Just off main street †summary Essay

In â€Å"Just Off Main Street† author Elmaz Abinader depicts the physical and social barrier between Americans and hyphenated Americans such as Arab-Americans who live in dual sensitivity facing identity crisis, racism and other various problems living in America. In the first part of the story â€Å"Crossing The Threshold† we learn of young Abinader, her family, their customs and how they are separated from the rest of the families in their town. In the second part of the story â€Å"Making A Writerâ€Å"Abinader explains how entering college changes her view on her identity that lead to the person she is today. Abinader grew up in a small Pennsylvanian town, her father and uncle ran three businesses through which they served the neighborhood. From the store gate Abinader saw no difference between her father and the people on the streets. This idea soon changed when she met the two Barbie like girls in school, she realized there was nothing in common between her and the other kids. Even though they didn’t know how her lifestyle was, they made fun of her. After she reaches home she understands her life and that of her peers are separated by the â€Å"magic door†. Since it’s a Wednesday Abinader’s mother prepared Arab delicacies which have â€Å"hypnotic† effect on her. The three boys and three girls of the Abinader family had after school duties, devotion to God, obedience to parents, and good school grades dominated the family. They gave little importance to interactions that took place outside the house. On holidays, relatives visited, they ate together, danced and enjoyed but Abinader knew that her life inside and outside the â€Å"magic door â€Å"would always clash, she would never be accepted by her peer and felt like an outcast. Abinader went to university of Pittsburgh when she grew up. That had nationality classrooms which represented different cultures. The Syrian-Lebanese room, one she wanted to see was locked and required permission to access. When she finally got into it, the royal furnishing and exoticness of the room made her feel proud. Soon she wrote about her heritage culture but she realized the Americans â€Å"exoticized† her. Focused on her writing, she wrote about her family and their history that was suppressed inside. Her writing was still inside the door.Outside the door she felt unwelcomed. Abinader didn’t give up and continued writing about the issues on identity, culture, etc. She participated in activism as a U.S citizen, marched, protested and created committees. Her writing made her feel like an activist as it conveyed her message more directly.

Bush Tax Cuts

There are several different philosophies on this issue, but I am in the camp of giving the template the economy or simply have more money to spend on things that they want. Consumer spending is good especially since the US was inn recession. Yes, based on supply-side economics. The idea is to deregulate government and offer tax cuts and corporate tax reductions with the intent of improving production and economic growth. In 2001, I believe that a tax cut was good way to stimulate the economy and to get us out of the recession.I don't think anyone could have foreseen the war and this caused the surplus to evaporate in conjunction with the reduction of revenue from the tax cuts. Does it matter that the benefits flow disproportionately to the highest income earners? No, the wealthy are already paying disproportionately more than the middle and lower class in taxes. They are also the ones that are investing in new business, helping to reduce unemployment that in turn helps to stimulate t he economy. I think there has to be a balance.I do understand that the deficit could be greatly reduced if the taxes for the wealthy were increased back to the Clinton era. * Do different voters have fundamentally different interest here? Yes, democrats for the most part believe in more government involvement- Geiger taxes and the republicans believe in lower taxes so that there is more money that can be used to stimulate the economy by small businesses and increased consumption. 3. Did the 2001-2003 tax cuts work and in what way? * For a very short time consumer spending increased (in the quarter following the rebate).In 2002 the US started experiencing a deficit and it has increased every year since the tax cut. According to Exhibit 7 in the reading, the Real GAP growth rate (percent), increased every year from 2001 until 2004. It is hard to say what would have happened without the tax cut because we entered a war and the amount of pending on defense increased as well as an increa se in unemployment. 4. What options were available to Obama with respect to fiscal policy when he took office? * He had the option to increase government spending by asking for another stimulus through the Economy Recovery Plan.He hoped this would create or save 2. 5 million Jobs over two years. His plan also involved making all the government building more energy-efficient. This would reduce spending. The purpose of this stimulus was also to increase Jobs through investing in new highway infrastructure. And most importantly, the economic recovery plan was to modernize the health care yester and would save billions of dollars through electronic medical records. Or, he could have chosen not to have increase government spending which in turn increased our deficit even more.

Asch Conformity Experment

Asch Conformity Experment Essay The Asch Paradigm Majority Influence Introduction In this essay i will discuss the experiment that Solomon Asch’s conducted in (1950) were his main was aim was to discover how majority influence can affect one individual judgment and how pressure from the majority can pressurise one person to Conform, I will also evaluate his research method, the results and the findings he attained. Aim S Solomon Asch’s had disapproved of the Conformity experiment conducted by Muzzafer Sherriff as Asch had felt that sheriffs visual illusion known as the auto kinnect didn’t really show any results of conformity as the participants were asked to take part in an ambiguous task were they were just asked to point out how far the a light travelled in a dark room, Asch believed that Sherrifs experiment clearly had no right or wrong answer so it was impossible for the experiment to show any results of conformity in a group situation. Asch figured the only way to measure the rates of conformity was to place an individual in a group situation were they would be influenced by the majority even if they knew their group was giving incorrect answers on a task that was ambiguous and obviously correct. The Method (laboratory experiment) Asch Conformity Experment. (2018, Oct 30).

1. Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1. Paper - Essay Example In this regard, the essay aims to provide two concrete business examples of Kant’s CI theory by elaborating on the dilemma and by providing appropriate solutions, as deemed ethically appropriate. The term lay-offs are defined as â€Å"suspension or termination of employment (with or without notice) by the employer or management† (Business Dictionary, par. 1). The option for management’s decision to layoff employees are evaluated when organizations are faced with any of the following: business slow-down, financial difficulties, work interruption, positions are no longer required, among others. More significantly, justifications could be categorized as any of the following moves, to wit: to make strategical organizational changes, to make necessary improvements, or ultimately, to save the company from further dilemmas. Despite the mentioned justifications, layoffs have been known to cause emotional pain, stress, suffering and anxiety for potential employees to be laid off and to the supervisors who are appointed, by responsibility, to inform the employees of the decision. Ethical dilemmas of layoffs ensue when employees need to be terminated despite appropriate and expected performance delivered according to their job descriptions. Using Kant’s CI, Gilbert emphasized that â€Å"applying a rights and duties approach to the ethical analysis of layoffs, it appears that the central question is whether an employee has a moral right to his or her job, and whether supervisors then have a corresponding moral duty not to terminate that employee until he or she forfeits that right† (Gilbert, 16). Using Kant’s basic premise of the CI, the supervisor is given the duty by senior management to layoff identified employees to ensure that the organization would survive, an impending financial threat that could be due to recession, depending on their performance in the company, length of service, and other

Gun control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Gun control - Essay Example Arguments against gun control include the assumption that possession of a gun would offer protection through self-defense, defense of another, or through scaring an attacker who has a gun. Arguments for gun control however notes that limiting access to guns through regulatory measures is the solution to safety against gun based violence. Your arguments against gun control as a measure to controlling gun-based violence is convincing but has attracted my attention on a number of issues that I believe may not be very true. You offer a rich background of the problem through historical cases of gun based attacks such as the Aurora and Columbine shootings and the battle between proponents and opponents of gun control and this seems to have informed your position of anti-gun control as a solution to controlling gun based violence. I concur with you that the violence is a concern and preventive measures are necessary. Your position that increased level of infiltration may help in managing the rate of violence may further be valid and should not be regarded unless there is sufficient evidence to prove otherwise. I further believe that your conscience to the position of increasing infiltration levels as a solution to gun-based violence is clear and I respect your opinion and desire to save people from gun based attacks (Goldberg 68- 78). Your argument identifies with my opinion that gun based violence is a significant problem in the society and reported cases of public shootings and crimes that are committed with aids of guns supports this. We further share the opinion that a solution that focuses on gun ownership will be the ideal approach to resolving the current problem. The fact that previous efforts to ensure strict policies against gun ownership, experience of people who were affected by Aurora gun incident and reaction from political

Border security issues (week 10) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Border security issues (week 10) - Essay Example Drones are radio-controlled aircrafts or ships or in unmanned aerial vehicles abbreviated as UAV (NOVA, 2013). According to Jones (2013), currently, the law enforcement agency officials say that such spy programs are useful when it comes to border surveillance, even when they are costly. Jones points out that each drone goes for $18 million and its support systems (Jones, 2013). Such activities carried out at the border by the law enforcement agencies are helpful because they are the key to protecting the American citizens. Nonetheless, there is an extent to which such technology is useful. Using this technology to threaten individual privacy rights as guaranteed by the American constitution is not the solution to defeating terrorists and drug gangs at the border. On a domestic level, drones are used when there are criminal investigations as a way of finding missing persons, when there are natural disasters and monitoring hostage situations. Drones should not be used on Americans who are not criminals to check their travel patterns, banks that they visit and carrying out searches on people’s neighborhoods and houses without court orders. According to Cornwell (2013), domestic drones look like small helicopters and radios. Though they are flown by hobbyist, there is a possibility that they have cameras that are used to capture people (Cornwell, 2013). According to Cornwell (2013), domestic drones can take pictures of people’s backyards because the Federal Aviation Administration approved t he use of more than 1,400 drones in 2006. This abuses the privacy rights that Americans are entitled to as citizens. Cornwell, L. (2013, April 08). Drone regulations: Spying concerns prompt states to consider legislation. The Huffington Post. Retrieved from

