Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Rise of Superpowers After WWII Essays - Nuclear Technology

Rise of Superpowers After WWII Essays - Nuclear Technology The development and use of nuclear power has led to the United States assuming a position as the true World Military Superpower. The Unites States was the leader in planning, building, testing and actually using the most powerful nuclear weapon known to man. This country also led the world in relatively safe production of nuclear power. The only other competitor to the United States, the Soviet Union, had poor leaders, induced a poor economy, and eventually led the country to lose the race for superpower. During World War II, the United States began the research and development of the atomic bomb. Code-named the Manhattan Project, it took place in a government built city in New Mexico called Los Alamos. General Leslie Groves and physicist Robert Oppenheimer led the research to create this atomic bomb. The mission was to build, test and, if necessary, unleash an atomic bomb. With the many people working on creating and building this bomb, they completed it within the short amount of time given. In July of 1945, they tested the nuclear bomb in New Mexico. It was a success. The very next month, an atomic bomb nicknamed ?Little Boy? was dropped on Hiroshima. Only a few days later, the atomic bomb ?Fat Man? was dropped on Nagasaki. It was around this time that the United States found out that nobody, not even Germany or the Soviet Union, was anywhere close to competing with the U.S. in atomic weaponry. The atomic bomb was dropped not only to end the war with the Japanese, but to show the w orld, especially the Soviet Union, how powerful the United States was in its government, its military, its technology, and its people. The fact that it was a new bomb and being the first type of its kind ever created also caused an eagerness to use the bomb and see how it would work. These three factors are the reasons behind the United States dropping the atomic bomb on Japan, as they unknowingly and unintentionally began the nuclear age and the Cold War. The Cold War began as World War II was ending. The United States and the Soviet Union came out of the previous war nearly equal in strength, with the United States having the upper hand, being the first to create and use such intense nuclear power. It was during this time that these countries were competing to become the World Superpower. Nuclear power, for the purposes of electricity as well as weaponry, was going to be the determining factor as to who would be the greater Superpower. The United States leadership was strong and organized. The economy was good and growing stronger. The Soviet Union was not doing as well. Formerly being under the rule of Stalin, with strict centralization where it was only the highest party levels that made any and all decisions who ruled by decree and enforced with terror, the Soviet people and economy was stagnating. Strict centralization continued and eventually led to economic decline, inefficiency, and apathy during the 1970s and 1980s, and contr ibuted to the Chernobyl? nuclear disaster. The great disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 was the final string cut that led not only to the Soviet Union losing its war to become the greatest World Superpower, but furthermore, the collapse of the Soviet system. The Chernobyl Nuclear Powerplant was being run by people who made mistakes maintaining the power supply, who were tired of their own country, and who simply didn?t care. This careless conduct led to poor maintenance and low output of nuclear power. To correct for this, some steps were taken to increase the power output. During the effort to correct the low power output, one final error occurred, and the consequences were tremendous. One of the reactors exploded and released huge doses of radiation. The ambitious nuclear power program of the Soviet Union was now over. The Unites States led the world in nuclear technology by producing the atomic bomb, and had the courage to use it ? twice. This proved to the world that the United States was a Superpower they should fear. The United States also had good leaders whom kept the economy strong, and kept the

Friday, November 22, 2019

4 Ways to Take Control of your LinkedIn Endorsements

4 Ways to Take Control of your LinkedIn Endorsements I’m a self-identified control freak when it comes to certain aspects of my life, and as such, I am perpetually perturbed by the Skills Expertise section on LinkedIn. The way this section works, anyone can endorse me for anything – even things I know nothing about! And if enough people endorse me for things I do not consider important, these skills will be prominently displayed at the top of my Skills list. Aargh! You might, like me, get an email almost daily telling you that someone wants to endorse you for â€Å"new† Skills not currently listed on your profile. And if you’re like me, there was a reason you didn’t list that skill in the first place. Either you don’t have that skill or you don’t want to market it. What I do in this situation is press â€Å"Skip† and wait until the next well-meaning person endorses me for skills I don’t have. At the National Resume Writers’ Association Conference in Chicago this past week, LinkedIn endorsements were a hot topic. We are all concerned that the wrong people are endorsing us for the wrong things. In one session about LinkedIn, trainer Dean DeLisle suggested that we take control of our Skills Expertise and stop complaining about it! How can you wield control over this pesky section? Well, let me tell you: Fill in ALL 50 Skills. This way there will be less likelihood of additional, inappropriate skills being added to your profile. You would have to delete one skill to add another. Press â€Å"Skip† to decline adding Skills to your profile. Know that the skills listed at the top of your Skills list are the ones with the most endorsements. If you want different skills to show up there, ask your connections to endorse you for the ones you want to appear at the top! (I am going to do this momentarily. Be forewarned.) As a last resort, you can delete a skill, add it back, and start over from zero endorsements. That will push other skills higher up on your list. Please Take Action! A Request I’ve found that a lot of people seem to endorse me for Blogging, Social Networking, Social Media Marketing, Nonprofits, Career Management, Time Management, and a lot of other things I don’t market as my specialties. My request to you is to endorse me for the list of Skills Expertise that appears below. Please only do so if you are confident that I have the skill! Also note that to endorse a skill, you must be a 1st-degree connection. I invite you to connect with me on LinkedIn if we are not already connected. Hint when endorsing anyone for skills: Don’t default or be limited to the ones suggested at the top of their profile! Scroll down in the profile to the Skills Expertise section and choose from there. You will be able to click on a + sign to choose the skill. For example: Heres my list of requests. Thanks in advance for your support! Resume Writing Executive Resumes Executive Resume Writing Sales Resumes Marketing Resumes C-Level Resumes Senior Management Resumes Supply Chain Resumes Operations Resumes LinkedIn LinkedIn Profiles Cover Letters Professional Bios College Application Essays MBA Admissions Consulting Law School Admissions Consulting Law School Resumes I’m making this request partly as an experiment in service of my e-book, How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile. If I can change the appearance of my Skills Expertise section, then I will be able to stand tall and recommend similar action to my e-book readers in the 8th edition. Also, if you think I am familiar with your skills and want me to endorse you for specific ones, I will do so IF I know your abilities first-hand. Thank you and I look forward to the changing face of all our LinkedIn profiles!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Persuasive arguement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Persuasive arguement - Essay Example Justice is the set of principles that major function is the distribution of entitlements, of rights, opportunities and resources. These would include income, wealth and the liberties that an individual possesses. For it therefore to be justice, the individuals to who these opportunities are presented must be several. Justice principally answers the question of who has a right or is entitled to what, in a given set or relative to other people or agents. This is more so, in an event that several agents are competing for these opportunities to meet different goals. In a liberal view therefore, and under these circumstances, a just distribution would take into considerations the provisions of mutual and equal respect. Democracy on the other hand, is a set of collective decision making processes. In these processes, those who belong to a given society or a particular group have an equal say in determining the rules that govern or should govern them. It is what Rawls defines as the exercis e of public reason. While the principle of democracy could be operationalized in a varied number of ways, its respect involves protecting the rights of the individuals, their liberties and their freedoms. These rights extend to the right to free speech, the freedom of expression and the freedom of association. It involves the right to let the majority determine who will hold political offices, and what laws will be used to govern the society. It also includes giving every individual, who has the capacity to vote, the chance to make his voice heard. While democracy is the respecting the will and the say of the majority, justice is protecting the rights of everybody in the society, including that of the minority. It is from this that justice and democracy always seem to come into conflict. The rules that are chosen through democratic procedures may fail to align with the demands that justice would propose for the society to appear or be just. The priority of the right over the good is one of the most central convictions of the political liberalisms that John Rawls proposes. It is common for democratic procedures and processes to be carried out in good faith. However, it is not always true that democratic procedures will always have it right when it comes to justice. It is common for the majority to use the strength of their numbers to stifle the voices of the minorities. It is for this reason and to remove this difficulty that minorities usually have their fundamental interests guarded by the provisions of a constitution. In this way, the controversy is removed from the whims of the majority. It is the belief of every liberal society that there are certain core principles that a society must have. Without these core principles, no society however developed, cannot claim that they express equality. Most of these interests typically provide for the basic freedoms, liberties and needs of an individual, including shelter, nutrition, sanitation, education, freedom of movement, bodily integrity, the freedom of thought and the equality before the law. As a consequence, subsistence rights and the liberties of a person place constraints on all the democratic decision makings. That is why if any outcome of any democratic process or procedure violates the provisions stipulated in the supreme law, that process is considered ipso facto unjust. For instance, the Declaration of Independence by the United States, that was adopted by the continental congress on the 4th of July 1776 asserted certain natural

