Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Magna Carta and the Constitution

The Magna Carta and the U. S. Constitution are closely related since the former is a cornerstone for the latter. Magna Carta The rule of law is enshrined in Magna Carta which was issued in 1215 by King John of England to appease land barons. The rule of law asserts that all persons must comply with laws of the nation irrespective of king or any other privileged person. Although Magna Carta is silent about king’s immunity, the document does impose limit on king’s power.The barons has the authority to invoke the provisions of Chapter 61 of the Magna Carta’s original version which states that the king should not ignore or violate the traditions, customs or laws and could not take any arbitrary actions against his subjects. 1 Magna Carta provides for rule of law, ensures fairness of laws, contains commitment to due process of law and gives respect for economic rights. While these rights were the privileges given to barons in England by way of declarations in Magna Ca rta, the founders of the U.  S. drew inspiration from Magna Carta and made these rights applicable to all the citizens of America and became part of the Bill of Rights. Magna Carta is therefore a source for the U. S. Constitution.The Bill of Rights 1791; which representing 10 amendments as part of the 1st amendment to the U. S. Constitutions. Clause 39 of Magna Carta provides that no freeman shall be punished except by lawful judgment by his peers or by the laws of the land. This was to prevent the King to deliver sentences without the authority of law.The U. S. Constitution provides for rule of law by which no person is above the law. In this context both, Magna Carta and the U. S. Constitution are similar. Whereas the Magna Carta was issued by the Monarch, the U. S. Constitution was given by Americans unto themselves. The 14th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution includes the stipulation of due process, this provides for fair trial before depriving any person of his life, liberty or property. The trial is what is meant by due process.Again it must be a fair trial as part of the due process. In The Magna Carta, the due process of law is known by law of the land and legal judgment of peers. In order to constitute due process, there should be a right to fair and public trial, right to be present at the trial, presence of an impartial jury, right to be heard as part of one’s own defense. Besides, the laws must be in written form, taxes must be for only public purpose, and property can be taken only for public purpose with due compensation.In this way The Magna Carta pales in comparison due to not being as descriptive as the U. S. Constitution for the meaning of due process. Both Magna Carta and the U. S. Constitution require that laws shall be fair and discriminatory. Thus, Magna Carta and the U. S. Constitution share many things in common. Magna Carta of 1215 was a bold initiative of the then King, without which the U. S. Constitution would have taken s till longer time to be what it is today.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Isolation of Single Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells Capable

Isolation of Single Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells Capable of Long-Term Multilineage Engraftment A variety of distinct progenitors arising from self-renewing hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) allow for the production of mature blood cell lineages. Human HSCs are poorly understood due to their rarity and difficulty to segregate them from multipotent progenitors (MPPS) to obtain a pure population for analysis. This study investigates the determining factors of HSCs.It appears that the majority of HSCs are CD34+, as hown by transplantation and xenograft repopulation assays, however most of these cells are lineage-restricted progenitors and HSCs are therefore rare. Enrichment of HSCs seems reliant on CD45RA, Thyl and CD38 expression. Further study into the role of each of these factors in HSC differentiation is required. In this study a range of assays were carried out in an attempt to identify and separate HSCs from MPPs. Recently it was shown that a depletion in Thyl expression in the CD 34+CD38-CD45RA- compartment of lineage-depleted cord blood was ufficient to separate HSCs from MPPs.However, further studies gave rise to concern surrounding this theory. They then used an optimized HSC xenograft assay and flow- sorted cord blood HSCs and MPPs into functionally characterized fractions. Data obtained from this assay suggested that cells with extensive self-renewal potential exist in both Thyl+ and Thyl- subsets. However, more extensive research was required to investigate the disparity in secondary transfer efficiency between subsets. To distinguish the cause of such disparity the Thyl subsets were sorted intoThyl+ and Thy- cells and cultured with stroma cells known to express HSC supportive ligands. The results demonstrated that the Thyl- compartment is heterogeneous and contains a small fraction with repopulating activity and a larger fraction with MMP- like activity and therefore may account for the differences in efficiency between subsets. To further distinguish HSCs in both Thy+ and Thy- subsets they analysed cell surface markers and found only CD49f to be differentially expressed between subsets.Next they investigated whether HSCs could be identified using CD49f expression. Data recovered indicated that human HSCs are indeed marked by CD49f. Further tests were carried out on Thyl-CD49f+ and Thyl-CD49f- subsets. Results revealed Thyl-CD49f- cells are short term HSCs as they fail to engraft long-term, indicating that these are MPPs. Investigation into the role of mitochondrial dye rhodamine-123 (Rho) in HSC enrichment. Results indicated twofold enrichment for HSCs compared to Thyl+ alone as opposed to Thyl +Rholo.The next aspect nvestigated was whether the addition of Rho to Thyl +CD49f+ would permit robust engraftment of single human HSCs. This investigation was carried out using single cell transplantation with two separate experiments focusing on engraftment and Thyl +RholoCD49f+ cells provides evidence that human HSCs express CD49f. Th ese findings illustrated by Notta et al. will aid in identifying gene regulatory networks that govern human HSC function and therefore allow manipulation of human HSCs ex vivo with the aim of overcoming the barriers associated with transplantation.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

An Overview of Population Growth in Vietnam and New Zealand

TOPIC: Compare and contrast population growth rates in Vietnam and New Zealand since 2000s and give reasons for the similarities or differences. What effects have these changes had on the economies and societies of the two countries ? Essay: Population growth rate is the increase in a country’s population during a period of time, usually one year, expressed as a percentage of the population at the start of that period. Each country in the world has different rates based on the number of births, deaths during the period and the number of immigrants, emigrants.In this essay, I would make some comparison and contrast of population growth rates between Vietnam and New Zealand since 2000s as well as give reasons for rise or decline in population. Besides that, population growth has effects on the economy and society of two countries will be discussed. There are differences in the population growth in Vietnam and New Zealand. Overall, the rates look dissimilar in two countries. It i s evident from both graphs about the population growth rate in New Zealand and Vietnam of CIA World Factbook, New Zealand is the country with low population growth rate while Vietnam has high population growth rate.As can be seen from the graph of New Zealand (CIA World Factbook) , the rate fluctuated mildly. The highest rate in 2000 reached 1. 17% whereas the lowest one in 2011 accounted for 0. 88%. Between 2000 and 2007 the population growth rate dropped steadily from 1. 17% to 0. 95% then rose slightly to 0. 97% in 2008. From 2008 to 2011, it declined gradually to 0. 88%. It is noticeable from the graph of Vietnam (CIA World Factbook), the population growth rate fluctuated widely. The highest rate in 2000 made up 1. 49 but the lowest one stood at 0. 98% in 2009.From 2000 to 2003, the number of population growth has a sharp fall from 1. 49% to 1. 29% then increased slightly to 1. 3% in 2004. Between 2004 and 2009 the rate dropped dramatically to 0. 98% afterward had a minimal rise to 1. 1% in 2010. Then it went down gradually to 1. 08% by 2011. Similarly, both the population growth rates in Vietnam and New Zealand declined in some periods, 2000-2007, 2008-2009, 2010-2011. However, a comparison of population growth rates in two countries reveals several similarities but the great deal number of differences.In stages 2003-2004 and 2009-2010, while the number of population growth increased in Vietnam, it decreased in New Zealand. From 2007 to 2008, the population growth rate went up in New Zealand whereas went down in Vietnam. Second, the reason for the rise or the decline in population in New Zealand is completely different from that in Vietnam. While the main reasons in New Zealand are emigration and low birth rate, in Vietnam those are high population structure and low awareness of women living in rural areas. The main reason to explain the decrease in population in New Zealand is emigration.According to the ABS and Statistics New Zealand, it is estimated ab out 14% New Zealanders emigrate to other countries each year. Of these, over three-fourths emigrate to Australia. Other communities of New Zealanders abroad are concentrated in other English-speaking countries, specifically the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with smaller numbers located elsewhere. The low birth rates also affect the decrease in population in New Zealand. As professor Natalie Jackson from Waikato University’s National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis mentioned New Zealanders' birth rates have declined over the past several decades.People are living longer because of increased access to immunization, primary health care and disease eradication programs. Many parents are realizing that as health conditions improve, more of their children are likely to survive, so they are choosing to have fewer babies. In addition, with greater access to education and jobs, more women in New Zealand are starting their families later and are having fe wer, healthier children (Study to find solutions to population decline, www. waikato. ac. nz). It is said that Vietnam is the third most densely populated country in Southeast Asia behind Singapore and Philippines.The main argument to explain the rise in population in Vietnam is high population structure. According to UN's article in Vietnam, the population growth rate in Vietnam went down recently because the country has experienced a decrease in the total fertility rate. Even when the total fertility drops below replacement level, the absolute number of people will continue to increase due to population momentum . The continued population growth is the legacy of earlier years of high fertility rates and cannot be avoided.So each year population in Vietnam increased reaching an average of one million people (Vietnam’s population keeps growing despite decrease in total fertility rate, http://www. un. org. vn). Another convincing reason is low awareness of women living rural a reas. There were 60,410,101 people (70. 4% total population of the country) living in rural areas. Of these, three-fourth women especially in high land central provinces married before the age of 20, with a woman on an average bearing four or more than four children.However, later the legal marriage age for women was set at 22 but this law met serious opposition in those areas. As the Vietnamese believed in â€Å"falling in love early and getting married early† (Vietnam Population, http://www. asiarooms. com). Changes in population have both positive and negative impacts on the society and economy. In Vietnam, increased population growth generally represents problems for country- it means increased need for food, infrastructure, services, jobs†¦In addition, the population growth also provides a huge amount of labor force, the potential for rapid economic development is certainly there (Population Growth  Rates, www. geography. about. com). In contrast, New Zealand's go vernment is facing a considerable loss of gray matter because of emigration. Nearly one quarter of New Zealand's highly-skilled workers live overseas, mostly in Australia and Britain, more than any other developed nation. That will cause a serious damage on its economy (Demographics of New Zealand, http://en. wikipedia. org).In conclusion, population growth rate varies from country to country. Even though Vietnam and New Zealand seem similar in many features of population growth rates since 2000s, the causes of declining or increasing population and the effects on economy and society of two countries are totally different. Besides that, Vietnam's government should have strict population policies, education programs for women to control population growth and New Zealand's is expected to have more investments to prevent skillful workers from emigrating as well as improve the birth rates.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Plagiarism is academic dishonesty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Plagiarism is academic dishonesty - Essay Example Writing is the fundamental source of knowledge which is vital for progress and development in all areas. Therefore, writing has to be original and the ownership must be declared. Avoiding plagiarism is also necessary in order to improve the validity of information. When an individual owns a piece of writing, he/she essentially becomes responsible for the credibility of information given therein. This paper tends to explore what plagiarism and academic dishonesty are and the factors that influence academic dishonesty. Literature Review Plagiarism Plagiarism can be defined as the act of taking and using an individual’s thoughts, inventions, or writings and presenting them as your own in your paper. It is an honesty concern and it entails attempting to persuade someone like a college professor that the piece of writing or the idea is your original work, when you are aware that someone else exactly used the thought you did (Cruey 1). In other words, plagiarism is a literary theft. It is the stealth of ideas as well as words. Plagiarized work creates confusions about the original ownership of the data.

