Future of Singapore Public Housing Loan

Abstract The Singapore government together with the housing finance consider the public housing as one of the various achievements they have accomplished. Public housing accommodates more than 80% of the residents in Singapore. A majority of the residents, close to 90%, is designed as Housing Development flats (HDB). In an effort to improve the current housing state in Singapore, the housing finance and the government has introduced various schemes and substitute schemes alike. The schemes have encouraged the resident into becoming homeowners in addition to ensuring that they did not default their mortgage payment. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is responsible for the dealings and management of the public housing program in Singapore. The local town council oversees the daily management activities. They also ensure planning and development of the public housing in addition to selling and resale of the houses as well as offering financial mortgage. Introduction Singapore Public Housing finance loan borrowing has dropped four folds in the recent year. Owing to a myriad of factors, the number of loan applicants for the public housing allocation has significantly reduced as compared to the numbers associated with the previous application. The government estimates that the number may rise in next coming years if market curbs are softened, such as loan repayment schemes on interest rates and application. A future projection of the public housing finance loan interest indicates a downward trend in the near future owing to the stiff competition put in place by private property owners (Ong, 2010). It is imperative, therefore, to reduce the public housing loan rate in order to attract new property owners while increasing the resale of the previously owned property. Currently, the resale price of previously owned units on the public housing has dropped by 1.3%. The government has not taken any measures to ensure that this market situation is controlled, but is examining the matter in order to employ proper strategy to enable Singapore citizens to own homes. In case the current prices of property remain stagnant at 57%, it is estimated that the public housing loan rate will rise. The number of public housing owners is estimated to gradually increase in case the current rate does not drop in the near future (Ong, 2010). The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is responsible for the dealings and management of the public housing program in Singapore. The local town council oversees the daily management activities. They also ensure planning and development of the public housing in addition to selling and resale of the houses as well as offering financial mortgage. The paper discusses an examination of the privatization of HDB and reasons behind it, with projection to loan in the coming years and how one can become a public house owner in Singapore. Privatization of HDB Loan to Consumer Bank The main aim of the privatisation of Housing and Development Board mortgage loan to consumer banks in Singapore was to curb the price competition through inculcation thereby increasing the performance of the banking sector within the economy. The mortgage yield was not sufficient to meet the standards set by HDB, thus the privatisation of the HDB mortgage became imperative (Adams, 2014). Moreover, the private sector’s better performance and management of the economy was an added reason for the privatization as compared to the public sector’s ability in managing and performance. With the privation of the HDB loans to consumer banks, the annual interest rate returns have since increased and projections show that they will continue to increase in the coming year. This therefore eliminates the high rate hurdle previously presented by HDB through the elimination and minimization of the government regulation on the HDB housing projects. (Li, 2014). Financier of Mortgage loan: Interest rates Homebuyer with potential can choose to buy a home with either a HBO loan or Bank loan. The payment scheme chosen will determine the selection of the mortgage partner from which the mortgage loan will be received. Homeowners are able to apply for mortgage loans through HBO and Consumer banks. The above options for loan financier are in place in order to enable potential buyers to decide which best fits their financial capability. In addition, HDB plays the role of a financier to flat owners by giving mortgage loans. This has enabled Singapore residents to acquire public houses easily and faster with the help of HDB mortgage loan. From a financier’s point of view, a homebuyer applying for a mortgage loan is required to have met their credit assessment and this is assessed with their current system of standard mortgage application. For an eligible flat buyer to have access to a concessionary loan, they must have an HDB Eligibility Letter (HLE) confirming that they are capable of making repayments. This is important because it accesses one’s potential ability to pay back his loan with constraining their personal budget. Before anyone can purchase a flat, they must have a letter of eligibility of HDB. HBO concessionary loan interest is 2.6% which is only 0.1% higher than the Central Provident Fund (CPF). It seems important tor e-examine the interest rate of HBO quarterly in comparison to CPF interes t rate to ensure that it stays roughly the same level. This type of system design helps to provide an easier scheme for the mortgagor to service their loan payment, and ensure they constantly pay without defaults. This interest rate of the HBO loan has been in existence for over 15 years (Ong, 2010). Contrary to this, banks interest rate is currently 1%. The interest is dynamic and not constant because it is determined by a number of other factors which affects the operation of the bank such as its business strategy, the prevailing market situation and commercial decisions. It is determined jointly by all the financial institution in Singapore. This system make it unreliable because it is not constant, it keeps fluctuating based on the above mentioned factors. Even though HBO mortgage offer low amount of loans, HBO mortgage scheme remain the most suitable financier to mortgage loan. Unfortunately, and since the privatisation of HBO, all those who wish to finance their resale and acquisition of HBO public housing will have to apply loans to various banks licensed by the monetary fund to give mortgage loans to public housing acquisition and resale. Immigration There are benefits to being a citizen in Singapore. Singapore is one of the major cities in Asia in terms of wealth and culture. To buy and rent an HBD flat, one has to be 21 years or older and a citizen to Singapore. Another benefit that the citizens of Singapore are entitled to is obtain loans at concessionary interest rate with HBO to help them in obtaining the flats. In addition to this, they are also offers for citizens who obtain public houses for the first time such as subsidies, for instance grants offered by the government as a cushion to aid those buying public houses. Citizens also enjoy lower rates for houses repairs (Adams, 2014). Conclusion In conclusion, the number of public house owners in Singapore is bound to increase in the near future with increase in mortgage. The performance of HDB’s hurdle interest is expected to increase on an annual basis with the privatisation to consumer banks to aid in the mortgage loan financing. This has facilitated the process of solving the housing problem in Singapore owing to the fact that the government has provided a more reliable and efficient option to help people buy property. Although the current market is not promising, the government is working hard to curb the situation and enable more Singapore in the coming year to own public house. This will enable them to deal with the housing problems and concentrate in development of other sectors of the economy thereby increase their national income and dominate in the leading economy (Li, 2014). Bibliography Adams, J. (2014, October 10). Bleeding the banks. Retrieved October 31, 2014. Li Sen, S. (2014, October 3). Spike in bad home loans swells Singapore banks’ NPLs. Retrieved October 31, 2014. Ong, S. (2010). Housing affordability and upward mobility from public to private housing in Singapore. Singapore: S.E. Ong].

A Suburbian Murder

The pearl white pigeon glided into the open window bringing with it the stenches of central London traffic. It cocked its head to one side while perched on the windowsill, as if in limbo. The blonde, wavy haired boy lay, sprawled out on his bed. His eyelids twitched as his dark eyes attempted to adjust to the ferocious rays of sunlight flooding the room. No sooner did he lift his heads. Then the black monster blared excruciatingly from across the room forcing him to summon the will power to trudge along and slap the alarm on the head, silencing it for a further twenty four hours. What day was it? He didn't care. Each day was the same and he couldn't tell the difference. He felt something. He walked outside into the cool breezing, looking upwards towards the day with a large smirk in his face. He was quite young, about in his late twenties, tall and relatively thin. He had a certain style of clothing, wearing a white polo shirt, with jeans of a faded blue colour. He had no facial hair and his hair was flipped upwards, his green sparkling eyes reflected from the stunning sun like a diamond. He started to shiver. He stopped. He stood guard, glancing very sharply at them. Thunder screamed! And the burning intense weather died away. The shell spinning around had ripped his life. He hid panicking, wondering who it was? Why? Will someone help? Did he see me? Am I going to die? Out of the blue, tires screeched and the speeding car drove away into the gloomy night its number plate half out of its position, streaks of mud on the cars bright headlights and fresh mud falling off the bumper. He unleashed his face from the dark and ran fast as possible to shelter. He had just witnessed a hideous murder. The fluorescent moon shone beams of darkness through the condensed window into the minute aura of evil; he could not terminate the appalling judgment of the revolting murder, his head was spinning due to the puzzle thoughts of what he would do subsequently. He couldn't bring the images of the ruthless murder to an end as it repeated in his distressed mind. Having watched his only family murdered, he could not eject the sensation of the evil thought of his brother being murdered! The door rang; it was the policemen, come around asking questions about the death of his late brother. Having asked firm and draining questions they had still no suspects or any set offs with the murder connecting towards the murderer, they had no choice but to close the case. The one and only time he needed help and he was turned down. After a short ineffective period of nap the door bell rang yet again, this time it was Andrew his brother's superlative pal. He had heard the news of the harsh murder and had come to give his wishes and support. He felt a bit rickety and had many large breaks in-between sentences as though he was hiding something. My suspicions grew larger and I too started to feel in-secure. It seemed he was in a hurry so I walked him to the door. My heart started to beat faster, my hands flooded as sweat was unleashed from the palms of my hands, I became breathless as my lungs felt compressed. I could not believe that my eyes were telling me the truth. The same old car with the same old broken number plate could it be he murdered my loving brother I was bolt from the blue and I knew what to do for the sake of my beloved brother . Just before the ice blood curdling night I waited. Sitting on an old rusty tree like a dull owl. I got out a blood thirsty razor sharp knife grasping to be used. I glanced at it and saw a sharp reflection of myself. Its face was shivering; it could its tired and strained face bearing the marks of harsh warfare. Then suddenly the chilly air spun around him like a smooth python trying to suffocate it. He sat back in stress. Thunder screamed! And the house awoke sending out a large breeze, he could sense the presence of his foe. The bleak chilly air had died away and then the vigorous rain was unleashed from the jet black sky and he was ready to make his move. The black car drove into the driveway. The number plate half out of its position, streaks of mud on cars head lights, fresh mud falling off the bumper. He walked towards the door wearing a white striped suit. His hair was wet and flat from the rain he had no facial hair but wore glasses. He was very muscular and also had a mole on his right cheek and looked quite similar to his brother. His jingles of keys fell as he ran towards his house for shelter from the rain, he kneeled he paused; Thunder screamed! He pulled it! The shell spinning around had ripped his life. He fell back thinking who it was? Why? Will someone help? Am I going to die? The predator walked up towards its prey as he was raising his hands for help, he unleashed his face from the dark. The atmosphere drew a sigh as the trigger was pulled and a bullet was released again. The cold blooded killer dragged the deceased into the cold shivering pool of chlorine water and left it to drown. He packed his carnage weapon and removed the traces of his presence. The storm cried away leaving a romantic dark pitch sky with bright glowing stars. He walked home having justice for his brother and now his best mate was dead at last!