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

World Trade Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

World Trade Organization - Essay Example All of that changed abruptly in 1994, when, contradicting earlier gloomy predicts, the 'Uruguay Round' of trade negotiations under the GATT ended in strengthening the international trading system, but also with an agreement to establish the WTO. As the World Trade Organization (WTO) approaches its cherished goal of "international WTO-Membership', the areas of difference among members tend to widen. Also, it becomes extremely hard to settle the conflicting economic interests of the signatories. The question arise, does World Trade required the WTO This is the basic problem on which the problem of WTO reform hinges. World trade did not require the WTO to engorge seventeen times extra between 1948 and 1997, from $124 billion to $10,772 billion (WTO, 1998, pg. 12). This growth happened under the stretchy GATT trading system. The WTO's origin in 1995 did not act in response to a collapse or crisis of world trade such as happened in the 1930's. It was not essential for international peace, since no world war or trade-related war had happened during that phase. In the nine major inter-state wars that took place in that period-the Korean War of 1950-53, the Vietnam War of 1945-75, the Suez Crisis of 1956, the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the 1982 Falklands War, the Gulf War of 1990, Afghanistan war, and finally the Iraq ear-trade conflict did not figure even distantly as a cause. GATT was, actually, working sensibly well as a support for strengthening world trading system. Its proper dispute resolution system was supple and with its appreciation of the "special and differential status" of yet to be developed nations, it offered the space in an international economy for Third World nations to use trading strategy for growth and industrialization. Why was then WTO found following the 'Uruguay Round' of 1986-94 Of the main trading nations, Japan was in two minds, frightened as it was to defend its agriculture and its picky system of industrialized production that, through authorized and unauthorized means, gave its local manufacturers principal rights to use the domestic marketplace. The European Union, well on the way of becoming a independent trading community, was similarly hesitant, knowing that it's very sponsored system in agriculture would come beleaguered. Though demanding greater admittance to their created and agricultural products in the Northern economies, the rising nations did not perceive this as being achieved through a broad agreement imposed by a controlling trading system of government but through isolated negotiations and contracts in the model of the "Integrated Program for Commodities" (IPCs) and "Commodity Stabilization Fund" had the same opinion in the aegis of UNCTAD of late seventies. The beginning of the WTO served mainly the interest of the America. Just as it was the U.S. which stopped the beginning of the International Trade Organization (ITO) in 1948, when it believed that this wouldn't serve up its position of irresistible economic domination in the post-war world, so it was the U.S. that became the leading 'client' for the widespread Uruguay Round and the start of the WTO, when it sensed that more aggressive global circumstances had produced a condition where its business interests now required a contradictory stand. Just as it was the U.S.'s intimidation in the fifties to leave GATT if it wasn't permitted to uphold protecting means for milk

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Influence of Recreation Essay Example for Free

