The Relationship between pupil expenditure in high and low capacity school districts and community variables

Across the nation, the public, lawmakers and educators have become deeply concerned with finding ways to measure the effectiveness of schools and school systems. Politicians and educators have been struggling with developing useful yardsticks for school effectiveness that are honest, accurate and easily comprehended. The initial stages of this effort have often resulted in evaluations that assess, judge and even mete out consequences to schools who’ve been measured by a small set of benchmarks that often do not reflect the context of the individual school.Many states, including Rhode Island, have published annual state achievement results. People have used these results to rank order districts and schools on the basis of those results as if the schools were competing on a level playing field. While valid for certain purposes, these methods encourage the public to draw sometimes unfortunate conclusions about the value of a school or school system because the yardstick itself is not sensitive to differences in school contexts, to other information about school practices, or to achievement results which are not part of the formal state assessment program.In this study we will undertake the analysis from the financial perspective and study the relationship between pupil expenditure in high and low capacity school districts and community variables. A multiple regression model will be used in order to statistically evaluate the relationship (Information works, 01) 2- LITERATURE REVIEW A hypothesis (H) is an unproven statement or proposition about a factor or phenomenon that is of interest to the researcher. It may, for example, be a tentative statement about relationships between two or more variables as stipulated by the theoretical framework or the analytical model.Often, a hypothesis is a possible answer to the research question. Hypotheses go beyond research questions because they are statements of relationships or propositions rather than merely question to which answers are sought. Whereas research questions are interrogative, Hypotheses are declarative and can be tested empirically. An important role of a hypothesis is to suggest variables to be included in the research design (Malhotra, 77). A literature review will be undertaken in order to develop hypothesis which will be tested in the study.In our study we will use the same variables as Gaudet used in the study of performance of the MCAS tests. Using these variables we will test the relationship with the pupil expenditure in school districts. These include level of educational attainment of school districts, income level, percentage of households above the poverty line, its percentage of single-parent families, its percentage of non-English-speaking households, and its level of private school enrollment in school districts. 3- REASONS FOR CHOOSING THIS TOPICThe fundamental reason for choosing this topic is that having searched literature I found that very few works have been c onducted concerning the relationship between pupil expenditure in high and low capacity school districts and community variables. Since most of the studies have been focusing the students’ performances as the indicator of the success of the school systems. This fact has encouraged me to do this piece of work in order to contribute to the existing knowledge about this subject by adding a new point of view.Another reason is that most people who are involved in the evaluation of the school systems have poor background in finance, so it is so difficult for them to understand the pros and cons of the financial aspects of the school systems. In addition to that analysts and common people should understand the relationship between pupil expenditure in high and low capacity school districts and community variables. They should not only concentrate on educational tools but also address the community variables while designing the educational expenditure policies in order to improve the performance of the school system in the United States.

Francis Turbine Conclusion

FFRANCIS TURBINE QUESTIONS & DISCUSSIONS 7. 1 QUESTIONS 1. Plot a graph of: a. Turbine velocity versus flow rate. b. Turbine velocity versus output torque. c. Turbine velocity versus hydraulic power. d. Turbine velocity versus mechanical power. e. Turbine velocity versus efficiency. 2. Give your comment(s) from the graph obtained. ? Based on the graph Turbine velocity versus flow rate, it is shown that line for both z=50% and 100%is increasing when turbine velocity increase, flow rate also increasing. From the graph Turbin velocity versus output torque, it is shown that output torque for the both line will increase slightly when turbine velocity is increase ? In the Turbin velocity versus hydraulic power graph,the line shows water speed is increasing due to increasing of hydraulic power. Overall, when turbine velocity become large then it will increase hydraulic power. ? Graph of Turbin velocity versus mechanical power shows mechanical power increase when turbine velocity is going do wn. ? For the graph of Turbin velocity versus efficiency, it shows its efficiency decrease when turbine elocity increase. 3. State five (5) safety factors that have been taken in the experiment. There is five safety factors that should be taken while doing the experiment in laboratory: ? Make sure our hands are dry when switch on the switch of the machine ? Make sure the turbine is not stopped immediately as it tends to overspeed with emergency stops. ? Make sure the equipment function well before experiment get started. ? Must follow procedure going on the experiment so accident could be avoid during experiment. ? Make sure handling well the equipments during experiment and void silly behavior.DISCUSSIONS Francis turbine is a type of water turbine that was developed by James B. Francis. It is an inward flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today. They operate in a head range of ten meters to sev eral hundred meters and are primarily used for electrical power production. In real life, the basic operating system of the Francis Turbine is applied to generate hydroelectric power. To design the most efficiency hydroelectric generator, several factors -head, low rate, velocity, power and efficiency of the area should be taking into account. Hman is the differences of pressure head position which measured the pressure and the turbine shaft bar. It is a kinetic parameter which cause by water velocity. The height differences between the pressure gauging point position and the point of water level at the outflow of reservoir will influence the power of outlet. Lower river flows because of drought, climate change or upstream dams and diversions will reduce the amount of live storage in a reservoir therefore reducing the amount of water that can be used for ydroelectricity. The result of diminished river flow can be power shortages in areas that depend heavily on hydroelectric power. T he turbine overall efficiency, is calculated as the ratio of power at outlet point compared to the generated power. It is because in natural the head and velocity of water source is not possible remaining constant. It will influence capacity factor lower than 100%. During the experiment, there might be some error that affects the result of this experiment. The errors that might occur are parallax error while recording the readings or inaccurate time counting.Besides, before starting the experiment, the water lever of the tank storage should be checked for remaining at acceptable water lever. CONCLUSION From the experiment that was done, we can conclude that the turbine velocity is increase with the flow rate, output torque, and hydraulic power but decrease in efficiency and mechanical power. REFERENCES †¦ Ab Aziz Abdul Latiff, Zawawi Daud, Noor Azila Ahmad, Hartini Kasmin, Wan Afnizan Wan Mohamed,†¦ Zarina Md Ali. (2007). Hidraulik. Penerbit UTHM APPENDIX †¦ Original Data Sheet

Outline how legislation, policies and procedures relating to heath Essay

The Health and Safety at work act is a piece of legislation that is responsible for convering all health and safety in britain. However, the health and safety manager at individual establishments are responsible for carrying out the act and making sure everything is in cohearance with the piece of legislation. HASAWA influences health and social care in many different ways such as the protection it now gives to employers and employees, before this piece of legislation was made people had no legal protection whilst they were at work. HASAWA influences health and social as it tells the owner of a business, or establishment, what they need to be doing to make sure they are working in accordance to the legislation. Everyone has the duty to comply with the act, this includes employers, employees, trainees, self employed, manufacturers, suppliers ect. This legislation keeps people safe as it provides people with the instuctions to make their establishments safe for themselves and their emp loyees. HASAWA tells owners to carry out a risk assessment which points out the hazards that need to be changed and/or fixed. An example of legislation influencing a health and care setting is The Manual Handling Operations regualtion. MHOR is always thought to be the last resort, and only if there is a possibility of injury. Legislation tells emplyers and employees how to move and handle things appropriately and when it is and isn’t appropriate to move and handle things. Employers must carry out risk assessments before opening a business to find if there are any faults or dangers to the customers or employees. There must be a health and safety policy written specifically for that setting and someone must be employed to be in charge of health and safety. Everything in the establishment must be insured incase accidents occur. Employees must take responsibility of your own and other peoples health and  safety and not do anything that could cause someones health and safety to be put at risk. This influences the setting as it keeps people working or entering the setting safe and gives them the appropri ate instructions to keep them as safe as possible. It keeps people safe as it provides instructions and regulations that must be followed to keep everyone safe, and if everyone follows these regulations and instructions then their safety and health will be safe. Food Safety Act 1990 The Food Safety Act 1990 is a frame for all food legislation in Britain. Responsibilities for food businesses include: Ensuring you do not include anything in food or remove anything from food making it a hazard to the health of people consuming it. Advertising food in a way that isn’t misleading or false. The food safety act influences health in many different ways, it gives environmental health the right to inspect the quality of food, the place it is prepared and the place it is served and if it is not up to standard they have the power to close the establishment, in extreme cases. Before the establishment is closed down they are served a notice of improvement or be temporaraly closed until the standards are back up. Without the Food Safety Act food would be able to be served to you in any conditon, and if you became ill from that food you could not retain any form of compensation because there is no legislation telling the establishment how to cook, prepare and serve food safely. Employers and employees must make sure food is safe to eat, make sure they don’t add, remove or treat food in a way that makes it harmful to eat, make sure the quality of the food is the same as it is advertised or expected by the customer, Keep track of where the food was bought, if unsafe food is discovered it needs to be recorded and removed and tell people why the food has been recalled. There must be hand wash at all sinks and hands must be washed before touching food, after touching food, after using the toilet, after touching animals, after touching your own skin and hair, after sneezing or coughing and after touching raw food. Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 RIDDOR is the piece of legislation that states all injuries, diseases, illnesses need to be reported to either the health and safety executive or  the local council. RIDDOR is put in place so that health and safety executives can look at where the risks occur and can take steps to prevent them. There are of course only certain injuries and dangerous occuurences that need to be reported, things such as violence at work, gas leaks, injuries that have occured during work or in the work place. RIDDOR also benefits people who have been injured at work and want compensation, health and safety executives follow up on the case and evaluate if the acdicent was because of the employee being put at risk or if they didnt follow procedure. The employers responsibility is to maintain the safety of their employees customers and they have the responsibility to report if an employee or customer has been injured whilst at wor k or in the establishment. Without RIDDOR, injuries caused in the workplace could not be claimed upon and the hazard could not be found and removed, if the hazard isn’t removed then people will be continuously be getting injured. The incidents need to be written in an accident book and should inlude the date and time of injury, the name of the worker, a description of the accident, action taken and the result. Slips, Trips, Falls Slips, trips and falls are the most common causes of major injuries in the work place. Most trips are caused by uneven or un-maintained floors, and slips are usually cased by wet floors. However, slips, trips and falls can be prevented if the right preventions and procedures are put into place and followed. The employers responsibilities are to make sure the floors serface is even and maintained, decreasing the risk of trips, all obstructions in hallways and on floors are removed and stored properly, this also decreases the risk of trips. All spillages should be immediately cleaned up using the appropriate method, usually a cloth or mop, and a wet floor sign should be appointed if needed, this decreases the risk of slips. Staffs responsibilities are to wear safe and sensible footwear which have good grip, and they must also keep their work stations clear and tidy, also both staff and service users have the responsibility to report obstructions and spillages if not recognised. The pol icy put in place ifluences health and care as it prevents the risks of slips, trips and falls, without it there would be no procedures to influence staff to remove the risks, such as obsticles that may cause trips. If staff, employees and the service users don’t follow the policies put in place then the risks of accidents will be raised, and if an accident does occur and they haven’t followed the procedures they were responsible to follow then they can’t claim any form of compensation.

