Music and Adolescence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Music and Adolescence - Essay Example Each adolescent has their own individual preferences with the type of music they regularly listen to. Some of the past research studies have tried examining how the music preferences of the listeners affect their mood (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, tenderness, power, brightness, melancholy, relaxation, and grace) (Zacharopoulou & Kyriakidou, 2009) while others have tried to examine the impact of tempo, rhythmic clarity, rhythmic complexity, pitch level, harmonic complexity, variation of loudness, variation of tempo, rapid changes in loudness, and rapid changes of tempo over the listeners’ mood (Saarikallio & Erkkilà ¤, 2007). To determine the common type of music that captures the interest of the adolescence, a quantitative and qualitative research survey study combined with a personal one-on-one interview with a couple of randomly selected individuals will be invited to participate in the study. Basically, the proposed research study will be conducted to examine the factors that could possibly contribute to the listeners’ preferences.

Overview of experience to gain professional membership Case Study

Overview of experience to gain professional membership - Case Study Example This will be very necessary for me in the execution of my duties by arranging meetings and discussing issues brought up my other colleagues. I have also attended several internal training such as training, reporting, and all aspects of project cost control during my working period; therefore gathering a lot of experiences. I have, therefore, been trained into completing my orders and workload at the best and satisfactory standards. That has also made me understand the different forms of contract and supporting documentation. I also have learned to behave professionally, learned to take criticism professionally, learned to do my job and do it perfectly, learned to make good and professional relationships with colleagues, be on time, maintain good performance records and participate on solutions. Within my role, I plan not only my workload and tasks, but also the workloads and tasks of other team associates who work with me. In my projects, I will have to set up and regularly run commercial site team meeting. Being the Senior Quantity Surveyor, I set team objectives and discuss issues that may be current and potential issues and also worries that the team may have. As a Senior Quantity Surveyor, I collect information from one or more sources, and then distribute the information to one or more audiences. I ensure that information management activities are effective and successful. These actions help me in discovering extra principles and strategies, as well as providing a substantial tactics to evolving a supreme information management strategy.1 Being a leader, my main objective is to ensure incessant progress to the strategic and response to the organization. Being a leader in my previous workstations, which include royal construction Ltd, Wates construction Ltd. among others, have made me have good and professional leadership skills. I ensure by managing the infrastructural assets. Moreover, I aim to provide the knowledge of cost effectiveness

Phonetic Transcription And Progress In Speech Synthesis

Phonetic Transcription And Progress In Speech Synthesis Phonetic transcription (or phonetic notation) is the visual representation of speech sounds (or phones). The most common type of phonetic transcription uses a phonetic alphabet (e.g., the International Phonetic Alphabet. The pronunciation of words in many languages, as distinct from their written form (orthography), has undergone significant change over time. Pronunciation can also vary greatly among dialects of a language. Traditional orthography in some languages, particularly French and English, often differs from the pronunciation. For example, the words bough and trough do not rhyme in English, even though their spellings might suggest they do. In French, for example, the s at the end of words is usually silent (militaire is pronounced the same as militaires) unless followed by a word beginning in a vowel. In the orthography of most European languages, the fact that many letters are pronounced or silent depending on contexts causes difficulties in determining the appropriate pronunciation, especially in the cases of English, Irish, and French. However, in other languages, such as Spanish and Italian, there is a more consistent-though still imperfect-relationship between orthography and pronuncia tion. Therefore, phonetic transcription can provide a function that orthography cannot. It displays a one-to-one relationship between symbols and sounds, unlike the traditional Roman alphabet. Phonetic transcription allows us to step outside of orthography and examine differences in pronunciation between dialects within a given language, as well as to identify changes in pronunciation that may take place over time. Phonetic transcription may aim to transcribe the phonology of a language, or it may wish to go further and specify the precise phonetic realisation. In all systems of transcription we may therefore distinguish between broad transcription and narrow transcription. Broad transcription indicates only the more noticeable phonetic features of an utterance, whereas narrow transcription encodes more information about the phonetic variations of the specific allophones in the utterance. The difference between broad and narrow is a continuum. One particular form of a broad transcription is a phonemic transcription, which disregards all allophonic difference, and, as the name implies, is not really a phonetic transcription at all, but a representation of phonemic structure. ]; the broad, phonemic transcription, placed between slashes, indicates merely that the word ends with phoneme /l/, but the narrow, allophonic transcription, placed between square brackets, indicates that this final /l/ is dark (velarized). The advantage of the narrow transcription is that it can help learners to get exactly the right sound, and allows linguists to make detailed analyses of language variation. The disadvantage is that a narrow transcription is rarely representative of all speakers of a language. Most Americans and Australians would pronounce the /t/ of little as a tap [É ¾]. Many people in England would say /t/ as [ʆ] (a glottal stop) and/or the second /l/ as [w] or something similar. A further disadvantage in less technical contexts is that narrow transcription involves a larger number of symbols which may be unfamiliar to non-specialists. The advantage of the broad transcription is that it usually allows statements to be made which apply across a more diverse language community. It is thus more appropriate for the pronunciation data in foreign language dictionaries, which may discuss phonetic details in the preface but rarely give them for each entry. A rule of thumb in many linguistics contexts is therefore to use a narrow transcription when it is necessary for the point being made, but a broad transcription whenever possible. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is one of the most popular and well-known phonetic alphabets. It was originally created by primarily British language teachers, with later efforts from European phoneticians and linguists. It has changed from its earlier intention as a tool of foreign language pedagogy to a practical alphabet of linguists. It is currently becoming the most often seen alphabet in the field of phonetics. Most American dictionaries for native English-speakers-American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Websters Third New International Dictionary-employ respelling systems based on the English alphabet, with diacritical marks over the vowels and stress marks. Another commonly encountered alphabetic tradition is the Americanist phonetic alphabet, originally created for the transcription of Native American and European languages. There exist somewhat similar traditions used by linguists of Indic, Finno-Ugric, Caucasian, and Slavic languages. The difference between these alphabets and IPA is small, although often the specially created characters of the IPA are often abandoned in favour of already existing characters with diacritics (e.g. many characters are borrowed from Eastern European orthographies). There are also extended versions of the IPA, for example: extIPA, VoQs, and Luciano Caneparis. The IPA is not the only phonetic transcription system in use. The other common Latin-based system is the Americanist phonetic notation, devised for representing American languages, but used by some US linguists as an alternative to the IPA. There are also sets of symbols specific to Slavic, Indic, Finno-Ugric, and Caucasian linguistics, as well as other regional specialties. The differences between these alphabets and IPA are relatively small, although often the special characters of the IPA are abandoned in favour of diacritics or digraphs. Other alphabets, such as Hangul, may have their own phonetic extensions. There also exist featural phonetic transcription systems, such as Alexander Melville Bells Visible Speech and its derivatives. The International Phonetic Association recommends that a phonetic transcription should be enclosed in square brackets [ ]. A transcription that specifically denotes only phonological contrasts may be enclosed in slashes / / instead. If one is in doubt, it is best to use brackets, for by setting off a transcription with slashes one makes a theoretical claim that every symbol within is phonemically contrastive for the language being transcribed. Phonetic transcriptions try to objectively capture the actual pronunciation of a word, whereas phonemic transcriptions are model-dependent. For example, in The Sound Pattern of English, Noam Chomsky and Morris Halle transcribed the English word night phonemically as /nixt/. In this model, the phoneme /x/ is never realized as [x], but shows its presence by lengthening the preceding vowel. The preceding vowel in this case is the phoneme /i/, which is pronounced [aÉ ª] when long. So phonemic /nixt/ is equivalent to phonetic but underlying this analysis is the belief that historical sounds such as the gh in night may remain in a word long after they have ceased to be pronounced, or that a phoneme may exist in a language without ever being directly expressed. (This was later rejected by both Chomsky and Halle.) For phonetic transcriptions, there is flexibility in how closely sounds may be transcribed. A transcription that gives only a basic idea of the sounds of a language in the broadest terms is called a broad transcription; in some cases this may be equivalent to a phonemic transcription (only without any theoretical claims). A close transcription, indicating precise details of the sounds, is called a narrow transcription. These are not binary choices, but the ends of a continuum, with many possibilities in between. All are enclosed in brackets. Here every symbol represents an unambiguous speech sound, but without going into any unnecessary detail. None of these transcriptions make any claims about the phonemic status of the sounds. Instead, they represent certain ways in which it is possible to produce the sounds that make up the word. There are also several possibilities in how to transcribe this word phonemically, but here the differences are generally not of precision, but of analysis. The special symbol for English r is not used, for it is not meaningful to distinguish it from a rolled r. The differences in the letter e reflect claims as to what the essential difference is between the vowels of pretzel and pray; there are half a dozen ideas in the literature as to what this may be. The second transcription claims that there are two vowels in the word, even if they cant both be heard, while the first claims there is only one. However, phonemic transcriptions may also be broad or narrow, or perhaps it would be better to say abstract vs. concrete. They may show a fair amount of phonetic detail, usually of a phonemes most common allophone, but because they are abstract symbols they do not need to resemble any sound at all directly. Phonemic symbols will frequently be chosen to avoid diacritics as much as possible, under a one sound one symbol policy, or may even be restricted to the ASCII symbols of a typical keyboard. For example, the English word church may be transcribed as in church. A close approximation of its actual pronunciation, or more abstractly as /crc/, which is easier to type. Phonemic symbols should always be explained, especially when they are as divergent from actual / Occasionally a transcription will be enclosed in pipes (| |). This goes beyond phonology into morphological analysis. For example, the words pets and beds could be transcribed phonetically as and (in a fairly narrow transcript ion), and phonemically as /pets/ and /bedz/. Because /s/ and /z/ are separate phonemes in English, they receive separate symbols in the phonemic analysis. However, you probably recognize that underneath this, they represent the same plural ending. This can be indicated with the pipe notation. If you believe the plural ending is essentially an s, as English spelling would suggest, the words can be transcribed |pets| and |beds|. If, as most linguists would probably suggest, it is essentially a z, these would be |petz| and |bedz|. To avoid confusion with IPA symbols, it may be desirable to specify when native orthography is being used, so that, for example, the English word jet is not read as yet. This is done with angle brackets or chevrons: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹jetà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º. It is also common to italicize such words, but the chevrons indicate specifically that they are in the original languages orthography, and not in English transliteration. Symbol and Sounds: The International Phonetic Alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet, using as few non-Latin forms as possible.The Association created the IPA so that the sound values of most consonants taken from the Latin alphabet would correspond to international usage. Hence, the letters à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹bà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹dà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹fà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, (hard) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹Ãƒâ€°Ã‚ ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, (non-silent) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹hà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, (unaspirated) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹kà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹là ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹mà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹nà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, (unaspirated) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹pà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, (voiceless) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹sà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, (unaspirated) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹tà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹và ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹wà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹zà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º have the values used in English; and the vowels from the Latin alphabet (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹eà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢ â‚ ¬Ã‚ ¹ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹oà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹uà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º) correspond to the sound values of Latin: [i] is like the vowel in machine, [u] is as in rule, etc. Other letters may differ from English, but are used with these values in other European languages, such as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹jà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹rà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹yà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º. This inventory was extended by using capital or cursive forms, diacritics, and rotation. There are also several derived or taken from the Greek alphabet, though the sound values may differ. For example, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º is a vowel in Greek, but an only indirectly related consonant in the IPA. Two of these (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º) are used unmodified in form; for others (including à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ²Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹Ãƒâ€°Ã‚ £Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹Ãƒâ€°Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹Ãƒâ€°Ã‚ ¸Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º) subtly different glyph shapes have been devised, which may be encoded in Unicode separately from their parent letters. The sound values of modified Latin letters can often be derived from those of the original letters. For example, letters with a rightward-facing hook at the bottom represent retroflex consonants; and small capital letters usually represent uvular consonants. Apart from the fact that certain kinds of modification to the shape of a letter generally correspond to certain kinds of modification to the sound represented, there is no way to deduce the sound represented by a symbol from the shape of the symbol (unlike, for example, in Visible Speech). Beyond the letters themselves, there are a variety of secondary symbols which aid in transcription. Diacritic marks can be combined with IPA letters to transcribe modified phonetic values or secondary articulations. There are also special symbols for suprasegmental features such as stress and tone that are often employed. Letter Forms: The symbols chosen for the IPA are meant to harmonize with the Latin alphabet.For this reason, most symbols are either Latin or Greek letters, or modifications thereof. However, there are symbols that are neither: for example, the symbol denoting the glottal stop, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ Ã¢â‚¬ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, has the form of a gelded question mark, and was originally an apostrophe. In fact, there are a few symbols, such as that of the voiced pharyngeal fricative, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, which, though modified to blend with the Latin alphabet, were inspired by glyphs in other writing systems (in this case, the Arabic letter `ain) Despite its preference for letters that harmonize with the Latin alphabet, the International Phonetic Association has occasionally admitted symbols that do not have this property. For example, before 1989, the IPA symbols for click consonants were à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ -à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ -à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, all of which were derived either from existing symbols, or from Latin and Greek letters. However, except for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, none of these symbols was widely used among Khoisanists or Bantuists, and as a result they were replaced by the more widespread symbols à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ Ã‹Å"à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹Ãƒâ€¡Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹Ãƒâ€¡Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹Ãƒâ€¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¹Ãƒâ€¡Ã‚ Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º at the IPA Kiel Convention in 1989. Some of the new symbols were ordinary Roman letters typeset turned (= upside-down) (e.g. ÊÅ ½ É ¥ Éâ„ ¢ Ɇ É ¹ à ¡Ã‚ ´Ã… ¡), which was easily done before mechanical typesetting machines came into use. Usage: Although the IPA offers over a hundred symbols for transcribing speech, it is not necessary to use all relevant symbols at the same time; it is possible to transcribe speech with various levels of precision. A precise phonetic transcription, in which sounds are described in a great deal of detail, is known as a narrow transcription. A coarser transcription which ignores some of this detail is called a broad transcription. Both are relative terms, and both are generally enclosed in square brackets. Broad phonetic transcriptions may restrict themselves to easily heard details, or only to details that are relevant to the discussion at hand, and may differ little if at all from phonemic transcriptions, but they make no theoretical claim that all the distinctions transcribed are necessarily meaningful in the language. Phonetic transcriptions of the word international in two English dialects. The square brackets indicate that the differences between these dialects are not necessarily sufficient to distinguish different words in English. For example, the English word little may be transcribed broadly using the IPA as [ˈlÉ ªtÉâ„ ¢l], and this broad (imprecise) transcription is an accurate (approximately correct) description of many pronunciations. It is customary to use simpler letters, without a lot of diacritics, in phonemic transcriptions. The choice of IPA letters may reflect the theoretical claims of the author, or merely be a convenience for typesetting. For instance, in English, either the vowel of pick or the vowel of peak may be transcribed as /i/ (for the pairs /pik, piË k/ or /pÉ ªk, pik/), and neither is identical to the vowel of the French word pique which is also generally transcribed /i/. That is, letters between slashes do not have absolute values, something true of broader phonetic approximations as well. A narrow transcription may, however, be used to distinguish them: [pÊ °Ãƒâ€°Ã‚ ªk], [pÊ °iË k], [pik].

