Essay --

Bonds and Equities Defining Bonds and Equities Bonds are certificates of obligation or indebtedness, issued by governments and companies to raise funds repayable at interest over relatively long periods. Equities are investments exercised by purchasing a share in the ownership of a corporation; and are more commonly called stocks or shares (as in the stock market or share market). Bonds have a very favorable relationship with equities. Historically, when equity markets fell, bonds had gone up in value, partially offsetting the fall. When equity markets rise, interestingly, high quality bonds also tend to rise, although to a lesser extent. Therefore for an investor with equity portfolio wanting to reduce portfolio volatility or make the portfolio less susceptible to a fall in equity markets bonds are the most appropriate. Bonds generally pay a much higher income than high quality government and corporate bonds to compensate for higher risk. Similar to equities, bonds tend to perform best when economic growth is strong with low stable interest rates. In such an environment the ability of these companies to pay interest and repay their bonds on the maturity date is greatly enhanced. [Z. Bodie, 2000] Investment in bonds and equities, usually via stock-markets and other exchanges for financial instruments. So-called "portfolio investment" is usually relatively easy to re-sell; hence this type of investment can flow relatively easily into and out of a country's stock-markets. This can lead to volatility in share-prices and levels of capital availability. What’s the difference? Equities are shares listed on the stock exchange. Their prices are influenced by the underlying performance of the companies, the sectors in which they operate ... ...easures pertaining to the micro stability of the intermediaries can be subdivided into two categories; general rules on the stability of all business enterprises and entrepreneurial activities, such as the legally required amount of capital, borrowing limits and integrity requirements; and more specific rules due to the special nature of financial intermediation, such as risk based capital ratios, limits to portfolio investments and the regulation of off-balance activities. [White 1996] References Z Bodie, A Kane and A J Marcus. "Investments". 5th Ed. Irwin 2000. E J Elton and M J Gruber. "Modern Portfolio Theory and Investment Analysis". John Wiley 5th Edition 1995. White L., 1996, "International Regulation of Securities Markets: Competition or Harmonization?† in Lo A. (ed), The Industrial organization and Regulation of the Securities Industry, NBER, Cambridge

