Taylor McCauslin Essays (1661 words) - Free Essays, Term Papers

Taylor McCauslin Essays (1661 words) - Free Essays, Term Papers Taylor McCauslin Nick Lakostik English 1100 December 10, 2015 Childhood in Modern Society For as long as I can remember, I've wanted several children. Less than a year and a half ago, I was relatively happy. I've always had some degree of self-image issues. But I was happy. I had friends, school was easy, my job was fun, and my family life was amazing. That's when everything started falling apart. My mom started seeing guys in other cities or states, she told me she was moving to another state, work became increasingly stressful, the relationships between each of my friends became strained, and I started pushing aside school to deal with these issues, which only made matters worse. I fell into a severe depression that nobody really knows the extent of. I cried almost every night. And I came very close to committing suicide several times. I developed an eating disorder that I am still battling with and that few people know about. As I continue my education, I am now questioning whether to bring children up in this world. I am not even legally an adult yet and I have gone t hrough more than enough for any teenager. Thus gave rise to a question I am genuinely concerned with the answer to: should I have children? If I chose not to have children, I could focus on myself and helping the world around me. There are way too many negative influences on children these days. No matter where you turn, there is something telling you how to be, look, or feel. In what world should this be acceptable? Nobody should be made to feel unworthy if they don't measure up to what everyone else says they should be. According to Vivek Agarwal and Saranya Dhanasekaran, "A national survey in the US found that children aged 8 to 18 years had an average media usage time of 7 hours and 38 minutes every day (38)." That is outrageous! It wouldn't be so bad, however, if I knew that the media being viewed and engaged in was appropriate and didn't have much chance of negatively influencing the person on the other end of the medium. However, I think it's pretty well known that any and all media in todays' society is highly influential on all of its participants. Agarwal and Dhanasekaran also note throughout their entry that media is related to a multitude of negative aspects, including violence, obesity, abuse of several substances, issues in regards to behavior, and the early onset of sexual desire/actions. I could not imagine putting any child of mine in a situation where they could be exposed to not only so much outside influence, but so much negative influence. I feel like it would be entirely too cumbersome and stressful to even attempt to protect a child, let alone more than one, from all of this. Not to mention those children may view me more as an enemy than anythin g in trying to keep them away from so much common in mainstream society. In Jantine Spilt's article entitled, "Children's Social Self-Concept And Internalizing Problems: The Influence Of Peers and Teachers," she elaborates on how children are impacted by both their instructors and they people they are around on a day to day basis. Split remarkes, "There is thus evidence that social self-concept may, at least partly, account for the prospective effects of peer rejection in the course of internalizing problems (1249)." This statement is terrifying. I could not imagine handing my child off to someone else for an extended period of time at all, let alone someone I'm not entirely sure I can trust. Just knowing what I've gone through thus far in my short existence, nothing would hurt me more than allowing my children to be put into any sort of similar situation where they could be hurt, in any sense of the word. On the other hand, however, I have always wanted the standard 3 to 4 children. I would love to be a mother and have wonderful little versions of me to guide through this crazy world. I want nothing more than to be able to have someone to show love to, and to protect. I'd love to be able to run

Tattoo Removal - How to Remove Tattoos

Tattoo Removal - How to Remove Tattoos Tattoos are meant to be permanent, so as you might imagine, they arent that easy to remove. Generally speaking, tattoo removal involves destruction or decolorization of the tattoo ink or else removal of the skin that contains the tattoo. A surgeon usually performs one of the following procedures on an out-patient basis: Laser Surgery This is the most common procedure because it is bloodless and produces few side effects. Laser light is used to break up or decolorize the pigment molecules. The color of the laser light depends, to some extent, on the color of the tattoo. Multiple treatments may be required. Effectiveness depends on several factors, including the chemical nature of the tattoo ink. Dermabrasion The doctor abrades or sands away the top layers of the skin to expose the tattoo and remove the ink. Some discoloration or scarring may result. Incomplete tattoo removal may result if the tattoos were inked deeply into the skin. Surgical Excision The doctor essentially cuts out the portion of tattooed skin and stitches the skin back together. This treatment is appropriate for small tattoos. A raised scar may result at the site of the stitches. Tattoo Ink Recipes | Tattoo Ink Chemistry

The Cost of Language Switch of Bilinguals Essay

The Cost of Language Switch of Bilinguals - Essay Example This paper culminates in form of a discussion and suggestions to the educators and for the bodies of knowledge covering the entirety of the spectrum of stakeholders in the language learning and acquisition and domains particularly for bilinguals Bilingual speakers normally have to shift across the two languages in their communication activity and particularly in speech production. The fundamental fact here is that the bilinguals have to separate their two languages and settle for the appropriate lexical alternative; one language for effective communication purposes. Abutalebi J et al 2007) note that in the sense of the foregoing, the process entails that the bilinguals have to be possession of effective neural mechanisms that will suffice to facilitate smooth switching and to avert the highly likely chances of interference or the probable competition between the two language alternatives. This is particularly so considering the fact that the first and second languages both posses protruding neuro-anatomical bases as illuminated by the topical neuro-imaging researches. Bilinguals have to possess feasible lexical selection. This highlights the dynamics that characterise the process in which bilinguals have to go through in the techniques of switching between languages. The switch demands various neural mechanisms and facilities which have been illumined by various researches and propounded models. The broad range of varying challenges or costs that a bilingual incurs in the process of switching between languages demands a deeper exploration. The process evidently involves various psychological transitions and processes which will be explored in this study. Literature Review The concern and keen interest around the nature of costs and processes entailed in the switch between languages by bilinguals has received overwhelming contributions from various researchers, scholars and professionals. The studies, experimentations and researches conducted shed valuable light on the nitty-gritties of the language switching process of the bilinguals. Rodriguez-Fornells et al (2002) have presented that the processes of language switching for bilinguals can be accomplished on the basis and facilities of effective neural mechanism that will suffice to prevent distortion and interference and even the projected tendency of competition involving the two languages of the bilingual. The scholars have reinforced that the foregoing is particularly so in view of the fact that the first and second languages have both overlapping neuro-anatomical foundations that have been enunciated in researches focused on neuroimaging. In the contributions made by Costa et al., 1999; (2004) there is a presentation and outline of two salient models. The scholars have proposed two kinds of neuro-cognitive theories and frameworks on the matter of lexical selection mechanisms. One of the model types takes a thrust articulating that in the language switching processes only words in a particular language system are activated. In this framework the researchers