The Divine Comedy and the Human Experience :: Divine Comedy Inferno Essays

The Divine Comedy: The Depth of Human Experience Religious, structured, and orderly. Although this book is religious through and through, it is also very earthly. You seem to never leave the earth. In fact, there seems to be no difference between earth and the heavenly sphere. It is a solid world, no distinction between mind and matter, everything is touchable. The physical expresses the spiritual, the spirit of God is physical and pervades the physical universe--it's all one place. There is no heaven and hell, it is just all here. For this reason, this book answers all of those questions you had as a kid in Sunday school and nobody could give you a satisfying answer, for instance, where do people go when they die, what does hell look like, what does heaven look like, what is purgatory, and how does one get from purgatory to heaven. Sunday school teachers should just read Dante to the kids--it is the end-all encyclopedia of heaven, hell, and purgatory. The symbolism of the beginning is nice, that he is in a forest being chased by various animals. I can imagine that each of the animals represents some kind of vice and that the part in the woods symbolizes the sinful, confused life full of temptations. It was interesting that Virgil was his guide. I was expecting a more religious character, for instance, Moses--but it later turned out that he was sitting in hell himself! That was an eye-opener. It makes you realize the difference between the old and the new testaments. Even Noah was in hell.(!) But at least they weren't very deep in hell. "All hope abandon ye who enter here." I liked how Hell is an interactive place for Dante. He isn't afraid to "touch the merchandise." Then seizing on his hinder scalp, I cried: "Name thee, or not a hair shall tarry here." He is human, he takes part and overreacts. And he keeps fainting. It's not a Universal Studios ride through hell, but you can actually grab ahold of the props, talk to old friends and acquaintences, and the guide will patiently wait for you when you faint. Another aspect of hell that surprised me was that the devil was standing on a frozen lake. This isn't the picture of Larson's Far Side hell scenes, nor is the devil the cool, rebellious bad boy of Milton's Paradise Lost.

A Marriage Quite Like an Arch Essay

John Ciardi’s poem â€Å"Most Like an Arch This Marriage†. Ciardi uses symbolism, similes, metaphors, and imagery when comparing marriage to an arch. Marriage is about strength, when two connections come together and meet each other in the middle to form a strong bond as they uphold one another. The poem describes marriage as an archway that can withstand the forces of nature and gain its strength from two pillars that come together at one point. In the first quatrain, the speaker turns to the description of how a marriage is like an arch, using formal diction to illustrate an image in the reader’s mind with similes, â€Å"Most like an arch–an entrance which upholds† (Line 1). Both sides of an arch hold an entrance up; an arch is typically a â€Å"curved structural member spanning an opening and serving as a support† (â€Å"Arch† Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 1 June 2014). â€Å"Mass made idea, and idea held in place; A lock in time; Inside half-heaven unfolds† (3-4). Passion a man has for his woman is sealed by the bond of marriage, a sacred bond â€Å"locked in time†, â€Å"inside half-heaven†, a marriage searches for unity and perfection. In the second quatrain, the speaker compares two weaknesses, two fallings, two joined abeyances that mold into one strength. â€Å"Most like an arch–two weaknesses that lean into a strength; two falling become firm / Two joined abeyances become a term naming the fact that teaches fact to mean† (5-8). Two individuals leading a single life have many obstacles to face, but when the two individuals conjoin they become stronger as one, and as one they can tackle whatever obstacle that is thrown their way as long as they’re united. In the third quatrain, the speaker portrays a longing, a need between two strengths. â€Å"Not quite that? Not much less. World as it is, what’s strong and separate falter† (9-10). A strayed individual maybe strong, but walking alone makes that individual weak. â€Å"All I do, at piling stone on stone apart  from you is roofless around nothing. Till we kiss† (11-12). â€Å"Piling stone on stone†, building a wall between them, when you are apart from your significant other it feels like an eternity, like you are missing your other half, â€Å"apart from you is roofless around nothing† (11-12). â€Å"Till we kiss† (12), the separation feels like an eternity until we kiss, and then it feels like we are whole again. In the final quatrain, the speaker explains that even though couples are flawed, they are together through thick and thin. â€Å"It is by falling in and in we make the all-bearing point, for one another’s sake, in faultless failing, raised by our own weight† (14-16). Each person is going to have their faults and at times both people may fail in something together, but it is with the love and strength of their marriage that they are able to rise up from whatever obstacle and be stronger for having gone through it together.