Cosmetic surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cosmetic surgery - Essay Example In a society that places great value on a person’s appearance, the demand for cosmetic plastic surgery has only seen a steady increase. This is manifested by the growing number of surgical clinics that offer both invasive and non-invasive procedures. Expectedly, the demand is not limited to just a certain group of people. Rather, it encompasses a variety of nationalities from Chinese to Russians and Italians. People have various reasons for getting cosmetic plastic surgery. Where some believe that their new looks would make them more confident and aid them in moving up the corporate ladder, others, like in those in the entertainment industry, undergo cosmetic surgery to keep their jobs. Still others are of the mind that cosmetic surgery is their chance of improving parts of their body they have long been or have become dissatisfied with. Although Western influence plays a role in the quest for a more â€Å"beautiful† face or body, across the different racial groups, majority of men and women are willing to pay for plastic surgery for the same reason – they want to look better than how they look now. In line with this ideal, cosmetic surgeons have noticed that while requests for some procedures remain similar to all ethnic groups, there are particular surgeries more frequently done on specific nationalities. Injections for Botox are the most common non-surgical methods of looking more youthful, especially for Caucasians. Because individuals from this race have thinner skin, they are more prone to developing wrinkles. The toxin helps in decreasing the appearance of frown lines, giving the patient smooth and wrinkle-free skin. Another popular non-invasive treatment is for skin whitening. Majority of people in India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea spend large amounts on whitening products believing that being fair is akin to being

NETFLIX CASE STUDY- FINANCE AND COMPANY ANALYSIS Essay

NETFLIX CASE STUDY- FINANCE AND COMPANY ANALYSIS - Essay Example Netflix was actually formed with the idea to provide Rental DVDs to customers without taking any charges from the customer for returning the DVDs late. Initially the company was taking late charges from their customers but after two years, Netflix changed their strategy and no late payment was charged for returning the DVDs late. The company also introduced the subscription services in which customers could select 4 movies rentals per month for a fee i.e. $15.95 per month. After few months, company offered unlimited plan for rental DVDs in which subscriber can have as many DVDs as they like for only a flat fee $19.95 per month. This scheme led to the success of company and its website volume grew by more than 300 percent. Company also made IPO of 5.5 million shares to raise capital of $82.5 in 2002 in order to expand its business. In the mid of 2011, Netflix changed its pricing and service structure. The company separated the two businesses i.e. DVD rental business and online video streaming with new enhanced price. Formally, company used to charge flat rate $10 per month for both the services. However the new pricing structure brought $8 for each service which collectively costs $16 for subscribers who were using both services. The situation had become worse when almost 1 million subscribers left Netflix’s services and its stock price fell down from $298 to $63 within few months (Netflix b). The CEO of the company, Reed Hastings, found that the root cause of the problem was ineffective communication with customers. He admitted that the company did not clearly mention the reasons of new policy to its subscribers (Netflix c). However, the increasing competition has been a real concern for the company and with the growing market and increasing marketing budgets and campaigns of competing firms, Netflix h as been facing threats from the competitors. In addition to this, competitors have been able to attract customers of Netflix by offering

Toyotas Decision to Undertake FDI in Australia Case Study - 25

Toyotas Decision to Undertake FDI in Australia - Case Study Example ll also face challenges in the future, they will not affect the FDI that Toyota Company made since it is able to deal with competitiveness and financial crises that may arise. Japan’s economy is the second largest in the world but this would still not favor the hybrid of Toyota since its growth rate is slow. On the other hand, Australian’s economy is smaller compared to that of Japan but it experiences rapid growth. In addition, Japan’s purchasing power is high and thus building hybrids in Japan would have cost more than undertaking FDI in Australia. Australia has a framework that supports foreign direct investment and thus it will be possible for Toyota to monitor and analyze how the investment grows (Ghemawat, 2012). The FDI in Australia has several liabilities that ensure reinvestment. Carrying out a hybrid in Japan would have been a poor decision since Japan is facing a critical issue because of its allocative efficiency. There is very high competition among manufacturers who are well distributed and highly productive. Â  I think Toyota decided to adapt the existing plant in Melbourne instead of building a new one from the ground for several reasons. One of the reasons is because using the already existing plant was going to cut down on the cost of establishing themselves in Australia. Whenever a company is entering a new market, it is easier to use an existing plant than when it starts from the ground. Starting from the ground will mean that time for building has to be allocated whereas in an already existing plant the sales start immediately (Dadzie, 2012). By using an already existing plant, the production is higher than starting from the ground. In taking the already existing plant the Toyota Company is able to be in an area where the economy is already diversified opposed to setting up a new plant in an area where the economy is not yet diversified.

Professionalism and ethics Essay Example for Free

Professionalism and ethics Essay The episode presented in this case study give rise to Moral Sense Test directed to analyzing human moral judgments. The issue of saving a large woman to save 22 tourists behind her, driving a boat faster to save life of five people from drowning and at the same time letting one person to fall of and drown, failure to give a drug to a terminally ill person in knowledge that he may die without it and his organs may be used to safe some other three persons, and suffocating your baby with aim of averting an enemy from finding both of you and kill and other eight hiding with you presents a moral dilemma situation directed towards scrutinizing psychological mechanism basic to social moral judgment. Situation leading to moral dilemma has been capturing human attention towards how people judge certain affairs, deciding on justified and unjustified situations as well as social views on right and wrong action. Debate on moral decision has been has been a contentious issue with philosophers speculating how people have been making moral decision in the society. Scenarios presented by this paper give a situation which has for long been pondered by philosophers as well other professional on whether to sacrifice one for a greater good. Utilitarian ethical theory support option of sacrificing one to protect many. Many societies seems to value the utilitarian option but there is a considerable emotional element given that verdict involves harming a human being. Any of decision made on these scenarios results to a moral tug of war between whether to kill one person as in the case of killing huge woman to save 22 tourist, sacrificing one person to save five from drowning, sacrifice on ill person to save three and sacrificing a child to save you and others with sympathy of killing a human being. Moral theories Egoism as an ethical theory entails individual’s self is the motivation and the goal of individual’s own accomplishment. Egoism has two folds i. e. descriptive and normative. Descriptive also called positive variant, define egoism as explanation of human affairs meaning individuals are motivated by self interest and desires while normative ethics elaborates that people should be motivated. Ethical egoism an individual have no duty anyone but to him/herself. Meaning that, every person should strive satisfy his or her individual interests maximizing own welfare. According to egoism, each individual has a goal of his own†¦This diversity of goals may endanger conflict. This is not an objection to ethical egoism, however. When people have goals in conflict, each individual ought, according to egoism, to maintain his or her goal. Ethical egoism is a consistent ethical theory, in competition with other ethical theories,† (Tannsjo 2002 pp 42). From the above quote we can say that according to egoism theory you act wrongly when if you do not strive to maximize your interest. Maximizing of interest means that an individual can go to an extent of doing harm in order to protect his/her interests. The egoist is prepared to kill, not only in order to save many lives but in order to save his or her own life. Therefore, in the scenarios presented in our case study when considering egoism ethical theory means that when doing any act you should consider your interests. For example an egoist would consider saving digging a woman and making 22 tourists to perish and sacrificing woman life to save tourist will depend on different interests according to egoism theory. That is can sacrifice the whole group or to save large woman according to whom we have interest in and vice-versa. Being a subject of Moral Sense Test based on egoism moral theory I would drown person in the falling from the boat to save other five based on my interests. If I am more affiliated to the falling person, according to egoism I would let five to perish and save the one I have interest in. In case my interest is more to the five people I would work to save them making the falling person to die. In the case where am to suffocate my screaming my screaming baby to save myself and other eight hiding with me would be a better option considering egoism theory. This is due to individual interest of living taking more priority than that of the baby hence saving other eight people. Faced with scenario of sacrificing failing to give drug to a terminally ill patient knowing that he will die but his organs could be used to save other three patient considering egoism theory would mean to fall the self interest in this scenario. Saving three persons to the expense of sacrificing one terminally ill patient means that my interest for example if patient is my relative. On the other hand if I have more interest to a more terminally ill patient I would not fail to give drug making other three to die according to egoism theory of maximizing of interests. Conventional morality can be described as a morality of established local practice or a part of morality that directs people day to day life. â€Å"Conventional morality defines responsibilities, gives direction to action, helps to organize social life. It establishes expectations and thereby give guidance for personal development† (DeMarco 1994 pp. 24). This means that it is a fixed pattern of individual or a professional governing a particular role, giving boundaries of action, dependencies as well as patterns of authority. That is society or individuals have moral responsibility based on conventions and violations of conventions mean individual actions are immoral. In the three scenarios presented in case study in this context conventional morality theory would looking at different laid down standard in trying to save different dilemmas. Incase of saving a five from drowning to the expense of saving the one falling and vise versa would depend on morals raid down. If my society moral dictates that saving many would be the most moral, according to conventional morality I would strive to save the five and let the falling person to die even if it is my relative since these are set convention and must be followed. In case it is refusing to give terminally ill patient drug making his to die and use his organ to save the three will depend on convention set by the hospital and act according to them. Suffocating my baby so that I can save myself and other eight persons from attacks of an enemy would depend on set societal convention which may favor suffocating my baby or letting all to die all together. For example if conventions dictates that I should strive to save many, suffocating of my baby may be an option and this would be morally upright according to conventional theory of morality. Moral dilemmas have presented various arguments making some of philosophers to argue that â€Å"†¦doing the right is whatever produce the greatest balance over evil†¦This view has been called ‘utilitarianism’ or ‘consequentialism. ’ ‘Utilitarianism’ tends to be associated with the view that ‘good’ means a balance of pleasure over pain†¦or perhaps some more sophisticated ‘happiness’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hallquist, 2008 para. 5). According to Hallquist (2008), when applying utilitarianism theory of morality to moral dilemma where you have an option of killing one person to save many, an individual is requires to kill one and save many. This situation presents a greater evil or prevents a greater evil according to Utilitarianism theory of morality. There have been options when you can consider killing many and save one for example if killing the five would prevent a deadly riot would allow for saving one person instead. According to utilitarianism, killing someone harvest organ to save the five individuals would be a better evil. This means that the case presented in the case study in the context of this paper about refusing to give drug to terminally ill patient letting him to die and using his organ to heal other persons would be a better choice according to utilitarianism. Letting the falling person to die and save and saving five droning persons would be the better evil instead of saving one and letting five to die. Suffocating a my screaming baby according to utilitarianism theory of morality would be a better evil than letting myself and eight people accompanying me to die. Theory of duty ethics also called deontological morality theory view morality through probing the nature of actions and will of agents instead of results achieved i. e. looking at input instead of the outcomes. Incase of killing one person to save many for example a situation where the doctor would sacrifice life of one person and use his organ to save five, duty of ethics opposes this. â€Å"†¦the agent should not kill the one person because if he does that he will produce worse state of affairs, as seen from his position. That he should not kill is the result that deontologist endorse as well† (Kamm 1993 pp. 5). According to duty ethic correctness of an accomplishment is not simply reliant on exploiting the good, if that accomplishment goes in opposition to what is consider moral. This means that the scenarios where am require not to give drug and to let terminally ill person to die and save three from his organ would be immoral from duty ethics. This is because by refusing to give drug is immoral no matter the good it can contribute of saving three persons. Letting the falling from the boat to save the five persons from drowning is immoral according to duty of ethics. On the issue of suffocating my baby it may be immoral to do that because in the first place is illegal to do that hence letting the worst to strike. Virtue of ethics emphasizes that; morality should be guided by character rather than established rules or procedures. This theory is greatly dependent on wisdom to direct an individual to do what he/she feel is moral. Virtue of ethics encompasses trait like honesty and generosity in performance of a moral duty. In the case of moral dilemma of killing on person to save many will be judged from what the person in this situation feel is morally upright. Moral principles The above analysis of the moral theory do not give define solution and are inadequate when giving solution to various situations for example moral dilemma episodes. Seven moral principles give an alternative in trying to get solution on moral decision. Moral principles define the right and wrong accepted an individual or a society to a certain situation or are universal rules that guide an individuals or a society on what to do. That is, they are standard for good behavior in the society. Moral decision making process is the process in which an individual tries to implement a balance of the seven moral principles in a given situation. The seven moral principles are; Respect, Non-Malevolence, Benevolence, Integrity, Justice, Utility and Double Effect. The lists of moral principle incorporate many cultures to serve purpose of morality. According to the principles of morality a moral action should be guide by the application of the most appropriate principle(s). Principle of respect calls for treating everybody with respect together with application of dignity and importance of a person(s) not matter the diversity. Non-malevolence principle calls for avoiding harming people or even causing pain to them. Benevolence principle tries to promote well-being of others. That is it emphasize on responding in the needs of other. This should be consistent to promoting spiritual and cultural belief and values. Principle of integrity advocates for maintaining personal standards for example in the professional environment. In application to the episode of killing one to save many, moral principle provides with a range choice in coming with appropriate action. Conclusion Application of moral theory and moral principles should be directed by the intention of being morally upright in the social operation. There intention is to guide person and society at large to have a common way of handling their affairs for common good. Moral theories and principles are motivated greatly by the social need toward an upright society. Social life presents different circumstances in life and hence many moral theories and principle geared toward giving moral solution to different social circumstances.

