Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Corporate Social Responsibility in Banking

Question: Examine about the Corporate Social Responsibility in Banking. Answer: Presentation Corporate Social duty is a self guideline activity by an association to secure and advance reasonable condition and social prosperity of the area that it works (Allen and Craig, 2016). Corporate social obligation (CSR) empower associations incorporate with the general public with a point of accomplishing practical turns of events. CSR includes activities to ration nature and ventures that advance social wellbeing. CSR in banking alludes to starts that advance capable contributing, human rights security, capable loaning and maintainable ecological arrangement in it activities and accomplices. Banks have a focal job in the conservative existence of the organizations and have ability to impact their activities toward reasonable condition (Cristbal, Albo and Irabien, 2010). Banks offer money related loaning administrations in the general public that are utilized in putting resources into a few ventures that can debase the earth. The accompanying report will talk about the Commonwealth Bank of Australia Corporate Social Responsibility strategy on carbon impression. The report will examine the Banks strategy to diminish the carbon discharge in the earth and the capacity of the arrangement to lessen it carbon impression. The report will likewise contrast the Banks starts and approaches and HDFC Bank in India on corporate social obligation in lessening carbon impression. Conversation District Bank Carbon impression alludes to measure of ozone depleting substance emanations that can be related to a specific association (Carbonfund.org, 2017). Federation Bank is one of the greatest and most seasoned banks in Australia with base camp in Sydney. The Bank has a few branches far and wide and target clients around the world. The Bank is engaged with financing huge ventures in mining, horticulture, fabricating, power, transport, assembling and property advancements. These ventures financed by the bank lead to high discharge of carbon gases to nature. This shows the bank is identified with the carbon outflow since it funds the ventures. These carbon discharges are credited to the Banks carbon impression based on loaning. This shows the organization has different sides of the carbon outflow; one from the loaning administrations that the bank offers to organizations and the self carbon discharge from its activities. The Commonwealth Bank CSR Initiatives to Reduce Carbon Footprint Divulgence of Carbon Footprint Province bank has received Global Carbon Disclosure guideline that requires straightforwardness and divulgence of the carbon impression from its tasks and loaning portfolio when revealing in the yearly report. This CSR includes detailing all carbon outflow that are related with the business loaning portfolio in it money related year while giving the yearly report. This approach requires the bank to set up an itemized report that shows the effect of their loaning to carbon emanation (Commbank.com.au, 2017). This arrangement likewise expects organizations to report their carbon outflow report to the bank. The bank utilizes this data to distinguish and follow up on circumstances that can improve its carbon execution. Mindful Funding The Bank remembers it job in encouraging turns of events and development through subsidizing. The Bank remembers it impact in subsidizing ventures that have sway on the earth. Empowering and encouraging advancements is the significant job of the bank and all improvement have carbon impression. The Bank has along these lines established severe natural standards and founded a social and administration loaning duties and Equator standards to be followed when affirming subsidizing. This implies organizations looking for financing from the Commonwealth Bank should meet the ecological standards and keep the social and administration responsibilities. These measures are intended to guarantee the Bank impact carbon emanations by practicing dependable loaning. Usage of Renewable Programs The Bank has turned out sunlight based vitality to seventeen branches across Australia. These sunlight based boards have spared 40% vitality and spared 60% expense. The Bank is focused on producing it own power to supplant the flow utilization of non sustainable power. This sun based program activity is decreasing the measure of carbon impression of the organization (Commbank.com.au, 2017). This activity will lessen the carbon emanation that who have been discharged to deliver non inexhaustible power. Living in Sustainable Infrastructure The Bank has rented new workplaces at Australian Technological Park from 2015. The bank is moving its tasks to structures that are intended to accomplish 5 Star NABERS Energy and six Star Green Star rating. The structures are vitality and water proficient. These structures are worked in present day plans that save nature by lessening carbon discharge and water wastage (Chakraborty and Roy, 2013). This activity of the bank is intended to lessen the carbon impression. This activity will empower the Bank demonstration obligation to nature. Examination of Commonwealth Bank of Australia and HDFC Bank of India HDFC Bank The Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDGFC) Bank was begun in 1994 and was among the first Banks in Quite a while to get endorsed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The HDGFC bank has home office in Mumbai, India. The Bank has all around created supportability strategy to enact carbon impression. The Bank has a business reasoning that is endeavors to keep up balance between capita, nature and network (HDFC Bank.com, 2017). It puts stock in ecological protection for reasonable business. HDFC Bank CSR on Carbon Footprint The business activities to carbon impression decrease are as per the following. First the organization has presented paperless banking. The ATMs of the banks have gotten paperless prompting decrease of carbon impression. The organization has started multichannel conveyance that utilizations Net-Banking, Mobile-Banking and Phone-Banking. This activity decreases the carbon discharge that would be produced in tasks and client travel to premises. Also, the bank has started sun based ATMs in its endeavors to decrease natural impression. The ATMs utilize battery-powered Batteries that utilization sun based vitality. This has decreased the utilization of customary vitality. Third, the Bank has presented a vitality the board module in it 100branches across significant urban areas. This program screens and controls power use and limits wastage. The program utilizes sensors to screen. The program is additionally used to screen diesel utilization in the DG sets. Fourth, the organization has del iberate reports it carbon Disclosure as required by Global Reporting Initiatives on unveiling Carbon Emission. The Bank has had the option to complete CDP initiative list in 2014-2015 money related year. This activity help the Bank remember it carbon emanation and assume liability by following up on chances to decrease it carbon impression execution. In conclusion, the HDFC Bank has gone along to economical in addition to for corporate maintainable name. This contribution help the organization lead it ESG examination and measure execution as far as supportability. This has empowered the Bank to be appraised as Sustainable in addition to Gold Label. Examination From the two records plot in this paper, Commonwealth Bank and HDFC Bank are cognizant about the carbon impression execution in their tasks. The two Banks have activities planned for lessening carbon emanation to the earth (Svensson and Wagner, 2011). The two organizations are utilizing sunlight based vitality as an elective wellspring of vitality to decrease ordinary power use. The Banks likewise dedicated to unveiling their carbon impression execution. Despite what might be expected, it clear that the banks center is extraordinary. Federation Bank of Australia has incredible spotlight because of their loaning to carbon outflow. The Bank requires organizations being subsidized to stand to exacting natural standards and demonstrate responsibility to Social and ecological strategies. This isn't tended to by the HDFC Bank in India. The HDFC Bank has likewise presented paperless financial that moderates trees and lessens carbon emanation in activities and transportation. This activity i sn't addresses by the district Bank in Australia. End From our investigation of the Commonwealth Bank in Australia, it shows that Banks are engaging in activities that advance maintainability through corporate social duty. The Banks are starting projects and practices that preserve nature willfully. The examination of the India Bank and an Australian Bank, it shows that there is a universal pattern of associations to include in CSR activities to ration the earth and advance supportable business without mediation of controllers. Consequently, it very well may be presumed that associations have gone to CSR exercises to get endorsement from the general public by adding to reasonable financial improvement to the general public. References Allen, M. furthermore, Craig, C. (2016). Reconsidering corporate social obligation in the time of environmental change: a correspondence point of view. Universal Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 1(1). Chakraborty, D. furthermore, Roy, J. (2013). Vitality and carbon impression: numbers matter in low vitality and low carbon decisions. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 5(2), pp.237-243. Commbank.com.au. (2017). CommBank's Sustainability Report 2016. [online] Available at: https://www.commbank.com.au/cr-report2016/cs-sustainably.html [Accessed 20 Apr. 2017]. Commbank.com.au. (2017). Province Bank actualizes supportability arrangements and practices. [online] Available at: https://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/news/media-discharges/2015/republic bank-executes maintainability arrangements and-practices.html [Accessed 20 Apr. 2017]. Cristbal, J., Albo, J. also, Irabien, A. (2010). Natural Sustainability Assessment of Electricity From Fo

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Taking the LSAT Under Special Circumstances

