Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Evolution And Evolution Of Evolution - 1154 Words

EVOLUTION Evolution is a scientific theory that was first introduced in the mid 1800’s and it refers to the biological changes that take place within a population of a specific species over the course of many generations. This theory was one of the most scientifically groundbreaking discoveries of our time, and since its discovery, scientists have been working hard to find more and more evidence on the subject. Although there is much controversy on the subject of evolution, it is hard to ignore the facts and observations that strongly support it. In the first chapter of Science, Evolution and Creationism by the National Academy of Scientists, it explores different scientific discoveries and observations which even further confirm the†¦show more content†¦This specific island contained sedimentary rock that had apparently been there for approximately 375 million years. Why is this number important? Because it was predicted that around 375 million years ago shallow wate r fishes were slowly evolving into land creatures with four legs. The team of scientists believed that it was possible they found evidence of this hypothesis and they were not at all disappointed. What they found was the fossil of a Tiktaalik. A tiktaalik is a fish that had several characteristics of tetrapods, or a four-legged creature. The fossil showed that the fish had four fins on the front and back which contained bones that would allow the creature to prop itself up. This fossil is an example of what scientists call a transitional fossil. A transition fossil is a fossil which gives us evidence of a transition from one species to another. It is a fossil that is in between point A and point B. The tiktaalik is a superb example of this because it has characteristics of both a fish and a four-legged land creature, suggesting that over time the tiktaalik probably actually became a species of the land after several generations of them growing leg-like appendages. The tiktaalik woul d likely achieve evolving into a land creature through sexual reproduction. Reproduction plays a key role in biological evolution. When two creatures of the same species reproduce, the offspring receives DNA that belonged to both