The Annual Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Annual Report - Research Paper Example The major audiences of the annual report are the current and the potential investors. Current investors include the shareholders of the company. On the other hand, potential investors are those individuals who may be willing to invest in the company. The sections of the annual report which are most relevant to investors are the profits that the company has made as well as its assets (Stittle, 2003). The other audiences who are likely to be interested in the annual report of the company are the suppliers. They might be interested in knowing the performance of the company so that they can assess its creditworthiness. From the financial reports, they can know whether they can extend credit to the company or not. Therefore, the most relevant sections of the annual reports to the suppliers could be the assets that the company has as well as its sales and current credit (Stittle, 2003). FedEx approach to annual reports is different from the approach taken by Apple Inc. The main difference is that the former mostly addresses it performance during the financial year in question. On the other hand, Apple Inc. addresses its projected business in the following financial

Transcendendalist theories and beliefs, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau, transcendentalism today Essay Example for Free

Transcendendalist theories and beliefs, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau, transcendentalism today Essay In the world of Ralph Waldo Emerson, nothing is more simple than greatness, to be simple is to be great. Emerson believed in simplifying life, he believed that the less possessions a person had the less they had to worry about. He developed a new and creative way of philosophy titled transcendentalism. Transcendentalism dealt with finding joy in nature, simplicity, and individualism. Simplicity is the state of being simple, uncomplicated, or uncompounded. Simplifying life cuts back on stress and worries. Whats the point in owning 50 pairs of shoes, when all that is really needed is 1 good pair that can be worn every day? Simplifying life cuts back on unnecessary items, there fore cutting back on stress. Today people are more materialistic then ever. They need everything and will buy anything. People forget that man makes possessions, possessions dont make the man. To be an individual means to strike off on ones own path. To not follow in the footsteps of others, theres no fun in doing what everybody else does. Transcendentalism urges people to take their destiny by the hand and follow it wherever it should lead them, for they will receive true enlightenment and fulfillment in life. If everybody just did the same thing the world would be a very boring place, everyone was created different for a reason. Emerson and Thoreau lived in a very traditional sort of society, however, the times have changed. Today so much more is accepted people are no longer afraid to be individuals. If a person wants to dye their hair pink, pierce their face 17 times and get 45 tattoos, nobody really cares. Now days people can express their individual personalities without fear. Thoreau felt that a man could only really find himself by looking to nature, and the great outdoors. For a year he actually moved out into the middle of the woods just to be at peace with himself and live off the land. However that would be kind of difficult to do these days unless one already owns the land, and pays taxes. In recent times people still love nature, they love to get away to the great outdoors for a weekend of camping, or fishing, or a day at the beach. In conclusion, transcendentalism is a very unique and different way of thinking. Yet it is still the way human beings naturally act, they love nature, and they are all created as individuals. People, however, are somewhat greedy and materialistic by nature, they have basic needs. This way of thinking is very awe-inspiring and hopefully will not disappear anytime soon.

Great Depression Essay -- American History Economy Economics Essays

Great Depression In the United States between 1929 and 1933, one hundred thousand businesses were unsuccessful. Corporate profits plummeted by nine billion dollars. Americans’ deposits were vanishing behind the closed doors of the banks. At the beginning of 1930 those without jobs totaled four million; however, by the end of 1930 that number had rose to six million (Norton 696). All of these events characterizing the Great Depression were occurring during the Herbert Hoover administration. From 1929 until his election loss in 1933, Hoover was â€Å"presiding over a gloomy and sometimes angry nation† (696). While Hoover seemed like an excellent candidate for the leadership of America, it was unknown at the time that he couldn’t offer the right leadership at the right time for the United States. America was diminishing and the country needed a leader who could pull the people out of this recession. â€Å"A new deal† needed to happen with a new president. The depress ion and its’ characteristics helped to define the deal that Americans would receive in 1933 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As the Great Depression grew deeper necessities became luxuries. Millions of Americans were freezing in addition to hungry and sick. Fuel was unattainable because it was unaffordable. Soup kitchens and bread lines became popular for many families in the United States. The homeless Americans crafted together small box towns called Hoovervilles (698). These â€Å"houses† were created out of anything from egg crates to boards, bricks, and dirt. In 1929 a total of 659 banks around America closed their doors. By 1930 the number had leaped to a surprising 1,350. In 1931 alone 2,293 banks went under while another 1,453 quit doing business. Money was... ...oducers on the top. The only difference is that instead of pumping the money to the producers first, it is pumped to the consumers. That way there is a reason to have production and the people have money to buy what the producers made (Manzione). This theory did not solve the Great Depression but it alleviated the symptoms. â€Å"The New Deal as a whole managed to do two major things: keep the country unified and coherent and to preserve the United States’ infrastructure† (Manzione). Roosevelt’s New Deal changed the political ideology forever. Some scholars even argue that there are two periods of government in America: pre-Roosevelt and post-Roosevelt. Whether they are right or wrong, it is inarguable that the New Deal did what it was supposed to do which was treat the symptoms of the Great Depression, which could not be solved until the onset of World War II. Great Depression Essay -- American History Economy Economics Essays Great Depression In the United States between 1929 and 1933, one hundred thousand businesses were unsuccessful. Corporate profits plummeted by nine billion dollars. Americans’ deposits were vanishing behind the closed doors of the banks. At the beginning of 1930 those without jobs totaled four million; however, by the end of 1930 that number had rose to six million (Norton 696). All of these events characterizing the Great Depression were occurring during the Herbert Hoover administration. From 1929 until his election loss in 1933, Hoover was â€Å"presiding over a gloomy and sometimes angry nation† (696). While Hoover seemed like an excellent candidate for the leadership of America, it was unknown at the time that he couldn’t offer the right leadership at the right time for the United States. America was diminishing and the country needed a leader who could pull the people out of this recession. â€Å"A new deal† needed to happen with a new president. The depress ion and its’ characteristics helped to define the deal that Americans would receive in 1933 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As the Great Depression grew deeper necessities became luxuries. Millions of Americans were freezing in addition to hungry and sick. Fuel was unattainable because it was unaffordable. Soup kitchens and bread lines became popular for many families in the United States. The homeless Americans crafted together small box towns called Hoovervilles (698). These â€Å"houses† were created out of anything from egg crates to boards, bricks, and dirt. In 1929 a total of 659 banks around America closed their doors. By 1930 the number had leaped to a surprising 1,350. In 1931 alone 2,293 banks went under while another 1,453 quit doing business. Money was... ...oducers on the top. The only difference is that instead of pumping the money to the producers first, it is pumped to the consumers. That way there is a reason to have production and the people have money to buy what the producers made (Manzione). This theory did not solve the Great Depression but it alleviated the symptoms. â€Å"The New Deal as a whole managed to do two major things: keep the country unified and coherent and to preserve the United States’ infrastructure† (Manzione). Roosevelt’s New Deal changed the political ideology forever. Some scholars even argue that there are two periods of government in America: pre-Roosevelt and post-Roosevelt. Whether they are right or wrong, it is inarguable that the New Deal did what it was supposed to do which was treat the symptoms of the Great Depression, which could not be solved until the onset of World War II.

