Saturday, November 30, 2019

Savings and Investment Essays - Finance, Money, Economy, Investment

Savings is the putting aside funds and a vehicle which returns the principal at some future point, and in the meantime delivers a rate of return in the form of interest. The principal does not gain any value, other than the interest paid out, and at the maturity or decision to liquidate the savings asset, has the beginning principal value. These vehicles are known and income producing assets. In other words there is no ?growth? aspect of savings vehicles. Investment vehicles differ in that there is not only a chance for an income, but also capital gains as well (when the underlying value of an asset increases about its face or maturity value). This security is considered to contain more risk (the possible of loss in value) than a savings security, but it does contain the possibility of an unlimited potential gain from value appreciation (growth). The individual investor must make the determination whether the safety of a guarantee savings return outweighs the riskier potential for a large return with an investment vehicle. The investment vehicle can also fall in value; the value can actually fall all the way to zero and the investment becomes worthless. A typical investor will expect a much larger potential return for the gamble to pay off versus the lesser but more certain return of a savings vehicle. Even with investment vehicles it is possible to share the risk of the potential return of investment securities. One can purchase the investment vehicle of a particular company and the fate of that investment is tied to that company?s fate and financial performance. However, pooling funds from a number of different investors can spread the risk and allow for better cost savings upon security accumulation. This is the benefit of a mutual fund. A mutual fund is created to pool together sums of money from many investors to allow for economies of scale on purchasing and sharing both the risk and reward of investment securities. Investing in a mutual fund allows for a greater spreading of the risk than investing in one or a few stocks of different companies. Diversification reduces overall risk because not all individual choices will perform well or poorly at the same time. If one does not do well, the others can make up some or all of the loss.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