Influence of Recreation Essay A key objective of human resource management is to contribute towards the achievement of high level of employee and organization performance (Armstrong, 2005). Hutchinson, Kinnie, Purcell and Boxall (2003) contend that intangible assets such as culture, skill, competence, motivation and social interaction between people and teams are increasingly being seen as a source of strength in enhancing performance. This is evident in those firms which can combine people and processes together. Organizations therefore need to put in place actions which are aimed at ensuring employees maximize their potential at the work place. As stated by Boxall et al (2003), individual performance is a function of ability, motivation and opportunity (AMO); what they refer to as the fundamentals of employee’s productivity. As part of human resource development, organizations and individuals are slowly appreciating the concept of planning and managing employee recreation. American Council on Exercise (2000), contends that creating some leisure time in the course of the day allows employees to recharge themselves psychologically and emotionally and this can lead to improved job performance. There is increased involvement in leisure activities and wellness programmes by companies in a bid to promote employees’ physical and mental health. According to Taylor (2008), the demand for man made additional resources for recreation is greater now than before. Though there are many mushrooming of entertainment and sports clubs, many organizations have invested large sums of money to provide such facilities within the workplace. Kenya Utalii College is one such organization in Kenya that has invested heavily and provides recreation for its employees. Besides being inherently beneficial to employees, such initiatives can make a significant contribution to reducing absenteeism and raising productivity (Cohen, 1999). Physical work plays a major role in ones life. It is believed to be a life sustenance activity, which in turn poses threat to health due to activities involved. Wehmeier (2000) described work as something that involves physical or mental effort. There are three (3) classes of workers, mental workers and the physico-mental workers. The purely physical workers are generally â€Å"the hewers of wood and drawers of water†. The mental workers are those who achieve results with little or no manual labour, while physico-mental workers comprises of those who combine physical work with mental work for achieving the desire results. Talabi (1997) further explained that the mental workers include mangers, top executives and people at helm of affairs of the country and big establishments. Their work results in sedentary life, characterized the majority of top executives positions in Nigeria. This results in the mental and emotional stress far in excess of the physical stress, leading to the occurrences of different health problems. Industries are characterized by long working hours; often late at night and very early morning reporting. Much of the work requires employees to be constantly on their feet and customer interactions can be stressful, as employees may be verbally abused for service problems that are none of their doing and completely out of their control. In addition, many of them have problems maintaining a work-life balance. These factors individually or in combination lead to ill-health, low morale, conflicts and high levels of stress. In an effort to help employees cope with such issues, organizations have invested in workplace recreation. There is evidence that that workplace recreation has a positive effect on employee performance (WHO, 2003). Workplace physical activity and recreation programmes in USA have helped reduce short-term sick leave (by 32%), health care costs (by 20-55%) and increased productivity (by 52%). However, scanty empirical data is available of the situation in developing world (WHO, 2003). Reduction of such kinds of avoidable costs is potentially important, especially in the developing countries such as Nigeria as it would lead to higher employee performance. Some companies have established workplace recreation in a bid to provide leisure and meet employee welfare requirements. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The study of Tijani and Enyiorji (2006) revealed that staff of the First Bank of Nigeria Plc for instance, go to work early and close late, from Monday to Friday. Moreover, the weekend leisure has also been affected adversely, with the introduction of Saturday banking, leaving the worker with Sunday, which some of the workers use for worship. Worse still, is the monetization of the staff’s annual leave, which in general makes it difficult if not impossible for the staff to undertake leisure activities. Research efforts of Ajayi (2002) and Fadoju (2004) also revealed that stress appears to be a common phenomenon in every life’s endeavour and the antidote to this phenomenon is regular participation in exercise and recreational activities. In the light of this, it is however necessary to investigate the roles played by recreation on workers of Stanmark and Cocoa Company, because it has been observed that due to the nature of their job, they are subjected to stressful conditions, which eventually wreck a lot of havoc on their health. Therefore, this research project focuses on examining the perceived influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company Ile-Oluji. Research Questions 1)Will Job Satisfaction be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 2)Will quality of Service and customer satisfaction be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 3)Will improvement of healthy Life Style be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 4)Will strengthening of relationships among the workers be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 5)Will improvement of self esteem of the workers be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? Research Hypothesis 1)Job Satisfaction will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 2)Quality of Service and customer satisfaction will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 3)Improvement of healthy Life Style will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 4)Strengthening of relationships among the workers will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? 5)Improvement of self esteem of the workers will not be a significant influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company workers? Significance of the Study The result of this study will educate company administrators on how to use recreational programmes as vanguard for the promotion of productivity in their companies. It would also serve as an eye opener for the administrators, on the need to necessarily incorporate recreational programmes, into the programmes of the companies in order to further enhance productivity. The recommendation of this research project, when published, would enlighten the authorities of companies, on how to encourage their workers, to actively engage in recreational programmes for the purpose of bringing about productivity in their companies. The results of this study would serve as baseline data for other studies in this area. More so, the result of this research project would add more to the existing pool of knowledge and also reinforce companies’ authority in sorting plans and programmes through their sports committee in their distinctive efforts to mount recreational programmes that will promote productivity in their companies. Hence, the study will create awareness among company, industry, factory workers and general public of values derivable from recreation. Delimitations of the study This research project is delimited to the examination of the perceived influence of recreation on productivity of Stanmark and Cocoa Company, Ile-Oluji. The study participants consist of workers in Stanmark and Cocoa Company, Ile-Oluji. Limitations to the study This research is limited to Stanmark and Cocoa Company, Ile-Oluji owning to time factor. Some respondents delayed the questionnaire while some did not even return the copies of the questionnaire. Also, some respondents responses to the questionnaire did not supply the high percentage of correct information which would have given the true picture of the impact of recreation on productivity. Definition of Terms The under listed terminologies were utilized in the course of the project and they constitute meanings peculiar to the context of the project. 1.Recreation : This is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The need to do something for recreation seems to be an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be fun. The term recreation implies participation to be healthy refreshing mind and body. 2.Productivity: This is the state in which a greater output is achieved in a short time without any decline or depreciation in the quality of work. On the other hand, it infers to a quality or state or being productive, increased efficiency and the rate at which goods and services are produced and the conditions of an increased output. This situation can be influenced by the extent and quality of its resources of land capital and labor. The consequences of low productivity among workers on their company in addition to the national economy of the USA (Pfeiffer, 1998), posed a major problem for company managers, who came to the conclusion that an increase in productivity cannot be achieved without the introduction of new incentives for their employees. One of the incentives was the establishment of sports and recreation programs, aimed at the increase in the employees’ effectiveness (Bates, McClusky, Bernard Gieske, 1998). The first companies offering sports and recreation activities to their employees appeared in the USA in late sixties (Shephard, 1986). Baun Baun (1984), report that more than 50,000 American companies offer sports and recreation activities to their employees and there are more than 3,000 consultants active in this field. The employers focus was to improve their employees’ state of health, which in turn would reduce expenses and the increase profit for their companies (Wanzel, 1994). The improvement of the employees’ health through the establishment of sports and recreation programs resulted in profits that were sometimes bigger than expected (Cardinal, Cardinal, Drabbs, Krause, Maddalozzo, Martin, Melville Singleton, 1998). The productivity of workers increased while, the expenses for medical care were reduced. In addition, the relationship between the employer and the employees improved. Consequently there were fewer strikes and accidents at work, faster recuperation of sick employees, and product and service improvement (Kaman, 1987). Although at the beginning these programs were only a privilege for high-ranking employees, the employers soon realized that the introduction of sports and recreation facilities for all workers would result in an increase of production and reduce expenses (Blair, Pirerchia, Wilbur Crowder, 1986). According to Bertera (1990a), in companies that have adopted sports and recreation programs, employees are up to 18% less frequently absent from work. According to Pfeiffer (1998), employees who participate in such programs are more favorable towards their employers and high-ranking employees. Shephard (1989) also claimed that participation in these programs improves the image of the companies, which made use of them, thus creating a greater demand for them by job seekers. Shephard (1986) also stresses the productivity of companies, which adopted sports programs increased by 7%. According to Danielson Danielson, (1982), and Shephard, (1986), every dollar spent on sports programs for the employees by their company, resulted in a profit of up to $5. The employees of those companies, too, profited by participating in the sports and recreation programs. More precisely, there were fewer cases of heart diseases, high and low blood pressure as well as obesity, and cholesterol problems were reduced (Bertera, 1991). There was also less tension and stress, compared to employees who did not participate in sports and recreation programs (Bertera, 1990b). Moreover, they tended to consume less alcohol and smoked less, while hypertension at work declined (Meyers Donham, 1982). Sports and recreation programs gave companies better results when they were included in a broader scheme, which focused on the benefits of employees (Kronenfeld, Jackson, Blair, Davis, Gimarc, Salisbury, Maysey McGee, 1987). In other words, it was shown that sports and recreation programs combined with seminars concerning health matters, smoking and healthy diets, can result in positive behavior changes and healthier lifestyle (Kronenfeld et al., 1987). Moreover, another very important consequence of the introduction of sports programs at work was that employees adopted healthier living habits, and adopted a â€Å"for-life† participation in similar activities, which they later passed on to their children and families (Blair, Tritsch Kutsch, 1987). The results were less spectacular in companies that forced their employees to participate in sports and recreation programs. This is mainly true of Japan, where participation is mandatory (Shephard, 1989). In developed western countries, the participation of employees in sports and recreation programs is voluntary, and they can decide for themselves whether they want to exercise either during their break (e.g. lunch-break) or after they have finished work (Rost, Connel, Schechtman, Barzilai Fisher, 1990). Nowadays, the number of employers introducing sports programs for their employees are rising (Blair et al., 1986). The governments of developed countries have shown their support for such programs by providing tax exemption for the companies that make use of them or by organizing campaigns pointing out the necessity of exercise for people of both sexes and all ages (Shephard, 1992). The American government believes that the participation of employees in sports programs at work can contribute to the reduction in the number of deaths due to heart attacks (Blair, Booth, Gyarfas, Iwane, Marti, Matsudo, Morrow, Noakes Shephard, 1996). The European Sports Committee have decided on a campaign, which would stress the benefits of exercising for health thus motivating companies to introduce sports programs for their employees (The Council of Europe’s Work on Sport, 1990). Nevertheless, such programs are either inadequate or non-existing in Greece, although there are laws dealing with health matters at work (Gougou, 1995). So It appears as a necessity that better organized sports programs at work be introduced In order to be more beneficial for workers. (Gougou, 1995).