The Fire Alarm System Engineering Essay

The Fire Alarm System Engineering Essay We are living in a time that safety and security became one of the necessary requirements in all areas of life, in the middle of technology revolution which aims to make life easier and more secure, technology has been earned by man in many fields of his life, and because of that and to make places where we live, work or even relax is more secure and safe by applying a fire alarm system. As mentioned above we will design a fire alarm system which will alert user if there is an indication of a fire situation. The main aim of all manufacturers is to achieve the best and the cheapest systems. Fire alarm system is an automatic system which detects if there an indication of a fire situation by sensing temperature or sensing a smoke, which are an indications of the changing in the environment that surrounds the system. Fire alarm system can be considered as a manual system which activated by the user or an automatic system which activates by itself, or it can be considered both automatic and manual system. The general architecture of the fire systems consists of the sensors itself, the controlling device (microcontroller or personal computers or any logic circuits), and the alarm speakers (buzzers) and in some cases it may contain an auto dialling devices to call the police or the owner of the building. Fire alarm systems can provide one or more of the following: Notifies the occupants. Controls all the fire alarm components in a building. Notifies persons in the surrounding area. Summons the fire service. Project Description and Aims The main aim of this project is to design a PIC microcontroller based fire and over heat monitoring and alarm system; the system will have the ability to detect smoke and continuously measure the temperature at any desired area and display it on an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen. And when the temperature goes over a certain degree a fan will be activated in order to reduce the temperature and cool the place. But if that doesnt work and the temperature still increasing an alarm will be activated in order to alert the persons on the surrounding area and the fan will be disabled in order to reduce the opportunity of starting a fire. Also this alarm will be activated in tow more ways, either by the pull box switch which will activate the fire alarm manually or by the smoke detector that will detect any kind of smoke which is often an indication for the existence of fire. This fire system can be considered as a manual automatic system, it is based on many ways to alert people that attending in a certain place -where the system is activated for a fire situation; the first method is sensing the temperature of the area if any increasing of the temperature over a certain degree is detected by the controller it will be displayed on the LCD and the fan will be activated, if the temperature still increasing that will indicate a fire situation so the microcontroller will activate the alarm, the second method is by pulling the switch box manually by any user, and finally when the smoke sensor will detect a smoke in the environment the microcontroller will receive the read and will activate the alarm and display the result on the LCD. Main system components: PIC microcontroller as the system brain. LCD to display results from PIC microcontroller Temperature sensor to measure the air Temperature. Smoke detector detects if there a smoke in the air. Alarm which alert in the fire situation. Switch used for manually activate or deactivate system. Fan to decrease the air Temperature. 1.3 System Block Diagram: fir blo.JPG Figure (1.1) System Block Diagram PIC microcontroller as shown in the figure (1.1) is can be described as the brain of the system, which receives inputs from three parts the first one is the temperature sensor, which measure the temperature of a certain area and pass it to the PIC microcontroller which will detects the temperature whether its over a certain degree or not, if the temperature degree is less than the certain degree them PIC will display the degree on the LCD, if the temperature degree is over then the PIC microcontroller will display the temperature degree and will put the fan to work until the temperature decrease to the normal degree. But if the temperature degree still increasing then the PIC will consider a fire situation activate the system automatically including turn the fan off and will put the alarm on to alert people to a fire situation, alarm cant be put on if there is not a driving circuit PIC may not be able to turn the alarm on. The second input is from smoke detector which detects if there a smoke in the air, and send the result continuously to the PIC whether there a smoke or not. And the PIC will detect the result if there is no smoke PIC will display the result on the LCD, but if there is smoke PIC will display the result on the LCD and will turn the alarm on to alert people to a fire situation. The third input is from the switch by which user will be able to activate or deactivate the fire system manually. If the system detects a smoke or increasing in the temperature and assumed a fire situation and there is no fire the user can deactivate the system manually, and if the user find himself in a fire situation but the system hasnt detected it yet he can activate the system manually. 1.4 Plan to implement As shown in the block diagram first the LCD screen must be connected to the PIC in order to display the desired data, then the reading of the temperature sensor will be fed to the PIC microcontroller through the ADC (analog to digital) peripheral of the PIC as input then it will be processed in the PIC microcontroller so it can be displayed on the LCD screen, then we will interface the smoke detector with the PIC microcontroller and display its status on the LCD screen. After that an interface must be done through a driving circuit to activate and deactivate the siren with a control signal from the PIC microcontroller, and then to make the connection of the pull box switch. Also a driving circuit has to be implemented to control the system cooling fan from the PIC microcontroller. 1.5 Software Approach Since we are designing a PIC microcontroller based system, first we need tools to program and write the software for the PIC microcontroller, so will need to use a PIC code compiler that is efficient and easy to use, so we have chosen to use (MikroBasic) compiler. Chapter Two Theoretical Background 2.1 OVERVIEW In this chapter we are going to explain all system hard ware components and why we used them. Several hardware components are required to combine the ability of sensing the temperature degree and detecting smoke in the air with activating the system for fire l In this chapter we will introduce all the project components with a brief about each component. The project main components are: PIC microcontroller as the system brain. LCD to display results from PIC microcontroller Temperature sensor to measure the air Temperature. Smoke detector detects if there a smoke in the air. Alarm which alert in the fire situation. Switch used for manually activate or deactivate system. Fan to decrease the air Temperature. 2.2 PIC microcontroller A microcontroller is an integrated circuit consists of simple CPU which associated with support functions such as timers, serial and analog I/O, crystal oscillator, its memory is divided to ROM, RAM, EEPROM, PIC is designed for small or dedicated applications. PIC used to reduce size and cost comparing to the model that uses separated CPU, memory, and I/O devices PIC also provides a benefit of controlling non digital electronic systems. PIC became popular in both industrial developers and hobbyists thats because of the low cost availability, easy to program and reprogram with flash memory (EEPROM) capability.F:EnasyacoubPICpic_pl.jpg Figure 2.1 (PIC microcontroller) 2.2-1 Types of the PICs Pins: The Must Pins M-CLR : which mean master clear and it active high which mean this pin works using 1but if its written as M-CLR that mean it is active low works using 0, the function of this pin is to reset the PIC which mean reset to the program counter to return to the beginning of the executed code. It is the PIN no. 1 in the PIC and most of the time it is connected to the Vcc logic 1 to let the PIC work. Oscillator: It is defined as a periodic fluctuation between two things based on changing in energy, frequency at which oscillator works is usually determined by a quartz crystal which vibrates at a frequency depends on it thickness when current is applied to it. Oscillator can combine inductors, resistors, and/or capacitors to determine the frequency. There are two types of oscillator: internal oscillator, external oscillator such as quartz crystals. Power supply: The main function of power supply is to provide system with fixed voltage needed, the typical voltage for almost PICs is (5 V) which indicates that there is a limitation on the voltage, for example if the PIC was provided with (5.5-6 V) it will damage, less than (2.5 V) PIC will not work, (less than 4.5 and more than 2.5) it is a float value which mean it is not a known value for the PIC. Usually no. of power pins is 4; 2 pins are grounded (VSS), the other two are 5 volt (VDD). The Optional Pins These pins are divided into groups that are called ports. Each port has a configuration register inside the PIC and it is called TRISE register; which a data direction register that controls the direction of data (input or output) of each pin of that port. For example having TRISA cleared (0 which is the default) will configure all pins of PORTA as output. PIC Microcontroller (16F876A) which is best described as the brain of the system, this part were chosen for its convenience for the project because all the components in this project must be interfaced with each in any easy and simple approach in order to save time and effort, for instance we have used an LCD screen as a human interface to display the system status, which much is easier to connect the LCD to the PIC microcontroller rather than facing an external interfacing hardware design. 2.2-2 PIC 16F876A: PIC16F876A High-Performance RISC CPU: Only 35 single-word instructions All single-cycle instructions except for program branches, which are two-cycle. Operating speed: DC 20 MHz Clock input DC 200 ns instruction cycle. Up to 8K x 14 words of Flash Program Memory. Up to 368 x 8 bytes of Data Memory (RAM) Up to 256 x 8 bytes of EEPROM Data Memory. Those features result because of the PIC technology CMOS Technology: Low-power, high-speed Flash/EEPROM technology. Fully static design. Wide operating voltage range (2.0V to 5.5V). Commercial and Industrial temperature ranges. Low-power consumption. 2.3 Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) 2.3-1 Definition and Mechanism of LCD LCD is the short of a Liquid Crystal Display which is a thin, flat panel. LCD is an electronically displayer for information which can be a text, symbols, numbers, images or moving pictures. It can be used as a monitor for computers, TVs, gaming devices, calculators, etc. figure (3.13) shows a 16ÃÆ'-2 LCD. Character LCD Figure (2.2) LCD 2.3-2 LCD Basics: Simple LCDs consists of liquid crustal cell surrounded by conductive electrode, upper and lower glass, upper and lower polarizer, as shown on the figure. Figure 2.3 (LCD structure) LCD displays utilize two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal between them. When an electric current passed through the liquid crystal causes the crystals to align. Because of that light will not be able to pass through them. Therefore, each crystal is like a shutter, either allowing light to pass through or blocking the light as you can see in figure (3.14). Because its low electrical power consumption which allows it to be used in battery powered electronic equipment it made of any number of pixels filled with liquid crystal cells, to produce image in colours or monochrome pixels must be arrayed in front of light source. Among to its lightweight construction, its portability, and its ability to be produced in much larger screen sizes than are practical construction of cathode ray tube (CRT) display technology which are LCDs major features . Also its low electrical power consumption enables it to be used in battery-powered electronic equipment. Since all the functions such as display RAM, character generator and liquid crystal driver, required for driving a dot-matrix liquid crystal display are internally provided on one chip, a minimum system can be interfaced with this controller drive. LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen that will be used to display the temperature and to display the status of the system, we have chosen an LCD screen since its the best way to inform the user about the system status in a friendly and simple way. 2.4 Temperature Sensor: Which is a device used to sense temperature also known as measurement temperature device. Temperature sensors can be classified into two types contact and non-contact sensors. 2.4-1 Contact sensors Which measure its own temperature as the environments temperature, by considering that the sensor and the object are at the in thermal equilibrium which means that there is no flow temperature between them. 2.4-2 Non-contact sensors Which receives thermal radiant power of infrared radiation radiates from some area, then its measure it as the temperature of that area. Temperature Sensor (LM35 DZ) this sensor has been chosen due to its high quality, sensitivity, low cost and its simple and easy output interface. Features of temperature Sensor (LM35 DZ) Calibrated directly in  ° Celsius (Centigrade) 0.5 °C accuracy Rated for full -55 ° to +150 °C range For remote applications this sensor is suitable It can operate from 4 to 30 volts The current drain is less than 60  µA 2.5 Smoke Detector Its been used to detect smoke in the air and fed back the result to the system. There are two methods to detect smoke in the air: Photoelectric method which also called optical detection. By emitting electronics from a matter such as liquid metals or gases that from electromagnetic radiation electrons energy would be absorptive, then the emitted electronics will be detected by the detector. The process is done as a light beam which goes in front to the light sensor in the case of no smoke, but if there smoke light will reflect in angles then light beams will be scattered to the light sensor which will consider it as a smoke setuation. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Photoelectric_effect.svg/275px-Photoelectric_effect.svg.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/OpticalSmokeDetector.png/250px-OpticalSmokeDetector.png Ionization by converting an ion into molecule by removing or adding charges electrons. The principle of this method is that a chamber which includes two electrodes with air between them and there is a small constant current will be permitted but if there a smoke enters the ionic chamber then the small current will be interrupted which will indicate a fire situation. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/68/Smokealarm.JPG/250px-Smokealarm.JPG http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_detector 2.6 Switch This is an electrical device used to pass or not pass current. It is used to activate the system manually by any user in any emergency case. Or deactivate the system manually by the user in if the system activate automatically and there is no emergency case. 2.7 Buzzer or siren Is also called a beeper which is an electronic device which consists number of sensors or switches, has many applications such as car horn, clock alarm etc That is used to inform the persons at the surrounding area and notify them about status of the fire alarm system. 2.8 Driving circuit Which is an electrical circuit by which an electronic device can control another device, driving circuit for example can be used to amplify current.