History of American Policing Essay

History of American Policing Essay Free Online Research Papers The development of law enforcement in colonial America was similar to that of England during the same time period. Law enforcement in colonial America was considered a local responsibility. As in England, the colonies established a system of night watch to guard cities against fire, crime, and disorder. In addition to night watch systems, there were sheriffs appointed by the governor and constables elected by the people. These individuals were responsible for maintaining order and providing other services. Nalla and Newman have described the following problems plaguing colonial cities that were considered the responsibility of the police: controlling slaves and Indians; maintaining order; regulating specialized functions such as selling in the market and delivering goods; maintaining health and sanitation; managing pests and other animals; ensuring the orderly use of vehicles; controlling liquor, gambling, vice, and weapons; and keeping watch for fires. While night watch groups were established in the northern colonies, groups of white men organized into slave patrols in the southern colonies. These slave patrols were responsible for controlling, returning, and punishing runaway slaves. The slave patrols helped to maintain the economic order in the southern colonies. These slave patrols are generally considered to be the first â€Å"modern† police organizations in this country. In 1837, Charleston, South Carolina, had a slave patrol with over one hundred officers, which was far larger than any northern city police force at that (Walker, 1999). Policing on the western frontier varied widely. According to Langworthy and Travis, settlers originally from northern colonies created marshals and police forces similar to those in northern colonies, while settlers from southern colonies developed systems with sheriffs and posses. In many western settlements, however, there was no formal organized law enforcement. In these areas, groups of vigilantes were formed by volunteer citizens to combat any threat to the order of the settlements. These groups of self-appointed law enforcers had a significant influence on collective social norms, including the lack of respect for the law, which had been haphazardly enforced primarily through vigilante violence. In the 1800s, changes in American society forced changes in law enforcement. Especially, the process of industrialization, urbanization, and immigration changed this country from a primarily homogenous agrarian society to a heterogeneous, urban one. Citizens left rural areas and flocked to the cities in search of employment. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants came to reside in America. Unsanitary living conditions and poverty characterized American cities. The poor, predominantly immigrant urban areas were plagued with increases in crime and disorder. As a direct result, a series of riots occurred throughout the 1830s in numerous American cities. Many of these riots were the result of poor living conditions, poverty, and conflicts between ethnic groups. These riots directly illustrated the need for larger and better-organized law enforcement. Both the watch systems in the north and the slave patrols in the south began to evolve into modern police organizations that were heavily infl uenced by modern departments developing in England during the same time period (Walker, 1999). The first modern police forces in America borrowed heavily from those established in England. In particular, American law enforcement agencies adopted the mission of crime prevention and control, the strategy of preventive patrol, and the quasi-military organizational design of the first modern police department established in London. In addition to these three elements, American policing borrowed other features from the British system, for example, the tradition that police have limitations on their authority (Walker, 1999). The protection of individual liberties was highly emphasized in both England and America, therefore limits were placed on governmental and police authority. This was not the case in other European countries, where, as Walker notes, police agencies were given broader powers and citizens had fewer individual liberties. Another feature borrowed from the English heritage is that of local control of police agencies. Although many other countries have one centralized, national law enforcement agency, the English and American systems do not. In the American system of law enforcement, police are controlled at the local, state, and federal level, although the majority of departments are local municipalities. A related defining feature of American policing adopted from English heritage is that of highly decentralized and fragmented system of law enforcement. According to 1993 figures, there are nearly twenty thousand different law enforcement agencies within the United States (Maguire et al.). Lack of coordination and cooperation among local law enforcement agencies is generally characteristic of the American system of law enforcement. These three elements (limited police power, lack of centralized control, and a decentralized and fragmented structure), combined with the quasi-military organizational structure of modern departments in England, describe the Anglo-Saxon model of policing. There were differences, however, between the British and American systems of law enforcement. One of the most significant differences is the absence of strong political influences over police organizations in England, compared to the strong relationship between politics and policing that existed in American policing (Walker, 1999). While police administrators in England were protected from political influence, politics heavily influenced American police agencies. In fact, policing during the nineteenth century in America has been described as inefficient, ineffective, lacking professionalism, and highly corrupt (Walker, 1999). Numerous scholars have described the evolution of policing in America. Although the historical facts are generally not disputed, the interpretation of these vents does raise some debate. Within this entry, the evolution of policing in America will be presented loosely following the framework devised by Kelling and Moore, which describes three distinct eras (political, reform, and community). As previously noted, American policing in the late nineteenth century was plagued with political influence. Local politicians used positions on the police force to reward their supporters after an election. Therefore the ethnic and religious composition of police forces often reflected the groups who had local political influence. In addition, positions and promotions on local police forces could be bought. For example, Walker (1999) notes that in New York City, â€Å"a $300 payment to the Tammany Hall political machine was the only requirement for appointment to the force†. There was little or no training given to officers, no recruitment standards to speak of, and no job security because officers could be hired or fired at will. Corruption was a major characteristic of policing during this time period. Low-ranking officers, high-ranking police officials, and sometimes even entire departments were involved in corruption and misconduct. Patrol officers often accepted bribes t o not enforce laws controlling moral crimes (e.g., drinking, gambling, and prostitution). This type of corruption was well known and pervasive. Police work during this time period has been described as hopelessly inefficient due to officers’ reliance on foot patrol with no effective communication system and little direct supervision. Officers often evaded work due to the lack of official oversight and citizens had difficulty contacting the police because the officers could not be located on their beats. However, police did provide a variety of social services to citizens, including feeding the hungry and housing the homeless. For example, Whitehouse reports that the Boston Police Department during the 1800s was responsible for a variety of public services, which included lodging the homeless, removing dirt and garbage, and checking every household daily for cases of cholera. Other urban departments also routinely housed the homeless and looked after wayward youths. Walker, however, cautions against the â€Å"myth that officers were friendly, knowledgeable about the neighborhood, and helpful† (1999). He suggests that due to the high turnover of police officers and residential mobility, officers were unlikely to have close relations with people in their neighborhood. Furthermore, he suggests that police frequently used physical force and enjoyed little citizen respect. During this time period, increases in citizen violence finally led to the adoption of weapons carried by police officers. The nostalgic interpretation of police as friendly neighborhood characters walking the beat has led some scholars to caution that the good old days were not that good (Walker,1984). Surprisingly, the daily duties of patrol officers during this time did not differ significantly from activities performed by patrol officers today. The diary of a patrol officer from the Boston Police Department in 1895 describes most of his time spent responding to minor problems in the neighborhood and handling many problems informally (von Hoffman, 1992). It appears that officers during the political era spent little time handling major problems or serious incidents and rarely invoked the legal system. This is also true of patrol officers today. Police in America changed dramatically during the twentieth century. According to Walker (1999), three principle forces were underlying this change: the police professionalism movement, modern technologies, and the civil rights movement. Other scholars suggest that police reform was the result of investigative commissions, reform initiated by police administrators, and political reform in general (Gaines et al). In the early 1900s, a broad social and political movement in America, progressivism, was bringing attention demanding reform across a broad spectrum of social problems. Progressives believed it was the government’s responsibility to improve the living conditions of citizens. They called for the regulation of big business and corrupt local politics, changes in labor laws, and improvements across all social welfare services. Included in this larger reform effort was the professionalization of police forces. The professionalization movement sought to reform the inefficient and corrupt police agencies that had developed during the nineteenth century. During this reform era, there was a total restructuring of police departments and a redefinition of the police role due to the perceived failure of police to enforce the law (Walker, 1977). Reformers sought to eliminate political influences, hire qualified leaders, and raise personnel standards. In addition, the reform agenda called f or a mission of nonpartisan public service and restructuring of police organizations through the use of the principles of scientific management and the development of specialized units (Walker, 1999). Several prominent police reforms had a significant influence on policing during this time period. Richard Sylvester, superintendent of the Washington, D.C., Police Department from 1898 to 1915, became the national voice for police reform. He served as president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and had a significant impact on the acceptance of the reform agenda across numerous departments. Similarly, August Vollmer, police chief in Berkeley, California, from 1905 to 1932, advocated the hiring of college graduates and offered the first collegiate course in police science at the University of California. Vollmer is also famous for the development of the principles of modern police administration. Advocates of the concepts of administrative efficiency sought to â€Å"centralize the authority within the police departments† and to â€Å"rationalize the procedures of command control† (Walker, 1977). The reform of police agencies during the first part of the twentieth century was very slow to develop, and in some cities the impact of early reform efforts was nonexistent. Although considerable gains were made in agencies of cities such as Cincinnati and Berkeley, reform efforts were largely ineffective in other agencies, such as those of Los Angeles and Chicago (Walker, 1977). Efforts to professionalize the police increased after the 1931 reports by the Wickersham Commission, which contained vivid descriptions of police misconduct and use of force. The Wickersham Commission Report was the first national study of the criminal justice system in America and had a significant impact on the revitalization of the reform movement. Professionalization continued under the direction of O.W. Wilson, one of Vollmer’s protà ©gà ©s. Wilson was chief of police in Wichita, Kansas, from 1928 to 1935, a professor of criminology at the University of California, and chief of the Chicago Police