Monday, December 16, 2019

Working Paper Free Essays

The term module means that the questionnaire can be used as part of a larger Research experience has shown that the answers to the 24 content questions are influenced by the nationality of the respondents. This is not to say that every respondent of nationality A gives one answer and everyone of a nationality B another, but one can expect systematic differences between the average answers from a sample with nationality A and a comparable sample from nationality B (in statistical terms, an analysis of variance on the answer scores shows a significant country effect). As the relationship is statistical, the samples per country should be of sufficient size. We will write a custom essay sample on Working Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now An ideal size for a homogeneous sample is 50 respondents. Sample sizes smaller than 20 should not be used, as outlying answers by single respondents will unduly affect the results. If samples are heterogeneous (composed of unequal sub-samples) these numbers apply to the sub-samples. Next to nationality, answers to the 24 content questions will also reflect other characteristics of the respondents, such as their gender, age, level of education, occupation, kind of work and the point in time when they answered the questions. Therefore comparisons of countries should be based on samples of respondents who re matched on all criteria other than nationality that could systematically affect the answers. The content questions attributed to a dimension were selected because in comparisons of matched samples from ten or more countries, the mean country scores on the four questions belonging to the same dimension usually vary together (if one is high, the other is high, or low if it is a reversely formulated question; if one is low, the other is low, etc. ). In statistical terms, the mean country scores are significantly correlated. The mean country scores on questions belonging to different emissions usually do not vary together (are uncorrelated). Therefore, the 24 questions form 6 clusters of 4 questions each. As mentioned above, the dimensions measured by the VS.. Are based on country- level correlations, between mean scores of country samples. For the same two questions, country-level correlations can be very different from individual-level correlations, between the answers by the individuals within the country samples (for a clear explanation see e. G. Klein, Danseuses Hall, 1994). Individual-level correlations produce dimensions of personality; country-level correlations produce emissions of national culture. For research results about the relationship between personality and culture see Hefted McCrae (2004). The study of national culture dimensions belongs to anthropology, the study of individual personality belongs to psychology. The first is to the second as studying forests is to studying trees. Forests cannot be described with the same dimensions as trees, nor can they be understood as bunches of trees. What should be added to the animals, organisms and climate factors, together described by the term epitome. In reverse, trees cannot be described with the same dimensions as forests. At best one can ask in what kind of forest this tree would be most likely found, and how well it would do there. A common misunderstanding about dimensions of national culture is that they are personality types. People want to score themselves on a dimension, or worse, try to score someone else. This is called stereotyping, which is not what the dimensions are for. They do not refer to individuals, but to national societies. What a person can do is find out how the values prevailing in his or her national society differ from those in another society. As an individual, a person can express how he or she feels about the values in a particular national society, but that would still be a function of his/her personality and not necessarily show his or her national culture. Because of this, the VS.. 2013 cannot be scored at the individual level. It is not a psychological test. The tendency to ask for individual scoring of the VS.. Is stronger in some national cultures than in others. Especially in very individualist cultures, the request for individual scoring is frequent: the concept of my society (a forest) is weaker that the concept of me myself (a tree). The VS.. Should only be used by researchers who subscribe to the concept of a society differing from other societies. The six dimensions on which the VS.. 2013 is based were found in research across more than 40 countries. In a research project across 20 different organizations within the same two countries, answers to the questions that made up the cross-national dimensions did not correlate in the same way (Hefted, Enquire, Omaha’ Sanders, 1990 and Hefted, Hefted Moving, 2010: 341-368). So the cross-national dimensions do not apply to organizational (or corporate) cultures. The answers to the VS.. Questions (dealing with values and sentiments) varied less across organizations within a country than across countries. Instead, organizational cultures differed primarily on the basis of perceptions of practices, and the organizations in the study could be compared on six dimensions of perceived practices. While the study of national culture dimensions belongs to anthropology and the study of individual personality belongs to psychology, the study of organizational cultures belongs to sociology. The dimensions of perceived practices in the Hefted et al. 1990) study relate to known distinctions from organizational sociology. A similar concern prohibits the use of the VS.. Dimensions for comparing occupations (Hefted, Hefted Moving, 2010: 368-369). In some cases, VS.. Dimension scores can be meaningfully computed and compared for the genders (female versus male) and for successive generations (grandparents country or across countries, but in this case we recommend extending the questionnaire with locally relevant items (Hefted, Garibaldi, Melville, Tenure evokes, 2010). 4. VS.. 2013 scores are not comparable to published scores Some enthusiastic amateurs have used the VS.. With a sample of respondents from one country and tried to draw conclusions comparing the scores they found with those in Hypotheses books (1980, 1991 , 2001 , 2005, 2010). But essential to the use of the VS.. Is that comparisons should be based on matched samples of respondents: people similar on all criteria other than nationality that could systematically affect the answers. All scores in the first two Hefted books were based on carefully matched IBM subsidiary populations. A new sample, to be comparable to these, should be a attach for the original IBM populations on all relevant criteria. Such a match is virtually impossible to make, if only because the IBM studies were done around 1970 and the point in time of the survey is one of the matching characteristics. Hypotheses books since 2001 contain scores for a number of countries not in the original IBM set, based on extensions of the research outside MOM, or in a few cases on informed estimates. Extensions of the research to countries and regions not in the original set have to be based, like any VS.. Application, on matched samples across two or more countries. These should always include one or, if possible, more of the countries from the IBM set, so that the new data can be anchored to the existing framework. Anchoring’ means that the scores from the extension research should be shifted by the difference of the old and new scores for the common country (or by the mean difference in the case of more common countries). The main problem of extension research is finding matched samples across new and old countries. Examples of successful extensions are described in Hefted (2001:464-465). The VS.. 2013 has been designed for research purposes. In the classroom it has poor ace validity, as it is based on the logic of national cultures which differs from the logic of individual students. Cultures are not king-size individuals: They are wholes, and their internal logic cannot be understood in the terms used for the personality dynamics of individuals. Echo-logic differs from individual logic† (Hefted, 2001 :17; the term ecological in cross-cultural studies is used for any analysis at the societal level; it does not only refer to the natural environment). To students or audiences without a professional training in anthropology or cross-cultural research the VS.. Is to the proper tool for explaining the essence of the dimensions. In this case trainers should rather develop teaching tools using the tables of differences between societies scoring high and low on each dimension, which are based on significant Hefted Moving, 2010: Chapters 3-8). The twenty-four content questions allow index scores to be calculated on six dimensions of national value systems as components of national cultures: Power Distance (large vs†¦ Small), Individualism vs†¦ Collectivism, Masculinity vs†¦ Femininity, Uncertainty Avoidance (strong vs†¦ Weak), Long- vs†¦ Short-Term Orientation, and Indulgence vs†¦ Restraint. All content questions are scored on five-point scales (1-2-3-4-5). Any standard statistical computer program will calculate mean scores on five-point scales, but the calculation can also be done simply by hand. For example, suppose a group of 57 respondents from Country C produces the following scores on question 04 (importance of security of employment): 10 x answer 24 x answer 2 14 x answer 3 5 x answer 4 1 x answer 5 42 20 54 valid answers totaling 125 Three of the 57 respondents gave an invalid answer: either blank (no answer) or multiple (more than one answer). Invalid answers should be excluded from the calculation (treated as missing). The mean score in our case is: 125/54 = 2. 31. Mean scores on five-point scales should preferably be presented in two decimals. More accuracy is unrealistic (survey data are imprecise measures). Power Distance Index (PDP) Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a society expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. The index formula is PDP = 35(mom – mom) + 25(mom – mom) + QPS) in which mom is the mean score for question 02, etc. The index normally has a range of about 100 points between very small Power Distance and very large Power Distance countries. C(PDP) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift her/his PDP scores to values between O and 100. Individualism Index (DIVIDE) Individualism is the opposite of Collectivism. Individualism stands for a society in which the ties between individuals are loose: a person is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family only. Collectivism stands for a roofs, which continue to protect them throughout their lifetime in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. DIVIDE = 35(mom – mol) + 35(mom – mom) + C(ICC) in which mol is the mean score for question 01, etc. The index normally has a range of about 100 points between strongly collectivist and strongly individualist countries. C(ICC) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift his/her DIVIDE scores to values between O and 100. Masculinity Index (MASS) Masculinity is the opposite of Femininity. Masculinity stands for a society in which social gender roles are clearly distinct: men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success; women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. Femininity stands for a society in which social gender roles overlap: both men and women are supposed to be modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life. MASS = 35(mom – mom) + 35(mom – mom) + corn) in which mom is the mean score for question 05, etc. The index normally has a range of about 100 points between strongly feminine and strongly masculine countries. C(MFC) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends can be chosen by the user to shift her/his MASS scores to values between O and 100. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (AJAX) Uncertainty Avoidance is defined as the extent to which the members of institutions and organizations within a society feel threatened by uncertain, unknown, ambiguous, or unstructured situations. AU’ = 4001118 – mom)+ 25(mom – mom) + qua) in which mom is the mean score for question 18, etc. The index normally has a range of about 100 points between weak Uncertainty Avoidance and strong Uncertainty Avoidance countries. C(AU) is a constant (positive r negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift his/her I-JAG scores to values between O and 100. Long Term Orientation is the opposite of Short Term Orientation. Long Term Orientation stands for a society which fosters virtues oriented towards future rewards, in particular adaptation, perseverance and thrift. Short Term orientation stands for a society which fosters virtues related to the past and present, in particular respect for tradition, preservation of â€Å"face†, and fulfilling social obligations. LTO = – mom) + 25(mom – mom) + C(IS) n which mom is the mean score for question 13, etc. The index normally has a range of about 100 points between very short term oriented and very long term oriented countries. C(l’s) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift her/his L TO scores to values between O and 100. Indulgence versus Restraint Index (IVR) Indulgence stands for a society which allows relatively free gratification of some desires and feelings, especially those that have to do with leisure, merrymaking with rinds, spending, consumption and sex. Its opposite pole, Restraint, stands for a society which controls such gratification, and where people feel less able to enjoy their lives. The index formula is IVR = – ml 1) + – mom) + COO in which ml is the mean score for question 11, etc. The index normally has a range of about 100 points between high indulgence and high restraint. C(IR) is a constant (positive or negative) that depends on the nature of the samples; it does not affect the comparison between countries. It can be chosen by the user to shift her/his IVR scores to values between O and 100. As country-level correlations differ from individual-level correlations, answers on questions used to measure a country-level dimension do not necessarily correlate across individuals. A reliability test like Cockroach’s alpha should in this case not be based on individual scores but on country mean scores. Obviously this presupposes data from a sufficient number of countries, in practice at least ten. For comparison across fewer countries the reliability of the VS.. At the country level has to be taken for granted; it can indirectly be shown through the validity of the scores in predicting dependent variables. The IBM database (Hefted, 1980) allows to compute Cockroach alphas for the first four dimensions across 40 countries (39 for AAU, 33 for PDP because of missing data). Power Distance Index (3 items): Alpha = . 842 Individualism Index (6 items): Alpha = . 770 Masculinity Index (8 items): Alpha = . 760 Uncertainty Avoidance Index (3 items) Alpha = . 15 The rule of thumb for test reliability is a value over . 700. The new items in the new version were chosen because of their similarity to items in reliable other studies, but the reliability of the new dimension scores cannot be proven a prior’. The VS.. 2013 is copyrighted, but may be freely used for academic research projects. Consultants who want to use the VS.. 2013 periodically should pay a license fee based on the nu mber of copies administered per year. The same holds for use by companies in employee surveys. Information on rates is available from the copyright holder (rights@geerthofstede. L) 9. History of the VS.. 2013 The original questions from the 1966-1973 Hermes (MOM) attitude survey questionnaires used for the international comparison of work-related values were listed in Hefted (1980, Appendix 1). Appendix 4 of the same book presented the iris Values Survey Module for future cross-cultural studies. It contained 27 content questions and 6 demographic questions. This VS.. 80 was a selection from the IBM questionnaires, with a few questions added from other sources about issues missing in the IBM list and Judged by the author to be of potential importance. In the 1984 abridged paperback edition of Hefted (1980) the original IBM questions were not included, but the VS.. 80 was. A weakness of the VS.. 80 was its dependence on the more or less accidental set of questions used in the IBM surveys. The IBM survey questionnaire had not really been imposed for the purpose of reflecting international differences in value patterns. However, the IBM questions could only be replaced by other questions after these had been validated across countries; and to be validated, they had to be used in a large number of countries first. Therefore in 1981 Hefted through the newly- founded Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation (IIRC) issued an experimental extended version of the VS.. (VS.. 81). On the basis of an analysis of its first results, a new version was issued in 1982, the VS.. 82. This was widely used for the next twelve years. 3 of the questions were needed to compute scores on the four dimensions identified by Hefted. The other questions were included for experimental use. Some questions in the VS.. 82 were only applicable to employed respondents. Thus the instrument could not be used for entrepreneurs, students, and respondents without a paid Job. The number of replications using the VS.. 82 in Iris’s files increased, but, unfortunately, it turned out that the samples from different researchers were insufficiently matched for producing a reliable new VS†¦ This changed when Michael Hope published his Ph. D. Hess on a survey study of elites (Syllabus Seminar Alumni) from 19 countries, using among other instruments the VS.. 82 (Hope, 1990). Eighteen of these countries were part of the IBM set, but besides USA all of them were from Europe. Hope’s data base was therefore extended by adding results from replications in six countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America that could be considered somewhat matched with the Hope set. In the meantime, the research of Michael Harris Bond from Hong Kong, using the Chinese Value Survey (Chinese Culture Connection, 1987), had led to the identification f a fifth dimension: Long-Term versus Short-Term Orientation (Hefted Bond, 1988; Hefted, 2001: Chapter 7). In the new version of the VS.. Published in 1994 (the VS.. 94), this dimension appeared for the first time together with the other four. The questionnaire was also adapted to respondents without a paid Job. Accumulated experience with the use of the VS.. 94 in the next 14 years led to the publication of an updated VS.. 08. In the meantime, many new sources of cross- cultural survey information became available. One was an unpublished Master’s Thesis (Van Bug, 2006) reporting on the Internet administration of the VS.. 94 among active members of the student association EASIES in 41 countries, collecting some 2,200 valid answers, a response rate of 24%. We also looked for questions correlated with the IBM dimensions in the newly available sources, including the huge World Values Survey database freely accessible on Internet (Ingather and associates, 1998, 2004, 2007). In 2007, Michael Moving published a book integrating all available old and new databases, and we invited him to Join the VS.. Team. Moving (2007) proposed three new dimensions: Exclusion versus Universalism, Indulgence versus Restraint, and Monumentality versus Flexibility (flexibility plus nullity). From these, Exclusion versus Universalism across 41 countries was strongly correlated with Power Distance and Collectivism (both r = . 74), so we did not treat it as a new dimension. Indulgence versus Restraint was uncorrelated with any of the five dimensions in the VS.. 94 and it added new insights into national cultural differences, so we accepted it as a new and sixth dimension. Monumentality versus Flexibility was significantly correlated with Short Term Orientation (r = . 68 across 16 overlapping countries) and less strongly with Power How to cite Working Paper, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Impact of School Closure for Case Study of Kingston Community