School Essay

7 PERIOD IF I WERE PRESIDENT ESSAY! If I were president, two of my main focuses would be reducing job cuts and going make more jobs. My first plan of action would be to reduce gas prices by not importing oil; I would drill it here in the U. S. That would slowly build us more money, meaning less job cuts. Also, we could reduce the mass production of sweets and would save money by not using factories as much, also reducing pollution in the air, which is one way to go green. Recently the company of IBM in San Francisco cut 1,500 employees.Getting fired for no reason is hard, harder than being fired for a reason. What Peter Arnett once said, â€Å"I am still in shock and awe at being fired. † This is what every one of those 1,500 employees were thinking. So, once we slowly earned enough money by keeping the candy production reduced and oil drilled in our country, we might be able to stop job cuts for good. Another act would be to raise cigarette prices. My reason for this action i s that if I did raise the price, it would give smokers yet another reason to quit smoking, lowering the death rate a little bit too.After that, I then would make marijuana legal for medical purposes, because marijuana can be healthy in certain cases, for example, if you have arthritis, it can help a bit, but it will only be legal if prescribed by your doctor, or citizens could easily use it for the wrong purposes. Also I would keep the tax level in the United States the same, because the government would need the money for the plans I would have just executed, and to keep your money balanced, similar to how wolves keep the deer population balanced.My last and final act would be trying to make peace with as many countries as I could, but at the same time still having war with the countries I haven’t made peace with. Then, with the countries I made peace with, I would trade with them goods with goods so both of us could easily get what we can’t reach. Plus, if I don†™t make peace with other countries, I would make or try to grow goods here in the US so we don’t have to import and waste time, gas, and money.While we are superpowers in the eyes of the world, I believe there are things that must be changed to reflect the fame and superiority associated with America in the international arena. If I were a president, I would strive to accomplish three major issues. To begin with, to ensure food security and better health care, second, would improve the education system of our country, third, I would ensure that our every American is secure. I have to admit that a government which is not able to feed its citizens has no reason of being in power.A healthy nation is very vital in sustainable development since a nation cannot develop when the citizen continuously suffer from different diseases. As stated above, my first task is to strive to enhance food security in my country. According to Mwaniki (‘n. d’), food security is a situa tion in which all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to adequate, safe and healthful food to meet their dietetic needs and food preferences for active strong life.Having minded the challenge it offers. There is need for targeted food security interventions, including food support in the form of direct food relief, food stamps, or indirectly through subsidized food production. Most of the farmers in the rural areas are poor and therefore cannot manage to purchase heavy machines for mechanization. As the president I strive for the introduction of Rural off farm opportunities to enable even the poorest people to engage in and provide additional food supply.This mechanism will even provide financial assistance for the farmers, processing firms to be introduced in these places. This mechanism provides alternative sources of food and change in feeding habits. Another important aspect that is needed is facilitation of market access. To achieve this, I intend to ensure good governance. This plays an integral part in implementation of this intervention. Without good governance, the strategies cannot be fully implemented due to problems for instance corruption.In essence, where there is sufficient supply of food, the nation becomes healthy hence rapid economic growth. Ensuring substantial education for all citizens is the foundation of the rationality of a particular community. A learned society is easy to govern compared to a society full of ignorant individuals. To improve our education system, I have considered the following measures; Training colleges for teachers must be restructured to more extensive teaching mechanisms. This intends to have more qualified and motivated teachers.This I intend to achieve to restore the dignity of institutions and the teaching profession. Free forum for teachers where teachers and students can exchange their ideas, experiences, and information must be adopted. This is to create a conducive atmosphere for learnin g. As the President I will give direction to execute some reforms in the curriculum and examination system. Since education should form the whole person, it should be made relevant to the lives of the citizens particularly the students.The system of education should be more pragmatic rather than being abstract and examination should not be geared towards obtaining grades and papers but towards achieving the whole personhood. Since the world is dynamic, there a need to introduce the use of information and communication technology system in our schools. This is to facilitate and enhance coordination among different departments in our schools. This requires installation of computer software as well as connectivity facilities. Lastly, everyone has a right to access to education and therefore I will ensure that no one is deprived of education.Even the minorities are to benefit fro this plans which also intends to offer free high school and college education to accommodate even the less f ortunate. Food security and health services, education and security within our borders play an integral role in sustainable development and the general welfare of the people. To eliminate ignorance in people by improving the education system from a theoretical sense to a pragmatic one will help to improve the economy of the country. I believe with my natural feeling to lead this country can drive me on towards achieving these goals