Department in the 1960s. Wilson had a significant impact on organizational changes within police departments during this time, largely through his textbook Police Administration (1950). Utilizing scientific principles of management, Wilson emphasized workload distribution based on calls for service and efficient management of personnel through bureaucratic design. Wilson also encouraged departments to gauge their success through measurable outcomes (numbers of arrests, citations, etc.) and rapid response to calls for service. Also influential during this time period was J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (F.B.I.). Hoover’s leadership of the F.B.I. had a direct influence on local agencies because of his portrayal of agents under his command as highly trained and educated, professional, and honest. In addition, he instituted the Bureau’s Top Ten Most Wanted List, controlled the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) system, and effectively communicated to citizens that his organization was involved in a â€Å"war on crime†. Most local departments wanted to emulate the professional F.B.I. agents and thus perpetuated the â€Å"crime fighter† image. New technologies also had a significant influence on policing in the early to mid-twentieth century. Three technologies, in particular, have revolutionized policing: the two-way radio, the patrol car, and the telephone. As previously noted, policing in the nineteenth century was characterized as ineffective and inefficient, in part because officers could not be contacted on their beats. With the advent of the two-way radio, officers could be notified about calls for service and police supervisors could contact their officers directly. This change in technology had a significant impact on the provision of services to the public and the supervision of police personnel. Likewise, the use of patrol cars in the 1920s greatly enhanced the mobility of police officers and significantly reduced their response time to calls for service from citizens. Finally, the use of the telephone allowed citizens to have direct contact with the police department. Citizens were encouraged to call the police for any type of situation and the police promised a rapid response. These new technologies also had unintended consequences on policing, the effect of which was not fully understood until much later. For example, the patrol car served to isolate patrol officers from the community. Previously, when officers patrolled on foot, they had an opportunity to engage citizens in conversations and had a familiarity with the neighborhood that was lost once officers patrolled in cars. When officers drove through neighborhoods with their windows rolled up, citizens perceived officers as outsiders in their communities. Encouraging citizens to call the police for service and promising a rapid response dramatically increased the workload of officers. Citizens began to call the police for minor problems and the police continued to respond. In addition, police were called to handle private matters that they had not been responsible for in the past. The interactions between citizens and police took on a more personal nature as police responded to citizens’ homes rather than simply patrolling and engaging citizens on the street. As described by Walker, the result of these new technologies â€Å"was a complex and contradictory change in police-citizen contacts. Whereas the patrol car isolated the police from the people on the streets, the telephone brought police officers into peoples’ living rooms, kitchens, and bedrooms. There, officers became involved in the most intimate domestic problems† (1999). The 1960s were a period characterized by much civil unrest. Citizens were dissatisfied with the social and political conditions, and particularly with the treatment of minorities. During this time, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a series of landmark cases that limited the investigative techniques used by the police officers. For example, the court decided in Mapp v. Ohio (367 U.S. 643 (1961), that evidence obtained during a search and seizure that violated citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights could not be used against them in a court of law. Dubbed the exclusionary rule, Mapp guaranteed that the fruits of an unconstitutional search could not be used during prosecution. In 1966, the court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, that a suspect must be advised of his or her right against self-incrimination (protected by the Fifth Amendment) and the right to council (protected by the Sixth Amendment) before police can interrogate that suspect. Any admission of guilt obtained prior to giving the Miranda warnings cannot be used against the suspect during prosecution. Critics of these and other decisions claimed that the Supreme Court was â€Å"handcuffing† police. Most studies have shown, however, that these rulings did not have the substantial influence that either side believed would result (Leo). During this time, the civil rights movement was gaining momentum and becoming more militant. Protestors gathered to demonstrate against race discrimination and injustice within the criminal justice system. White male police officers became the symbol of all the political and social ills of American society. Police officers across the country responded to protestors with physical brutality, which served to increase the tension between minority groups and the police. This tension exploded in the form of riots and civil disobedience, often sparked by incidents involving the police (Walker, 1999). In response, a series of presidential commissions were ordered to investigate these issues. The most famous, the Kerner Commission investigated the causes of the nearly two hundred disorders that had taken place in 1967. The Kerner Commission reported that there was deep hostility and distrust between minorities and the police. The report recommended the hiring of more minority officers and that police practices be changed significantly. Interestingly, the commission reported that those departments that were believed to be the most â€Å"professional† were, in fact, those that had the most serious disturbances and civil unrest. This challenged many of the assumptions of the professionalism movement (National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders). Findings from social-scientific research further raised concern about the effectiveness of â€Å"professional† police departments. The American Bar Foundation’s (AFB) field observation of police in 1956-1957 reported that officers exercised large amounts of discretion during encounters with citizens. Contrary to the popular conception of police officers as â€Å"crime fighters’, studies found that officers spent most of the time maintaining order, providing services, and performing administrative tasks (Wilson; Bittner). The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment found that increasing the level of preventive patrol within an area did not have a significant influence on the level of crime or reduce citizens’ fear of crime ( Kellin et al). A study examining the effectiveness of criminal investigations reported that the percentage of crimes cleared by arrest is relatively low, that follow-up work is often unproductive, and that most detective work involves mundane tasks and paperwork (Greenwood and Petersilia). Another study showed that increases in the response time of officers did not increase the likelihood of obtaining an arrest (Pate et al.). Evaluations of the effects of team policing ( a police tactic that involves the creation of specialized teams responsible for policing particular geographic areas) showed no influence on the level of crime (Sherman, Milton, and Kelly). Collectively, these studies suggested that current police practices were not effective in preventing crime or satisfying citizens. The 1960s police-citizen crisis, coupled with research findings from the 1970s, questioned the core philosophies underlying policing in America. In a seminal article on policing, Wilson and Kelling proposed the broken windows thesis. They argued that a broken window in an abandoned building or car is a symbol that no one cares about the property, making it ripe for criminal activity. Wilson and Kelling stressed the importance of controlling minor crimes and disorders in an effort to curb more serious crime. Making citizens feel safer and improving their quality of life should be the goal of the police. This idea sparked the development of a number of different police strategies and tactics designed to improve police-community relations. The philosophy of community policing is built upon the premise that reducing citizens’ fear of crime while forming a partnership between the police and the community is a worthwhile goal of police organizations. Particular tactics utilized in this philosophy include foot patrol, problem-solving, police substations, and community groups, among others. These tactics stress citizen satisfaction and improvements in citizens’ quality of life. In addition to changes in tactics, changes in organizational design must also accompany community policing. Police organizations are to become decentralized, flatter hierarchies with less bureaucratic control. Patrol officers at the lowest level are encouraged to be creative in their responses to problems and are given more discretion to advance their problem-solving efforts. Kelling and Moore have described the 1970s and 1980s as an era in which a shift toward community policing occurred. They suggest that community policing is a strategic change complete with changes in organizational structures, tactics, and outcomes. However, changes in organizational design appear to be more theoretical than practical. Maguire’s examination of organizational change in a sample of large departments shows that there were no significant changes in the bureaucratic structures of police agencies practicing community policing in the 1990s compared to those who were not. Although community policing and problem-solving have been popular policing strategies, some departments are utilizing zero-tolerance policies. Zero-tolerance policies encourage the use of aggressive police tactics and full enforcement of minor offenses. For example, the New York Police Department instituted zero-tolerance policies in the mid-1990s in an effort to reduce minor disorders and control crime. Based on the â€Å"broken windows† hypothesis, aggressive enforcement of minor crimes is predicted to produce the same outcomes of increasing citizen satisfaction and improving quality of life that are sought under the models of community policing. However, the tactics are very different. Community policing encourages partnership development, less frequent use of arrest, and more creative responses to particular problems. Zero-tolerance policies encourage the use of arrest and other get-tough policies. Furthermore, trends in the militarization of police have been well document ed. The number of police agencies that use police paramilitary units and special weapons and tactics teams (SWAT) has increased by over 80 percent since 1970 (Kraska and Kappeler). It is clear that the idea of the existence of a â€Å"community era† in policing is not without critics. Walker (1984) claims that scholars have misinterpreted and misused history in their descriptions of the â€Å"community era†. Williams and Murphy suggest that scholars have not attended to the obvious influences of slavery, segregation, and discrimination on policing throughout history. Somewhat surprisingly, the description and interpretation of the history of police continues to be a matter of great debate. Perhaps this is due to our need to fully understand the events of the past to effectively guide the events of the future. REFERENCES BITTNER, EGON. The Functions of the Police in Modern Society. Rockville, Md,: New York: Bobbs-Merill, 1963. GAINES, LARRY K.; KAPPELER, VICTOR E,; and VAUGHN, JOSEPH B. Policing in America. Cincinnatti, Ohio: Anderson Publishing, 1999. GREENWOOD, PETER W., and PETERSILIA, JOAN. The Criminal Investigation Process, Vol. 1, Summary and Policy Implications. Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND, 1975. KELLING, GEORGE L., et al. Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment: A Summary Report. Washington, D.C.: The Police Foundation, 1974. KRASHA, PETER B., and KAPPELER, VICTOR E. â€Å"Militarizing American Police: The Rise and Normalization of Paramilitary Units,† Social Problems 44, no.1 (1997):1-18. LANGWHORTHY, ROBERT H., and TRAVIS, LAWRENCE P., III. Policing in America: A Balance of Forces. 2d ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1999. L Research Papers on History of American Policing EssayCombating Human TraffickingThe Colour PurplePoverty, Violence and Conflict How are they Related?The Broken FamilyGlobal Distributive Justice is UtopianThe Obama Presidency EssayPuerto Rico: Music and Culture EssayAmerican Central Banking and OilEmmett Till BiographyHas the British Welfare System been