Question: Write about theImpact of School Closure for Case Study of Kingston Community. Answer: Introduction Decision making is a process which put across all the stakeholders to avoid issues such as vested interests and biases. Avoiding to involve all the stakeholders and especially the main ones, the decision might be resisted, which might result to violence and communal conflicts. In this paper, we will analyse a case study of closure of Kingston school. The community have complained that they were not involved on making such as critical decision which affects their community. According to the residents, it has been rumoured to sometime that the school was to be closed due to reduced admission levels which has been led to the reduction of the Kingstons population. Although these might have been concrete reasons to close the school, the main concerns of the community members is failure to consult them while they were making the decision. I addition, the school has existed for a century and they feel it is not an honourable action to close a school which contributed so much to the growth o f the community. Nevertheless, the student will have to be bussed to another school every day - which translates to more time and money for the families to cater. Scientifically, this study is conducted to check whether there would be a difference in perceptions between the time before and after the school closure. The data is collected using a questionnaire, before and after the school closure and entered into SPSS system for analysis. Within the questionnaire, there is a community survey attitude measure too which is the key section to recode before and after values. Each question within the community attitude survey tool is in form of a Likert scale with 5 options from strongly agree through strongly disagree. After compiling the data, the values are added to get the pre and post totals, hence generating the two variables for effective comparison. The measurements are collected from the same individuals for the pre and post measurements, hence generating paired data. The other section of the questionnaire includes the demographic information which is collected once and can be used for further analysis. All the variables are coded in SPSS, h ence transforming them into categorical variables. In this paper, the test hypothesis will be stated, the possible research method highlighted and the data analysed after reviewing the validity of the questionnaire(Trochim, 2006). Hypothesis The hypothesis will be based on the pre-post measurements of community attitudes. I believe that before the closure the parents are very bitter about the decision but after the decision is officially announced, most of them will feel that there is not more to be done for the purpose of reversing the decision. Null hypothesis: There is no difference in community attitudes between pre and post measurements. Alternative hypothesis: The community attitudes will significantly difference between pre and post-test on the community attitudes Research Methodology The research design used in this study is an experimental design with a pre and post measurements. The official communication from the authorities on the closure of the school acts as the treatment. This study will focus to check the impact of the declaration about the school closure to the opinions and attitudes of the community. This can also be referred as a quasi-experimental study because the study situations are not controlled. However, there are several ways in which the study results can be improved by improving its procedures. These methods might include randomization and stratification which might be used to reduce biases by controlling for possible confounders. Randomization Randomization criteria give every individual in the population an equal chance to be chosen in the sample. In this case, the information gathered from the target population is believed to have a minimal bias which might emerge by selecting a sample with individuals having similar characteristics. For example, Sarah put posters in public areas to allow the interested parties join the study. The selected individuals might end up to be those who are directly affected which is not the main focus for scientific studies. It is important to get a view from every individual from the target population and this might only be achieved by randomisation because in most instances it is not easy to include every individual in the study. Therefore, Sarah could have developed a better way of selecting the study participants other than putting posters for self-recruitment. Else, the study sampling would be purposive by only including individuals who are easily accessing and only those who see the post ers. Since Kingston is a small town, Sarah could have requested for the administration register, hence selecting the individuals randomly and contacting them to request the fro participation. In this manner, the study would be more scientific and the results obtained would perceive better evidence about Kingstons view and perceptions(Manly, 2010). Stratification Stratification is another effective method of reducing biases in scientific studies. Population characteristics such as gender distribution among other key factors can be used to stratify a target population for better results. For instance, the perceptions and opinions closure might differ based on different factors within the society such as gender and age, For example, parents within student in the school who are being affected directly might be more bitter compared to those who do not have children within school leaving age bracket. Also, mothers might have different views because they are more caring and concerned about the welfare of their children. Considering such characteristics, Sarah could have settled on an effective way of stratifying the population to get better results, which are more representative(Bhatia et al., 2016). Examining the Questionnaire The questionnaire is well developed to measure the characteristics of interest in the research. However, Sarah might not have captured all the demographic information of interests such as the age and gender of the respondent. These are among the most significant factors which can be used to predict and define correlations. Sarah could have included two question to recode the age and gender of the respondent. Therefore, this could have been useful in the analysis state to conduct stratified analysis, which might bright out some important characterises of the population(Lessler et al., 2014). For instance, there might be the difference in the pre and post measurements based on gender. Therefore, the other question could have followed these ones, hence making the questionnaire more concrete. Further, the mode of collecting information could have been improved by employing several research assistants to help her in collecting the data from the field. It would be better to meet the respon dents in person and avoid sending the information to the post office. According to the identified issues identified in the questionnaire, I would state that the information collected is not sufficient to measure and analyse the views of Kingstons community(Hox and Boeije, 2005). Data Analysis Descriptive Statistics Table 1: Frequency distribution Count Percent Parent to secondary school age next year Yes 60 57.7% No 44 42.3% Distance from home to Kingston School 0 - 1 km 28 26.9% 2 - 4 km 16 15.4% 5 - 20 km 24 23.1% 20 km 36 34.6% Distance from home to High school at Beganup 0 - 20 km 12 11.5% 21 - 40 km 20 19.2% 41 - 60 km 44 42.3% 60 km 28 26.9% Youngest family member age 0 - 5 years 12 11.5% 6 - 12 years 28 26.9% 13 - 18 years 24 23.1% 18 years 40 38.5% Number of years residing at Kingston 0 - 1 years 20 19.2% 2 - 4 years 16 15.4% 5 - 10 years 20 19.2% 10 years 48 46.2% Occupation of a family member with the highest salary Farmer 52 50.0% Government employee 36 34.6% Business 16 15.4% Unemployed 0 0.0% Residential/Boarding high school at Kingston after Kingston Closure Yes 40 38.5% No 64 61.5% What is the standard education of 8 - 10-year-olds at Kingston Low 28 26.9% Medium 48 46.2% High 28 26.9% According to the frequency table above, the proportion of the parents with students who would be proceeding to a secondary school in the next year were 57.7%(Trochim, 2006). Fifty percent of the respondents were farmers as anticipated because most of the residents in Kingston depend on farming. There were no unemployed respondents in the study which might mean that almost all the residents in Kingston town are employed(Eurostat, 2016). Table 2: Summary statistics by categories Pretest total Posttest total Mean Median Standard Deviation Mean Median Standard Deviation Parent to secondary school age next year Yes 31 31 8 21 21 5 No 39 41 5 28 22 9 Distance from home to Kingston School 0 - 1 km 33 31 8 20 20 5 2 - 4 km 36 37 4 23 22 7 5 - 20 km 36 37 3 23 22 3 20 km 34 38 11 27 21 10 Distance from home to High school at Beganup 0 - 20 km 42 41 4 28 22 9 21 - 40 km 40 39 4 27 25 8 41 - 60 km 33 32 7 22 21 6 60 km 29 31 9 22 19 8 Youngest family member age 0 - 5 years 30 29 6 23 21 6 6 - 12 years 29 31 9 20 19 4 13 - 18 years 33 34 6 21 21 6 18 years 40 41 5 28 24 9 Number of years residing at Kingston 0 - 1 years 38 39 5 26 23 7 2 - 4 years 27 29 5 18 18 4 5 - 10 years 33 36 7 20 19 5 10 years 35 37 9 26 22 8 Occupation of a family member with the highest salary Farmer 34 37 9 26 22 8 Government employee 36 38 5 23 22 6 Business 30 29 9 18 18 4 Unemployed . . . . . . Residential/Boarding high school at Kingston after Kingston Closure Yes 41 41 4 27 22 8 No 30 31 7 22 21 7 What is the standard education of 8 - 10-year-olds at Kingston Low 42 42 4 27 22 8 Medium 36 37 4 23 22 6 High 24 24 5 22 19 9 (Ibm, 2012; Field, 2013) On average, the pre-test scores seem to have been greater than the post-test, hence the conclusion that the attitudes of the residents of Kingston about the closure of the high school changed significantly after the official announcement(Devore, 2006). Table 3: Overall descriptive statistics for pre and post tests N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Pre-test total 104 13 48 34.27 8.017 Post-test total 104 13 43 23.68 7.669 Hypothesis Test Table 4: Correlation between pre and post-tests Paired Samples Correlations N Correlation Sig. Pre-test total Post-test total 104 .355 .000 Table 5: Paired t-test output Paired Samples Test Paired Differences t df Sig. (2-tailed) Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference Lower Upper Pre-test total - Post-test total 10.587 8.916 .874 8.853 12.320 12.109 103 .000 (Kent State University, 2016) Conclusion According to the paired t-test results in the table above, the p-value is less than the significance level, hence rejecting the null hypothesis and conclude that the average community attitudes for pre-test are significantly different compared to the post-test(Winter, 2013). Based on the descriptive statistics in tables 2 and 3, we can conclude that the average level of community attitudes towards the closure of the Kingston school is lower after the official communication of the closure compared to the time before. Therefore, the community acted more passionately before the administration communicated and they significantly changed their mentality immediately after the department of education confirmed the closure. Although the policies will affect the community they have no much to do after the department of education have made up their mind on the decision. However, there might be errors in data collection and study design which have led to wrong findings, which creates validity q uestions of the research. References Bhatia, G. et al. (2016) Correcting subtle stratification in summary association statistics, bioRxiv, p. 76133. doi: 10.1101/076133. Devore, J. (2006) Statistics for Business and Economics, The American Statistician, 60(4), pp. 342343. doi: 10.1198/tas.2006.s59. Eurostat (2016) Business demography statistics, Statistics Explained, 2015(November), pp. 19. Field, A. (2013) Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics, Discovering Statistics using IBM SPSS Statistics, pp. 297321. doi: 10.1016/B978-012691360-6/50012-4. Hox, J. J. and Boeije, H. R. (2005) Data Collection, Primary vs. Secondary, in Encyclopedia of Social Measurement, pp. 593599. doi: 10.1016/B0-12-369398-5/00041-4. Ibm, A. (2012) IBM SPSS Statistics 21 Brief Guide, Ibm Spss. Kent State University (2016) SPSS Tutorials: Paired Samples t Test, University Libraries. Lessler, J. et al. (2014) Seven challenges for model-driven data collection in experimental and observational studies, Epidemics, 10, pp. 7882. doi: 10.1016/j.epidem.2014.12.002. Manly, B. F. J. (2010) Randomization, Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Computational Statistics, 2(3), pp. 383386. doi: 10.1002/wics.91. Trochim, W. M. K. (2006) Descriptive Statistics, Research Methods, pp. 27. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-384864-2.00005-6. Winter, J. (2013) Using the Student s t -test with extremely small sample sizes, Practcial Assessment, Research Evalutaion, 18(10), pp. 112. doi: Retrieved from https://pareonline.net.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