Ratio Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ratio Analysis - Essay Example They are of interest to the creditors to determine the firm’s ability to meet its short term financial obligations. So far the liquidity ratio of the company indicates that the liquid assets of the company are higher compared to its own average, meaning that the company as assets that can be easily be converted to cash. The indication of good liquidity ratio reduces the worry of the creditors since the business is at a position to easily pay its short term liabilities. Profitability ratios concentrate on the major areas such as asset turnover, profit margin, return on assets, and return on common shareholder’s equity. Profitability ratios are used by investors to measure the management effectiveness as shown by returns generated by the profit margin (Weygandt et al, 2010, p 723). The company’s ROE has been registering a slight decrease, from 17% in 2009 to 15% in 2011, meaning that the company is earning less returns on its capital. As calculated the highest profit margin is 4.97% in 2011 which is low, meaning that the business is not that profitable. The solvency ratio of the company is based on debts to total assets and times interest earned. It is used by shareholders and potential investors to determine financial risk of the business. When calculated in 2011 debt to total assets is 23.33% which gives a healthy indication of the company’s performance. During the same year the times interest was 8.3% which backs the claims o f the company’s financial healthiness. Therefore from the solvency ratios the management can learn that the company is capable of paying back its long term obligations (Weygandt et al, 2010, p

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Business Organisation & Policy Topshop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Organisation & Policy Topshop - Essay Example High street retail business like Topshop has been affected by a number of factors like price and cost pressure, concentration in the industry etc. Topshop specializes in women’s fashion products such as clothing and apparels. This retail sector is expanding both horizontally and vertically with retailers taking broader strategies to adapt to it (Burt and Sparks, 2003, p. 15). Polarisation increases in the sector with the growth of the bigger companies. Hence, innovation is the critical element which the retailers need to do for their development. With economies opening them to outer world, the competition is increasing and the retailers are developing strategy to survive. But while developing strategy they need to take into consideration the external factors which will impact them. Political Structure and Trends Topshop and other high street outlets i.e. its competitors are affected by the political structure in a number of ways. One of the main way that politician in UK can affect the high street retail outlet businesses is through their exercise of power in the land-use planning system. Though land-use planning is the function of local authority, the national government can intervene in for the development and growth of high street retail outlet business like Topshop. Recently there have been restrictions on green field development project and hence it is becoming harder for retailers to open in the new shopping centres (Bluff, 2012, p.15). Therefore, as a high street outlet, Topshop needs to take a close look at current business policies and re-strategise their decisions for future expansion. The environment of shopping has changed over the years, because the shoppers can now choose between the leisure and experience component. They now face a more functional price driven appeal from the shoppers (APCO Worldwide, 2012, p. 4). With technological advancement the price has become a major component as the consumers can easily compare the price. Hence, the company needs to offer products of varied price ranges and develop and implement effective branding and promotional strategies so that they can position themselves differentially in the market. The competition commission in UK has found out that consumer have accepted many of the changes in the high street retail sector like the online shopping. As discussed the land-use planning affects the location of the outlets, there are other instruments which governments can use to affect the operations like retail trading legislations and the public policies which regulate such working conditions of the industry, like employment practices etc. Economic Structures and Trends The UK high street retail sector is affected by the macro-level position of the country. If the general economic condition is good this sector will experien ce a high volume of retails sales. If the economic condition of the country improves then there is a possibility of significant investment by other players. Like in India with the Opening up of FDI in the retail sector, many foreign retailers like Walmart, Ikea is going to open themselves up in the country. Like in UK

Monday, August 26, 2019

Research proposal (research method) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research proposal (research method) - Essay Example This research would particularly determine the impact on the family after the institutionalization of the patient. Accordingly, the sample would be taken from at least ten different nursing homes. The family members of at least three patients who have been diagnosed with alzheimers from ten nursing homes would be mailed a letter inviting them to participate. There may be reluctance on the part of some of them to participate and comply with the research. Only those that have been institutionalized for over three months would be included in the research process because a minimum time is needed to determine the impact. The hospital authorities would first be approached to collect a list of the Alzheimer patients and then the family members who have been in regular contact with the patient contacted through mail. This would include primarily the children but if grandchldren too have been involved as seconday caregivers, they would be included. The questionnaires would be mailed to the caregivers as they may be reluctant to speak out or fatigue and depression may distort responses. It is assumed that they would be willing to give vent to their feelings in the settings of their own homes which would also help to maintain privacy. Data would be collected through self-completion questionnaires as this method of data collection allows the ability for unambiguous quantitative data to be collected (Redmond & Griffith 2003). This questionnaire wud be developed specifically for this study although guidelines may be adopted from previous studies. Wherever possible, family members that have been secondary caregivers would also be asked to complete the questionnaire in addition to the primary caregivers, which would help to corroborate the results. This would be particularly helpful for this research because it is essential to determine how the caregivers are affected after the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Thematic analysis on dante's inferno Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Thematic analysis on dante's inferno - Essay Example The poem illustrates that human wisdom is vain in the face of spirituality. The poem guides the audience through the circles of hell that contain people that would be otherwise virtuous according to the perception of human beings. Numerous individuals, who were virtuous atheists, appear in the Limbo section of hell. These virtuous individuals did not welcome the Jesus Christ’s spirituality into their lives. They had chosen to live in life by relying on their distinct wisdom. Without baptism, these individuals had lacked the insight and hope for an ideal that was beyond human comprehension. This castle has the wisest men who professed considerable intelligence while living on earth. For instance, the Castle includes Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato. In addition, it includes the poet, Virgil, and polymaths such as Avicenna. In spite of their wisdom and righteous lives, they still share the same fate, as other human beings, if they do not accept the divine life of Christ. The poem also illustrates the inevitability of God’s justice. God is notable as an entity that enacts its justice in a perfect sense such that every individual attains punishment according to the nature and amount of sin that one commits. For instance, while the wrathful eat the excrement of one another, the gluttonous fight among themselves. As Virgil and Dante enter the gates of Hell, there is the encryption â€Å"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here (Alighieri 24).† This denotes the inevitability of God’s punishment. In the end, individuals recive punishment for any amount of sin that one committed while living. It is essential to highlight of the special caste of the uncommitted individuals who still face regrettable punishment for their ambivalence in life. These people are neither in hell nor in heaven. In turn, Dante expresses the notion of divine punishment with respective moral messages by restructuring hell into different parts. In close relation to this concept , it is essential to highlight that poem illustrates the gradual human journey towards gaining righteousness. On the other hand, God is a merciful being who recognizes the inherent faults in the makeup of a human being. In addition, he recognizes the ambitions, such as lust, which compels human beings in sin. Before Dante begins his journey, he notes, â€Å"the fear in me subsided (Alighieri 17).† This statement comes after Dante had noted that he was in a dark forest that had triggered fear in him. In spite of his hopelessness, the light that shines in front of him grants hope. Dante appears as a sinful man who had resided in an earthly wisdom and love that blinds him into believing in his own willpower. God, however, is a merciful being who sends Virgil to guide trough a path of restoration. Dnate’s experience in hell should serve as a foundation for beginning a new life. The poem also entails the theme of God’s will on human lives. Inferno gives taxonomy of s in that the audience should explore and judge in independent parts. There is an underlying organizing principle that classifies human evil. For instance, the acceptance of bribe is manifested as worse than murder. It is critical to highlight that this organization follows the Christina’s doctrine. Fraud, thus, is a greater disrespect to God’s will than murder. According to the Biblical principle on love, fraud considerably flouts God’s expectation of how human beings should treat each other. It is discernible that