Taking the LSAT Under Special Circumstances Taking the LSAT is a tremendous advance as you continued looking for a profession in the suit world. Indeed, its essential for pretty much every graduate school application out there! Anyway, consider the possibility that you have to take the LSAT under exceptional conditions. Maybe you can't test on the Sabbath, and need to enroll for the test on another date. Is that conceivable? Or on the other hand, maybe you essentially can't bear the cost of the LSAT expenses. what can be done? Underneath, youll discover some data about taking the LSAT under these exceptional conditions, and the means expected to finish your enlistment on the off chance that you fall under one of these classes. Sabbath Observers On the off chance that you happen to watch the Sabbath on Saturdays, and in this way, can't take a test on that date, at that point what are your alternatives if youre attempting to get into graduate school? LSAC (Law School Admission Council) has as of now make courses of action for you. In the event that you check the LSAT test dates, youll see that the test is offered one more day of the week each time its given on a Saturday. Normally, those days are Mondays. You can enroll as a Saturday Sabbath Observer (directions on the web), yet a hold will be set for you until LSAC gets a letter from your rabbi or priest on authentic writing material that clarifies your strict association. Lets state your rabbi isnt the timeliest of sorts. Youll must be steady in your solicitation, at that point! All letters must be gotten by the late enlistment cutoff time for your test date, or you won't have the option to test on that date. Of course, youll recover your money, however you may miss the application cutoff time for your school of decision. Better ask early! Letters will be kept on record for you, so you wont need to request another one on the off chance that you choose to push your LSAT test back to another date or need to retest. What's more, for the record, in the event that you are taking the LSAT on a Sabbath Observers test date, you won't have the option to step through the exam on a consistently planned test date (on a Saturday) later on. On the off chance that you register for a Saturday test date, LSAC will naturally knock your testing date to the Sabbath Observers testing date.â Need your rabbi to send in a letter for you? Heres the location and fax number where the person in question can send the report: Address:â â â  â â LSAC Test Administration  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â PO BOX 2000-T  â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â Newtown PA 18940 Fax:â â â  â â â â â â â â â â 215.968.1277 Expense Waivers Not every person is made of cash, am I right? Truly, I am. It can get expensive when you separate the expense of the LSAT. From enrollment charges to the Credit Assembly Service (CAS), which is LSACs administration that sums up your student work and consolidates records with LSAT score and composing test to make a report to send to graduate schools, your LSAT experience can get extravagant. Fortunately in the event that you qualify, you can get a portion of your charges deferred. Coming up next are remembered for a LSAT expense waiver, which will be useful for a long time from the date of contingent endorsement by LSAC: Two LSATs (test dates must fall inside the two-year waiver period)One enlistment for LSACs Credential Assembly Service (CAS), which incorporates the Letter of Recommendation Service, the LSAC Evaluation Service, and access to electronic applications for all LSAC-part law schools;Four graduate school reports included with the Credential Assembly Service, accessible simply after definite endorsement of a LSAC charge waiver;One duplicate of the Official LSAT SuperPrep ®. Excluded? Things like test date changes, late enrollment, hand scoring, paper duplicates, and so forth. Anyway, how would you know whether you qualify? LSAC keeps it straightforward: on the off chance that you completely can't stand to pay for the test, at that point you qualify. Furthermore, theyll know since when you present your application (at any rate a month and a half preceding your enrollment cutoff time), youll need to give tax documents and other money related materials so they can audit your case. On the off chance that youd like to demand an expense waiver before taking the LSAT, there are three approaches: Web based: Requesting a charge waiver through the online application is the quickest, most helpful technique. Youll need to either have a current LSAC.org account or be happy to make one. In the event that you dont need to round out the data on the web, you can download an application and mail it in. By Phone: U.S. or on the other hand Canadian residents can demand a charge waiver parcel by calling 215.968.1001 a month and a half before the enrollment deadline.â In Person: Go to your closest graduate school affirmation office or prelaw consultant in any event a month and a half preceding the enlistment cutoff time to demand an expense waiver bundle.

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Your Quick Guide to Articles A, An, and The

Your Quick Guide to Articles A, An, and The While learning the English language has its challenges, articles in English can be quite simple to understand if you know the general rules surrounding their use. And theres further good newsâ€"there are only three: a, an and the.Article basics and useAn article is an adjective that is used to modify a noun. It will come before the noun in English sentence structure, although there could be an adjective between the article and the noun.Here are some examples of articles in a sentence:The rat escaped from the cats grasp.A delicious dinner will follow the keynote address.I think tonight will be an eventful evening.A and an (the indefinite articles)The choice between these two indefinite articles depends on the noun the article modifies. A is used with a noun that has a consonant sound at the beginning, while an is used with a noun that has a vowel sound at the beginning.But be careful hereâ€"a common mistake people make is to assume that they should focus on the literal spelling of the noun, when rather, they should focus on the sound. For example, look at the phrases and article use below. Note that in some cases, A comes before a vowel-led word instead of An if the word sounds like it begins with a consonant:An unforgettable momentAn unworthy opponentAn octagonAn honor (hon sounds like on)An only childAn x-ray (x sounds like ex)A younger womanA university dorm (u sounds like you)A one-track mindA unique opportunity (u sounds like you)The (the definite article)When deciding whether to use The as the article of choice for a noun in a sentence, the first question you must ask is related to specificity. In other words, is the article referring to a specific object or a non-specific object?For example, lets look at the sentence: Please lock the door before you leave.In this example, the speaker is referring to a specific door that is likely known to the person to whom the sentence is spoken. Usually this is the front door or the main door to a room or building, so w hen told to lock the door on your way out, you can usually infer which door.However, imagine if the speaker had said: Please lock a door before you leave. In this case, the person hearing the information would likely be confused. Which door? Well…according to the speaker, any door, as long as it is a door. If that doesnt make sense, then using the as the article is the correct choice.Here are some other examples of sentences in which The is the correct article choice:The car parked in our driveway needs to be moved.Please place the book youre carrying back on the shelf.I lost my phone at the grocery story yesterday.

Friday, May 22, 2020

How Factors in the External Business Environment Influence...

Using an organisation you are familiar with; explain how factors in the external business environment influence marketing strategies and outcomes ‘Betfair betting exchange processes more than seven million transactions a day- that’s more than all European stock exchanges combined.’(Betfair, 2011) With this sentence we can observe the magnitude and growth that an online gambling company like Betfair.com has achieved. To reach this point they have dealt with many issues in their external environment and they have overcome these problems through intelligence in their marketing strategies. Marketing is ‘the management process of anticipating, identifying and satisfying customer requirements profitably’ (CIM, 2011). Almost any company has to†¦show more content†¦What Betfair says is that these restrictions are against what customers want and that they lead to market failure. As Solomon et al (2009: 60) states ‘†¦global marketers must understand more complex political issues that can affect how they do business and their potential for success’. The German example is only one of the many different legislations which Betfair have to deal with, therefore when they market their products in one specific country they have to know perfectly what kind of services are prohibited in those countries to avoid legal issues with governments and consumers. When deciding on international expansion they also need a sensitive analysis of the legislation in that country as it might not be profitable to operate there if either their gross profit tax is very high, or if many products like online casino are banned, or if betting large amounts of money are prohibited. When Betfair segment their market they might do it by geography. This is where the socio-cultural environment will affect their decisions and where a differentiated marketing strategy will be necessary in each country. In many countries gambling is illegal and in more of them it is seen as evil because people might get addicted and lose their resources via these betting companies, that is why ethics becomes a topic of great importance to BetfairShow MoreRelatedBusiness Environment Past Papers1115 Words   |  5 PagesUnit Title: Introduction to Business Guided Learning Hours: 100 Level: Level 4 Number of Credits: 12 Learning Outcome 1 The learner will: Understand the objectives of a business, what resources they need and to whom they are accountable. Assessment Criteria The learner can: 1.1 Define and show an understanding of the important business terms related to corporate objectives. 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Friday, May 8, 2020

Simon s Model Of Human Decision Making - 974 Words

Herbert A. Simons was a scientist that was interested in the subject of human decision making and because of this, it lead him to studying various disciplines to gain a wider knowledge of decision theory (Auiger 2000). This gathered knowledge lead to what is today known as the Simon’s Model. Simon’s model involves four main phases. These phases include, the intelligence phase, the design phase, the choice phase and implementation The first phase of Simon’s model is the intelligence phase. It is in this phase that the problem or decision that must be made, must be identified and clearly defined. Therefore, it is important to understand the true nature of the problem or opportunity and not the symptoms. â€Å"Often, what is described as a problem may be only a symptom of a problem† (Turban 2011, p.48). Campitelli and Gobet (2010, p.359) state that participants must use strategies to reduce the number of states they need to explore to reach the final state. 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Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Twilight Saga 4 Breaking Dawn 12. Some People Just Don’t Grasp … Free Essays