Environmental Effects on Human Health Essay

With the vast changes in the environment, human health is at an all time risk. Man has created factors over the years that can be controlled with enormous effort on each individual. Environmental risk factors from natural occurrences are not easily controlled, yet have an astounding effect on human health. Dry conditions have created perfect environment for natural wild fires throughout much of the world causing concern for increased air pollution. Radon gas is a radiation that occurs in nature and has been around since the beginning of time; it is the second leading cause of lung cancer, but can be controlled with little effort. Mold spores in the millions grow in most areas of the world affecting people’s respiratory health, skin, and eyes yet can be prevented. Environmental health risks from natural causes are mostly preventable with diligence from everyone. Wildfires are a combination of grasses, trees and possible building materials. This leaves fine particles in the air that can travel for several miles causing health concerns in areas surrounding the fires. Air pollution caused by wildfires not only hurts your eyes but also can irritate the respiratory system causing people suffering from asthma and chronic lung disease to feel the effects. Chronic heart disease is also affected by the harmful air quality. (Center for Disease Control, 2011) Always check the local air quality index to determine if you are safe outdoors; otherwise, remain indoors with the windows and doors closed and the air conditioning running to keep contaminated outdoor air form coming indoors. Take caution to remove yourself from situations that may be unsafe or harmful to your health. Radon gas is a naturally occurring background radiation that has been around since time began. It is found predominantly in soil, but occurs everywhere. Radon gas is an odorless, tasteless, invisible gas that can seep into our homes through the ground causing serious health problems. Radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer. The amount of radon in your house and the amount of time you spend there, determine the risks of getting lung cancer from the gas. Smokers face a much larger risk of getting lung cancer from radon gas than non-smokers. There is a big push by governments across the globe to reduce the risks of lung cancer from radon. There are many myths surrounding radon that the government is working to dispel. Of those myths scientists agree that radon causes thousands of preventable deaths each year from lung cancer, radon testing is easy and can be done by yourself or by a qualified testing company, all homes are affected and homes with dangerously high levels can be easily fixed by professional radon gas mitigators, and every house tests differently. (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2009) Molds are fungi that grow most everywhere and effect people in all health categories. People with respiratory conditions such as asthma, allergies, and sinusitis have the greatest risks of affected. Individuals with a weakened immune system, children and elderly are at risk of being effective as well. Symptoms that may occur are nasal stuffiness, wheezing, eye irritation, and skin irritations. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010) Mold can be found anywhere but prefer places that are warm and moist. A cleaning solution of one cup bleach to one gallon of water may be used to kill existing mold. Keep areas that are prone to moisture clean and ventilated to reduce potential mold hazards. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2006) In summary, human health concerns are at an all time with the vast environmental changes that have occurred. Air quality affected by naturally occurring wildfires has a large impact on people for miles surrounding the fires. Lung cancer caused by naturally occurring radon gases is being addressed by governments across the globe in an attempt to reduce outbreaks. People everywhere are fighting the harmful effects of mold and learning ways to control the infestations. Maintaining good health in a world riddled with natural and manmade environmental concerns requires knowledge, understanding, and effort on every individual.

Free Essays on Morality

, if there are no human beings, then there can be no values (Thiroux 14). Each theory presented above also has criticisms in opposition of their ideas. In regards to the Supernatural Theory, it is a belief, based on faith, because there is no conclusive proof of the existence of a supernatural being (Thiroux 14). The Natural Law Theory refers to natural moral laws. These so-called natural laws are descriptive and there is no evidence that any natural moral laws that prescribes how beings in nature should or ought to behave or not behave exists. The subjective view believes there is no value in nature outside of human beings. This point of view is rather pretentious. Whether or not... Free Essays on Morality Free Essays on Morality Morality Morality. It has been questioned by people, honored by people and revered since the beginning of time. Yet even today not one person can say what is morally right. It is a matter of opinion. It was Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s opinion that it was alright to create a "monster". Frankenstein’s creation needed a companion. Knowing that his first creation was evil should the doctor make a second? With the knowledge at hand, to Dr. Frankenstein, it is not at all morally correct to bring another monster into the world. Looking at this problem with his family in mind, the doctor begins his work on the second monster. The first monster threatened Frankenstein and even his family. The monster angrily said to Frankenstein, "I can make you so wretched." (pg. 162) Trying to scare Frankenstein for not creating his mate the monster resorted to threats. If the good doctor does create a companion for his first creation he may be endangering others. "The miserable monster whom I had created," (pg.152) says Victor upon looking back at his work. If there is another monster there will be twice the power and possibly twice the evil, which could hurt or kill his family. When and if Frankenstein commits the moral sin of creating another monster he may be rid of both monsters forever. "With the companion you bestow I will quit the neighborhood of man,"(pg 142) promises the morally corrupt monster to the doctor upon the completion of his partner. When the doctor, if and when he, finished his first creation’s m ! ate there is a chance that the monsters will not keep their promise and stay in Europe evoking fear into townsfolk. The good doctor, trying to act morally, destroys the monster for the good of the world. The monsters can potentially take over whatever they please. "A race of devils would be propagated,"(pg. 163) thinks Frankenstein to himself in his study. The monsters, if powerful enough, could possibly take over Europe. Frankenstein... Free Essays on Morality Morality is a subjective topic that is solely based on each individuals perception. First let me explain what morality is. Morality is the concept that beliefs and actions are either good and right or bad and wrong. People are considered to be moral or immoral depending on where their beliefs fall into the overall spectrum of morality. Most people tend to fall into the middle of the spectrum, meaning they know the difference between right and wrong but may not always follow it. The origin of morality is a controversial topic that has been debated for centuries. One idea is the Supernatural Theory. This is the belief that values come from some higher or supernatural being, beings, or principle, such as God and His Sons. These beings or principles embody the highest good themselves, and they reveal to human beings what is right or good and what is bad or wrong (Thiroux 13). The other theory is the Natural Law Theory. This is the belief that morality somehow is embodied in nature, and that there are â€Å"natural laws† that human beings must adhere to if they are to be moral (Thiroux 13). One opposition to both theories is the belief that values are totally subjective. That means that morality stems from within human beings. In other words, if there are no human beings, then there can be no values (Thiroux 14). Each theory presented above also has criticisms in opposition of their ideas. In regards to the Supernatural Theory, it is a belief, based on faith, because there is no conclusive proof of the existence of a supernatural being (Thiroux 14). The Natural Law Theory refers to natural moral laws. These so-called natural laws are descriptive and there is no evidence that any natural moral laws that prescribes how beings in nature should or ought to behave or not behave exists. The subjective view believes there is no value in nature outside of human beings. This point of view is rather pretentious. Whether or not...

Essay on Interpersonal communicationEssay Writing Service

Essay on Interpersonal communicationEssay Writing Service Essay on Interpersonal communication Essay on Interpersonal communicationDear Mr. and Mrs. X,I am writing to you to remind of the importance of interpersonal communication and its impact on familial relations. In fact, the lack of the effective interpersonal communication between spouses as well as between other family members is one of the major causes of conflicts and problems within the family. As far as I know, you do have problems in your interpersonal relations and your family life is not perfect at the moment. Probably you underestimate the significance of interpersonal relations as many spouses do, especially, if they live together for a long time. At this point, I would like to mention that one of the main challenges for your interpersonal relations is your experience of living together which has shaped deep-rooted habits. You have just accustomed to each other to the extent that you have stopped to communicate with each other effectively because you believe you know what each of us is thinking or wanting to sa y.I would recommend you to think carefully about each other’s actions and words since you may be offending in relation to each other. Moreover, you may lose the effective interpersonal communication because you are too accustomed to each other. As a result, you may face serious communication gaps that may cause serious conflicts within your family and your spousal relations.In such a situation, I would offer you several recommendations which could have helped you to enhance your interpersonal communication and, thus, improve your family life. First of all, I would encourage you to start talking to each other. Don’t be afraid to be the first, who starts talking and raise serious issues which do matter for your family life and for you in person. You may start from talking on issues that are significant but not crucial for your interpersonal relations and that are not likely to cause disputes and conflicts between you. Steadily, you should start talking about your problem s and issues which really disturb you and affect the quality of your life. Just try to talk first. At the same time, try not to slip to a dispute with each other. Instead, stay focused on what you are saying. Try not to be offensive in relation to your spouse and use simple words and clear arguments.At the same time, I would highly recommend you to learn to listen to each other. The ability to listen and listening skills are crucial for you to understand each other. If you fail to understand what your spouse actually wants to say you, you are likely to be unable to maintain effective communication. In this regard, I would recommend you to evaluate critically what you hear and view those words from the standpoint of your spouse. In such a way, you will be able to understand your spouse better, if you understand what he or she feels about the issue you discuss.Finally, I expect my assistance will help you to enhance your communication with each other. At any rate, I will do my best to help you to resolve your problems and conflicts, but you should remember that the recovery of your familial ties and interpersonal communication starts from yourself. So, don’t be afraid to make the first move.Sincerely,Name.