Fords social media marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fords social media marketing - Essay Example Contemporary business strategies evolve along with the introduction of social media as a marketing tool. In their attempt to attain a distinct business edge, companies leverage social media to increase productivity and market appeal.Mangold and Faulds mention that social media marketing is a hybrid mix of various promotional methods, which includes personal selling, word-of-mouth advertising strategy, and consumer relations (358). For instance, social media allows customers to contribute insights for product development, comment on existing products, and recommend their preferred brands to their friends. Consequently, this benefits manufacturers in a way that they will understand the needs of the market, and have direct, virtual interaction with customers. To attain a comprehensive understanding about the use and impact of social media, this paper discusses Ford’s social media marketing strategies through Facebook and Twitter. Throughout this research, this paper hopes to disc uss the risks of Ford’s social media marketing method and identify specific points of development. Advertising Tools Facebook Dale Buss reports that Ford continues to partner with Facebook in advertising its products although the company will change its advertising strategy to address more profitable market trends such as customer support and interaction (paras. 1-3). For instance, Scott Monty, one of Ford’s senior executives, highlights the productivity of its Facebook ads such as paid advertising and integrated content while emphasising the profitability of extending Ford’s ads to allow more customer interaction (Buss paras. 9-10). Specifically, Ford uses Facebook’s advertising tools such as Logout Ads, Instagram, and Social Plugins. Using those Facebook tools allows Ford to increase its interaction with customers. For instance, with those tools, Ford will be able to share company updates with its customers, particularly those about the company’s latest promos, products, and events. Consequently, raising the brand awareness of customers advances the corporate image of Ford, which is also likely to increase sales. Twitter Aside from Facebook, Ford also advertises with Twitter through Promoted Tweets and User-Generated tweets that link to content articles about Ford’s products. In the report by Morrissey, he discovered the profitability of User-Generated tweets through linking one of Ford’s content articles with a third party blogger, Collier. Morrissey reports that Farley had linked one of his tweets to Collier’s article about saving funds through social media marketing; this results to the continued use of content integration between Ford-related contents with third-party bloggers. The profitability of this tool lies in its capacity to reach out to internet-savvy millennials, which comprise 55% of Twitter users (Slutsky paras. 1-2). It is also noteworthy to consider that the said number of Twitter users does not have cars, which makes the strategy a viable option in increasing Ford’s market reach. Consequently, using those tools helps Ford establish interaction with millennials and ensures favorable relations with customers through expanding the market’s avenues for expression. This may result to Ford’s accessibility to different market groups. Advertising Methods Halliday reports that Ford uses social media to strengthen its customer service, particularly in establishing active and profitable interactions with its customers (paras. 1-3). This advertising strategy also allows Ford to reach out to wider demographics, which will help determine and design specific brands that will attract various market groups. Specifically, Halliday reports that Ford maximises the profitability of social media through creating message boards and forums, as well as providing virtual troubleshooting assistance to cater customer queries and suggestions. In the marketing perspective , using social media to generate customer-related information is beneficial for the company,

Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Business ethics - Essay Example For a business organization to be able to come up with appropriate code of ethics, it important for leaders to know the kind of ethics which directs decision making and the direction the company is aiming at. Employee’s contribution is essential when creating code of ethics of a given company. This is because they are involved in day to day running of the business. When they participate, they are likely to follow or respect their ideas and recommendations. Organizations are facing great environmental instability and uncertainty. Currently, businesses, public service and voluntary organizations are operating in business contexts which are unpredictable and unstable. In addition, they are faced with rapid change. In order to guarantee companies survival, attain their specific goals and objectives as well as react to market and contextual uncertainties, organization leaders have responsibility of identifying, formulating and enforcing proper strategies. Those managing organizatio ns will have to consider normative values and standards of ethics in which the organizations and society function. Deontology is born from the word Deon, a Greek word that refers to duty. Deon refers to points of view where actions are considered as being ethical or not. It is also known to be the theory or model of moral obligation study. In terms of ethical decision making, deontological approach was known to be a non-consequentialist theory. This indicates that end results or consequences of an action or activity do not dictate whether the action was right (correct) or wrong. This is because a bad deed can cause a positive outcome. It refuses the popular view that the end justifies the means. For example, a person steals money to be able to provide food and shelter for his or her starving family. It also asserts that a good character is not good absolutely. Ones kind or good deeds or words may result in bad

Glaceau Smart Water Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Glaceau Smart Water - Essay Example However, in 1998 and 2000, the company added Fruit water and Vitamin water, respectively, thereby expanding its distribution operations to the entire country. By the year 2002, Glaceau’s line of water was the best selling enhanced water brand in the US. In 2006, the bottle water division earned the organization revenues of approximately $350 million (Geller 1). The immense success realized in the US pushed the company to establish business globally by launching its products in Australia, Argentina, UK and France. The source of Glaceau Smartwater is an artesian spring found in the Northern region of Connecticut. Since water naturally travels on the surface of the earth or through the ground, it picks up substances that naturally, as well as substances present as a result of human and animal activity. Glaceau Smartwater is, therefore, subjected to intricate distillation processes, which entail water purification (Glaceau 1). After distillation, the water bottling plant introduces, in the water, an approved balance of 10mg per liter of Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium, through the addition of electrolytes. Smartwater is available in 20 oz, 700ml, 1 liter and 1.5 liter bottles. The cost of Smartwater is relatively cheap; a liter of Smartwater costs approximately $1.39, which is relatively cheap compared to a liter of whole fat milk is $2.26 and a liter of gasoline goes for $3.315. Clearly, the cost of Smartwater is hardly comparable to that of other essential products such as milk and gasoline. The primary reason for why I drink Glaceau Smartwater is because the water is loaded with the aforementioned minerals, which are essential to ensuring health and wellbeing. I also drink the water because of its attractive bullet-shaped contained, which is essentially plastic with minimal breakage capacities. The conventional sport cap further

Stragetic Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Stragetic Plan - Essay Example The main services offered by the organization are the transportation services, leadership training programs, and health style training. The main strength of the organization is government exemptions of taxes and attracting funding. The weaknesses include high operational cost and financial crisis facing the world today. The external environment will also affect the organization because of the cultural diversity of clients. The best strategy for The Divine Life Ventures is to focus on clients because this will attract more clients and funding from all social circles of the society. The main objective of the company is to emancipate people who are blind or of low vision from the dependence on the society. The functional tactics of the company will involve renting the building where operations of the company will be carried out and buying buses on installments for the transportation services. ... The major risk to the organization is the bank debt and the competition it can face from similar firms. Introduction The name of my organization is The Divine Life Ventures. This is a nonprofit organization that provides services for physically disabled people. The focus of The Divine Life Ventures is on people who are blind or have impaired vision. The main focus of the organization is to make the disable people strong enough so that they can live independently. The Divine Life Ventures will be a place where minds will be emancipated and clients will feel a sense of independence. The Divine Life Ventures will provide initially a transportation service, leadership training and development program, and healthy living training. All these services will help them achieve success in their lives. In this report a comprehensive environmental scan will be presented with regards to The Divine Life Ventures. The mission of the organization and its background will be discussed. A detailed imple mentation plan and a risk management plan will also be given. Company Background The Divine Life Ventures is a nonprofit organization therefore it is vital that management personnel are selected that have an experience in this industry. It is also important to choose people who can attract funding from the well to do factions of the society. People will only give their money for a service if they think that money will be used for a good cause and if they trust the people they are giving money. Therefore board of governors of the organization will include many prominent names like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and movie stars. These people alongside with charity workers will be included in the board of governors. This board will elect a chief

The relationship between Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Plants Annotated Bibliography

The relationship between Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Plants - Annotated Bibliography Example Tor, Y. S., Yazan, L. S., Foo, J. B., Wibowo, A., Ismail, N., Ismail, M., Yazan, L. S., Yeap, S. K. (June 05, 2015). Induction of apoptosis in MCF-7 cells via oxidative stress generation, mitochondria-dependent and caspase-independent pathway by ethyl acetate extract of Dillenia suffruticosa and its chemical profile. Plos One, 106.) In this article, the authors unravel that from a previous intense research, they deduced that EADs boost induction of oxidative stress in MCF-7 cells that results to cell death since a pre-treatment with antioxidants such as ascorbic acid significantly reduces the extract cytotoxicity.The article is purely qualitative research that was done to establish the relationship between Oxidative stress, Reactive Oxygen Species and apoptosis in plants. The article seeks to answer biological cascades which occur when programmed cell death is induced in MCF-7 cell through oxidative stress, mitochondria dependent and caspace – independent pathways. In this context, D. suffruticosa plant was selected and tested. It was found out that after six hour pre-treatment with ÃŽ ±-tocopherol and ascorbic acid significantly increased the viability of MCF-7 cells treated with EADS in a time and dose-dependent manner to 110% and 99%, respectively, compared to the cells treated with 50 ÃŽ ¼g/mL of EADs alone (66%) at 24 hours (P