12. Some People Just Don’t Grasp The Concept Of â€Å"Unwelcome† I was right on the edge of sleep. The sun had risen behind the clouds an hour ago – the forest was gray now instead of black. We will write a custom essay sample on The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 12. Some People Just Don’t Grasp †¦ or any similar topic only for you Order Now Seth’d curled up and passed out around one, and I’d woken him at dawn to trade off. Even after running all night, I was having a hard time making my brain shut up long enough to fall asleep, but Seth’s rhythmic run was helping. One, two-three, four, one, two-three, four – dum dum-dum dam – dull paw thuds against the damp earth, over and over as he made the wide circuit surrounding the Cullens’ land. We were already wearing a trail into the ground. Seth’s thoughts were empty, just a blur of green and gray as the woods flew past him. It was restful. It helped to fill my head with what he saw rather than letting my own images take center stage. And then Seth’s piercing howl broke the early morning quiet. I lurched up from the ground, my front legs pulling toward a sprint before my hind legs were off the ground. I raced toward the place where Seth had frozen, listening with him to the tread of paws running in our direction. Morning, boys. A shocked whine broke through Seth’s teeth. And then we both snarled as we read deeper into the new thoughts. Oh, man! Goaway, Leah! Seth groaned. I stopped when I got to Seth, head thrown back, ready to howl again – this time to complain. Cut the noise, Seth. Right. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!He whimpered and pawed at the ground, scratching deep furrows in the dirt. Leah trotted into view, her small gray body weaving through the underbrush. Stop whining, Seth. You’re such a baby. I growled at her, my ears flattening against my skull. She skipped back a step automatically. What do you think you’re doing, Leah? She huffed a heavy sigh. It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? I’m joining your crappy little renegade pack. The vampires’ guard dogs. She barked out a low, sarcastic laugh. No, you’re not. Turn around before I rip out one of your hamstrings. Like you could catch me.She grinned and coiled her body for launch. Wanna race, O fearless leader? I took a deep breath, filling my lungs until my sides bulged. Then, when I was sure I wasn’t going to scream, i exhaled in a gust. Seth, go let the Cullens know that it’s just your stupid sister – thought the words as harshly as possible. deal with this. On it!Seth was only too happy to leave. He vanished toward the house. Leah whined, and she leaned after him, the fur on her shoulders rising. You’re just going to let him run off to the vampires alone? I’m pretty sure he’d rather they took him out than spend another minute with you. Shut up, Jacob. Oops, I’m sorry – meant, shut up, most high Alpha. Why thehellare you here? You think I’m just going to sit home while my little brother volunteers as a vampire chew toy? Seth doesn’t want or need your protection. In fact, no one wants you here. Oooh, ouch, that’s gonna leave ahuge mark. Ha, she barked. Tell me who does want me around, and I’m outta here. So this isn’t about Seth at all, is it? Of course it is. I’m just pointing out that being unwanted is not a first for me. Not really a motivating factor, if you know what I mean. I gritted my teeth and tried to get my head straight. Did Sam send you? If I was here on Sam’s errand, you wouldn’t be able to hear me. My allegiance is no longer with him. I listened carefully to the thoughts mixed in with the words. If this was a diversion or a ploy, I had to be alert enough to see through it. But there was nothing. Her declaration was nothing but the truth. Unwilling, almost despairing truth. You’re loyal tome now? I asked with deep sarcasm. Uh-huh. Right. My choices are limited. I’m working with the options I’ve got. Trust me, I’m not enjoying this any more than you are. That wasn’t true. There was an edgy kind of excitement in her mind. She was unhappy about this, but she was also riding some weird high. I searched her mind, trying to understand. She bristled, resenting the intrusion. I usually tried to tune Leah out – I’d never tried to make sense of her before. We were interrupted by Seth, thinking his explanation at Edward. Leah whined anxiously. Edward’s face, framed in the same window as last night, showed no reaction to the news. It was a blank face, dead. Wow, he looks bad,Seth muttered to himself. The vampire showed no reaction to that thought, either. He disappeared into the house. Seth pivoted and headed back out to us. Leah relaxed a little. What’s going on?Leah asked. Catch me up to speed. There’s no point You’re not staying. Actually, Mr. Alpha, I am. Because since apparently I have to belong tosomeone – and don’t think I haven’t tried breaking off on my own, you know yourself how wellthat doesn ‘t work – choose you. Leah, you don’t like me. I don’t like you. Thank you, Captain Obvious. That doesn’t matter to me. I’m staying with Seth. You don’t like vampires. Don’t you think that’s a little conflict of interest right there? You don’t like vampires either. But Iam committed to this alliance. You aren’t. I’ll keep my distance from them. I can run patrols out here, just like Seth. And I’m supposed to trust you with that? She stretched her neck, leaning up on her toes, trying to be as tall as me as she stared into my eyes. will not betray my pack. I wanted to throw my head back and howl, like Seth had before. This isn’t your pack! This isn’t even a pack. This is just me, going off on my own! What is it with you Clearwaters? Why can’t you leave me alone? Seth, just coming up behind us now, whined; I’d offended him. Great. I’ve been helpful, haven’t I, Jake? You haven’t madetoo much a nuisance of yourself, kid, but if you and Leah are a package deal – if the only way to get rid of her is for you to go home†¦. Weil, can you blame me for wanting you gone? Ugh, Leah, you ruin everything! Yeah, I know,she told him, and the thought was loaded with the heaviness of her despair. I felt the pain in the three little words, and it was more than I would’ve guessed. I didn’t want to feel that. I didn’t want to feel bad for her. Sure, the pack was rough on her, but she brought it all on herself with the bitterness that tainted her every thought and made being in her head a nightmare. Seth was feeling guilty, too. Jake†¦ You’re not really gonna send me away, are you? Leah’s not so bad. Really. I mean, with her here, we can push the perimeter out farther. And this puts Sam down to seven. There’s no way he’s going to mount an attack that outnumbered. It’s probably a good thing†¦. You know I don’t want to lead a pack, Seth. So don’t lead us,Leah offered. I snorted. Sounds perfect to me. Run along home now. Jake,Seth thought. belong here. I do like vampires. Cullens, anyway. They’re people to me, and I’m going to protect them, ’cause that’s what we’re supposed to do. Maybe you belong, kid, but your sister doesn’t And she’s going to go wherever you are – I stopped short, because I saw something when I said that. Something Leah had been trying not to think. Leah wasn’t going anywhere. Thought this was about Seth,I thought sourly. She flinched. Of course I’m here for Seth. And to get away from Sam. Her jaw clenched. don’t have to explain myself to you. I just have to do what I’m told. I belong to your pack, Jacob. The end. I paced away from her, growling. Crap. I was never going to get rid of her. As much as she disliked me, as much as she loathed the Cullens, as happy as she’d be to go kill all the vampires right now, as much as it pissed her off to have to protect them instead – none of that was anything compared to what she felt being free of Sam. Leah didn’t like me, so it wasn’t such a chore having me wish she would disappear. She loved Sam. Still. And having him wish she would disappear was more pain than she was willing to live with, now that she had a choice. She would have taken any other option. Even if it meant moving in with the Cullens as their lapdog. don’t know if I’d go that far, she thought. She tried to make the words tough, aggressive, but there were big cracks in her show. I’m sure I’d give killing myself a few good tries first. Look, Leah†¦ No,you look, Jacob. Stop arguing with me, because it’s not going to do any good. I’ll stay out of your way, okay? I’ll do anything you want Except go back to Sam’s pack and be the pathetic ex-girlfriend he can’t get away from. If you want me to leave – she sat back on her haunches and stared straight into my eyes – you’re going to have tomake me. I snarled for a long, angry minute. I was beginning to feel some sympathy for Sam, despite what he had done to me, to Seth. No wonder he was always ordering the pack around. How else would you ever get anything done? Seth, are you gonna get mad at me if I kill your sister? He pretended to think about it for a minute. Well†¦ yeah, probably. I sighed. Okay, then, Ms. Do-Anything-I-Want Why don’t you make yourself useful by telling us what you know? What happened after we left last night? Lots of howling. But you probably heard that part. It was so loud that it took us a while to figure out that we couldn’t hear either of you anymore. Sam was†¦Words failed her, but we could see it in our head. Both Seth and I cringed. After that, it was clear pretty quick that we were going to have to rethink things. Sam was planning to talk to the other Elders first thing this morning. We were supposed to meet up and figure out a game plan. I could tell he wasn’t going to mount another attack right away, though. Suicide at this point, with you and Seth AWOL and the bloodsuckers forewarned. I’m not sure what they’ll do, but I wouldn’t be wandering the forest alone if I was a leech. It’s open season on vamps now. You decided to skip the meeting this morning?I asked. When we split up for patrols last night, I asked permission to go home, to tell my mother what had happened – Crap! You told Mom?Seth growled. Seth, hold off on the sibling stuff for a sec. Go on, Leah. So once I was human, I took a minute to think things through. Well, actually, I took all night. I bet the others think I fell asleep. But the whole two-separate-packs, two-separate-pack-minds thing gave mea lot to sift through. In the end, I weighed Seth’s safety and the, er, other benefits against the idea of turning traitor and sniffing vampire stink for who knows how long. You know what I decided. I left a note for my mom. I expect we’ll hear it when Sam finds out . .. Leah cocked an ear to the west. Yeah, I expect we will,I agreed. So that’s everything. What do we do now?she asked. She and Seth both looked at me expectantly. This was exactly the kind of thing I didn’t want to have to do. guess we just keep an eye out for now. That’s all we can do. You should probably take a nap, Leah. You’ve had as much sleep as I have. Thought you were going to do what you were told? Right. That’s going to get old,she grumbled, and then she yawned. Well, whatever. I don’t care. I’ll run the border, Jake. I’m not tired at all.Seth was so glad I hadn’t forced them home, he was all but prancing with excitement. Sure, sure. I’m going to go check in with the Cullens. Seth took off along the new path worn into the damp earth. Leah looked after him thoughtfully. Maybe a round or two before I crash†¦. Hey Seth, wanna see how many times I can lap you? NO! Barking out a low chuckle, Leah lunged into the woods after him. I growled uselessly. So much for peace and quiet. Leah was trying – for Leah. She kept her jibes to a minimum as she raced around the circuit, but it was impossible not to be aware of her smug mood. I thought of the whole â€Å"two’s company† saying. It didn’t really apply, because one was plenty to my mind. But if there had to be three of us, it was hard to think of anyone that I wouldn’t trade her for. Paul?she suggested. Maybe,I allowed. She laughed to herself, too jittery and hyper to get offended, i wondered how long the buzz from dodging Sam’s pity would last. That will be my goal then – to be less annoying than Paul. Yeah, work on that I changed into my other form when I was a few yards from the lawn. I hadn’t been planning to spend much time human here. But I hadn’t been planning to have Leah in my head, either. I pulled on my ragged shorts and started across the lawn. The door opened before I got to the steps, and I was surprised to see Carlisle rather than Edward step outside to meet me – his face looked exhausted and defeated. For a second, my heart froze. I faltered to a stop, unable to speak. â€Å"Are you all right, Jacob?† Carlisle asked. â€Å"Is Bella?† I choked out. â€Å"She’s†¦ much the same as last night. Did I startle you? I’m sorry. Edward said you were coming in your human form, and I came out to greet you, as he didn’t want to leave her. She’s awake.† And Edward didn’t want to lose any time with her, because he didn’t have much time left. Carlisle didn’t say the words out loud, but he might as well have. It had been a while since I’d slept – since before my last patrol. I could really feel that now. I took a step forward, sat down on the porch steps, and slumped against the railing. Moving whisper-quiet as only a vampire could, Carlisle took a seat on the same step, against the other railing. â€Å"I didn’t get a chance to thank you last night, Jacob. You don’t know how much I appreciate your†¦ compassion. I know your goal was to protect Bella, but I owe you the safety of the rest of my family as well. Edward told me what you had to do___† â€Å"Don’t mention it,† I muttered. â€Å"If you prefer.† We sat in silence. I could hear the others in the house. Emmett, Alice, and Jasper, speaking in low, serious voices upstairs. Esme humming tunelessly in another room. Rosalie and Edward breathing close by – I couldn’t tell which was which, but I could hear the difference in Bella’s labored panting. I could hear her heart, too. It seemed†¦ uneven. It was like fate was out to make me do everything I’d ever sworn I wouldn’t in the course of twenty-four hours. Here I was, hanging around, waiting for her to die. I didn’t want to listen anymore. Talking was better than listening. â€Å"She’s family to you?