Assessment by Portfolio and Standardized Testing - Smart Custom Writing Samples

Assessment by Portfolio and Standardized Testing - Smart Custom Writing Law in BookLaw refers to the universal guiding principles that give the description of the fundamental nature of a thing, to universal belongings and relationship between things. The â€Å"rule of law† solely depends on uniform usage of laws and the common procedure. This implies that the legal procedure should be separated off from the political processes that the judges and the courts should be independent. It also important to note that law or the legal process is really difficult to sustain. This is due to the fact that powerful forces are always trying to bias law in their direction and it is clear that it has been an easy principle to maintain but very fragile (Jacob, 1998). My understanding concerning black letter law is that it is the established standards for a particular law or orthodoxy. These are the things we always find in text books and comprises of the prepositions that judges are capable of citing argument. Laws or rather the black letter law is vital since it is highly authoritative and can be expected to be applied with high degree of certainty. All the same, â€Å"Law in Action† reminds us that no matter how interesting or elegant a theory might appear to be we must always ask ourselves, â€Å"Why should it matter to the individuals across the world?† Generally, the black letter law can also be referred to as that basic standards or elements of a particular law that can not be disputed. This term is common in the American legal framework but in English law, it is used in referring to areas of law that are characterized by technical rules rather than having conceptual basis. Law in action is our signature approach to understanding the legal education and framework that captures the unique and special role played by most institutions within legal education (Willard, 1968). The law is also based on the conceptual framework that affects all our undertakings. The concept of law in action presents itself any moment that we happen to discuss who we are and who we desire to be. When you join most of the faculties you will always here this phrase and later came to realize that it symbolizes that in order to truly understand the law, you have to understand the law on the books first. It also goes beyond statutes and cases and focuses on how law is applied out there in the community level. "Law in Action" is an orientation that has led to our public status for ground-breaking approaches to both teaching and scholarship. It also embraces our superiority over the years in fields such as legal history, criminal justice, industrial relations, law and society, and proportional institutional money matters. This law offers a challenge to us by combining our expertise and scholarly traditions with the strengths of the great academia of which we are a part, in order to presume national leadership in emerging areas such as bioethics, globalization, and other dimensions of law and technology (Jacob, 1998). Law in Action's Relevance for the Future Our famous law in action still flourishes and develops year by year, and it generally occupies the central position in all our undertakings in connection to our Strategic Plan. "Law in Action" gives us the focus to understand the confrontations of remaining one of the nations unsurpassed law schools. With the help of law in action, it is clear that we will continue to build our national status for distinction and our dedication to the "Law in Action" philosophy. It is a philosophy that has served most Law School graduates well over the past century, and it is one that may prove even more relevant for tomorrow's graduates as we are increasingly being faced with a more multifarious, aggressive, and demanding world. When we look at the famous factious legal case created by Lon Fuller in his article, â€Å"The Case of the Speluncean Explorers,† we find that the case gives us the picture of a group of spelunkers or cave explorers trapped by landslide. It is evident that upon realizing that they are approaching a point when they are going to be faced with starvation, they make radio call to the rescue team and engineers’ estimates that rescue team are likely to take another ten days. The spelunkers are astonished whether they are going to survive for all those ten years. But all in all, after being rescued they are prosecuted for murder and in that case or some moment later Newgarth carries a mandatory death penalty (Paul, King, 1997). As in the case of the policeman and the driver who was driving under the influence of alcohol and begins to argue with the cop when questioned, it is clear that the driver is against the law but pretends not to understand. He is then told by the police that â€Å"That is the law† meaning that where there is no law there is tyranny and oppression. The driver feels that since he is driving his own car it is not necessary to have driving license since it is meant for those driving public vehicle services. This also supports the similar concept of the rule of law† where written law in control of individual behaviors not the whims of a strong man ruler (Jacob, 1998). To conclude, it is evident that the law is meant to safeguard the interest of the general public, their lives, as well as property. And it is also important to note that when the law ends, begins tyranny. Without law in place people are likely to be treated in the manner that is not appropriate since there are those taking law into their hands (Jacob, 1998). References Jacob H. (1998) Law in action: legal frontiers for natural resources planning. Oxford: Oxford University Press Paul, D. and King, E. (1997) Law and the Wisconsin Idea, 47 Journal of Legal Education 297 Willard, H. (1968) Changing Responsibilities of the Law School 1868-1968, Wisconsin L. Rev. 336.

Summary the aticle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary the aticle - Essay Example Jean Gregoine disagreed with this view. He believed that the technique on which the utilization of material depends should be progressive and hence beauty would change too. Aesthetic qualities are expendable and liable to wastage of effect. For instance, the part to be repaired in Bugatti is hidden for the sake of beauty, which makes repairs difficult to be conducted in contrast to Buick where the stress is not on the beauty but practical performance and repairs. In Buick the technical and aesthetic qualities have been given equal importance whereas Bugatti is a monument of abstract art. The criticism of popular art depends upon the analysis of content which lends appreciation to superficial qualities. The industrial designer should have the ability to design a product that is good, desirable, and exciting. This trend becomes more pronounced as culture becomes mechanized when the middle-class people become educated. The designer has to be in touch with the masses and determine to what extent fine arts can be integrated with popular art and what will sell. This alone can bring out innovative, aesthetically appealing, and functionally good product. During the Second Industrial Age there was a connection between design practice and the theoretical self-awareness. With the development of design management, changes took place in the management of machinery design. Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company, brought about innovation in design management. They were market leaders in machine tool manufacturing in 1900. They brought changes with non-mechanical decoration in 1911. All designs had to conform to a style manual issued by the Chief Draughtsman and the purpose was to create artistic machines with analytical engineering. This means the process by which the machines were designed and manufactured were transformed. This involved book learning and shop

Effect of Social Media on Childrens Academic Performance Essay

Effect of Social Media on Childrens Academic Performance - Essay Example Technological advances at this day and age have brought about a lot of changes in the way children and teens communicate socially by the use of social communication platforms such as Facebook, Blogging, Internet TV, Skype, Twitters, YouTube and MySpace and so on. Younger children are also indulged in social networking heavily. This is according to a study conducted where websites such as ClubPenguin, Poptropica, Habbo, Neopets and Stardoll have managed to register millions of users who mostly are younger children (â€Å"Your Children and the Internet: Social Networking Sites†). According to the study by the Kaiser Family Foundation (2010, January), more than eight in ten, that is 84%, of young people now have fast Internet access at home, this has increased from a record of 74% in 2004 and 47% in 1999. As a result, they spend more time online when they are at the comfort of their homes. Computer usage has also sky rocketed where many homes now own a computer, so as to get access to the Internet. Seven in ten 8- to 18-year-olds go online; this can be translated to about 70%. Where home use if around 57% whereas going online at school, in the library, community centre is about 20%. These networking tools have brought about a lot of time focus by the children and they lose focus of their studies and education which is quite important too. At this point internet being easily affordable and readily available and the occurrence of smart phones, tablets and other internet enabled gadgets; children are prone to be subjected to all they would want to access at just a click away. i. Vulnerability of children’s level of development According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2001), "Children are influenced by media–they learn by observing, imitating, and making behaviors their own". The continuous access to the internet by children has caused them to be vulnerable to a lot of things. For instance, children development has been hindered to a capacity that is quite alarming. Children are influenced by what they see on the television, magazines and the likes to a point they can be able to depict exactly what they see others doing. This also makes them vulnerable in the fact that social media such as the internet, texting and networking can lead to reduced concentration and academic performance. This has definitely led to reduced grades and progressive dependence on social media has shown that the same children who spend more time on TV than physical activities tend to be slower at grasping facts. In addition to that, exposure to unrated adult t elevision has been noticed to lead to increased exposure to violence or sexual content and this in turn lead to aggressive behavior and thoughts respectively and other factors such as fear and less helping in house chores (â€Å"Anti-Social Networking: How do texting and social media affect our children? A panel by CSC clinicians at the Nightingale Bamford School†). Renee Hobbs, an advocate for media literacy education commented on that issue stating, â€Å"Just because our students can use media and technology doesn't mean they are effective at critically analyzing and evaluating the messages they receive. Students need a set of skills to ask important questions about what they watch, see, listen to and read. Often called media literacy, these skills include the ability to critically

Abstract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 27

Abstract - Essay Example The initial construction involved changes of building materials. The other change involved the introduction of new architecture as a depiction of various victories and accomplishments. There was also addition of more rooms to cater for entertainments. The other part of the paper focuses on the structure of the palace. The structure is shown based on Victorian era. This part also offers a comparison analysis of the building and how it could have been different if it was built in the current societies. The last part of the paper carries the concluding remarks. Buckingham Palace is located in the City of Westminster and is the residence and office of the British monarch for over four centuries. The place is owned by the British government and is extended for the public and private use of the ruling monarch, which has to be given up when the King or Queen leaves their position. Buckingham Palace, originally known as Buckingham House, has housed generations of British monarch beginning from Queen Victoria and later including prominent rulers such as Edward VII, Queen Elizabeth and George VI. John Nash and Edward Blore mainly designed the Palace but later structural and other changes were incorporated in the original design to accommodate the changing needs and tastes of the ruling monarch. This paper will attempt to shed light on the history, structure and use of one of the most important houses in Britain- the Buckingham Palace. The site that is considered the Buckingham Paalace today was in the beginning three sites: Buckingham Gardens, Goring House and Arlington House. As the need for more space was required according to the lifestyle of the Dukes and rulers, the surrounding sites were added to the original Buckingham Gardens. Buckingham Palace began as Buckingham House when John Sheffield, the first Duke of Buckingham built the house in 1702. The Palace as one sees it today