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Displays of Love in Endymion and Tamburlaine Essay -- Marlowe Lily

Comparing and contrasting the kinds of love represented by Tellus and Endymion in Lyly’s comedy of errors, Edymion, and the love between Tamburlaine and Zenocrate in Marlowe’s Tamburlaine show similarities where passions drive lovers to capture suitors, but differ in one couple desiring the unattainable, and another taking action to attain. Love is presented in different ways, specifically in Lyly’s play the love is unattainable and unreal, as opposite in Marlowe’s play the love is attainable. Both, couples also have similarities when lovers are driven by their passions. We can judge Tellus by her actions and their consequences. If she loves Endymion, she has a strange way of showing it. Tellus in the end is responsible for arranging a sorceress to put him into a deep sleep that lasts decades and robs him of his youth. When confronted by Cynthia in 5.4, Tellus confesses her wicked actions and professes her love for Endymion. Tellus’ love for Endymion is so intense that it made her dangerously possessive of him. She tells Cynthia of a â€Å"not-to-be-expressed yet always-to-be-felt love.† (5.4.71) Tellus’ love sickens her, and when she realizes her lover loves another, her love turns into hate. Perhaps hate and love are similar in this play. They are similar in the way that they are intensely the extreme. Extreme love makes Tellus sick, and extreme hate makes her act on revenge to hurt her love. Her excuse for wicked ways is that her body was becoming sick from this kind of love. Her feelings are psychologically re al, but incredible unhealthy. She rationalizes her actions by pleading a kind of self-defense. Tellus is a dangerous, possessive woman, who probably never really experienced love that is kind, gentle a... ...n unattainable love, but Tamburlaine wins it through battle. Though Tamburlaine captures Zenocrate, he does not rape her. Instead, he professes to win her love and her heart with the only means he knows how – through battle. In conclusion, the lovers in Marlowe’s Tamburlaine and Edymion and Tellus in Lyly’s Endymion are all consumed and controlled by their passions. Both couple are relatively young in the psychologically stages of their love and both couples initially victims and capture love. Perhaps the greatest difference is that Marlowe has written a love story that ends in victory. Just as Tamburlaine is a great conquer in the battlefield, he, too is a great conquer in love. His prize is Zenocrate and her heart opens to him. Whereas Tamburlaine is victorious, our lovers, Endymion and Tellus, reach for the unattainable, and lose in the end.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Effectiveness of Online Advertising Essay

Growing internet user base, increasing time spent on the internet, broadband penetration into the households and fragmented media consumption of consumers are driving advertisers towards the field of online advertising. But there are a few limitations to this sector as well, the primary one being low broadband penetration in the country. Thus, the field of online advertising promises growth as it is interactive, targets specific consumers and has no geographical or time boundaries. With the help of all the primary and secondary data collected and analyzed, certain trends and conclusions came forth. The first and foremost thing in this project was to understand the influencers (online advertising agencies). Why various sectors are getting into the field of online understanding, what are the features of an online advertisement, what are the advantages of internet as a medium over other forms of media, objectives of an online campaign, which sectors are investing in this field and what are the limitations of internet as a medium of advertising – all these are listed under the major findings. The next thing was to understand the average consumers who had to be users of internet. Why they use internet, do they notice these advertisements, if yes do they take any action, if no then what is the reason for the same, do they think that online advertising is more engaging, if not what is their preferred medium for advertising, whether they have been pursued to take any action regarding the product/service after watching the online advertising and whether they think that online advertising has any limitations or not – all these are listed in detail under major findings. For this, students studying across Delhi, pursuing graduate/post-graduate and various professional courses were among the target audience. The reason behind this was that students these days spend a lot of time on the internet whether it is for acquiring information or social networking sites. They are present their on the medium and notice these advertisements. The Young Working Professionals are the other target segments as they are also heavy users of internet using it for acquiring information or sending e-mails or social networking sites. Online advertising as a medium is emerging and holds a promising future for brands to build consumer relationships as these advertisements act as a reminder as well as a channel of sales. Online Advertising provides brands with the opportunity to exist alongside their competition and yet be relevant. Presently BFSI and IT sectors are the major investors in online advertising as their target audience (corporate) is present online most of the time. So, internet acts as a medium of influencing the target consumer as well as a channel of sales for them. But FMCG sectors are also catching up. Because of the advent of social networking sites like Facebook, Orkut and Twitter, it has become easier for FMCG brands to advertise online as these advertisements act as a reminder for the consumers and directs the interested consumers to the main sites. This helps them in building their brand image as well as the consumer database as it gives them the opportunity to interact with the consumers and get feedback. The most important feature of Online Advertising is that is measurable i. e. consumer reactions can be monitored. This feature of online advertising makes it an efficient medium for advertising as results can be easily monitored. The major limitation to this medium is the low broadband penetration in the country and although the internet user base is on a rise but the ratio when compared to the total population is very low. Thus, Online Advertising is an effective medium of advertising owing to its interactive and measurable nature. With the growing possibilities of sectors investing in this medium we can expect more creative content to be available on the online space. This would make the medium of online advertising more creative, more interactive and in tune with all the other mediums of advertising. INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUNDER The Indian advertising industry is in a phase of transition. Rapid advances in technology and an ever growing base of empowered customers have redefined how advertising is created, sold, consumed and evaluated. At this juncture advertisers are experimenting with a number of emerging platforms including Internet which has been globally acknowledged as an interactive medium with a lot of advertising potential. Internet is the most powerful communication medium known to humankind but there is still a debate on as to how powerful it as a communication tool. It is a way of directly communicating to consumers in cyberspace. It is unique as there is more of narrow focus on e-commerce. It has opened up a lot of opportunities for marketers for targeting customers in an interactive and measurable ways. Online advertising is an effective way of advertising that uses the power of Internet and World Wide Web in order to deliver marketing messages and attract consumers. It helps to target specific customer segments and gather information across geographical boundaries in a cost effective manner. Online advertising helps in not only leading visitor to a publisher’s site but also creating awareness which potentially could result in gradual brand building. With online advertising you get instant results. It is growing faster than other segments due to fundamental drivers such as †¢ Low input costs for advertisers †¢ Increasing awareness of online usage in India amongst advertisers and marketers †¢ Growth in online user/audience base The number of net surfers in India is increasing at a rapid rate and studies have shown that people are spending more and more time on the web. Buying products online is convenient, hassle-free and easy. Online market places allow buyers to see the best deals available without moving from their desks and choose the products they want which they could not find at the local supermarket. For a company putting an advertisement online gives a benefit of being present right next to your competition when people are looking for products or services. Online Advertisement in India is a fast growing market and media buying is becoming a very important decision for all online spenders. The biggest advantage of Online Advertisement is it helps you to track your user online and understand online consumer behaviour. Recognizing the possibility of using Internet as an effective tool for targeting niche audiences, innovative perspectives are being practiced by established and traditional institutions. According to a study1, in the recent general elections in India (early 2009), many Indian politicians considered Internet as a useful platform for interactive political communication especially with youth. Indian National Congress party used sites like YouTube and Facebook to execute web-based social marketing campaigns. With 50 Million Internet users in Urban India and majority of them in the age group of 18-24 years, Internet was found to be an effective tool to engage with them. 1 Study on Online Display Advertising in India by IMRB (December 2009) Growing Internet user base, increasing time spent on the Internet, broadband penetration into households and fragmented media consumption habits of consumers are driving advertisers towards the online medium.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Public Private Partnerships Vasco da Gama Bridge in Portugal