Friday, November 22, 2019

The Basics of Technical Writing

The Basics of Technical Writing Technical writing is simply a form of writing for one to get technical information across to others. Many technical fields find it necessary for their people to have the basics of technical writing down pat, since the best people to explain how a system wor. Knowing the basics to technical writing is essential if one hopes to have a future in a highly technological field. Many of your technical personnel tend to think and speak in highly specialized language that is specific to their certain field. One of the basics to technical writing would be to learn the ability to translate these technical terms into a report form with language that will be simple for the general audience to comprehend. It is highly advisable for everyone who aspires to go into a specific technological field to at least take a course teaching the basics to technical writing. This simple knowledge will carry this individual higher within the ranks of their chosen profession, since solid communication skills are a necessity in the corporate worlds. Another of the basics to technical writing is to communicate with a clear understanding of the purpose of the writing. The intent of this paper needs to be clearly stated, riight up front, and . What is the writer trying to convey to the audience? Understanding this simple point is the biggest basics to technical writing that one can begin with. Some of the basics to technical writing will tell you to make sure your research paper outlines the results, shows new information gained from the results and states the significance of the results. In this section, try outlining what makes your proejc The proper structure of this type of paper is important to the basics of technical writing. One should do a brief abstract then a very short introduction that brings up the problem and it’s solution. A very important basic step in technical writing includes making sure the writing is clearly stated in language that anyone unrelated to the field can understand. In learning basics to technical writing, one will find that it is important to include any previous works that may be relevant to your paper. In writing the main body of a technical paper, a few illustrations are usually advisable. These figures tend to lend themselves to making the stated comments more understandable. Basics to technical writing advise that figures and statements together works well for the readers. Again, make sure the terminology is clear and understandable to one who may not be familiar with this particular field. Close your paper with a description or explanation of the end results from the experiment or study. Providing details is one of the basics to technical writing. If you expect your paper to be out on the internet then make sure you include a good descriptive title pertaining to your subject. If you do this properly your paper will appear very high on specific search engine queries. Having a couple of readers proofread your paper before presentation is a very good idea. Have one person who is very technological as yourself and another who is just your basic reader curious about the field that you are writing about. If both individuals can understand and make perfect sense of your paper then it’s ready to be presented. If you can master just the basics to technical writing then you’ll be well on your way to creating interesting and informative papers.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Te Uku - wind farm project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Te Uku - wind farm project - Assignment Example Meridian has partnered with other firms to come up with an environmentally friendly project. Many critics are against the use of wind energy to produce electricity due to its environmental hazards. With partners such as WEL networks, Siemens NZ, NZ Cranes and Transdiled Services, the project has been executed to perfection. The project was accomplished in 2010 and all turbines started producing electricity within a period of one year. Distribution of the electricity is facilitated by WEL Networks which also distributes electricity from other sources such as hydroelectric dams. The project has earned several awards since it begun its construction based on location, production and mostly environmental conservation. The project has been considered as a major strategy in Zealand since it will lead to other minor projects. It has various benefits to the country which include political, economic, technological and social (Project TeUku Wind farm, 2006). With the stabilization in the energy sector, the country is prone to many developments since energy is New Zealands economic backbone. Its construction will also lead to building of a road network that will help in transportation of the farmers’ inputs and outputs. Project planning is important prior to the implementation of the suggested plans since it contributes to the implementation of the project. The plans range from the time used to implement the program to the way of construction of the turbines to the final preparations before electricity is produced. TeUku being a national project had undergone all the requirements to ensure that it was successful. The planning process consists of the timeline for the project, funding and review of the set opportunities. It also included highlighting the projects goals and objectives. The project began in 2010 where the first turbine foundations were