The Extended Synthesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Extended Synthesis - Essay Example This artificial exercise has proved to be a therapy for complications, like obesity, diabetes among others. Experts and researchers have found out that exercise is essential in maintaining body fitness and is used even on medical grounds as a therapy. Exercise is also essential for enhancing emotional health especially the yoga moves which incorporates meditation. However, seeking exercise from gymnasiums has taken another twist where people are addicted to exercising, and they resort to using drugs such as hormone pills, protein powders and steroid, which are detrimental to their health. There are several other complications associated with extreme exercise especially when one takes a regimen that is not in line with his or her fitness. This paper develops the argument that exercise is an accepted method that is essential in improving and maintaining physical as well as emotional health, regardless of some few misgivings. Although no one can guarantee the length of our lives, everyone wishes to live a long and healthy life. Regardless of this guarantee, there are proved ways of increasing our chances of living longer. There are benefits of being physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically healthy. If one is in poor health, it will be hard for one to participate in many activities with their friends, children and family. A healthy person tends to live longer, get fewer bugs and experience less aches and pains as they age and they recover faster from illnesses, then unhealthy person. Exercise has been accepted as a method for improving and maintaining emotional and physical health, and growing evidence supports a belief that yoga for instance has a lot of benefits to physical and mental health. Physical exercise has three categories depending on the resultant effects on the human body. The first category is the flexibility exercise, like stretching, which improves the range of muscle and join t motion. The second category is the aerobic exercises

Organisational Change Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Organisational Change Management - Assignment Example It is therefore recommended that; for a successful change process, thorough planning, managing and strategic communication of information about the change should be adhered to. 5Ds approach is therefore recommended during planning of organizational change. These 5Ds are essentially, Definition, Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny or Delivery. Definition According to 5Ds cycle perspective, the first D represents the definition. Ironically it was the last D to be introduced into the cycle. It is therefore regarded as the first approach or step that should be taken to ensure that an organizational change is successful (Tonder 2004, p59). Obviously, it is impossible to solve a problem that is yet to be detected. It is argued that in the previous days, Al consultants used the process of definition in answering the following questions, what is the project is all about? What are the outcomes of the project? And what are the contract details? Up to this point, one can therefore define Defin ition according to 5Ds as, the process of determining what the problem in an organization is? And what are the outcomes of the changes made in an organization? This process therefore tends to help managers in determining the consequences that might result from the changes they make in their respective organizations. As much as much as 5Ds cycle is recommended during the process of implementing a change in organization, managers of these organizations are also always advised to consider some factors that might guide them during the process of implementation (Burke 2010, p104). These factors are always meant to help prepare the managers themselves and the entire employees of the possible consequences that might be experienced as a result of the change or changes made in an organization. Some of these factors include; early preparation for the change of the project, how to communicate the information of change about the project, how to handle the reactions that might be resulted from t his change, developing leadership strategy that can effectively lead change, how to survive the difficult task of restricting and finally, to always seek help through the process of change (Savon & Czarniawska-Joerges 1996, p72). Generally, consideration of these factors will protect the manager from receiving shocking reactions during the process of change. Regarding the situation in the D2 Company, it is clear that change is needed. This then implies that the company’s manager must come up with a strategy of implementing the change. For these changes come up successfully, the manager of the company will have to use the 5D approach with the considerations of the guiding factors. The manager is then expected to start the process of implementation of the change by considering the first D of the cycle. The Definition step will then help him determine what type of change is needed, what the expected outcomes are and finally what the contract details of the implementation. As for the case in D2 Company, the reason for the change is because the company is experiencing economical problems thus the need for cutting costs. Therefore the manager is expected to act swiftly towards the implementation of the changes required. As for the case of D2 Company the key issues that require attention are the following: first the major issue is how the company can survive the effects of economic downfall. Secondly the company will then need to look on the issue on

Western Cultural Influence on Japanese Artistry Essay

Western Cultural Influence on Japanese Artistry - Essay Example Between the Meiji Restoration in the latter half of the 19th century and the Taisho Era prior to the First World War, Japanese culture was significantly changed due to Western influence and the styles of traditional Japanese art were changed or largely abandoned for Western artistic techniques. During the period of Japanese isolation, artists were inspired to draw from their own cultural history and to create artwork based on the development of traditional techniques. Their work was heavily influenced by religious beliefs such as Buddhism and the Yoga lifestyle; after Western cultures were introduced to the nation, artists would study abroad and bring home classic European techniques such as impressionism, post-impressionism and eclecticism that would both stand alone and change the traditional Japanese techniques into new styles. During the early years of Western perception of Japanese art, many traditional styles were viewed as identical, due simply to the fact that European and North American audiences were not accustomed to them (Tipton, pp.53-55). While post-war Japan would be indisputably influenced by international cultures, it was the years of the Meiji Restoration and the Taisho era that started the artistic shift from traditional Japanese to modern Western styles. ... Aside from sculpting Buddhas and the development of early ceramic techniques that would become invaluable throughout the world, Japanese artists took quite easily to painting as a major form of art. The fact that calligraphy was in itself an art form, rendered not only for function but for beauty, had a direct hand in the large-scale development of Japanese painting because both involved the use of a brush. Brush skills were such a rudimentary part of Japanese life that it was second nature for artists to pick up a paintbrush and work on complete pictures instead of just characters. Because of this initial correlation between calligraphy and painting, one can easily see how the latter developed from the former. Japanese painting has traditionally utilized the same brush techniques as were necessary for the formation of calligraphy characters; these were further developed however the origins of such painting techniques can easily be discerned. Where traditional European painting was characterized by the use of the paintbrush to show objects in realistic form by making use of light and shading, Japanese painting formed as an offshoot of calligraphy and therefore objects were portrayed in a basic style that used individual lines in a form of impressionism. Artwork in the Edo Period, immediately prior to the Meija era, encompassed not only painting and ceramics, but architecture and woodblock prints. Stunning architectural styles were not only beautiful when standing alone, but they were created in conjunction with various gardens that were designed to showcase the buildings in the best light. Traditional Japanese architecture is internationally famed alongside the country's ceramics, silk weaving and other art forms, but perhaps most unique

Computer Hardware and Operation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Computer Hardware and Operation - Research Paper Example This has created a difficulty to maintain the entire system which has brought about the need to properly configure the system based on user requirements. Responsively, it has been observed that in order to ensure that different users derive utmost usability from the usage of their system, a categorization has been made which includes configurations required for standard users, power user and elite user. The standard users would perform basic administrative related tasks such as spreadsheets, word processing along with internet. Conversely, power user would perform engineering and information technology (IT) related tasks. Entailing a moderate budget of $1400 for each system, these systems would require features such as high quality graphics along with sound, greater proportion of memory and storage. Similarly, the system of elite user to be used by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) would be arranged in such a manner which would ensure latest features and top ranked quality. With thes e background considerations, the paper intends to provide reasoned justifications for the selection of a few of the major components for these users including case, power supply, processor, mother board, memory, storage (magnetic and optical) and monitor. The key aspect of the paper is to detail feasible budgeted configuration plans for each of the users so that their needs are satisfied. Reason for Selecting Each of the Major Components for Different Types of Users Case. Computer case which also termed as system unit or base unit is one of the major components of a computer system. Cases are usually manufactured by steel or aluminum. In addition, case at times is manufactured with plastic and even wood as well. Cases come in different sizes. The size of the case is majorly dependent on the motherboard. For instance, a case prepared for an ATX motherboard along with power supply may assume a number of external forms. Various kinds of cases that are available in the market include ve rtical tower, flat desktop and pizza box. Responsively, it is observed that business organizations often depend on the desktop cases and mini-tower cases. Computer cases layout is designed with sheet metal which consumes the power supply. Moreover, the rear board is constructed with billet peripheral connectors which protect the expansion slots and motherboard. Cases usually possess power switch, reset button and LEDs to help show the power status and activity of the network. In recent scenarios, the most popular cases in the consumer market include ATX (PCGuide, 2001). In relation to the provided scenario, it can be affirmed that there would be a requirement of a diverse set of cases for different user configurations i.e. elite, standard and power. For standard configurations, there would be a prospective purchase of 12 systems wherein the budgeted value of each system has been assigned at $750. Considering these factors, the suggested computer case will be Full Tower ATX Gaming Ca se. The price of this case is US$8 for each piece, featuring advanced cooling system and convenient install procedure which would fulfill the requirement of the standard users. Furthermore, for power users, the recommended case will be ATX Computer Case/Cabinet black with silver and the price will be US$10.15 for each piece. This case renders side panel window facility. Conversely, for elite system configuration, the price

The Representation of Mosquitoes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Representation of Mosquitoes - Assignment Example Consequently, a select species of mosquitoes survive the effects of the pesticide. Certain mosquitoes are likely to survive the effects of pesticide due to a selective advantage. This selective advantage results in a greater resistance to the genes of certain mosquitoes. As a result, they are able to survive the effects of a pesticide spray as other mosquitoes die. The mosquitoes that are able to survive the effects of the pesticide possess a genetic resistance to the pesticide. As the mosquitoes achieve maturity, they reproduce and transfer the genetic resistance to the subsequent generation. In the process, the new generation acquires an increase in the number of alleles that develop further resistance to the pesticide within the population. A systematic and continuous application of the selective pressure against the pesticide results in a mutual resistance against the pesticide within the mosquito population. Examples of organisms that became extinct before the adaptive radiation are the prehistoric non- avian dinosaurs that were replaced by mammals during the end period of Cretacious. Adaptive radiation refers to a fast evolutionary radiation fuelled by natural selection that is synonymous with an addition of the ecological and morphological diversity of one rapidly changing lineage. It occurs right after extinction since the phenotypes of a new species adapt in conformance to the environment. Consequently, new traits that are beneficial are increasingly evident. The sun acts as a source of energy that is transferred to the producers such as plants. However, the energy is lost through heat. As a result, 10% of the energy from the producers is transferred to primary consumers such as deer, zebras, and other herbivores. As energy is transferred across the trophic levels through consumption, there is a consistent loss of approximately 10%.