Inquiry Based Science Instruction Using Science Fair Projects Essay

In order to fully develop critical thinking skills necessary to function in the world of science, and the world in general, science teachers must incorporate more robust authentic inquiry activities, as part of their overall science curriculum. However, in my experience as a science teacher (18 years) and a science program director (3 years) in inner-city high schools in Boston, students do not have the opportunity to engage in robust authentic inquiry activities. Using my years’ experience in the public education system, it is clear to me that factors, such as teachers’ inadequate content knowledge, lack of motivation to implement inquiry, pressure to teach to high stake standardized tests, lack of experience conducting scientific research, and belief systems, hamper their ability and willingness to implement robust inquiry activities as part of their teaching. As a result, students suffer by not only missing the opportunity to fully engage in authentic inquiry, but also become unmotivated to engage in scientific research and or pursue scientific careers. The most effective means by which to overcome this authentic inquiry deficit is through the implementation of science fair projects, which go beyond traditional â€Å"cookbook lab† teaching methodologies. And while I am fully cognizant of the fact that my experience in this matter is biased based upon the workings of the Boston inner-city school system only, academics, such as Thienhuong Hoang, agree that science fair allow students to conduct scientific experiments thereby engaging them in inquiry process, rather than only allowing them to learn concepts. 2010) Inquiry and the Science Fair Project For decades, inquiry has been the focus of science teaching. The National Research Council (NRC), for example, refers to inquiry as the central strategy for teaching science‚ (1996), and defines inquiry as â€Å"the diverse way in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on evidence derived from their work. † (1996) In addition, NRC notes that inquiry seeks to create opportunities for learners to engage in science and to build an in-depth understanding based on their previous ideas and experiences. Further, NRC recommends that teachers engage students in inquiry asking scientific questions, using evidence in responding to questions, formulating explanations from evidence, connecting explanations to scientific knowledge, and communicating and justifying findings. (2000) I fully concur with the position of NRC regarding inquiry, and have, throughout both my prior teaching career and current position as a science program director, included and required teachers to include inquiry – and particularly science fair – as the foundation of their teaching. As a result, students have achieved deeper content knowledge and broader understanding of scientific processes. Inquiry through science fair projects, rather than traditional â€Å"cookbook lab† methods of science teaching and learning, in which students follow a predetermined protocol and the results of the experiment are known in advance, allow students to more fully engage in critical thinking and learning. Further, only inquiry – and specifically science fair – helps students better develop and understand the need to engage in probing questions to scientific problems. This, in turn, affords students increased opportunities to propose and develop their own methodologies, and increases their scientific literacy skills. Thus, science fair projects are a key link between science education and the work of scientists in real life. An aspect of scientists’ work that I believe is crucial for students to acquire is the significance of ethics and conclusions based on data collected through scientific research, due to the potential implication of the scientist’s work on society. For example, the racial classification in the early 18th century of the superiority and inferiority of races, which became part of the Western racial ideology, was the result of scientific research involving different human characteristics, which was later determined to be falsified. (Carlton, 2008) Similarly, western gender stereotypes have biased historical research of gender studies in the south (Fennell and Arnot, 2008); thereby rendering such research limited in its historical significance and material use. Thus, exposing students to authentic scientific inquiry via science fair projects is not only necessary to the student’s academic success, it is, in my opinion, a vital component of the development of critical thinking skills necessary to separate authentic scientific data and research results from potentially questionable results; like the superiority/inferiority of different races and other biases. Teacher Beliefs and Experience  Teachers’ actions in the classroom tend to reflect their own belief systems. This holds true both in my own experience working in the field of education, and other academics. For as Wallace and Kang note in their article â€Å"An Investigation of Experienced Secondary Science Teachers’ Beliefs About Inquiry: An Examination of Competing Beliefs Sets†, â€Å"what a teacher actually does in the classroom is representative of her beliefs. (2004) Additionally, in conducting research for their article â€Å"White Male Teachers on Differences: Narratives of Contact and Tensions†, Jupp and Slattery note the comments of one of the participants in the research project as stating â€Å"†¦teachers are certainly biased against certain children, especially if they don’t know them, and often are surprised at the amount of intelligence and cultural awareness of minority children who have been raised in quote-unquote the right way, you know, the middle class family type of situation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2010) A teacher holding this ideology, for example, is likely to engage students in an inferior level of inquiry because the teacher’s assumption is that such students are incapable of critical thinking. Jupp and Slattery also noted in the interview of participants (Ibid), â€Å"†¦you can see that people are going out of their way to be sure that students don’t feel divorced from the curriculum†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This translates to teachers’ beliefs that if the emphasis is placed on inquiry – and specifically science fair projects, which requires a great deal of time – it will be at the expense of teaching for high stake standardized tests. Finally, Wallace and Kang, (2004) in their article â€Å"An Investigation of Experienced Secondary Science Teachers’ Beliefs About Inquiry: An Examination of Competing Beliefs Sets†, note that the teacher’s knowledge, or lack thereof, dictates his or her actions in the classroom. 2004) Therefore, it is clear to me – both in my own experiences in the field of education and based upon the literature – the possession of strong content knowledge, as well as research and science teaching e xperience, is essential to the effective teaching of inquiry, since a teacher that possesses this necessary skill set is better equipped to help students develop their ideas through probing at a deeper level. The use of science fair projects, therefore, is a key bridge in this knowledge gap, since science fair allows students the ability to conduct their own scientific research and develop their own scientific hypotheses. Barriers to Inquiry Studies show that there exist many barriers affecting the implementation of inquiry. For example, Trautmann, MaKinster, and Avery, in their article â€Å"What Makes Inquiry so Hard (And Why is it Worth it? )†, cite that the main reason teachers are reluctant to implement inquiry stems from the need to be efficient. 2004) Teachers feel they have to choose between teaching facts which students later regurgitate on standardized tests, and teaching with a focus on in-depth learning, which is more effectively attained through inquiry – and specifically through science fair projects. Trautmann, MaKinster and Avery also noted that the pressure placed upon teachers and schools to prepare students for high stake standardized tests impedes the implementation of inquiry in science classes. (Ibid) As a result, science teachers feel the need to maintain control of their classroom, as a method of controlling the curriculum required for standardized tests, rather than allow students to work independently on science fair projects. Another obstacle hampering the implementation of authentic scientific inquiry teaching – and specifically the implementation of science fair projects – is that teachers have a tendency to employ the same teaching strategies as the ones they experienced as students. (Davis, 2003) As such, they resist change and miss the opportunity to be innovative in their teaching by incorporating inquiry into their curriculum – especially with respect to science fair projects. Further, teacher training, in general, does not offer an effective model for the practice of science instruction based on inquiry. As a consequence, teachers are limited in their ability to carry out authentic inquiry, in general, in their classrooms. This inability to teach via authentic inquiry prohibits them from adopting science fair projects as part of their curriculum.