Crafty madness Essay

Hamlet’s situation in the play concerning family and love for Ophelia is obviously going to affect him, however the term madness has been questioned as too dramatic and perhaps a more accurate condition to describe Hamlet’s behaviour is melancholic behaviour. Melancholic behaviour is a condition causing emotional insanity accompanied by extreme depression. Many incidents and speeches of Hamlet are similar to melancholic behaviour: King: † Was not like madness. There’s something in his soul, O’er which his melancholy sits on brood.† (Act 3, Scene 1) Although this term is not commonly used these days, in the past and still in Shakespeare’s period melancholic behaviour was a recognised condition. Further support that melancholic behaviour was commonly termed in the 16th century comes from Timothy Bright’s: ‘Treatise of Melancholy’ (1586): † The perturbations of melancholy are for the most part sad and fearful†¦as distrust, doubt, diffidence or despair sometimes furious and sometimes merry in appearance, through a kind of sardonic and false laughter as the humour is disposed that procureth these diversions.† Therefore not only would Shakespeare be familiar with this behaviour but the audience of the time would also identify it. This condition could be identified by symptoms Hamlet shows for example, Hamlet with good reason displays suits of woe, he sighs and his: ‘dejected ‘haviour of the visage’ (Act 1, scene 2) In particular after Hamlet has spoken to his father’s ghost he begins to feel paranoid, he even distrusts the ghost at first not only that but the purity of Ophelia and his own inability to act. Other relevant symptoms include the fury towards his Mother because of her marriage and his sardonic joking with the players from ‘The Murder of Gonzago’ and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The theory of melancholic behaviour is suggestible and rational especially as it was a recognised condition at the time the play was written, however, it doesn’t explain enough of Hamlet’s behaviour or the language, which is used to portray it. In some parts of the play Hamlet talks to other characters and appears to be ‘mad’ when he is obviously not. For example in Act 2, scene 2 Hamlet seems to patronize Polonius by answering his questions in a way he is clearly in control of: Polonius: â€Å"Do you know me my Lord?† Hamlet: â€Å"Excellent well, you are a fishmonger,† Hamlet obviously knows Polonius, but as Polonius has asked him this question as if he were mad Hamlet answers as if he were mad, but clearly just to humour him. This is supported by Hamlet’s statement as Polonius leaves the room: â€Å"These tedious old fools† (Line 219) Hamlet also taunts Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and leads them astray by what they realise as, â€Å"Crafty madness†. To add to this the way in which Hamlet expresses his feelings to his Mother all suggest his behaviour and the way he talks to people isn’t madness but excuse to act how he feels and speak his mind in a court where no one speaks the truth. This style of Hamlet’s is allusively presented in his language which also through his ‘madness’ is allowed to be more rich and creative rather than aristocratic like the other characters. Hamlet uses many proverbial sayings and puns in the play. The authenticity of Hamlet’s madness is a mystery that cannot be solved, this is perhaps why the play is enjoyed by the audience so much, the huge sense of mystery and uncertainty surrounding Hamlet’s madness is a main attraction of the play. It is possible that Hamlet is suffering from madness of some sort as my essay suggests perhaps ‘melancholic behaviour’, or the anger and jealousy Hamlet feels is just too much for him to conceal. However it is also possible that Hamlet’s behaviour is ‘madness’ put on by himself, there is evidence to support this theory as everyone in the play who states that Hamlet is mad has like himself got reason to imply this. Hamlet has stated that he would consider putting on an ‘antic disposition’ as a disguise to conceal his revenge plot against Claudius. It is also a very significant point that the play of Hamlet is not a true story and consequently Hamlet is not a real character/personality in real life, therefore Shakespeare was able to present him and make him seem however, he wished to. It is possible and likely that Shakespeare intended to present Hamlet’s madness in this ambiguous way giving almost equal reason for Hamlet to be genuinely mad as there is for him to be ‘acting mad.’