Better usage of regional and municipal land use plans in the future. Conclusion Even though the project did not reach its original goal, it had a great impact on regional development. The Visas dad Gamma Bridge is a six lane bridge that spans the Tags River in Lisbon, Portugal. It is the longest bridge in Europe and has a life expectancy of 120 years. Its characteristics are described in the Table here below: Official name Point Visas dad Gamma Carries Six road lanes, 7 sections Crosses Tags River Location North of Lisbon (right bank), municipality of Allocable (left bank) Maintained by Illusions DesignerRandom Riot Design Total Length 17. 182 km, longest in Europe, 9th longest in the world Width 30 m Height 155 m Longest span 420 m Speed limit 120 km/h Serves 50 million vehicles/year Construction 1995 (beginning) – 1998 (ended) Opened 29. 03. 1998 Cost 897 million euros As a result of economic globalization, countries are seeking more efficient and effective ways to improve t heir resources. One way of doing so is through Public- private partnerships especially for the development and operation of infrastructure.Public-Private partnerships provide a tool to increase the quality and efficiency of public services and to overcome the limited public funds available in a country. APP is an agreement between the government and one or more private partners in which both sides invest different resources in order to reach the target/goal by splitting the gains and losses between them. It is usually a long-term contract between the two parties, in which the private partner bears significant risk and great management responsibility.Peps may be formed in areas such as infrastructure projects such as motorways, bridges and in service areas such as schools and hospitals. There are our typical phases in implementing a APP project: the identification of the need and the legislation involved in implementing the project, the preparation and planning and the development of a contract between the public and the private partners, the award procedure, and the implementation and control of the project. Peps offer significant advantages to the public sector.These include the ability to raise additional funds in a country with budgetary restrictions, make the best use of public sector efficiencies in operation in reducing the costs and increasing the quality and offering a quicker service. Peps come in many forms and are still evolving in order to adapt to the needs of each individual project. Several elements that have to be taken into account: Political Leadership: commitment has to come from the top. Legislative and control framework: The application of these must be followed strictly. Protecting the publics interest: Quality and performance standards are required.Public Sector Involvement: Public sector must remain actively involved once a APP is established by monitoring the project. A well structured plan: Each side must know exactly what to expect f rom the beginning of the cooperation. Responsibilities must e clearly defined. Income stream: The sources of income must be clearly defined for the whole duration of the implementation of the project. Communication with stakeholders: Open communication between the parties involved must be enforced. Ensuring open market access and competition: Open and fair competition, transparency has to be taken into account during Tendering/Bidding procedure.Selection of the right partner: The selection must be done carefully taking into account the previous experience of the candidate in the specific area. In a typical APP project, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SSP) is created, which is a separate gal entity established to undertake the project, thus it is responsible for the design, building, and operation of the project. The initial capital required for a APP project may be provided by public grants, private funds, European Commission financing, loans from the owners of the SSP and/or from banks. The SSP is a consortium usually formed by a building contractor, a maintenance company and a bank. Subcontractors may also be used in the APP in order to deliver their specialized services. Until a couple of decades ago, countries followed the traditional infrastructure procurement models. However, due to the public budget constraints and the difficulty to manage large projects, many countries experienced the need to change the traditional model of public procurement. This resulted to today's Peps model which manages to deliver large infrastructure that requires large capital availability.Opportunities and Limitations of Ifs Opportunities that may appear during the implementation of a project: The risks are allocated to the ones that can manage them and are distributed. Public sector capital expenditure is reduced Cost efficiencies are better achieved – Value for Money. Delivery of the project is faster. Construction is done more efficiently with fewer contractual errors. Bet ter quality of service. Innovation and performance of personnel involved in the project is highly encouraged and promoted through incentives.Increased productivity. Infrastructure provision is accelerated. Crisis, there is higher cost in financing a project. There is less control over budget. There is less contract flexibility. The ultimate risk is still undertaken by the public partner. Private financing is usually more complicated than public financing. There are high termination costs in case of spite. Fear of prevarication of public services may be evident. Peps in Portugal Over the last 25 years Portugal has been through a major infrastructure investment program.After the end of dictatorship in the ass, Portugal went through a political stabilization phase. In the ass, after Portugal Joined the ELI, the country was able to access large capital funds. Since the country aimed to decrease its infrastructure deficit, it was evident that a new model for procurements was required and this was the APP model. The first large project developed under the APP model was the Visas dad Gamma ridge which was created under a tight schedule in time for the 1998 World Exhibition.After that several other projects followed totaling to the number of 36 APP projects until 2012. Portugal uses the APP model mainly for the creation/extension of roads, rail, health care and security. Need for the creation of Visas dad Gamma bridge – Background information The Government of Portugal identified the need to solve the congestion problem on Elision's other bridge (25 De April Bridge), and to Join previously unconnected motorways between north and south around the capital city of Lisbon, and therefore n 1991 it decided to construct a second crossing over the Tags river.As soon as the decision was made AGATES (office for the crossing of the Tags river at Lisbon), was established which was actually an inter-ministerial agency chaired by the Ministry of Public Works, with representa tives of the Ministries of Planning, Environment, and Finance. The two main goals of AGATES were to solve the ever-increasing traffic Jam on the 25 De April Bridge and supporting the north-south traffic around Lisbon. By September 1991, AGATES issued a series of studies comparing three options/locations or a new road bridge: eastern, central, and western.The option chosen was the eastern and was based on a strategy of opening new urban development, with top priority to roadways and individual transport. This option was greatly supported by the Minister of Public Works and the municipalities surrounding that area. In April 1994, Illusions, a consortium of Portuguese, British, and French companies won the international public tender to design, construct, finance and operate the new bridge. In February 1995, the construction of the bridge begun and in 29 March 1998 it opened to the public.The project was completed in a very tight schedule in order to allow easy access for World Expo '9 8, the World's fair that India by Visas dad Gamma. The construction of the bridge is considered to be one of the largest and most successful projects of the 20th century in the history of civil engineering. It gained international recognition and was awarded with the 1st prize by the Fiber-Americana Institution of architecture and civil engineering in the year 2000.The Visas dad Gamma bridge is a cable-stayed adjoined by viaducts and it carries six road lanes, with a speed limit of 120 km/h, the same as motorways, except on one section where speed is limited to 100 km/h. On windy, rainy, and foggy days, the speed limit is reduced to 90 km/h. Fifty million vehicles cross the bridge every year. The traffic on the bridge is managed in the traffic control room