† I asked Carlisle. It had caught my notice before, when he’d said I’d helped the rest of his family, too. â€Å"Yes. Bella is already a daughter to me. A beloved daughter.† â€Å"But you’re going to let her die.† He was quiet long enough that I looked up. His face was very, very tired. I knew how he felt. â€Å"I can imagine what you think of me for that,† he finally said. â€Å"But i can’t ignore her will. It wouldn’t be right to make such a choice for her, to force her.† I wanted to be angry with him, but he was making it hard. It was like he was throwing my own words back at me, just scrambled up. They’d sounded right before, but they couldn’t be right now. Not with Bella dying. Still†¦ I remembered how it felt to be broken on the ground under Sam – to have no choice but be involved in the murder of someone I loved. It wasn’t the same, though. Sam was wrong. And Bella loved things she shouldn’t. â€Å"Do you think there’s any chance she’ll make it? I mean, as a vampire and all that. She told me about†¦ about Esme.† Tel say there’s an even chance at this point,† he answered quietly. â€Å"I’ve seen vampire venom work miracles, but there are conditions that even venom cannot overcome. Her heart is working too hard now; if it should fail†¦ there won’t be anything for me to do.† Bella’s heartbeat throbbed and faltered, giving an agonizing emphasis to his words. Maybe the planet had started turning backward. Maybe that would explain how everything was the opposite of what it had been yesterday – how I could be hoping for what had once seemed like the very worst thing in the world. â€Å"What is that thing doing to her?† I whispered. â€Å"She was so much worse last night. I saw†¦ the tubes and all that. Through the window.† â€Å"The fetus isn’t compatible with her body. Too strong, for one thing, but she could probably endure that for a while. The bigger problem is that it won’t allow her to get the sustenance she needs. Her body is rejecting every form of nutrition. I’m trying to feed her intravenously, but she’s just not absorbing it. Everything about her condition is accelerated. I’m watching her – and not just her, but the fetus as well – starve to death by the hour. I can’t stop it and I can’t slow it down. I can’t figure out what it wants† His weary voice broke at the end. I felt the same way I had yesterday, when I’d seen the black stains across her stomach – furious, and a little crazy. I clenched my hands into fists to control the shaking. I hated the thing that was hurting her. It wasn’t enough for the monster to beat her from the inside out. No, it was starving her, too. Probably just looking for something to sink its teeth into – a throat to suck dry. Since it wasn’t big enough to kill anyone else yet, it settled for sucking Bella’s life from her. I could tell them exactly what it wanted: death and blood, blood and death. My skin was all hot and prickly. I breathed slowly in and out, focusing on that to calm myself. â€Å"I wish I could get a better idea of what exactly it is,† Carlisle murmured. â€Å"The fetus is well protected. I haven’t been able to produce an ultrasonic image. I doubt there is any way to get a needle through the amniotic sac, but Rosalie won’t agree to let me try, in any case.† â€Å"A needle?† I mumbled. â€Å"What good would that do?† â€Å"The more I know about the fetus, the better I can estimate what it will be capable of. What I wouldn’t give for even a little amniotic fluid. If I knew even the chromosomal count†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You’re losing me, Doc. Can you dumb it down?† He chuckled once – even his laugh sounded exhausted. â€Å"Okay. How much biology have you taken? Did you study chromosomal pairs?† â€Å"Think so. We have twenty-three, right?† â€Å"Humans do.† I blinked. â€Å"How many do you have?† â€Å"Twenty-five.† I frowned at my fists for a second. â€Å"What does that mean?† â€Å"I thought it meant that our species were almost completely different. Less related than a lion and a house cat. But this new life – well, it suggests that we’re more genetically compatible than I’d thought.† He sighed sadly. â€Å"I didn’t know to warn them.† I sighed, too. It had been easy to hate Edward for the same ignorance. I still hated him for it. It was just hard to feel the same way about Carlisle. Maybe because I wasn’t ten shades of jealous in Carlisle’s case. â€Å"It might help to know what the count was – whether the fetus was closer to us or to her. To know what to expect.† Then he shrugged. â€Å"And maybe it wouldn’t help anything. I guess I just wish I had something to study, anything to do.† â€Å"Wonder what my chromosomes are like,† I muttered randomly. I thought of those Olympic steroids tests again. Did they run DNA scans? Carlisle coughed self-consciously. â€Å"You have twenty-four pairs, Jacob.† I turned slowly to stare at him, raising my eyebrows. He looked embarrassed. â€Å"I was†¦ curious. I took the liberty when I was treating you last June.† I thought about it for a second. â€Å"I guess that should piss me off. But I don’t really care.† â€Å"I’m sorry. I should have asked.† â€Å"S’okay, Doc. You didn’t mean any harm.† â€Å"No, I promise you that I did not mean you any harm. It’s just that†¦ I find your species fascinating. I suppose that the elements of vampiric nature have come to seem commonplace to me over the centuries. Your family’s divergence from humanity is much more interesting. Magical, almost.† â€Å"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo,† I mumbled. He was just like Bella with all the magic garbage. Carlisle laughed another weary laugh. Then we heard Edward’s voice inside the house, and we both paused to listen. â€Å"I’ll be right back, Bella. I want to speak with Carlisle for a moment. Actually, Rosalie, would you mind accompanying me?† Edward sounded different. There was a little life in his dead voice. A spark of something. Not hope exactly, but maybe the desire to hope. â€Å"What is it, Edward?† Bella asked hoarsely. â€Å"Nothing you need to worry about, love. It will just take a second. Please, Rose?† â€Å"Esme?† Rosalie called. â€Å"Can you mindBella for me?† Iheard the whisper of wind as Esme flitted down the stairs. â€Å"Of course,† she said. Carlisle shifted, twisting to look expectantly at the door. Edward was through the door first, with Rosalie right on his heels. His face was, like his voice, no longer dead. He seemed intensely focused. Rosalie looked suspicious. Edward shut the door behind her. â€Å"Carlisle,† he murmured. â€Å"What is it, Edward?† â€Å"Perhaps we’ve been going about this the wrong way. I was listening to you and Jacob just now, and when you were speaking of what the†¦ fetus wants, Jacob had an interesting thought.† Me?What had thought? Besides my obvious hatred for the thing? At least I wasn’t alone in that. I could tell that Edward had a difficult time using a term as mild as fetus. â€Å"We haven’t actually addressed that angle,† Edward went on. â€Å"We’ve been trying to get Bella what she needs. And her body is accepting it about as well as one of ours would. Perhaps we should address the needs of the†¦ fetus first. Maybe if we can satisfy it, we’ll be able to help her more effectively.† â€Å"I’m not following you, Edward,† Carlisle said. â€Å"Think about it, Carlisle. If that creature is more vampire than human, can’t you guess what it craves – what it’s not getting? Jacob did.† I did? I ran through the conversation, trying to remember what thoughts I’d kept to myself. I remembered at the same time that Carlisle understood. â€Å"Oh,† he said in a surprised tone. â€Å"You think it is†¦ thirsty?† Rosalie hissed under her breath. She wasn’t suspicious anymore. Her revoltingly perfect face wasall lit up, her eyes wide with excitement. â€Å"Of course,† she muttered. â€Å"Carlisle, we have all that type O negative laid aside for Bella. It’s a good idea,† she added, not looking at me. â€Å"Hmm.† Carlisle put his hand to his chin, lost in thought. â€Å"I wonder†¦ And then, what would be the best way to administer___† Rosalie shook her head. â€Å"We don’t have time to be creative. I’d say we should start with the traditional way.† â€Å"Wait a minute,† i whispered. â€Å"Just hold on. Are you – are you talking about making Bella drink blood?† â€Å"It was your idea, dog,† Rosalie said, scowling at me without ever quite looking at me. I ignored her and watched Carlisle. That same ghost of hope that had been in Edward’s face was now in the doctor’s eyes. He pursed his lips, speculating. â€Å"That’s just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I couldn’t find the right word. â€Å"Monstrous?† Edward suggested. â€Å"Repulsive?† â€Å"Pretty much.† â€Å"But what if it helps her?† he whispered. I shook my head angrily. â€Å"What are you gonna do, shove a tube down her throat?† â€Å"I plan to ask her what she thinks. I just wanted to run it past Carlisle first.† Rosalie nodded. â€Å"If you tell her it might help the baby, she’ll be willing to do anything. Even if we do have to feed them through a tube.† I realized then – when I heard how her voice got all loveydovey as she said the word baby – that Blondie would be in line with anything that helped the little life-sucking monster. Was that what was going on, the mystery factor that was bonding the two of them? Was Rosalie after the kid? From the corner of my eye, I saw Edward nod once, absently, not looking in my direction. But I knew he was answering my questions. Huh. I wouldn’t have thought the ice-cold Barbie would have a maternal side. So much for protecting Bella – Rosalie’d probably jam the tube down Bella’s throat herself. Edward’s mouth mashed into a hard line, and I knew I was right again. â€Å"Well, we don’t have time to sit around discussing this,† Rosalie said impatiently. â€Å"What do you think, Carlisle? Can we try?† Carlisle took a deep breath, and then he was on his feet. â€Å"We’ll ask Bella.† Blondie smiled smugly – sure that, if it was up to Bella, she would get her way. I dragged myself up from the stairs and followed after them as they disappeared into the house. I wasn’t sure why. Just morbid curiosity, maybe. It was like a horror movie. Monsters and blood all over the place. Maybe I just couldn’t resist another hit of my dwindling drug supply. Bella lay flat on the hospital bed, her belly a mountain under the sheet. She looked like wax – colorless and sort of see-through. You’d think she was already dead, except for the tiny movement of her chest, her shallow breathing. And then her eyes, following the four of us with exhausted suspicion. The others were at her side already, flitting across the room with sudden darting motions. It was creepy to watch. 1 ambled along at a slow walk. â€Å"What’s going on?† Bella demanded in a scratchy whisper. Her waxy hand twitched up – like she was trying to protect her balloon-shaped stomach. â€Å"Jacob had an idea that might help you,† Carlisle said. I wished he would leave me out of it. I hadn’t suggested anything. Give the credit to her bloodsucking husband, where it belonged. â€Å"It won’t be†¦ pleasant, but – â€Å" â€Å"But it will help the baby,† Rosalie interrupted eagerly. â€Å"We’ve thought of a better way to feed him. Maybe.† Bella’s eyelids fluttered. Then she coughed out a weak chuckle. â€Å"Not pleasant?† she whispered. â€Å"Gosh, that’ll be such a change.† She eyed the tube stuck into her arm and coughed again. Blondie laughed with her. The girl looked like she only had hours left, and she had to be in pain, but she was making jokes. So Bella. Trying to ease the tension, make it better for everyone else. Edward stepped around Rosalie, no humor touching his intense expression. I was glad for that. It helped, just a little bit, that he was suffering worse than me. He took her hand, not the one that was still protecting her swollen belly. â€Å"Bella, love, we’re going to ask you to do something monstrous,† he said, using the same adjectives he’d offered me. â€Å"Repulsive.† Well, at least he was giving it to her straight. She took a shallow, fluttery breath. â€Å"How bad?† Carlisle answered. â€Å"We think the fetus might have an appetite closer to ours than to yours. We think it’s thirsty.† She blinked. â€Å"Oh. Oh.† â€Å"Your condition – both of your conditions – are deteriorating rapidly. We don’t have time to waste, to come up with more palatable ways to do this. The fastest way to test the theory – â€Å" â€Å"I’ve got to drink it,† she whispered. She nodded slightly – barely enough energy for a little head bob. â€Å"I can do that. Practice for the future, right?† Her colorless lips stretched into a faint grin as she looked at Edward. He didn’t smile back. Rosalie started tapping her toe impatiently. The sound was really irritating. I wondered what she would do if I threw her through a wall right now. â€Å"So, who’s going to catch me a grizzly bear?† Bella whispered. Carlisle and Edward exchanged a quick glance. Rosalie stopped tapping. â€Å"What?† Bella asked. â€Å"It will be a more effective test if we don’t cut corners, Bella,† Carlisle said. â€Å"Ifthe fetus is craving blood,† Edward explained, â€Å"it’s not craving animal blood.† â€Å"It won’t make a difference to you, Bella. Don’t think about it,† Rosalie encouraged. Bella’s eyes widened. â€Å"Who?† she breathed, and her gaze flickered to me. â€Å"I’m not here as a donor, Bells,† I grumbled. â€Å"‘Sides, it’s human blood that thing’s after, and I don’t think mine applies – â€Å" â€Å"We have blood on hand,† Rosalie told her, talking over me before I’d finished, like I wasn’t there. â€Å"For you – just in case. Don’t worry about anything at all. It’s going to be fine. I have a good feeling about this, Bella. I think the baby will be so much better.† Bella:s hand ran across her stomach. â€Å"Well,† she rasped, barely audible. â€Å"I’m starving, so I’ll bet he is, too.† Trying to make another joke. â€Å"Let’s go for it. My first vampire act.† How to cite The Twilight Saga 4: Breaking Dawn 12. Some People Just Don’t Grasp †¦, Essay examples