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Public precurement and (ppt) + (ppp) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Public precurement and (ppt) + (ppp) - Essay Example The public department just makes monthly repayments for capital utilized and bears the on-going service costs. The major objective of PFI is to increase efficient delivery of public services and transfer risk to the private enterprises. But currently, it has come under lot of controversy for excessive payments, bribery, corruption and poor value for money. The paper would analyse PFI for managerial effectiveness, operational efficiency and cost effectiveness for public service delivery and asses its viability for best value for money. Analysis Public sector is showing significant shift in its operational areas towards privatization regarding public procurements of works, goods and services with emphasis on cost saving and increasing efficiency. The concept had originated in the developed nations which were getting concerned with large amounts of spending from the public funds for public utility services. It had led to frequent cases of irregularities related to public funding includi ng lack of commitment, transparency and efficiency issues (OECD, 2007). The reforms therefore had become necessary. An effective public procurement through PFI was a good option especially when relationship is forged through fair and competitive auction –bidding (Audit commission, 2001). ... PFI is improved form of public procurement system because of its unique framework as public private partnership. Moreover, private finance is sought within the realms of a public environment, processed by a series of state defined legal, administrative, political, and management networks. Like private sector, it ensures that the procurement of goods, services and works is optimally efficient and effective, and results in best value for money (Deloitte, 2009). But it differs from the private sector in the sense that it is not profit oriented. Indeed, these emerge as vital issues that require constant monitoring, regulation, and audit to keep the process corruption free. In the traditional procurement system, the spending department or body finalizes the project and budget and thereafter sends proposal to the treasury for loan (Whitfield, 2001). After approval the department gets the long term loan at very low interest rates as they are perceived to be low risk borrowers with governmen t not expecting to fail or default in its repayments (Grout, 1997). The loan sanction for the project is a long drawn process that each public department has to follow for any proposed work in the public area. Apart from the highly fractious procedures of finance, the operation, management and risks are hugely critical elements that become difficult to manage in the long run with the same efficiency and quality (Hood et al., 2006). Indeed, the changing socio-economic and political environment makes the various projects quite risky. Most importantly, getting the state treasuries to fund the various public projects would a massive burden on it and which could

Friday, August 23, 2019

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Personal Statement Example I may not be the brightest student, but I have always been especially proud of the dedication and fervor I possess for my study and work. My parents were an inspiration for me in my selection of area of study due to the fact that they are businesspeople. They are both engaged in business activities. I was exposed to the business world since a very young age. For me the study of business has been a very rewarding experience. My job experience includes doing auxiliary accounting work at my sister’s jewelry store. I was responsible for preparing the all four major accounting statements which include the income statement, balance sheet, statement of retained earnings, and statement of cash flow. At this job I was exposed to the entire accounting cycle. Two of the extracurricular activities that I have done during my tenured at University of Keele include Ping Pong Society and Start Britain Up which is business investment club. I have successfully organized many extra-curricular ac tivities. For example, I organized a ping pong society that has been profitable in University of Keele. There are lots of international students in my society. I also got lots of friends from different countries that speak different languages such as English, Spanish and Japanese. Being surrounded by a diverse group of people helped me improve my creativity, networking abilities and people skills. I’ve successfully organized ping pong matches twice. I learned how to coordinates different activities using theories from class. During my time at University of Keele I joined the club Start Britain Up. This club will invest in your concepts if a person has a good idea. I proposed an idea about a new toilet paper. My idea was to put liquid medicine ink on the toilet paper. Doing so can treat anal itching due to the liquid medicine. Even thought the idea did not get funded because it brought more pollution to the environment than regular toilet paper, I will continue to try to bring new ideas to market in the future. I am applying to study a master’s degree in business administration in either accounting, finance, management, or marketing. I selected the University of Queen Mary as my top choice because this academic institution has a great reputation. University of Queen Mary has an excellent business program. The school has a good environment and a good location. It’s located near London, the biggest city in the United Kingdom. I’m eager to start the next phase in my education by becoming a graduate student of business at University of Queen Mary. I’m an excellent candidate for the business graduate program. During my lifetime I’ve demonstrated that I am a hard working and dedicated student. I have excellent communication skills, analytical skills, and teamwork capabilities. In the business environment of the 21st century it is of utter importance to be able to work well with other employees. My desire to pursue a graduate degree occurred because I realize that the business world has become more competitive than ever before in the past. To be able to compete in the job market a professional has to pursue better educational credentials. One of the goals in the future upon graduation is to reach the managerial level. It will be easier for me to become a manager if I have a master’s degree in business. An MBA can help me greatly because I will learn how to solve complex business program, analyze vast amounts of data, and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Benefits of Using Ms Office Essay Example for Free

Benefits of Using Ms Office Essay There are several benefits of using MS Office and not using MS Office or using an alternative. MS Office is the number one word processing software; the alternative word processing software’s usually generate their ideals, therefore being a fabrication of MS Office. Kingsoft Writer, an equivalent to Microsoft Word, Kingsoft Presentation, an equivalent to Microsoft PowerPoint, and Kingsoft Spreadsheets, an equivalent to Microsoft Excel, whereas Kingsoft does not offer a database software or any of the other software’s MS Office offers. Some disadvantages of Kingsoft Office are 1. Kingsoft Office 2009 works with Windows 2000, XP, 2003, Vista, and Windows 7 but not Macintosh computers and 2. If you’re a big fan of Microsoft Outlook, you’ll notice that Kingsoft Office includes no email and contact management software. MS office on the other hand provides you with a complete set of productivity and information management tools to accomplish routine tasks quickly, effectively manage customer and contact information in one place, produce professional-quality marketing communications and campaigns in-house, and simplify database creation and reporting. Microsoft Office provides the Live Preview feature of styles and formatting. That is, the content of the document temporarily applies formatting on the focused text or object when any formatting button is moused over. This allows users to view a preview of how the option would affect the appearance of the object, without actually applying it. The final layout effect is displayed by using the Live Preview feature. Hardware equipment requirement are high if using this feature. Currently, Kingsoft Office 2010 does not provide the Live Preview feature. Users need to select the specified style and apply it to view the final layout effects. Microsoft Office Excel is a powerful and widely used tool that helps people analyze information to make more informed decisions. Using Office Excel and Excel Services, you can share and manage your analysis and insight with coworkers, customers, and partners, Kingsoft is a viable alternative but is not as advanced as MS Office.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Environmental analysis Essay Example for Free

Environmental analysis Essay Rivalry Competition in the US video rental industry is fierce. There are actually several different segments of players within the industry, like rentals who establish physical store locations and rentals who serve mail-orders, but these different segments are competing to gain the same market share. Blockbuster reveled that the business actually has a small profit margin, due to the high cost of building and equipment maintenance. Furthermore, the movie rental industry has a stagnant market condition, or in simple words, the market does not reveal any meaningful growth within the years. This means the only way to grow is by taking away a piece of competitors’ market share. Thus, competition is s serious issue for Blockbuster because in one hand, the company cannot afford to loose more market share due to its minimum profit margin, and in the other hand, Blockbuster would also need to experience some kind of revenue growth. Ironically, competitors of Blockbuster also possess the same obsession. As a result, price war is the only way to determine which player would lead the market. Unfortunately, most of the players in the industry has already sustain heavy operational and maintenance that they cannot afford to reduce rental prices. In addition, most of these players have also minimum promotion budget because of the small profit margin. Today, competition industry enters a stage where all the players are stagnant in most of its departments (Brem, 2002). Not all movie rental industry can survive in a long term, especially if the industry is online. With the recent tightening in the market, some executive and investor are challenging Blockbuster.com to show some results: higher revenues, more customers, perhaps even a profit. This is should become tough news for Blockbuster. com who have spent most of their money on expensive advertisements, PR campaigns, or websites that look attractive. The full integration of Blockbuster. com online and in-store programs planned for next year will enable them to provide their customers, young and old, with unmatched convenience, service, selection and value. If a customer is in their store and wants to return a movie they rented online, Blockbuster.com will be able to accommodate them. If a member rents primarily in-store, but wants a hard-to-find title Blockbuster. com does not typically carry in store, they will be able to go online and get it. It is a matter of maximizing convenience and choice (â€Å"About Blockbuster. com†, 2006). Blockbuster has not been watching these developments lazily. It has launched its own online rental service in response to the competition, despite the set-up costs and the fact that it could take revenue away from its retail operation. It has also introduced a number of initiatives, such as a part-exchange deal on VHS tapes, and is currently exploring offering an in-store download service. †¢ Buyer Power Due to the stagnant market and the need for huge economies of scale to reach profit, buyers of the video rental industry has quite an influential power. In a nutshell, by choosing to go to which rentals, buyers will determine which one will reach profit within the financial period and which one will fall below targets. The increasing use of Internet becomes the power of buyers that soon force Blockbuster to provide online services. To change itself from a zone of movie rental store into an â€Å"anywhere-anytime† entertainment destination that eventually will enable customers to rent, buy or trade movies and games, new or used, in-store and online, Blockbuster initiatives to continues their accomplishment as the online rental service company (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). Blockbuster. com becomes the business through information technology (I. T. ) marketing. Because of the online marketing Blockbuster can live and breathe. They can get more competitive, lower their costs, and provide better service through continuous improvement of the I. T. marketing (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). However, as online retail, marketing efforts of Blockbuster. com could be even more effective if they asked the consumer for a dash of personal information. So far, businesses were hoping that personalization technology would serve as the equivalent of a best friend who just happened to have all the same tastes in products and services. More consumers are choosing to rent online, which has no late fees and have the movies mailed to them. It makes Blockbuster. com has increased their membership (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). The only way for movie-rental stores to continue operations is to rise to the challenge and shift their business model to stay practical. To develop a substantial share of the online rental business by the end of next year, Blockbuster. com is providing rental plan and their practical understanding marketing. It should help Blockbuster. com to be more successful in the next period. Movie distributors and the large chains, such as Blockbuster, Inc.directly negotiate revenue-sharing agreements covering most titles distributed by the upstream (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). Personalization and community features are very important. Blockbuster. com should allow film fans to rate films and write reviews to help inform other users. In addition, Blockbuster. com need to have a management team with bags of expertise, which they believe differentiates us from the competition. †¢ Supplier Power Suppliers of the industry generally have little power over the Blockbuster. The prices of inputs are nearly identical for most suppliers and there is no price discrimination because of the widely available substitutes. †¢ Threats of Substitutes The video rental industry is actually facing quite significant threats from various substitutes. Examples of substitutes are: pay-per-view, video-on-demand, streaming on-line videos, etc. All of these alternatives are delivering the same product in a quite similar quality, which means that they contribute notably to the tension within the video rental industry (‘Videotape Rental’, 2004). Barriers of EntryAnalysis of the industry indicated that Blockbuster is actually enjoying significant level of entry barriers. First, as mentioned earlier, the industry generally has a small profit margin, which means that a huge economic of scale is required to create a profitable business. This is caused by the high operational and maintenance costs, profit sharing agreement with studios, etc. Second, Blockbuster enjoyed a positive image due to its long-time presence and its popularity within the US market. Both of these factors ensured the triumph of Blockbuster against any newcomer. Most of these conditions however, are now becoming obsolete. This is true partly due to the presence of internet. As internet shopping becomes more popular, mail-order rentals like Netflix gain notable attention from the market. In addition, Blockbuster made the mistake of not providing enough copies of popular and recent movies, which ultimately get customers to think of going to alternative rentals. Another factor that reduces the entry barrier is the popularity of DCDs over the old VHS which no longer require negotiating revenue gain agreements with studios (Brem, 2002; Wagner, 2003).