located in the Toll Plaza building. The bridge has a life expectancy of 120 years. Legal Framework for Peps in Portugal The legal framework for Peps in Portugal was amended on July 27 2006 by Decree Law 141/2006, which substituted the Decree Law no. 6/2003. The new law defines the general rules of interaction of the State with APP model, from definition and conception to supervision. These principles have to be followed by the public entities t the national level. The Decree Law 141/2006 requires the division of risks between the public and the private partners, which has to be clearly specified in each APP project. It also establishes the rules to follow and states that all APP proposals have to be evaluated by a commission including the Ministry of Finance and other relevant to each specific project institutions.There is also the Code of Public Contracts (COP), which is a legal document concentrating on national and legal contexts relating to public procurement. This document derives mainly from the transposition of the EX. isolations on public procurement and it applies in projects related to services, public work contracts, and many others. More specifically, this document regulates the procedures of pub lic procurements from the beginning of the Tendering process until the selection of the successful Tender, it covers the way contracts should be awarded and sets the specific rules in doing so.It also states the follow-up rules as well as possible fines if not complied. As Monitor (2005) puts it, a key feature of the institutional setting of Peps in Portugal, is that a decision in favor of a APP has to be made with the involvement of the Ministry of Finance (experts). The APP proposals have to specify long-term budgetary implications and make necessary arrangements prior to the agreement of a APP project.Another institutional framework is a APP Unit (Parabolic), which is dedicated in implementing, facilitating, evaluating and advising APP projects. It should be noted that this project with a total value of 897 million Euros was impossible to be realized only with public funds. Therefore, the APP had to be formed project is the decision about the location of the bridge. The location of the Visas dad Gamma bridge was the fundamental element for its success. As mentioned before there were three options/locations for a new road bridge: eastern, central, and western.According to Melt (2000), the eastern (Save ©m-Monotint) location for the bridge to be constructed leads to the question Why on earth was the Save ©m-Monotint road bridge option chosen? One may answer that the decision made was due to political and financial issues. The possible alternatives to this option were the central, and western locations. The central (Shells-Barriers) and the western (Alga ©s-Traffic) location could have been better alternatives satisfying the goals of decongest, and not having the active environmental impacts that the selected location of the bridge created.Critical Analysis of APP Model chosen by the Government of Portugal – Description of app Model The project was mainly funded by the private sector under a BOOT â€Å"Build, Operate, Transfer† model, more specifically the variation of DOFF (Design, Build, Finance and Operate). The BOOT model is a type of infrastructure project based on granting of concession by a principal (I. E. Government) to a promoter (private partner) who is responsible for the construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of a project over the period of concession.A BOOT project is normally funded by a mixture of private equity, through shareholders, bank loans, and sometimes with grant aids. The shareholders carry the risks but receive a return on their investment and dividends during the concession period, while the government's reward is to obtain an infrastructure without using its own budget. Governments mainly use the BOOT model for the construction of airports, waterworks, etc. In Peps, the BOOT model involves reasonable support and risk sharing from the government side. After the concession period, the promoter transfers the facility to the principal at no cost, in a fully operational condition.In this project, Illusions had the obligation to design, construct, finance and operate the new crossing/bridge. The contract was signed in 1995, for a maximum concession period of 35 years in a design, build, finance, operate and transfer scheme. In my opinion, at the time that the contract was signed, the APP model used was the most suitable since there was the need to design and build the bridge quickly with the main funds coming from the private sector. Financial Structure of the Project and the role of the participants The Visas dad Gamma bridge cost 897 million Euros, mainly financed by the private sector.The project was funded by a combination of private equity, through bank loans, shareholders, government grants, etc. More specifically the resources for this European Investment Bank Loan grant (299 m), 33% of the project Toll revenues collected from 25 April bridge (50 m), 6% of the project other resources such as shareholders and government grants (299 m), 26% of the project Both shareholders and government benefit from the project, since they receive dividends for their investment during the concession period. It should be noted that the toll price to cross the bridge varies from 2. 0 to 11 Euros, pending on the size and type of vehicle crossing the bridge. TOTAL COST 897 MILLION EURO Table 1 (Funding of Visas dad Gamma bridge) The European Investment loan was for 20 years with no capital repayment over the first 120 months, guaranteed by the commercial banks for only 15 years. Out of the total cost of the project, around 640 million Euros was for construction, payment of land, re-housing, environmental projects, and maintenance costs. It is worth mentioning that in 2000, Illusions and the Portuguese government signed an agreement in order to extend the duration of the concession period untilIn the case of the Visas dad Gamma bridge, both the public and the private partners undertook the financial risk (currency, interest rate, equity, foreign exchange , liquidity, commercial and economic risk. They also undertook the political risk (related to the provision of loans and overall investment situation in the country). Both partners undertook the shareholder's risk (market, changes in management personnel). The private partner, Illusions, undertook the technical risk (construction, operation, and maintenance risk).Problems and Limitations of the project The European Accounts Tribunal (EAT) detected a series of irregularities in the financing and the construction of the project. Some drainage and negative results ere detected to the resistance of some of the material used in the construction of the bridge. Regarding the finance aspect, the EAT stated that 95% of the costs of the building of the structure of the bridge was funded by the European Union, which is in conflict with the regulations of the community.Recommendations A few recommendations may be welcomed at this point. There should be more compliance with project goals in the future. In addition, there should be more compliance with the European legislation in the future. Another alternative location for the bridge would have been highly recommended or the construction of two mailer bridges in different locations. Moreover, a more careful study has to be made regarding the location of future similar projects, and a better usage of regional and municipal land use plans in the future is recommended.Conclusion Even though there is a lot of criticism about the APP of Visas dad Gamma bridge in Portugal, it is evident that without this procurement model the fast development of under public scrutiny. The Visas dad Gamma bridge aimed to solve the decongest problem of the other bridge of Lisbon (the 25 April bridge) and to create the north-south connection around the capital city. According to data, traders prefer to use the bridge in Scorecard (30 km from Lisbon to the North, built after the Visas dad Gamma bridge.This bridge seems to have solved the problem of the north-south connection around the capital city. The daily traffic on the Visas dad Gamma bridge is approximately 70,000 vehicles, which is below the daily traffic on the 25 April bridge with approximately 170,000 vehicles per day. Taking this into consideration, we conclude that Visas dad Gamma bridge did not manage to meet the expectations and to solve the decongest problem, however it affected positively other areas such are regional development.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The American economy boomed in the 1920s Essays