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Welfare Essays (1769 words) - Welfare Economics, Public Economics

Welfare On October 29, 1929, the stock market crashed. The crash sent a shock-wave throughout the economy. Banks failed. Businesses closed. Millions found themselves out of work. The Great Depression, which would last through the 1930s, had begun. [Bill of Rights in Action, Welfare, 1998 pg. 1 paragraph 1] When the Great Depression began, about 18 million elderly, disabled, and single mothers with children already lived at a bare existent level in the United States. State and local governments together with private charities helped these people. By 1933, another 13 million Americans had been thrown out of work. Suddenly, state and local governments and charities could no longer provide even minimum assistance for all those in need. Food riots broke out. [Bill of Rights in Action, Welfare, 1998 pg. 1 paragraph 2] The effects of the Depression on poor children was severe. President Franklin D. Roosevelt focused mainly on creating jobs for the masses of unemployed workers, he also backed the idea of federal aid for poor children and other dependent persons. By 1935, a national welfare system had been established for the first time in American history. A Federal welfare system was a radical break from the past. Americans had always prided themselves on having a strong sense of individualism and self-reliance. Many believed that those who couldnt take care of themselves were to be blamed for their own misfortunes. [Bill of Rights in Action, Welfare, 1998 pg. 2 paragraph 5-6] In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt called a White House conference on how to deal with the problem of poor single mothers and their children. The conference declared that preserving the family in the home was preferable to placing the poor in institutions, which were widely criticized as costly failures. The emphasis during the first two years of President Franklin Roosevelts New Deal was to provide work relief for the millions of unemployed Americans. [Bill of Rights in Action, Welfare, 1998 pg. 3 paragraph 1 & 5] By expanding federal responsibility for the security of all Americans, Roosevelt believed that the necessity for government make-work employment and other forms of Depression relief would disappear. In his address before Congress, Roosevelt argued that the continuation of government relief would disappear. In his address before Congress, Roosevelt also argued that the continuation of government relief programs was a bad thing for the country. [Bill of Rights in Action, Welfare, 1998 pg. 3 paragraph 7] In addition to old-age pensions and unemployment insurance, the Social Security Act established a national welfare system. Additional federal welfare aid was provided to destitute old people, the needy blind, and crippled children. Although financed partly by federal tax money, the states could still set their own eligibility requirements and benefit levels. The need for federal aid to dependent children and poor old people would gradually disappear as employment improved and those over 65 began to collect Social Security pensions. [Bill of Rights in Action, Welfare, 1998 pg. 4 paragraph 1,2,3] Since the Great Depression, the national welfare system expanded both in courage and federal regulations. From its beginning, the system drew critics. Some complained that the system did not do enough to get people to work. Others simply believed the federal government should not administer a welfare system. As the system grew, so did criticism of it, especially in the 1980s and 90s. Aid to Families with Dependent Children had drawn the greatest criticism. By the 1990s, AFDC supported 15% of all U.S. children. In most cases, these Children lived at home and were cared for by a single parent, usually the mother, who otherwise did not work. This situation brought on complaints that welfare let able-bodied adults avoid work and become dependent on government handouts. Some of those criticizing AFDC were recipients themselves, 70% of whom collected a welfare check for less than two years. For many of these people, going on welfare was a humiliating experience of struggling through a maze of bureaucratic rules in order to feed, clothe, and house themselves and their children. [Bill of Rights in Action, Welfare, 1998 pg. 4,5 paragraph 4,11] In 1992, Bill Clinton, ran for president promising to end welfare as we know it In August 1996, after 18 months of