Concept of Virillio and Klein on globalization Assignment

Concept of Virillio and Klein on globalization - Assignment Example Armitage (2011) reports that an analysis of the professor's work reveals expressions that tend to link the globalization concept to internationalism, a term with a close association to communism and a distance a way from the unifying capitalistic market concept preached by preachers of pro westernized philosophies. Virillio rejects the globalization concept as perpetuator of a success of over free trade over totalitarian Marxism. According to Armitage (2011), his rejection of this view is in reaction to his claim that the definition lacks the aptitude to address the present loss of time gaps, the telescoping inherent in industrial and post industrial actions. Furthermore, the extensive concept of globalization is leading to the upper echelons of human modernity which is cultivated by technology and media coercion. In Armitage (2011), it is clear that Virillio believes that past these levels human beings can only encounter the backward tightening to a spectacle characterized by an inf inite density and dilapidated to personified humans permitting only existence through a phantom space. Armitage (2011) reports that Virillio arguments as supported by the recent fiscal catastrophes that brought countless nations to the brink of bankruptcy while putting countable multinationals out of business. Virillio suggest that the comprehension of the present fiscal predicaments should take a school of thought that hat views it as a hypermodern catastrophe. A misfortune characterized by hypermodern speed flanking the entire global civilization which is a bout to rupture, (Armitage, 2011).Evidently, this proposition is inline with the well comprehended economic perception that any form of advancement as a corresponding face of a catastrophe. This has the implication that progress has an equivalent face which is an upheaval and is analogous to the double faces of a coin. Armitage (2011) cites such pundits like Walter Benjamin who furthered the theoretical conceptualization of cat astrophic attributes of globalization to have influenced Virilio's perception of globalization. Armitage (2011) cites Virilio's assertion that the westernization forged by Benjamin Franklin which over the decades supported rampart capitalistic globalization has finally reached its conclusive phase. Consequently, the present persistent fiscal negativity evident globally impeccably confirms these propositions. According to Klein (2008), globalization which has in the past years prompted the free global trade has over years profited multinationals at the expense of the disadvantage populace around the globe. From both books, Klein (2008) and Klein (2000), it is evident that corporations have over the years advanced sizably to levels that they presently supersede state organizations. Klein (2000) suggests that presently, corporate commands such elevated echelon of influence that they dictate the direction taken by political regimes across the globe. Klein (2000) argues that while they h ave in time indirectly captured governance, they are not obligated to nations' citizens but to their self centered shareholders. Klein (2000) claims that the events have adversely affected the tri pillars of civic space resulting in highly constricted social liberties and increasingly restricted employment prospects. According to Klein (2000), the maiden pillar that the corporate through state agencies have taken away from the common populace is the constricted liberty. Klein

Business integration topics 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business integration topics 1 - Essay Example The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has come out with a report in 2007 which has tried to provide evidence for this phenomenon. According to this report, the average temperature on Earth in 1905 was 14Â ºC and since then has increased at a rapid rate of 2.5 annually. The warming period in the last 50 years has been double of that of the last 100 years. (Norcia 2008) There have been critics of these findings who suggest that such numbers are not abnormal, some critics or global warming skeptics have even said that the IPCC report is not based on science but instead it is based on some ‘new faith based religion.’ (Norcia 2008) There are three main greenhouse gases in the atmosphere; carbon dioxide, nitrus oxide and methane. The levels of all three gases has been increasing rapidly. Specifically, carbon dioxide has increased by 35 per cent, nitrus oxide has increased by 18 er cent from 1750 to 2005 and methane has increased 142.2 per cent from 1750 to 1990 and then 2.4 per cent in 2005. These rates are more than those shown in the ice cores and other geological data. (Norcia 2008) We can notice the change in the temperatures over the last couple of years, it has gotten fairly hot. The climate swings can be in both directions, warm and cold, but mostly there has been an increase in the temperature. There have been a few cold seasons as well but these remain insignificant in front of the high temperatures that the world all around has been expereincing. According to the findings of the IPCC report it is not the natural causes which have led to higher temperatures, it is rather human activities which have led to the phenomenon of global warming. Humans have increased their use of fossil fuel, deforestation and use of excessive fertislizers which has led us to theis problem. Many of the effects of global warming are being felt

Neighbourly Relations Essay Example for Free

Neighbourly Relations Essay Examine the argument that neighbourly relations are characterised by friendly distance. Neighbourly relations are an aspect of life which affects every single one of us at some point in our lives. When we look to live somewhere we not only consider the property and general area, but are also curious about our neighbours. A common question when viewing a property is ‘what are the neighbours like? ’ and the answer is usually ‘they are really nice’ whether they are or not! But what makes a good neighbour? Some people get on with their neighbours but just as many don’t and usually it’s due to what can appear as trivial disputes. This essay will look at the term ‘friendly distance’ which plays a huge part in how neighbours interact with each other. Many studies have asked the question ‘what makes a good neighbour? ’ and social scientists have found that despite different back grounds or settings the majority of people want the same set of standards from the people living near or around them. People need to be friendly and be there for each other but at the same time respect each others’ ‘need for privacy and reserve’ (Willmott. , cited in Byford, 2009, p. 253). So you have to be friendly but keep your distance at the same time. So how do we do this? Neighbouring relations comes with it’s own set of unwritten rules. These rules are constantly being portrayed and carried out in our day to day lives subconsciously. A 2004 study carried out in Manchester neighbourhoods further shows that this is a widespread practice. Neighbours of various areas demonstrated similar actions and practices of what is expected from neighbours, a common one being that they will chat with their neighbour when they are outside of the house if they see them but wouldn’t they wouldn’t go in each other’s house (Harris and Gale, cited in Byford, 2009, p. 55). This type of understanding of what is expected of a neighbour is also echoed in another study where neighbouring is seen as an ‘occasioned activity’ (Laurier et al. , cited in Byford, 2009, p. 256). This study showed that whilst neighbours can exchange pleasantries quite happily with one another if they meet in a public place, they would only directly go to the neighbours house and ring their door bell if there was something specific they wanted of if something was wrong. Although similar studies were carried out in the USA and findings were very much the same as the UK, other countries and cultures can be quite different. In 1970, the anthropologist Stanley Brandes visited Spain to study how modernisation and urbanisation affected small rural communities there. He resided in the village of Becedas and observed the daily life of it’s residents. What he found there was quite different to the UK, in that neighbours would enter each other’s houses without knocking or a second thought. They introduced themselves immediately by name and offered their help and went out of their way to make Brandes feel welcome. (Brandes, 1975, cited in Byford, p. 260). But as Brandes resided there longer he came to understand that what appeared at first as welcoming and friendly practices, it actually belied a community that in reality was quite mistrusting and critical of each other. Privacy was not seen as necessary and someone who required it would be considered rude and impolite. The poor status of the village meant that the villagers relied on each other for daily help with manual labour and other traditional activites. Without each other they felt they couldn’t surive even, but this high dependence on each other masked the underlying feeling of distrust they had for each other. But what about when neighbouring goes wrong? As human beings we can’t get it right all the time and relations can break down leading to disputes and disagreements. Noisy neighbours is a common complaint and one that is suffered more commonly in overcrowded housing estates where insulation is poor. This in turn leads to a lack of privacy and leads to a neighbours making adjustments within their daily life to prevent embarrassment of being overheard. These adjustments can referred to as ‘distancing mechanisms’ (Bourke, 1994, cited in Byford, p. 266). Such adjustments could include turning the bed away from the adjoining wall, and other ways of preventing noise from being heard. So although people can do what they like in their own homes, they are expected to take necessary steps to minimise what other’s can hear. Another much more serious example of neighbourly relations going wrong is exhibited within the cases of the murders of Catherine Genovese and James Bulger. Although neighbours assume they offer security to one another and ‘look out for each other’ (Attwood et all. , cited in Byford, p. 271) the public exposure of both the above cases uncovered a massive breakdown in neighbourly relations. In both cases a large number of residents heard screams, or observed unusual behaviour which left them concerned but they failed to do anything. A number of studies were carried out to study ‘bystander intervention’ to determine why these people didn’t help. One study carried out showed that if one person helps out then nother may do as well, but people are led by each other’s actions (Latane and Darley, cited in Byford, p. 279) and this was referred to as the ‘bystander effect’. In another study by Levine (1999) he found that the percieved relationship between the three boys in the Bulger case led to the reason why no-one intervened. People failed to get involved because they assumed the boys were all brothers and it was nothing to do with them. As neighbours we commonly share a social identity, or even a collective identity through our relationship with each other. This shared identity should profer a loyalty to each other as people within a shared group usually ‘stick together’. However, it would seem neighbourly relations are alot more complex than merely a shared identity. Neighbouring practices are carried out without thinking within our normal day, and these practices allow us to manage the fine line of private and public space. Neighbourhood life is ordered and defines how people should live together, and go about their daily lives without interfering but also by being there for each other too.