The American economy boomed in the 1920s Essays The American economy boomed in the 1920s Essay The American economy boomed in the 1920s Essay As Europe was beginning to recover from a very damaging and costly war, both in human and economic terms, America entered a period of prosperity. In the years following the end of the First World War America experienced an economic boom, a rapid growth of wealth. It resulted from an economic cycle known as the cycle of prosperity. This is a continuous cycle, one aspect of which leads on to another and so on. In the USA it began with the rise of demand for goods produced which led to the need to increase production. This in turn naturally led to the need to employ more workers providing people with jobs and thus with money to spend on goods produced. The result was a further increase in demand and the continuation of the cycle. As the cycle continued, the country experienced an economic boom and became more and more prosperous. This essay will assess the causes of the boom, both long and short term, and their relative importance. This essay will firstly examine the first long-term causes that created an environment in which the American economy could boom. The first long-term cause was Americas natural advantage. Without this long-term cause it is questionable whether the boom would have happened at all. There were two parts to Americas natural advantage; raw materials and regional diversity. Since America was (and still is) such a large country, she had an abundance of raw materials. During the nineteenth century America had been busy developing these riches(Harriet Ward World Powers in the 20th century) and had an ample supply of coal, iron ore, and oil. With this abundance of raw materials America was able to build up industries. This made many people rich, In 1914 there were 4,500 millionaires and in 1929 11,000! (Harriet Ward World Powers in the 20th century). America was also aided by the fact that she was huge, this allowed for the creation of internal markets. This is called regional diversity. America in the 1920s was divided up into four main regional sections. These were; the East Coast, The Mid-West, the South and the West Coast. Each region specialised in one area of production, whether it was film or farming. An example of this could be the difference between the East Coast and the West Coast of America. The East Coast was the financial centre of America, it included cities such as New York. It was also the richest part of the USA with a lot of factories and businesses. The West Coast was the newly developed part of the USA, with lots of high-tech industries. This regional diversity greatly benefited America. Where other, smaller, counties had to look abroad to sell their goods America didnt have to. This factor gave a boost to the American economy as the internal market gave a kick-start to the process known as the Cycle of Prosperity. It created an initial market, and this demand was a platform on which the rest of the cycle could be based. Americas natural advantage meant that she had the materials and a market for her products. But industrious workers were needed to produce the goods. To ensure a sufficient number of workers, the American government and businesses promoted the American Dream. This American Dream wasnt a new idea at the time, it had been around for a long time, and it is the second long-term cause of the economic boom. The American Dream was the idea that if you worked hard, you would become well off and successful. Although this was not true in most cases many people believed it. Many immigrants believed it also, but they were, in most cases, just used as cheap labour. Businesses and the government promoted the American Dream because they wanted people to work hard and to follow the work ethic. The Dream was promoted by propaganda, an example of this propaganda can be seen on an American poster used during this time. You are boss of your future (The USA, a divided nation. Neil de Marco). The gave an incentive for working hard, because it claimed that one might become boss of ones own business in the future. America had the environment, created by the long-term causes, for an economic boom. She had raw materials, hardworking workers and an internal market. All that was needed now was a spark to turn economic growth into an economic boom. America had the means of making the goods but did not have a large enough demand for their goods. This demand came during the First World War. There are two main reasons why the war led to an economic boom in America. Firstly, the war was fought in Europe. Many European factories had been destroyed by the war and some factories were converted to produce weapons and uniforms. This meant that there were fewer factories producing consumer goods for the civilians. So the allied countries turned to America for consumer goods. This created demand for American goods as American industry and agriculture had not been affected by the war, as no fighting took place in America and she did not join the war until 1917. This huge amount of demand for American goods turned economic growth into an economic boom. Secondly, America had lots of money because of this economic stability and therefore she was able to lend huge sums (Harriet Ward World Powers in the 20th century) of money to allied countries during the war. After the war America lent money to Germany so that she could pay her war debts to Britain, France and Belgium. (Harriet Ward World Powers in the 20th century). This money was to be paid back with interest that created extra money to be invested in industry. Hence, American industries continue to grow and became more mechanised and efficient. This enabled more goods to be produced, which contributed to the economic boom. The long-term causes had created the environment for an economic boom to take place in and the First World War acted as a spark to ignite the boom. However, short term factors were also needed because the economic boom had to be maintained and developed. The first short-term cause that allowed the economic boom to continue and grow was the policies followed by the Federal Government of America. A car in every garage and a chicken in every pot. (BBC GCSE Bitesize). This was the aim of American politicians in the 1920s, and the Federal Government followed two economic policies to create this. The first of these was laissez faire, which, in English, means leave it alone. As a result of laissez faire taxes were kept low. This meant that more people had more money, which created more demand for goods. This all linking back to the circle of prosperity and fed into it. Laissez faire also meant that banks were able to lend more money to people, who could invest it in new businesses. These new businesses were able to meet the increased demand created by the decrease in taxes. This kept the circle of prosperity going. The President at the time, Calvin Coolidge, agreed with the policies of the Government as he once said the business of America is business. This meant that it was Americas aim to make her businesses rich, powerful and successful. The Federal Government also started to use tariffs. High taxes were put on foreign goods, this encouraged Americans to buy American products as imported goods would cost more. There were two tariff acts. In 1922 the Americans introduced the Fordney McCumber Tariff Act and in 1929 tariffs were made even higher as a result of the Hawley Smoot Tariff Act. The tariffs added to the circle of Prosperity as it created more demand for American goods. The Circle of Prosperity was continuing to go and grow as a result of the Federal Governments policies. Another short-term factor which contributed to the economic boom was that companies used a great deal of advertising during the economic boom. This is supported by the fact that in 1914, approximately $250,000 was spent on advertising in magazines but by 1929, this had increased dramatically to $3 billion. Companies and businesses started to spend more and more money on advertising because it directly created demand for their products. Posters advertisements, radio advertisements and travelling salesmen encouraged Americans to spend (Modern World History, Ben Walsh). The aim of the advertising was to make people feel dissatisfied if they did not have a certain product. The advertisements led people to believe that their lives would be enhanced and improved by the certain products or goods. A range of advertising methods such as posters, radios and magazines were used. Advertising w as very important because it stimulated demand and consequently maintained and increased the cycle of prosperity and the economic boom. People wanted to buy goods because of advertisements, this meant that they would also work harder, to try to earn more money. This had another positive effect, because people were working so hard that it meant that more goods could be produced. All this kept the circle of prosperity going and growing, which kept the economic boom going. It is all very well to have advertisements plastered all over, but people had to have money to buy the products. Purchasing power had to be increased to keep up with demand for goods which was created by the advertising. Purchasing power was important because without it, having demand would be of no use. We have already seen how the policy of Laissez Faire, implemented by the American Federal Government, reduced taxes enabling people to have more money to spend on goods. People were, and still are, also inclined to work harder for products that they really want or need. Good advertising, in most cases, created this need for something. However, there were two other ways in which purchasing power was increased. Between 1923 and 1929 the average hourly wage rose by 8%. This meant that people generally had more money, therefore being able to buy the products they desired and adding to the cycle of prosperity. Products also became more widely available to a wider variety of people. This was because finance companies (World History 1870-1992, Peter Lane) were set. These companies meant that people didnt have to pay the whole cost in one go, but they could pay in monthly or weekly instalments, after having paid a deposit. This was called credit. Credit also allowed more people to join the cycle of prosperity as more people could buy things that they could not afford before. All this meant that there was a massive increase in purchasing power, which in turn led to an increase in demand and therefore an increase in overall production, as more products were needed all this fed into the cycle of prosperity and kept it going and growing. So far, the short-term causes have increased demand for products, and increased purchasing power. However, if all went as it was supposed to without any addition to the cycle, people would soon have bought everything they wanted or could afford. To keep the economic boom going therefore, new industries and new types of goods were created. This was to maintain a high level of demand throughout the 1920s. The introduction of electricity boosted the production of new goods and industries a great deal. Electricity acted as a type of catalyst for the creation of new goods. By 1927 approximately 63% of all homes in the USA had electricity. It meant that a whole new range of products could be made like vacuum cleaners, washing machines, toasters, fridges and radios, this, therefore also led to the growth in the electrical engineering industry and in the industries producing these consumer goods (World History 1870-1992, Peter Lane). This new influx of demand kept the cycle of prosperity going and the economic boom maintained. Advertising also increased as more new products came about, this also helped to create and maintain a high demand. More jobs were also created, as all these new industries needed to employ more people. This meant that there was less unemployment in the USA and more people with money to spend on American produce. This new wave of people with money to spend also contributed to the economic boom and maintained it. The industry which created the most amount of jobs was the car industry, this was because the car industry required other industries, for example the basic raw materials such as steel. The car industry also created the need for roadside petrol stations and these in turn led to the creation of roadside restaurants. These new industries and such, kept the economic boom going and growing. Having accepted that new industries were necessary to keep the boom going, it is now necessary to look at how the demand was met with the goods. If enough goods werent being made to keep the demand high, the cycle of prosperity was likely to end. There were two ways in which the demand was met. The first of these ways was the buying of stocks and shares. During the 1920s buying shares became extremely popular. Companies would float their company on the stock market so that people would buy stakes in the company. This provided money for the company, which could be invested back into the company to make it larger so that more goods could be created. This then led to higher employment, higher purchasing power and into even more demand. Also during the 1920s share buying became much easier. This was partly due to the government policy of Laissez faire. Laissez faire meant that people were able to borrow money from banks more easily so that they could invest it into shares. Another reason why it was easier to buy into shares is because people were able to buy them using instalments. People could put down a 10% deposit and then pay for them over the period of time following. The second way that the USA could keep production high enough to meet the demand was by using mass production and the moving assembly line, as pioneered by Henry Ford. The moving assembly line sped up production a great deal. For example, before the assembly line, on average a car took about 12 hours to make, but by using the line it took only 2 hours, this being a dramatic saving in time. Not only did the moving assembly line increase production, it helped to lower the price of goods meaning that the price of these goods could go down, increasing demand. The prices were able to go down because more products could be made within the same amount of time, with the same amount of workers so companies could afford to lower their prices. This essay has shown that both long-term and short-term causes were necessary to cause the American economy to boom in the 1920s. The boom would not have happened without the long-term or short-term causes. The long-term causes created an environment for which an economic boom could happen in and the short-term causes maintained and increased the economic boom once it had started. Both the long-term and short-term causes fed into the cycle of prosperity. The long-term causes created it and the short-term causes stimulated it and kept it going. The First World War was probably the single most important factor that caused the economic boom to happen. Without the First World War America would not have had an external market to sell her goods to. America also leant money to European countries after the war, this money was repaid to America with interest. If this hadnt happened it would have meant that not as much money would have been coming into America, therefore not as much money would have been invested into American companies and businesses, making them probably less successful. However, all the factors that created and maintained the economic boom were important. But they all needed to happening at the same time and to and to a great extent. This happened when there was increased demand, increased means of production and increased spending power. However the economic boom only lasted a short whist and on the 29th of October 1929 the American economy crashed during the Wall Street Crash and a period of depression followed.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