the lawsuit Essays - Presidency Of Barack Obama, Barack Obama

March 15th, 2011 Subject: Principles of Economics I Name: Hassan Shahid Student ID: 757196395 Instructor: Prof. Moses Ayiku U.S Budget for 2011 Present Obama presented Congress with a record $3.6 trillion budget. The total revenue for 2011 is estimated at $2 trillion. If you do the math, this will give the government a total deficit of an estimated $1.6 trillion which is also the highest at record. The following is a comparison of estimated spending for the year 2010 and 2011 on few major components of the government. [1]Area of spending2010 (billion)2011 (billion) - National defense$722$738 - Social security$724$738 - Medicare$462$498 - Health$386$381 - Income security$629$567 - Transportation$93$91 - Education & training$93$122 - Net interest$188$251 - Veterans benefits$124$122 - Science, space & technology$31$31 - International affairs$67$65 - Agriculture$25$24 - Community development$21$20 [1] [2] President Obama sent Congress on Monday a record $3.8 trillion budget for 2011 that would boost war spending, trim some domestic spending and rely on $1.3 trillion in new borrowing. The budget would be the third in a row with a deficit of more than $1 trillion, following this year's record $1.6 trillion, a figure the White House increased in its budget. The red ink would be cut in half by 2014, mostly by allowing tax cuts on families making more than $250,000 to expire in 2011.A year after proposing major increases for health care, energy and education, Obama is putting almost $30 billion more into the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, boosting homeland security and international spending, and proposing a three-year freeze on some domestic spending [2]. From my point of view, the numbers speak for themselves; most of the government earning is spent on defense. We are fighting a war on two fronts and we clearly knew one of them wasn?t necessary. Even after we failed to find WMDs in Iraq, the government didn?t pull out. Prolonging the war will always keep the country in debt. Almost every department whether it was health, agriculture or community development; faced budget cuts. Budget cuts lead to job losses; which lead to people spending less and resulting in slow economic growth. If we keep at this rate, the national debt is going to keep increasing and the annual interest paid out on our debt is going to keep climbing. We have already seen a $63 billion increase from 2010 to 2011 on interest payments alone. The rich are still earning more and getting tax breaks, while the middle class continue to suffer from poor heath benefits, job losses and lost benefits. Work Cited [1]http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/01/us/budget.html [2]http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-02-01-budget-obama_N.htm

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Mark Twains A Letter From Santa Claus

Mark Twain's A Letter From Santa Claus In 1875, Mark Twain wrote a letter to his daughter Susie, who was 3 years old at the time, which he signed Your loving Santa Claus. You can read it in its entirety below, but first a little bit of pretext. Twain was very close to his daughter, all the way up to her untimely death at age 24 in 1896, and that year she had written her first letter to Santa Claus. Twain, being a writer, couldnt stand for his young daughter to feel like her work went unheard, so he decided to pen the following letter to My Dear Susie Clemens from The Man in the Moon himself. The story has been widely shared since in anthologies as a cute reminder of the spirit of Christmas and the love of parents for their children, who year after year don bright red suits and leave out milk and cookies to keep the magic alive. A Letter From Santa Claus by Mark Twain My Dear Susie Clemens, I have received and read all the letters which you and your little sister have written me...I can read your and your baby sisters jagged and fantastic marks without any trouble at all. But I had trouble with those letters which you dictated through your mother and the nurses, for I am a foreigner and cannot read English writing well. You will find that I made no mistakes about the things which you and the baby ordered in your own letters- I went down your chimney at midnight when you were asleep and delivered them all myselfand kissed both of you, too...But...there were...one or two small orders which I could not fill because we ran out of stock... There was a word or two in your mamas letter which...I took to be a trunk full of dolls clothes. Is that it? I will call at your kitchen door about nine oclock this morning to inquire. But I must not see anybody and I must not speak to anybody but you. When the kitchen doorbell rings, George must be blindfolded and sent to the door. You must tell George he must walk on tiptoe and not speak- otherwise he will die someday. Then you must go up to the nursery and stand on a chair or the nurses bed and put your ear to the speaking tube that leads down to the kitchen and when I whistle through it you must speak in the tube and say, Welcome, Santa Claus! Then I will ask whether it was a trunk you ordered or not. If you say it was, I shall ask you what color you want the trunk to be...and then you must tell me every single thing in detail which you want the trunk to contain. Then when I say Good-by and a merry Christmas to my little Susy Clemens, you must say Good-by, good old Santa Claus, I thank you very much. Then you must go down into the library and make George close all the doors that open into the main hall, and everybody must keep still for a little while. I will go to the moon and get those things and in a few minutes I will come down the chimney that belongs to the fireplace that is in the hall- if it is a trunk you wantbecause I couldnt get such a thing as a trunk down the nursery chimney, you know...If I should leave any snow in the hall, you must tell George to sweep it into the fireplace, for I havent time to do such things. George must not use a broom, but a rag- else he will die someday...If my boot should leave a stain on the marble, George must not holystone it away. Leave it there always in memory of my visit; and whenever you look at it or show it to anybody you must let it remind you to be a good little girl. Whenever you are naughty and someone points to that mark which your good old Santa Clauss boot made on the marble, what will you say, little sweetheart? Good-by for a few minutes, till I come down to the world and ring the kitchen doorbell. Your loving Santa ClausWhom people sometimes callThe Man in the Moon

