Thursday, October 31, 2019
Judicial System of England and Wales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Judicial System of England and Wales - Essay Example The constitutional law of UK consists of statute law and case law where court of judges apply judicial precedent by interpreting the statute.(www.ilex.org) The judicial system of England and Wales comprises only of 24.9% and 6.9% are from the minority ethnic groups. It is also reported that 15.8% of judges are women whereas 3.4% are from ethnic minorities group. (Adrian Jack, 2004) According to the data retrieved from General Bar Council for the year 2008, it is reported that there were 3772 female barristers out of 12,136 self employed bar comprising 31.1% of the total employment. Among women barristers, White Britons, Irish and other white people accounted to 2750 while there were 108 from Indian origin, 63 from Caribbean, 44 of Pakistan, 43 of African origin and remaining others were from other Asian countries. Black Minority Ethnic in the self employment category comprised of 10.6%.(The Bar Council) According to same source, it is known that 89% of the self employed barristers were white whereas 11% constituted the BME group which included 14% women barrister. Under the employed barrister council, 85% of the employees were white in respect of 15% of BME group. Totally there were 46% of women in employed barrister category whereas BME women constituted only 19% and men 12%. And according to the statistics published in Judiciary of England and Wales, it is reported that there are 3820 magistrates out of which 727 were women accounting to only 19.03% and 156 were from ethnic minority groups which constituted for another 4.08%. Ethnic minorities were largely found in Deputy District Judges (MC) with 12 magistrates out of 167 wherein women were 40 only. (www.judiciary.gov.uk) It is also revealed from the reports that out of total 3820 posts, 2970 were occupied by Whites out of which only 525 were occupied by women. In regard to ethnic minority groups, out of 156 posts occupied, 51 were women and 105 were men which can further clarified as 3% ethnics in males and 7% in females, overall constituting only 4% which is very low. (www.judiciary.gov.uk) The data published in the Judicial and Courts Statistics 2007 shows that the Justices of Peace (JPs) in UK in 1990 was 28,667 out of which 16,090 were men and 12,577 were women which increased to 29,419 in the year 2008 comprising of 14, 672 males and 14,747 female JPs. The data further shows that the appointment of women in the JPs has been significantly more than men from 1990 itself which stood at 1063 as compared to 996 for men out of 2059 appointments. The present data of 2008 stands at 1899 appointments overall out of which 972 women were appointed and the remaining were men. The statistics does not reveal the number of ethnic minorities appointed during this period.( Judicial and Court Statistics 2007) Out of total magistrates in post, 92.7% were Whites whereas Black and Asian constituted only 3.8% and 2.4% respectively. (www.judiciary.gov.uk) The above data speaks volume about the gender discrimination as well as racial discrimination if not taken into consideration the data of Ministry of Justice in regard to appointment of JPs. Need for certain changes - Judicial System Adrian Jack
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
The End of the Vietnam War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The End of the Vietnam War - Essay Example Nixon declared in 1969 that he would prolong the American involvement in the Vietnam War, in order to conclude the conflict and acquire â€Å"peace with honor†for the United States and for its partner, South Vietnam (U.S. Department of State, no date). Nixon defined his policy as â€Å"Vietnamization,†where the South Vietnamese aimed to attain greater combat functions, as Americans slowly withdrew from Vietnam (Simon, 2002). Vietnamization needed time, however, and to buy time, Nixon convinced the American public that the war had to be extended to attain peace. His popular vote margin in the 1968 election was â€Å"razor thin,†but to his advantage, the Democratic coalition was devastated in 1968 and political opportunities abounded (Simon, 2002). The administration maximized these opportunities through a â€Å"politics of polarization,†where they tapped the â€Å"silent majority,†while trying to isolate opponents and categorize them as differen t forms of extremists (Simon, 2002). This included defining the efforts of the anti-war movement in negative ways and maligning the media, whose role in influencing the support for the war had increased. America prolonged the war through bombing North Vietnam after failed negotiations efforts. Communist North Vietnam's leaders believed that they had time enough to delay the negotiations, which they did. In March 1972, they tried to sidestep negotiations altogether with a full-scale incursion of the South (U.S. Department of State, no date). The United States called it as the Easter Offensive and the North Vietnamese seemed to win. By late summer, nonetheless, Nixon's used American air power to dent the offensive. In response to this air power, the North Vietnamese started to negotiate once more (U.S. Department of State, no date). In early October, American and North Vietnamese representatives had a meeting in Paris. By October 11, they generated a peace agreement. The key component s included a cease-fire in place 24 hours after signing the agreement; U.S. forces and all foreign troops would pull out from South Vietnam no later than 60 days after signing the agreement; and American prisoners would be released concurrently with the pulling out of American and foreign forces. On October 22, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu stopped the talks. He did not support the cease-fire agreement, because it left thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers in South Vietnam, who could strategically continue the war, as the Americans departed (U.S. Department of State, no date). To get Thieu’s support, the Americans restarted negotiations with the North Vietnamese. The North Vietnamese got offended and negotiated other issues too and by December, the talks caved in. The War Raged On Nixon argued that with failed diplomacy, only force can be used to force Hanoi to negotiate with the United States. The President instructed his military commanders to mine Haiphong H arbor and to begin a nonstop air campaign in the Hanoi-Haiphong region. On December 26, the North Vietnamese decided to renegotiate with the U.S. on early January. On January 1973, the Americans and North Vietnamese reached a settlement and all parties signed the final agreement in Paris on January 27. America, however, was the only one who