Government Attitudes Toward Foreign Direct Investment Essay

Government Attitudes Toward Foreign Direct Investment - Essay Example Other stockholders may be attracted to companies due to their improved performance thus enhancing the capital base of the companies. Employees are another set of stakeholders the companies should hold in high esteem. They will be satisfied if they have safe working environment, high compensation compared with other companies and job security. Though employees may be difficult to manage, if abused can tarnish image of the companies for long time. Customers are stakeholders also in the companies. Higher quality goods, low prices of products, and timely recognition can glue many customers to the companies. Customers are the ones that put companies in business; if they decide not to patronize certain companies, that is enough to cause the companies to collapse. Society basically wants to see corporate responsibility from companies operating within them. Provision of social services, ethical and trustworthy behavior, employing local residents likely would satisfy and make them feel welcome into the companies. Moreover, the process to satisfy these stakeholders is always difficult for companies operating aboard because of challenges from MNEs' attempts to achieve global objectives across its countries of operation. At any given point in time each country has vary needs to be tackled, so if MNEs objectives and goals do not include such needs there is bound to be problem. Where MNEs locate their plants equally matters because this can influence which countries prosper and which would suffer. Stakeholders in different countries have their own goals which may be different from objectives which MNEs seek to achieve. In event of such divergence in objectives, MNEs policies and activities may become counter productive. Furthermore, factors that make it difficult in evaluating the overall effects of FDI are: technological development, competitors' actions and government polices. The reasons are that given trade-off between objectives of MNEs it is likely that some stakeholders would gain while others gain. For example in technological advances, operations of MNEs are highly mechanized and computerized which require less individual to man such installation and equipment; many will be left unemployed while those employed will enjoy high compensation. Many people are against FDI reasons being that actions of MNEs in relation to inequitable distribution of income, political corruption, environmental pollution, social deprivation etc are enormous. On the other hand, others link MNEs to certain actions like higher tax revenue to government, employment, innovation, and increased exports. Either of the arguments is justified depending on whether governments restrict or encourage FDI respectively. On the who le, MNEs have resources and potential that can contribute to various national objectives like increasing production, ensuring national competitiveness, and creating avenues for foreign exchange. Parts of political and economic concerns host countries have are balance of payment effects which is seen in term of cash flows. This a times could result in deficit. To eliminate these deficits, capital reserves are used or the economy attracts more capital. However, to prevent excessive capital outflows incentives, prohibitions and other government interventions are used. Balance of payment has a characteristic in which gains are considered a zero sum game meaning one country's trade surplus corresponds to another country's deficit. In order to analyze

Banking - the way forward Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Banking - the way forward - Research Paper Example There is a paucity of good data as to why newer and more effective computerized banking technologies were not utilized in the first place when these technologies are readily available. It is just a matter of re-programming their IT structures and software to make these anti-money laundering efforts more effective. The present methods allow too many loopholes for bank officers to be complicit. This is a good reason why anti-money laundering should have a minimum of human interventions in place of adopting newer technologies to remove the human elements in the detection and reporting of possible money laundering. The authorities are looking into alternative banking and remittance systems a bit more closely through the Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) as good avenues for money laundering (Burns & Peel, 2006:1). Ironically, Col. Qaddafi and his family have billions stashed away in UK banks. The question is how were they able to move such huge sums without triggering the anti-money l aundering laws of the country? Private banking involves investing for select individuals sizable assets in businesses where large sums of money are normal. Examples are insurance, stock investments and building societies (Bicker, 1996:143). A new troubling area in money laundering in the UK is the use of private trusts (OECD, 2006:30). Private banking plays a big role in the setting up of various trusts (Kalin and Goldsmith, 2007:28) for property ownership and wealth management but pose big risks. The present anti-money laundering technologies produce mostly a bunch of data that relies to a great extent on human interventions. Again, these reports are reliable only to the extent on how reliable are the people who reviewed these reports. In other words, the degree of human intervention in reporting makes these efforts to control dirty money mostly wasted efforts because the humans involved (bank officers) compete in an environment that is not very conducive to compliance with anti-mo ney laundering regulations. When the dirty money amounts to substantial sums, and banks are in need of liquidity, the incentive to comply with the laws and regulations is much lessened. The more crucial priority is the survival of the banking institution itself and so the â€Å"dirty money† continues to flow and bank officers turn a blind eye. There is a need to inject a sense of urgency to anti-money laundering efforts because the survival of society itself is at stake. It has social, political, legal and economic implications which are mostly adverse to the well-being of the people. If these efforts fail, it can mean only that crime really pays. It will also encourage other people to commit the same crimes and get rich themselves. Money laundering threatens and undermines the thread that keeps a society functioning because of its corrosive effects on the moral values of people. Its tentacles are slowing finding its ways into various aspects of daily life. A review of existi ng literature on money laundering will indicate that people are aware of the seriousness, magnitude and urgency of the problem (ADB, 2003:5) but there is a lack of materials on why money laundering continues to proliferate. Most literature materials on this topic have not discussed or investigated why present anti-money laundering efforts have largely failed to stop the flow of illegal funds around the world

A Rose for Emily by William Faulker and A & P by John Updike analysed Essay

A Rose for Emily by William Faulker and A & P by John Updike analysed - Essay Example On a personal view, life is a process of making choices. Even the fact that an individual would put every life decision on fate is a choice in itself. For that matter, in the query regarding the human beings’ ability to make choices or to be controlled by fate, the main answer is that there is an interaction between making choices and having faith on fate. The two literary works analyzed depicted and captured how human beings live life. A Rose for Emily by William Faulker and A & P by John Updike are the main focus of the paper. These short stories exemplify the effects of the different events, cultural and social factors on the behavior, outlook, and the manner each of the characters lives life. A Rose for Emily In the short story by William Faulkner entitled A Rose for Emily, life was given a different light. The author focused on the dark elements that often occur in life thus the story leaned on the mysterious and macabre genre. Included in the elements of the plot are mul tiple deaths, tragedies of love, and strict family rules. Emily is the focus of the story. She is a character who is a member of a family with strict traditions and mysterious habits. These traditions and habits became the main reason why Emily and her family stood out of the community. They are very different, they attracted attention because they do not connect and mingle with other people, which is considered as a normal thing to do as a member of a community. For that matter, people around them either treat them with alienation or with antagonism. The main character Emily can be considered to have the fate of being born in a family of eccentric views and attitudes in terms of social interaction and relationships. As a person who only depends on whatever the fate brings, Emily can be presumed to just stay inside the house all her life, even after the death of her father. But as the story progressed, it is safe to say that this is not the case. When her father died she continued t o stay inside the house but this changed Homer Barron came into town. He is a charming guy involved in the construction and modernization of road in town. He represents a modern world where he came from. This can be concluded in the manner he carries himself. He is confident in interacting with the people in the community. Even Emily had not been safe from his charms. Her life and even her outlook in life changed when she met Homer. It had been fate that made Emily a part of an eccentric family. It was also fate who brought her Homer Barron. He changed her life to the point that she became a different person when he was around. She became more open and a part of the community. She was able to consciously change her ways when she was with Homer. Based on the said decision, Emily can be considered as a person who can make her own decisions. She is also a type of person who is not afraid to be criticized based on the decisions that she is making and the attitudes and behaviors that she is showing. Another action that affirmed Emily’s capability to make her own decisions was the fact that she wanted to keep her love with her forever, by keeping Homer’s body in the bedroom even after he died. Although this is weird and can even be considered as a twisted action, she had not been afraid to show expressions of her love for the man. People can judge such actions as insane but Emily stood by her own views. Regardless of the society’s negative reactions, she showed that she cannot be swayed. Until her last day, she lived with the choices and decisions she made. Based on the short story, different factors can affect the life of every person. Factors such as tradition, religion, genetic make-up and socioeconomic status can affect the manner by which person makes decisions