The Origins Of English Figurative Idioms English Language Essay

The Origins Of English Figurative Idioms English Language Essay Idiom is the combination of lexical items and has its own meaning which is different from the particular individual lexical items and this figurative expression is usually understood by the native speakers because figurative idiom expression is likely to be named as the conventional scene in the their mind that serves in the speech community. Similarity, idioms are consisted as a special set of lexical items due not only to their structure elements, but also they specify a unique set of behavior when used in very language discourse. Fernando argues that the concreted phrases and the arrangement pairs in idiomatic are recognized by the usage and with its stabilized structure and limited variation. To expand the explanation, idioms can be formed a word such as nevertheless, a phrase such as in favor of, and also a sentence such as the coast is clear. According to Boers definition of figurative idiom, whose meaning is barely inferred by its literal meaning of its constituent elements. T herefore, from the semantic point of view, the expression of a figurative idiom cannot be understood from its individual parts. Structurally an idioms usually includes a series of words, any parts of its meanings cannot be replaced. Figurative idioms, it is a matter of extraordinary rather than ordinary languages. Base on Lakoff and Johnson explanation, idioms are also known as the metaphor that serves as a device of poetic imagination and the rhetorical flourish dedicates for most languages. Moreover, figurative expressions are not merely bundles of word combination; however it is a phrase that ordinarily invented to one situation that inferred to another, making an implicit comparison. Another scholar Tang explains figurative idioms unsurprisingly have been coined with the name of its meaning. Ultimately, the figurative interpretation of every idiom evokes the metaphorical expressions. As the manifestation of conceptual metaphor was introduced, Z. Kovecses conceptualizes metaphors are realized in other than linguistic ways. For example, literary works are constructed in their fully in term of conceptual metaphors such as Chaucers The Cantebury tales, Buyams The Pilgrim Progress or Frosts poem The Road not Take n are associated around the LIFE IS A JOURNEY metaphor. As result, although there is always a difference in every definition of figurative idiom, yet they all have the similar description to explain idioms have the obvious characteristics of semantic incorporated and structural stability. 2.1) Culture context Language structure is the most typical feature of cultural aspects that such relationship particularly found in the lexicon. As Wierzbicka lists out the best evidence for reality of cultures can associate the meanings of words that eventually provides ways of living, speaking, thinking, and feeling which are broadly shared in every particular society. In addition, the Polish anthropologist Malinnowsky is the first founder of the context theory thinks that discourse and context are mutually hanging closely together, the language environment is essential to understand language.(à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Meanwhile, Boers and Stengers declare the significant of cultural figurative expression has been emphasized much recent research. Gibbs study claims that idioms are established in all languages and several types of idioms are cultural elements. Wierzbicka states that most of figurative idioms are cultural artifacts, reflecting the aspects the creation of figurative idioms which are formed by cul tural elements. Inchaurralde mentions particular lexical units are linked with cultural lexical scripts, which are associated to a certain cultural background. Furthermore, Lennon points out language and culture are important to idioms because it could reflect the transformation in conceptualization of the universe and the relationship between the universe and the mankind. The Chinese Linguist Hu Zhunaglin has divided the cultural context into three types: linguistics context, situational context, and cultural context. Most importantly, the cultural context refers the involvement of social, economic, cultural, political background, and religions contexts occur in communities that would value the standard of a certain language. Dobrovolskij and Piirainen comes out with an idea to describe the different types of cultural phenomena are interrelated with conventional figurative units. This means that culturally marked lexis has focused on cross-cultural similarity and the variation across in the conceptualization of emotions. Another issue that Lakoff and Johnson discuss about whether all cultures have the same conceptual of the world. Base on Issac simplification, every figurative expression has a certain class of metaphors seems to be universal. However some cultural specifications also occur in conceptual metaphor, in other word, different culture have a different set of value systems that might result in different interaction to certain expression from others cultures. For example, in Shakespeares period, the food egg is to characterize people behavior or attitude, for instance, She is a good egg means that she is a nice person. In Chinese, there is record in the literature work egg transcript to mandarin Dan also symbolizes to a person behavior and attitude. The Mandarin word huai dan signifies as bad person. These two different cultural context has shared the same particular meaning of the phrase is directed and extended to describe people who seen to be decent person. Although English and Chinese utilize the food egg to imply the same target expression, on the other hand, the English expression good egg is to indicate a nice person, however the Chinese expression to indicate a nice person no longer utilizes egg to imply the meaning rather than change the whole word into hao ren instead of hao dan. 2.2) Idiom and culture Language has been always the carrier of culture and most important idioms that almost invariably to have their roots in a particular language. Another researcher Ronald Langacker argues that language is instrument and module of culture, speakers take part in a discourse situation, their cultural aspects are related to their acts of behavior and conversation. Moreover, Paul Friedrich calls the connection between language and culture as linguaculture. The conceptual of linguaculture is described as a domain of experience that fuses and intermingles the vocabulary, many semantic aspects of grammar, and the verbal aspects of culture; both grammar and culture have underlying structure while they are constantly being used and constructed by actual people on the ground. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) As an important part of language and culture, particular source domain of metaphorical expression may not be equally salient across cultures. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) Meanwhile, few researches have been introduced on the cultural features in the present study that lead Boers and Stengers to investigate on the composition of idiom and culture. They explore weather domain that track most in English figurative idioms. The weather domain is commonly associated to English figurative idioms because talking about the weather is a very basic and frequently topic in Britain because it is notoriously variable and unpredictable. However, the weather lexical units can be implemented through meaning extension to other domains such as economy and feeling, for example, when a financial storm struck down Wall Street, traders sought shelter in the dollar and Alex feels the chill of economic downturn. As result, the sentence illustrates the weather domain to a situation and feeling to indicate the seriousness on how Englishmen see weather as well as the economic phenomena. Boers, Demecheleer, and Eyckmans suggest that there are two complementary methods to estimate the two linguistic communities differ with respect to relate salience of a source domain. One method is to investigate the comparison of both languages such as English and Dutch idioms, that English idioms has much broader selection of expressions converted from card games and gambling such as to over play ones hand, to play with stacked deck, the chips are downà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Another much more straight forward example is the domain of sports, popularity of certain sports may coin widely across cultural aspects. Baseball for instance, is much more popular in the United States than in European, for sure it is evidently that American produces more baseball figurative expression such as I had a date with Alice yesterday night, unfortunately I cant even get to first base with her; Three strike and youre out. Similarity, British English hold a source domain in cricket such as Bat on a sticky wick et, Hit someone for six. Besides, Englishmen also like to have horse racing eventually contributes to figurative expressions as well such as A dark horse, Hear it from the horse mouth. The another method is to detect cross-cultural variation done by researcher Alice Deignan results that the source domain of sailing is reflected more often in English than in French discourse. For examples, Running tight ship, Talking the wind out of someones sails, when you ship comes in, clear the decks, and many more. Boers and Demecheleer suggests that French figurative discourse is more likely flavoured by the source domain of food and cooking. Alice Deignan concludes that the cultural aspects and figurative idioms are considered indirect ones in the sense that cultures of the past and present reflect most of idioms and Boers sums up that even native speakers lack of awareness towards the origin of the idiom they use. 2.3) Origins of English Figurative Idioms According to Smith (1971), generally universal origins of idioms can be divided into four main cultural aspects. 2.3.1) From daily life Smith suggests that most idioms develop from daily life are linked with particular occupations such as many phrases that related to navy have been invented by the sailors as well as the athletes use phrases related to sports. Most of the idioms were invented and they are concise, oral dialect and vivid, and are closely associated to our life. Soon enough those idioms were used by the people in the daily life to indicate certain expressions. Such figurative expressions are useful and eventually it has been evolved from common dialogue to conventional language which those idioms are commonly use such as to share and woe, strike the iron whole it is hot, a pot of money, to take the bread out of someones mouth and many more. 2.3.2) From ancient myths, legends and fables Some English figurative idioms were influenced by the Ancient Greek and Roman civilization. From example, idioms such as Midas touch, the apple of discord, sour grape, pandoras box, trojon horse, etc are derived from Greek myths and legends which are widely used in writing. 2.3.3) From religion Religion stands an important role in contributing the source of idioms. In early western countries, traditionally, Christianity has always been the main religion, many sources of idioms are regularly used in verbal dialogue are mainly came from the bible such as judass kiss, olive branch, much cry and little wool, turn the other cheek, cast peals before swine, and writing on the wall. 2.3.4) From classical literature