Strategic Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategic Accounting - Essay Example One of the major developments in the area of managerial accounting is the product life cycle costing which has gained serious recognition during recent periods to meet the challenges of changes in the production systems and procedures. Product life-cycle costing being the new development in the management accounting system has been defined as "a new area of reporting in cost management systems which is the accumulation of costs for activities that occur over the entire life cycle of product"(Hilton, 1994, p.230). Product life cycle examines the life of the product from its development stage to the stage till the removal of the product from the usage. According to Horngren & Foster (1991), product life-cycle covers the life of the product from the time of initial research and development to the time when sales and support of the product to the customers is withdrawn. Burstein (1988) observes that the life cycle costing becomes more and more crucial and important in the light of rapid changes in technology and the shortening of the product life cycle. There is a sharp distinction between the product's life cycle costs and the whole life cycle costs. Life cycle costs cover all the costs that the manufacturer will have to incur and whole life cycle cost includes the costs at the hands of the consumer like installation, operation, maintenance, revitalization and disposal (Shields & Young 1991.) Adamany & Gonsalves (1994) have identified the following seven stages in the life cycle of a product: 1. Analysis Stage - involving a critical assessment of the concept and the effects of investing on the concept 2. Start Up Stage - comprising of prototyping, dedication of the manufacturing facilities and practical assessment of the effects of the investment 3. Entry Stage - where the entry into the market with a new product or service is planned 4. Growth Stage - during which the firm receives back the returns on investment as potential sales revenues 5. Maturity Stage - at which the firm harvests the profit from the product or service 6. Decline Stage - signifying the tampering down of the sales which necessitates moving to the withdrawal stage or revitalizing the product 7. Withdrawal Stage - the product is withdrawn from the market It is also vitally important that the managers gather all the required information at the different stages of the life cycle and the life cycle concept introduces an integrated approach to planning and budgeting. Mapping of Key Information Requirements Life Cycle Phase Time Customer Requirement Satisfaction Target Pricing Resource Requirement Continuous Improvements Cash Flow Analysis Critical Critical Critical Critical Critical Start up Critical Critical Critical Critical Critical Entry Critical Critical Critical Critical Critical Growth Critical Critical Critical Critical Critical Critical Maturity Critical Critical Critical Critical Decline Critical Critical Withdrawal Critical Source: (Adamany & Gonsalves 1994) Actions under Life Cycle Costing for Generating Revenue and Reducing Costs Revenue Generation Cost Reduction Product Improvement: New Processes Features Cumulative Volume Performance Experience

Assignment 3 Three Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 3 Three Goals - Essay Example I created a whole glossary of these words on my computer to be able to refer to it any time I needed it. I found this practice very useful in doing the assignments as well as for understanding the concept surrounding social research. As I increased my vocabulary, I was better able to understand the social research papers. The more I comprehended them, the more I learnt how the social research works. To understand the second goal, I followed the instructions and guidelines that were provided to write the research papers. I used to print out the information, highlight important concepts and the key arguments. I followed the Bass Academic Reference Guide. To make it convenient, I placed the Guide next to my computer so that I would be able to refer to it any time I needed while making the reference list. Having written the research paper in due accordance with the established guidelines, I re-read the paper from start till end several times in an attempt to pick put the grammar and the erroneous sentence construction mistakes. The re-reading exercise also helped me concoct the paper is a more organized fashion wherein ideas would flow smoothly and the successive paragraphs would be linked with the preceding ones. I could not adequately work to achieve the third goal as I was not well. However, I actively participated in the discussion forums. The discussion forums provided me with the opportunity to learn from other students. I listened to their perspectives on different matters. I learnt the variety of ways in which the same meaning can be conveyed. One thing that I was surprised by the most was the fact that I had been able to make an active participant of the discussion forums while I was often feeling very drowsy due to the effect of the medicines. Although I was not enjoying good health, yet I cultivated a determination in me to finish this unit. I did not want my physical weakness to overpower my emotional strength, and I succeeded in achieving that. One

Cybersecurity Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cybersecurity - Coursework Example Considering the above two aspects cyber system is believed to be highly vulnerable for attack. Indeed, it is also being believed that cyber security is difficult to accomplish as cyber-attacks regularly overthrow the cyber defense system. The study aims to discuss the intervention of government for improving the cyber security. The objective of the study is to recognize the methods through which government intervene to enhance cyber security. The study also describes certain arguments on the aspect of government intervention (Rosenzweig, 2011). How Can Government Justify Telling Private Industry How To Set Up Or Improve Their Cyber Security? Nowadays, cyber security has become a national authoritative and governmental priority. Improved cyber security assists in protecting people and organizations, certifying the accessibility of critical structures on which the national economy as well as security depends. Therefore, government of any country can help private organizations and industry to set up and improve the aspect of cyber security. Cyber security solutions which assist organizations and industry on governmental and technological instructions can enhance the defensive power of information system. Self-defense provisions in laws have made the network and communication organizations to share information with the government regarding any kind of incident about cyber-attacks (Nojeim, 2010). Socio-Political Reasons In present days, almost every surface of life is related with internet. People and organizations both are at risk to the inexhaustible threats which impact on the networking activities. Hackers can travel thro ugh internet and can be benefitted from lack of security between autonomous network owners. This low coordination among public and private organizations makes internet defenseless, where hackers can easily enter on their network and access private information. Accordingly, it can hamper the confidence of public on organizations. Laws and regulations can be levied by government for improving the security. However, such government intervention is complicated as in reality, internet is a global network and government, businesses and people can be impacted by such governmental interventions in terms of negative market reactions, liability disclosures and undesirable discharge of private information. In every circumstance, the role of government must be prudently demarcated by law, regulation and practice so that public interest is fulfilled without the obligation of heavy burdens (Intelligence and National Security Alliance, 2009). Motivation Government can play an indirect role in fost ering cyber security by motivating organizations through several incentives. Government can provide tax recognitions, research and development supports, procurement control and implementation of prevailing regulations as a part of security motivations for organizations. As it is difficult for government to intervene in the work process of private organizat

Assignment 3 Three Goals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 3 Three Goals - Essay Example I created a whole glossary of these words on my computer to be able to refer to it any time I needed it. I found this practice very useful in doing the assignments as well as for understanding the concept surrounding social research. As I increased my vocabulary, I was better able to understand the social research papers. The more I comprehended them, the more I learnt how the social research works. To understand the second goal, I followed the instructions and guidelines that were provided to write the research papers. I used to print out the information, highlight important concepts and the key arguments. I followed the Bass Academic Reference Guide. To make it convenient, I placed the Guide next to my computer so that I would be able to refer to it any time I needed while making the reference list. Having written the research paper in due accordance with the established guidelines, I re-read the paper from start till end several times in an attempt to pick put the grammar and the erroneous sentence construction mistakes. The re-reading exercise also helped me concoct the paper is a more organized fashion wherein ideas would flow smoothly and the successive paragraphs would be linked with the preceding ones. I could not adequately work to achieve the third goal as I was not well. However, I actively participated in the discussion forums. The discussion forums provided me with the opportunity to learn from other students. I listened to their perspectives on different matters. I learnt the variety of ways in which the same meaning can be conveyed. One thing that I was surprised by the most was the fact that I had been able to make an active participant of the discussion forums while I was often feeling very drowsy due to the effect of the medicines. Although I was not enjoying good health, yet I cultivated a determination in me to finish this unit. I did not want my physical weakness to overpower my emotional strength, and I succeeded in achieving that. One