Marketing Plan for Bata Essay Example for Free

Marketing Plan for Bata Essay In this total market demand, about 42% are brand-driven. And bata is covering about 12% of the organized footwear segment. Industry environment- Threat of new entrants- †¢There are many barriers to entry preventing new entrants from capturing significant market share. Large footwear producer enjoy economy of scale that create cost advantage over any new rival. †¢BIL differentiated it’s product from rivals product like Comfort (using dynamic spring pad that acted as cushion on the feet for women’s footwear), Wind (in build air technology that allowed feet to breath fresh air) etc. The capital requirements are a high entry barrier to a new firm to the industry. However, an existing shoe manufacturer may enter the athletic shoe industry simply by re-tooling their manufacturing plant. †¢Switching cost is very low for footwear industry because shoes are relatively inexpensive personal goods that are frequently replaced. †¢Access to distribution channel is barrier to entry because it is really difficult for a startup firm to get shelf space at major shoe retailer. But existing firm may use their existing connections to easily access shoe distribution channel. Bargaining power of buyer- †¢Bata is largest player in industry with 9-10%volume share and 60% market share in organized segment. It had a market share of 70% in canvas shoe segment and 60% in leather shoe segment. Their dominant market share give them power over buyer. †¢Bata is a big buyer of raw material who buys significant part of suppliers’ revenue. This in a way provides good bargaining power over suppliers. †¢As a part of its strategic decision Bata set up a rubber/canvas factory in Faridabad, Haryana in 1951. So it can threaten it’s supplier to integrate backward. Bargaining power of supplier- †¢Shoes are made of leather, rubber, nylon etc. These materials could be classified as commodities, where the manufacturing process adds the value. For this reason supplier have limited bargaining power over buyers. Threat of substitute product- †¢Consumer switched from one product to another if alternatives are available in same quality and performance range and have competing price or lesser price. BIL produces 10% of total hawai ranged from Rs. 35-110 while competing local brands were selling at Rs. 25-50. Again when global trade open then market flooded with many international brands having variety and competing price. Rivalry among existing firms- †¢Mostly numbers of competitors are stable, especially because of high entry barriers. This adds to the rivalry among existing firm. Manufacturers watch each other carefully and make appropriate countermove to match the competitors move. Leading competitor of BIL are Lakhani shoes, liberty shoes, action shoes, woodland, paragon and relaxo in organized segment. General environment- Demographic- †¢Indian market is highly fragmented between rural and urban market. Thus with the implementation of Marketing plan the company’s profit are expected to rise by 100. 30 crores compared to the actual profit that it will have without the implementation of marketing plan. Implementation controls: The progress can be measured on quarterly basis by comparing the company’s growth rate with that of the industry for that quarter The Capital Asset Pricing Model van be used where R(b) = R(i) + beta(R(i)) Here R(b) is the expected growth (here sales) for Bata India Ltd and R(i) is growth of the Industry. Beta is the equating factor that tell by how much the company has grown with respect to the industry.

Educational Psychology study Essay Example for Free

Educational Psychology study Essay The study was done by Penny Clunies-Ross, Emma Little and Mandy Kienhuis, (2008). It is titled ‘Self-reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behavior’. The study was done with primary school teachers in Australia and examined the teachers’ self-report on the behavior management strategies that they use in the classroom and how these affect their stress level and the students’ behavior. The literature reviewed for this study discussed research done in four areas which were used as the theoretical base for the study. One is the level of disruptive behavior in schools. The second is the teacher stress and its causes. Third is the relationship between the two. And fourth is the type of classroom strategies that teachers use which are categorized as proactive and reactive. The proactive strategies have been described as a more positive approach that is preventive. The reactive strategies are more negative and remedial. The proactive strategies have been found to be more effective. This study therefore aims to â€Å"investigate the relationship between primary school teachers’ self-reported and actual use of management strategies, and to identify how the use of proactive and reactive strategies is related to teacher stress and student behavior†. The hypothesis was that using reactive strategies would result in higher levels of teacher stress and lower on-task behavior of the students. Also that using proactive strategies would result in lower levels of teacher stress and higher on-task behavior of the students. The sample was obtained by contacting principals of the schools. First convenience sampling was used, and then random phone calls to ensure that five schools from each district in Melbourne were included in the study. Data was collected by questionnaires to all teachers and observations of those who volunteered to participate. The data was collected and analyzed by SPSS. In general the results showed that hypothesis one was supported while hypothesis two was not supported. The study was generally well done. The literature review was comprehensive and discussed a wide range of studies from as early as 1986 to 2003, showing the range of research on the topic over the period of time. It was also well organized into sections. The sampling technique was straightforward. Persisting until each district was represented by five schools was good. However the final sample was ninety seven participants from twenty one schools. This means an average of less than five teachers from each school. It may have been better to have surveyed fewer schools but more teachers from each school. The culture of the school often affects teacher stress so that the small number of teachers from a large number of schools may not be reflective of the levels and causes of stress in any one of the schools. The effect of the classroom management strategies used in one school may not completely relate to the teacher stress at that school. The results were analyzed as one sample, rather than analysis by school. Therefore there is no examination of whether the difference in school culture, (if in fact any differences exist) affected the study. However, the study did an analysis of the multivariate effects of gender, level of qualifications and years of teaching experience and found that they were not predictors of teacher stress. These are important variables to include as possible effectors of teacher stress. The study presented a lot of detail on the sample and the materials. However there should have been more detail on the procedure- how exactly were the observations set up and carried out. The report only says â€Å"After the 30-minute observation had been conducted in the teacher’s classroom, observation and questionnaire data were matched using the four-digit code†. The analysis of data was another section that was well presented. This section was again well organized into sub- sections which made reading and following the results much easier. All the data were represented by well-laid out and well- labeled tables which were easy to read. This structure was repeated even in the discussion so that the reader was able to follow the analysis of the results and the discussion for each research question or issue. That was in fact one of the key aspects that made this study encouraging to read- that the subsections were repeated in each part of the study- literature review, data analysis and discussion. An important aspect of this study was the use of both questionnaires (self-report) for teacher behavior and observations. It was significant to educational research on the whole to examine the relationship between the two, since generally self-reports alone cannot be relied upon for accurate measures of behavior. The significant positive correlation between the teachers’ reported use of strategies, both proactive and reactive, and what the researchers observed helps to make self-reports a more reliable tool in educational research. The study ends with two important sections- methodological limitations and suggestions for further research. Discussions in these two sections show the researchers’ awareness of the limitations of the study despite the fact that it is a good piece of research and it helps the reader to understand why certain things were not done in a particular way. One example is this study is the mention that the sampling though it seemed random in fact was not completely random as the teachers who volunteered for the study may be teachers who are not particularly stressed, or that the stressed teachers may not have been so willing to participate. Secondly the number of teachers volunteering to be observed was quite small. The study does not mention the actual number. A section that I would have liked to see included in this study was one on ethical considerations. In general the study was a useful one, well conducted and reported. It investigated the effect of proactive and reactive strategies as classroom management techniques on teachers’ stress levels. The study did in fact find that the use of proactive strategies had less effect on teachers’ stress. This would be the most important benefit to teachers to help them to keep the stress of teaching to a minimum. They could be encouraged by these results to focus on implementing activities in the classroom that would prevent classroom disruptions, rather than having to use their attention and energy intervening in classroom disruptions and losing teaching time. The study also looked at the effect of these strategies on students’ on-task behavior, and again found that the proactive strategies fostered more on-task behavior. This is also useful to the teachers to keep students focused on their work and lessen the disruptions in the classroom. Reference Clunies-Ross, P. , Little, E. and Kienhuis, M. (2008) Self-reported and actual use of proactive and reactive classroom management strategies and their relationship with teacher stress and student behavior, Educational Psychology, 28:6,693 — 710