Western Governors University Essay Example for Free

Western Governors University Essay The APEX Company has the mission to â€Å"Exceed customers’ expectations in providing consulting services of a superior value. † To be successful in that mission, it is imperative that we are diligent in maintaining a good and solid reputation in every endeavor we undertake. Who we are and how we run our business is guided by our ethics program. The purpose of our ethics program is to identify, prevent and correct ethics issues. Our ethics program consists of our Code of Conduct, compliance auditing, two way communications between management and employees, improvement and re-current training on ethical behavior. The policy set forth after this overview is expected to be adhered to by all employees from the CEO, down to the janitorial staff. All employees should become familiar with the ethics guidelines that follow this introduction. We are firm believers that the decisions we make today, determine our success for tomorrow. Sincerely, APEX Management B. Standards and Procedures APEX Code of Conduct †¢APEX management team welcomes concerns from employees and commit to open door policies for those ethical concerns †¢APEX employees are committed to ethical behavior and shall always act in the best interest of the client. †¢APEX employees are committed to providing professional services with integrity. †¢APEX employees are committed to treating everyone fairly and respectfully. †¢APEX employees avoid the appearance of unethical or compromising practices. †¢APEX employees only accept only those assignments for which they have the qualifications, knowledge and skill in which to serve the client. †¢APEX employees disclose any conflict of interests and avoid conflicts of interest or the appearance of such. †¢ APEX employees do not accept simultaneous or competing assignments from two or more clients who have potentially conflicting interests without informing all parties in advance and securing all parties’ prior agreement. †¢APEX employees treat clients’ information as confidential and take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized access. †¢APEX employees do not use company assets or business relationships for personal use or personal gain. †¢APEX employees promote a trustworthy environment and support positive ethics within the company. C. Ethics Training Program New Employee Training As part of the onboarding process, all new employees are trained in APEX’s ethics program; this includes an introduction into the corporate values and codes of conduct. Employees are instructed in identifying incidents of ethical behavior and the proper methods of reporting procedures of ethical violations. This is initial training is refreshed in ninety days and then the new hire is in the training cycle with the existing employees. Current Employee Training Existing employees are trained on a continuous basis on the expected ethical behavior of APEX employees. This initial four hour classroom training is refreshed in quarterly sessions lasting one hour each and the four hour training is repeated annually. All training is conducted by the Ethics Officer D. Compliance Systems Monitor Supervisors are responsible for ensuring the adequate and efficient training for all subordinates. Signatures are obtained on the Verification of Training forms and are to be submitted to Human Resources for retention in the employee’s personnel folder. Employee misconduct will be monitored in by supervisory review of actions taken by employees, by conducting yearly surveys and also by implementing a reporting system. In our monitoring, we will be reviewing compliance and targeting deviations to our established ethical behavior. When the method of surveys is utilized, they will be nameless and must be completed within the thirty day allotted time. One feature of our reporting system is the establishment of our APEX Ethics Hotline, (800) 555-5555. This line is monitored by the Ethics Office and is open to anyone, the public, employees and customers to anonymously report unethical behavior or to ask ethics questions. With this system we are able to effectively monitor and evaluate unethical behavior and to take corrective action as required. The Ethics Officer compiles this data monthly and reports to the CEO with the trends and analysis. Audit APEX will conduct yearly audits to our Ethics program. This will determine if we are in compliance with our company’s ethics standards and will utilize the Six-Sigma model as a method of improving upon those standards. This type of model will allow APEX to spotlight areas that are outside of our goals. Auditing employee misconduct is performed by tracking our hotline calls by the types of incident, number of occurrences, general ethics questions and confirmed noncompliance. The audit are performed by the Ethics Officer on an yearly basis as well as on the spot checks to ensure that all employees are properly orientated in the company’s code of conduct and are familiar with the channels available for reporting violations. Our objective auditing processes will report our compliance and noncompliance with our ethics program and determine whether or not APEX has reached its goals. All of our internal findings will be verified by an external auditing firm, Wecheckem Auditors, LLC. Wecheckem will generate a report that will be furnished to the Ethics Committee for publishing on the company’s intranet. This third party company will use the results of this report, responses from customers, and the ratings of the surveys to audit the employees of APEX compliance with our Code of Conduct, the company’s officers compliance with our Code of Conduct, and to assess the company an overall score from 1, non-compliant, to 10, excellent, on our ethical program. Reporting Misconduct It is imperative that employees of APEX feel comfortable with bringing any issues and concerns to management’s attention. Ethical issues occurring with the staff should be communicated immediately. It is important to note APEX has a zero tolerance policy and any infractions of this code of ethics will be met with quick and decisive action. Any employee found to have violated this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Often times, a concern may arise or even a simple question concerning ethical conduct. At those times, there are many different avenues whereby assistance can be sought. Some of those avenues are: †¢Management team †¢APEX Ethics Hotline (800) 555-5555 †¢Human Resources Department †¢ The Ethics Officer: Mr. Idoo Wright Esq. Suite 746 1400 Independence Avenue Corpus Christi, TX 64009 E. Ethics Program Assessment Review The Ethics Officer is responsible forming the Ethics Committee and for the continual review of APEX Company ethics program. The Ethics Officer shall conduct verifications of training records; compile a database of all reports of ethical violations and the resultant investigations and findings of same. The information gathered is then turned over to an outside firm specializing in Corporate Governance and Ethics for an independent review and assessment. Improvement The Ethics Officer and Ethics Committee shall review all ethical violations and in conjunction with the findings and recommendations of the outside audit firm,Wecheckem, LLC, to produce program improvements utilizing Lean Six Sigma methodologies. Standards and procedures shall be updated whenever there are improvements to the program.