Riot Grrrl: Empowering Women and Changing the World Essay -- Feminism

Take a moment and envision yourself accompanying your significant other at a highly anticipated punk rock concert. Upon arrival, he immediately insists that you play the role of a â€Å"good girlfriend† by holding his jacket while he and the rest of the male audience move up towards the mosh pit. You soon find yourself pushed and shoved to the back of the room, the farthest distance away from the stage as possible, along with hundreds of other â€Å"good girlfriends† as personified coat hangers. This was an issue faced by many women in the early 90’s who were interested in the punk rock scene, yet were unable to have their voices be heard, until now. Riot grrrl, a radical feminist movement that thrived in the underground punk scene has challenged the media to take a step back and recognize the women involved to be able to portray and express themselves without the need of society’s written standards of how or what the ideal woman should be. In Kevin Dunn a nd May Farnsworth’s article, â€Å"We ARE The Revolution†: Riot Grrrl Press, Girl Empowerment, and DIY Self-Publishing, the authors mention how riot grrrl members took matters into their own hands by establishing their own interpersonal sources of positive and influential media through utilization of radio shows, fanzines, television programs, and creative outlets to promote self expression and awareness. They had every good intention to carry these opportunities out since the media has long been known for deliberately distorting every ounce of truth they are given. Misconceptions of feminism have especially emerged through the deceitful tactics of the media and have managed to successfully establish a negative connotation with the movement of feminism. When questioned on the topic of feminism,... ... permanent mark on today’s world. It may be considered a man’s world for now, but with the efforts of millions who support the same values that riot grrrl enforces, it will soon it will be a world of equality where both men and women have equal opportunities to have their voices be heard. Works Cited Downes, Julia. Women Make Noise: Girl Bands from Motown to the Modern. Twickenham: Supernova, 2012. Print. Dunn, Kevin, and May Summer Farnsworth. "â€Å"We ARE The Revolution†: Riot Grrrl Press, Girl Empowerment, And DIY Self-Publishing." Women's Studies 41.2 (2012): 136-157. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2015. Leonard, Marion. Gender in the Music Industry: Rock, Discourse, and Girl Power. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate, 2007. Print. Meltzer, Marisa. Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music. New York: Faber and Faber, 2010. Print.

Natural Night Vision Essays -- Biology

Admit it, night vision is an ability that we would all enjoy having. Who would not want to be able to see the world at night without the use of fancy instrumentation, like night-vision goggles? Unfortunately, humans become colorblind at night because their eyes switch from normal daytime vision to a color-insensitive rod system. Unlike humans, a lot of other animals have the ability to see in the dark. This nocturnal ability is a major subject of research because scientists want to know what causes it, what methodology lies behind it, and what limitations there are. Alnut Kelber, Anna Balkenius, and Eric. J. Warrant studied the night-time vision of a nocturnal hawkmoth, Deilephila elpenor. They wanted to know if the hawkmoths can truly see colors at night, or if they are using other means to find the right kind of flowers to feed from. For example, humans cannot see colors at night and therefore have a harder time differentiating between objects using vision alone. However, a person could find food in a dark room using his or her other senses, such as smell or taste, or could rely on colorless vision to choose food based on its shape. The scientists tested a series of experiments to show that hawkmoths use color-vision at night, as opposed to reverting to their other senses like humans do. Deilephila elpenor moths were trained to associate a sugar reward with a color, either blue or yellow by feeding from colored artificial flowers at a light intensity equivalent to late dusk. Deilephilia Elpenor Moth The moths were tested (without a sugar reward) at five different light intensities ranging from mid-dusk to dim starlight, to see if they could pick the training color from eight different shades of gray... ...we have a limited field of vision, and we can’t see in the back of our head. Continuous Visual Stream humans only get one shot to allow their photoreceptors to see an image, the images come through the eyes into the brain in a constant stream and are lost almost immediately, not stored. Advantages brain power that could be used to store up images to help see color in the dark can instead be used to make a clearer, better-resolved picture Disadvantages humans need more light to see color Photoreceptor Types humans also have 3 types, but: red, blue, and green Advantages we have trichromatic vision, which helps us differentiate objects and appreciate aesthetically pleasing sights Disadvantages we can’t see in the UV spectrum, and there are other animals such as butterflies which have 4 or 5 different photoreceptor types and can see more colors than us