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Business law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Business law - Coursework Example It may further bring about complex situations. There must be certain elements present in a valid contract which are: 1. An offer. 2. Acceptance that must have taken place from the corresponding party which would further constitute to mutual understanding between both parties. 3. A promise by the principal party to perform steps ahead that would constitute to the contract 4. A consideration must take place 5. Terms and conditions must be set in order to fulfill the promises made 6. Performance While the above mentioned can be simply called the requirements for a valid contract, however these are the essentials towards constituting or calling a contract effective and in force. Once all these requirements have successfully and rightfully been carried out, we can be sure that the contract is now lawfully in force. The past has left us with numerous amounts of examples and precedents that reflect on contract being voidable under certain circumstances. Elements that constitute a contract v oidable are as follows: 1. Misrepresentation 2. Mistake 3. Duress and undue influence We will discuss each element in turn describing the impacts of each upon the validity of the contract. Misrepresentation is a false statement of fact made by one party to another. This is not included in the terms of contract. However, somehow induces the other party to enter into the contract and create a binding force between both parties. This misrepresentation, which can be done in a number of different ways, makes the contract voidable. It also gives the other party the right to rescind the contract or claim damages. A person who has been misled can however take up amongst a number of different options in order to rescind this contract. 1. Refuse to carry out his undertaking, 2. Refuse to carry out the function of specific performance, 3. Can decide to have the contract set aside by taking up means of rescission. Adding to such circumstances, the misled party can claim for damages.    Misrep resentation can be mainly of three types, being fraudulent, negligent and innocent misrepresentation. Fraudulent misrepresentation is when the truth is deliberately concealed by the party in order to constitute the contract. As Lord Herschell defined in a very famous case, Derry vs Peek1, fraudulent misrepresentation being one where a false representation is made knowingly, without belief in the truth and recklessly. If the misrepresentation is that of fraudulent nature, the contract is considered void and the misled person can sue for damages for deceit. Negligent misrepresentation is a false statement made where the person who is making the statement had no reasonable grounds for believing it to be true and did not believe in it. A common example defining negligent misrepresentation is Hedley Byrne v Heller.2 In this case Hedley happened to be an advertising company who had asked for information from his banker regarding the clients’ banker (Heller). The information asked f or was regarding its clients’ financial position. Heller went on giving a report to Hedleys’ banker that reflected a strong financial position of the respected client. This report was given with a â€Å"without responsibility† clause. The report was given to Hedley by his banker. There was no such contractual agreement or relationship between Heller and Hedley as well. Hedley went on making decisions keeping in mind the report and went on experiencing a financial loss. The reason

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Cisco Case Study Essay Example for Free

Cisco Case Study Essay Cisco Systems is an industry leader in network technology. Their primary business is technology that is used to enable communication with people all over the world with multiple functions. Whether it be email, voice video or general applications these service are transported over Cisco Networks. The current CEO is John Chambers who has held the position since 1995. This case study focuses on his vision and strategy over the past 17 years. Cisco is a market leader in networking technology. Financial Information: www. Bloomberg.com (1) Sales 2012 Sales/Revenue/Turnover: Total Operating Revenues. $46,681,000,000 Gross Profit $28,558,000,00 Net income $ 8,356,000,000 Key Milestones in Cisco’s History (2) 1997 All in One: Data/Voice/Video 2000 Network of Networks 2006 Network as Platform 2008-Current Collaboration/ Web 2.0 SWOT ANALYSIS Cisco’s’ internal strengths are its people. They have a built a corporation with over 70,000 employees. 1/3 of those are Engineering people who develop Cisco’s solutions. (2). These solutions come from internal design or from acquisitions. There weakness is the size of the corporation compared to when they were in there early days. They challenges adapting to customer demands at the rapid pace the technology industry changes. The opportunities have come with the use of acquisitions. When they want to add a piece of technology to their portfolio they at times bypass the development process and acquire a company with the needed expertise. The major threats to the business are the number of employees who leave and go to competitors. Many of Cisco’s competitors are run by former Cisco employees. See Juniper.com(7) ANALYSIS VIA PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL Analyze the competitive environment by listing the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services, and the intensity of rivalry among competitors in the industry (Chapter 2). Summarize your key points in a Figure. (25 points) Cisco’s’ threat of new entrants is limited due to Cisco’s market cap on network Switching: Modular/Fixed (2) . They currently hold a 69% market cap sue to their design and build of these devices. Their competitors have copied and duplicated these products and there are only handful that compete. The bargaining power as a buyer based on thre volume allows them to keep manufacturing costs low. There suppliers in turn have strong bargaining power with their silicon and chip manufactures. New Chipsets are developed rapidly and suppliers can gain a competitive advantage over the manufacturers. The threat of substitute products is a common theme with Cisco. An example was a Chinese company stole Cisco’s design and started producing replica hardware. Years of litigation was later settled however the cost to do so was a major impact. (3)This caused an intense rivalry with its competitor 3Com who partnered with the Chinese company (4). The other issue with its competitors is its talent pool. Many of Cisco’s engineers leave for competitor with hopes of creating the next generation of technology. STRATEGY USED Cisco’s competitive advantage in the switching market has led them into being market leaders in other sectors. Having the market share of the core network as the base layer of Infrastructure allows them to see the need of its customers. These sectors have all been supplicants that utilize the Cisco core networking products that today has brought them an industry market share in the following area. The core strategy used is there overall cost leadership to create this competitive advantage Performance Market share per sector Security 31% Digital Video: IPTV-64% Switching: Modular/Fixed- 69% Voice-37% Wireless: LAN-54% Storage: Area Networks-44% Routing: Edge/Core/Access-53% Networked Home-23% Web Conferencing-38% (2) One core strategy they used in the area of differentiation was the introduction of Voice over the network. Voice is a legacy technology created over 100 years ago and up until recently was run with the same original design concepts. Cisco changed that system buy running voice over the IP network. Today VOIP phone systems are a standard and the original POTS (plain old pots lines) are now considered legacy. They used acquisitions to buy phone providers and break down there core fundamental and produce them on IP networks., allowing today the use of voice over your PC Email Text. They were very successful in this space however not all companies can use this strategy for this particular technology. There install base is so strong the market is saturated and would not be cost effective. This strategy however is now in the maturity stage of the industry life cycle. They contain 69% of the voice market and they are continued to grow. The core installations will eventually decline however the service to maintain the phones systems will continue to remain in the maturity stage. Cisco’s strategy is based on catching market transitions—the market transitions that affect our customers. With the proliferation of video and collaborative Web 2.0 technologies, the network continues to evolve from the plumbing of the Internet—providing connectivity—to the platform that will change the way we work, live, play and learn.â€â€" John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FACING THIS COMPANY Cisco’s’ competitive advantage in some sectors can be maintained. The overall progress should continue however weaker sectors where they have lost focus on have declined. In the example of the home Networked sector they maintain a low 23% market share. This has not been inline what the projections were when they entered these markets. Recently they have announced they are moving away from the home based market with a sale of their Linksys lien to Belkin (5) I believe the companies’ competitive advantage can be maintained if they focus on areas where they have control on market share. Shedding unprofitable business such as Linksys is a step in the right direction. This product is clearly on the decline side and Cisco should focus on growth areas such as storage area networks. The companies’ culture is changing from when they were a smaller enterprise they were able to maneuver with market needs more quickly. The fierce competition in the home market was one of the company problems. I believe that they are an enterprises corporation provider of services and do not understand the needs of home based users. COURSE OF ACTION RECOMMENDED I would advise Cisco to focus on server storage sectors. They are not a market leader in servers such as HP but have new products that are changing the way we companies utilize servers. This is a differentiation strategy that will change the industry if done correctly. They created a virtual server solution called UCS that if markets correctly could achieve future growth in the server storage sector. (6) I would use my market power and customer to base to provide these solutions at a low cost and this will expose a broad customer base to the product OPINION What do you think of this case study? Describe what you believe are the lessons learned from this case. (10 points) I think this case study showed me new concepts in strategic management. By studying Cisco’s market dominance based on 46 billion in revenues I now understand that having a competitive advantage must be maintained. Seeing Cisco now leaving markets is a new direction for them and these concepts have brought me to understand that. REFERENCES When you have completed the paper using the above sections, insert a page break and have a separate references page. The references should be listed in accordance with the APA guidelines as shown in the tutorial. (5 points) http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/CSCO:AR (1) http://newsroom.cisco.com/documents/10157/0/Corporate+Overview+-+Q2FY12.pdf (2) http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/29/cisco_huawei_case_ends/ (3) http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/07/09/3com_welcome_to_join_ciscohuawei/(4) http://www.dailytech.com/Belkin+Plans+to+Purchase+Ciscos+Linksys+Home+Networking+Business+Unit/article29747.htm(5) http://www.cisco.com/assets/global/europe/powerofu/ucs_vs_hp_deployment.pdf(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper_Networks(7)

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Insider Trading Essay -- Business, Investment, Trading

It can fairly be said that an Investor considering an investment decision (whether to purchase, sell or hold stock) in publicly traded company acts on the basis of extensive information which is available by corporation to him until the last moment of his investing decision and try to determine the fair price of corporate stock. In the light of continuous creation of a particular impression of corporate affairs by the corporation, new information by corporate can vanish the importance of previous available information to investor. In the scenario only one kind of investors can get advantage over others, who is either very close to corporate operation (corporate officers) or can access nonpublic price-sensitive information to corporation (large shareholder). These investors are known as insider. To ensure fair platform of trading to all investor, the law of insider trading is one of the vehicles which is used by society to allocate the property right to information generated by firm and it can be ensured that by virtue of being insider, director or company’s officer cannot explore private information in trading of his or her company’s stock but many studies (e.g., Jaffe, 1974; Finnerty, 1976a,b; Seyhun, 1986, 1988a,b; Rozeff and Zaman, 1988; Lin and Howe, 1990) conclude that Insiders like to buy (sell) their own company stock before price-favorable (unfavorable) information disseminates in public and take the advantage of nonpublic information. For example, Jaffe (1974a) find the insiders are able to make abnormal return by taking position in their own stock but insiders’ short-term prediction power is greater than long-term predication. Several aspects of insider trading activity are debatable. Like is insider trading is... ...ces in compensation package to their executives between two groups. Graver and Graver (1995) find that intangible assets of a firm are important factor to determine the executives’ compensation and a large portion of their compensation derives from long term incentive compensation like stock option grants. When executive receivers a large portion of compensation in stocks, then his investment portfolio is subject to more idiosyncratic risk than any diversity investment portfolio or to survive, for example to pay home rent, he needs liquidity, which in turn, either to achieve diversify investment portfolio or to achieve liquidity, he sells his a part of his stake in open market even his stock in undervalued (Meulbroek, 2000). We assume that insiders selling of intangible assets’ firms are less likely to convey information to public than tangible assists’ firms.