Effects of an oil price shock on importing and exporting countries

Effects of an oil price shock on importing and exporting countries From the middle of twentieth century, due to exceptional importance of the crude oil in the supply of the worlds energy demands, it has become one of the major indicators of economic activities of the world. Even after the appearance of alternate forms of energy like solar power, water and wind, the importance of crude oil as the main source of energy still cannot be denied. This sharp increase in the world oil prices and the volatile exchange rates are generally regarded as the factors of discouraging economic growth. Particularly, the very recent highs, recorded in the world oil market bring apprehension about possible slump in the economic growth in both developed and developing countries. A large number of researchers proposed that exchange rate volatility and oil price fluctuations have considerable consequences on real economic activities. The impact of oil price fluctuation is expected to be different between in oil exporting and in oil importing countries. An oil price increase should be considered as bad news for oil importing countries and good news for oil exporting countries, while the reverse should be expected when the oil price decreases. Through demand and supply transmission mechanism, oil prices impacts the real economic activity. The supply side effects are associated with the fact that crude oil is a basic input to production, and an increase in oil price leads to a rise in production costs ultimately that result in firms lower output. Oil prices changes also entail demand-side effects on investment and consumption. Consumption is also affected indirectly through its positive relation with disposable income. Moreover, oil prices have an adverse impact on investment by increasing firms costs. On the other hand it is generally recognized that the depreciation of exchange rate would reduce imports and expand exports, while the appreciation of exchange rate would encourage imports and discourage exports. Especially a depreciation of the exchange rate leads to income transfer to exporting countries from importing countries through a shift in the terms of trade. Since 2003, oil prices increased continuously, even touched the peak of $137 per barrel in July 2008, but after that a declining trend was observed. After 1970s, many negative oil shocks hit the world economies. The first one was during 1973-74 caused by OPEC oil prohibition, and secondly in 1978-79 when the OPEC put restraints on its oil production. This rising trend in oil prices continued until mid 1980s, subsequently, Iraq-Iran war in early 1980s further shoot up the prices. However in 1986, when Saudi Arabia increased its crude oil production, oil price tend to decreased. In 1990s, Iraq-Kuwait war was a major factor of oil price increase but it was ended in a year because of Asian financial crisis. In 1999-2000 the OPEC again narrow its production leading to another price shock. The latest and last oil price shock was started in the year 2003 which continued till July 2008. In other words, oil prices have always remained quite volatile. According to report of IEA (2004) , these price shocks have raised serious concerns among the policy makers all over the world. The adverse economic impact of higher oil prices on oil-importing developing countries is generally considered as more worse than for the developed countries because of their more reliance on imported oil and are more energy-intensive. Malik. A (2007) also mentioned in her research that, the recent surge in the oil prices especially after 2000 has worried many economists about its possible adverse impacts. This increasing trend in the oil prices has hurt many of the economies worldwide including that of Pakistan, in terms of creating inflationary pressures, increasing budget deficit and balance of payment problems. According to ADB (2005) report, supply, demand, and speculative factors, and their interrelationships, all leads towards the steady rise in oil prices. From the last many years, all over the world, the demand for oil grew due to economic strength and growth in the US, as well as strong economic performance in developing Asian countries specially China and India. From 1990s to 2003 global demand for oil grew at the rate of 1.3 % whereas for the People Republic of China and India the combined rates is at 7 % and accounted for almost 40 percent of the demand growth. There are various empirical literatures, investigating the relationship between oil price variations and economic growth. The existence of a negative relationship between macro-economic activities and oil prices has become widely accepted especially after Hamiltons 1983 work. He pointed out that increase in oil prices, reduced US output growth from 1948 to 1980. Hamiltons findings have been confirmed and extended by many authors and researcher. Hooker (1996) confirmed and extended Hamiltons work for the period 1948 to 1972 and demonstrated that the oil price level and its changes do reflect the influence on GDP growth. This is shown in the third and fourth quarters after the shock that rise of 10% in oil prices lead to a GDP growth decrease of approximately 0.6 %. Accordingly, Lee et al. (1995) Mork (1989), and Hamilton (1996) presented the non-linear transformations of oil prices to re-establish the negative association between oil prices increases and economic decline, as well as t hese researchers also analyzed Granger causality between both variables. The result of Granger causality test proved that oil prices Granger cause U.S. economy before 1973 but no longer Granger cause was found from 1973 to 1994. Recently, Hamilton (2003) and Jimenez and Rodrà ­guez (2004) also confirms the non-linear relationship between the economic growth of U.S. economy and increases of oil prices The quantitative exercise conducted by the IEA in alliance with the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and development) department of Economics and with the assistance of IMF Research department in 2004, indicated that a continued $10 per barrel increase in oil price would result in the decrease of about 0.4 % OECD as a whole, in the first and second years of higher prices. Inflation would increase by half a percentage and unemployment would also increase in this case. The OECD imported the oil at a cost of over $260 billion in 2003 which is 20% more than its 2001 oil need. European countries, which are highly dependent on oil imports, would suffer most in the short term, their GDP dropping by 0.5% and inflation rising by 0.5% in 2004. The U.S would suffer the least, with GDP falling by 0.3%, because its indigenous production meets a bigger share of its oil needs. Japans GDP would fall 0.4%, This analysis assumes constant exchange rates and economic growth for the US econom y. The present paper is the extension of the existing empirical literature in two directions. First, we have not focused on the oil importing US economy only , rather we analyzed the effects of an oil price shock in two different type of countries which include five oil exporting countries i.e. Saudi Arabia, Norway, Venezuela, Kuwait , Nigeria and five oil importing country i.e. Pakistan, India , China, Japan , Germany. Secondly, we will not only demonstrate the relationship between oil prices and real economic growth but we will also analyze the role of the real exchange rate for real economic growth. Oil Importing Countries China Chinas real GDP has increased continuously at surprising rate of 10% per year in recent years. Simultaneously with strong economic growth, its demand for energy is also surging rapidly. The figure 1 clearly shows about the oil consumption and production behavior of the country which tends the country to import from different countries. China produces 3798 thousand barrels per day and consumes 8200 thousand barrels per day of oil in 2009. This means that China has to import roughly 4402 thousand barrels per day to meet its consumption needs per day. In the year 2007, China was declared as the worlds third largest net importer of oil behind the U.S and Japan. In July 2005, the reform of the exchange rate system was introduced by the central bank of China. After the reforms, the exchange rate of yuan was set according to a basket of other currencies. At the end of 2007, the yuan was appreciated by 7.5% approx. against the dollar, in consequence of these reforms. India According to the Oil Gas Journal (OGJ), India had second-largest amount of proven oil reserves i.e. 5.6 billion barrels in the Asia-Pacific region after China as of January 2009. With the high rates of economic growth and over 15 % of the worlds population, India has become one of the important consumer of energy resources. In 2006, India was the sixth largest oil consumption country of the world. The global financial and credit crises have slowed Indias significant economic growth particularly in its manufacturing sector. Due to this crunch, the GDP growth rates have turn down from 9.3 percent in 2007 to 5.3 % in the last quarter of 2008. Despite of this slow economic growth, Indias energy demand continues to rise. India is developing into an open-market economy now but traces of its past autarkic policies remain. The accelerated country growth was averaged at 7% since 1997 and the main factor behind this was economic liberalization, including reduced controls on foreign trade and investment, began in the early 1990s. An industrial slowdown early in 2008, followed by the global financial crisis, led annual GDP growth to slow to 6.5% in 2009, still the second highest growth in the world among major economies. The government abandoned its deficit target and allowed the deficit to reach 6.8% of GDP in FY10. Nevertheless, as shares of GDP, both government spending and taxation are among the lowest in the world. From the figure 2 it can easily be observed that the production of crude oil is not upto that level to meet consumer demand which tends the country to import from outsiders. From 1996 onward India is producing oil approximately with the same trend but consumption is increasing day by day. India produced 680.4 thousand bbl/d of total oil in 2009, of which approximately 650 thousand bbl/d was crude oil, with the rest of production resulting from other liquids and refinery gain. India has over 3,600 operating oil wells, according to OGJ. Although oil producti on in India has slightly trended upwards in recent years, it has failed to keep pace with demand and is expected by the EIA to decline slightly in 2009. Indias oil consumption has continued to be robust in recent years. In 2007, India consumed approximately 2.8 million bbl/d, making it the fifth largest consumer of oil in the world. In 2006, India was the seventh largest net importer of oil in the world. The EIA expects India to become the fourth largest net importer of oil in the world by 2025, behind the United States, China, and Japan. On the other hand the Govt of India control its exchange rate and after 2002 reforms , it tends to decrease and Indian currency tends to appreciate. Japan In the years following World War II, government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan develop a technologically advanced economy. Today, measured on a purchasing power parity basis, Japan is the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China; measured by official exchange rates, however, Japan is the second largest economy in the world behind the US. Japan has virtually no domestic oil or natural gas reserves and is the second-largest net importer of crude oil and largest net importer of liquefied natural gas in the world. Including nuclear power, Japan is still only 16 percent energy self-sufficient. Japan remains one of the major exporters of energy-sector capital equipment and Japanese companies provide engineering, construction, and project management services for energy projects around the world. Japan has a strong energy research and development program that is supp orted by the government. Oil is the most consumed energy resource in Japan, although its share of total energy consumption has declined by about 30 percent since the 1970s. The figure 3 clearly shows about the oil consumption and production behavior of the country which tends the country to depends heavily on imports from different countries. Japan Oil production is very low and in 2009 it produces only 5.3 thousand barrels per day which is very low as compare to its consumption demand i.e. 4362.9 thousands barrel per day in 2009. This means that Japan has to import roughly 4357.02 thousand barrels per day to meet its consumption needs per day. Due to its gap between domestic consumption and production, Japan remains the second-largest net importer of oil after the United States. After 1970s Japan shows the declining trend in its exchange rate with dollar which means that dollar depreciate against Japanese yen. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely becaus e of the after effects of inefficient investment and an asset price bubble in the late 1980s that required a protracted period of time for firms to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor. In October 2007 Japans longest post-war period of economic expansion ended after 69 months and Japan entered into recession in 2008, with 2009 marking a return to near 0% interest rates. Germany The German economy the fifth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and Europes largest is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment and benefits from a highly skilled labor force. GDP grew just over 1% in 2008 and contracted roughly 5% in 2009. Germany crept out of recession in the second and third quarters of 2009, thanks largely to rebounding manufacturing orders and exports primarily outside the Euro Zone and relatively steady consumer demand. The German economy probably will recover to about 1.5% growth for the year 2010. Because of Germanys monetary dilemma, and because the German government as well as the nations bankers and industrialists have recognized German limitations and vulnerabilities, the exchange rate of the country remain very stable from the last many years against dollar. However, If we see the Figure 4, we can easily judge the oil consumption and production behavior of the German economy. In the year 2009 the total oil production was 30.8 thousand barrels per day while the consumption was 2,437 Thousand barrel per day. This means that roughly country had to imported 2406.2 thousand barrel per day of oil from other nations. As with the passage of time it reduces its consumption of oil due to environmental reforms but to fill the gap of Oil production and consumption, country have to rely heavily on oil imports. Pakistan Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political disputes and low levels of foreign investment. Between 2001-07, however, poverty levels decreased by 10%, as Islamabad steadily raised development spending. Between 2004-07, GDP growth in the 5-8% range was spurred by gains in the industrial and service sectors despite severe electricity shortfalls but growth slowed in 2008-09 and unemployment rose. Inflation remains the top concern among the public, jumping from 7.7% in 2007 to 20.3% in 2008, and 14.2% in 2009. In addition, the Pakistani rupee has depreciated since 2007 as a result of political and economic instability. The government agreed to an International Monetary Fund Standby Arrangement in November 2008 in response to a balance of payments crisis, but during 2009 its current account strengthened and foreign exchange reserves stabilized largely because of lower oil prices and record remittances from workers abroad. Figure 5 of oil consumption and production shows that Pakistan is not reach in oil production however, the ratio is quite good than other advanced economies. The consumption of oil in the year 2009 was 373 thousand barrel per day which was less as compare to 2008 i.e.396 thousand barrels per day. Oil Exporting Countries Kuwait Kuwait is one of the worlds top exporters of oil, with about 2.4 million barrels per day exported in 2008. Kuwaits economy is heavily dependent on oil export revenues which account for roughly 90 percent of total export earnings. Kuwait channels around 10 percent of its oil revenues into the Future Generations Fund for the day when oil income runs out. The Kuwaiti constitution forbids foreign ownership of Kuwaits mineral resources. The Kuwaiti Parliament passed the Foreign Direct Investment Act in 2001, aimed at promoting foreign investment in Kuwaits oil and gas sectors, which facilitated some development in those sectors. Kuwait has a geographically small, but wealthy, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 102 billion barrels about 9% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 95% of government income. Kuwaiti officials have committed to increasing oil production to 4 million barrels per day by 2020. Kuwait survived the economic crisis on the strength of budget surpluses generated by high oil prices, posting its tenth consecutive budget surplus in 2008, before slipping into deficit territory in 2009. Foreign exchange rates of Kuwaiti dinar are quite stable if compared with dollar. Figure 6 above shows the production and consumption capacity of the co untry which clearly depicts the exporting behavior of the country. In the year 2009 the total oil production was 2350 thousand barrels per day where as consumption was only 320 thousand barrels per day which allow the country to export the oil to other nations and increase their income level. From the figure the it can also seen the how Iraq- Kuwait war in 1992 impact the Kuwaiti oil market and its production. Venezuela Venezuela is one of the worlds largest exporters of crude oil and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. In 2008, the country was the eighth-largest net oil exporter in the world. The oil sector is of central importance to the Venezuelan economy. Venezuela remains highly dependent on oil revenues, which account for roughly 90% of export earnings, about 50% of the federal budget revenues, and around 30% of GDP. A nationwide strike between December 2002 and February 2003 had far-reaching economic consequences real GDP declined by around 9% in 2002 and 8% in 2003 but economic output since then has recovered strongly. President Hugo CHAVEZ in 2008-09 continued efforts to increase the governments control of the economy by nationalizing firms in the agribusiness, banking, tourism, oil, cement, and steel sectors. In 2007, he nationalized firms in the petroleum, communications, and electricity sectors. In January, 2010, CHAVEZ announced a dual exchange rate system for the fixed rate boliva r. The system offers a 2.6 bolivar per dollar rate for imports of essentials, including food, medicine, and industrial machinery, and a 4.3 bolivar per dollar rate for imports of other products, including cars and telephones. The nation is also the fifth largest member of the OPEC, in terms of production. As a result of its bountiful natural resources, Venezuelas economy has been one of the most thriving economies in South America. According to Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), Venezuela had 99.4 billion barrels of proven oil reserves in 2010, the largest amount in South America. Figure 7 shows that Venezuelas production of crude oil has fallen, while domestic consumption has risen, causing a decline in net oil exports. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islams two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. It possesses about 20% of the worlds proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 80% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. Roughly 5.5 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, particularly in the oil and service sectors, while Riyadh is struggling to reduce unemployment among its own nationals. Five years of high oil prices during 2004-08 gave the Kingdom ample financial reserves to manage the impact of the global financial crisis, but tight international credit, falling oil prices, and the global economic slowdown reduced Saudi economic growth in 2009, prompting the postponement of some economic development projects. Saudi Arabia is t he worlds largest producer and exporter of total petroleum liquids, and the worlds second largest crude oil producer behind Russia. Saudi Arabias economy remains heavily dependent on oil and petroleum-related industries, including petrochemicals and petroleum refining. Oil export revenues have accounted for around 90 percent of total Saudi export earnings and state revenues and above 40 percent of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP). Figure 8 shows the Suaid Oil production and consumption behavior. It is the largest consumer of petroleum in the Middle East, particularly in the area of transportation fuels. Domestic consumption growth has been spurred by the economic boom due to historically high oil prices and large fuel subsidies. In 2006, Saudi Arabia was the 15th largest consumer of total primary energy, of which 60 percent was petroleum-based. The remainder was made up of natural gas, the growth of which has been limited by supply constraints. The graph also depicts the sa me behavior of consumption and production Saudi Currency is one of the stable currencies as compared to dollar from the last decade. Norway Norway is the worlds third-largest gas exporter, its position as an oil exporter has slipped to seventh-largest as production has begun to decline. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, as a member of the European Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the EU budget. In anticipation of eventual declines in oil and gas production, Norway saves almost all state revenue from the petroleum sector in a sovereign wealth fund. After lackluster growth of less than 1.5% in 2002-03, GDP growth picked up to 2.5-6.2% in 2004-07, partly due to higher oil prices. Growth fell to 2.1% in 2008, and the economy contracted by 1% in 2009 as a result of the slowing world economy and the drop in oil prices. According to the Oil and Gas Journal (OGJ), Norway had 6.7 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of January 1, 2009, the largest oil reserves in Western Europe. Norway produced about 2067 thousand barrels per day (bbl/d) in 2009 and consumed about 220.2 thousand barrel per day (Figure 9).From 2004 onward the trend shows that Oil production is declining day by day but the good sign is that consumption trend is not showing many fluctuations however, there is hope that new developments in the Barents Sea and increasing the production of existing fields will offset some of the recent declines. In 2008, Norway was the sixth-largest net oil exporter in the world, exporting about 2.25 million bbl/d. According to EIA, Norway exported an estimated 2.25 million bbl/d of crude oil and petroleum products in 2008, down from 2.34 million bbl/d in 2007. According to Statistics Norway, the amount of crude oil alone exported in 2008 was 1.83 million bbl/d. The largest single recipient of Norwegia n oil was the United Kingdom, which imported 35 percent of Norways total oil exports. Norway currency was also depreciated in 2007-08 but again appreciated in 2009 as compared to dollar. Nigeria British influence and control over what would become Nigeria and Africas most populous country grew through the 19th century. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, has undertaken several reforms over the past decade. Nigerias former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 95% of foreign exchange earnings and about 80% of budgetary revenues. Based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices, GDP rose strongly in 2007-09. The Nigerian economy is heavily dependent on the oil sector which, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), accounts for over 95 percent of export earnings and about 65 percent of government revenues. Figure 10 show s the oil production and consumption of the country. The graph shows the decreasing trend in the production si de, hence less oil will be available to export. In 2009, total oil production in Nigeria was slightly over 2.2 million bbl/d, making it the largest oil producer in Africa. Crude oil production averaged 1.8 million bbl/d for the year. According to the Oil and Gas Journal, Nigeria had an estimated 37.2 billion barrels of proven oil reserves as of January 2010.Since December 2005, Nigeria has experienced increased pipeline vandalism, kidnappings and militant takeovers of oil facilities in the Niger Delta. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is the main group attacking oil infrastructure for political objectives, claiming to seek a redistribution of oil wealth and greater local control of the sector. Additionally, kidnappings of oil workers for ransom are common. Security concerns have led some oil services firms to pull out of the country and oil worker s unions to threaten strikes over security issues. The instability in the Niger Delta has caused significant amounts of shut-in production and several companies to declare force majeure on oil shipments. Nigeria is an important oil supplier to the United States. Close to 40 percent of the countrys oil production is exported to the United States. Currency of Nigeria is also not as much stable and was highly depreciated in 2009 against dollar. Despite the general recognition that oil price and real exchange rate plays an important role in economic growth, a comparative analysis on the impact of oil prices and exchange rate on oil export country and oil import country is still few. In this paper we firstly take the natural log to eradicate the problem of after that we have checked the descriptive statistics of the data. After descriptive analysis we then employed ADF test to check the stationarity of data. After checking stationarity of data we employed AIC test and then Co-integration. Granger Casualty test was employed at the end to investigate whether the oil price and real exchange rate Granger cause to the economic growth in all of our oil importing and exporting countries. Moreover, the vector autoregressive (VAR) modeling with co-integration techniques is applied to examine how real GDP in all our sample countries are affected by changes in international oil prices and the real exchange rate of these countries in the long-run. Finally, a vector error correction model (VECM) will be employed to analyze the short-run dynamics of these variables.