Three Theories Of Language Acquisition Psychology Essay

Three Theories Of Language Acquisition Psychology Essay One of the most important things to know as a student of speech and language therapy is the history of language acquisition theories. These theories form the foundation of common practice and have informed the development of the therapies that we will use as speech and language therapists. This essay will discuss and present arguments for three theories of acquisition: the behaviourist model, the social interactionist model, and the information processing model. Each theory will also be discussed in terms of its application to clinical practice. The behaviourist model of language acquisition came about in the 1940-50s when a lot of research was being done on learning theory and B.F. Skinner is probably the most well-known of the behavioural theorists. According to behavioural theory, all human behaviour is learned. When a person does something it is either positively or negatively reinforced; if the behaviour is positively reinforced its frequency will increase and if the behaviour is negatively reinforced its frequency will decrease and eventually stop. For example, if a child wants to put his hand on the hot stove the pain that this causes will be a negatively reinforcement and he will learn not to touch the stove. Behaviourism suggests that more complex behaviours can also be learned in this way. They argue that this can be done by one behaviour triggering the next (chaining) or by, over time reinforcing a behaviour in a way that it moves towards an ultimate target behaviour. According to Skinner (Owens,2008) humans learn everything through this manner of conditioning, including language. Skinner believed that a child sees models of language in adult communication and when the child imitates this communication, this behaviour is positively reinforced by adults. Skinner theorised that during language acquisition, when a child makes an error adults give the child negative reinforcement and when a child produces the correct language the adult gives positive reinforcement thereby conditioning the child to use the correct form. In terms of word learning, behaviourists suggest that when the child realises a word is associated with an object (e.g. ball), the presence of the object becomes the stimulus for that word. Thus, once the child knows the word ball whenever he sees the ball it will activate the word in his mind so he can say it. In terms of learning sentences, behaviourists believe that the child does this in the same manner as words or through the technique of successive approximation. For exampl e, a child hears Please pass the ball but this is too complex so he way say pass ball instead. As the child gets older the adults in his environment gradually shape his utterance into an adult form through the use of modelling, imitation, and reinforcement (Owens,2008) so that eventually he uses the correct form. As the influence of a childs environment on language has become clearer, the importance that behaviourists set on the environment has been supported (Owens, 2008). Over the years, the practice of speech and language therapy has been influenced by the behaviourist model. For example, two techniques from this model that are directly applicable to clinical practice are modelling and reinforcement. In therapy, modelling is often used with children with speech difficulties. One way in which it can be used is for the therapist to model the sound and bring the childs attention to how it is formed so that they can do it themselves. Using reinforcement is also an important aspect of therapy and a therapist can use it by setting up activities in a manner that positively reinforces the correct pronunciation. For example, a minimal pair therapy where the child gets a sweet when he pronounces the phoneme correctly. According to Owens(2008) there is evidence for the importance of modelling and rei nforcement in children as young as 9 months old; this is seen in the fact that by 9 months old a childs inventory of sounds consists mainly of those that have been said in his environment. In other words, although the child is not speaking the same sounds are constantly being modelled and reinforced in his environment and these are the sounds that will be needed for his speech. A third useful technique for therapists that is suggested by the behaviourist model is imitation. An example of a potential use for imitation in therapy would be with a child who needs to become more aware of his speaking volume or rate- the therapist could have him imitate her speaking at different volumes and different paces to increase his awareness. Evidence to support the usefulness of imitation for generalising sentence structure has been found by Whitehurst and Novak (1973)(Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993). The behaviourist model of language acquisition has attracted a lot of criticism over the past decades, much of it brought forward by Chomsky (Owens,2008) who then presented a linguistic model of language acquisition. One of the primary criticisms of the behaviourist model is the fact that it is impossible for a child to be taught every sentence that he ever will have to use- and the behaviourist model doesnt account for an ability to create novel sentences. Another criticism is the fact that parents dont use reinforcement consistently and in fact sometimes positively reinforce childrens errors (Owens,2008). Additionally, Chomsky (Owens, 2008) noted that adult speech is full of errors and ungrammatical utterances and therefore would not provide a good model for children to learn from. As one of the earliest models of language acquisition, this model has been very influential in development of treatments. Our task as future clinicians is to draw ideas from its strengths while keeping in mind the criticisms that have been set forward. The second theory of language acquisition chosen for this essay was social interaction theory. This model was developed in response to the behavioural and linguistic theories of language acquisition and incorporates aspects of both of these. The social interaction theory suggests that language develops because of its social-communicative function. According to this theory, not only do we have an innate predisposition to language but many environmental factors also affect the course of language development (Bohannon Bonvillian,1993); the predisposition to language is seen as innate but the structure of language is not. In this model, the relationship between children and their linguistic environment is seen as a dynamic one in which both are dependent on each other for efficient social communication and development of language skills (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993). According to this model, social interaction is what conventionalises a childs language structure. Social interactionists b elieve that the child uses techniques to develop his or her language such as imitation or rote learning and the environment also adjusts itself to facilitate language learning by the child; as the child shows an increased ability to understand more complex language, the linguistic environment also increases in complexity (Bohannon Bonvillian,1993). The type of language that parents often use with children is referred to by social interactionists as Child Directed Speech (CDS). Child directed speech includes communication techniques such as motherese, imitation, and scaffolding. This model suggests that children cue their parents to supply CDS and that the function of CDS is to activate the linguistic tendencies of the child (Bohannon Bonvillian,1993). According to this model, these techniques are used by adults to slowly build the childs language while enabling adults and children to communicate more effectively (Bohannon Bonvillian,1993). A strength of the social interactionist model is that because it drawn on the behariourist and linguistic models it incorporates strengths from both. Much of the evidence for the social interactionist model comes from studies that look at how caregiver-child interactions and CDS assist in language development. One of the big strengths of this model is the fact that it can account for the pragmatic aspects of language. According to Berko Gleason and Weintraub (1976), imitation and rote learning are used by children to learn things like social conventions (e.g. Thank-you) and Ninio and Snow(1999) (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993) have shown that this model also accounts for the aspects of language that need to be learned socially. E.g. turn-taking, context, cultural conventions. Further evidence has been found for the effect of social interaction on a childs developing vocabulary in a study by Tomasello and Farrar (1986)(Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993)who found that if a mother talks about the objects a child is looking at the child tends to develop a larger and earlier initial vocabulary. Snow (1972, 1977, 1999)(Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993) has also found evidence for the fact that parents adjust their communication and use different communication techniques to help them communicate more effectively with their child. The social interactionist model has also attracted criticisms since its development. One of the most important things to take into account when looking at this model is the fact that because it is quite young many aspects of it have not been tested. Also related to this is the criticism that social interactionists are seeing causation where there is only correlation (Bohannon Bonvillian,1993)- that it is impossible to tell from the studies being done whether a language delay is due to the parents lack of CDS or if the lack of CDS was a response of the parent to the language delay already present in the child (Bohannon Bonvillian,1993). A number of studies have also been carried out related to child directed speech and have found that CDS may not be as simplified as we believe it to be (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993). In addition to this, Shatz (1982)(Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993) argued that there is no mechanism specified for how CDS actually works to improve child language. These crit icisms are important to take into account and place further emphasis on the importance of having a evidence-based practice. The social interactionist model can both inform how an SLT approaches therapy and provide ides for practical application in clinical practice. This model suggests that children learn through the process of scaffolding. As a therapist this would sugest that therapy be approached by starting a child off with easier tasks and then gradually raising the difficulty level as he improves. The principle of scaffolding could also be applied to choosing target sounds for phonological therapy. For example, starting with sounds that are developmentally earlier and easier to say. An example of a therapy that uses scaffolding and that is frequently used by therapists is minimal pair therapy (Williams et al., 2010). Another way to apply the social interactionist model in clinical practice would be to help the parents strengthen their use of child directed speech and show them how to incorporate effective language learning into their daily routines with the child. An example of a program that uses this type of technique is the Hanen approach. This is a therapy technique that emphasises the importance of parental involvement in a childs lan guage development. The program places importance on both the treatment of children and the training of parents to help them incorporate language learning more effectively into their everyday lives. (The Hanen Centre, 2011) The final model of language acquisition used for this essay was the information processing model. The information processing model is a cognitive view of language development which arose along with other interactionist approaches in the 1960s and 70s as a lot of research into the field of cognition was being carried out. As other aspects of human cognition such as memory and perception were coming to be seen as similar to the workings of a computer, some theorists began exploring whether language development could be explained in a similar manner (Bohannon Bonvillian,1993). This model theorises that language is acquired in the same way as many other behaviours; the brain receives stimuli, interprets it, stores it, and then can generate the proper output by retrieving the stored information (Bohannon Bonvillian,1993). According to the information-processing model, humans have an innate ability to learn language due to the presence of a mechanism called the Parallel Distributed Processor (PDP) (Bohannon Bonvillian,1993) however, like other interactionist models this theory also suggests that the environment plays an active role in language acquisition. According to this model, the parallel distributed processor works by enabling children to learn language through example and reinforcement. The PDP is a network of nodes and pathways modelled on the neural pathways in the brain. The nodes are connected by many levels and layers of pathways. The information processing model is sometimes called the connectionist model for this reason. The nodes receive input from pathways coming from many other nodes and if enough pathways stimulate a node the node will activate and a certain output will be generated. One of the most well-known aspects of the information processing theory is the Competition Model (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993) which attempts to explain how exactly these pathways and nodes generate linguistic output. According to this, a child has multiple possible forms of a word in their head (e.g. past tense of Æ’Â   or ) which compete to represent a meaning. The form that ends up being used is determined by the number of nodes and pathways that are activated for each form. For example, a child learning to say the past tense of may not know yet whether the proper form is or . When the child decides to say this word, the pathways for both and would be activated as possible outputs. If the child chooses to say the correct option that pathway will be strengthened and the pathway for the incorrect response will be weakened. If the child chooses to say the incorrect option () and discovers that this is incorrect, that pathway will be slightly downgraded and the other pathway that should have been activated, , will be slightly strengthened. Eventually, over time and through experience the childs PDP system will agree on the true form of a word and produce a consistent, correct output. This is the manner in which children are seen to learn words and grammar. Over the years this model has accumulated evidence both in favour of it and against it. A strength of this model is that it accounts for many aspects of language learning such as how children learn frequently used forms more quickly than other less frequently used forms (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993). It also accounts for both the appearance of overregularisation errors and their disappearance. Additionally, in a study by Meyer and Schwaneveldt (1971) (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993), it was found that when a word is used it primes (subconsciously makes us think of) other related words therefore there must be some spreading activation in the language processor. This provides evidence for the existence of interconnected pathways. Much of the other supporting evidence comes from the experimental computerised model of the PDP. In 1987, Rummelhart and McClelland (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993) ran simulations on this model and found that in the case of simulating past-tense learning and producti on they got very similar learning patterns to those found in children. Additionally, when part of the language network of the PDP was shut down to simulate brain damage, the resulting performance was very similar to the deficits found in brain-damaged human patients (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993). Studies by Elman (1993)(Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993) using the same computerised model have shown that the learning ability of the system extends beyond words and can also account for the development of the syntactic system if enough examples of adult language are given. While this model has many strengths, there are also significant weaknesses. First of all, while it can account for the formation of language, it does not account for the acquisition of semantics. Additionally, as admitted by Rohde and Plaut (1999)(Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993), it doesnt take into account the social aspect of conversation, in other words, how we decipher language in relation to the social situation and how that affects what we say. Another criticism of the model of the PDP mechanism is that while it does well with information that is presented all at once (e.g. a picture), it has trouble with serial processing (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993). This poses a problem since language is serial by nature. Another common criticism of this theory is that information processing theorists make too much of the superficial similarities between the brain and the proposed PDP when there are actually many differences (Bohannon Bonvillian, 1993). A strength of this model is the fact that it may give insight into how to approach the treatment of problems relating to the grammatical structures of language. For example, the PDP system showed it could learn proper grammar through bombardment. Therefore, according to this model, bombardment will allow the child to internalise the desired structure because the input pathways will be provided with enough adult-level examples to form the correct pathway. As an application in therapy then, this suggests that the SLT could choose exercises in which the child hears the correct structure over and over again. The PDP model also suggests that each structure must be worked on separately in treatment because they all use different pathways. For example, if past tense is the problem then regular past tense must be worked on and once that structure overgeneralises then the exceptions should be targeted. As an application in clinical practice then, if the child is trying to acquire regular and irregular past tense, the SLT should start with treatment of the regular past tense, wait for that pattern to overgeneralise and then work on individual irregular past tense verbs. Both imitation and repetition are also implied as practical applications of this model in clinical practice. By having the child imitate the proper form it is suggested that both the proper input and output pathways will be activated, therefore helping the child to solidify the correct one more quickly. Similarly, by eliciting the child to repeat the proper form this model implies that the correct language pathway to solidify more quickly. In a study by Whitehurst and Novak (1973) imitation was shown to be effective in helping children solidify specific rules in their own speech and the techniques of bombardment and repetition were used as part of the treatment in a study by Seeff-Gabriel et al.(2012) which had success in a child learning to generalise the regular past tense. It is important to note that while these treatments may be effective in some cases, as previously mentioned, there is criticism for the information- processing model. It is our duty as future clinicians to look further into the research and study the effectiveness of these approaches before spending long periods of time on them with patients. All of the theories discussed here have strengths and weaknesses and all of them have implications for clinical practice. Depending on which theory an SLT is influenced by, the therapeutic approach will be different. One of the keys to being a good speech and language therapist is the ability to look at these different models and see how their strengths can be applied to create effective therapy for the client. In addition to this however, it should be kept in mind that these are only theories of language acquisition and that while we should be very aware of the theoretical underpinnings that influence the therapy and techniques we use, our aim should not be to create a practice based solely on theories. Our aim needs to be to create an evidence-based practice guided by the continuing advances in theories and current research.