Monopoly and olygopoly Essay

A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity (this contrasts with amonopsony which relates to a single entity’s control of a market to purchase a good or service, and with oligopoly which consists of a few entities dominating an industry) Monopolies are thus characterized by a lack of economic competition to produce the good or service and a lack of viable substitute goods. The verb â€Å"monopolize† refers to the process by which a company gains the ability to raise prices or exclude competitors. In economics, a monopoly is a single seller. In law, a monopoly is a business entity that has significant market power, that is, the power, to charge high prices. Although monopolies may be big businesses, size is not a characteristic of a monopoly. A small business may still have the power to raise prices in a small industry (or market). A monopoly is distinguished from a monopsony, in which there is only one buyer of a product or service ; a monopoly may also have monopsony control of a sector of a market. Likewise, a monopoly should be distinguished from a cartel (a form of oligopoly), in which several providers act together to coordinate services, prices or sale of goods. Monopolies, monopsonies and oligopolies are all situations such that one or a few of the entities have market power and therefore interact with their customers (monopoly), suppliers (monopsony) and the other companies (oligopoly) in ways that leave market interactions distorted. When not coerced legally to do otherwise, monopolies typically maximize their profit by producing fewer goods and selling them at higher prices than would be the case for perfect competition Monopolies can be established by a government, form naturally, or form by integration. In economics, the idea of monopoly is important for the study of market structures, which directly concerns normative aspects of economic competition, and provides the basis for topics such asindustrial organization and economics of regulation. There are four basic types of market structures by traditional economic analysis: perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly and monopoly. A monopoly is a market structure in which a single supplier produces and sells a given product. If there is a single seller in a certain industry and there are not any close substitutes for the product, then the market structure is that of a â€Å"pure monopoly†. Sometimes, there are many sellers in an industry and/or there exist many close substitutes for the goods being produced, but nevertheless companies retain some market power. This is termed monopolistic competition, whereas by oligopoly the companies interact strategically. Characteristics †¢ Profit Maximizer: Maximizes profits. †¢ Price Maker: Decides the price of the good or product to be sold. †¢ High Barriers to Entry: Other sellers are unable to enter the market of the monopoly. †¢ Single seller: In a monopoly, there is one seller of the good that produces all the output. Therefore, the whole market is being served by a single company, and for practical purposes, the company is the same as the industry. †¢ Price Discrimination: A monopolist can change the price and quality of the product. He sells more quantities charging less price for the product in a very elastic market and sells less quantities charging high price in a less elastic market. Natural monopoly A natural monopoly is a company that experiences increasing returns to scale over the relevant range of output and relatively high fixed costs. A natural monopoly occurs where the average cost of production â€Å"declines throughout the relevant range of product demand†. The relevant range of product demand is where the average cost curve is below the demand curve. When this situation occurs, it is always cheaper for one large company to supply the market than multiple smaller companies; in fact, absent government intervention in such markets, will naturally evolve into a monopoly. An early market entrant that takes advantage of the cost structure and can expand rapidly can exclude smaller companies from entering and can drive or buy out other companies. A natural monopoly suffers from the same inefficiencies as any other monopoly. Left to its own devices, a profit-seeking natural monopoly will produce where marginal revenue equals marginal costs. Regulation of natural monopolies is problematic. Government-granted monopoly A government-granted monopoly (also called a â€Å"de jure monopoly†) is a form of coercive monopoly by which a government grants exclusive privilege to a private individual or company to be the sole provider of a commodity; potential competitors are excluded from the market by law, regulation, or other mechanisms of government enforcement OLIGOPOLY An oligopoly is a market structure in which a few firms dominate. When a market is shared between a few firms, it is said to be highly concentrated. Although only a few firms dominate, it is possible that many small firms may also operate in the market. For example, major airlines like British Airways (BA) and Air Franceoperate their routes with only a few close competitors, but there are also many small airlines catering for the holidaymaker or offering specialist services. Concentration ratios. Oligopolies may be identified using concentration ratios, which measure the proportion of total market share controlled by a given number of firms. When there is a high concentration ratio in an industry, economiststend to identify the industry as an oligopoly. Characteristics †¢ Profit maximization conditions: An oligopoly maximizes profits by producing where marginal revenue equals marginal costs. †¢ Ability to set price: Oligopolies are price setters rather than price takers. †¢ Entry and exit: Barriers to entry are high. [3] The most important barriers are economies of scale, patents, access to expensive and complex technology, and strategic actions by incumbent firms designed to discourage or destroy nascent firms. Additional sources of barriers to entry often result from government regulation favoring existing firms making it difficult for new firms to enter the market. †¢ Number of firms: â€Å"Few† – a â€Å"handful† of sellers. [3] There are so few firms that the actions of one firm can influence the actions of the other firms. [5] †¢ Long run profits: Oligopolies can retain long run abnormal profits. High barriers of entry prevent sideline firms from entering market to capture excess profits. †¢ Product differentiation: Product may be homogeneous (steel) or differentiated (automobiles). †¢ Perfect knowledge: Assumptions about perfect knowledge vary but the knowledge of various economic factors can be generally described as selective. Oligopolies have perfect knowledge of their own cost and demand functions but their inter-firm information may be incomplete. Buyers have only imperfect knowledge as to price, cost and product quality. †¢ Interdependence: The distinctive feature of an oligopoly is interdependence. Oligopolies are typically composed of a few large firms. Each firm is so large that its actions affect market conditions. Therefore the competing firms will be aware of a firm’s market actions and will respond appropriately. This means that in contemplating a market action, a firm must take into consideration the possible reactions of all competing firms and the firm’s countermoves. It is very much like a game of chess or pool in which a player must anticipate a whole sequence of moves and countermoves in determining how to achieve his or her objectives. For example, an oligopoly considering a price reduction may wish to estimate the likelihood that competing firms would also lower their prices and possibly trigger a ruinous price war. Or if the firm is considering a price increase, it may want to know whether other firms will also increase prices or hold existing prices constant. This high degree of interdependence and need to be