Global Fishing and its Impact on the Environment Essay Example for Free

Global Fishing and its Impact on the Environment Essay The demand of fish in the international market has been increasing in the last few years. This is because many researches on nutrition have revealed that consuming fish is one of the best healthy practices. Fish does not have a lot of fats and bad cholesterol and it is a good source of vitamins and natural nutrients. This paper is about the trends of fishing in the global arena and its impact on the environment. The paper will concern recreational and commercial both types of fishing and the problems they are causing to the marine environment. The current state of global fisheries, aquaculture and the environmental cost of fishing will be the main subjects of interest in this paper. Although many countries have started efforts to develop practices of sustainable fishing through developing the idea of fish farms, however, the main threat to the environment is recreational fishing. The impacts on the marine life itself and the fish population will be discussed in the paper. Current State of Global Fisheries There was a steady rise in fishing, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, until the mid 1990s when the trend became stable. In 2001, a study showed that the marine catch has been declining at a rate of 10% each year since the late 1980s. There have also been estimations that around 50% of the world’s fish reserves have been fully exploited, around 20% are overexploited and another 10% are depleted because of overfishing. The histogram graph below shows the increasing share of aqua culture in the total fishing, however, the largest share of the total fish catch is still for the fish being captured from free waters. Southeast Pacific regions contribute the most to the catch of fish globally. The fish that have been captured the most are anchovy and Chilean jack mackerel (Hart Reynolds, 2004). Figure 1- (Hart Reynolds, 2004) The research has also shown that almost 80% of the total fish captured was used for direct human consumption while other 20% went for further processing for non-consumption production. In the year 1997, the per capita consumption of fish has increased in the past 50 years from 9 kg per person to around 16 kg per person each year. This was the data for underdeveloped countries; however, the consumption in the developed countries has risen from 20kg to almost 28kg per capita per year. In the underdeveloped countries, the protein intake from the consumption of fish can form 20% of the total intake. In the developed countries and in the Southeastern Asian countries, the consumption is much higher (Hart Reynolds, 2004). The top ten countries which are the largest catchers of the total fish catches include China, Japan, India, United States, Russia and Indonesia. However, China is the largest catcher of fish as the total amount stands to around 12 million tons of fish (FAOSTAT online database, 2010). The demand of fish is stable at the moment but as the population rises, the demand for fish will also rise. It has been revealed that the people in the developed countries are more prone to eating fish as their per capita consumption is higher than people living in underdeveloped countries. Another point of concern is that the population is rising at a very high rate in countries such as India, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Middle-East where the catch of the fish is also the highest. Figure 2 Impact of Global Fishing on the Environment Today, the exploitation of the fishery resources and reserves has become a major environmental factor of concern for the scientists and environmentalists. The worldwide declines in the population of fish species have been blamed to the excessive commercial fishing and unrestrictive recreational fishing. A recent study has revealed that the total fish harvest from recreational activities may contribute up to almost 12% of the total catch of fish globally (Cooke, Steven, Cowx, 2004). Fish has been one of the most important food consumption resources that are at risk because of limitless recreational activities and commercial fishing. The potential contribution of fishing to the marine environment and the ecological system of the world has caused many problems in the environment already. Currently, the fish production is meeting the requirements of the population in the countries, but at a great environmental cost. The marine life is not only being endangered by the fishers but their breeding grounds have also been invaded by the commercial companies. These breeding grounds are the safe places for the fish. Though the fish are being bred in huge numbers, but their homes are being destroyed which does not allow the fish to be born. Although a fish can give birth to hundreds of its offspring in one season, but if these offspring are dead before they are born, then the ecological system in the waters is seriously disturbed. According to a research, the increasing pressure of fishing and exploitation of resources in marine life has caused a change in the ecological structure and the ecosystem. The fully developed fish and adult members of the fish are more fondly searched by the commercial and individuals as they render more profits and meat for the production. Therefore the adult population which is responsible for breeding and generating offspring are in great danger by the human activities in the seas. Climate change has also been attributed to the changes in the ecosystem which affect the marine life and decrease their population. In the future, therefore, the fish population, available for human consumption, is anticipated to fall and cause demand supply problems. The primary reasons for this are the attack of the humans on the marine life for consumption, recreational activities of the human individuals and the change in the global climate which is changing the living habitat of these fish (Planque, 2010). Aquaculture Production The term aquaculture is used for the farming of the fish and other marine species including aquatic plants, crustaceans and mollusks in an artificial environment which is fit for their breeding. This is done in order to protect the species of the fish which are getting extinct or for sustainable farming of fish. This practice is very good for the sustainability of the fish in free water as they are not hunted in their breeding grounds. When grown and fully ready, these fish are harvested by a company or an individual who has owned them throughout the period of growth and development (European Commission, 2007). This practice is the only option for meeting the demand of the human for fish consumption. Fishing for recreation has proved to be disastrous for the marine life and the water environment. The whole ecological system is disturbed because of excessive fishing. Aquaculture is mostly being performed for the human consumption but does not addresses the issue of recreational fishing. Aquaculture is also used to presence the dying species by providing the required temperature, environment and food for their existence. Many of these fish could be released in to the wild waters so that they could be used in the recreational activities (Stickney, 2009). Conclusion In order to keep the demand consistent with the supply for fish in the global market, the practice of aquaculture will have to be adopted. The main issues that the fish face are the recreational activities of the human, commercial overexploitation and the change in climate of the world. These problems are changing their habitat environment and hence these fish are getting endangered. However, we should keep in mind that all of the fish species are not being caught for human consumption. Hence, aquaculture will not be able to address this issue. Other strict rules and regulation will have to be implemented by the governments in order to stop the recreational killing of fish. Only the hunting of those fish should be allowed which are abundant in the waters. Aquaculture could be used to breed those fish which are primarily used for the consumption of human through providing an artificial environment where the fish can grow up in a protected way. Bibliography Cooke, Steven, Cowx, I. (2004). The Role of Recreational Fishing in Global Fish Crises. BioScience , 54 (9), 857-59. European Commission. (2007). Eurostat. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from Eurostat Pocketbook: http://epp. eurostat. ec. europa. eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-DW-07-001/EN/KS-DW-07-001-EN. PDF European Commission. (2009, September). Eurostat. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from Fishery Statistics: http://epp. eurostat. ec. europa. eu/statistics_explained/index. php/Fishery_statistics FAOSTAT online database. (2010). NationMaster. Retrieved May 9, 2010, from Environmental Statistics: http://www. nationmaster. com/graph/env_mar_fis_cat-environment-marine-fish-catch Hart, P. , Reynolds, J. (2004). Handbook of fish biology and fisheries. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing company. Planque, B. (2010). How does fishing alter marine populations and ecosystems sensitivity to climate? Journal of Marine Systems , 403-417. Stickney, R. (2009). Aquaculture an introductory text. Oxfordshire: Cambridge University Press.