A NEW TREND IN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT. :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   BY. TJ WHITE What could be more perfect than owning a luxury vacation home at a world class resort and receiving rental income whenever you aren't using it? Condo hotels are the newest trend in vacation home ownership. Live in it when you're there, and rent it out when you are not. So how do condo-hotels differ from owning a traditional condominium or vacation apartment? They aren't your typical second homes. They are beautifully furnished condominium suites in some of the most famous hotels and resorts all around the US. The properties are typically large, high-rise, luxury hotels. Prices can range from $250,000 to over $1 million for prime condo hotel properties. When the owners of condo-hotel units aren't using their units, they have the option of placing their unit into the hotel's rental program. This is what makes the program so attractive. While the developer doesn't guarantee the rental of the unit, by capitalizing on a hotel's name recognition, advertising, national affiliations, centralized reservation system and management expertise, most unit owners typically receive a higher level of rental income than they would from a traditional vacation home. As part of the rental agreement, the hotel pays for most operating expenses such as marketing, housekeeping, and administrative costs. The condo-hotel owner typically pays for insurance, real estate taxes, and capital improvements. Condo-hotels are typically large, high-rise, luxury hotel buildings operated by big names such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Sonesta, Starwood, Hilton, Trump and Rosewood. Each condo-hotel unit is sold to individual investors who may use their unit for a specified amount of time, and when not used the investor has the option of placing it into an organized rental program. Rental revenue is shared with the operator and helps defray the unit owner's expenses. Unit owners are more likely to receive a higher level of rental income by being in a rental program with a recognized professional operator because of the hotel's national affiliation, its reservation system, brand recognition, and management expertise. The original developer intends to sell the units. For that reason features are generally added to enhance the appeal of units to potential buyers. These include spas, health and fitness centers, and business centers. Many condo hotels also offer an expanded array of services such as a concierge, valet and maid service. Most condo-hotels are located in seasonal resort areas. South Florida is one of the country's hottest markets with world-famous resorts like the Fontainebleau, the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne, Trump International and Four Seasons leading the way.

Causation and Effectuation Theory

As Sara D. Scratchy states: â€Å"Causation processes take a reticular effect as given and focus on selecting between means to create that effect. † The underlying assumption in this theory is that if one can predict the future, it can be controlled. Causation focuses on using different means In order to achieve an agreed upon goal. Lets look at a simple example to clarify the notion. A chef In a kitchen wants to prepare a meal. HIS first step Is to contact the clients, and ask them what they want to eat.From there, he goes to the shop and buys the necessary Ingredients to complete his menu. This qualifies as causation, as the chef begins with the final dish in mind, ND later decides which ingredients are necessary to make the desired meal. The example simplifies the causation theory. Indeed, under this notion, entrepreneurs envision a clear notion of the outcome they want to achieve, and from there, take necessary measures to achieve this goal. Thus, causation involves a grea t amount of time and research in order to come out with realistic outcomes and expectations for the project.Entrepreneurs start with the big picture of the project, and then take their decisions progressively on all the details of their venture, In order to attain their ultimate goal. The theory of causation requires some detail in order to be applied. Along with having set a specific goal, alternative means need to be established. The means of this process may be applied within three different levels: on a personal level, at the organization's level, or at the economy's level.On a personal level, managers are knowledgeable of their own traits, characteristics, as well as the social networks that they can access and use. At the organization's level, the means represent the physical resources one has at his disposal. These encompass human, technological, and uncial resources. Lastly, at the economic level, the means of the causation theory include, among others, demographic and socio political institutions. Another detail needing to be considered when applying the causation theory Is the constraints facing the means being applied.These Involve any limitations one can encounter while trying to apply the means to get to the goal. Limitations might Include Atlanta constraints, sun as Educate, or unman resources constraints, sun as a lack of personnel. The last detail needing to be considered is the criteria used to hose a set of means over another. This last detail is influenced by how good the outcome will actually be. Indeed, every entrepreneur and manager tries to maximize revenues and profits at all times and thus, at every stage of the causation theory. Causation deals with both pros and cons.First, the theory analyzes into detail every possibility to a venture, and requires the decision-maker to focus on every aspect of it. This analysis proves to be excellent in exploiting knowledge and reaching the best decision according to the acquired understanding. More over, causation implies that he future is controlled, given the goal is to achieve an already set and agreed-upon objective. Therefore, the theory of causation is very effective in terms of static, linear and rather stable environments. The fixed goal leaves is little room for adaptation and changes.Thus, the causation theory is more applicable for existing markets. Indeed, entrepreneurs wishing to enter a business have the sources, along with the necessary information that is required to analyze and assess the desired goal, as well as the means necessary to acquire that goal. Indeed, when the entrepreneur knows receives what firm he or she wants to create, rather than Just having a general idea of what he or she wishes to achieve, such as making a lot of money, the entrepreneur can look at these existing markets to determine the outcome that is likely to be attained, and come out with a realistic objective.In a nutshell, causation rests on the logic of prediction, expected returns, a competitive analysis, the exploitation of preexisting knowledge, and the prediction of an uncertain future. Effectuation is another process through which firms are created. The word effectuate symbolizes the action of putting into force or operation. The word effectuation reminds us of the process of causing something to happen. In Economics, the effectuation process is the alternative to the causation process. Contrarily to causation, effectuation is actor dependent.It focuses on the aspect of controlling the future rather than predicting it. The underlying assumption under the effectuation theory is that, if one can control the future, it does not need to be predicted. Thus, this theory focuses on how to exploit the available contingencies in order to control an unpredictable future. Rather moving inwards like the causation theory does, the effectuation theory moves outward. Indeed, entrepreneurs and managers exploit the contingencies they have available at hand, and try to cre ate an outcome within these available means.Instead of looking at the result wanted and then choosing the means to achieve them, they focus on what is available at the moment and concentrate on how to exploit these channels. Looking Deck at our cent example, IT en were to De slung ten effectuation process, ten chef would first look at what is available in the kitchen cupboard. From what is deadly available, he would create a menu that he would then present to his customers. Thus, the contingencies are the ingredients and instruments available in the kitchen, and the possible outcomes are any dishes that are able to be prepared with these available contingencies.Indeed, as Sara Scratchy would explain, ;effectuation processes take a set of means as given and focus on selecting between possible effects that can be created with that set of means† (Scratchy, 2001). Effectuation process rejects the rational and goal oriented thinking which follows the causation process. Indeed, the effectuation theory leaves room for flexibility and creativity. When using this process, entrepreneurs are required to come up with solutions according to the available means, which can prove to be a very difficult process, as it requires a great deal of creativity.The set of means used within the effectuation theory are the same used in the causation theory; personal means(who the person is), organizational means(human resources, financial resources), and economic means(demographic). The effectuation process starts with a course, possible effects conceivable through he various resources of these means, constraints on these possible effects, and ultimately the criteria for selecting between the various potential outcomes.Under the effectuation theory, given the future is highly unpredictable, entrepreneurs and managers look at the most affordable loss that the chosen effect will lead to. This opens up the notion of risk, which is essential to the effectuation theory. To be sure, whi le the causation theory focuses on maximizing profits, the effectuation theory chooses to concentrate on the effects that will lead to the most affordable loss. Effectual thinkers emphasize worst-case situations.The effectuation theory is most efficient when used in highly unstable environments and nonexistent markets. In such uncertain environments, the effectual thinkers have the ability of adapting and creating the best venture for the given environment. It is also better to use this process when the entrepreneur only has a general idea of where he wants to go. Thus, effectuation processes focus on affordable loss, strategic alliances, exploitation of contingencies and controlling an unpredictable future.

