployed numbers have steeply gone up in the past two decades, Biewen and Juhasz (2010) note that in 2005, there were an estimated peak of five million people registered out of work, with â€Å"more unemployment growth concentrated in the lower part of the income distribution†. This creates a larger income inequality as a huge segment of the low-income population is unemployed, losing their potential income. The different changes in taxation schemes; although it was reduced overall, it has favored top income earners than the rest, distorting the original distribution of income levels.Moreover, the transition in domestic structure such as more single parents and smaller family sizes that have drastically differed from past family average income patterns, as studies by Peichl et al. (2010). Lastly, with the ageing population; Germany now has a much narrower age segment of young adults, and a greater demand for qualification in addition to other factors in demographics that contribute to the wider dispersion of income levels. Although at a very low level, Sweden has also experienced an increasing inequality of income distribution in its income market. The trend has began since the early 1990s, caused if not worsened by the economic crisis, noted by Palme et al. 2003), as the Gross Domestic Product had been consecutively negative for three years 1990-1993, together with the declining employment rate that is more than 10 percent during the period. Then there was an increased number of workers involved in labour market policies, Palme (2006) mentions that† triggered a crisis for the public finances which was then responded by a combination of tax increases and benefits cut†. This had further burdened households’ income levels. We can see from the table that there was a decrease in annual average disposable income from 1992 (1991 as the base year) with â‚ ¬138,000 to â‚ ¬126,000 in 1995, that only managed to pick up again in 1997.However, the figures provided by Fritzell (2001) showed an upward trend of average disposable income levels after the crisis; first, it was due to the rapid rise in capital gains hat helped th e top income percentile with higher earnings, secondly, the wage per hour was increased in all registered occupations. , this was however, slowed down by the growing unemployment in the same period. To measure the inequality of income dispersion, we will again use the Gini coefficient and the poverty rate. The inequality has risen since the beginning of 1990s, Palme (2006) proves, from 0. 219 it has increased to its peak – 0. 279 in 2000. The reason is the adjustments in the taxation systems that strongly affected households in making serious financial decisions. Despite the economic slump during the 1990s, poverty rate in Sweden has not changed largely which is phenomenal considering the extent of the recession all European countries faced.It is not until 1999 where poverty started to pick up but is again astonishing as Swedish employment figures were still healthy even when compared internationally. Conclusively, German central coordination is losing its battle to market po wers, becoming less effective in moderating wage equality in recent decade, as the intention of keeping a low dispersion of income levels has began to give way modern socio-economic developments. Sweden, however, when compared to the rest of European countries, is doubtless a strongly CME in terms of moderating its equality of market income levels and keeping its poverty rate to the lowest and most stable within the union. 3. ConclusionChanging demographics, socio-economic and technological patterns have created mass distortion in traditional market structures in both Germany and Sweden. After looking at them in five different aspects, we learn that there is decreasing participation of social partners in collective terms in both countries but much less in Sweden, thus a decreasing value for collective bargaining; wage inequality is more dispersed in Germany than in Sweden; while corporate structure in both countries have become more market-oriented in time but still retains usage of old models; and German still contains a mixture of public training whereas Sweden is moving quicker towards privatized programmes.Conclusively, although both countries have become less coordinated than few decades ago, Germany has got a greater degree of decentralization compared to Sweden, taking higher level of reforms in its economic structures while Sweden tends to cling more onto traditional coordination values. 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