Zinc hyperaccumulation :: science

Zinc hyperaccumulation Zinc hyperaccumulation in Thlaspi caerulescens as a chemical defence against herbivory ABSTRACT Thlaspi caerulescens is one of several plant species known to accumulate heavy metals in excess of 2% of their above ground plant biomass. The reasons for hyperaccumulation are unknown, but several studies conclude that it may be a plant chemical defence. This has been of interest to biologists because these metals are usually toxic. The accumulation of these metals may serve as a model for coevolution. We examined the effects of zinc hyperaccumulation in Thlaspi on Xanthomonas campestris and found that the plants containing zinc thrived when inoculated with this bacteria, while plants not containing zinc showed signs of deterioration. INTRODUCTION There are several wild plant species that have the ability to accumulate high quantities of heavy metals in their above ground biomass, up to three percent or more. Many of these plants are found in the Brassicaceae family throughout Europe and the British Isles. These plants thrive on mineral outcrops with calamine and serpentine soils rich with high levels of zinc, cadmium, and nickel (Baker et al, 1994). Several theories have been advanced on the reasons for this hyperaccumulation. Boyd and Martens propose that it could be a form of drought resistance, inadvertent uptake, interference, tolerance or disposal of metal from the plant, or a chemical defence against herbivory or pathogens. Several studies have supported the chemical defence hypothesis. Martens and Boyd (1994 and Boyd and Martens, 1994) showed that nickel hyperaccumulation is an effective defence against insect herbivores in two different feeding experiments. Boyd et at (1994) also demonstrated that nickel hyperaccumulating plants resisted pathogens including Xanthomonas campestris. Thlaspi caerulescens J. and C. Presl (Brassicaceae) is a hyperaccumulating plant found in the British Isles. It has been shown to accumulate 10,000 ppm (>1%) of its biomass in zinc (Bakeret at, 1994), and Pollard and Baker (1997) suggest that this is an effective defence against herbivory for this species. This paper explores the effects of zinc hyperaccumulation in Thlaspi as a defence against Xanthomonas campestris. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thlaspi caerulescens seeds were collected in Cloughwood, U. K. These seeds germinated on polyester beads supported in expanded polystyrene rafts floating on one-tenth strength Rorison's solution (Hewitt, 1966). These containers were placed in a Conviron E-15 environmental growth chamber at the following settings: 20 C, 90% RH, 16 hr day, and 8 hr night. After three weeks, twenty seedlings were transferred to 4 rafts composed of expanded styrene on polyethylene, each supporting five plants individually.

Is Macbeth A Thoroughly Representative Character? :: essays research papers

Is Macbeth a Thoroughly Representative Character?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some critics may contend that Macbeth is not a thoroughly representative character, yet through a close observation and understanding of the drama, it can be seen that any rational human being, given the identical situation, would have undergone the exact thought process and taken equal actions as did Macbeth. Macbeth was presented with a situation where he was forced to make an extreme decision. His driving ambition to become King of Scotland corrupted him and caused him to murder not only the king, but all those who had any ties to him. People may say that Macbeth was insane for doing this, yet others will agree that the common character would have done the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Given the situation, the ideal individual would have undergone the same alteration as did Macbeth. Presented with an equal degree an opportunity, one would have become very eager and anxious, thus carrying out the same criminal actions that Macbeth himself conveyed. A person, always eager to gain endowment, would jump at the chance to acquire that power as soon as possible, no matter what they had to do. This is the situation Macbeth was in. He was seeking the throne, and only wanted to find a faster way to obtain that authority, thus he killed, lied, and cheated his way to that place of honor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Readers may debate that Macbeth was indeed insane, thus leading the reader to believe that he was not representative of a typical human. This is true, yet any human can be insane, which further proves the validity that Macbeth was a common individual. Perhaps driven to insanity, no evidence exists to say that Macbeth was not ordinary, which means that he was not in any way different from the rest of humanity. What he did in the drama was no different than what anyone would have done given the position Macbeth was in. Conceivably an individual may not have murdered and become so very evil, however one would

Ansel Adams :: Biographies Bio Biography

Ansel Adams On February 20, 1902 Ansel Easton Adams was born in San Francisco, California. He was the only child of Charles and Olive Adams. Ansel, originally trained as a classic pianist, would later abandon his first love, music, for photography. Ansel Adams became America's most talented and beloved landscape photographer. In 1908, Ansel started school. He was a poor student and hated going to school. In 1915, Charles Adams took his son out of school and had him privately tutored. Charles also bought Ansel a year pass to the Panama Pacific International Exposition. The Exposition included exhibits on painters, science, machinery, and photography. "It was also the first time that he encountered photography as an art form in three prints exhibited by photographer Edward Weston, with whom he was much later to collaborate in the f/64 Group project and who became a great friend"(1). During his unconventional education, Ansel became interested in music, particularly, the piano. He began to teach himself how to play. He was very serious about his music. Later, recognizing his son's talent, Charles hired Marie Butler, who was piano tutor, for his son. She tutored Ansel for three years. Ansel seriously considered becoming a concert pianist. Then, in 1916, Ansel took his first trip to Yosemite while on vacation with his family. Ansel became interested in photography on this trip and took his first photos on his first camera. "With his first camera, a Kodak Box Brownie, Ansel's life as a photographer began Ââ€" an interest which was to endure for the rest of his life. With his first attempts at committing the magic of Yosemite to film, he demonstrated the beginnings of an immense talent which was to make him a world-class photographer". (2) Ansel was persuaded by his parents to attend school again and he went to Mrs. Kate Wilkins' private school. In 1917, he graduated from the eighth grade at Mrs. Wilkins' school. His graduation marked the end of Ansel's Academic Career. Ansel continued to pursue his first loves, the piano and music, as well as his new found interest in photography after his graduation. Ansel began teaching himself the basic principles of photography. He got a job working part-time for a photo finisher, Fred Dittman, in San Francisco. This is where Ansel had his first dark room experience. Ansel Adams :: Biographies Bio Biography Ansel Adams On February 20, 1902 Ansel Easton Adams was born in San Francisco, California. He was the only child of Charles and Olive Adams. Ansel, originally trained as a classic pianist, would later abandon his first love, music, for photography. Ansel Adams became America's most talented and beloved landscape photographer. In 1908, Ansel started school. He was a poor student and hated going to school. In 1915, Charles Adams took his son out of school and had him privately tutored. Charles also bought Ansel a year pass to the Panama Pacific International Exposition. The Exposition included exhibits on painters, science, machinery, and photography. "It was also the first time that he encountered photography as an art form in three prints exhibited by photographer Edward Weston, with whom he was much later to collaborate in the f/64 Group project and who became a great friend"(1). During his unconventional education, Ansel became interested in music, particularly, the piano. He began to teach himself how to play. He was very serious about his music. Later, recognizing his son's talent, Charles hired Marie Butler, who was piano tutor, for his son. She tutored Ansel for three years. Ansel seriously considered becoming a concert pianist. Then, in 1916, Ansel took his first trip to Yosemite while on vacation with his family. Ansel became interested in photography on this trip and took his first photos on his first camera. "With his first camera, a Kodak Box Brownie, Ansel's life as a photographer began Ââ€" an interest which was to endure for the rest of his life. With his first attempts at committing the magic of Yosemite to film, he demonstrated the beginnings of an immense talent which was to make him a world-class photographer". (2) Ansel was persuaded by his parents to attend school again and he went to Mrs. Kate Wilkins' private school. In 1917, he graduated from the eighth grade at Mrs. Wilkins' school. His graduation marked the end of Ansel's Academic Career. Ansel continued to pursue his first loves, the piano and music, as well as his new found interest in photography after his graduation. Ansel began teaching himself the basic principles of photography. He got a job working part-time for a photo finisher, Fred Dittman, in San Francisco. This is where Ansel had his first dark room experience.