PSAT Test Dates 2015

PSAT Test Dates 2015 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The PSAT test dates of 2015 have come and gone, but they are not forgotten - especially for students aiming to become National Merit Finalists. This guide will go over the exact PSAT test dates in 2015, as well as discuss how test-takers can make the most of their PSAT score reports today. If you’re looking for future PSAT test dates, then check out this guide instead. If you’re in the right spot, then read on to learn about how the PSAT testing schedule works for participating students. What to Know About PSAT Test Dates Unlike many other standardized tests, like the SAT or ACT, you don’t choose when you take the PSAT. Instead, your high school registers juniors and chooses the test date from two options in October. If you’re a ninth or tenth grader who wants to take the PSAT, then you have to ask your school counselor to sign you up. College Board gave schools two choices for test dates in 2015, a primary and an alternate. Both test dates fell on a weekday, on a Wednesday to be exact. Most schools administered the PSAT on the primary test date. Below are the exact dates for the primary and alternate testing dates for the PSAT in 2015. PSAT Test Dates in 2015 Schools administered the PSAT on one of these two test dates in 2015. Primary test date: October 14, 2015 Alternate test date: October 28, 2015 Most schools held the PSAT on October 14, 2015. The only exception would be if the school had a scheduling conflict that day and had to go with the alternate test date. Once students took the PSAT, they waited a few months to get back their scores. For juniors, October is the month of pumpkins, pie, and the PSAT. When Did 2015 PSAT Scores Come Out? Scores from the 2015 PSAT came out on January 7th, 2016. On that date, students could sign into their College Board accounts and view their score reports. Counselors actually had access to the scores one day earlier, on January 6. In addition to online score reports, students got paper score reports around January 29. Forstudents who took the PSAT in 2015 or who will be taking it in the future, why are PSAT scores important? Why Are PSAT Scores Important? PSAT scores are important for two main reasons. First, they give you essential feedback about your skills as a test-taker, and you can use that feedback to prepare for the SAT. Secondly, PSAT score reports tell any juniors who took the test whether or not they will qualify for National Merit distinction and scholarships. Let’s take a closer look at both of these functions of your PSAT scores. 1. Practice and Feedback for the SAT The PSAT and SAT are very similar tests, so your score report on the PSAT can help you figure out how to improve for the SAT. Both tests have Reading, Writing and Language, and math sections. The main difference is that the PSAT doesn’t have an essay section. Your PSAT score report will give you detailed feedback on your performance. You should take time to look at your results and pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses. If you struggled on the math section, for instance, then you can focus especially on math as you get ready for the SAT. By figuring out where you lost points, you can make efforts to get those kinds of questions right for next time. Your score report can also prompt you to reflect on the test-taking experience. Did you find yourself running out of time? Would you benefit from trying new test-taking strategies, like process of elimination on vocabulary questions? If you took the PSAT in 2015 and are still planning to take the SAT, you should carefully consider your PSAT score report and use it to design your SAT prep plan. Your PSAT score report gives you useful feedback on your skills as a test-taker. You can use that insightas you get ready for the SAT. 2. National Merit Distinctions and Scholarships If you took the PSAT as a junior, then you’re in the running for National Merit distinction and scholarships. The top 3% to 4% of scorers werenamed Commended Scholars, while students who score in the top 1% werenamed Semifinalists and couldmove on to become Finalists and win scholarship money. National Merit Scholarship Corporation hasn’t released its exact state-by-state cutoffs yet, but we can estimate the cutoffs based on data from past years. About a year after they took the PSAT in 2015, about 16,000 students across the country foundout if they achieved Semifinalist status. If you were one of those students who took the PSAT in October 2015, how can you make the most of your PSAT score report now? Make the Most of Your PSAT Score Report If you’re still planning to take the SAT, then your PSAT score report can help you design a study plan. Look closely at the sections where you excelled and the sections where you could use some improvement. Think about what skills you can work on to get better as a test-taker, whether you need to review specific concepts or practice time management. As you study for the SAT, try to identify and target your weak areas. Gather lots of practice questions, time yourself, and score your practice tests. Continue to measure your progress with your practice test score reports, just as you did with your PSAT score report. By taking time to analyze your PSAT and SAT practice test score reports, you can root out your weak areas and gaugeyour progress as you work toward your target SAT scores. In closing, let’s go over the key points you should remember about the PSAT in 2015, how it was administered, and how you can make the most of your PSAT score report now. Use your PSAT score report to target your weak areas and improve for the next test you take. PSAT in 2015: Key Takeaways Most schools administered the PSAT on Wednesday, October 14, 2015. Juniors automatically tookthe test and competed for National Merit distinction. Younger students couldalso request to take the test, and they coulduse the experience as practice for the junior year PSAT and the SAT. If you took the test in 2015, then you got your scores online on January 7th. Whether you’re competing for National Merit or prepping for the SAT, you can gain valuable insight from your PSAT score report. Take time to analyze your performance, figure out your strengths and weaknesses, and reflect on the experience to get ready for the SAT. What’s Next? Are you preparing to take the SAT? Check out our ultimate SAT prep guides for the Reading, Writing and Language, and Math sections of the SAT. Did you take the PSAT as a younger student in 2015? If you're aiming for top scores when you take the test as a junior, check out this full guide to getting a perfect score on the PSAT. Have you started taking steps to apply to college? For a full overview of the entire college application process, check out this comprehensive guide. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Specific Background Information in Relation to AIDS Research Paper

Specific Background Information in Relation to AIDS - Research Paper Example Specifically with Australia, it is officially known that â€Å"from the start of the epidemic until the end of 2009, there have been 29,395 diagnoses of HIV and 10,446 diagnoses of AIDS. Australia has recorded 6,776 AIDS deaths† (AVERT, 2010). In terms of AIDS, the country has recorded downward infection rates since 2005 from 234 to 90 in 2009. However with new HIV infections, there has been rising new prevalence and infection rate since the same period of time. This is an alarming situation. The graph below represents data on new HIV and AIDS infection rates for Australia for a decade from 1999 to 2009. Source: AVERT (2010). Australia HIV & AIDS Statistics From the graph, it can be seen that the new infections of HIV generally rise whiles that of AIDS generally decrease. The truth however is that all people having HIV will eventually contract AIDS and so if there is something to be worried about most, it should be the new HIV, which unfortunately keeps going up. Statement of Problem The present problem for which a strategy needs to be developed is the seemingly low level of awareness on the risk factors associated with the HIV disease and how the key risks associated with the disease can be prevented or minimized. Lately, there is a globally low trend on the campaign against HIV because of the general downward infection rates recorded of late. AVERT (2010) notes that â€Å"the number of deaths probably peaked around 2004, and due to the expansion of antiretroviral therapy, declined by 19 percent between 2004 and 2009.† Because of this trend, governments, non-governmental agencies and other organized bodies that formally championed the campaign on HIV all seem to have coiled back into their shells. It is said to note that there continue to be low budgets allocated to HIV awareness programs because of the general assurance that the infection rate of HIV is going down. One very important factor that stakeholders who seem to be relaxing on their effo rts seem to be forgetting is the fact that low infection rates is not equal to zero infection rate. It is not as if HIV no longer affects new casualties. Sight must not even be lost of the fact that HIV continues to remain a non-curative disease and a disease that is still rated as an epidemic. Presently, there is no continent or country that has a zero infection rate. For this reason, there is a major problem of reduced awareness and thus the need to strategies means of uplifting the once vibrant campaign against HIV and AIDS infections in the country. Questions Motivating Research for Devising the Strategy The conduct of this research shall pivot around a number of questions. These questions are worth stating because they are going to serve as delimitations to the researcher in defining the kind of information to look out for and which information to leave out of the research. The questions are again worth stating because they will guide the researcher in knowing exactly what the research work seeks to achieve and scope that the research work may not deal with. The questions that are going to guide the conduct of the research and device of the strategy are therefore given as followers: 1. What is the global infection rate of