Essays --

There have been many school violence acts including many tragic school shootings. Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hooks Elementary were some of the most deadly school shootings in U.S. history. There have been many violence prevention programs that have been established and used to prevent such acts. The most used prevention program is called the Zero Tolerance Program. Other programs have been used, but have they been successful programs? School issues and bullying are some issues with school violence, but some of these issues may come from the home. Some of the school shootings and other violent acts are not from a student of the school sometimes it is from someone from the outside. The Sandy Hooks School shooting the shooter was not a student. The school system is sometimes more worried about the students succeeding in life and not realizing that there is a problem with the student and that he/she may need some mental attention. The media is always right th ere when tragedy strikes. Are people trying to get the attention of the media when they a creating a horrific act? Many schools have implemented intervention and prevention programs, but are they working? Schools are trying to prevent school violence because of the horrific school shooting that has happened in the past. Some of the deadliest have occurred in the last 15 years. Columbine being the most remembered high school shooting, Virginia Tech University was the deadliest college shooting, and Sandy Hooks being the most recent and tragic elementary school shooting. In these cases some were caused from bulling, other students being mentally unhealthy. Schools are trying to recognize the signs of bulling and trying to take action against b... ...he best way to discipline the students. It also takes away from the students academically. Many problems that the school system sees start at home with the parents and the environment that the child is living in. Suspending students from school sometimes is not the best thing for them. They sometimes need counseling instead. When the school sees an issue with a student it should be addressed right then, instead of waiting to see if anything else comes from it. But not only should schools keep an eye on the students but outsiders also. The best way to do this is through good security measures. Mass Media can cause people to want to follow in others footsteps and this can be an issue for future problems. Is there ever going to be an end to school violence? Probably not but we can do what we can to decrease the occurrences.

Winter Dreams Essay -- essays research papers

Fitzgerald Essay- Prompt 5 Money may be able to buy ones happiness but not necessarily satisfaction in life. Fitzgerald's characters in â€Å"Winter Dreams† and Great Gatsby had money, but not satisfaction throughout their life. One can have satisfying materials, do satisfying things, and obtain satisfying qualities. Characters in â€Å"Winter Dreams† and Three of the most satisfying materials that a person could own is a home, money, and a car. At least one of these items is essential for a person no matter where they live. The home is the most satisfying material that a person could own. A home is a place that one can go to rest, eat, and just live. A home provides memories and a place for a family to grow. A home satisfies people with protection, an investment, security, safety, and privacy. The home is definitely a key item of satisfying materials. Another satisfying material that a person could own is money. Money is something that is very important to possess. Owning money can satisfy a person’s hunger, shelter, and just everything it takes for that person to live. A person would not be satisfied if they did not own any money. They would be depressed and have to live on the streets. Money alone cannot satisfy a person on a whole but it brings together the whole term of satisfaction. The last item that is satisfying is a c ar. A car is something that can satisfy ones need to get around. It is important to use to get to work, school, and places to far to venture on foot. A car is a machine with great power and can also satisfy one with air conditioning on a hot day. It can satisfy a person with ride to ones favorite place such as the beach. A home, money, and a car are all materials that a person can own to satisfy them. Not only can materials satisfy a person but so can activities such as sports, relaxing, and sleeping. Playing sports can satisfy a persons body and mind. Participating in sports keeps one in shape satisfying their heart and health. Also it can satisfy a persons stress level by focusing on the activity. Sometimes not playing sports but just relaxing can be satisfying. Relaxing and not working can give a person time to think, breathe, and their body to recuperate. Relaxing is a very satisfying activity. Another activity that is satisfying is sleeping. Curling up under the covers, closing ones eyes, and just clearing the mind is something very ... ...o was playing at that moment had been gay and new five years before when Dexter was a sophomore at college. They had played it at a prom once when he could not afford the luxury of proms, and he had stood outside the gymnasium and listened. The sound of the tune precipitated in him a sort of ecstasy and it was with that ecstasy he viewed what happened to him now. It was a mood of intense appreciation, a sense that, for once, he was magnificently attune to life and that everything about him was radiating a brightness and a glamour he might never know again.† Dexter would agree that being loving is a quality that gives one satisfaction. He felt this satisfaction when he was with Judy on her boat. â€Å"His heart turned over like the fly-wheel of the boat, and, for the second time, her casual whim gave a new direction to his life.† Dexter was in love with Judy and he saw that Judy was never honest to him. He didn’t mind that Judy was never honest, â€Å"When she assured him that she had not kissed the other man, he knew she was lying--yet he was glad that she had taken the trouble to lie to him.† Finally he wouldn’t agree that honesty is satisfying because he was just satisfied with a lie.