Shipping companies listed on New Yorks Stock Exchange

Shipping companies listed on New Yorks Stock Exchange This study was based on 21 shipping companies listed in New York Stock Exchange, over the period of 2005 to 2009. On the table below the selected shipping companies are shown. Shipping Companies listed in the New York Stock Exchange DIANA SHIPPING INC NAVIOS MARITIME HOLDINGS INC 3 SAFE BULKERS INC 4 GENCO SHIPPING TRADING LIMITED 5 TEEKAY CORPORATION 6 TSAKOS ENERGY NAVIGATION LIMITED 7 EXCEL MARITIME CARRIERS LTD 8 DANAOS CORPORATION 9 AEGEAN MARINE PETROLEUM NETWORK INCORPORATION 10 FRONTLINE LIMITED 11 SEACOR HOLDINGS INCORPORATED 12 NORDIC TANKERS 13 GLOBAL SHIP LEASE INCORPORATION 14 GENERAL MARITIME CORPORATION 15 SEASPAN CORPORATION 16 SHIP FINANCE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED 17 KIRBY CORPORATION 18 OVERSEAS SHIPHOLDING GROUP, INC 19 DHT MARITIME INCORPORATION 20 INTERNATIONAL SHIPHOLDING CORPORATION 21 TIDEWATER INC This paper seeks to examine the relationship among three corporate governance mechanisms (board composition, chief executive status and audit committee) and some firm performance measures (return on investment capital, return on equity, Return on Assets and Current Ratio). Also, the essay examines the relationship among these three corporate governance mechanisms and the operating performance (Net Sales to Operating Cost) of the corporations. Part 1 Corporate Governance Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions affecting the way a corporation (or company) is directed, administered or controlled with the objective to enhance shareholders wealth. Corporate governance also includes the relationships among the stakeholders involved and the goals by which the corporation is governed. It is supposed that better corporate governance leads to better corporate performance by preventing the expropriation of controlling shareholders and ensuring better decision-making. Corporate governance is a priority along with financial indicators when evaluating investment decisions according to investors. The majority of them are prepared to pay a premium for companies having high governance standards. On the opposite, there are also bad forms of corporate governance that lead corporations to problems. Good corporate governance is considered to be a fundamental necessity to run a firm successfully. Moreover corporate governance is a process which can ensure growth for a firm and the economy in general. Most of the selected shipping companies are foreign private issuers established in Marshal or Bermuda islands. The minority of the selected companies are U.S corporations. Consequently most of them are not required to comply with the corporate governance practices followed by U.S. companies following the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listing standards. However, they are required to state any significant differences between their corporate governance practices and the practices required by the NYSE according to Section 303.A.11 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual.  Furthermore almost every chosen shipping company adopts NYSE required practices, such as having a majority of independent directors, establishing audit and compensation and nominating committees as well as adopting a Code of Ethics.   NYSE requires companies to adopt and disclose corporate governance guidelines.   The guidelines should address to the director qualification standards, the director responsibilities, the director access to management and independent advisers, the director compensation, the director orientation and continuing education, management succession as well as an annual performance evaluation. However,   most of the shipping companies trade in NYSE are not obliged to comply with these rules due to that they are foreign private issuers as well as most of them are offshore. For these companies there is no obligation of complying with any corporate governance guidelines or code of ethics. Shareholders can be informed via the annual reports and Code of Ethics, both of which have been publicly filed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission available on the companies web-sites. Corporate governance guidelines and shipping companies intend to publish an overview of the Companys gu iding principles which focuses on social issues. This Code cannot cover every applicable law or provide answers to all questions that may arise but it can set out general principles about an organization belief on matters such as mission, quality, conflicts of interest, internal reporting, privacy or the environment. Furthermore, it may define proper procedures to determine whether a violation of the code of ethics has occurred. Code of ethics and corporate social responsibility is a neglected issue in the shipping industry. Traditionally there is no reason for the shipping companies to invest in advertising or in any other activity that could improve their image. Consequently the main goal of the management of a shipping company is to attract as many as possible new clients. Any characteristic that can improve the reputation of the company is not a priority for the managers of a shipping company. Many years have passed and shipping companies were not obliged to follow some rules of social responsibilities. Fortunately, the last decade various regulations have been imposed to the operation of a shipping company, although the control mechanisms were not always efficient. Board of Directors An important aspect that influences the corporate governance is the board of directors. The board of directors plays an important role to the company operation. It oversees top management and is entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring and supervising the company resources and operation. Moreover, it undertakes the obligation of appointing a qualified person as the Chief Executive Officer and other management staff. Therefore, the board is seen as a team of individuals with fiduciary responsibilities of leading and directing a firm, with the primary objective of protecting the shareholders interests with high sense of integrity and commitment to the firm. The role of the Board is significant in designing efficient corporate monitoring and ratification mechanisms. With respect to reducing agency costs at the Board level, Boards of directors have three key decision rights: (1) Monitoring (2) Ratification (3) Reward and punishment rights. They may even remove top managers from their positions and sanction them for their decisions. NYSE rules require the size of the board of directors not to be smaller than three members. As it can be observed by the survey the size of the board of directors of the sample is between five and seven members. Although there are some shipping companies that have more than seven members in the board and some others that have less than five members. It can be concluded that the majority of the board members in the board of directors are outside directors (member of a company board of directors who is not an employee or stakeholder in the company). The role of independent directors on the board of directors is to effectively monitor and control firm activities in reducing opportunistic managerial behaviors and expropriation of firm resources. The majority of the board members are outsiders for most of the companies; some of them use relatives as well as acquaintances as board members. This indicates a tendency for the shipping companies to be governed by a closed team of people. In accordance to NYSE rules the board should have audit, compensation, and nominating committees made up entirely by outside directors. Almost all of them are consisted by the three obligatory committees opposed to the majority of the selected shipping companies that do not have the obligation to comply with the NYSE rules. The role of these committees is significant; they are assigned to evaluate the board The role of the Audit Committee The purpose of the Audit Committee is to: Monitor the integrity of the firm financial statements. Monitor the qualifications, independence and performance of the company independent auditors. Monitor the performance of the company internal audit function. The audit committee ensures that the books of the company are not fake and that shareholders are properly informed of the financial status of the firm. In this essay it is made an effort to examine the importance of the audit committee in shipping companies listed in the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE requires from a listed U.S. company to have an audit committee with a minimum of three members. But it is permitted by Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that audit committees of foreign companies can have less than three independent members in the audit committee. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Status The Chief Executive Officer position and the whole management team is an important position to hold in a corporation. They are responsible for Operating the firm in an effective way. Preparing the annual operating plans and budgets. Establishing an effective system of internal control. In this essay it is examined the role of the Chief executive officer (CEO) in the shipping companies. There are two types of leadership structure i.e. combined leadership structure and separated structure. Combined leadership structure happens when the CEO is also the chairman of the board. On the other hand separated leadership structure takes place when the Chairman of the board is a different person from the CEO. Many studies identifying the implications of CEO duality exist. It is thought that the operating performance may be improved as a result of less debate among the CEO and chairman and/or other directors. From the sample of the shipping companies that it was taken a significant tendency cannot be provided. In some of the shipping companies the CEO is also the chairman of the board while in others is not. Part 2 Methodology The aim of this research is to figure out if the corporate governance mechanisms have an effect on firm performance. Therefore, the measurement of firm performance is primarily comprised of two factors: operating and financial performance. The data used for this research were extracted from the audited financial statements of 21 shipping companies listed in the New York Stock Exchange. The survey covers the time period through 2005 2009. The sample consists of the annual observations for the board size of every company, for the CEO status and for the size of the audit committee of every shipping company. The aim of the research is to find if these corporate governance mechanisms influence the operating and financial performance ratios. Consequently regression models have been constructed in order to prove the association between the corporation governance in operating and financial performance. Microsoft Excel and the statistical package Eviews were used so as to collect the data run the appropriate regressions and identify the results. Moreover except from the companies annual reports a lot of information was extracted through the Thomson Database. In the end panel data methodology was adopted because it combined time series and cross sectional data. The method of analysis is that of multiple regressions and the method of estimation is Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). By running the appropriate regressions via Eviews and by using Return on equity and the profit margin as the dependent variables, the results were considered inadequate. Consequently it was considered integral to proceed to further research. That is why the below financial ratios were used as dependent variables. For the financial performance: Return on equity ratio: Profitability ratio, it can indicate the management effectiveness Return on assets ratio: Profitability ratio, it can also indicate the management effectiveness Return on investment capital ratio: Profitability ratio, it can also indicate the management effectiveness Current ratio: liquidity  ratio Finally in order to measure the operating performance: The above formulas contributed on calculating the ratios of the shipping companies for the time period of 2005 2009. Moreover, many independent variables were used to define the most accurate and specifically those that would give some results. Consequently as independent variables are defined the above: Out_Board = the proportion of the independent directors over the total directors. CEO = if the same person occupies the post of the chairman of the board and the Chief executive is defined by valuing with zero, otherwise value with one. Audcom1 = the proportion of the audit committee. In the end in order to run the regression, the economic models should be defined. For the return on equity: For the return on assets For the return on investment capital For the current ratio So as to measure the operating performance of the shipping companies the above economic model was used. Furthermore the above parameters should be defined. ÃŽÂ ²o:Constant term ÃŽÂ ²1:Coefficient of the regression ÃŽÂ ²2: Coefficient of the regression ÃŽÂ ²3: Coefficient of the regression eit: Disturbance term Empirical Results and Discussion It is important to mention some important data before continuing to comment on the outputs of the regression. First of all the regression outputs will be tested for all the three confidence intervals 90%,95% and 99%. In order to have a statistical significant output the t statistic has to be greater than 1.64, 1.96 and 2.576 respectively. Moreover so as to have a statistically significant variable the p value has to be less than 0,1 , 0.05 and 0.01 respectively. As it can be observed from the table below, the three independent variables are statistically insignificant because the t statistics are lower than the critical values. Moreover it can be confirmed because all the p values are greater than the level of significance. Dependent Variable: ROE Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.00683 0.552604 -0.01236 0.9902 CEO 0.017437 0.17098 0.101982 0.919 AUDCOM1 -0.002796 0.101423 -0.027571 0.9781 C 0.18661 0.529641 0.352334 0.7254 R-squared 0.000114 Adjusted R-squared -0.031461 F-statistic 0.003613 Prob(F-statistic) 0.999698 S.E. of regression 0.791347 Dependent Variable: ROA Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.095721 0.061678 -1.551956 0.124 CEO -0.032232 0.019084 -1.688972 0.0945 AUDCOM1 0.009389 0.01132 0.829387 0.409 C 0.140099 0.059115 2.369954 0.0198 R-squared 0.078318 Adjusted R-squared 0.049212 F-statistic 2.690791 Prob(F-statistic) 0.050602 S.E. of regression 0.088325 Dependent Variable: ROA Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.104552 0.060653 -1.723773 0.088 CEO -0.028425 0.018493 -1.537033 0.1276 C 0.171387 0.045439 3.771807 0.0003 R-squared 0.071644 Adjusted R-squared 0.052303 F-statistic 3.704289 Prob(F-statistic) 0.028204 S.E. of regression 0.088181 It is evident from the tables above that there is a correlation between return on assets and the independent variables. On the first table it can be observed that the CEO independent variable is statistically significant on 10% confidence interval. Also R- Squared is 7.16% of the variability of the return on assets and is explained by the regression. On the second table one independent variable is excluded from the regression in order to prove that the proportion of the outside directors over the total number of the board is also statistically significant at the 90% confidence interval. It is evident that these two variables influence the financial performance of the shipping companies that are selected in the sample. On the table below it is shown the regression output between the return on investment capital and the independent variables. It can be observed that the proportion of the outside directors and the CEO are statistically significant on the 90% confidence interval. It implies that the majority of the sampled firms, in the period under study, have separate persons occupying the posts of chief executive and the board chair. Dependent Variable: ROIC Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 97 Method: Panel Least Squares Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.108758 0.062348 -1.744367 0.0844 CEO -0.031869 0.019189 -1.660741 0.1001 AUDCOM1 0.00542 0.011377 0.476405 0.6349 C 0.199476 0.059341 3.361532 0.0011 R-squared 0.081182 Adjusted R-squared 0.051542 F-statistic 2.738981 Prob(F-statistic) 0.047783 S.E. of regression 0.088251 Dependent Variable: CURRENT_RATIO Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic OUT_BOARD 0.554821 1.498786 0.37018 CEO -0.636588 0.463736 -1.372737 AUDCOM1 0.538569 0.275082 1.95785 C 0.954122 1.436504 0.664197 R-squared 0.047648 Adjusted R-squared 0.017574 F-statistic 1.584356 Prob(F-statistic) 0.198271 S.E. of regression 2.146311 Another ratio so as to observe the financial performance of a company is the current ratio. By running a regression it can be concluded that the audit committee size is statistically significant at a 90% and 95% confidence interval. Because of the different financial performance ratio it can be observed a different correlation between the dependent and the independent variable. On the particular output the positive relationship between the liquidity ratio and the audit committee seems to be a very reasonable result. Shipping companies follow the corporate governance guidelines which are given by the NYSE for the audit committees. In the end a regression was run for the operating performance of the shipping companies. On the table below it is shown that the proportion of the outside directors is statistically significant at 90% confidence interval with t statistic greater than the critical values. Also it is shown that the audit committee variable is also statistically significant for all the confidence intervals. But the R squared of the output is very low which means that only the 8.76% of the variability of the dependent variable is explained. Dependent Variable: OPER_PERF Method: Panel Least Squares Total panel (unbalanced) observations: 99 Variable Coefficient Std. Error t-Statistic Prob. OUT_BOARD -0.951585 0.50254 -1.893552 0.0613 CEO 0.083654 0.15549 0.538005 0.5918 AUDCOM1 -0.23875 0.092234 -2.588514 0.0112 C 3.109729 0.481657 6.456321 0 R-squared 0.087671 Adjusted R-squared 0.05886 F-statistic 3.043024 Prob(F-statistic) 0.032629 S.E. of regression 0.719653 Descriptive statistics The table below presents the result of the descriptive statistics analysis between the dependent variables and the independent variables by measuring the mean, the standard deviation and the percentage of distribution range of the pooled years of the sample under study. Descriptive Statistics Oper_Perf Roa Roe Roic Cur_ratio Out_Board CEO AUDCOM1 Mean 1.741854 0.078202 0.18183 0.11603 3.243112 0.762211 0.474747 2.808081 Median 1.527139 0.072055 0.156449 0.110134 1.86132 0.777778 0 3 Maximum 5.409894 0.513177 3.84573 0.368966 70.57955 1 1 5 Minimum 0.889839 -0.42841 -4.60062 -0.41285 0.1406 0.428571 0 1 Std. Dev. 0.737746 0.090581 0.779185 0.09045 7.100746 0.153031 0.501903 0.816623 Skewness 1.867152 -0.45139 -1.94635 -1.54254 8.614659 -0.20659 0.101139 0.250996 Kurtosis 8.233289 16.32647 24.76835 14.17857 81.7566 2.085215 1.010229 3.44567 Jarque-Bera 177.3846 735.9403 2017.183 549.1192 27351.86 4.156112 16.50043 1.858795 Probabil. 0 0 0 0 0 0.125173 0.000261 0.394791 Sum 179.411 7.741993 18.00119 11.3709 327.5543 75.45889 47 278 Sum Sq. D. 55.51539 0.804091 59.49867 0.793579 5042.06 2.295021 24.68687 65.35354 Observ. 103 99 99 98 101 99 99 99 As it can be referred from the table above the number of the observations is all close to the hundred. This is because some of the data were not available and could not be extracted from the financial reports. Moreover another reason of the lack of some data is that some of the shipping companies were listed in the New York Stock Exchange after 2005. Conclusion The aim of this essay was to prove that there is a relationship between corporate governance mechanisms and firm performance using a sample of 21 shipping companies which are listed in the New York Stock Exchange from 2005 until 2009. The study used firm performance ratios and three mechanisms to prove the above relationship. Panel data methodology is employed; the method of analysis is multiple regressions and the method of estimation is Ordinary Least Squares. The study concludes to the followings: There is no significant relationship between ROE and none of the independent variables. There is a significant relationship among ROA and CEO status and the proportion of the outside directors. There is significant relationship among ROIC, board composition and CEO status. There is a significant relationship between Current ratio and audit committee. And there is a significant relationship among operating performance, board composition and audit committee. Concerning future research, efforts should be made to increase the sample size and the corporate governance variables to achieve a clearer view about the affection of the corporate governance mechanisms on the shipping companies. It can be said that shipping industry has been expanded all over the world from family to family. It is a closed industry which excludes many people. Consequently the nature of the industry makes it very difficult to perform an in depth research and establish an outcome. References Web Sites http://www.investopedia.com/ http://en.wikipedia.org http://www.dianashippinginc.com Home page