aware of what other firms are doing or might do is to be contrasted with lack of interdependence in other market structures. In a perfectly competitive (PC) market there is zero interdependence because no firm is large enough to affect market price. All firms in a PC market are price takers, as current market selling price can be followed predictably to maximize short-term profits. In a monopoly, there are no competitors to be concerned about. In a monopolistically-competitive market, each firm’s effects on market conditions is so negligible as to be safely ignored by competitors. †¢ Non-Price Competition: Oligopolies tend to compete on terms other than price. Loyalty schemes, advertisement, and product differentiation are all examples of non-price competition. Advantages of Oligopoly Big Businesses Gain Massive Profits †¢ One of the greatest advantages that occurs from an oligopoly is for the few businesses which control the market for a product or service to build large profits due to reduced sales costs. If just a few companies are in control of the market, the companies have limited competition. It is able to reduce the costs of sales, advertising, promotion and public relations because there is very limited competition to pull the customers away. These reductions in cost can allow the companies in the oligopoly to build larger profits than they would have earned if there were more competitiors. Ability to Determine Prices. Instead of having to keep up with the market, the oligopolies essentially control the market. Unlike other markets where there are more competitiors, the companies in an oligopoly are less concerned about what other companies charge. They are able to establish prices for goods that people want and need based on what the companies in the oligopoly want to charge. Long Term Profits. These companies not only make massive profits, but they are able to retain them for the long haul. It takes a long time and a lot of money for a company to work its way into being a major supplier and part of the oligopoly. During this time, the existing oligopoly companies are able to maintain their profits. Disadvantages of Oligopoly Power in the Hands of a Few. If only a few companies control the availability of a specific product or service, these companies control everything about those products – what they look like, what they cost and how they are sold. Putting this power in the hand of a few companies takes away the normal influences of the market and the consumer. The market and the consumer are now totally relying on the companies to make the right decisions, even during periods of market unrest such as limited availability of a specific component, or escalating prices of raw materials. When the wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few companies, smaller businesses have a harder time being seen as a powerful player in the market. They would have to spend a lot of advertising and sales money to compete with the large powerful oligopoly companies. Creativity. When the knowledge and awareness of a product or service is concentrated in just a few companies, it can be difficult for new ideas to come into play. The existing companies may decide to minimize new products and new distribution methods since they are happy with their current processes and they don’t have any motivation to be competitive by lowering prices or introducing new products or processes. For the individual consumer this lack of creativity leads to out-of-date products and services. Setting Prices. These big businesses have the power to determine what the prices will be, without any concern for competition. This is a negative for the consumer and for other businesses. The whole idea of competitive pricing is thrown out the window when these businesses go about their pricing practices. As you can probably see, oligopolies appear to be beneficial for the companies involved in them, but not so great for the other businesses and consumers in the society. GLOBALISATION Globalization (or Globalisation) is the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture. Globalization describes the interplay across cultures of macro-social forces. These forces include religion, politics, and economics. Globalization can erode and universalize the characteristics of a local group. Advances in transportation andtelecommunications infrastructure, including the rise of the Internet, are major factors in globalization, generating further interdependence of economic and cultural activities. Though several scholars place the origins of globalization in modern times, others trace its history long before the European age of discoveryand voyages to the New World. Some even trace the origins to the third millennium BCE. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the pace of globalization has proceeded at an rapid rate. Benefits of Globalisation †¢ By buying products from other nations customers are offered a much wider choice of goods and services. †¢ Creates competition for local firms and thus keeps costs down. †¢ Globalisation promotes specialisation. Countries can begin to specialise in those products they are best at making. †¢ Economic Interdependence among different nations can build improved political and social links. Drawbacks of Globalisation. †¢ Cheap imports from developing nations could lead to unemployment in developed countries where the cost of production is high. †¢ Choosing to specialise in certain products may lead to unemployment in other sectors which are not prioritised. †¢ Increased competition for infant industry. †¢ ‘Dumping’ of goods by certain countries at below cost price may harm industries in order countries. Economic globalization is the increasing economic interdependence of national economies across the world through a rapid increase in cross-bordermovement of goods, service, technology and capital. Whereas the globalization of business is centered around the diminution of international trade regulations as well as tariffs, taxes, and other impediments that suppresses global trade, economic globalization is the process of increasing economic integration between countries, leading to the emergence of a global marketplace or a single world market. Depending on the paradigm, economic globalization can be viewed as either a positive or a negative phenomenon. Economic globalization comprises the globalization of production, markets, competition, technology, and corporations and industries. Current globalization trends can be largely accounted for by developed economies integrating with less developed economies, by means of foreign direct investment, the reduction of trade barriers as well as other economic reforms and, in many cases, immigration. Support and criticism Reactions to processes contributing to globalization have varied widely with a history as long as extraterritorial contact and trade. Philosophical differences regarding the costs and benefits of such processes give rise to a broad-range of ideologies and social movements. Proponents of economic growth, expansion and development, in general, view globalizing processes as desirable or necessary to the well-being of human society[209] Antagonists view one or more globalizing processes as detrimental to social well-being on a global or local scale;[209] this includes those who question either the social or natural sustainability of long-term and continuous economic expansion, the social structural inequality caused by these processes, and the colonial, Imperialistic, orhegemonic ethnocentrism, cultural assimilation and cultural appropriation that underlie such processes. The basic function of economy system Every economic system provides solutions to four questions: what goods and services will be produced; how they will be produced; for whom they will be produced; and how they will be allocated between consumption (for present use) and investment (for future use). In a decentralized (usually