Friday, November 22, 2019

Finite Verb Definition and Examples

Finite Verb Definition and Examples In English grammar, a finite verb is a form of a  verb  that (a) shows  agreement  with a  subject  and (b) is marked for  tense. Nonfinite verbs  are not marked for tense and do not show agreement with a subject. If there is just one verb in a sentence, that  verb is finite. (Put another way, a finite verb  can stand by itself in a sentence.)  Finite verbs are sometimes called main verbs or tensed verbs.  A  finite  clause  is a word group that contains a finite verb form as its central element. In An Introduction to Word Grammar, Richard Hudson writes: The reason  finite verbs  are so important is their unique ability to act as the sentence-root. They can be used as the only verb in the sentence, whereas all the others have to depend on some other word, so finite verbs really stand out. Finite vs. Nonfinite Verbs The main difference between finite verbs and nonfinite verbs is that the former can act as the root of an independent clause, or a full sentence, while the latter cannot. For example, take the following sentence: The man runs to the store to get a gallon of milk. Runs is a finite verb because it agrees with the subject (man) and because it marks the tense (present tense). Get is a nonfinite verb because it does not agree with the subject or mark the tense. Rather, it is an infinitive and depends on the main verb runs. By simplifying this sentence, we can see that runs has the ability to act as the root of an independent clause: The man runs to the store. Nonfinite verbs take three different forms- the infinitive, the participle, or the gerund. The infinitive form of a verb (such as to get in the example above) is also known as the base form, and is often introduced by a main verb and the word to, as in this sentence: He wanted to find a solution. The participle form appears when the perfect or progressive tense is used, as in this  sentence: He is looking for a solution. Finally, the gerund form appears when the verb is treated as an object or subject, as in this  sentence: Looking for solutions is something he enjoys. Examples of Finite Verbs In the following sentences (all lines from well-known movies), the finite verbs are indicated in bold. We rob banks. - Clyde Barrow in Bonnie and Clyde, 1967I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.  - Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, 1991A boys best friend is his mother. - Norman Bates in Psycho, 1960We want the finest wines available to humanity. And we want them here, and we want them now! - Withnail in Withnail and I, 1986You know how to whistle, dont you, Steve? You just put your lips together and...blow.  - Marie Slim Browning in To Have and Have Not, 1944Get busy living, or get busy dying. - Andy Dufresne in  The Shawshank Redemption, 1994 Identify Finite Verbs In Essentials of English, Ronald C. Foote, Cedric Gale, and Benjamin W. Griffith write that finite verbs can be recognized by their form and their position in the sentence. The authors describe five simple ways to identify finite verbs: Most finite verbs can take an -ed or a -d at the end of the word to indicate time in the past: cough, coughed; celebrate, celebrated. A hundred or so finite verbs do not have these endings.Nearly all finite verbs take an -s at the end of the word to indicate the present when the subject of the verb is third-person singular: cough, he coughs; celebrate, she celebrates. The exceptions are auxiliary verbs like can and must. Remember that nouns can also end in -s. Thus the dog races can refer to a spectator sport or to a fast-moving third-person singular dog.Finite verbs are often groups of words that include such auxiliary verbs as can, must, have, and be: can be suffering, must eat, will have gone.Finite verbs usually follow their subjects: He coughs. The documents had compromised him. They will have gone.Finite verbs surround their subjects when some form  of a question is asked: Is he coughing? Did they celebrate? Sources Hudson, Richard. An Introduction to Word Grammar. Cambridge University Press, 2010, Cambridge.Foote, Ronald C.; Gale, Cedric; and Griffith, Benjamin W. Essentials of English. Barrons, 2000, Hauppauge, N.Y.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Social Issue about Abortion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Social Issue about Abortion - Essay Example Boonin finally highlights a number of arguments that oppose abortion. In doing this, he focuses on arguments which do not depend on the notion that all human fetuses have the right to live. This book is relevant to this topic because it critically examines abortion as a social issue. The book is also relevant because it discusses the moral permissibility of abortion according to people’s different terms. The book is a credible source for this topic because it is written by a reputable author who is a renowned professor of philosophy. Dworkin, a highly reputable and distinguished scholar, successfully shows how abortion and euthanasia are social dilemmas. In the process, he explains how the two issues provoke eruptive controversy. Dworkin’s approach is philosophical in nature and his arguments are concise moral overviews of the issues of abortion and euthanasia. The character of human dignity and the meaning of life are a major focus of the author. Dworkin’s book is an excellent piece that is very relevant to this topic because it examines all sides of the arguments that either support or are against abortion. In doing so, Dworkin breaks down both arguments and gives convincing reasons behind them. He further explains why people fail to even understand their own arguments about the issues of abortion and euthanasia. The author concludes by advising society on how to reconcile its values of individual liberty and life. Lee addresses the moral issue of abortion by focusing on unborn human life. One question that is brought to the forefront by the author is whether unborn human beings are only considered persons after birth. The author brings forth the debate of when individual humans come into being. In the process, he discusses whether to consider unborn human beings as persons during gestation or after birth. The book is relevant to this topic because it

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Statistic paper 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Statistic paper 1 - Essay Example How does a consumer know which one contains the lowest calorie amidst so many brands? This assignment establishes facts that will help customers navigating through the aisles in search for cereal of deserved calorie. This will be achieved by establishing a population mean of calories of 100 gram of cereals regardless of cereal brands. Should a customer plan on finding a cereal packet that contains calories lower than the mean, the customer would need more time to find it than the packet with the mean value. Data Collection Breakfast cereal population, in this case, is different brands that are available at the website the calorie counter (â€Å"The Calorie Counter†). The data of each sample represents the published calorie value of 100 grams of breakfast cereals. Therefore, sample unit for this study is breakfast cereal, and the response unit is calorie per 100 gram. The population study reveals that General Mills, Kellog, Kraft, Malt – o- Meal, and Quaker companies are principal manufactures of the breakfast cereals (The Calorie Counter). General Mills produces 48 brands, Kellog produces 40 brands, Kraft produces 24 brands, Malt – O – Meal produces 9 brands, and Quaker produces 44 brands. The population consists of 165 brands. The study uses samples of 30 individual breakfast cereals selected randomly from this population. The population consists of 5 strata. This study uses stratified sampling technique to collect sample data. Numbers of samples from each stratum are calculated using the formula; (Population of the stratum / entire population) x 30. Sample size, n = 30 is determined on literature review for determining the sample size for statistical analysis (â€Å"30 Samples†). Description and Presentation of Data This research uses retrospective observational quantitative data; variables with numerical values. Quantitative data have two classes: discrete and continuous. If a variable can take values between a minimum and maximum, it is called continuous variable otherwise it is discrete. Based on the above discussion this assignment will use continuous quantitative data. The sample data of this assignment is presented using stem and leaf, and array tables. Stem and Leaf Table. It presents data in all of its detail. It describes the range and relative frequency of each value in the set. The stem and leaf table helps determine the best grouping level for a frequency histogram. In this assignment, the each value of sample data set consists of three digits. Raw data set is rearranged in an ascending order; first two digits are considered the stem and corresponding leafs are counted for each stem. Table 1 displays the values of the data set in the form of stem and leaf. Table 1. Stem and Leaf Data Distribution Total 31 1 1 32 0 3 2 33 2 4 2 34 0 1 35 0 2 2 36 5 1 37 0 3 3 6 8 5 38 0 1 3 3 7 7 6 39 0 1 2 3 6 6 6 40 0 9 2 41 2 5 2    Subtotal 30 Array Table. It is arranged to present data in a tabular fo rm of columns and rows. Table 3 displays data in ascending order in an array. Data are arranged in three rows, and each row consists of 10 columns Table2. Array Form Data Distribution 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 311 320 323 332 334 340 350 352 365 370 373 373 376 378 380 381 383 383 387 387 390 391 392 393 396 396 400 409 412 415 Histogram. Table 2 displays sample data in the array form. The minimum value is 311, and the maximum value is 415. The