A Work of Artifice - A Profound Poem for Many Cultures Essay -- Poetry

"A Work of Artifice"- A Profound Poem for Many Cultures Suppression of women has occurred in all societies. Damage created by societal repression ranges from psychological damage to physical damage. Â  The suppression of women is not only perpetrated by men, often other women support the cultural traditions which are damaging, as they themselves grew up within the confines of those social norms. Â  Marge Piercy, a feminist activist, writer and poet makes a statement against social norms damaging to women with her poem, "A Work of Artifice". After reading the poem, one can certainly appreciate the fact that many norms embraced as acceptable for a woman causes physical and psychological damage to their total health. Through "A Work of Artifice", Piercy delivers a poignant message to societies everywhere. A "Work of Artifice" contains images of female suppression from various cultures. Piercy uses the symbol of a bonsai tree to represent a woman that has been conformed to society. The gardener "whittles back the branches" (Piercy, 10) every day, as a society or group forms a woman into what they think is decent or acceptable. Much literature, as well as other forms of media is devoted to depicting women who find themselves trying to achieve their dreams, while simultaneously having to work against the wishes of the greater part of their societies. Sometimes the heroines have to struggle to overcome society created morals within themselves. An example of this can be found within David Graham Phillips' novel The Price She Paid. The heroine, Gertrude, must give up her notions (which have been impressed upon her since birth by her family, community, and the larger part of New York Society) of what a "lady's" occupations and actions sho... ... binding- lotus shoes". San Francisco Museum: 1999. 13 Mar 2003 <a href="http://www.sfmuseum.org/chin/foot.html">http://www.sfmuseum.org/chin/foot.html</a> Eliade, Mircea, The Sacred and the Profane. Trans. Willard R. Trask. Â  New York: Harcourt Inc, 1959 "Female Genital Mutilation, a course pack". Amnesty International Website. 14 Mar 2003 <a href="http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/femgen/fgm1.htm#ref1">http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/femgen/fgm1.htm#ref1</a> Phillips, David Graham, The Price She Paid. IndyPublish.com: 2002. 14 Mar 2003 <a href="http://jollyroger.com/library1/ThePriceShePaidbyPhillipsebook.html">http://jollyroger.com/library1/ThePriceShePaidbyPhillipsebook.html</a> Piercy, Marge, "A Work of Artifice". Literature: Thinking, Reading and Writing Critically. Ed. Sylvan et al. 2nd ed. New York: Longman, 1997: 882-83, 894

How Technology Will Shape Learning Essay -- Article Review, Marie Glen

Over the years, persons, usually teachers, have been trying to find out the best way to teach. Many agree that by using technology, students will gain more knowledge and they’ll focus more in class. As well as, many say that since computers were invented in 1945 and since technology has been advancing since then, students, mostly teenagers, have decreased their focus and knowledge of capability. An adept article by Marie Glenn, â€Å"How Technology Will Shape Learning† intelligently includes rhetorical devices and strategies such as the use of logos, ethos, expert testimonies, humor and evaluation techniques to strongly promote her positive conception of technology use in classrooms. In contrast, Kentaro Toyama’s article, â€Å"There Are No Technology Shortcuts to Good Education†, uses pathos, diction, expert testimonies and his personal observation to strongly oppose the theory of technology helping education. Although Marie Glenn and Kentaro Toyama have both written articles on the use of technology in education, Glenn’s arguments are better supported and more reasonable. Analysis of â€Å"How Technology Will Shape Learning† Marie Glenn begins her informative article skillfully by providing the reader with facts, studies and evaluation techniques that promotes her purpose of convincing her audience, mainly educational programs, that technology is beneficial in education. Glenn greatly meets her goal of convincing her audience by gaining credibility. She begins her article with the use of quantitative logos to support her argument and to establish her point of view about technology innovating education. Glenn states, â€Å"63% of the survey respondents from public and private sectors say technological innovation will have a major influence on t... ...allenge in education remains the longterm, directed motivation of the student- something which no technology today can deliver on its own, but which good teachers deliver regularly† (3). In their informative article, both Marie Glenn and Kentaro Toyama achieve their purposes within their writing. Marie Glenn proved more than enough by giving statistics and facts to declare her positive vision and benefits towards technology in education. While Kentaro Toyama stated frequently that technology doesn’t have the motivation, which according to him, is the source of improvement in education to teach students. Although Marie Glenn and Kentaro Toyama proved well discussable arguments, Marie Glenn was able to write a much more well rounded essay by using more logos and expert testimonies that restated her personal observations on the topic, â€Å"technology improving education†. How Technology Will Shape Learning Essay -- Article Review, Marie Glen Over the years, persons, usually teachers, have been trying to find out the best way to teach. Many agree that by using technology, students will gain more knowledge and they’ll focus more in class. As well as, many say that since computers were invented in 1945 and since technology has been advancing since then, students, mostly teenagers, have decreased their focus and knowledge of capability. An adept article by Marie Glenn, â€Å"How Technology Will Shape Learning† intelligently includes rhetorical devices and strategies such as the use of logos, ethos, expert testimonies, humor and evaluation techniques to strongly promote her positive conception of technology use in classrooms. In contrast, Kentaro Toyama’s article, â€Å"There Are No Technology Shortcuts to Good Education†, uses pathos, diction, expert testimonies and his personal observation to strongly oppose the theory of technology helping education. Although Marie Glenn and Kentaro Toyama have both written articles on the use of technology in education, Glenn’s arguments are better supported and more reasonable. Analysis of â€Å"How Technology Will Shape Learning† Marie Glenn begins her informative article skillfully by providing the reader with facts, studies and evaluation techniques that promotes her purpose of convincing her audience, mainly educational programs, that technology is beneficial in education. Glenn greatly meets her goal of convincing her audience by gaining credibility. She begins her article with the use of quantitative logos to support her argument and to establish her point of view about technology innovating education. Glenn states, â€Å"63% of the survey respondents from public and private sectors say technological innovation will have a major influence on t... ...allenge in education remains the longterm, directed motivation of the student- something which no technology today can deliver on its own, but which good teachers deliver regularly† (3). In their informative article, both Marie Glenn and Kentaro Toyama achieve their purposes within their writing. Marie Glenn proved more than enough by giving statistics and facts to declare her positive vision and benefits towards technology in education. While Kentaro Toyama stated frequently that technology doesn’t have the motivation, which according to him, is the source of improvement in education to teach students. Although Marie Glenn and Kentaro Toyama proved well discussable arguments, Marie Glenn was able to write a much more well rounded essay by using more logos and expert testimonies that restated her personal observations on the topic, â€Å"technology improving education†.