Pride and Prejudice Argumentative Essay Essay

Part I Select three of the identity categories below and name or describe at least 3 related stereotypes for each: †¢ Race †¢ Ethnicity †¢ Religion †¢ Gender †¢ Sexual orientation †¢ Age †¢ Disability |Category |Stereotype 1 |Stereotype 2 |Stereotype 3 | |Religion |Fanatical Christians |Islam extremists |All mormons are poligamists | |Gender |Men should never cry |Women can be in power because of |Pink is for girls | | | |their periods | | |Age |As you get older you cannot learn |Older people are not as sharp as |Old people are not interested in | | |new things |younger people |sex |. Part II Answer each question in 50 to 100 words related to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What are the positive aspects of stereotypes, if any? Some stereotypes have been found to have a positive view of certain groups by other minority groups, Asian Americans are admired for â€Å"placing a high value on intellectual and professional achievement† and â€Å"having strong family ties†, Hispanic Americans â€Å"take deep pride in their culture and work hard to achieve a better life† (R.Schaefer, 2012), African Americans â€Å"have made a valuable contribution to American Society and will work hard when given a chance† (National Conference of Christians and Jews 1994). Another positive aspect of stereotyping (and I had to dig to find it) is that middle-class or afflcuent African Americans’ feelings of self esteem and self-image are more positive than those of comparable Whites. Our text does not tell us why just that it has been measured and exists and that one positive aspect. What are the negative aspects of stereotypes? Stereotyping has caused people to view certain groups of people in a negative light, even though people do not express such views openly, prejudice and stereotyping still exists. In an article written by Tim Giago, â€Å"National Media Should Stop Using Obscene Words†, Tim describes how the term â€Å"Redskins† is so readily used in football and how derogatory it is to hear for Native Americans. He likens the use of this term to such terms as â€Å"nigger†, â€Å"gook†, â€Å"kike†, and â€Å"wop†, and expresses how â€Å"ridiculous† it is to hear the fans doing the â€Å"tomahawk chop†. This is modern day stereotyping in a negative way and it should be stopped. Why do large corporations have the right to offend and stereotype? This should be stopped. Part III Answer each question in 50 to 150 words related to those stereotypes. Provide citations for all the sources you use. Define stereotypes and prejudice. What is the difference between stereotyping and prejudice? Use examples to illustrate the differences. According to Racial and Ethnic Groups, by R. Schaefer, stereotypes are unreliable, exaggerated generalizations about all members of a group that do not take individual differences into account. Prejudice is a negative attitude toward an entire category of people, such as a racial or ethnic minority. The difference between prejudices and stereotypes is that prejudice is learned over time by people who influence a person as they are growing up and books, movies, Internet and tv also play a part in a person becoming prejudice. Stereotypes are beliefs about people which are generally accepted that are based on something previously accepted about them. Examplese of some stereotypes are: all women are bitches, or all Arabs are terrorists. Examples of prejudices are: being afraid if you are on the bus and see a mentally ill person get on the bus because you are afraid that they may become violient. Statistic show that mentally ill people are no more or less prone to violence than normal people, please see this link about mental illness and violence: http://depts. washington. edu/mhreport/facts_violence. php What is the relationship between stereotyping and prejudice? Stereotyping and prejudice are not the same but can seem similar in a way, however the difference is important. There can be a stereotype about girls only like pink and boys only like to play with guns but a prejudice is when you are racist or have a â€Å"negative attitude toward an entire category of people† (R. Schaefer, 2012). What can be done to prevent prejudice from occurring? Diversity training and awareness is a way to prevent prejudice from occurring in the workplace. Education about diversity is a way to prevent it at schools. Much studying has been done about the prevention of prejudice but unfortunately if the training and/or education is not followed up with practice and further education and training it can lead to people going back to their old habits. This means that we must be diligent about fighing prejudice in our society, in our homes, at work, and in our schools. www. wikipedia. org Religious fanaticism http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Religious_fanaticism Main Street Plaza www. latterdaymainstreet. com A Community for Anyone Interested in Mormonism. Religious Stereotypes Venn Diagram According To Google: Expanded Mormon Edition www. religious-stereotypes-venn-diagram-according-to-google-expanded-mormon-edition Cracked. com 5 Gender Stereotypes That Used To Be the Exact Opposite By: J. F. Sargent April 24, 2012. http://www. cracked. com/article_19780_5-gender-stereotypes-that-used-to-be-exact-opposite. html#ixzz2KNtJBSML www. discoveryfit&health. com 10 Stereotypes About Aging (That Just Aren’t True) by Tom Scheve and Christine Venzon http://health. howstuffworks. com/wellness/aging/aging-process/5-stereotypes-about-aging6. htm Racial and Ethnic Groups, Thirteenth edition, by Richard T. Schaefer. Published by Merrill Prentice Hall. Copyright  © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc.

Chinese Civil Service Examination

The Imperial Examination System in Ancient China Abstract: Imperial examination in ancient China was developing based on the nine-rank system. From Sui and Tang dynasties to Guangxu year, Qing dynasty, it took more than 1300 years to evolve. The Imperial Examination is officially called Keju Examination in China, which was an important part of education system of feudal society in ancient China. In the mean time, it was a kind of officer-selecting system as well. It played a significant role in cultivating, selecting, and making use of talents.Modern examination system also takes example by the imperial examinations in ancient China. So we should attach importance to researching and studying it due to its enlightenment to the innovation of education system. Have you ever wondered why there is an examination this kind of stuff which makes students â€Å"suffer† a lot and how it comes about? What is its origin? And how did it develop? Actually, China has a long history in examin ation system. So, I will talk about the imperial examination system in China which has a far-reaching impact to other Asian countries. The establishment of the nine-rank system A certain system cannot be created without foundation and time, it must have an origin, and before the establishment of the system, there must have been a predecessor originating gradually† ——Ch’ ien Mu? Imperial examination did not arise suddenly. Before the imperial examination was created, the nine-rank system was considered to be the precursor of it. According to Ci Hai dictionary, the explanation of the word â€Å"nine-rank system†: At the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Cao Cao was in power, he advocated â€Å"Wei Cai Shi Ju†, which means everyone has an opportunity to be an official as long as he is outstanding enough.In the year 220, Cao Pi adopted Ministry of Personnel, Chen Qun’s suggestion that every prefecture could elect a reputable man to be the â €Å"Zhongzheng† (a kind of official), and the government classified them as nine ranks according to their capability. Cao Pi maintained Cao Cao’s principle that pedigree will not be the prerequisite. According to baike. baidu. com, at the beginning when nine-rank system was established, the criterion for estimating candidates was focused on extraction, morality, and ability. However, with the development of nine-rank system, extraction became the prerequisite, event the sole touchstone.When it came to Western Jin Dynasty, there had been a situation that first-class positions only admitted aristocrats and inferior-class positions only admitted people who didn’t have eminent background. Until the Northern Dynasty, national minority was in charge of the government. So the nine-rank system couldn’t efficiently work as before and became formalistic. Finally, it was abolished because of the lapse of aristocrats by Sui Dynasty. The establishment of Keju System ( The Imperial Examination System) Sui Dynasty: In 589, Sui Wendi (the emperor) set up two subjects of Xiu Cai and Ming Jing.In 606, Sui Yangdi (the next emperor) started to add another subject of Jin Shi. Therefore, it became the mark of the establishment of Keju System. Tang Dynasty: Tang Dynasty carried forward the system from Sui Dynasty practicing Keju System which used the subject of Jin Shi as the dominative way to select dedicates to upper level. Those who hoped to be the officials of the bureaucracy should compete in the Jin Shi exams, which tested their knowledge about the Five Confucian Classics. They are: Title (English)| Title (Chinese)| Brief Description| Classic of Poetry| A collection of 305 poems divided into 160 folk songs, 105 festal songs sung at court ceremonies, and 40 hymns and eulogies sung at sacrifices to gods and ancestral spirits of the royal house. | Book of Documents| | A collection of documents and speeches alleged to have been written by rulers and of ficials of the early Zhou period and before. It is possibly the oldest Chinese narrative, and may date from the 6th century BC. It includes examples of early Chinese prose. | Book of Rites| | Describes ancient rites, social forms and court ceremonies.The version studied today is a re-worked version compiled by scholars in the third century BC rather than the original text, which is said to have been edited by Confucius himself. | Classic of Changes| | Also known as  I Ching  or  Book of Changes. The book contains a  divination  system comparable to Western  geomancy  or the West African system. In  Western  cultures and modern East Asia, it is still widely used for this purpose. | Spring and Autumn Annals| | Also known as  Lin Jing  ( ), a historical record of the state of Lu, Confucius's native state, 722–481 BC, compiled by himself, with mplied condemnation of usurpations, murder, incest, etc. | Graph from Wikipedia.? By the end of Tang Dynasty, the old aristocracy had been supplanted by the scholar-gentry. Song Dynasty: during the Song Dynasty, there were several reformations and the Keju System became more and more mature and consummate. It had reached its summit. The government expanded admission quota and established Provincial Examination, Metropolitan Examination, and Final Imperial Examination. Those exams would be hold triennially. Song Dynasty changed the situation that merchant were discriminated in Sui and Tang Dynasties.Thanks to this policy, many people who were born miserably could have a fair access to higher level of bureaucracy. Ming and Qing Dynasty: The Imperial Examination System reached its final form under Ming Dynasty, and