private enterprise) economic system, these questions are resolved, and economic coordination is achieved, through the price mechanism. Allocation Competitive markets — not corporate-dominated oligopolies — can perform well here so long as side-effects, such as externalities, are incorporated into prices. Ecological economists recognize a legitimate role of the market in society based on the efficiency of allocation of resources. A major improvement in markets includes the side-effects, so markets tell the ecological and social truth. However, pollution provides a subsidy to firms who would otherwise have to clean up their mess. They are easy to hide, hard to calculate, so they persist. This is called a market failure. If markets fail, this means becomes a central point of contention. ESS thus should make a big deal over market failure, which then becomes an institutional failure. Externalities. An externality is a consequence, positive or negative, of an economic activity that affects other parties without this affect being incorporated into market prices. Thus, market price deviates from the â€Å"true† social cost, sending the wrong signal. Note also the subtle linguistic trivialization. Interestingly, the economics profession has long neglected to assess the size or significance of externalities or to calculate the damages perpetrated on its victims, who by definition had these harms inflicted upon them without their participation-despite the obvious dysfunctions of industrialization and urbanization. Indeed, the bias of public policy in the USA has been to protect the producers, not the public at large. Daly comments on the trivialization of externalities by neoclassical economics: When increasingly vital facts, including the very capacity of the earth to support life, have to be treated as â€Å"externalities,† then it is past time to change the basic framework of our thinking so that we can treat these critical issues internally and centrally. Global Fairness Read Sachs and grasp his message. This is authentic social ecology. Without a grand social contract, cooperation between the Global North and the Global South will fail. The results will be disastrous. Sachs realizes that copycat development, the replication of the economic development practices of the global rich, will surely lead to global ruin: more poverty within vast ecological catastrophe. Orthodox western economics can neither be extended to the majority of the earth’s human inhabitants nor can it be sustained indefinitely by the 20% or so who enjoy its cornucopia. Sachs reveals the parasitical political character of global capitalism masquerading as shared economic development. The USA enjoys the opportunity to provide leadership here, but this moral authority has been squandered. ESS requires such leadership, soon. A good place to start is Africa. Brown provides much insight here. Left to itself, a market society will produce large maldistributions in wealth and income. In practice, the market-driven returns to capital, as profits and capital gains, accrue to the wealthy few, the capitalist class, while the returns to labor, wages and salaries, go to a multitude, the working class. This dynamic produces a class-based inequality of both wealth and income, which translates into differential political power. In the past, the inequalities were mitigated by redistributive tax policies–anathema to neo-liberalism, as exhibited by the recent Bush tax cuts. In the era of economic globalization, inequality has grown sharply within nations, including the USA, and on the global scene. Yet, economists regard this normative concern as outside the ken of â€Å"scientific economics. † Therefore, when issues of social justice are openly discussed in the context of sustainable development, do not turn to economics for insight. The usual deflection of the fairness discussion,now in play in the USA since the 2006 election, is to promote economic growth. Grow the pie rather than quibble over the size of the slices. But if the ingredients for physical growth become scarce, growth slows down and the quibbles morph into arguments. This can easily spin out of control. Count on it. Innovation Growth remains the engine of economic globalization without which the system as constituted would crash–although with runaway material growth earth’s ecosystems will surely crash. Schumpeter put it this way: Capitalism, then, is by nature a form of economic change and not only never is but never can be stationary. Schumpeter derided the â€Å"textbook picture† that depicted economic progress as the result of market-based competition . Rather, he pointed to innovation in products, sources of supply, organization, and technology that created a new context â€Å"which strikes not at the margins of the profits and the outputs of the existing firms but at their foundations and their very lives† . Indeed, Schumpeter foresaw that capitalism itself would fall victim to the turbulent task environment of its own making: The capitalist process not only destroys its own institutional framework but it also creates the conditions for another. Destruction may not be the right word after all. Perhaps I should have spoken of transformation . The pivotal move of ESS is to open up a horizon for enormous technical and social progress while maintaining and even restoring harmony with nature. Thus, sustainability offers enormous opportunity. The language of hope must replace the language of despair. There is real opportunity here. ^ Perverse Subsidies A related topic, rarely brought into view, is the plethora of perverse, often hidden, subsidies, including externalities, enjoyed by corporations in such established industries as energy, agriculture, and transportation. Not only do these gifts typically promote older, dirtier, less efficient industries, but they also stymie the development of innovative, cleaner alternatives –depressing prospects for sustainability. For example, subsidies to cotton farmers in the USA disadvantage cotton cultivators in Africa and subsidies to nuclear power generators present an unfair advantage to start-up wind power producers. These often hidden subsidies undermine economic efficiency and promote environmental damage, but go largely neglected in the economic literature. A study released in 2001 by Norman Myers and Jennifer Kent estimates the global cost of perverse subsidies at two trillion dollars, about 5. 6% of the $35 trillion global economy. The subsidy-rich, environmentally poor Bush-Cheney energy policy was formulated behind closed doors with input from energy giants like Enron but with no public disclosure. Eliminating perverse subsidies must be a first step toward building a sustainable economy. Thus, grappling with perverse subsidies and tilting the market toward renewable resources must be high on an ESS agenda. There are multiple components to economic systems. Decision-making structures of an economy determine the use of economic inputs (the means of production), distribution of output, the level of centralization in decision-making, and who makes these decisions. Decisions might be carried out byindustrial councils, by a government agency, or by private owners. Some aspects of these structures include: †¢ Coordination mechanism: How information is obtained and used to coordinate economic activity. The two dominant forms of coordination includeplanning and the market; planning can be either centralized or de-centralized, and the two mechanisms are not mutually exclusive. †¢ Productive property rights: This refers to ownership (rights to the proceeds of output generated) and control over the use of the means of production. They may be owned privately, by the state, by those who use it, or held in common by society. †¢ Incentive system: A mechanism for inducing certain economic agents to engage in productive activity; it can be based on either material reward (compensation) or moral reward (social prestige).