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Twains View on Violence and Superstition Essay Example for Free

Twains View on Violence and Superstition Essay Twain reflects violence and superstition Hucks experiences. These views are coming from pre-Civil War events through the experinces of southern life at the time. Huck views superstition from what he learns Jim. Violence can be seen throughtout Hucks many adventures, before and after he fakes his death. These views can be seen through Hucks reactions. Violence seemsto be the most reaccuring event throughout many of Hucks adventures. His father is an abusive drunk. I think Twain uses Hucks father as a representative of the worst in white society. Paps violence toward Huck shows that before the Civil War, Twain believes whites treated everyone with hate equaly no matter if the are black, white, or family. Huck could have, at any moment left his father, but I guess Twain views violence as somthing that can be tolerated for acceptance or lack there of. Twain also views violence something to sympathize with during the pre-Civil war era. In a number of events Huck disagrees or feels bad for those treated violently. Even if the violence was justified or not. Huck felt bad for the man tied up on the wrecked ship, so he trapped the ones causing the violence and went for the authorities. Huck also feels bad for the Duke and the Dauphin, even though they deserved to be tared and feathered or some other form of violoent punishment. Twains views on violence seems to me to contridict themselves. Going as far as faking ones death to escape violence and yet also sympathyzing with those who are treated with violence and yet they are deserving of it in any way, shape, or form. Superstition seems to be something that before the Civil War, only slaves acted upon superstition. Huck learns about supertions from Jim while they are on their island. Jim informs Huck that things are given to those who are deserving. Twain really doesnt reflect on this good or bad. Only considering that Huck learns many leasons from playing superstitous related tricks on Jim. Jim gets what is owed to him only after his owners death and having gone through, what Tom views as a romantic game, but a life or death situation for Jim revealing to Huck that in fact that things are given back to those who are deserving. These events, superstition and violence have contributed to Twains view of pre-Civil War southern life as seen throughout his novel and the experinces of Huckleberry Finn.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Comparing Metaphors in Norman Macleans, A River Runs Through It and He

Comparing Metaphors in Norman Maclean's, A River Runs Through It and Henry David Thoreau's, Walden In Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It, the author recounts the story of his early life growing up in Montana. The narrative revolves around his family and the art of fly fishing. Through the novel, Maclean begins to understand the wisdom of his father, the fierce independence and downfall of his brother, and the divinity and beauty of nature. A similar theme regarding divinity in nature is found in Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Building his own cabin and supplying his own food, Thoreau spends two years living alone beside Walden Pond. Thoreau recognizes nature as the "highest reality"(265) and the intrinsic work of "the Builder of the universe"(348). Thoreau also provides insights into human life and expresses these in indirect metaphors with his natural surroundings. The narratives differ most in their changes in mood and plot progression. In Walden, Thoreau displays a change from beginning to end, expressing pessimism and depression at first and then happiness and fulfillment in the end. A River Runs Through It is largely opposite of this change. Thus, both authors relate similar themes and experiences while significant differences exist in the mood and progression. One theme common to both narratives relates to how people are similar to bodies of water. Maclean illustrates this as he describes his brother Paul as being "tough"(8) and "very angry"(7) from his youth. Consequently, Paul's favorite river is the Big Blackfoot, which "is the most powerful and . . . runs straight and hard"(13). Maclean describes the river's "glacial origins"(14) and how it was formed overnight in "the biggest flood in the world"(14). Paul... ... glories in the beauty of nature and expressed how infinite man's possibilities are. In contrast, Maclean provides a valuable and realistic lesson, as his brother's premature death and his family's sorrow are the final details of his story. Despite, the depressing ending, Maclean expresses his belief in the permanence of one's legacy as he hears the words of his family echoed in the river. Thoreau states, "Yes, we have done great deeds, and song divine songs, which shall never die"(349). Thus, both works display compelling themes of nature and men's lives while differing substantially in their plot progression and mood. Works Cited Maclean, Norman. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories. Chicago: The U of Chicago P, 1976. Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. 1862. Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau. Ed. Joseph Wood Krutch. New York: Bantam, 2001. Comparing Metaphors in Norman Maclean's, A River Runs Through It and He Comparing Metaphors in Norman Maclean's, A River Runs Through It and Henry David Thoreau's, Walden In Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It, the author recounts the story of his early life growing up in Montana. The narrative revolves around his family and the art of fly fishing. Through the novel, Maclean begins to understand the wisdom of his father, the fierce independence and downfall of his brother, and the divinity and beauty of nature. A similar theme regarding divinity in nature is found in Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Building his own cabin and supplying his own food, Thoreau spends two years living alone beside Walden Pond. Thoreau recognizes nature as the "highest reality"(265) and the intrinsic work of "the Builder of the universe"(348). Thoreau also provides insights into human life and expresses these in indirect metaphors with his natural surroundings. The narratives differ most in their changes in mood and plot progression. In Walden, Thoreau displays a change from beginning to end, expressing pessimism and depression at first and then happiness and fulfillment in the end. A River Runs Through It is largely opposite of this change. Thus, both authors relate similar themes and experiences while significant differences exist in the mood and progression. One theme common to both narratives relates to how people are similar to bodies of water. Maclean illustrates this as he describes his brother Paul as being "tough"(8) and "very angry"(7) from his youth. Consequently, Paul's favorite river is the Big Blackfoot, which "is the most powerful and . . . runs straight and hard"(13). Maclean describes the river's "glacial origins"(14) and how it was formed overnight in "the biggest flood in the world"(14). Paul... ... glories in the beauty of nature and expressed how infinite man's possibilities are. In contrast, Maclean provides a valuable and realistic lesson, as his brother's premature death and his family's sorrow are the final details of his story. Despite, the depressing ending, Maclean expresses his belief in the permanence of one's legacy as he hears the words of his family echoed in the river. Thoreau states, "Yes, we have done great deeds, and song divine songs, which shall never die"(349). Thus, both works display compelling themes of nature and men's lives while differing substantially in their plot progression and mood. Works Cited Maclean, Norman. A River Runs Through It and Other Stories. Chicago: The U of Chicago P, 1976. Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. 1862. Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau. Ed. Joseph Wood Krutch. New York: Bantam, 2001.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Company’s constitution Essay