was adopted almost intact by the succeeding Qing dynasty. Metropolitan Examination was holding every three years in Jing Cheng (Beijing), and officials were rotated every three years in order to prevent them from building up a power base. The admission criterion was divided into three levels. The top level included three quotas: Zhuang Yuan, Bang Yan, and Tan Hua.The other levels would enroll several examinees. The subject matter of the examinations was about the Four Books and Five Confucian Classics. The form for an examination paper became the stylized â€Å"eight-legged essay† (Ba Gu Wen), which had eight main headings, used 700 characters or less, and dealt with topics according to a certain set manner. According to www. Newworldencyclopedia. org. ? By 1370, the examinations lasted between 24 and 72 hours, and were conducted in spare, isolated examination rooms; sometimes, however, it was held in cubicles.The small rooms featured two boards which could be placed together to form a bed, or placed on different levels to serve as a desk and chair. In order to obtain objectivity in evaluation, candidates were identified by number rather than name, and examination answers were recopied by a third person before being evaluated to prevent the candidate's han dwriting from being recognized. The examinations were often criticized because the ability to do well on the examination did not necessarily reflect the ability to govern well, and because they gave precedence to style over content and originality of thought.The exam system was abolished in 1905. The rulers realized that in order for the country to survive in the 20th century, they had to abandon the Confucian-classics-based education system, and adopt a Western-type, science-and-technology-based system. How many types of degrees could people get? What were the sorts of those degrees? The sort of degrees can reflect the completeness of Chinese Imperial Examination System. Types of Degree Level 1: District Level First you had to pass the district level exam. There was no degree at this level.The people who passed the district level exam would have the title of Tong Sheng( ). Then you have the qualification to take the prefectural level exam. Level 2a: Prefectural Level People who pas s the prefectural level exam achieved Sheng Yuan( ) degree. The exam was held two times every three years at the capital of the local prefecture. The most outstanding Sheng Yuan could directly be given the Gong Sheng( ) degree. Level 2b With time going on, the government became corrupt and allowed people to buy a Jian Sheng( ) degree.Wealthy people who were too lazy to study or who failed the prefectural level exam bought these degrees to improve their social status. These Jian Sheng had the same qualification to take next level examination. Level 3: Provincial Level People who passed the provincial level exam were awarded the Ju Ren( ) degree. The exam was held at the provincial capital every three years. Very few of the population had this degree. These people where considered upper gentry. Level 4: Metropolitan Level People who passed the metropolitan level exam were awarded the Gong Sheng( )degree.Soon after passing the metropolitan test, the candidate would take the Palace Exam ination and be conferred the Jin Shi( ) degree. The exam was given at Beijing once every three years. What kind of influence does it have? Is it beneficial or detrimental for the social development? The Imperial Examination System was more like a double-edged sword, since it brings the uniformity to the country but reluctance to innovate and change. The advantageous and disadvantageous influence Positive impact * Keju System facilitates traditional Confucian culture popularized and made the society generate a lively, critical, academic environment. From Song dynasty, no matter how humbly the examinees were, they had the equal opportunity to enter a high position in government as other aristocrats had. So this system not only expanded the scope of selecting talents, but also played an important part in maintaining the stability of society. During Ming and Qing dynasty, about half of Jin Shi was born in poor families. * The strict system provided impartial chances to commoners so that government had a good reputation at that time. * As the country who invented examination system, China has been known by other countries in the world.The Keju System is regarded as a cornerstone of other exam patterns. It has a far-reaching impact to East Asia and Western world. From 8th to 10th century, Japan had imitated the Keju System, and so as Korea and Vietnam. In 1855, the civil official examination system was officially established in Britain. â€Å"It is widely acknowledged by Western scholars today that China's imperial examination system exerted direct influence on the modern civil service examination system in the West,† said Li Shiyu, a guest-visitor to the exhibition and researcher with the Institute of History under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.?Negative impact  · Keju system didn’t radically solve the problem that public officials appointed people by favouritism. With strengthen of centralization of authority, Keju System was gradually con trolled by monarch or high-level officials. And the number of enrollees was not enough at all so that people who had relationships with officials could easily slip through and pass the examination. * Keju system cannot help enhance administrative efficiency in its original sense. Because of the complicated bureaucracy set, people who passed the examinations could not adapt the complicacy and put knowledge into practice. It caused people to have a rigescent thought. Most people took the Keju examination just in order to change their family financial condition instead to change the decayed political condition. What they learned could not match the reality well and help a lot so that executive system verged to conservative and closed. With time going on, China gradually lost many chances to innovate. * Many multitudes gave up their jobs, many young males lay their farm land wasted so that they could have plenty of time to prepare for the examinations.To some extent, the crop yield took a hit because of a large number of strong adults wanted to be an official instead of a farmer. Purpose of Imperial Examination System In ancient China, most people lived at the bottom of the society, the only way they could change their destiny was to take Imperial Exams. Since the process of studying for the examination was time-consuming, most male adults had to do farming work during the daytime, but those wealthy land-owning gentries could have plenty of spare time to study. So they became the main candidates for high-ranking government officials.The examination system distributed its prizes according to provincial and prefectural quotas, which meant that imperial officials were recruited from the whole country, in numbers roughly proportional to each province's population. Elite individuals all over China, even in the disadvantaged peripheral regions, had a chance at succeeding in the examinations and achieving the rewards of holding office. In earlier period, it was a fair me thod for commoners to change their social status, however, under some late dynasties the imperial bureaucracy became corrupt, examinations were abolished and official posts were either sold or given as rewards.At these times, the public morale diminished, and some type of reform was often introduced to restore traditional Confucian values in the government. The uniformity of the content of the examinations helped maintain the basic cultural values. Even only few people could pass the exam and finally get title, the preparation for and the hope of eventual success on a subsequent examination sustained the interest of those who took them. Those who failed to pass—most of the andidates at any single examination did not lose wealth or local social standing; as dedicated believers in Confucian orthodoxy, they served, without the benefit of state appointments, as teachers, patrons of the arts, and managers of local projects, such as irrigation works, schools, or charitable foundati ons. With the Imperial examination, the society was in a dense academic atmosphere. After Qing Dynasty collapsed, what is the examination system like? What is its difference or similarity between Western countries and China?The Examination System After 1912 After 1912, soon the Chinese revolutionary league was established. It was led by Sun Zhongshan( considered as the Father of Republic of China). Sun had been studied abroad in Japan and had a very progressive thought. He adopted a lot of excellent western ideas and devoted himself to reform and innovation. Not only in political and economic aspects, but also in education. He zealously sparkplugs western-style education system. A lot of public schools were built. Ordinary people could afford their children to get education.It was a good start in New China. Today, Chinese Communists studying capitalist civil service systems have been making a similar point. Deng Xiaoping has said, in reference to economic reforms, â€Å"It doesn't matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice. † The current Chinese civil service reform (CSR) is an adjunct to the economic reforms begun in 1978. Regional and city governments, as well as a few national ministries, began experimenting with Western civil service techniques (particularly the use of examinations for selection).With the improvement of the education system, the quality of common people is also promoted. With United Nations' help (United Nations Development Program, 1987, 1989), the Chinese have been bringing foreign personnel experts to China and sending Chinese administrators abroad to study Western personnel technology. Although they are studying foreign systems, in the end, they insist that they will adopt a system with distinct â€Å"Chinese characteristics. † If I have more time, I would like explore the western countries’ comments onChinese civil examination and advises; the problems that current Chinese education system has and methods to solve it; the education system in capitalist countries and make a comparison. Work cited: ? Chi’en Mu. Zhong Guo Zheng Zhi Li Dai De Shi. Sheng Huo ·Du Shu ·Xin Zhi San Lian Bookstore Press. 2005. ISBN: 9787108015280 ? http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Four_Books_and_Five_Classics ? http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Imperial_Examinations_(Keju) ? Ancient Imperial Exams with Modern Relevance, China. org. cn. Retrieved on August 24, 2007. ? Monique Nagel-Angermann. 2012, Exam time.Calliope, 22, 24-27. ProQuest Research Library. 27 Oct. 2012. ? Miyazaki, Ichisada. China's Examination Hell: The Civil Service Examinations of Imperial China. [1976] reprint 1981. 18 Nov. 2012 ? http://www. kwanfamily. info. Web. 21 Nov, 2012. Site creation date July 6, 2002. ? Nagel-Angermann, Monique. â€Å"Exam Time. † Calliope 2012: 24-7. ProQuest Research Library. 22 Nov. 2012. ? Aufrecht, Steven E. , and Li Siu Bun. â€Å"Reform with Chinese Characteristics: T he Context of Chinese Civil Service Reform. † Public administration review 55. 2 (1995): 175-. ABI/INFORM Complete; ProQuest Research Library. 27 Nov. 2012 .