Globalisation Process Essay

The business world is becoming increasingly global. As a result of this, many companies, such as Costa Coffee and Dyson, have changed their strategies in relation to the markets they target or where they produce. Does the increasingly global nature of business mean that all organisations need to change their strategies significantly to achieve higher profits? Justify your answer with reference to Costa Coffee, Dyson and/or other organisations that you know. Globalisation is the process by which the world is becoming progressively interconnected as a result of significantly increased trade and cultural exchange. It has also increased the production of goods and services. The biggest companies (such as McDonald’s, Starbuck’s, Costa Coffee, Tesco, Dyson) are no longer national firms, but multinational corporations with subsidiaries in many other countries. The aim of this essay is to justify whether organisations need to change their strategies significantly to achieve higher profits as a result of the increasingly global nature of business. As a result of globalisation, the world has become a smaller place; however this is a potential benefit for companies that are looking to expand because communication, trade and travel are becoming increasingly easy. Many countries, especially the ‘BRICS’ economies are undergoing industrialisation, giving Western companies the cheaper infrastructure they need to expand. If the business does the market auditing efficiently and they target the right market, with the cheap infrastructure and more potential customers, there are minimal reasons why the business would not achieve higher profits. So having said that, businesses like McDonald’s are a perfect example that higher profits are a result of changing their strategy to relate more to the market they target. Originating from America, McDonald’s are currently market leaders in 96% of the markets they do business in; they operate in 119 countries on 6 continents, with over 33,000 restaurants worldwide, employ ing over 1.7 million people. (http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en/contact_us/faq.html) They first expanded internationally when they opened in Canada in 1967. The international section of McDonald’s has become increasingly more important to the company’s overall success. As of this past year, non-US based restaurants account for over half of the company’s $40 billion in revenues. Foreign restaurants now account for about 60% of McDonald’s total profits. Since coffee has become a necessity in a person’s every day routine rather than a luxury, McDonald’s has recognised this is an opportunity to increase their product portfolio. With the majority of McDonald’s customers being business men and women, coffee is an increased purchase amongst their sales, therefore they have recently announced they will be opening up a â€Å"McCafe† in the UK, having already been opened in Australia since 1993, they’ll be selling a variety of coffee’s other than your standard black, white, latte and cappuccino. As a consequ ence, for companies like Costa Coffee and Starbuck’s, this means that McDonald’s will continue to add to the markets they are in and become increasingly intense competitors. So the increase use of necessities globally definitely has an impact on a businesses strategies. McDonald’s have had to identify a person’s every day need, and cleverly made it as sort of a luxury item because it’s ‘new’ it will be new to McDonald’s. As a result of their new investment, the McCafe generates 15% more revenue than an ordinary McDonald’s. On the other hand, Globalisation is proven to have had a negative effect for some other businesses such as Tesco. This is a business that has strived to expand internationally, and as a result, they struggled/failed as they couldn’t easily adapt to the market change. Tesco has expanded into many other countries over the years, but as the â€Å"BRICS† economies are becoming increasingly attractive, an opportunity to venture into these economies seemed to be a ‘rising star’ for Tesco. Tesco’s ‘eye on the prize’ meant that they took their eyes off what made them successful in the first place- their UK stores. Ultimately, expansion into China, India and Thailand has left what was their ‘cash cow’ UK stores to currently become their ‘problem child’. Losing focus on their original investments meant that they â€Å"slipped behind in terms of stores, service and innovation.† http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-177 67565 In addition to their struggles to maintain the success of their UK stores, focus on China, Thailand and India had a massive impact on their competitors such as Asda, Sainsbury’s, Lidl and Aldi. During the time that Tesco focused on the new move, it was an opportunity for its competitors to steal Tesco’s 30% market share – Sainsbury’s brought in â€Å"By Sainsbury’s† and Asda brought in â€Å"Chosen By You†. When Tesco realised their mistake and focused their attention on their UK stores, they invested in the â€Å"Big Price Drop Flop† but the  £500m campaign only damaged their branding image, as customers thought the quality of their products had dropped. It was a clear step by step process for Tesco losing its place in the market. All of this is a result of changing their strategy by expanding overseas into a better economy, and that is a result of Globalisation. Overall, Globalisation has so far cost Tesco to invest in a new economy, invest in strategies to save their place in the market, and has now cost them a  £1bn investment making their UK stores a â€Å"warmer look and feel†. It’s safe to say that Gl obalisation has definitely not achieved higher profits for Tesco, only slandered them. Overall, Globalisation has effect on all businesses whether positive or negative, but it does not necessarily make them achieve higher profits due to a changed strategy. In my opinion, it’s not Globalisation itself that makes a business achieve higher profits, it’s how the business takes advantage of the situation, and there are other internal factors involved that make a business achieve increased profits. Tesco could have easily become more successful if they balanced out their investments, keeping the UK stores as a ‘cash cow’ while they invested in their ‘rising star’ in China, and also kept their attention on their main rivals: Asda and Sainsbury’s. Sometimes a business does not need to change its strategy, an investment into the ‘BRICS’ economies could potentially mean more money is required. Having said that, some businesses already have the infrastructure they need to maintain their businesses over in the UK and it would seem moronic to expand overseas, especially if the business is maintaining profits. Although McDonalds has taken advantage of Globalisation, and used their strategy efficiently to become successful and to be as big as they are now – they are one company in a million. They are not proof that just because they managed to successfully adapt to the market, expansion into other countries is not guaranteed success, as proven by Tesco. So no, not all businesses need to change their strategy significantly due to Globalisation, in fact, some businesses don’t need to change their strategy at all.