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Canterbury Tales essays

Canterbury Tales essays The third president of the United States, a diplomat, statesman, architect, scientist, and philosopher, Thomas Jefferson is one of the most eminent figures in American history. No leader in the period of the American Enlightenment was as articulate, wise, or conscious of the implications and consequences of a free society as Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell, a tobacco plantation in Virginia. His father, Peter Jefferson, was a self-made success, and although uneducated he was a very intelligent man. His mother, Jane Randolph was a member of one of the most distinguished families in Virginia . Peter Jefferson died when Thomas was 14 and left him valuable lands and property. Denied a formal education himself, he directed that his son be given complete classical training. He studied with Reverend Mr. Maury, a classical scholar, for two years and in 1760 he attended William and Mary College. After graduating from William and Mary in 1762, Jefferson studied law for five years under George Wythe. In January of 1772, he married Martha Wayles Skelton and established a residence at Monticello. When they moved to Monticello, only a small one room building was completed. Jefferson was thirty when he began his political career. He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgess in 1769, where his first action was an unsuccessful bill allowing owners to free their slaves. The impending crisis in British-Colonial relations overshadowed routine affairs of legislature. In 1774, the first of the Intolerable Acts closed the port of Boston until Massachusetts paid for the Boston Tea Party of the preceding year. Jefferson and other younger members of the Virginia Assembly ordained a day of fasting and prayer to demonstrate their sympathy with Massachusetts. Thereupon, Virginia's Royal Governor Dunmore once again dissolved the assembly (Koch and Peden 20). The members met and planned to...

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

The Crimes of Florida Death Row Inmate Tiffany Cole

The Crimes of Florida Death Row Inmate Tiffany Cole Tiffany Cole, along with three co-defendants, was convicted of the kidnapping and first-degree murder of a Florida couple, Carol and Reggie Sumner.   A Trusted Friend Tiffany Cole knew the Summers. They were a frail couple that had been her neighbors in South Carolina. She had also bought a car from them and had visited them in their home in Florida. It was during one of those visits that she learned that they had sold their South Carolina home and made a $99,000 profit. From that point on, Cole, Michael Jackson, Bruce Nixon, Jr., and Alan Wade  began plotting a way to rob the couple. They knew that gaining access to their home would be easy since the Summers knew and trusted Cole. The Robbery On July 8, 2005, Cole, Jackson, Nixon, Jr., and Alan Wade went to the Summers home with the intention of robbing and killing the couple. Once inside the home, the Summers were bound with duct tape while Nixon, Wade, and Jackson searched the home for valuables. They then forced the couple to their garage and into the trunk of their Lincoln Town Car Buried Alive Nixon and Wade drove the Lincoln Town Car, followed by Cole and Jackson who were in a Mazda that Cole had rented for the trip. They were headed to a spot located right across the Florida line in Georgia. They had already picked out the spot and prepared it by digging a large hole two days earlier.   When they arrived Jackson and Wade led the couple into the hole and buried them alive. At some point, Jackson had forced the couple to tell him their personal identification number for their ATM card. The group then abandoned the Lincoln and found a hotel room to stay in for the night. The next day they returned to the Summers home, wiped it down with Clorox, stole jewelry and a computer which Cole later pawned. Over the next few days, the group celebrated their crime by spending several thousand dollars that they got from the Summers ATM account. The Investigation On July 10, 2005, Mrs. Summers daughter, Rhonda Alford, called authorities and reported that her parents were missing.   Investigators went to the Summers home and discovered a bank statement which showed a large sum of money in it. The bank was contacted and it was learned that an excessive amount of money had been withdrawn from the account over the past few days. On July 12, Jackson and Cole, posing as the Summers, made a call to the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office. They told the detective that responded to the call that they had left town quickly due to a family emergency and they were having problems accessing their account. They were hoping that he could help. Suspecting that they were not really the Summers, the detective contacted the bank and asked them not to block any withdraws from the account so that he could continue his investigation. He was then able to track the cellular telephone that the callers used. It belonged to Michael Jackson and records showed the phone had been used near the Summers home at the time that they disappeared. There were also several calls made to a car rental company who was able to provide the detective with a description of the Mazda that Cole had rented and which was now overdue. By using the global tracking system in the car, it was determined that the Mazda had been within blocks of the Summers home on the night that they went missing. Busted On July 14, the entire group, with the exception of Cole, was caught at a Best Western Hotel in Charlestown, South Carolina. Police searched the two hotel rooms that were rented under Coles name and found personal property belonging to the Summers. They also found the Summers ATM card in Jacksons back pocket. Cole was caught at her home near Charlestown after police got here address through the car rental agency where she rented the Mazda. Confession Bruce Nixon was the first co-defendant that confessed to murdering the Summers. He provided the police with the details of the crimes that were committed, how the robbery and abduction were planned and the location of where the couple was buried. Dr. Anthony J. Clark, Medical Examiner for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation performed autopsies on the Summers and testified that they both died after being buried alive and their airways passages became blocked with dirt.   Cole Pleads Her Case Cole took the stand during her trial. She testified that she thought that the crime would be a simple theft and that she did not knowingly participate in the robberies, kidnappings, or murders. She also said that she was at first unaware that the Summers were in the trunk of their Lincoln and that they were being taken to the pre-dug gravesite. She then said the holes were dug in order to scare the Summers into giving up their ATM PIN numbers. Conviction and Sentencing On October 19, 2007, the jury deliberated for 90 minutes before finding Cole guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, on both premeditation and felony-murder theories, two counts of kidnapping, and two counts of robbery.Cole was sentenced to death for each murder, life imprisonment for each kidnapping, and fifteen years for each robbery.  She is currently on death row at the  Lowell Correctional Institution Annex Co-Defendants Wade and Jackson were also convicted and sentenced to two death sentences.  Nixon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Analyzing and Discussing Primary and Secondary Source Documents Essay - 1