Monday, November 11, 2019

The College With Green Building Concept Environmental Sciences Essay

We, the Green Environment Society wishes to suggest an thought of constructing a block of edifice with green construct. The nine starts at 2009 with the coaction with Malaysia Green Building Confederation ( MGBC ) , with the support of our college principal, Dr Tan Chik Heok. The nine is devoted to do the college a greener, comfy, environment friendly topographic point for pupils to analyze. With this proposal I hope that the college can give full cooperation with the nine in doing it possible. I understand the college presently pays heavy disbursals for public-service corporation measures and care fees and this proposal we hope to alter the state of affairs from something negative to positive. A green edifice is a construction that is environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a edifice ‘s life-cycle. A batch of state is get downing to utilize this thought for their building, design and maintain of edifice and this is something new to Malaysia and good suppo rted by the authorities. With this new edifice, we aim to cut down the environmental impact of edifices, with the betterment in energy efficiency, H2O efficiency, stuffs efficiency every bit good as waste decrease. This construct non merely will cut down the waste and pollution made but besides doing certain the pupils have a comfy and safety environment to analyze and besides better the productiveness of staff.Background and PurposeWe understand that the college had ever been giving much attending in doing the college green and clean but it has non been successful as expected and still hold a batch of betterment infinite. Throughout the old ages of observation and research done by members, we had realised that most of the thoughts that had been implemented in the college today does non last long or does non truly bring forth a satisfied consequence. We have concluded this proposal with the lists of thoughts to implement the green edifice constructs into the college while salvaging the college disbursals spend on H2O, electricity, wastage disposal and drainage system. The initial program for the new edifice will dwell of schoolrooms and talk halls and it may alter in the hereafter. There will be a batch of things needed to be done because most of the college edifice are aged more than 30 old ages and they are non built with any green edifice characteristics such as centralised wiring and H2O system plus some of the old wiring are started to go rusty overtime cut downing their efficiency and H2O escape of old piping system. They all can increase the measures small by small and it is recommended to construct a new edifice which will be easier. With this green edifice construct, it will convey three type of benefit. There are environments, economic and societal benefits.Environment benefitsSolar powering additions energy efficiency and cut down harmful emanations through the usage of less environmentally harmful stuffs. Besides, H2O preservation and recycling rai nwater for intent like urinal flow can continue drinkable H2O and output important H2O nest eggs. Stormwater direction including harvest home and airting storm H2O can cut down eroding and implosion therapy, constructing surface with permeable stuffs, and utilizing green roofs that is partly or wholly covered with flora and a turning medium can command and use flood, absorbing rainwater, supplying insularity, making a home ground for wildlife and assisting to take down urban air temperatures and extenuate the heat island consequence which is a metropolitan country that significantly warmer than its environing rural countries due to human activities. Furthermore, the common aim of green edifice are designed the overall impact of the built human wellness, at the same clip besides preserve and reconstruct the natural environment resource by cut downing environment debasement. Last, it can cut down the waste of watercourse, for case reduction and recycling building and destruction stuff s can cut down overall building and disposal costs every bit good. With their powerful environmental benefits, green edifice criterions are destined to go the basic edifice criterion for all new building.Economicss benefitsThe resource such as energy and H2O efficiency provided by green design and engineering leads to drastic decreases in operation costs that rapidly recoup any extra undertaking costs and go on offer dramatic long term college nest eggs. Money antecedently directed toward public-service corporation costs may be used for other intents such as improve the college installations and assets. Besides, with the energy costs on the rise, the low operating costs and easy care of green edifices will do for much lower vacancy rates along with much higher belongings values. Furthermore, the green edifices have control of temperatures and airing along with increased natural lighting. This attributes to a much improved employee attending and wellness. We believed that the betterm ents of indoor environment will take down our wellness attention cost along with staff ‘s work losingss. Based on our research, staff productiveness in green edifice can be mean 3 to 7 % greater than non-green edifice. The green edifice besides have higher tenancy rate and less renter ‘s turnover than non-green certified edifices. We believed that the demand of green infinite will merely increase in the close hereafter, as more companies, corporations and stockholder require green certified infinite. In add-on, accomplishing green edifice can better the college image as being a leader in environmental stewardship since ne'er have college had implemented the green edifice construct. Last, pupil productiveness can be better because the related of indoor and out-of-door environments conditions where use the green rules. The pupil will be ill much less than frequently and will hold a better over sense of wellbeing.Social benefitsAlthough the environmental and economic benefi ts of green edifice are good known, the societal benefits of green edifice should non frequently be ignored. First, green edifice emphasizes airing and non-toxic, low breathing cost that create an aesthetically pleasing environment, healthier and more comfy life and working environment, therefore the pupils will experience more energetic and happier in surveies and fall ining out-of-door activities such as athletics exercising and unvarying society ‘s activities. Besides, the benefits of green edifice besides better the strain on local substructure. Furthermore, a cardinal component of sustainable design is the saving of natural environments which is works and animate beings, which afford a assortment of diversion and exercising chances. Green edifices besides seek to ease options to driving, such as bicycling and public conveyance, which eases local traffic while promoting personal wellness and fittingness. Furthermore, the beauty of green constructing non merely protecting t he natural environment and besides increase the pupils overall morale and environmental ethic. Last, the comfy surveies environment besides improves the pupil ‘s productiveness in surveies.PlanTo further lucubrate the thoughts, we propose the undermentioned program:Energy EfficiencyCeiling fans go arounding the air in a room provides a soft zephyr and chilling. By uniting with a few unfastened Windowss, it will maintain the room comfortable. Air that is circulated throughout the room is kept fresher and less humid, perchance assisting to extinguish cast and mold and musty odors in the room. Ceiling fans are besides a great aid in drying out furniture and rugs that have been shampooed. Furthermore if you are wishing for low care, ceiling fans are more preferred. Unlike air conditioners, there are no filters to clean or replace. Fans merely require occasional dusting. Classroom should hold automatic visible radiation detectors which save the college power. While people have non been in room for a piece, the visible radiations should travel out. However, one time person walks into the room, the visible radiation is turned on. For this to go on, the detector has a threshold for gesture that must be crossed before it turns the light back on. So, dust natation in the room should non do the visible radiations go on, but a individual walking in should. Besides, to increase the efficiency of the edifice envelope, we may utilize high-efficiency Windowss and insularity in wall, ceiling and floors. Based on our research, a high public presentation edifice which built up by reclaimable and renewable stuff such as rock, green roof and wood will uses less runing energy, embodied energy has assumed greater importance and may do up every bit much as 30 % of the overall life rhythm energy ingestion. Besides, the interior decorator oriented Windowss, wall and topographic point sunshades, porches, and trees to shadow the Windowss and roofs can be maximising the solar additi on in the twenty-four hours for the efficiency of solar energy system. In add-on, effectual and right window arrangement can supply more natural visible radiation to pupil and decrease the demand for electric lighting during the twenty-four hours which can salvage electric cost and cut down unneeded waste. Harmonizing from our research, the United State LCI Database undertaking show edifices built chiefly with wood will hold a lower embodied energy than those built with brick, concrete or steel, therefore we proposal the wood as the chief edifice stuff for the new block building which is cost-saving and can be designed more attractive and creativeness by carve the wood interface. Furthermore, the solar H2O heating which implements in the H2O warmer can be cut down energy costs and more cost economy comparison with electric H2O warmer.Water EfficiencyFrom our research, toilets history for approximately 30 % to 40 % of domestic H2O usage and up to 90 % for offices and public comfortss , therefore the college ‘s lavatory flushing system should be designed to cut down H2O waste. The protection and conversation of H2O throughout the life of edifice may be accomplished by planing double plumbing the recycles H2O in the lavatory flushing. Our other suggestion is utilizing the double flower lavatory which has two flushing options. The first option, which is meant for blushing fluids merely, uses less H2O than the other option, which is meant for solids. Dual flush lavatory utilizes a â€Å" wash down † blushing design that pushes waste down a larger diameter drain while conventional flush lavatories employ a siphoning action that pulls waste down the drain, necessitating the usage of a greater sum of H2O than the push method. It has been proven to salvage up 67 % of H2O use in most places. But due to more complex mechanism, it is more expensive than many other low-flow lavatories. Besides, the high efficiency of urinal ( HEU ) is a fixture with a flush vol ume of 1.9 litres or less. HEUs usage about tierce of the sum of H2O used to blush the mean urinal. Based on the mean use, we believed that a individual HEU can salvage near to 18,000 litres of H2O per twelvemonth. Furthermore, the syphon flush mechanisms offer a figure of advantages over valve flush mechanism such as it is more consistent, dependable H2O efficiency over the long term because syphon unlike valves, are inherently leak-free and it is more easy to mend by merely merely replace certain constituent. Furthermore, the point of H2O intervention and warming improves both H2O qualities and energy efficiency while cut downing the sum H2O in circulation. Use rainwater catchment systems or H2O conversation that collect and shop H2O from roofs during the showery session either for college usage or at minimal, to decelerate down the discharge into the combined cloaca system to minimise the incidence of floods. There are many benefit of utilizing rainwater catchment system in new e difice which are rainwater is a comparatively clean and perfectly free beginning of H2O and is better for landscape workss and garden because it is non chlorinated, work out the drainage job of the belongings while supplying free H2O, and it can be used as a chief beginning of H2O or as a backup H2O beginning for the college.Material EfficiencyConstructing stuff should be considered to be green include renewable works stuff such as bamboo and straw, wood from wood, ecology blocks, dimension rock, recycled rock, recycled metal and other merchandise that are non-toxic, reclaimable, renewable and reclaimable. Constructing stuff should be manufactured off-site and delivered to site, to maximise benefits of off-site industry including minimising waste, maximising recycling, less noise and dust. In short, the stuff efficiency besides can be accomplish by using stuff that meet the certain standards which is lasting, reclaimable, locally available, natural, plentiful or renewable and can be remanufactured.Reduce Waste and PollutionGreen architecture besides seeks to cut down waste of energy, H2O, stuff used during building. Based on our research, in California about 60 % of the province ‘s web site ‘s waste comes from the commercial edifices. The most efficiency method to cut down waste and pollution is utilizing landfills. When landfills are decently managed and landfill sites chosen carefully, it can minimise the environmental impact of waste as it degrades. Landfills save the energy that would be used to export waste, but landfills besides serve as an extra beginning of energy. Well-designed edifices besides help cut down the sum of waste as good. When edifice reaches the terminal of their utile life, they are typically demolished and hauled to landfills. Deconstruction is a method of reaping what is normally considered waste and repossessing it into utile constructing stuff. Widening the utile life of a construction besides cut down waste such as wood that are light and easy to work with make redevelopment easier. Therefore, we suggest the chair and tabular array which made by wood and considered spoil can be send to recycle and retrace the merchandise once more. Rainwater aggregator is used to hive away the rain H2O for the hereafter and other use such usage in cleansing work, flush lavatory and so on. Another option is change overing the waste and effluent into fertiliser which is cost economy and besides utile for gardening. Furthermore, much building and destruction waste can be recycled, for case metal including Cu from wiring, plumbing and hot H2O armored combat vehicles and brick and rocks in good status can be used in building and pupil technology undertaking.Improve Health and ProductivityThe consequence of indoor environmental quality in college new block on pupil wellness, wellbeing and productiveness is an of import subject in our society research. We believed that the indoor environmental quality can negatively impac t pupil physical ‘s wellness such as asthma aggravation and respiratory allergic reactions through hapless air quality, utmost temperatures, extra humidness and deficient airing and psychological wellness such as emphasis and depression through unequal lighting, acoustics, and ergonomic design. Based on our research and surveies, the pupil with such inauspicious wellness conditions are absent more frequently and less productiveness than pupil without these conditions. For this ground, we concluded that the green edifice is able to turn to indoor environmental quality and pupil wellness concern by supplying healthier edifice environment.InterviewRandom interview with pupil will supply the information that you desire. The interviews will be administered by our professional advisers. These interviews will find your pupil ‘s satisfaction with and positions on the current edifice design and edifice environment. Student ‘s sentiments are priceless to us as it will state us their outlook and demands of good edifice design and environment. The interview inquiry will incorporate unfastened and closed inquiry and are attached for your mention and blessing.AgendaThe undermentioned agenda has been arranged: Interview Session March 1 – March 5 Contracts March 8 – March 9 Document Reviews and Revision March 10 – June 10 Site Work June 12 – June 28 Foundation July 1 – July 28 Paint August 1- August 28 Final Punch out September 1- September 28 Cleaning October 1- October 5StaffingOur company Green Environment Society has been actively involved in building green edifice in Malaysia for four twelvemonth since 2009. We have been coaction with Malaysia Green Building Confederation ( MGBC ) and both the private and public sector to build few green edifice in Malaysia. We are really looking earnestly in advancing and appealing the green edifice construct to other college and University. This green edifice undertaking will be conducted by Mr. Johnny English, which is a green edifice building undertaking director. Mr. Jonny English possesses a Maestro of Mechanical in green constructing building from University Malay and he has been working in this field for more than eight year.. Helping him are Mr. Daniel Wong and Ms. Sammi Tan, which both are interior interior decorator and edifice building adviser. Both Mr. Daniel Wong and Ms. Sammi Tan have huge experience in edifice building and green edifice design accomplishments and they besides have been involved in this field for more than five twelvemonth.BudgetThe dislocation of the costs of the green edifice attack is as follows:EntireConstruction stuffs RM 1,000,000.00 Construction pay RM 50,000.00 Construction audience RM 5,000.00 Operation and Maintenance optimisation RM 2.000.00 Entire RM 1,057,000.00MandateWe strongly agree that our proposal will be able to heighten and protect the environment of college, appeal the of import of environmental of protection and eco-friendly among pupils and better our college ‘s image. We will guarantee that this green edifice construct is carried out to your satisfaction and run into the outlooks of our college. If you accept our proposal, delight subscribe the enclosed extra transcript of this proposal and return it to us. Your concern is much appreciated. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to carry on green edifice construct for our college. Yours unfeignedly Tan Kian Long Director Encs