Corruption of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald embodies may themes, however the most salient one relates to the corruption of the American Dream.   The American Dream is that each person no matter who he or she is can become successful in life by his or her own hard work.   The dream also embodies the idea of a self-sufficient man, an entrepreneur making it successful for himself.   The Great Gatsby is about what happened to the American dream in the 1920s, a time period when the dream had been corrupted by the avaricious pursuit of wealth.   The American dream is sublime motivation for accomplishing ones goals and producing achievements, however when tainted with wealth the dream becomes devoid and hollow.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When the American dream was pure, motivation and ambition were some key aspects of the pure American dream.   "He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way...and distinguished nothing except a single green light"(page.26).   It shows how Gatsby was striving for the his goal and trying to accomplish it. When the dream was pure, motivation and self-discipline were present. This quote talks about Gatsby's daily agenda and how in the earlier days he upheld the pure American Dream "No wasting time at Shafters, No more smoking or chewing, Read one improving book or magazine per week, Save $3.00 per week, Be better to parents" (page 181- 182). Nick says "I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes-a fresh green breast of the new world"(page 189). This quote shows the pristine goals of where the possibilities were endless and one could accomplish anything through hard work.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The American dream became corrupted, its main aims were wealth and power.   Gatsby became corrupted because his main goal was to have Daisy. The only reason he want Daisy was that she symbolized wealth and took on the characteristics of money. "Her voice is full of money"(page127). Gatsby needed to have an enormous mansion so he could feel confident enough to try to win Daisy. " That huge place over there? Do you like it?   I love it" (page95).  Ã‚   The tainted dream was so empty that having accouterments of wealth could   even incite feelings of love.

Four Seasons Hotel Case Study Essay

A company’s strategy can be identified by figuring out what business approaches and actions the company undertakes. Thompson et al. (2009) outline the key elements to look for in the process of understanding a company’s strategy. Four Seasons’ differentiation based focused strategy is evident from the organisation’s strategic actions. Sharp’s decision to build on high-end luxury and modern amenities so as to outdo the old grand hotels (p.3, para.3) is an example of efforts to pursue new opportunities or defend against threats as well as actions to outcompete rivals, which provides basis for differentiation. By focusing on medium-sized hotels of exceptional quality with exceptional service levels (p.3, para.3), Four Seasons defines the business scale and differentiates itself from competitors through providing superior quality and service. This is one of the moves to build a competitive advantage thus outcompeting rivals. The action to go public to raise funds (p.3, para.4) is a response to changing external circumstances, which supports the business growth and paves the way for Four Seasons to be the market leader. In order to serve diverse needs of the customers, Four Seasons extends into the fields of luxury resorts (p.4, para.1) and residential properties (p.4, para.4). With such action to diversify, it enables Four Seasons to serve a market niche. An example of actions to merge or acquire rival companies is the ownership acquisition of Regent (p.4, para.2), and a strategic alliance is formed via selling stake to Prince Alwaleed (p.4, para.4). By doing so, Four Seasons improves its competitive position as the market leader. The shift of focus from ownership to management services (p.4, para.3) reflects Four Seasons’ efforts to pursue new opportunities or defend against threats and its responses to changing external conditions. The business model of Four Seasons is defined by this strategic shift. The regional management structure (p.5, para.4), the finalisation process of budget plan (p.6, para.2), the human resource management (p.8, para.3), and the recruitment policy (p.8, para.5) are examples of how functional activities are managed in Four Seasons. By optimising functional activities, it enables improved quality and customer service provided. Four Seasons’ actions to alter geographic coverage lie in its international expansion program (p.7, para.3), which enables business growth by reaching new markets and new customers. The distinctiveness of  properties that reflects the local culture (p.8, para.1) is another example of actions to diversify, which leads to differentiation. The actions to strengthen resources and capabilities that support quality and customer service improvement include the training and development programs (p.9, para.1) and the new initiatives to offer added convenience to guests (p.10, para.2). By linking the actions with the strategy, it can be summarised that a company’s strategic actions are driven by the strategy it employs (Thompson et al., 2009). Strategic Fit with External Environment Strategically relevant influences from the external environment can have a significant impact on the company’s strategy. Therefore, the strategy that the company employs must be responsive to the external environment (Thompson et al., 2009). The external environment outside Four Seasons affects its strategy in many aspects. Political The events such as the Iraq war, the September 11th attack and terrorism impact the hotel industry significantly, which lead to decreased profitability. As a response to the circumstances, Four Seasons dedicates to international expansion. Through wider geographic presence, it allows Four Seasons to make more profits in the areas that are less impacted thus enhancing the overall profitability. Amidst these challenges, Four Seasons manages to maintain its position as the market leader, which owes to its globalisation strategy. Economic As one of the largest factors that shape the strategy of Four Seasons, the economic recession pulls down the luxury hotels’ business and poses crisis for Four Seasons. It is no longer profitable to build and own hotels. As a result, Four Seasons shifts its focus from hotel ownership to hotel management services so that the financial risk is mainly borne by the hotel owners. Through management operations, Four Seasons is able to make the best use of its expertise and provide exceptional quality and service to the customers, thus gaining a competitive advantage over rivals. Social The trend of increasing international travel both in business and leisure markets creates more opportunities for the hotel industry. In order to better serve the travel needs of its existing customers and attract new international travellers, Four Seasons continues to expand its geographic coverage by adding five to seven hotels per year to key destinations, thus capitalising on the emerging opportunities. In response to the changing lifestyle of the global travellers who want personalised service, Four Seasons constantly innovates new ways to make business travel more efficient and leisure travel more enjoyable. By doing so, the differentiation strategy through superior customer service is enhanced. Technical In support of the rapid development of information technology, Four Seasons enhances its management services via operating a central reservations system, recommending information technology systems and developing certain database applications. It enables Four Seasons to be more profitable through optimised management services. Legal The nature of the leasehold agreement with three properties makes it difficult to sell the ownership and shift to management services, which results in adding losses to Four Seasons accounting. It reinforces Four Seasons’ decision to concentrate on management operations. In order to reduce the impact of these properties, Four Seasons continues to seek ways to improve the operating profitability. Environmental To follow the major trend of being environmental friendly, Four Seasons initiates recycling programs for glass, paper and other biodegradable garbage, in support of its uncompromised customer service. Such approaches help Four Seasons maintain its leadership position in luxury hotels. Strategic Fit with Internal Environment A comprehensive evaluation of a company’s resources and capabilities reveals the strengths and weaknesses in the present strategy so that adjustments and improvements can be made (Thompson et al., 2009). Four Seasons’ strategy facilitates the decision making on its internal activities in different ways. Four Seasons focuses on the market niche of luxury hotels. In order to better serve the diverse needs of the focused customers, Four Seasons extends into the fields of resorts and residential properties so that the customers who use the hotels can enjoy the same quality in resorts and residence clubs. By retaining the customer base and competing in different segments, Four Seasons is able to maintain its position as market leader. One of the strengths of Four Seasons is the attractive locations of its properties. With business and leisure travellers as the target customers, Four Seasons locates its hotels centrally in the commercial and financial districts of the world’s leading cities, while resorts and residential properties in world-class leisure destinations. It allows Four Seasons to attract more potential customers with its location advantage that are unmatched by rivals, thus gaining a competitive advantage. One major distinctive competency of Four Seasons is the exceptional customer service, which is delivered by its valuable human assets. The human resource management at Four Seasons makes sure that its employees treat the guests as they would wish to be treated. With high staff morale and high employee satisfaction, Four Seasons’ customers can expect the best possible customer service. Through the training and development programs, Four Seasons equips its employees with advanced skills and expertise. As a result, the employees are able to deliver services above desired standards while carrying out innovative solutions to solve customers’ concerns. With these highly trained and professional staffs, Four Seasons stresses ways to differentiate itself from rivals through superior customer service. The expertise in hotel management is another competitive capability of Four Seasons. In order to make the best use of its expertise, Four Seasons  concentrates on hotel management operations. To improve the operating profitability, Four Seasons engages in every aspect of the hotel operations on behalf of the owners, even before the hotel is built.

Functions, Trends and Nature of Ownership and Control in the British Mass Media Essay