Investigation: Body Temperature Regulation

Investigation: Body temperature regulation Guiding question: To what point does fur determine an arctic foxes wellbeing in the wild and how much protection against extreme temperatures does it really offer. Introduction: In this experiment I will be attempting to justify my findings that I have gathered over the course of a few different experiments. What I have been gathering information over is the suitability of an arctic foxes fur coat. I have gone about finding this out by simulating a model of an arctic foxes fur coat through many trying and stressful conditions. The way I did so was by firstly dividing the experiments into three different steps. The first step entailed me attempting to put my model arctic fox in sub zero temperatures, as it would be in real life. What I did however was to put two models in the fridge. The first was a simple test tube covered with cotton, while the second had a space of cool air between the fur and the test tube simulating the space that would be created when a fox puffs out its fur almost like when we get goose pimples. The second experiment was designed to signal whether it changes anything to the temperature of my two test tubes if there is wind or not. I also did that same experiment of wind with my test tubes both drenched with water, again this would simulate a real life situation such as rain and wind or even snow and wind. Lastly I decided to put my test tubes (or arctic foxes! ) at normal room temperature to determine how much the tests really did influence the temperatures, in this way I could see what exactly was going on in terms of the cooling curve. Hypothesis: I expect the following experiment to give me a rough enough idea of arctic foxes protective measures and to help me better understand the full extent of their heat retaining abilities. I expect that my experiment has a great deal of flaws yet I also believe that there will be enough raw data to accurately determine a positive result. A positive result would be one that accurately gives me an idea of how to answer my guiding question. If I were to be more specific I would say that in my opinion the test tube with the hot air trapped between the cotton and the actual test tube will make no difference over the one with only cotton around it. I base this upon the theory that the air temperature between the test tube and the cotton will quickly loose any of its heat and will become redundant. I can prove this by continuing with the experiments I have designed to determine just that. Lastly I also believe that when I will confront the results of my two experiments, the one with only the fan and the other with the fan and the wet cotton I will find that the later will be much more susceptible to the cold and its temperature will decrease much more, due to the water that will constrict its ability to retain heat. Apparatus: * Two test tubes of equal dimensions * Cotton wool to simulate fur on an arctic fox * Pieces of wood that create a space of air between the tube and the wool * Timer to accurately give me a time span for which to conduct my experiment * Fan to simulate wind * Thermometer to place within test tube which will accurately calculate the temperature of the water held inside it. * Kettle to boil the water before placing it inside the test tube * Selotape to keep the cotton in place Fridge to simulate the sub zero temperatures that arctic foxes must live through Evaluation of apparatus: I think that the apparatus that I used are all extremely good and effective with a few key exceptions. Firstly the cotton is not quite the same material as the fur that an arctic fox uses, meaning that the experiment will not be true to real life. It will only give me a rough idea of the concepts of heat regulation within this particular species of animal, but that will be enough to answer the guid ing question. Another piece of apparatus that does not match exactly my requirements is the fan seeing as it only produces a certain amount of wind and in only one direction meaning that I will have to continually turn my test tube in order to keep the experiment fair and equal. Experiment one: In this experiment I will be placing my test tube’s at room temperature in order to determine before starting the other experiments what the cooling curve would be without it being put through any abnormal conditions. As I can see through the graphs above the temperature decreases very slowly from the initial 70 degree starting temperature. What happens is that test tube one and two slowly start to disconnect form each other, seeing as test tube one retains heat more effectively. I will now see whether the results will be drastically different with my other experiments. I have also noticed that the test tube 1 has a greater heat retaining ability that may well be due to the layer of air held between it and the test tube. To further prove this theory I will have to continue with my other experiments. Experiment two: In this experiment I have put my two test tubes inside the fridge in order to simulate the sub zero air conditions. In my hypothesis I said that I thought there would be no difference between test tube one and two. In the first experiment it was proved otherwise, yet in the following experiment there will be a greater temperature change so the differences in temperature will become more evident as time goes on. As you can see in the following graph there is a much more significant difference between test tube one and test tube two. This shows that so far the space of hot air between the cotton wool and the test tube is beginning to work much more effectively. This is completely against what I initially said in my hypothesis, where I clearly stated I thought It would make no difference. However if you look carefully at this gathering of information you are able to see that the results start to separate from each other much more significantly than the first experiment this shows that the more drastic the temperature the more it helps to have that layer of hot air to protect and keep the ‘arctic fox’ warm. Experiment three: This is the most important experiment, in my opinion to determine to what extent an arctic foxes fur helps keep out the cold. This is because I will be keeping the test tubes at room temperature while placing a fan in front of it to simulate wind and the cold wind that comes with that. It is not as drastic as my previous experiment but it is just as important. I expect to see results that are of a higher temperature than the last experiment, but I also expect the difference between the two test tubes to increase seeing as test tube 2 is much better equipt against this kind of heat and temperature difference.

Effects OF Watching Too Much Television Essay

Watching tv is an experience shargond by almost adults and children. But the problem is that reflexion video for long periods of sentence has many problematic effects. The purpose of this essay is to persuade the indorser that people shouldnt limit in any case much video. The first reason why people shouldnt watch television receiver for long periods of time is that it makes people desolate time that could be used in more beneficial activities. This wasted time could be used to make profitable activities like exercising, interacting with friends and family, and reading. The second reason is that the means of many television programs is not educational. Movies and serial publication nowadays have lots of violence, sex, and drugs scenes.This angle of inclination has very dangerous impact on children because they grow up with the idea of a world where problems can only be solved with money and violence and where wars are inevitable. The third reason is that watching tele vision increases the audience desire in take in which causes obesity. Because they always sit in nominal head of the screen and they forget to do physiologic exercises. After the invention of television on 1923, it is found that the rate of obesity, heart attacks, and beholding problems is increasing. According to a new study, watching television too much increases the find of dying at an earlier age, oddly from heart unhealthiness. This research says that every minute you spend in front of the television increases the risk of dying from heart disease by 18 percent and increases the general risk of death by 11 percent. However this doesnt mean that we should dispose television, but if we are going to watch it, we should do it with moderation.

Cultural Dimensions of Two Countries

Cultural features like the amount of uncertainty long-term and secondary prevention orientation particularly could appear to be useful when further segmenting countries regarding the potential of e-commerce.Trinidad scores low in great power distance with a 47 (Hofstede).Individuals in Trinidad tend to be very independent. The hierarchy present is merely for convenience. how There are equal rights for all.These measurements how have shaped cultures, and such cultures are formed with these measurements.Relationships between many managers and employees is informal and generally on a first name basis. The United States also scores low in political power distance with a 40. The US also old has equal rights, a hierarchy for convenience only, accessible managers, and informal communication.Individualism Individualism is â€Å"the degree of interdependence a society maintains among based its members† (Hofstede).

Its also referred to as Long-Term Orientation.Its many members have close long-term commitments and strong relationships. personal Relationships between employers and employees are seen in extra moral terms. Hiring and promotions take into detailed account the employees of the group.Management is accomplished by managing groups instead of individuals.Humane orientation could must have an impact on motivation.Hiring and promotions are literary merit based. Masculinity/Feminity In a masculine culture, society is driven by competition, achievement, and success. Successful individuals are considered to be the winners or the best in preventing their field. A feminine culture has cares good for others.

They have to think of communication best practices that are different.Competition and equality is stressed. Conflicts how are resolved by fighting it out. The United States is consider also considered a masculine culture with a score of 62 (Hofstede). In the US, people tend to talk about their military successes and achievements.Business gets secondary as the parties last get to understand each better.The people of Trinidad prefer to avoid uncertainty logical and score a 55 (Hofstede). They have strong beliefs and great expectations for behavior. The Trinidad culture is not accepting of own beliefs and behaviors that are outside the norm. The people are very precise, punctual, hard working, and busy.

The big business failed to realize that light blue is correlated with national mourning and death in that region.The culture what does not require many rules. People in the US do not express their emotions how are openly.Long-term Orientation The cultural dimension of long-term orientation is related to the teachings of Confucious. It deals with a cultures search for virtue.Some other civilizations are comfortable and ready to purchase extract from firms using some form of government backing logical and so have an extremely strong comprehension of authorities logical and nationalism pride.It has a short-term point of view. Its other people focus on tradition. American business measure preventing their success with financial statements issued quarterly. Individuals social work for fast results.

Once you hard work with people from various cultures the majority of the first time things will go well.Their culture is resistant to invention.Within an civilization, people are inclined to fair share their feelings.Theres a solid awareness of loyalty within the category.