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Marijuana Should Be Legal :: Argument for Medical Marijuana

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the importance of marijuana as a medicine and to propose a possible change in the federal laws prohibiting the medical use of marijuana. At the present time, thirty-four states ha ve laws that recognize the medical properties of marijuana and allow for its use when prescribed by a doctor. In fact, USA Today polls have shown that there is anywhere from 65% to 78% voter support for marijuana's medicinal use. (1) However, these laws cannot be implemented until there is a change in the federal laws. So why have these federal laws not been changed? First, there is a great misunderstanding of marijuana. There is also a significant lack of funding for marijuana research which could p rove its efficacy as a therapeutic drug. With proper funding, studies could help people understand marijuana so the long awaited and needed change can take place. Background Information on Marijuana What is Marijuana? Marijuana comes from the dried leaves and buds of the cannabis plant. (7) Although there are three varieties of the cannabis plant, cannabis sativa (the least potent of the three) is the most common form of the plant and is the mai n source of marijuana in the United States. Marijuana contains over 400 chemicals, although less than 100 are considered psychoactive. (7) Sixty-one of the chemicals found in marijuana are of the cannabinoid family and are only found in cannabis plants. The main active ingredient in marijuana is the cannabinoid delta-9 tetrahydrocannibinol, or THC. (7) THC has been shown to have many effects such as slowed reactions, increased appetite, released inhibitions, and impaired judgments and motor skills. M any of these effects are similar to the effects of alcohol, except that while alcohol causes a short temper and a propensity towards violence, marijuana does exactly the opposite. Marijuana induces a mellow state of relaxation. History of Marijuana as Medicine Marijuana has been used for thousands of years for its therapeutic value. The first known reference to the medical use of marijuana is contained in the 15th century BC Chinese Pharmacopoeia , the Ry-Ya. While there have been m any other reports on the value of medical marijuana throughout written history, the most noteworthy are the articles contained in many 18th century U.S. medical journals. Between 1840 and 1900, over 100 articles were published detailing the th erapeutic benefits and the safety of the drug. In fact, the federal government has used many references to these articles in health reports.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Is Antigone A Tragic Play Essay example -- essays research papers

Is Antigone a tragic play as defined by Aristotle?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Antigone is not a tragic play. Rather it is a theological debate spawned by Sophocles, a debate that is still raging today, the debate of who holds the higher law, the Gods or the State. While this debate has slowly twisted into Church versus State, which is a very different argument, the highest questions still remain the same: Which one is held higher in men’s (and women’s) hearts? Antigone answers this question with shocking clarity in her admission of guilt to Creon, â€Å" I should have praise and honor for what I have done. All these men here would praise me, were their lips not frozen shut with fear of you. Ah, the good fortune of kings, licensed to say and do whatever they please! C: you alone are in that opinion. A: No, they are with me, But they keep their tongues in leash.† By saying thus, Antigone is proclaiming all everyone holds the laws of the Gods higher than the laws of the State, unless the State is the more immediate threat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  But this all raises another question, does the law of the Gods really matter? Will the Gods truly beseech you and seek to bring you harm for not following in their ways? One who is not so religious would say no, it is not the Gods who hold the sword at your throat but a man, who at that moment cares nothing for the Gods. But in the case of Antigone, the Gods do act out their revenge. Tireseas spake:...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Gambling Essay example -- essays research papers

Gambling has effected many people I know in a negative way and the problem is getting increasingly more serious due to the large amount of young adults who are starting to gamble. Teenagers often face routine warnings about drugs and alcohol but Not about gambling. Gambling is highly addictive, and compulsive gamblers have the same symptoms an alcoholic or a person addicted to drugs would have with their addiction , when someone is addicted to gambling they have a brain disease that is chemically and genetically driven, just as addictive as cocaine in certain individuals. The same way a drug addict needs to take drugs in order to maintain a high, a gambler has to gamble in order to experience the high of winning. Every state except three permit gaming and state governments actually encourage their citizens to gamble because its an easy way for them collect tax free money. You are considered a compulsive gambler if you have done 5 out of the 10 following criteria: 1. if you are preoccupied with gambling. 2. if you need to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement. 3. if you have had repeated efforts at stopping but cant. 5. if you gamble as a way of escaping from problems 6. if after losing money gambling, you return another day to get even 7. If you lie to family members about the extent of involvement with gambling. 8. if you commit illegal acts to finance gambling. 9. if you have jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, jo...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Describe a Personal Experience Where Your Race or Ethnicity Made a Difference Essay

Race and ethnicity has influenced my life in many ways and up until now I am living with the discriminations that comes with not belonging to a certain group of people. Worldwide racial discrimination race is common and even more common here in the United States. People make choices subconsciously based on the racial group they belong to. Individuals have preference of people of their own ethnicity over people of a different ethnic group. I personally have experienced some sort of racial discrimination and am sure every one else is a victim of racial discrimination just as much as I am. I believe if every student, staff or faculty that will be asked their opinions about racial inequality, they will gladly oppose racism. But some of us consciously and hypocritically practice racial discrimination, which I find really inappropriate. My recent experience was in regards to a scholarship opening recently in the school. This scholarship I believe was sponsored by the staff and faculties of the school to support students who do not get any help from the government and have a good academic standing. I was just done with my classes for the day one evening and was about to leave campus when I received a phone call from a friend who told me about the scholarship. At the time I was with another friend and I told her about it and we both went to the office of the scholarship coordinator for the application. Unfortunately the office was closed. We then decided to come back the next day as early as we could. My friend couldn’t make it the morning and she asked me to get her the application if am able to come in in the morning. I went through the trouble of leaving home real early the next day just so I can go get the application and when I got there around 8:30am, the coordinator was still not there. I decided to wait anticipating she will be coming in by 9:00am, but I waited up until 9:30 and she still didn’t show up. so I decided to leave since I had an exam that day at 10am. I returned again after my exam at 12pm, now she had a note on her door saying she will be in her office at 1pm. I went back to the library to study for my next exam and I made sure I was back at exactly 1pm. She still wasn’t back; I decided to wait a little while at the door. While waiting, she came and I requested for the application and she told me she didn’t have the application and she gave me her card to make an appointment with her to come in for the application and that she cannot meet up until after the 29th which is suppose to be the dead line of the application. Believe it or not, I stupidly left the office thinking that is the same procedure everyone is going to have to go through. An hour later, my friend who is not the same race as the coordinator but looks like she is of her race, went in and was given the application. Some times it is just too heart breaking to know after meeting all the requirements of something, you still do not really meet the requirement just because of your skin color. We talk about how racial discrimination is inappropriate, but we still practice racial favoritism anyways. Like in the case of this scholarship, they could have just written on the requirements, you have to belong to a certain race to qualify, but it is not right to do that. I felt so depressed realizing in the very end that I wasted all my time and energy for nothing because I do not actually meet the real requirements. I do not belong to the ideal racial group. I believe day in and day out; other students just like me have to deal with situations like this. Base on this experience and some other experiences from my pass, my race and ethnicity had influence the kind of choices I make. If we continue making choices to satisfy our selves by making preference of people of our type rather than the qualified people, it will be hard to make progresses. I believe every one deserve equal opportunities regardless of their race and that is the only way we as individuals and the community on a whole can be well developed and successful.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Kant vs Bentham Essay