Exxon Mobil Stock Analysis

STOCK ANALYSIS REPORT – Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) –August 15th , 2011 [pic] Industry: Oil and Gas Operations Sector: Energy Recommendation: SELL Price: $74. 29 (as of  Ã‚  August 15th 2011, 4:00pm ET) Intrinsic Value: $52. 10 or 42. 6% overvalued Fundamentals Grade: A Investment Style: Large Cap Blend CORPORATE INFORMATION [pic] Location: 5959 Las Colinas Boulevard Irving, TX 75039 Phone: 972-4441000 Fax: 972-4441348 Web Site: http://www. exxonmobil. com/ Employees: 83,000 Exchange: NYSE BUSINESS SUMMARY Exxon Mobil Corporation (Exxon Mobil) through its divisions and affiliates is engaged in exploration for, and production of, crude oil and natural gas, manufacture of petroleum products and transportation and sale of crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products. †¢ ExxonMobil is the largest integrated oil company, with operations in over 200 countries. This globally diversified enterprise produces superior returns in its business segments when compared to other major oil and gas companies. †¢ Exxon has a strong balance sheet with a cash position of approximately $13B and 0. 7 Debt-to equity. Exxon has the liquidity and credit to invest in high return projects around the world. †¢ Prices for oil and gas are expected to rise in the foreseeable future. Emerging market growth and increasing need for energy will place upward pressure on prices. Exxon will benefit as the world’s largest oil and gas company (by reserves, excluding national oil companies). The average industry return is 27%, which is greater than that of S&P500 (21%). †¢ Exxon’s all-stock purchase of XTO Energy is dilutive to share holders and not expected to increase EPS in 2011 or 2012. Exxon’s size and breadth of operations make it difficult to find investments large enough to produce market beating growth. We expect Exxon’s growth to slightly lag the overall economy, especially smaller exploration and production companies that have better investment opportunities relative to their size. †¢ Exxon’s inability to organically replace reserves means that it must acquire oil and gas assets to supply its operations with replacements for the reserves it consumes. Acquired assets will likely come at a higher price and produce a lower return. Production from Exxon’s Upstream segment (exploration and production of oil and gas) has been declining (down 30% since 2006). While the acquisition of XTO will replace some of this lost production, it is expected that the company will continue to experience declining production from its existing fields. KEY STATISTICS |Market Cap (intraday)5: |360. 57B | |Enterprise Value (Aug 17, 2011)3: |363. 1B | |Trailing P/E (ttm, intraday): |9. 78 | |Forward P/E (fye Dec 31, 2012)1: |8. 21 | |PEG Ratio (5 yr expected)1: |1. 32 | |Price/Sales (ttm): |0. 91 | |Price/Book (mrq): |2. 0 | |Enterprise Value/Revenue (ttm)3: |0. 93 | |Institutional Ownership |49. 12% | |Earnings Yield |9. 28% | |Return on equity (RoE) |24. 69% | |36 month Beta |0. 9 | |Dividend Yield |2. 48% | |Profit Margin |8. 51% | |Current Ratio |0. 97 | |Debt to equity ratio |0. 07 | [1]Source: Yahoo finance; http://ycharts. om/companies/XOM/return_on_equity ANALYSIS Exxon Mobil (XOM) is the largest market capitalized oil company in the world which in 2008 obtained the highest quarterly and annual profit in United States history. The Company plans to invest $125 billion over the next five years to develop new technology, deliver new Upstream projects, increase refining capacity, and grow their Chemical business. Exxon Mobil’s revenue and profit have increased 60% and 79% respectively in the last 5 years. The Company exhibits a healthy profit margin and return on equity of 8. 51% and 20. 4% respectively and maintains an above average earnings yield of 10. 27%. Exxon Mobil has plenty of liquidity enabling the Company to pay all its long-term debt in less than three months on profit alone. Exxon Mobil is valued at $52. 1 as of August 15th 2011. The Company is 42. 61% overvalued for the current price of $74. 29. The PB ratio is slightly above the industry average of 2. 0. Risks to Exxon Mobil include depreciating reserves, decreasing number of new oil fields, adverse environmental impacts, government regulations, geopolitical risks, market volatility, macroeconomic difficulties, etc. Balance Sheet The balance sheet of XOM is pristine. Debt comprises only 9% of total capital, and in a business that is very capital intensive, that’s a great sign. The current ratio is low at 0. 94, slightly lower than the generally accepted â€Å"safe† level of 1. $30 billion in earnings in 2010 is more than enough to repay the roughly $15 billion in total debt the company has in only a few years. Return on Equity The return on equity closely followed the rise of oil prices up until 2008, the fall in 2008- 2009 and the subsequent increase ever since. Right now Exxon-Mobil has a high return on equity of 20%. Given the high oil prices, I expect ROE to reach its 2008 highs this year. Rather than focus on absolute values for this indicator, I generally want to see at least a stable return on equity over time. Dividends Exxon Mobil has paid an increasing dividend for the past 27 years, and according to their website, averaged 5. 7% over that time period. The most recent increase came on April 27 of this year, when they raised the quarterly payout 6. 8% from $0. 44 to $0. 47 a share. This is an annual raise from $1. 74 to $1. 88, or 8%. Projections: 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Dividends Per Share $1. 4 $2. 00 $2. 04 $2. 07 $2. 10 Dividend Growth 11. 7% 2. 7% 2. 4% 1. 3% 1. 3% DIRECT COMPETITOR COMPARISON | |COP |CVX |XOM |Industry | |Market Cap: |91. 75B |195. 65B |360. 57B |26. 52B | |Employees: |29,900 |62,000 |83,600 |11. 00K | |Qtrly Rev Growth (yoy): |45. 70% |30. 60% |36. 30% |8. 0% | |Revenue (ttm): |210. 76B |216. 90B |392. 72B |18. 63B | |Gross Margin (ttm): |23. 43% |32. 58% |31. 45% | 32. 51% | |EBITDA (ttm): |28. 78B |45. 90B |65. 78B |4. 19B | |Operating Margin (ttm): |9. 46% |15. 07% |12. 74% |11. 65% | |Net Income (ttm): |11. 3B |23. 01B |37. 93B |N/A | |EPS (ttm): |7. 93 |11. 45 |7. 59 |2. 46 | |P/E (ttm): |8. 43 |8. 53 |9. 78 |12. 94 | |PEG (5 yr expected): |6. 21 |1. 61 |1. 32 |1. 14 | |P/S (ttm): |0. 43 |0. 90 |0. 91 |1. 39 | P/E ratios are higher for firms with strong growth prospects, other things held constant, but they are lower for riskier firms. All the three companies have P/E lower than the Industry average. Profit margin is very useful when comparing  companies in similar industries. A higher profit margin indicates a more profitable company that  has better control over  its costs compared to  its competitors. Here again, XOM has a relatively good control of cost. As per the comparison of the ratios with industry average, Exxon Mobil is high performing company with higher ratios than industry standards. Current Market Price (as of 08/17/11) of the Stocks: |  Company name |Current Market Price | |Chevron Corp |$92. 02 | |ConocoPhillips |$62. 29 | |Exxon Mobil |$74. 29 | EXXON MOBIL’S INTRINSIC VALUE: †¢ Current US 90 days Treasury Bill – Rate of Return: 3. 5%   †¢ Historical return on long term Treasury Bond = 5. 8% †¢ Long term risk free rate = rRF = 5. 8% (historical return) Return for the market or an average stock(rM): For this project, it is assumed that the historical rate of return for the S&P500   is same as the market risk = 10. 4%. I am using CAPM method to estimate the market risk premium and calculating the historical risk premium by comparing historical to historical rates. The historical risk premium is 10. 4 -5. 8 = 4. 6% Required Return on Common Stock Required return on common stock (rS) for Exxon Mobil rS = rRF + (rM – rRF)*b = 5. 8% + (10. 4% – 5. 8%) * 0. 49   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   = 8. 05% Dividend Growth Model: Common stocks provide an expected future cash flow stream, and a stock’s value is found as the present value of the expected future cash flow stream. The expected final stock price includes the return of the original investment plus an expected capital gain. The expected cash flow consists of two elements: 1. the dividends expected in each year. 2. the price investors expect to receive when they sell the stock. Formula1:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   P hat 0 = D1/rS – g Where P hat 0 = intrinsic value of the stock today as seen by the investor D1 = D0 (1 + g) = expected dividend in the first year. D0 = recent dividend paid g = expected dividend growth rate. rS = required rate of return Formula2: r hat S = D1/P0 + g Where r hat S = expected rate of return D1/P0 = expected dividend yield P0 = actual market price of the stock today. g = expected growth rate or capital gains yield. One would buy the stock only if expected rate of return is equal to or greater than required rate of return. For Exxon Mobil: D0 = $1. 8; g = 5. 7 %; rS = 8. 05% P0 = 1. 38 (1+ 0. 057)/ (0. 085 – 0. 057) = 1. 457/ 0. 0280 = $52. 1 The current price is greater than intrinsic value, the Exxon Mobil stock is overvalued by $22. 20 r hat S = 1. 96% + 5. 7% = 7. 66% The expected rate of return is less than required rate of return, which means investor will not buy. Conclusion: SELL Comparing the averaged value of $52. 10 a nd the closing price on 08/15/11 of $74. 29, XOM is adversely overpriced price, with an approximate 42. 6% difference. At this point in time, I think Exxon Mobil’s risks outweigh the potential opportunity here. While I feel the dividend is safe (at a 25% payout ratio) and the current yield is adequate (2. 48%), the Company's ability to increase the payout and create outsized returns for investors is limited by the Company's cyclical market and weak consensus estimates. Sources: †¢ http://financialanalysisonline. com/ †¢ http://www. thedividendpig. com/? p=1395 †¢ http://investing. money. msn. com/investments/stock-price? symbol=xom †¢ http://www. stock-analysis-on. net/NYSE/Company/Exxon-Mobil-Corp/Valuation/Ratios#Current-Valuation-Ratios †¢ http://www. dailyfinance. com/2011/08/08/big-oil-outlook-major-oil-stocks-with-bullish-opti/? ource=TheMotleyFool †¢ http://www. exxonmobil. com/Corporate/Files/news_pubs_sar_2010. pdf †¢ http://www. exxonmobil. com/corporate/investor_dividend. aspx †¢ http://ycharts. com/companies/XOM/price_to_book_value †¢ http://financialanalysisonline. com ———————– [1] 1 Data provided by Thomson Reuters 2 Data provided by EDGAR Online 3 Data derived from multiple sources or calculated by Yahoo! Finance 4 Data provided by Morningstar, Inc. 5 Shares outstanding is taken from the most recently filed quarterly or annual report and Market Cap is calculated using shares outstanding.

Interactive Teaching Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9750 words

Interactive Teaching - Coursework Example It also provide with the literature review of great historical leaders who contributed a great deal towards improving and introducing new techniques of teaching in elementary schools. It also sheds light on the most effective method of teaching, practical approach. Introduction Interactive Teaching techniques have been existed worldwide as the foundation of formal educational system. It establishes the base for future education. It prepares students in fundamental skills and awareness and can be defined as prior to formal education that comes after that. Most important characteristic of interactive teaching strategy is getting affiliated with peers and creating an identification of children with society and nation. For decades, classroom management has been an issue and many effective teaching lessons have gone array due to student disruption. This critical review of the literature analyzes the elements that can be identified in a successful and effective classroom teaching techniques. Research consistently has shown that traditional lecture methods, in which professors talk and students listen, dominate college and university classrooms. It is therefore important to know the nature of active learning, the empirical research on its use, the common obstacles and barriers that give rise to faculty members' resistance to interactive instructional techniques, and how faculty, faculty developers, administrators, and educational researchers can make real the promise of active learning. Background During science, social studies, and writing time, in my first year of teaching, it has been noticed many students getting off task. They sometimes appeared bored, as if they were not really interested in doing their assignment.... As the report declares most important characteristic of interactive teaching strategy is getting affiliated with peers and creating an identification of children with society and nation. For decades, classroom management has been an issue and many effective teaching lessons have gone array due to student disruption. This critical review of the literature analyzes the elements that can be identified in a successful and effective classroom teaching techniques. According to the paper findings during science, social studies, and writing time, in my first year of teaching, it has been noticed many students getting off task. They sometimes appeared bored, as if they were not really interested in doing their assignment. Some students found any excuse to get up from their desk, go to the bathroom, get a drink, sharpen their pencil, or just roam about; anything other than doing their work. Other students were consistently blurting out, made rude comments to classmates, exhibited disrespect and showed inappropriate behavior. A few students created severe disruptions including tantrums in class. This created management issues and students produced minimal work of low quality. In today’s dynamic and diverse school environment, engagement and creating interest of students is an issue. For students to achieve success academically and in life, they must have access to the opportunity to receive a quality education in a school environment conduct ive and creative to learning.