In this piece of writing I will attempt to explain the functions, trends and nature of ownership and control in the British Mass Media. At the end I will describe the features of a Mass Media conglomerate. The Mass media is basically any style of text or image that is viewed by a lot of people. For example T.V, radio, newspapers, books, magazines, billboards, etc are all forms of mass media. Some of these can reach millions of people like T.V, where as newspapers usually reach hundreds of thousands and so on. The media gives us things like, news, entertainment, advertising etc. TELEVISION: Television is the biggest form of media in the UK and in most countries in the world. There are two main types of T.V in the UK, public funded and independent. The BBC is publicly funded by T.V licence fees of around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 that cover all BBC related audio & visual broadcasting. The government does not have any direct influence over what is shown on T.V although there are regulators who decide what is acceptable and what is not. The BBC is controlled by their board of governors of which there are twelve who are appointed by the Crown to ensure that the BBC fulfils its obligations. Among them are National Governors for Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. One Governor has special responsibility for the English Regions. All are part time non-executives. They meet monthly and hold the BBC’s managers to account for their performance against the agreed strategy and objectives. The BBC is led by the director-general, who is both chief executive and editor-in-chief. The Governors appoint the Director-General and (with the Director-General) the most senior management. BBC operations are run by the directors of nine programming and broadcasting divisions and six professional services, and by the Chief executives of the BBC’s two commercial businesses. They report to the director-general and together make up the Executive Committee. A less formal Leadership Group meets to discuss and develop a clear vision for the BBC. The independents are controlled by themselves. However thy may be part of a bigger conglomerate. The ITV is a federation of television companies holding licences from the Independent Television Commission (ITC) to broadcast in 14 regions covering the whole of the United Kingdom. Each licence is awarded for a minimum of ten years. The ITV network has 15 independent regional television licences in 14 regional areas (there are 2 licences for London, a weekday and a weekend licence). All programmes are designed for local audiences in each region. The ITV is controlled by the ITV Council, comprising the Chief Executives of each licensee. Each ITV licensee has rights over the programme schedule, and is responsible for the production and broadcasting of its own local programme and news services. The ITV and its independent companies are regulated and licensed by the ITC. The ITC is independent of the Government and of the broadcasters. They are funded from fees that the licensees have to pay. The ITC makes sure that the independent and commercial licensees provide quality programs and a high standard of competition among other things. They also set certain standards for the time allocated to certain styles of programmes. There are five categories of channel 3 programmes for which the ITC sets minimum requirements. These are, * National and International news Three programmes each day of 20 minutes (lunch), 15 minutes (early evening) and half an hour in peak time. * Current affairs One and a half hours weekly average * Children Ten hours weekly average * Religion Two hours weekly average * Regional Varies from franchise to franchise Although the ITC is involved in licensing and regulating all forms of digital television, the Broadcasting Act 1996 makes it specifically responsible for establishing Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in the UK. DTT is especially important because it carries existing free-to-air services provided by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 (S4C in Wales) and Channel 5. At present, T.V broadcasting is mainly analogue, however within the next five years it will all be digital. Digital T.V will bring a bigger choice of programmes to watch, as it will have on average 200 stations. You can already do shopping and go on the internet with digital T.V, but by the time it takes over analogue completely it will have many more options and facilities. NEWSPAPERS: There are many distinguishing features in the British Press. Some of these are things like the differences between tabloid and broadsheet papers or the differences between national, local and regional papers. There are ten morning daily papers and ten Sunday papers which make up the national press. Fleet Street in London used to be the centre of the newspaper industry, but all the national papers have moved their editorial and printing facilities to other parts of London or away from the capital all together. National papers are often described as ‘quality’,’mid-market’ or ‘popular’papers because of their differences in style and content. Five dailies and four Sundays are usualy described as ‘qualitie’ papers. These papers are directed at people who want full information on a wide range of public maters. Popular newspapers are for the more light hearted reader. Mid-market publications cover the intermediate market. Quality papers are normally broadsheet (large-sheet) in format and mid-market and popular papers are tabloid (small-sheet) in size. Scottish editions of national papers usually only change things like the sports page and the T.V listings. Most places in the UK have their own regional or local newspaper. These can be anything from daily papers to evening ones, Sundays or weeklies. These papers concentrate mainly on local or regional stories although the dailies do print national and international news from a local viewpoint. Newspapers from the Irish Republic and the British national press are widely read in Northern Ireland. Several hundred free distribution papers, mostly weekly and financed by advertising, are published in the UK. They have enjoyed rapid growth in recent years. Ownership of the national, London and many regional daily newspapers lies in the hands of large corporations, most of which are involved in the whole field of publishing and communications (media conglomerates). Local papers however are owned by different companies’ altogether. Newspapers are also controlled by their boards of management. It is possible for two national papers to be owned by the same company and they can even be owned by broadcasting companies as a separate division, however influence between the two types of media is not recommended. There are local weekly papers for every district in Greater London; these are often different local editions of one centrally published paper. This does not just happen in London. A prime example of this in our area would be the Press and Journal. It covers the North of Scotland as well as some southern areas as far down as Perth and Stirling, but it produces different editions for every area of which there are eleven. These editions are classed as local editions. All newspapers are answerable to the press complaints commission, which responds to public complaints about printed items. RADIO: There are basically two types of radio in the UK. There is Commercial Radio and The BBC Radio. The Radio Authority governs commercial radio stations such as Moray Firth radio and XFM. The radio authority is basically the ITC of the radio. Like the ITC it also has no powers over the BBC. The BBC is fully independent. Although there are far more Commercial radio stations than BBC ones, the BBC is still ahead in ratings. The gap between BBC Radio and its commercial rivals has widened recently to show BBC Radio to have a share of 51.4% compared with 46.79% for Commercial Radio. In the neck-and-neck race for reach, the BBC edged ahead with 31.2 million listeners compared with their rivals’ 31.1 million. The figures released by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Limited) cover the period from June 26 to September 17 2000. Radio can change on a daily basis because the control of its output is not restricted. The format usually stays the same although major changes in presentation can happen from time to time. Independent radio station change depending on their income and audience. The better the audience the better the sponsorships and advertisers. Things like audience talk shows on radio where members of the audience can phone in and participate are very successful. The BBC and large independent radio companies are controlled in the same way as they are on T.V. Although the majority are part of larger groups, local radio is controlled by local management. These groups use their own style in the local stations but adapt it to suit the area of broadcast. VOLENTARY & IN-VOLENTARY CODES OF PRACTICE: Independent T.V and radio are quite strictly controlled by the ITC and Radio Authority, but magazines and newspapers have more freedom. These, along with the BBC, ITV, Press Complaints Commission and the Broadcasting Standards all enforce their own codes of practice throughout the media. However, the law has the final say in control of the media in the following areas: Defamation: A statement which damages the reputation of an individual or company, i.e. false accusations, libel, innuendos, etc. Obscenity: The publication or broadcasting of material which will tend to deprave or corrupt. Incitement of racial hatred: 1986 public order act forbids material which is likely to incite racial hatred. Blasphemy: To pass the limits of decency and controversy and outrage Christian feelings. Only applies to Christians. Sedation: Forbids the publication of material that incites hatred towards parliament or the monarch. Official secrets act: Forbids the publication of official secrets. Contempt of court: Forbids you from pre judging a court case or to assume someone is guilty. MASS MEDIA CONGLOERATE: Carlton Media Group: The Carlton Media Group runs the following sixteen companies: Carlton London Region The London Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. Carlton Central Region The Central Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. Carlton International Carlton International is the largest distributor of classic British films and the biggest sales house for British TV outside the BBC. ITN ITN is one of the most respected independent news organisations in the world catering for news, sport, business and entertainments. Carlton West Country Region The West Country Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. ITV Carries information about programmes on the ITV network. Action Time Television production company Action Time is a leading distributor of entertainments formats, including an extensive home video clip library. London News Network LNN is a TV and production company working for joint shareholders Carlton and LWT. Carlton Cinema Carlton cinema is a film channel available exclusively on On digital. Visit the website for comprehensive movie listings. Media Sales For information on rates, screen advertising, pitch time, sponsorship and career opportunities at Carlton. Carlton Communications Plc Carlton Communications Plc is the publicly quoted parent company of Carlton Media and other related media companies. Click here for the share price, financial and other investor information. ONdigital ONdigital was the first company in the world to launch a digital terrestrial television service delivering multi-channel TV and interactive services into homes through an ordinary TV aerial. Visit the website for listings. Simply Food SimplyFood.co.uk is the UK’s No.1 food and drink website and home to the Carlton Food Network. It has a searchable UK restaurant guide and a database of thousands of recipes, plus features and reviews. Carlton Video On the Carlton Video website you can buy videos and DVD’s of many of Carlton’s programmes and films, including classics like Inspector Morse, Soldier Soldier, and Britain at War. PeopleBank PeopleBank is the UK’s leading provider of internet recruitment services, bringing together quality candidates and employers. Online since 1995, PeopleBank has extensive experience in providing cost-effective e-recruitment solutions. HTV HTV, the ITV broadcaster for Wales, was recently bought by Carlton TV. Visit the site of the most popular channel in Wales. They also have â€Å"Carlton Books†. This shows that Carlton cover broadcasting, publishing, the internet, advertising, and marketing. This means that if Carlton have a successful income level from one of there companies it can benefit all of them and in turn make them more desirable to the public. Because of this they can use control there revenue a lot better without having to pay other companies to do things like marketing. They sell advertising space to make the initial money to fund projects such as a new drama series. They can then market and publish their own material and because they own all the copyright they can expand by using the internet. Although there is a national guideline concerning who owns what and the amount of fields you can spread into to prevent companies from becoming â€Å"all powerful† and swallowing up smaller companies, Carlton still has it’s eye on â€Å"Direct†. This is a group who run insurance and holiday companies. At present, Carlton are biding for the Scottish Media Group who have two radio stations, a newspaper group, Scottish and Grampian television. If they are successful in their bid, they will be able to grow to new heights and spread into both radio and print forms of media quite successfully in Scotland. Functions of the Mass Media: There are five main functions in the mass media. Entertainment functions: This provides healthy amusement and helps to divert the attention of the audience from serious social issues and inequalities. Information functions: This helps to structure a particular view of the world and to look at it in geographical, political and social terms. Cultural functions: This helps to develop mass culture at the expense of more diverse subcultures. That helps to maintain the status quo in cultural terms, but may also discourage change and growth. Social functions: These socialize us into beliefs and relationships which help us operate successfully in society. This naturalizes one view of society and stops us thinking, obtaining and acting on alternative views. Political functions: This helps us to understand the operation of politics in our society. However, it gives us the illusion of participating in the political process, but actually endorses the authority of those who continue to run our lives unquestioned. The media are also capable of shaping opinions about political events and issues. Current Trends in the Mass Media: When you think of current trends in the media at the moment two things come to mind, digital and conglomerates. A lot of companies are trying to branch out into other fields of the media at the moment. The Scottish media group for one are trying to expand their interests in radio although this could cause problems with it’s T.V. franchises. There are regulations set up to prevent certain big companies from taking over the media by branching ever wider into it. However there are discussions about these regulations which could result in big firms having huge ownership or control over certain areas of the mass media. The main trend of the moment has to be the evolution from analogue to digital. T.V. and radio are all a part of the growing trend and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop there. Already you can tune in to the radio through digital T.V. as well as go on the internet, shop, play games, the opportunities are endless. The future however lies with a fully digital T.V. without the aid of ugly dishes on the side of your house or cumbersome boxes on top of you tele. With this you will be able to access anything you want. There will be no set programs, no times, just you, your T.V. and the whole media world at your fingertips. You will be able to pick anything to watch, read, here, play, buy, or do from your tele. This astonishing development is proving very expensive to produce, run, and buy if it is ever released. If it is released it will be the main media related technological break through in history.