QUESTION 1 Issue: the issue about company’s constitution and whether the loan contract between ABC bank and Sambal Pty Ltd is invalid. State the law: Section 140 of the corporations act states that: â€Å"A company’s constitution (if any) and any replaceable rules that apple to the company have effect as a contract: (a) Between the company and each member; and  (b) Between the company and each director and company secretary; and (c) Between a member and each other member; Apply the law: According to section 140, a company’s constitution is only an internal governance rule, it cannot be enforced by outsider and also cannot be used and act between a company member and an outsider (Corporation Act, 2001). In this case, Sambal Pty Ltd has a constitution, which restricts the amount of money the company can borrow at any one time to $10m. So, as a director of Sambal Pty Ltd, both Jim and Peter require compliance with this internal governance rules (maximum borrow $10m at one time), however, the directors who had been authorised by the board had borrowed an extra $2m loan from ABC Bank this time. Well, at the same time, section 140 is important in determine that the consequences of a failure, by some person who is bound by them, to comply with the internal governance rules. This means the liability should be undertook by the directors. State the law: Section 125(1): if a company has a constitution, it may contain an express restriction on, or a prohibition of, the company’s exercise of any of its powers. The exercise of any of its powers, the exercise of a power by the company is not invalid. 125 (2): if a company has a constitution, it may set out the company’s object. An act of the company is not invalid merely because it is contrary to or beyond any objects in the company’s constitution. Section 126(1): a company’s power to make, vary, ratify or discharge a contract may be exercised by an individual acting with the  company’s express or implied authority and on behalf of the company. The power may be exercised without using a common seal. Apply the law: Companies that act outside their capacity are said to have acted â€Å"ultra vires†. According to section 125, company’s exercise goes beyond to a company’s constitution will not invalid. That means, although the company’s action goes beyond the constitution, the action will still valid. So, the $2m loan contract between ABC bank and Jim and Peter will still valid. The company should pay the interest that related to $2m loan (Corporation Act, 2001). Moreover, the person who breaches the company’s constitution may be liable for damages (if any) to other shareholders. In this case, the two directors Jim and Peter should be responsibility to their act and bear the damages to other shareholders (Corporation Act, 2001). Conclusion: In this case, ABC bank do not have any liability. Sambal should give interest for the $2m loan to ABC bank, and asks the two directors to bear all the damages of company’s other shareholders. Question 2 (1) Issue In this case, the shareholders of Rich Pty Ltd haven’t been paid a dividend related to their shares for 3 years. Susan who owns 25% shares of the company is one of them. She is convinced that she deserves better and yet, given no reasons, the board of directors refuse to pay a distribution of the company’s profit attached to her shares. Hence, the issue is whether or not the board’s refusal is in breach of duty. If so, what would be Susan’s remedy? (2) Law The laws applied in this case are: a. The oppression remedy: Pt 2F.1 b. An injunction to prevent a contravention of the Corporations Act: s1324 S 232 of the Pt 2F.1 allows the court to provide a remedy to a member where the court finds that: the conduct of the company’s affairs, or  an actual or proposed act or omission by or on behalf of the company, or a resolution, or a proposed resolution, of members or a class of members of the company Is either: contrary to the interests of the members as a whole, or  oppressive to, unfairly prejudicial to, or unfairly discriminatory against, a member or members whether in that capacity or in any other capacity. S1324(2) states that where a person has refused or failed, is refusing or failing, or is proposing to refuse or fail, to do an act or thing that the person is required by this Act to do, the Court may, on the application of: ASIC; or  any person whose interests have been, are or would be affected by the refusal or failure to do that act or thing; grant an injunction, on such terms as the Court thinks appropriate, requiring the first mentioned person to do that act or thing. (3) Application The board of Rich Pty Ltd has committed oppressive conduct, specifically, unfairly restricting dividends. In this case, the directors refuse to give reasons or explanations of failing to pay dividends. By paying no dividends to the shareholders, the directors can possibly benefit their own interests such as paying them excessive remuneration out of the profits that should be paid as dividends that constitutes oppression. Under s232 of the Corporations Act, remedies where there is oppression allows Susan to seek her rights by an order held by the court to regulate the conduct of the affairs of the company in the future. For example, remove several directors and appoint new directors. Furthermore, according to s1324, the court can grant an injunction to any person who has breached the Corporations Act. One of the directors’ duties is to act in the interest of the company. To some extent, the members’ interest is the company’s interest. Thus, refusing to pay dividends to members is a breach of duty that contravenes the Corporations Act. Therefore, Susan can appeal to the court to have it grant  an injunction against the directors of Rich Pty Ltd. In other words, mandatorily require the board to pay dividends to the shareholders and provide sufficient information to the members. Additionally, the statutory right allows members of a company to seek to inspect the books of the company if they believe that insufficient information are given by directors. However, there are some certain circumstances that failing to pay dividends does not contravene the Corporations Act. For instance, chasing higher profits for the company or suffering a financial crisis. (4) Conclusion All in all, the fact that the board of Rich Pty Ltd contravenes the Corporations Act will result in certain consequences, these may include: fine, disqualification order, injunction etc. Speaking of Susan, she may receive the amount of dividends attached to her shares as compensation. Nevertheless, if the directors acted in a good faith or say for the sake of the company, then the board only needs to provide relevant information and explain why they refuse to pay dividends. Question 3 Section 249H states that, as unlisted companies, the minimum period of notice are 21 days. The notice period can be reduced by agreement of members holding at least 95% of the votes that maybe cast at the.1 In this case, John, Sam only hold 72% of the shares, they do not have the authority to reduce the period. For listed companies, S249HA of the Corporations Act prescribes a minimum notice period of 28 days. The minimum 28 days notice period required for a listed company cannot be shortened by member/shareholder approval.2 At this moment, Mark should check when they gave him the notice. If it was given less than 21 /28 days before the general meeting, the meeting can be treated as procedural irregularities. Under this situation, section 1322(2) says if the court is opinion of the irregularities has caused, or may cause substantial injustice that cannot be remedied by any order of the court and the court makes an order declaring the proceeding to be invalid. 249S allows that a company to hold a meeting of its members in two or more venues â€Å"using any technology that gives the members as a whole a reasonable opportunity to participate†3. In this case, Mark was unable to reserve a flight from Darwin to Brisbane but he can  attend the meeting by using telephone or video conferencing facilities. In order to get the full answer of question 3, we trace for the origin knowledge back to the textbook, which shows restrictions on members ‘decision making power. It includes: 1. Equitable limitation 2. Special procedural requirements (e.g. reduction of capital) 3. Corporations Act and Listing rules prevented interested members from voting 4. Statutory provisions protecting the minority 5. Member’s personal rights 6. Limit on powers of majority to ratify breaches of dirs duties. We pay the attention to special procedural requirements in restrictions on members’ decision-making power. In this part, we know that majority member can remove directors. However, special procedures exists, include special notice must be given to company 2 months before. In this case, it does not mention the special notice, so Mark could argue it. Another key ingredient is limit on powers of majority to ratify breaches of directors’ duties. Majority cannot ratify dirs breach of duty if: – it is oppressive – the result is to prejudice creditors because coy is insolvent when ratification took place – breach of equitable limitation – results in a personal right of member being eliminated Majority cannot ratify director’s breach of duty if it is oppressive. In this case, we know that the relationship between Mark and his cousins broke down. Mark could claim that there is oppression then try to invalid this meeting. Finally, board of directors can delegate certain tasks to committees, a single director, an employee or another person unless constitution prevents it. Although Mark cannot book a flight at the week before Easter, he could do it in this way. Reference: Corporations Act. (2001). s. 125. Retrieved from http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol act/ca2001172/ Hanrahan, P., I Ramsay, G Stapledon, (2014). Commercial Applications of Company Law, 15th Edition, CCH Australia.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun Essay

In the article â€Å"A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun,† the author, Linda M. Hasselstrom, has a credible argument for carrying a gun. Hasselstrom has a solid ethical appeal and her argument had logic based on her many dangerous personal experiences. Although her argument is credible, she uses many fallacies to make it seem that if women have a gun they can protect themselves from men. Ms. Hasselstrom has ethical appeal because she used credible personal situations to support her authority to possess a gun. Because she was such a peace-loving woman, carrying a gun would be a fallacy. Her cause and effects gave this article logical appeal on the subject of carrying guns for safety purposes. Although she establishes good logical appeal, she failed to include statistics that could have made her argument more credible. Despite Hasselstrom’s characteristics of being a peace-loving, caring woman, a series of unfortunate dangerous situations caused her to feel the need to protect herself. She states in the article â€Å"I am a peace-loving woman. But several events in the past ten years have convinced me I’m safer when I carry a pistol. † Although she feels that a firearm may be a security blanket for her, she struggles with the thought of possessing one. Before she eventually purchased a gun and obtained a license, she had taken some action to prevent this from happening. One action that she took to prevent from having to purchase a firearm was taking a kung fu class, which teaches self defense when someone enters your space without permission; another was to carry spray deodorant acting as mace. She had the most difficultly convincing herself mentally that she could shoot a person. The sense of safety made her sometimes doubt her ability to ever shoot a person. The article states that â€Å"she was against firearms, and local police told us that mace was illegal. † Although she did not like the thought of possessing a firearm, she felt as if it was her last resort. Throughout Hasselstrom’s many dangerous personal life threatening situations and her need to feel safe had emotional appeal, especially to women. The threat of realizing that locking her windows and car doors and avoiding places that are known as dangerous, was not providing her the safety she needed. She then practiced shooting a gun and made it legal by purchasing a license. Although she sates in the article, â€Å"just carrying a pistol is not protection; avoidance is still the best approach to trouble,† she usually put herself in these life threatening situations. All through her many dangerous situations, her main fear seemed to be of men. Hasselstrom’s goal of reaching the feeling of safety was met. She had many personal experiences that made her argument ethical and logical. Although after reflecting on the men that caused such fear in her life, she began to look at her situations from a different point of view. She states that â€Å"A pistol is not the only way to avoid being raped or murdered in today’s world, but, intelligently wielded, it can shift the balance of power and provide a measure of safety. † Although she does not enjoy the thought of possessing a firearm she has realized that it is a measure of safety that she needs.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Using the Definite Article in Spanish When English Doesnt