Throughout the realm of philosophy there have been many arguments on the idea of ethics and what motivates human nature and guides our judgments. I will be focusing on two philosophers both of whom tried to answer that question. Jeremy Bentham whose views on what should be used to guide our judgments as to what’s wrong or right have been defined as utilitarianism. Focusing on a different idea using morals and a sense of duty to the greater good comes, Immanuel Kant’s ethics of deontology, or the ethics of rules and duties. Jeremy Bentham’s ideas of utilitarianism focus on the experiences of pleasure over pain. To Bentham utility is the property in any object that tends to produce benefit, good, pleasure or happiness or prevent the happening of pain/evil, or unhappiness to the party where interest is considered. Kant on the other hand uses what he called imperatives to decide what should be considered morally right. The imperative, the law or choice must be respected, no matter what consequences come from the choice. Also Kant looks at it this way, if the action in and of itself could be placed into a law for the morals of the people. Bentham: So Immanuel, are you saying that in order for a person to be moral that he has to possess his or her own free will? Kant: Yes Jeremy that is correct, your idea that morality can be dictated by a government or a majority of the people is ridiculous. Bentham: You’re wrong on that account Immanuel because human kind is evil in nature so they have a hard time deciding what is right and wrong so we need rules to govern us to make the right decisions. Kant: Even though those rights may infringe on our personal beliefs? Our individuality is what makes us human, whole!! Bentham: You are wrong about that, the greater good is what is important, so what if a minority of the people is left out, it is important that the majority is happy, then and only then will it matter. Kant: No, as a human, we can govern ourselves. We have the knowledge within us to make the right or wrong choices; we do not need a bureaucrat sitting behind a desk somewhere to make that choice for us. Bentham: Your idea of the use of morality sickens me Immanuel. You sit here on your high horse saying that if you decide that, oh let us just say killing is wrong, and someone breaks into your home and starts to rape or murder your wife or child then you are going to stand back and do nothing Kant: If I have made that decision that killing is wrong then yes, I will have to stand by that choice. Bentham: You know Kant, I think you would ignore that choice and you would defend your household because it is for the greater good of your family. Kant: Well we will have to cross that bridge when we get there want we. So Benth old pal, you tell everyone that pure ethics are not practical, that you have to arrange things so it will compatible with human nature, why is that? Bentham: Because my friend, humans are in general like animals. We are instinctive and act on emotions; we need to have rules and regulations to keep us on the straight and narrow. Just knowing that there are consequences to our actions keep us in line, wouldn‘t you say? Kant: No, I think people have a working knowledge of what is right and what is wrong; we do not need rules to keep us in line, which again, we can do those ourselves, unless, of course, a person is criminally insane and they can’t distinguish between the two actions. Kant: So then if your wheels are stuck in mud on this and keep spinning, how then do you see mankind in general? Bentham: Humans, by nature, are as follows. We are selfish and greedy, pleasure seeking, out for themselves, and in general not very trustworthy. Kant: So you put me and you in those categories Jeremy? Bentham: Well we are human are we not Immanuel? Kant: You are impossible Jeremy!! I am done having this conversation with you Immanuel; it is like talking to brick wall. Bentham: You know you enjoyed it Mr. Kant, and I bet we will talk again real soon. Morality and ethics are different for all of us, and I believe that Kant makes some good points, and Bentham has some good points but there are flaws in both. We all face choices in our lives sometimes they are dictated by the situation or opportunity. If a gunman walked into a crowded store, would I take the gunman down to save lives putting my life in jeopardy, would I tell him the police are on their way even though I may be lying? Kant follows a strict path, one that he may have broken if faced with a certain situation, we are human of course, and this is where I side with Bentham. Being a former law officer I have seen good and bad in this world and I do believe that we do need rules to govern us, even though we might not agree with the all.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Organizational Reward System illustrated in the movie “Oceans Eleven”

Organizational reward system based on personal power is described and partially tested. It is a person-based system that is characterized by highly valued rewards combined with personalistic criteria for reward distribution. (Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 15, No. 3). It is high-degree organization because there is something given or received in compensate for worthy behavior.And it is a systematically organized knowledge applicable in a relatively wide variety of circumstances; especially, a system of assumption; accepted principles, and rules of procedure devised to analyze, predict, or otherwise explain the nature of behavior of a specified set of phenomena. Extrinsic (financial, material, or social) and intrinsic (self-granted an, psychic) rewards are the special services in the system. Which are of good state when the performances being acted upon the organization firmly focused on the cooperation, risk-taking, or when the entire group plotted teamwork.Through this, hi ghly noticed success and incentives is given as payment for the satisfying accomplishments. An organizational will greatly rely on the visions and perceptions the members are sensing. Just like Danny Oceans, or Rusty Ryan, or Linus Caldwell, or any other members of the â€Å"Oceans Eleven† Gang who’s been not responsive to conflicts that rise but so responsive to every possibility things could offer as they go on operating with their scheme. On the movie we can see the forces formed by the eleven involved casts.The relations they built even if it has been tested by some ethical values and judgments in the organization since they don’t belong to one culture. They infact gathered all forces and created one productive system. We can assume to this kind of observation on their financial, social, or intellectual effort and involvement. Danny Ocean as played by George Clooney is the Leader of the Gang. He plays and directs or supervises their systematic plan of action . Ex-husband of Tess (Julia Roberts) who’s been seeing Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), owner of the Casino they are robbing and who steal his ex-wife while he was in New Jersey jail.Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) is one of the main leaders who played as a great con-artist and who did a fine act in front of the gang. He has to change plan when Ocean had shown grudge to Tess’ current boyfriend. Both Ocean and Ryan do the psychic/intelligence for the whole operation to work. They do the systematic planning, analysis on the rules and steps, discuss tactics and distribute works to the rest of the team. Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) is another con-artist who made a living off of pulling off cool ways of pick-pocketing the public.Aside of getting information on their targets (casino and the people who runs it) without getting caught, he’s also tasked to seduce by giving a little ‘love-drug’ (but not that deadly, just to seduce) to the high intelligent right hand of Be nedict. Frank Catton (Bernie Mac) is a con-artist and was hired as a casino black jack dealer during Oceans stay in jail. He obviously has blue-print to the entire casino. He’s been spying its businesses, and Benedict’s moves. Yen (Shaobo Qin) is an acrobatic extraordinaire and who doesn’t talk much English until the end.Since he’s the only among the group to so body-bending effortless. His part is to get in the bag, be in the vault wearing a small camera for the rest of the team to see what’s inside it, where the money is placed, how can they crash on and unlock systemized keys/drawers. Virgil and Turk Malloy (Casey Affleck and Scott Caan) are other con-artists. They’re tasked to watch, monitor, and help dig holes through the inside. Act playfully but functional. Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle) plays as the hilarious English-accented explosive specialist.He creates explosives to-open-whatever-door/hall/barrier may come across their way in. Living ston Dell (Eddie Jemison) is the computer/electronics specialist, and who performed clever tricks he need to overpass security cameras with the skills he’s trained on well. Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould) portrays as the rich guy who finances the entire operation. And Saul bloom (Carl Reiner) is a great con-artist who can play a guy in his age, of different culture. And the big time client on the day the casino is to be robbed.At the start, they lived on different kinds of lifestyle. Do gamble situations to earn a living. But we can see that their lives were quite extraordinary from the others. Coping up American life with their extra profits, apart to the salary they could get from legal job. So, the â€Å"Oceans Eleven† is built. Danny Ocean though is the leader of the Gang resolute that everyone would be getting fair share of the $160 M by the end of their collaborative robbery to Terry Benedict’s Casino. The equal sharing on the rewards is to be either of the two conditions: 1.the money that they’ve agreed is not really that $160M divided by eleven men since Reuben Tishkoff will have to get a refund for the money he has put so that the operation will work. 2. the sharing will be $160M divided by eleven of them since Tishkoff do non of the performance. He financed gang to operate and by the end of the scheme, he will be getting $ 14. 55M more or less. And the rest of the gang will have same amount too. Oceans Eleven Gang used their individual assets in getting in the casino unnoticed. Up to the very heart of it- the vault where the $160M amount of money is stored.They played different characteristics, created aliases (excluding Ocean because the people of the casino knew him of being Tess ex-husband), whish perfectly made him as a pass for his team to get inside quite unchecked by the security. The involvements of the eleven different personalities make up a very challenging and systematic plan of action. Though, they have their c lassified identity from each other, however, it did not create a hole in focusing to their desired outcome Instead, it helped a lot to them to get motivated to perform each one’s capability, role, tactics/clever tricks and all.Because they do teamwork, they got employment, also the chance to learn and respect each one’s culture, developed leadership and simultaneously established performance management. They undergone interviews during their recruitment period and examined if everyone can sustain and retain the tactics each one will be performing. Slipping off to Benedict’s vault was really a very hilarious job, very impossible not to be noticed because the entire casino is covered and monitored with highly-profiled cameras.The place is well-equipped with armoured guns, powered lasers. Security measures are very much ordered, too tight in dealing with the casino’s Clients. During their actual operation, though there are little discomforts and failures but still they have back u[s to support in order to continue to function even without getting laid off. Their desire outcomes are to perform their individual task well, to be in the vault, get the money, and leave before the defenders notice their existence.Such behaviors are quite effective in winning their goal. Calculated their moves/steps with accuracy, watched time, studied everyone’s reaction, controlled the plans and give hands at the time of robbing. The system has been illustrated in a way that all were involved from the beginning, got job with equal benefits out of it. To add more, the most challenging personal-power they had been awarded from was to adapt every personality, different culture, made involved to each other’s personal-power.Each one gave different efforts: manual (physical), financial (material), social capabilities, offered intelligence/perceptions, and support to everyone’s work. This made and benefited the team. Deal with small problems e ncountered, having knowledgeable even to the slightest events of the plan. Thus, the movie demonstrated the kind of organization that has developed/utilized skills, faced those hard challenges and surpassed them and gained equal incentives/compensate at the end.