Analyzing and Discussing Primary and Secondary Source Documents - Essay Example er in the north is able to achieve the very same by choice of employment, and has more intellectual, moral, and physical benefit by being able to have a say in their field of work and in where they live. They also are able to pursue education to a much higher standard than most southern slaves would ever be allowed, and have a set of morals that is embraced by them rather than imposed on them. Despite any benefits that Calhoun may claim, I would argue that they an inherently harmful if they are imposed within the relationship of owner and slave rather than teacher and student or employer and employee. Southerners who were not part of the â€Å"Plantation Aristocracy† still supported slavery because it was a cornerstone of their overall economic system. Without slavery, the southern economy would have to undergo massive hardship and reform, and a new system would require a much larger portion of the white population to work. These people felt that slavery was a basic part of their culture, as well, and defended slavery as a right. Furthermore, the institution of slavery gave southerners greater political power per capita, and thus their votes in Congress were represented more strongly without the input—but with the population strength—of their slaves. Slavery had an effect on every piece of the economic system of the south, as slaveholders had more money to spend because they were able to run their plantations using unpaid labor. This money went into the economy that supported all southerners in their own businesses and endeavors, and a lack of such wealth wou ld lead to a lower amount of disposable income in the entire region. Furthermore, these southerners did not have the moral opposition to slavery that many northerners felt. The lack of abolitionist thought in their religious and moral views led to them being more passively supportive of slavery. Finally, many saw abolition as a northern movement to control the south more directly. This was an expansion of

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Case Study (Forecasting and ERP) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

(Forecasting and ERP) - Case Study Example As taken from the case study, the reason of intermittent demand design is the variation in the customer demand because of the internet. Customers are well aware about the arrival in the market of new models of air-conditioners. COOL Air-Cond. is not financially strong enough to keep a stock of all latest models of the air-conditioners. For measuring the changing customer demands, the Company should approximate the customer requests by the co-efficient of variation of the demand of customers seeking new models. Customer requests for different new models of wide range air-conditioners are the root cause of erratic demand. For this, it is preferable to employ a totally time series approach, which is normally connected to a demand distribution so that stock levels could attain increased percentages of target customers. C. For approximating forecast error rates, Bill should use Croston’s method, which fulfils the intermittent demand needs. It is a relatively correct way in terms of mean square errors when the average demand interval crosses 1.25 review times. It is noticed that forecast perfection in totality is strong to the selection of break-points above 1.25 but very less to values below 1.25 (Boylan & Syntetos, 2008). D. In such a scenario when forecasts can be regularly intermittent, high or low, in the absence of any early pointer, demand distribution measure can be the most suitable alternative. It is because it can help in setting stock levels for achieving high percentages in accurate forecasting. It is done by making distributional assumptions of demand by classifying demand as ABC. For instance, A and B product types could be normally distributed as their demand is forecasted accurately but C product types could be Poisson. In actuality some product types have relatively erratic demand than Poisson, which is scattered. By using the Poisson dispersion index, which is the ratio of

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Trade off theory and pecking order theory

Trade off theory and pecking order theory The way we think about capital structure in the modern day is based around the Modigliani and Miller(MM) theorem. It states that a market absent of tax, bankruptcy costs and asymmetric information, and in an efficient market, a companys overall market value will not be affected depending on how it is financed. This then forms the basis of the trade off theory and the pecking order theory. As there is no perfect market conditions each aspect will have an effect based on the way the capital is structured. There are two theories behind the way the structure should be controlled, the pecking order theory, which was created by Stewart C. Myers and Nicolas Majluf in 1984[1], and the trade off theory, which was considered to be pioneered by back to Kraus and Litzenberger but many including Modilgliani himself are understood to have developed the theory. The way that a companys finances are structured is particularly important in light of the latest world recession. As seen in the Asian crisis in 1997 where all share markets became very volatile. It is not that capital structure has a large affect on a causing financial crisis, but rather that it will decide the impact on a firm during the financial crisis. This is relevant especially in the banking industry where assets are put under severe strain during a crisis [2]. I have chosen to approach the issue by setting out the basics of the theorys and their respective advantages and disadvantages, along with the premise behind why they are valid in capital structure. It will be backed by empirical evidence conducted from studies to back up my proposals. Pecking order theory suggests that companies should prioritise the way in which they raise finance. The pecking order relates to the hierarchy that the company follows, from the most appropriate to the least. The pecking order claims that the least preferred method is through equity financing. Rather to initially use internal sources and then issue debt until it is no longer suitable. The basic idea was developed around the original the Modigliani and Miller theorem. In contrast though a true market does not poses the same attributes as the MM theory. From the original paper by Myers and Majluf (1984) [4] developed a model that showed that capital structure was designed to limit the inefficiencies of caused by informational asymmetries. The informational asymmetries states that a manager will know more about the assets of a firm and their future growth prospects than the average outside investor, causing inequality in the market. From Murray Z. Frank Vidhan K. Goyal (2002) [6] I have established that though debt on the other hand is subject to minor adverse problems, equity causes a major adverse selection problem. For an outside investor, equity is construed to be riskier than debt. Equity finance premiums have the higher negative consequence on the firm, and as it is virtually impossible to finance fully from Therefore, an outside investor will demand a higher rate of return on equity than on debt. Thus leading to the pecking order of finance structure. To confirm the theory on asymmetric information, Viet Anh Dang [5] put forward that this model leads to a potential unfavourable selection problem due to the risk of the method of finance. Resulting in the fact that, investors will predict a decision not to issue securities to signal good news and vice versa. This problem leads to a pooling market equilibrium in which new shares can only be offered at a marked-down price. The empirical specification for the test takes the following form: it PO it it  Ã¢â‚¬Å¾D â‚ ¬Ã‚ ½Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã‚ Ã‚ ¡Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ «Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã‚ Ã‚ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  DEF â‚ ¬Ã‚ «Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã‚ Ã‚ ¥Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (III-9) where it  Ã¢â‚¬Å¾D denotes net debt issued, it DEF cash flow deficit in year t (all variables in levels) and it  Ã‚ ¥Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  the well-behaved error term. In equation (III-9), the strict version of the pecking order theory holds if  Ã‚ ¡Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ½Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  0 and â‚ ¬Ã‚ ½Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  1 PO  Ã‚ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  , i.e., when the deficit in cash flow is entirely offset by the change in debt. The financing choice should be in favour of the financing instruments that are less risk and less sensitive to mis-pricing and valuation errors. Where again we find that equity is the most prone to inaccuracy followed by debt and finally internal sources which are absent of mistakes in valuation. The earliest accredited study that found empirical evidence supporting all these theories was conducted by Baskin. J (1989)[6], this then led to further studies, though these have resulted in conflicting evidence as to the legitimacy of the theory. In the original Myers Majluf (1984)[4] study the table below lists how firms were financially structured It shows that firms had adopted the pecking order method to a degree by selecting to finance internally first followed by debt then last resort equity finance, but as this is a summary of countries each individual firm will differ. This is the exact problem with the pecking order theory, it isnt individually tailored to best suit each business. This was proved by the table below Ziad Zurigats (March 2009) study of the differing effect pecking order theory had on small and large firms. His findings showed, the estimated coefficients are lower for PDEF (0.421 and 0.592) for small and large firms respectively) than for NDEF (0.569 and 0.648), implying that small and large Jordanian firms are less sensitive in increasing debt for financing than in reducing debt for soaking up surplus. However, as cleared, small Jordanian firms are less sensitive than large ones in increasing debt to finance their positive financial deficit and retiring debt to soak up surplus. The Trade-Off Theory of Capital Structure employs to the concept that a firm is able to manipulate the levels of debt and equity finance by balancing the costs and benefits to be most advantageously structured. As mentioned in the introduction it goes back to Kraus and Litzenberger who considered a balance between the dead-weight costs of bankruptcy and the tax saving benefits of debt. To ensure that the debt is balanced the firm will consider the marginal benefits and the marginal costs, as the more debt is taken on the marginal benefit will decrease while the marginal cost will increase. When the marginal benefit is equal to the marginal and the firms value is optimised, there will be a trade off as to the point that debt becomes more detrimental than equity which will form the d/e ratio for the firm. As stated before under a perfect market condition with no tax the finance structure is irrelevant, but as tax comes into play equity is again favoured in the trade off theory, this is because interest on debt reduces the tax liability of a firm in turn increasing the profits, this is called a tax shield. The cost of financial distress should equal the tax shield at the point of equilibrium. The custom economic model used when interpreting the trade-off theory is the partial adjustment model (Jalilvand and Harris, 1984; Shyam-Sunder and Myers, 1999; Ozkan, 2001 and Fama and French, 2002), which is made up of two parts; a static part to describe how the ideal amount is determined and the dynamic partial adjustment process: Where, yt = a firms financial ratio in period t, yt-l = a firms financial ratio in period t-1, yt*= the target level of a particular ratio ÃŽÂ » = the speed of adjustment coefficient i.e. how fast the firm returns to its target debt ratio3 Empirical Evidence supporting the trade off theory Here we can see that from the research done in the paper the table is drawn from, it has been found that there are some explanatory variables which do not act as expected. Although this may be interpreted as the trade off model being inaccurate, there are still factors which do affect the businesses total debt as expected. The most important factors drawn from the table above are the business size, total debt ratio, effective tax rate and the non-debt tax shields. The reason why explanatory variables such as growth opportunities do not act as expected may be due to the differing size of businesses examined; splitting the data in to business size may be advantageous here. The benefit of the trade off theory is that it is unique to each companys situation, for example a company with safe, tangible assets that also generate high levels of income would likely seek a high debt target ratio as to fully Companies with safe, tangible assets and plenty of taxable income to shield ought to have high target ratio to fully utilise the tax shield. In the opposite direct a company that is Unprofitable with risky, intangible assets will usually rely on equity finance as it becomes the less risky option. As the uncertainty surround its income could make the tax shield non existent One key flaw that was not in the original Modigliani and Miller (1963) study is that of the effect on personal income tax. Miller (1977) took this into account in his study and proved that in fact the total tax saving at the point of equilibrium was zero when income tax increase was applied to the tax shield. The following equations shows that the tax shield can even be detrimental for example if the tax rate on stock is less than the tax rate on bonds the result will be a negative impact on profits. The author further suggests that there should be no optimal debt ratio for any individual firms. Where G ­L is the leverage gain for the shareholder Tc is the corporate tax rate Tps is the personal income tax for common stock TPB is the personal income tax for bonds BL is the market value of the levered firms debt There have been questions to the mutual exclusivity of the two theories, Carmen Cotei and Joseph Farhat (2009) studied this theory, and their conclusion was that The empirical results of the factors affecting the proportion of debt financing (reduction) and factors affecting the rate of adjustment imply that the pecking order theory and the trade-off theory are not mutually exclusive. Firms may strive for a target debt ratio range and within this range, the pecking order behavior may describe incremental decisions or, over time, firms may switch between target adjustment and pecking order behavior. Conclusion reflection on theories which is best suited? Does it differ between businesses, are they both legitimate ways of structuring capital? In reflection it is clear that both theories offer a potential theory of dealing with capital structure, but the empirical evidence seems to suggest that the trade off theory is the more well rounded option. As it holds well in the custom economic model, outperforming the pecking order model in the key areas. There has been also some convincing proof in favour of the relationships between gearing and the conventional determining factors (except profitability), as predicted by trade-off structure. Non-debt tax shields and growth opportunities have been argued to be inversely related to debt ratio, while collateral value of assets and size are found to have positive effects upon gearing. I do believe that to some degree the theories are simply a base to capital structure, and that each individual company must do its own assessment on the best way to structure capital in order to produce the best results.