Nervous system Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nervous system - Research Paper Example Facial nerve paralysis is in turn more common with Lower Motor Neuron (LMN) lesion than Upper Motor Neuron (UMN) lesion. Forehead muscles can be tests by asking the patient to raise her eyebrows in order to determine if UMN or LMN disease is the real cause behind face drop. If the furrows of the forehead are asymmetrical, it is a LMN disease like Bell’s palsy. If otherwise, it is UMN disease like pseudobulbar palsy. The patient in the case study is most probably suffering from Bell’s palsy because that is more often the cause of â€Å"muscle weakness on one side of the face† (El-Bab, 2011, p. 2134). Assigning this patient to a novice or proficient nurse depends on physical condition of the patient. If there are no extreme symptoms like blindness, seizures, or severe headache, if facial drooping started suddenly, and if there is no wrinkling on forehead, the patient has no stroke and is suffering from Bell’s palsy. In that case, treatment with steroids should immediately begin which can be handled by a novice nurse as well. El-Bab, M.F., Makhdoom, N., Al-Harbi, K.M., Baghdadi, H.H., & Alam, A. (2011). Facial Nerve Palsy Incidence, Clinical Feature, and Prognosis in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah. Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research, 1(11),

Levine's Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Levine's Argument - Essay Example of ethnicity varies across the world, depending upon the political context; despite its modern political definition of self-defined communities seeking their own political space, not necessarily statehood. For example tribalism in parts of Africa, or color in the Eurocentric view of ethnicity are entirely different concepts. A set of propositions have been provided as an inventory – focusing on consciousness of separateness that leads to an ethnic identity amongst various populations. However the relationship of such concepts to the sources of ethnic conflict is far less certain, particularly in view of economics and Marxian class struggle which is often inherent in such conflicts. The stages and paths of ethnic conflicts are described next, with the admission these factors often remain obscure and difficult to generalize. In most cases, if the roots and sources are analyzed retrospectively, a conflict goes through early stages when the respective parties take their position – to a final stage when the conflict has got out of control. What often complicates the situation are those instances where single incidents sparked off ethnic violence e.g. Ayodhya in India (1992) and the Rwandan plane crash (1994). Biological models of ontogeny and life paths are referred to, with incipient, plateau and open stages in an attempt to identify the best points to intervene as well as define a conflict in its evolutionary perspective rather than empirical models of causality. The third important point that has been raised is the fact that ethnicity and ethnic conflicts are often best defined during the phase of intervention by mediators in an attempt to solve it. Every such conflict has its unique features, whether governments are involved or not, whether the conflicting parties themselves want to resolve a dispute or aim for a disruption in their social and geographical ties, and critically who tries to intervene. The nature of the intervention also varies with the

Carrefour Company Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Carrefour Company Analysis - Assignment Example Cost leadership strategy focuses on the supply side of an enterprise and comprises of an integrated set of actions taken to produce goods or services with features that are acceptable to customers at the lowest possible cost in the market. Product differentiation alternatively creates a perception in customers’ minds that specific brands are unique and have superior qualities with respect to the image, reputation, reliability, designs, and quality compared to the similar other products in the market (Baroto et al., 2012). Niche markets are the narrow market segments having specific demands that are isolated due to geographic location or socio-economic factors. The principal risk factors in the retail industry are categorized as follows; 1) business environment: Political and social environment, Economic environment and market volatility, Environment, pressure and regulatory changes, Changes in the sector and the competitive Environment, Natural disasters and climate change, Terrorism and crime 2) strategy and governance: Strategy definition, adjustment and implementation, Compliance and fair practices, Corporate responsibility, Environment, Disputes/Litigation 3) operations: Relevance and performance of economic and business models, Operational and financial control of growth and expansion, Partnerships and franchising, Control of the supply chain, Product quality, compliance and safety, Safety of people and property, Human resource management, Continuity, integrity and confidentiality of information systems and Control and valuation of assets and 4) financial: Market risk, Liquidity risk, Interest-rate risk, Foreign-exchange risk, Equity risk, Quality of financial management, budgets and reporting and Credit risk. Specific business strategies have been articulated and designed to remain the long-term profitability of the company while successfully managing these risk factors.