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Pest Analysis England

†¢Environmental regulations and protection: As the menace of coal smoke receded the society changed its name (to the National Society for Clean Air) and its focus, and in the 1970s began to campaign vigorously on air pollution from industry and, increasingly, transport. During this period membership was mainly (although far from exclusively) drawn from local authorities, with some industrial membership. Perhaps the main achievement of the Society after the Clean Air Acts was the development of the concept of Local Air Quality Management and the incorporation of this in the Environment Act 1995.The original Environment Bill was intended to deal with issues such as the establishment of the Environment Agency, contaminated land, National Parks and waste topics. †¢Tax policies Britain is becoming a less attractive place to invest and work in because of government tax plans, trade and investment minister Digby Jones said on Friday, the latest non-political appointee to question policy. The ruling Labor party has come under pressure to match opposition plans to raise more tax from wealthy foreigners living and working in Britain.It has proposed to end tax breaks which mean rich residents who are non-domiciled for fiscal purposes pay no UK tax. †¢International trade regulations and restrictions a. Import Tariffs Customs duty is assessed on the fair market value of imported goods at the time they are landed in the UK. Import prices for products entering the UK from non-EU states generally consist of: Cost, Insurance, Freight and Duty, with VAT of 15% levied on the aggregate value. This sum is the exporter’s â€Å"landed cost, duty paid. The commercial invoice value is usually accepted as the normal price, but if a preferential arrangement has been established between the overseas supplier and the importer, or an unrealistic value has been declared, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reserves the right to assess a fair market value for duty purposes. T he duty is payable at the time the goods are imported, but established importers can defer payment for an average of 30 days. In addition to customs duties on imported goods, an excise tax is levied on in-country sales of alcohol, tobacco, and road vehicles, and on sales of oil and petroleum products. . Trade Barriers The UK has no significant trade or investment barriers and no restrictions on the transfer of capital or repatriation of profits. The very few barriers that exist are almost all attributable to UK implementation of EU Directives and regulations. c. Import Requirements and Documentation A limited range of goods requires import licenses, which are issued by the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform’s Import Licensing Branch. These include firearms and explosives, nuclear materials, controlled drugs and certain items of military equipment. d. U.S. Export Controls U. S. exports to the UK are subject to the normal U. S. export control regulatio ns, administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) for dual-use items and the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) for military end-use items. In June 2007, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair announced a forthcoming bilateral Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty, intended to greatly reduce licensing requirements arising from government-to government defense programs. At the time of writing, the Treaty is under review by the U. S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.In addition to International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), re-exports from the UK and the activities of UK-based subsidiaries, are subject to UK export controls. These are managed by the Export Control Organization (ECO), an office of the UK Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). U. S. companies supplying certain restricted items appearing on the UK Military List, including missile and long-range UAV technology, are encouraged to consult guidance available from the E CO website on the trafficking and brokering provisions contained in the UK Export Control Act 2002. . Temporary Entry Raw materials, temporarily imported for incorporation into products for export, may be admitted without payment of duties and taxes. The importer must provide a bank or insurance company guarantee or indemnity for the applicable duties and taxes. Goods intended for unaltered re-export may also be imported free of duty for a period of up to six months by prior arrangement with Her Majesty’s Revenue & Custom (HMRC). Temporary entries and goods imported for technical examination and testing are subject to a VAT deposit scheme with VAT refunded following the re-export of the goods.Products imported for repair, calibration, or incorporation are admitted with conditional relief from duty and VAT pending correct disposal of goods, usually re-export from the European Community. Professional and demonstration equipment may be temporarily imported into the UK free of du ty and tax under the Customs Convention on the Temporary Importation of Professional Equipment. Additionally, these goods may also be imported under the above-mentioned VAT deposit scheme for temporary entries. f. Labeling and Marking RequirementsIn the UK, origin, weight and dimension, chemical composition and appropriate hazard warnings are required for consumer protection purposes on any product offered for retail sale. If the product cannot be labeled or marked, the data may be included on any packaging, accompanying printed material, or product literature. European and British clothing and shoe sizes are differently marked, and special provision may have to be made for apparel retail labeling. Dual labeling is strongly supported by the UK, which uses the practice as a cost-saving measure in its exports to North America. . Prohibited and Restricted Imports Prohibited imports include AM citizens band radios, switchblade knives, devices that project toxic, noxious or harmful subst ances (e. g. , tear gas), counterfeit coins and currency, certain types of pornography and hormone-treated beef. The UK participates in the Wassenaar Arrangement for the control of dual-use exports; the Australia Group (AG) for the control of chemical and biological weapons; and the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) for nuclear-related goods, preventing the export of restricted goods and echnology to countries of proliferation concern. The UK also supports United Nations’ sanctions restricting exports to certain other destinations. Although sensitive to the extraterritorial application of U. S. law in export controls, the UK authorities cooperate with the U. S. in preventing the re-export of sensitive goods and technology of U. S. -origin to unauthorized destinations, when the enforcement action is based on multilateral controls. h. Customs Regulations and Contact InformationThe documents required for shipments include the commercial invoice, bill of lading or airway bill , packing list, insurance documents, and, when required, special certificates of origin, sanitation, ownership, etc. A copy of the commercial invoice should accompany the shipment to avoid delays in customs clearance. It is worth noting that imprecise descriptions are a common reason for goods being held without customs clearance, meaning that a clear description of the goods is essential and should be worded in such a way as to describe the goods to an individual who may not necessarily have an understanding of a particular industry or article.A clear description of goods should satisfy three basic questions as to what the product is, for what is it used, and of what it is made. No special form of invoice is required, but all of the details needed to establish the true value of the goods should be given. At least two additional copies of the invoice should be sent to the consignees to facilitate customs clearance. Consular documents are not required for shipments to the UK. †¢ Contract enforcement lawA contract is a promise or a set of promises for the breach of which the law gives a remedy, or the performance of which the law in some way recognizes as a duty. This may be seen as giving three interconnected elements: a. A promise In the context of English law, a reference to a promise here may be seen as misleading. It is often (rightly) stated that English law will not give effect to a mere promise and that an agreement, or meeting of minds, is required. In fact, this is simply a way of distinguishing between two types of promise, namely those which do and don't give rise to a legal duty.Thus, a promise to meet one's other half for dinner at 7pm gives rise to no legal obligation – it is a â€Å"mere† promise – whereas a promise to sell someone a car for ? 5000 gives rise to legal obligation. b. A legal duty arising from that promise Here, English contract doctrine distinguishes between bilateral and unilateral contracts. A bilateral contract gives rise to obligations on both sides. Thus in a contract of sale, the seller has an obligation to transfer title in the thing sold to the buyer, whilst the buyer has an obligation to pay the price.A unilateral contract, by contrast, gives rise to obligations on one side only. Thus â€Å"I will give you ? 100 if you run a marathon† gives rise to a legal duty on the maker of the statement (the promisor) to pay the money if the race is run, whilst the person to whom the statement is made (the promisee) is under no obligation to run in the first place. c. A remedy for breach of that duty In considering the development of remedies, a fundamental distinction in English law between common law (often just abbreviated to law) and equity must be understood.For much of its history, England had two separate systems of law working side by side, each of which had different rules. One, administered by the courts of common pleas and King’s Bench, was called â€Å"the comm on law†; the other, presided over by the Lord Chancellor in the court of chancery was â€Å"equity†. Since the Judicature Acts of the nineteenth century the two systems have been administered by the same courts, although they remain separate sets of doctrine.Most important for our current purposes is that the two systems developed different sets of remedies for breach of contract, although other equitable rules which have application to contracts will be discussed as they arise. d. Proof of promise: Objective intention e. Form of promise: Offer & acceptance f. Form of promise: Certainty g. Validity of promise: Intention to create legal relations h. Validity of promise: Consideration †¢Consumer protection The United Kingdom, as member state of the European Union, is bound by the consumer protection directives of the EU.Domestic (UK) laws originated within the ambit of contract and tort but, with the influence of EU law, it is emerging as an independent area of law. In many circumstances, where domestic law is in question, the matter judicially treated as tort, contract, restitution or even criminal law. Consumer Protection issues are dealt with when complaints are made to the Director-General of Fair Trade. The Office of Fair Trading [3]will then investigate, impose an injunction or take the matter to litigation. However, consumers cannot directly complain to the OFT.Complaints need to be made to Consumer Direct who will provide legal advice to complainants, or re-direct the individual complaint to Trading Standards for investigation. Due to restrictions within the Enterprise Act 2002, individual complainants are unable to be told whether their case is being investigated or not. In very rare cases, Consumer Direct may direct a very large number of complaints to the OFT to be considered as a systemic complaint. The OFT can also be engaged by consumer groups e. g.The Consumers Association or the statutory consumer protection body – Consum er Focus – via a super complaint. The OFT rarely prosecute companies, however, preferring a light touch regulation approach. Consumer complaints against companies are not published, but investigation work, undertakings and enforcements are located at [2]. Many of the consumer protection laws e. g. Distance Selling Regulations 2000 or Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Act 1997 are actually UK implementations of EU directives. The OFT is one of the bodies responsible for enforcing these rules.This leads to a problem in that these examples of legislation are clearly designed to deal with individual complaints but the OFT will only deal with systemic complaints and will ignore individual complainants redirecting them back to Consumer Direct. The Office of Fair Trading [3] also acts as the UK's official consumer and competition watchdog, with a remit to make markets work well for consumers, and at a local, municipal level by Trading Standards departments. General consumer advice can be obtained from Consumer Direct or via a local branch of the Citizen's Advice Bureau. Employment laws The law has given employees – and in many cases other workers who might not count as employees – rights and entitlements in relation to how they are disciplined and dismissed, how their grievances are handled, wages, absence from work and sickness, holidays, work breaks and working hours, time off for family emergencies, maternity and paternity leave, the right to apply for flexible working, redundancy and retirement. All workers have the right not to be discriminated against in relation to their gender or orientation, race, age, disabilities, or religion and beliefs.Staff who feel they have been denied their rights have redress by taking their employers to an Employment Tribunal. The chances of this happening have increased three-fold for employers in the past decade or so. There was a year on year increase in Employment Tribunal claims of 56 per cent last year ( 2009-10) bringing the number of claims received to their highest level ever at 236,100 claims (source: Tribunals Service). In unfair dismissal cases employers can be ordered to pay compensation of more than ? 76,000. In discrimination cases compensation awards are theoretically unlimited and six-figure payouts are not uncommon.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Hippocampus in the Limbic System