Friday, January 17, 2020

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Preserves Expertise with Better Knowledge Management

Case 2: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Preserves Expertise with Better Knowledge Management 1. What are the business goals of SFPUC? How is knowledge management related to those goals? SFPUC is a department of the city and county of San Francisco that provides water, wastewater, and municipal power services to the city.SFPUC’s Power division provides electricity to the city and county of San Francisco, including power used to operate electric streetcars and buses; the Regional and Local Water departments supply some of the purest drinking water in the world to San Francisco and neighboring Santa Clara and San Mateo counties; and the Wastewater division handles flushed and drained water to significantly reduce pollution in the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean.The mission of this organization is to provide San Francisco and its Bay Area customers with reliable, high-quality, affordable water and wastewater treatment while efficiently and responsibly managing human, physical, and natural resources. SFPUC met these challenges by implementing a business process management (BPM) and workflow solution from Interfacing Technologies Corporation to drive change efforts across the organization. The system, called Enterprise Process Center, or EPC, manages knowledge retention and establishes new ways of collaborating, sharing information, and defining roles and responsibilities.EPC solved that problem by creating work order flows for all tasks performed within the organization, defining the employee roles and responsibilities for each. They will not search for files everywhere, just type it in the search box and one can view it. It makes employees working easier. 2. What were some of the challenges faced by SFPUC? What management, organization, and technology factors were responsible for those challenges?The two major challenges SFPUC faced were successfully capturing, managing, and transferring this knowledge, and maintaining reliability and accountab ility despite a large influx of new workers. SFPUC expected that a significant portion of its employees—about 20 percent—would retire in 2009. To make matters worse, the majority of these positions were technical, which meant that the training of new employees would be more complicated, and maintaining knowledge of the retiring workers would be critical to all areas of SFPUC’s business processes. . Describe how implementing EPC improved knowledge management and operational effectiveness at SFPUC. With EPC, SFPUC would be able to maintain continuity from older to newer employees more easily. SFPUC was impressed that the system would span all four of its major divisions, helping to standardize common processes across multiple departments, and that it would be easy to use and train employees. 4. How effective was EPC as a solution for SFPUC?SFPUC management had anticipated that eliminating outdated tasks would have the added effect of keeping employees happy, which would help SFPUC’s performance by delaying retirement of older employees and increasing the likelihood that newer hires stayed at the company. EPC allowed employees to provide feedback on various tasks, helping to identify tasks that were most widely disliked. EPC helped SFPUC take its baby boomers’ individual data and knowledge and turn them into usable and actionable information that was easily shared throughout the firm. SFPUC stayed much further under budget than other comparable governmental organizations.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Latin Translation Resources and Tools

Whether you want to translate a short English phrase into Latin or a Latin phrase into English, you can not just plug the words into a dictionary and expect an accurate result. You cant with most modern languages, but the lack of a one-to-one correspondence is even greater for Latin and English. If all you want to know is the essence of a Latin phrase, some of the so-called online translation tools for Latin may help. Perhaps you want to know what Marcus in silvam vocat means. The Latin-English translation program I tried translated it as Marcus upon woods vocat. That is obviously not quite right because vocat isnt an English word. Its not a great translation. Since I used that online tool, Google has added its own translator that worked efficiently  enough but has been commented on negatively by many users. If you want a thorough, accurate translation, you will probably need to have a human do it for you, and you may have to pay a fee. Latin translation is a skill that takes a substantial investment in time and money, so translators deserve to be compensated for their efforts. In case youre interested in developing the skill of translating Latin, there are Latin online courses and other self-help methods for beginning Latin as well as Latin degree programs in colleges and universities. Between the two extremes, however, there are some useful tools on the Internet. Parser A parser, like The Latin Parser, tells you basic facts about a word. Depending on what information the parser spits out, you can determine which part of speech the word is and other essentials you need to know in order to translate. You might use a parser if you realize that the Latin phrase you want to understand has 1 (or 2) unknowable word and a bunch of other words you can almost decipher. In the Marcus in silvam vocat example, Marcus looks enough like a name, that you neednt look it up. In looks like the English word of the same spelling, but what about silvam and vocat? If you dont even know what part of speech they are, a parser will help, since its job is to tell you its person, number, tense, mood, etc., if its a verb, and its number, case, and gender  if its a noun. If you do know the words in question are accusative singular and 3d singular, present active indicative, you probably also know that the noun silvam translates as forest/wood and the verb vocat as calls. At any rate, a parser and/or dictionary can help with little bits of Latin like this. Dont use the parser to find the Latin for an English word. For that, you need a dictionary. Assuming you have a vague familiarity with Latin, a parser will tell you the possible forms of a given word. This will help if you cant remember the endings of the paradigms, but understand their purposes. Quick Latin includes a dictionary. Latin Dictionary and Grammar Aid This program does not require that you download. You can use it for exploring—trying to figure things out on your own, since you can insert endings (a list of which is on the page) or stems. VISL Pre-analyzed Latin sentences This resource from Syddansk University seems an extremely useful program for people teaching themselves Latin, but it only deals with pre-selected sentences. It doesnt translate the Latin into English at all, but shows the relationships among words by means of tree diagrams. If you have ever tried diagramming a convoluted Latin sentence, you will understand what an imposing task this is. By means of a tree you can see how the words relate to each other; that is, you can tell that one word is part of a phrase begun by another word—like a preposition leading a prepositional phrase. The pre-selected sentences are from standard Latin authors, so you may find the help you need. Translation Service If you need more than a quick approximation of a phrase of Latin, and cant do it yourself, youll need help. There are professional, fee-charging services, like Applied Language Solutions Latin Translation Service - English to Latin Translation. Ive never used them, so I cant tell you how good they are. There are now Latin Translators, with prices spelled out up front. Both claim the lowest prices, so check. A quick look suggests theyre both right—depending on the number of words and direction of Latin language translation: The Latin TranslatorClassical Turns