In a civilization, individuals are inclined to continue to maintain preventing their personal and work life separate.Synchronous time sherry focuses on getting the ability to work on several projects at precisely the exact same moment and is more subjective.Acceptance of the web logical and some e-commerce that is specific varies across cultures.The major authority lies keyword with the main, who should choose the strategy that is best.

Human Resource In Disneyland Essay

What consequence do you notion it is effectual to complete amid several(predicate) take aims of compend (i.e. gentleman race(a), vicinityal, field and organizational) in collar IHRM? support examples as reserve. With the ever-increasing sparing activities and inter-connections with otherwise countries, the trans bailiwick consolidation is obvious. (Coase, 1937)IHRM is straight confronted with contrasting issues toward the cross-ethnical bod which the political, economic, complaisant and court-ordered systems among contrary countries be convolute.(Mendenhall, M, 2000) diverse directs of abbreviation eject deliver a poser for take apart and esteem the IHRM practice, choice apportioning or leadership port in qualification rejoinder to the outside(a)isation serve up.For the world(prenominal) direct psycho synopsis, it is found on the Ptolemaic greet which is perceive as a world-wide military position which the outflank policies and the near fit individuals to round the acts.(Dowling and Schuler, 1990) Because of the increase complicatedity and public presentation oscilloscope with world(a) trading operations, corking intellectual set up profit the multinational organizations in finding the close appropriate employees for the job. Nevertheless,lack of noesis beam and reading melt downwhitethorn be incurred from the complex global setting. food market information, cultural-dimensions and demographic issues argon sticky to obtain, peculiarly in predicting the entropy from ordinary trend.(Sparrow, 2009) For example, Disneyland isdifficult to assess the flow of customers as unemployed constancy is of considerable seasonal worker variation. (The Walt Disney Company, 2010) regional direct epitome is found on the regiocentric court on a item geographical region. IHRM mangers foundation go for the right field and emancipation on make decisions as wellspring as graveling regional staffs. (Dowling and Schuler, 1990) For instance, HSBC is credibly to develop the regioncentric progression to offer forth personnel office deep down a specific region comparable Europe, Asia, and India. (HSBC, 2010) national train psychodepth psychology is establish on the polycentric cuddle which the subsidiaries be hardened as antithetic national entity which is involved with many gradation of autonomy. (Dowling and Schuler, 1990)According to Hofstedes research, various cultural outstrip may be incurred from the operation in force countries. (Hofstede, 2001)This socio-cultural obstacle is apt(predicate) to operate the product line. A polycentric start is well-nigh associate to topical anaesthetic responsiveness which brings advantages to the coordination mingled with subsidiaries and increases represent efficiency.Forexample, the worlds largest article of furniture retailerIKEA adopts the polycentric accession in mainland mainland Chinawhich is mana ged by host-country national. Employing topical anesthetic Chinese as managers to revoke inter-cultural concern is performed withinIKEAs operations in China. (China Daily, 2010) organizational take aim analysis is ground on ethnocentric set out which strategic decisions are make at the grow organization. (Dowling and Schuler, 1990) Managers butt joint whence go across the dodge at a humiliate get the picture approach in favour the organizational goal. Overall, diametrical level of analysis back be implied from available requirement, strategic coordination or business systems. Distinguishing the level of analysis between genius another(prenominal) cangreatly value the strategy facial expression and implementation. (439words)ReferencesChina Daily, 2010. IKEA to range stores in China, easy http//www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2010-12/16/ satisfy_11711019.htm (Accessed 2011, meet 10).Coase, R., 1937. The temperament of the firm. Economica, 4, 386-405. Dowling, P. and Schuler, R., 1990. world-wide Dimensions of benignant option Management, PWS-Kent. Hofstede, G., 2001. goals Consequences compare Values, Behaviors. Institutions and Organizations across Nations. encourage Edition. capital of the unify domain keen-sighted Publications. HSBC, 2010. HSBC Holdings plc yearbook make-up and Accounts 2010, availablehttp//www.hsbc.com/1/PA_1_1_S5/content/assets/investor_relations/hsbc2010ara0.pdf (Accessed 2011, process 5). Mendenhall, M, 2000. social function the terrain of IHRM a call for ongoing dialogue, report card presented at fifteenth shop on strategic HRM, Fontainebleau, France, and 30 work on-1 April. Sparrow, P., 2009. vade mecum of international human election care consolidation people, process and context. United Kingdom tail end Wiley & Sons. The Walt Disney Company, 2010. fiscal category 2009 annual monetary draw and stockholder earn, addressable http//amedia.disney.go.com/investorrelations/annual_reports/ WDC-10kwrap-2009.pdf (Accessed 2011, March 2).

Tax Structure in Pakistan

impose organize of Pakistan appraise To appraiseation revenue (from the Latin revenue enhancemento I post) is to cut a fiscal constitute or good about juvenile-fashioned(prenominal) levy upon a levy collapseer (an several(prenominal) or good entity) by a deposit or the usable uniform of a responsibility such(prenominal) that visitation to profit is punishable by jurisprudence. round commentators feature argued that a direct revenue enhancementationation is iodin that put forward non be shifted by the levypayer to somebody else, whereas an verifying task can be. A income levy is a evaluate levied on the income of souls or creasees (corporations or an different(prenominal) intelligent entities).When the task is levied on the income of companies, it is ofttimes c tout ensembleed a somatic revenue, merged income revenue, or lettuce valuate revenue. respective(prenominal) income evaluatees a good deal appreciate the conglomeratio n income of the individual (with some deductions permitted), era composeive income revenue revenuees frequently impose straighten out income (the going amid earn receipts, expenses, and improveral write-offs). A rough-cut revenue entertain revenueis a enjoyment value super supercharged at the detail of corruptfor current goods and returns. The task threadb are is usually work out by applying a dower prescribe to the esteemable expense of a sale.Most gross revenue taxes argon calm from the vendee by the seller, who remits the tax to a politics agency. gross revenue taxes be normally charged on gross gross gross revenue of goods, tho more gross sales taxes atomic number 18 alike charged on sales of services. Ideally, a sales tax would swallow a higher(prenominal) obligingness esteem, be baffling to avoid, and be childly to forecast and collect Income tax Pakistan right concerning tax income of income in Pakistan is state in the Incom e appraise command, 2001 (the legislation) and the rules inclose at that place on a lower floor to wit Income value Rules, 2002 (the Rules).The Ordinance is a effectant economy and is, therefore, relevant to the all of Pakistan . give the sackher sectionalization 4 of the Ordinance, income tax is compel for sepa croply(prenominal) tax form at specify grade on all soulfulness who has assessable income for the yr valuate family in Pakistan impose form is a stage of twelve months completion on thirtieth June and shall be denoted by the schedule category in which the tell interpret falls. consec rateable Income in PakistanIt is the integrality income of a mortal for a tax family cut by the heart and soul of any(prenominal) deductible alterations, chthonic the Ordinance, for the division.A someone is empower to a deductible allowance for the measuring rod of any Zakat stipendiary by the soul in a tax year chthonian the Zakat & Ushr Or dinance, 1980. derive Incomeit is the sexual union of a soulfulnesss income below severally of the corpuss of income for the year. Heads of Income in Pakistan down the stairs the Ordinance income is classified advertisement into the pursuit cardinal power points Salary, Income from property, Income from business, capital letter gains and Income from separate acknowledgments.The income of a mortal nether a head of income shall be the core of the center derived by the person in a tax year that atomic number 18 indictable to tax under(a) the head as reduce by the wide-cut deductions allowed under the regularisation to the person under that head. in integratedd tax revenue rankPakistan corporate tax rate is 35% of net rateable income of a company. For non resident physicians, a 15% rate is levied on the gross criterion of royalties or skillful service fees, and 30% for otherwise requitals under the probable tax regime. habitation An entity is resid ent if it is registered under the uprightness of Pakistan or its focus and carry is determine entirely in Pakistan.Basis house physician entities be taxed on ecumenical business income nonresidents pay tax exclusively on Pakistan-source income. receipts of dividendsA resident entity pays tax at a rate of 10% on dividend income irrespective of whether the dividends are Pakistan or unusual source. A nonresident pays tax at a rate of 10% on Pakistan source dividends. PAKISTAN sales evaluateThe standard rate of gross sales task in Pakistan is 16%. assessable transactions gross revenue task is levied on the tack on of goods and services, and the import of goods. sales valuate accommodationis obligatory for manufacturers if dollar volume exceeds PKR 5 trillion for retailers, if the value of supplies exceeds PKR 5 meg and for importers and other persons if postulate by other national or barbarian law file and sales tax paymentSales appraise returns and paymen ts m grey-headediness be make on a monthly basis. RGSTThe RGST is actually unembellished old mensurate Added measure ( bathtub) with a new name. Since the VAT has already had its stuff of cock-a-hoop publicity, the administration indomitable it would be a shiny fall upon to call and repackage the new revenue system.The RGST is a tax system that operates by an amplification of 15 per cent tax on each and every(prenominal) value addition on nonexempt products Who is regard? The break players bottomland the proposed RGST are the internationalist financial stock certificate (IMF), the instauration Bank, unify States complaint to the European Federal (USEU) and other motley donors who are banal of nonrecreational their taxpayers gold to sieve up for the leaks in our gross system. provided this is not to theorise that we do not fatality reforms in our tax revenue system. The worldwide fiscal Organizations susceptibility be the catalysts towards the r eforms just now, but in all reality, tax reforms make been pertinacious overdue.