A Few Good Men

You can’t handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way, Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to. RHETORICAL ANALYSIS A Few Good Men is a film that was released in 1992, a time when the United States was between military conflicts in the Persian Gulf and Kosovo. The film investigates the notions of absolute power, particularly in the military. Along with that, it also is about the legal investigation into the mysterious death of a marine at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. At the film’s climax, Col. Nathan Jessup, played by Jack Nicholson, is cross-examined by JAG lawyer, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, played by Tom Cruise. Accused of playing a role in the torture and death of a marine, Jessup is put in a position where he has to defend his actions and articulate his role of importance in the preservation of American freedom. The audience in the film which Jessup is trying to convince that he is absolved of any wrong doing is a jury made up of military officers. It is this group of people who decide the fate of Jessup. Through and interesting mixture of ethos, logos and pathos, Jessup employs a short, but well-rendered monologue to appeal to the jurors. When establishing a sense of ethos with his audience, Jessup does so simply by stating his name. As a Colonel in the United States Marine Corp. , his audience, also made up of military personnel would recognize that he is a high-ranking officer whose words and character should carry prestige. He also establishes ethos with a series of rhetorical questions: â€Å"Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinburg? When using rhetorical questions referring to whether or not Kaffee or his partner Weinburg would be up for the task of doing his job, Jessup is also asking these questions of the jurors. The strategy is to get one to ask one’s self if they could handle the tremendous responsibility that comes along with Col. Jessup’s role of defending America’s freedom at Guantanamo Bay. Chances are that given these questions, the members of the jury would recognize, if anything, that Jessup’s job and title are demanding and that he is a man of honor. Similarly, when Jessup states, â€Å"We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. † What he his doing is attempting to persuade his audience by using the inclusive pronoun â€Å"we† and the exclusive â€Å"you. † By â€Å"we† Jessup is implying we the true members of the United States military, we who protect the freedoms of our country and we who live by the credo: honor, code and loyalty. â€Å"You,† on the other hand, is referring to Kaffee who has the gaul to challenge Jessup’s role in a marine’s death. By implementing a we/you dialogue, Jessup is trying to appeal to his sense of credibility with the audience. Jessup also refers to the marine’s death as â€Å"tragic. † Using this type of word is important. By calling the death â€Å"tragic† his is exhibiting to his audience, the jury, that he is sympathetic to the loss of life—even when he is being accused of causing it. Showing his audience that he can be compassionate is also a way of establishing ethos with the jury Along with ethos, Jessup uses a good amount of emotional appeal, or pathos, in this monologue. The first line, for example, is â€Å"You can’t handle the truth! † This type of emotionally charged declaration is meant to inspire the emotions of the jury. By having established that he is not a man who will be pushed around on the witness stand, that he is a person who will fight back against his accusers, Jessup opens with an emotionally-loaded punch. Soon after, Jessup refers to his interrogator a â€Å"son. † While this may seem like a casual and unremarkable word, it is not. By calling Kaffee â€Å"son,† Jessup is again showing his contempt for the people who have the nerve to question his authority. In short, it is an insult. Using diminutive language to refer to someone who is in most regards Jessup’s peer emphasizes that while both people in this scene are men, Jessup holds rank over Kaffee. Jessup’s use of the word â€Å"son† to mark Kaffee is an attempt to persuade the jury’s view of the lawyer. In fact, may members of the audience probably out-ranked Kaffee. If they would see him also in this light, they would side with Jessup. Finally, toward the end of the monologue, Jessup states, â€Å"Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to. Listening to the words spoken, these lines are the most emotionally impactful. Jessup personally attacks Kaffee’s assertion that he felt he was entitled to the truth. By this and the previous examples, Jessup uses pathos to try to persuade his audience. Effectively, he is exhibiting his anger and passion to the audience, the jury, to counter act any argument or evidence presented against him. By trying to appeal to the emotions of the jury, Jessup hopes he can â€Å"out-bully† his opponent. While ethos and pathos are evident in Jessup’s monologue, he appeal to the audience’s intellect, or logos, is also present. While logos is most commonly exhibited through the usage of statistical data, expert testimony and survey findings, Jessup appeals to the jury’s sense of logos by constructing logical arguments. In the middle of Jessup’s monologue, he states, â€Å" I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. † Here, Jessup is appealing to his jury’s sense of logic. He is accusing Kaffee of engaging in hypocritical behavior. Jessup sees himself as almost a god-like figure, someone who â€Å"provides† America with safety and freedom with his actions. In Kaffee, he sees a beneficiary of that freedom who questions his authority. By trying to make Kaffee look like a hypocrite, he is attempting to persuade his audience with a logical argument. Jessup is effectively saying, â€Å"all of your luxuries and freedoms are granted to you by me†¦ who are you to bite the hand that feeds you? In trying to make the jury see this logical argument, Jessup hopes he can persuade them to see things his way. Through an interesting mix of appeals to credibility, emotions and intellect, Jessup tried to persuade the jury to understand his point of view. By using his military clout, choosing aggressive language and constructing logical arguments, Jessup defended his actions to the jury. Though it is at times effective, it was all for naught as moments after delivering this monologue, he succumbs to all the pathos built up in his speech and admits he is guilty.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Active and Passive Indexing