The Importance of Chemistry essays

The Importance of Chemistry essays We are surrounded everyday by Chemistry. Chemistry was responsible for you car to get you to work, your furnace to heat your home, and your body to turn your breakfast into energy. The coke you drank with your lunch was flavoured by chemistry. Chemistry is often called the central science, because it is vital in the sciences of physics and biology. For example a living organism is a complex chemical factory; by understanding the chemical behaviour scientists can find new ways to treat disease. Chemists have even made it possible to produce crops of food plants that are hardier than the parent strains. Chemists have been able to make lots of useful inventions by using their knowledge of Chemistry. They discovered by mixing some twenty odd chemicals together they could flavour something with the flavour of peaches with out that item of food coming in contact with a single peach. Blend together a few different chemicals and you can create a pleasant smelling liquid, thus revolutionizing the perfume industry. Chemists discovered certain compounds can be used as a non-toxic food perseverant. When we tan is the sun it is a chemical reaction between our skin and the UV rays of the sun. Chemists use their knowledge of the properties of this reaction to create effective sunscreen. ...

Top 10 Confused Words in English [S]

Top 10 Confused Words in English [S] Top 10 Confused Words in English [S] Top 10 Confused Words in English [S] By Maeve Maddox My cumulative list of â€Å"words commonly confused† continues with ten that begin with the letter S. The confusion relates to spelling or meaning. 1. sight / site Both words function as nouns and verbs. As a noun, sight is a thing seen. Ex. The Pont du Garde is an astounding sight. As a verb, sight means â€Å"catch sight of something or to take aim.† Ex. The lookout sighted land at dawn. Ex. The  surveyor sighted the  compass. Site is from Latin situs: place, position. The principal meaning for web users is probably â€Å"a web address.† Ex. Daily Writing Tips is one of my favorite sites. The context in which site is frequently confused with sight regards physical location. Examples of correct usage: A small  Iron Age settlement  was found during excavations at  the site of  a new housing development near Swindon. Redness, soreness,  swelling, or itching may develop at  the site of  the injection. 2. stationary / stationery Stationary is an adjective meaning fixed or unmoving. Ex. All of his traffic violations involved stationary vehicles. Stationery is a noun meaning writing and office materials, especially writing paper and envelopes. Ex. She’s old-fashioned enough to write letters by longhand on monogrammed stationery. Tip: An easy way to remember which is which is to be aware of the er in stationery. It matches the -er at the end of paper. 3. storey / story This distinction concerns British speakers, although some older Americans were taught to observe the difference between storey, â€Å"the level of a building,† and story, â€Å"a tale.† Younger generations of Americans are accustomed to using story for both meanings. Examples: I  live in  a one bedroom  second-storey walkup  in Chelsea. Children derive comfort as well as vocabulary from a daily bedtime story. The plural of storey is storeys. The plural of story is stories. 4. sometime / sometimes / some time Sometime is an adverb that means an indefinite, unstated time in the future. Ex. I’ll clean the garage sometime. Sometimes is an adverb that means â€Å"continually, off and on, occasionally.† Ex. Sometimes she reads in the evening instead of watching television. Some time is a phrase that refers to a period of time. Ex. My web design took some time to complete, but was worth the wait. 5. shear / sheer Both words function as different parts of speech with numerous meanings. The confusion is that of misspelling sheer as shear when the meaning of sheer is â€Å"thin, fine, diaphanous.† INCORRECT: She bought some shear curtains for the living room. CORRECT: She bought some sheer curtains for the living room. Shear is a verb meaning â€Å"to cut† or â€Å"remove wool by cutting.† Ex. We watched the men shear the sheep. 6. set / sit As a verb, set means, â€Å"to place.† Ex. Please set the hot dish on a pad. The verb sit means, â€Å"to be or remain in that posture in which the weight of the body rests upon the posteriors; to be seated. Ex. Are you going to sit at that computer all day? 7. sale / sell Sale is a noun meaning â€Å"the act of selling.† Ex. He regretted the sale of his old Encyclopedia Britannica. Sell is a verb meaning â€Å"to transfer ownership of something for a price.† Ex. When are you going to sell your golf clubs? Sell functions as a noun in the expression â€Å"hard sell.† Ex. Jones has mastered the art of the hard sell: he can bully a customer into buying anything. The error with these words is to use sell in place of sale, as in this example from a site about garage sales: INCORRECT: I had a  garage sell  and I only made 5 dollars! . CORRECT: I had a  garage sale and I only made 5 dollars! . 8. straight / strait Both straight and strait function as more than one part of speech. The error with this pair is one of spelling. In all its uses, strait conveys the ideas of â€Å"tight,† â€Å"tightly fitting,† and â€Å"narrow,† whereas straight connotes the idea of â€Å"not crooked.