The Hippocampus in the Limbic System The hippocampus is the part of the brain that is involved in forming, organizing, and storing memories. It is a limbic system structure that is particularly important in forming new memories and connecting emotions and senses, such as smell and sound, to memories. The hippocampus is a horseshoe shaped  structure, with an arching band of nerve fibers (fornix) connecting the hippocampal structures in the left and right brain hemispheres. The hippocampus is found in the brains temporal lobes and acts as a memory indexer by sending memories out to the appropriate part of the cerebral hemisphere for long-term storage and retrieving them when necessary. Anatomy The hippocampus is the main structure of the hippocampal formation, which is composed of two gyri (brain folds) and the subiculum. The two gyri, the dentate gyrus and Ammons horn (cornu ammonis), form interlocking connections with one another. The dentate gyrus is folded and nestled within the hippocampal sulcus (brain indentation). Neurogenesis (new neuron formation) in the adult brain occurs in the dentate gyrus, which receives input from other brain areas and aids in new memory formation, learning, and spacial memory. Ammons horn is another name for the hippocampus major or hippocampus proper. It is divided into three fields (CA1, CA2, and CA3) that process, send, and receive input from other brain regions. Ammons horn is continuous with the subiculum, which acts as the main output source of the hippocampal formation. The subiculum connects with the parahippocampal gyrus, a region of the cerebral cortex that surrounds the hippocampus. The parahippocampal gyrus is involved in memor y storage and recall. Function The hippocampus is involved in several functions of the body including: Consolidation of New MemoriesEmotional ResponsesNavigationSpatial Orientation The hippocampus is important for converting short-term memories into long-term memories. This function is necessary for learning, which relies on memory retention and proper consolidation of new memories. The hyppocampus plays a role in spatial memory as well, which involves taking in information about ones surroundings and remembering locations. This ability is necessary in order to navigate ones environment. The hippocampus also works in concert with the amygdala to consolidate our emotions and long-term memories. This process is critical for evaluating information in order to respond appropriately to situations. Location Directionally, the hippocampus is located within the  temporal lobes, adjacent to the  amygdala. Disorders As the hippocampus is linked to cognitive ability and memory retention, people who experience damage to this area of the brain have difficulty recalling events.  The hippocampus has been the focus of attention for the medical community as it relates to memory disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, epilepsy, and Alzheimers disease. Alzheimers disease,  for example, damages the hippocampus by causing tissue loss. Studies have shown that Alzheimers patients who maintain their cognitive ability have a larger hippocampus than those with dementia. Chronic seizures, as experienced by individuals with epilepsy, also damage the hippocampus, causing amnesia and other memory-related problems.  Prolonged emotional stress negatively impacts the hippocampus as stress causes the body to release cortisol, which can damage neurons of the hippocampus. Alcohol is also thought to negatively impact the hippocampus when consumed in excess. Alcohol influences certain neurons in the hippocampus, inhibiting some brain receptors and activating others. These neurons manufacture steroids which interfere with learning and memory formation resulting in alcohol-related blackouts. Heavy long term drinking has also been shown to lead to tissue loss in the hippocampus. MRI scans of the brain indicate that alcoholics tend to have a smaller hippocampus than those who are not heavy drinkers. Divisions of the Brain Forebrain - encompasses the cerebral cortex and brain lobes.Midbrain - connects the forebrain to the hindbrain.Hindbrain - regulates autonomic functions and coordinates movement. References Alcoholism: Clinical Experimental Research. (2006, October 25). Heavy, Chronic Drinking Can Cause Significant Hippocampal Tissue Loss. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 29, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061025085513.htmWashington University School of Medicine. (2011, July 10). The biology behind alcohol-induced blackouts. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 28, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110707092439.htm

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How to Convert Liters to Milliliters

How to Convert Liters to Milliliters The liter and the milliliter are both key units of volume in the metric system. The method for converting liters to milliliters is demonstrated in this worked example problem. How Many Milliliters in a Liter? The key to working a liter to milliliter problem (or vice versa) is to know the conversion factor. There are 1000 milliliters in each liter. Because this is a factor of 10, you dont actually have to break out the calculator to do a conversion. You can simply move the decimal point. Move it three spaces to the right to convert liters to milliliters (e.g., 5.442 L 5443 ml) or three spaces to the left to convert milliliters to liters (e.g., 45 ml 0.045 L). Problem How many milliliters are in a 5.0-liter canister? Solution 1 liter 1000 mL Set up the conversion so the desired unit will be cancelled out. In this case, we want mL to be the remaining unit. Volume in mL (Volume in L) x (1000 mL/1 L) Volume in mL 5.0 L x (1000 mL/1 L) Volume in mL 5000 mL Answer There are 5000 mL in a 5.0-liter canister. Check your answer to make sure it makes sense. There are 1000 times more milliliters than liters, so the milliliter number should be much greater than the liter number. Also, since we are multiplying by a factor of 10, the value of the digits wont change. Its only a matter of moving the decimal point.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Child Labor in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Child Labor in America - Essay Example Traditionally, slavery has been considered as a means for promoting the interests of specific groups of the society. In the long past, slavery was considered as part of most countries’ social and economic life. The development of international law has led many people to believe that slavery would be significantly limited, a target that, even today, seems quite difficult to be achieved. In accordance with a report of 2000, the people suffered from slavery globally are estimated to 27 million (New York Times 2000).Moreover, it has been proved that the terms of slavery have been changed. People with significant economic or social power are no more, at least not exclusively, responsible for the development of slave. People of average income are likely to force other people to slavery. At the same time, slavery is no more an issue of race; rather people of all races are forced to slavery, in various forms, a fact that proves the severe gaps of national and international laws in reg ard to the specific issue. Particular emphasis should be given on child labor, which is highly developed worldwide. In USA, about 45,000 women and children are forced to non-decent jobs annually, as reported by the Central Intelligence AgencyIt seems that the promotion of slavery worldwide has supported the increase of child labor under terms which can be characterized as quite unfair and cruel, taking into consideration the fact that children who are forced to work do not have, usually, access to education, as other children worldwide. The modern forms of slavery are analyzed in the article of Lehoczky (2000); the above researcher notes that, today, slavery is more expanded and more difficult to be controlled than in the past. At the next level, Lehoczky (2000) refers to the view of Bales who noted that today slaves exist not only in countries of the Third World, but also ‘in London and Paris’ (Lehoczky 2000). In such environment, child labor has been significantly exp anded. An example of the extension of the particular phenomenon is the following one, as described by Bales, the views of whose on slavery have been incorporated in the article of Lehoczky: a North African girl was taken, as a child, by a France family, who ensured that they were going to pay for her studies, under the terms that the girl would work for them (Bales, in Lehoczky 2000). The result was that the girl was forced to work, being also abused, at such level that when she grew up her level of consciousness was that of a child (Bales, in Lehoczky 2000). The above example shows the potential effects, and the cruelty, of child labor even in developed countries, where, normally, no such phenomena would be expected to exist. Kevin Bales, ‘a professor of sociology at Roehampton University in London’ (Vision Media 2007), has been trying, for many years, to combat slavery. In accordance with Bales, slavery has been traditionally based on economics, meaning that people ar e likely to force others to slavery in order ‘to make a profit’ (Vision Media 2007). At the next level, Bales notes that the control of slavery is often quite difficult, being covered under processes which seem to be legal; an indicative example is the provision by Japan of about ‘100,000 entertainer – visas annually’ (Vision Media 2007). As a result, thousands of young girls have entered Japan, being promised that they were going to work; in practice, these girls end up in slavery (Vision Media 2007). Specifically, regarding the child labor, Bales notes that the problem has become major not just in developing countries, but also in developed countries, even in USA where significant efforts have been made for controlling the particular phenomenon. In fact, it seems that in USA children work in the production line of well known brands, such as GAP and NIKE (Bales 1999, p.236). The expansion of child labor can be made clear