Using the Definite Article in Spanish When English Doesn't English has one definite article - the - but Spanish isnt so simple. Spanish has five definite articles, varying with number and gender: Singular masculine: elSingular feminine: laSingular neuter: loPlural  neuter or masculine: losPlural feminine: las A definite article is a function word that comes before a noun to indicate that a particular being or thing is being referred to. Although there are a few exceptions, as a general rule a definite article is used in Spanish whenever the is used in English. But Spanish also uses a definite article in many situations where English does not. Although the following list isnt exhaustive, and there are exceptions to some of these rules, here are the major instances where Spanish includes a definite article absent in English. Using Definite Articles to Refer to All Members of a Group When referring to objects or persons of a class in general, the definite article is needed. Los leones son felinos. (Lions are felines.)Los americanos quieren hacer dinero. (Americans want to make money.)Las madres son como rayos de sol. (Mothers are like sun rays.) Note that this use of the definite article can create ambiguity that isnt present in English. For example, depending on the context, Las fresas son rojas can mean either that strawberries in general are red or that some particular strawberries are red. Using Definite Articles With Nouns Representing Concepts In English, the article is often omitted with abstract nouns and nouns used in a general sense, ones that refer more to a concept than a tangible item. But it still is needed in Spanish. La ciencia es importante. (Science is important.)Creo en la justicia. (I believe in justice.)Estudio la literatura. (I study literature.)La primavera es bella. (Spring is beautiful.) Using Definite Articles With Personal Titles The definite article is used before most titles of a person being talked about. El presidente Trump vive en la Casa Blanca. (President Trump lives in the White House.)Voy a la oficina de la doctora Gonzlez. (Im going to the office of Dr. Gonzalez.)Mi vecina es la seà ±ora Jones. (My neighbor is Mrs. Jones.) The article is omitted, however, when directly addressing the person. Profesora Barrera,  ¿cà ³mo est usted? (Professor Barrera, how are you?) Using Definite Articles With Days of the Week Days of the week are always masculine. Except in constructions where the day of the week follows a form of ser (a verb for to be), as in Hoy es martes (Today is Tuesday), the article is needed. Vamos a la escuela los lunes. (We go to school on Mondays.)El tren sale el mià ©rcoles. (The train leaves on Wednesday.) Using Infinitives With Names of Languages The article generally is used before names of languages. But it can be omitted immediately following a verb that is used often with languages, such as hablar (to speak), or after the preposition en. El inglà ©s es la lengua de Belice. (English is the language of Belize.)El alemn es difà ­cil. (German is difficult.)Hablo bien el espaà ±ol. (I speak Spanish well. But: Hablo espaà ±ol for I speak Spanish.) Using Definite Articles With Some Place Names Although the definite article is seldom mandatory with place names, it is used with many of them. As can be seen in this list of country names, the use of the definite article can seem arbitrary. La Habana es bonita. (Havana is pretty.)La India tiene muchas lenguas. (India has many languages.)El Cairo es la capital de Egipto, conocida oficialmente como Al-Qhirah. (Cairo is the capital of Egypst, known officially as Al-Qhirah.) The definite article los is optional when referring to Estados Unidos (the United States). Using Definite Articles With Nouns Joined by Y In English, it usually isnt necessary to include the before each noun in a series. But Spanish often requires the definite article in a way that would seem repetitious in English. La madre y el padre estn felices. (The mother and father are happy.)Comprà © la silla y la mesa. (I bought the chair and table.) Key Takeaways English has single definite article, the. Spanish has five: el, la, lo, los, and las.Spanish requires the definite article in various situations where it isnt used in English.Masculine articles are used with days of the week, infinitives, and names of languages.

Monday, November 4, 2019

A report on dry bulk shipping

A report on dry bulk shipping Shipping is indubitably one of the fascinating industries in the world. It requires vast knowledge and skill to cop up with the day to day operations because of the complexity of the industry and its dependence on world economics. Dry Bulk ships carry dry cargoes in bulk from one port to another and can be categorised into handysize,  handymax,  panamax,  capesize, and very large bulk and ore carriers according to their sizes. The performance of the bulk shipping market depends on the demand for and supply of bulk shipping services, as well as the characteristics of the market structure. The importance of shipping cycle in case of dry bulk carrier is that they plays a vital part in the economics of shipping industry by managing the investment risk in an industry ,where there is large uncertainty about the future (Stopford,2009) Section 1 Literature Review One of the major aspects affecting the future of dry bulk shipping is the quality and the safety perspective. Nominal freig ht differentiation between ‘quality’ and ‘other’ tonnage has been observed occasionally and much services has been paid to promoting the need for younger and safer ships (Tamvakis  and Thanopoulou,2000) Another factor that can influence maritime flows of dry bulk commodity is seasonality patterns .Spot rates for bigger vessels shows higher seasonal variations compared to smaller vessels, although differences in seasonal fluctuations between sectors are removed as the contract duration increases.   (Kavussanos and Alizadeh,2001) Investing in shipping industry has an entirely new aspect by the introduction of private equity and the development of a hedging strategy, now this can be treated as a portfolio optimization problem. The freight futures provide a comparatively novel medium for hedging risk in  dry bulk  shipping markets. New uprising financial strategies in dry bulk shipping in future can revolutionize the entire market.( Cullinane,1995) Dura tion analysis done by Bijwaard G.E and Knapp.S provides an insight to the effectiveness of prolonging ship lives and the empirical data solidifies the idea about the life span of dry bulk carrier. Life span is an important aspect in predicting the ship cycle(Bijwaard and Knapp,2009)Scrapping of ship is done at a particular time and this is done when the ship is retired from the current use or when shipping cycle demands it. Gain and losses after the scrapping of a ship . entirely depends on the market condition. Demand of Dry bulk shipping is always related to the scrapping industry.(Knapp,2008) The Government is proposing that the UK’s CO2 emissions should fall by at least 80% by 2050 . Release of exhaust gases and particles from oceangoing  ships is an important and growing provider to the total emissions from the transportation sector. New strategies like slow steam, alternate fuel and new logistic approach like jumbo ore carriers etc will be used in future to make the s hipping sector more eco friendly(Eyring et al,2010) Research Hypothesis Marine flow of dry bulk goods in 2050 will be largely influenced on numerous factors and the background study done above concretes this statement. From the background study done above following hypothesis are made.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Sustainability in Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sustainability in Practice - Essay Example Corporations position, align and strengthen themselves around the change, experience, missed opportunities and learn from the wasted resources. Due to the various changes in the business environment, sustainability of enterprises is entirely relevant to the modern corporations. Glover (2001) believes that the changing space and environment may have adverse impacts on the performance of the organization. As such, initiating and designing more integrated sustainability practices by the organization is an important element in remaining competitive. The long-term success is the primary focus of every business of which the sustainability strategies serve to support. Pugh and Mayle (2009) explain that sustainability is quite critical in building a competitive 21st-century organization. However, the long-term success focused by the various firms comes through treating sustainability with great efforts in incorporating strategic changes and innovations in the business. According to Goodall (2012), companies that view change as a form of significant adaptation in ensuring sustainability apply a strategic approach called change management. Change Management is a focused, principled and a disciplined framework that considers all the dimensions of the enterprise that critically influences the aspects of change and innovation within the dynamic business environment. Ferrell et al. (2015) explains that, change management approach identifies what needs to be fixed, aligned and engaged to realize the projected success. Arguably, the method or the model takes the best part of the behavioral thinking at the organization. The management makes the most vital decisions and uses design concepts to craft the roadmaps that address all issues surrounding the successes of the corporation. In fact, Feireiss (2008) supports the idea that sustainability theory rotate on the framework of integrated decision-making in ensuring the