† Here are some examples of both strait and straight: What the British call a â€Å"strait waistcoat,† the Americans refer to as a â€Å"strait jacket†: a garment for the upper part of the body, made of strong material and admitting of being tightly laced, used for the restraint of violent lunatics or prisoners. One meaning of strait as a noun is â€Å"a comparatively narrow water-way or passage connecting two large bodies of water, like the Strait of Gibraltar. A straight line is the shortest distance between two points. The old soldier stood straight and tall as he saluted the flag. 9. statue / statute A statue is â€Å"a representation in the round of a person, animal, etc., which is sculptured, molded, or cast in marble, metal, plaster, or a similar material. Ex. One of the most famous statues in the world is the David of Michelangelo. Generally speaking, a statute is a law. Ex. The perpetrator was identified just before the statute of limitations ran out. The usual error with this pair is to write statue for statute, as in this comment on a legal site: INCORRECT: My husband was sentenced to prison on a 20 year old burglary charge in California? Can they do this? Is there no statue of limitations on this type of crime? CORRECT: My husband was sentenced to prison on a 20 year old burglary charge in California? Can they do this? Is there no statute of limitations on this type of crime? 10. sensuous / sensual Both adjectives relate to the senses and are often used interchangeably. Sensuous, however, contrasts with the adjectives spiritual and intellectual. Although often equated with sexuality, sensuous can describe anything that appeals to the bodily senses, producing an agreeable effect conducive to physical comfort or contentment. For example, the touch of a cat’s fur, the aroma of bread baking, the warmth from a cozy fire, etc. are sensuous in nature. Sensual, on the other hand, implies a certain indulgence of appetite, a gratification or titillation of the senses that goes beyond what might be considered acceptable, at least in public. Ex. Madonna and Led Zeppelin Make a Startling, Sensual Pairing in â€Å"Justify a Whole Lotta Love.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquireHomogeneous vs. HeterogeneousOne Scissor?

Methods of Analysis - Horizontal and Vertical Assignment

Methods of Analysis - Horizontal and Vertical - Assignment Example The horizontal analysis for an income statement is taken out by considering two years data. By taking out the difference between both years, a further calculation is conducted. Similarly, the balance sheet also requires the same technique for conducting the horizontal analysis. Vertical analysis is a relative analysis of the financial data. In this particular case, each category of the financial statement is classified as a percentage of other related items. Basically, all the items are listed according to the percentage value of the total sales. Likewise, in the case of a balance sheet, all the listed items are derived from the percentage value of the total assets. This analysis is very helpful as financial decision-makers are capable of making the decision on the basis of account balances held within the single time span. With the help of ratio analysis, the decision makers take out quantitative analysis regarding the data provided by the firm’s financial statements. There a re certain formulas used to calculate the ratios. The basic motive of analysis is to measure the performance of the firm in comparison to the competitors, the historical data, and even the industry as a whole. In order to take out fundamental results, current year ratios are compared to the timeline results (Sinha, 2009). The main purpose of the analysis of financial statements is to recognize the advantages of the company and take the most out of them and to recognize the weakness of the company and take corrective measures (Cagan, 2005). In the horizontal analysis, the dynamics and the tendency of the position of the financial statements are examined. On the basis of the observed changes, the security and business efficiency is estimated. Whereas in vertical analysis enables insight into the structure of the financial statements. The structure of the financial information is very important in determining the business quality. Ratio analysis is divided into 2 groups; one group cont ains information within a certain period, typically one  year. Group 1 uses data from the cash flow statement and income statement.   Group 2 contains information from a particular moment and relates to data of the balance sheet.   Thus, this measures the quality of the business.

DISABILITY & PHYSICAL ACTIVITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DISABILITY & PHYSICAL ACTIVITY - Essay Example One a person fall under the stated description, there are several laws and immunities that protect the fundamental human rights of the person. One of these rights is the right to stay healthy and participate in activities that keeps the person healthy (Antonio, 2005). Indeed one of the ways for a disabled person to keep him or herself is through sporting activities. Luckily, this consideration has been made at the world level to such an extent that the world Olympics committee recognizes the involvement of disabled people in Olympic Games through the Paralympics Games. Sadly though, there are repairable challenges that continue to face disabled people in the country as far as access to sports facilities is concerned. This report looks at the peculiar instance of challenges faced by disabled sports personalities in Islington Borough and these can be solved. Indeed the city is privileged to have a number of sports facilities that are enviable for the promotion of sports and constitutes a very good account of Islington Borough as a sports destination. Some of these sports facilities include fitness studios, swimming pools, squash centre, climbing walls and physical enhancement training gymnasiums. This not withstanding, there are basic prohibiting factors to the access and progressive use of these facilities by the disabled sports personalities in the Borough. The first of such challenges is the absence of a sell resourced volunteer sector to offer help and assistance to disabled sports men and women. By well resourced, reference is being made to volunteers who are well trained, professionally qualified to handle disabled people and who are well motivated to go about their duties. It must be established that people with disability are people who have been identified to needing great deal of support in order to excel in sports (Adams, 200 1). In the absence of such basic support, it will be very difficult for them