From 1986 to 1996, the amount of money invested in index funds grew from $556 million to $65 Billion. And if anything, individual investors have been slow to embrace passive management. Institutional investors invest a far larger percentage of their assets passively. Many individual investors are simply uneducated and unaware of the arguments and experimental evidence supporting passive management. Institutional investors and academics have known for years (many for decades) that passive investing is extremely difficult to beat and that the majority of active investors will fail in their attempt to outperform the market. Active indexers assert they can outperform the marketplace. Passive (index) portfolios state they can mirror the performance of the indices. Both have their good times and their bad times. Active indexers raise cash in times of increased risk and instability while passive indexers remain fully invested. This can be quite painful during times of large declines in the market. Passive portfolios mirror the gains of the indices during roaring bull markets and eventually outperform the majority of active money managers who must remain diversified and who sometimes take on additional risks in an attempt to produce the performance and safety that they have promised their clients. The evidence has piled up during today’s bull market that the average dollar managed by active managers does not keep up with the market index. Finally, indexing is a way to avoid being blind-sided in certain areas of the marketplace. Active management themes can easily find themselves on the wrong side of an investment. There is a perception among investors that a strategy designed to match stock market returns is less risky than a comparable actively managed portfolio. Since the index approach invests in a manner that is most friendly with the market’s natural liquidity, it produces the least disturbance. The passive investor also has diversified his risk. Specific negative things can happen to individual companies or groups. As a passive investor, one is not exposed to any of these things. However, it does not mean you have a risk-free investment. The downside to passive index investors is that they â€Å"fuel the fire† of a market that appreciates well beyond its true value. Index mutual funds must put new money to work†¦ they can not hold cash†¦ and their investors all buy the exact same stocks. When stocks go down, index funds, being fully invested, will receive the ultimate effect of the decline. Combined with this loss is the fact that they will also have to sell shares to cover shareholder redemptions. These funds will get hit harder than many active portfolios with a cash cushion. Most active managers of investment portfolios raise cash as they perceive higher valuations, excessive instability, and extreme risks, therefore; reducing the display to loss during declining markets. Another downside to passive indexing is the impact they have on market instability. This gives the patient active money manager a welcome opportunity to take advantage of stock selection at very attractive prices and, to some extent, time the market in making their decisions of when to buy and when to sell. Index investing is a tricky business that can roil markets. Actively indexed funds have gone upward over the last decade. This has occurred despite the fact that investors have poured huge amounts of money into active funds over this period. The costs of investing in index funds have trended downward as they have become more popular with investors. The costs of active index funds just might decrease in the future, thereby narrowing the cost gap with passive index funds. But all evidence to date has shown just the opposite trend – the costs of active funds continue to go up and the costs of index funds continue to go down. Actively indexed funds typically generate relatively large amounts of taxes while passive index funds generate relatively small amounts. Some of the resulting gap in performance caused by taxes would seemingly be narrowed if the federal government were to lower tax rates. Congress did this at the end of July 1997 when it reduced the maximum long term capital gains tax rate from 28% on investments held more than one year to 20% on investments held 18 months or longer. The tax bill provides that in the year 2001 this rate will be reduced to 18% for investments held five years or longer. Finally, active money managers serve the specific needs of their clients. They manage portfolios based exactly on the investor’s objectives and tolerance for risk. They make decisions based on a stated time frame and they are capable of changing the goals and direction of a portfolio on a moment’s notice. They are the investor’s personal link to the market and the protector of their capital. The value of these services is immeasurable to most investors. One thing that really does not influence the investor as much as it should is the lack of appreciation with respect to the tax consequences of passive index management. The capital gains, created during the year by a fully active index manager, is reported to the IRS, and the investor ends up being taxed. For a taxed investor, the buy-and-hold is a winning strategy. Turnover is the enemy of the investor who pays taxes. Conversely, most investors would be more than happy to pay taxes on the returns produced by active money managers during periods of declining markets. Not many investors prefer losses to earning some gains and interest, even with the tax man waiting. The effect of so many investors buying index funds is that they tend to guard the money market. An investor could actually, in a cost-effective manner, buy and sell the market. The asset funding of active managers, combined with the efficiency of the passive manager, allows one to implement strategies that provide an optimal mix of securities to match a particular scenario, objective, or risk aversion. From time to time, it is possible that the major assets can get out of balance. Investors can run up prices where the lawfulness market is overvalued. When this reaches a untrustworthy level, more self-corrective measures are needed. This is where the expertise of the active manager becomes useful. As an investor, you are always trading off what Jeremy Bentham, the British economist, referred to as the â€Å"pain-pleasure calculus. † Good returns produce pleasure. Bad returns produce pain. An active money manager is always balancing off the pleasure vs. e potential pain. The active manager tends to determine what that balance is and if it finds that the market is deployed otherwise, it works in balancing the portfolio. Tactical asset funding combined with a passively managed portfolio has been called the â€Å"holy grail† of investing by Jonathan Burton, of Dow Jones’ Asset Management magazine. During declining markets, index funds take the full force of the market’s loss. Managers of these funds are forced to sell stocks in order to meet the demand for redemptions as their investors got out of the market. During markets of very little movement, investors quickly drain of insufficient or no returns on their investment. Finally, a philosophy of capital preservation causes the active manager to raise cash, providing a cushion for portfolios during times of extreme risk. Active or passive? Both have their advantages and their risks, but the two are found to be the best long-term plans for both performance and safety. Index (passive) funds are likely to beat active funds, yet the Morningstar data show that 92% of all the money is U. S. stock funds is in active funds. Active and Passive Indexing From 1986 to 1996, the amount of money invested in index funds grew from $556 million to $65 Billion. And if anything, individual investors have been slow to embrace passive management. Institutional investors invest a far larger percentage of their assets passively. Many individual investors are simply uneducated and unaware of the arguments and experimental evidence supporting passive management. Institutional investors and academics have known for years (many for decades) that passive investing is extremely difficult to beat and that the majority of active investors will fail in their attempt to outperform the market. Active indexers assert they can outperform the marketplace. Passive (index) portfolios state they can mirror the performance of the indices. Both have their good times and their bad times. Active indexers raise cash in times of increased risk and instability while passive indexers remain fully invested. This can be quite painful during times of large declines in the market. Passive portfolios mirror the gains of the indices during roaring bull markets and eventually outperform the majority of active money managers who must remain diversified and who sometimes take on additional risks in an attempt to produce the performance and safety that they have promised their clients. The evidence has piled up during today’s bull market that the average dollar managed by active managers does not keep up with the market index. Finally, indexing is a way to avoid being blind-sided in certain areas of the marketplace. Active management themes can easily find themselves on the wrong side of an investment. There is a perception among investors that a strategy designed to match stock market returns is less risky than a comparable actively managed portfolio. Since the index approach invests in a manner that is most friendly with the market’s natural liquidity, it produces the least disturbance. The passive investor also has diversified his risk. Specific negative things can happen to individual companies or groups. As a passive investor, one is not exposed to any of these things. However, it does not mean you have a risk-free investment. The downside to passive index investors is that they â€Å"fuel the fire† of a market that appreciates well beyond its true value. Index mutual funds must put new money to work†¦ they can not hold cash†¦ and their investors all buy the exact same stocks. When stocks go down, index funds, being fully invested, will receive the ultimate effect of the decline. Combined with this loss is the fact that they will also have to sell shares to cover shareholder redemptions. These funds will get hit harder than many active portfolios with a cash cushion. Most active managers of investment portfolios raise cash as they perceive higher valuations, excessive instability, and extreme risks, therefore; reducing the display to loss during declining markets. Another downside to passive indexing is the impact they have on market instability. This gives the patient active money manager a welcome opportunity to take advantage of stock selection at very attractive prices and, to some extent, time the market in making their decisions of when to buy and when to sell. Index investing is a tricky business that can roil markets. Actively indexed funds have gone upward over the last decade. This has occurred despite the fact that investors have poured huge amounts of money into active funds over this period. The costs of investing in index funds have trended downward as they have become more popular with investors. The costs of active index funds just might decrease in the future, thereby narrowing the cost gap with passive index funds. But all evidence to date has shown just the opposite trend – the costs of active funds continue to go up and the costs of index funds continue to go down. Actively indexed funds typically generate relatively large amounts of taxes while passive index funds generate relatively small amounts. Some of the resulting gap in performance caused by taxes would seemingly be narrowed if the federal government were to lower tax rates. Congress did this at the end of July 1997 when it reduced the maximum long term capital gains tax rate from 28% on investments held more than one year to 20% on investments held 18 months or longer. The tax bill provides that in the year 2001 this rate will be reduced to 18% for investments held five years or longer. Finally, active money managers serve the specific needs of their clients. They manage portfolios based exactly on the investor’s objectives and tolerance for risk. They make decisions based on a stated time frame and they are capable of changing the goals and direction of a portfolio on a moment’s notice. They are the investor’s personal link to the market and the protector of their capital. The value of these services is immeasurable to most investors. One thing that really does not influence the investor as much as it should is the lack of appreciation with respect to the tax consequences of passive index management. The capital gains, created during the year by a fully active index manager, is reported to the IRS, and the investor ends up being taxed. For a taxed investor, the buy-and-hold is a winning strategy. Turnover is the enemy of the investor who pays taxes. Conversely, most investors would be more than happy to pay taxes on the returns produced by active money managers during periods of declining markets. Not many investors prefer losses to earning some gains and interest, even with the tax man waiting. The effect of so many investors buying index funds is that they tend to guard the money market. An investor could actually, in a cost-effective manner, buy and sell the market. The asset funding of active managers, combined with the efficiency of the passive manager, allows one to implement strategies that provide an optimal mix of securities to match a particular scenario, objective, or risk aversion. From time to time, it is possible that the major assets can get out of balance. Investors can run up prices where the lawfulness market is overvalued. When this reaches a untrustworthy level, more self-corrective measures are needed. This is where the expertise of the active manager becomes useful. As an investor, you are always trading off what Jeremy Bentham, the British economist, referred to as the â€Å"pain-pleasure calculus. † Good returns produce pleasure. Bad returns produce pain. An active money manager is always balancing off the pleasure vs. e potential pain. The active manager tends to determine what that balance is and if it finds that the market is deployed otherwise, it works in balancing the portfolio. Tactical asset funding combined with a passively managed portfolio has been called the â€Å"holy grail† of investing by Jonathan Burton, of Dow Jones’ Asset Management magazine. During declining markets, index funds take the full force of the market’s loss. Managers of these funds are forced to sell stocks in order to meet the demand for redemptions as their investors got out of the market. During markets of very little movement, investors quickly drain of insufficient or no returns on their investment. Finally, a philosophy of capital preservation causes the active manager to raise cash, providing a cushion for portfolios during times of extreme risk. Active or passive? Both have their advantages and their risks, but the two are found to be the best long-term plans for both performance and safety. Index (passive) funds are likely to beat active funds, yet the Morningstar data show that 92% of all the money is U. S. stock funds is in active funds.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Insurance Law - Insurable Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Insurance Law - Insurable Interest - Essay Example Before insurance companies came up with regulations regarding issuance of policies people would take life policies on other people, and if the insured was to surpass the expected life expectancy, some insurers tended to â€Å"help them along† so as to get their claims. This presented moral hazards and created to need to come up with insurable interests. Analysis In property insurance when a policy is to be taken, insurance companies ensure that insurable interest is shown to the property. In a case where no loss was incurred, then the insurer is not paid anything (Evans 1912). Insurable interest also serves to reduce intentional losses and damage, before this was enforced, people used to take out policies on property and intentionally destroy the property so as to get the claim, but with insurable interest when the insurer has taken a policy on a property that they have an interest in, they are less likely to intentionally cause damage to it. This serves to significantly reduc e the number of bogus claims. The issue of valuation also arises, being that some policies will only pay of the value of the property even with insurable interest; the valuation question is still unresolved and highly controversial. The main difference in the application of insurable interest in property insurance and life insurance is that, when it comes to property, it proves essential. For example, if an insurance policy of 100.000 is taken on a house, at a premium of 300 per year. If the insurer doesn’t lose anything if the house is destroyed, then the insurer will be betting 300 every year that something happens to the house. Insurance policies should not be incentive for people to destroy property, just to claim. Non indemnity insurance, valued insurance, is when the policy holder is entitled to a certain amount if the insured property is damaged. If insured against fire, even if the fire does not do as much damage, the insurance still pays the claim. The contrast comes is life insurance where the insurance should change the insurable interest policy and change it with, the right to give consent, although this might be a bit complex, as in the example of someone who takes life insurance and sells it, as seen if the case of Arthur Kramer who took a life insurance policy of 56 million dollars and sold it to investors. When he died, his family could not claim anything, this led to long court battle for ownership. Life insurance, which engulfs other aspects as critical illnesses or accident, may be taken by a person on themselves for any amount. The law also allows one to take out a policy on a spouse or civil partner recognized by law (Dobbyn 2003). It does not however cater for natural affection or cohabitants. Therefore the law requires that for one to take a life insurance policy on another there must be reasonable interest, but this begs the question, how much interest? And how does one get to measure this? It comes down to the degree, which crea tes ambiguity. Although the law permits the insurance of a spouse, it does not have further specifications like, if the spouse is abusive, or is abused, should the allow for giving of consent. The law also holds that if you have pecuniary interest in a person you can take a life policy on them, for example business partner because the law will likely permit this, but then the business might fall, or a fallout occurs. Then there will be no more interest