Sunday, October 27, 2019
IKEA Recruitment and Selection Process
IKEA Recruitment and Selection Process Ikea is a furnishing company whose vision is to create a better everyday life for the most people possible by offering a wide range of well-designed and functional standardized home furnishing at low prices so more people have access to its products. It was created 60 years ago in Sweden and traces of scandinavian culture are quite noticeable when looking at the companys management style. The company has expanded throughout the world and has become a global player in the furnishing industry. As far as Human Resources are concerned, the company adopts an extremely familial policy and takes good care in enabling each employee to exploit all of his or her capacities. As a matter of fact, IKEA has built its identity on a very strong nurturing management style that allowed to company to clearly stand out from its competitors on that level. IKEA and Human Resources Ikeas human resources teams are responsible drawing in and inspiring workers and creating a bracing environment in order to favor innovation and dynamism. The success of IKEA depends on the continuing development of IKEAs human resources policies and thus managers greatest efforts are indispensable to succeed on that path. Human Resources are present in all parts of the company and in every country where the company is established. They look after recruitment and training as well as they are also responsible for keeping and strengthening IKEAs culture, which is based on a specific set of values that help them develop and transform their vision and beliefs into a fact. With that end in view, recruiting and selecting candidates are two key aspects to keep up with the organizations reputation as it is important for the company to make sure that each and everyone of the candidates will be able to bring an added value into IKEAs family. This report aims at analyzing how the company manages to attract suitable candidates by describing its recruitment policy. The second topic that will be treated is the selecting process, meaning the way that the company manages to pick the best person for the job. I. Recruitment 1. General overview at IKEA à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ’ ISABEL IKEA is a company known internationally, and so are their values. it is a big enterprise that has all kind of job positions to be filled. The IKEA of Lille recruits around 100/150 people every year. Because IKEA is a well-known brand, it is obviously not very difficult to attract candidates for a job offer. However, the recruitment process aims at providing the company with the best suitable candidates by targeting appropriately these offers to candidates with relevant profiles. IKEAs reputation is a key point for its recruitment process; as said by their Recruitment and Competencies Development Manager when we interviewed her: Applications are usually spontaneous. They either come through our website or applicants bring their CVs directly to the store. But sometimes they come in response to an offer. In most cases, companies need to seek out their prospective employees.In this case, applicants tend to apply they wish to work for the company. This, linked to the fact that IKEAs turnover is very low can give us an overview of how successful IKEAs recruitment process is. 2 3. Recruitment policies and methods Recruitment at IKEA did not seem to be an issue. The HR Department of IKEA receives about 7 CVs every day, and 200 every month, most of them sent by e-mail through the IKEA recruitment web page, which clearly facilitated the process for applicants. In addition,external channels such as Pà ´le Emploi and local partnerships with associations and schools are also used at times. For instance, IKEA is starting to develop partnerships with Business and Communication schools in the area of Lille. IKEAs policy is to build a long-term relationship with its employees and help them develop themselves both on the professional but also personal level.  Therefore, one of the aspects of recruitment at IKEA is that they tend to privilege internal recruitment when a position is available. However when there is no potential within the body of employees, the Recruitment Officer that we met said that she has to go and search the candidates elsewhere, and this is where external recruitment comes in. Many directors nowadays started their career with part-time jobs at IKEA when they were still students and managed to climb up the companys ladder thanks internal recruitment. We were told that there is a floor manager for every department (kitchen, bathroom, living room, etc.), and when they feel like they could use one more salesperson in his department, they report their needs to the HR Manager who takes care of the recruitment and selection. With time and experience, the job analysis and information gathering are not necessary anymore, because the HR managers know exactly what type of people the floor managers want, especially for shop-floor workers. For managers, the question is trickier: when internal promotion is possible, the problems dont arise, candidates usually fit the job description, but when there is a need to go through external channels, the specifications and necessary competencies are stated very clearly, although IKEA employees do not have a typical profile. II. Selection 1. General practices and culture at IKEA à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ’ ISABEL Selection represents the process of differentiating between applicants with the goal  to identify those with greater probability of success in the job, therefore for an enterprise such as IKEA it is crucial to keep on with an exceptional and reliable process in order to succeed. What makes IKEAs selection methods efficient is the fact that it is not based on the curricular information of the candidates, but rather on the motivation, capacities, skills, values and personality as said by the Recruitment and Competencies Development Manager. IKEA does not look for the typical profile, it is interested in people that share its values, people who can be inspired by the company to do greater things, people that bring something more to the company and helps it grow even more. IKEAs method is composed by several steps which will be explained below such as phone interviews, individual and group interviews or personality tests. 2. Procedure and Methods Procedure and Methods: Steps for shop floor workers: Steps for managers: The HR manager does not look for particular skills.  ·         First the candidates apply by mail and/or by the website of Ikea. Click here  ·         Then there is a pre-selection made by the HR department and based on CV and application form  ·         The candidates pre-selected have a phone meeting with the HR department.  ·         The candidates receive a mail and they know if it is negative and positive to continue the selection process.  ·         When it is positive the applicants have a meeting generally only the HR manager.  ·         If the HR manager valid, there is a meeting with the floor manager.  ·         And finally for only permanent contract, the applicants have a meeting with the manager of the department. When there is a manager position to provide, the HR department focus on the internal candidates and they prefer promote the actual employees instead of external recruitment for managers positions.  ·         First the candidates send their CV (only for external candidates)  ·         There is a pre-selection based on CV.  ·         The external candidates will have a phone meeting in order to be pre-selected.  ·         The external candidates receive a mail and they know if it is negative or positive to pursuit the selection process.  ·         The candidates have a meeting with the HR manager.  ·         If they pass the meeting they will have one with the Department manager  ·         They will also have a recruitment day in an assessment center with personality test, exercises in group, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦)  ·         The candidates selected have a meeting with the CEO of the shop (e.g.: Ikea in Lomme)  ·         And finally the candidates have a last meeting with the national CEO of Ikea.                                                                                                                                                    The entire process take place within two or three weeks. There is no feedback for the negative answers by mail (step 4) but the candidates can ask for a feedback. The process for a position with responsibilities it longer and more difficult. For a manager position the decision of the HR manager is followed by 4 others interview whereas for a shop floor position there is only 2 interviews after the HR managers decision. (Je mettrai les bullet point en nombre pour montrer le nombre de step) 3. Final Decision The final decision is a shared decision between all the members that have been part of the process. This decision can only be achieved with a consensus and it is very important that no doubt whatsoever are remaining when selecting a candidate. As the decision process involves several people, it is supposed to be a guarantee that the candidate who is selected is a good fit for the company. In addition, this plurality of point of views are also necessary to ensure the fairness of the selection process. III. Beyond recruitment and selection 1. Fairness and Ethics When we met the Recruitment Officer at IKEA, she told us that she and the other interviewers were all experienced and intended to be as fair as possible, asking open-ended questions and reformulating so that they do not misunderstand what the candidates say. The selection methods used are diverse and the exchanges are multiple, which improves the fairness of the process.  However, she repeated that Human Resources remain Human Sciences, and are not accurate every time. 2. Strengths and weaknesses of the model Strengths Shows a real identity based on clearly stated values Several selection methods Multiplication of exchanges No typical profile Possibility for anyone to apply Feedback in case of rejection when asked for it, debriefing for managerial positions Preference for internal promotion Recent review of the whole process Employees retention plans Training for new employees Appraisal meeting after a few months Weaknesses  The applications and policies are more or less standardized and thus sometimes dont correspond when applied uniformly to all employees. Policies dont always match individual needs and requirements. Standardized policies  with universal appeal, that do not account for local culture and management differences 3. Suggestions à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ’ GREG IKEA has settled for an employee-centered policy which enabled the company to have a high satisfaction rate for their employees. Therefore, the recruiters take a really good care selecting people that would fit perfectly in the model of simplicity and conviviality they promote. However, the standardized model that IKEA has been relying on for decades doesnt allow to take into consideration all the local differences in terms of management. Indeed, that model, as nurturing as it could be, might not fit in every IKEA stores throughout the world. Assimilation is one of the major challenge that the company has faced and consequently, IKEAs Human Resources would certainly benefit from a higher customization of the model according to cultural differences. As a matter of fact, a more intense consideration of local management styles would definitely enable the company to get the maximum of each and every employee. Conclusion à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ’ IRENE We can conclude saying the success of the company, the fair treatment of employees and  the good working conditions of IKEA makes the company receive quite a lot of applications. As a matter of fact, it is undeniable that IKEAs HR policies have been one of their strengths for a long time although sometimes on the antithesis of their reduced-cost motto. The concept of IKEAs one big global family has been running almost perfectly under the governance of its paternalistic founder Ingvar Kamprad. Good recruitment and selection methods are indispensable in the company as it enables IKEA to keep an equilibrium among its employees. The futur on the organization is based on those activities and this is why recruiting is not at all about filling positions but rather about finding people that can help the company progress and go one step further.   ______________________________________________________________________ On the aim of recruiting, IKEA has preference among existing employees (which means they like their employees to feel valued)when there is a new vacancy although they also use external recruitment methods and they are trying to improve them , rising the number of possible applicants through partnerships with business schools and associations. About selection, IKEA uses different methods and steps for selecting the right candidates which means that for IKEA selecting the right candidates is a really important decision that will affect the long-term success of  the company Ikea is a furnishing company whose vision is to create a better everyday life for the most people possible by offering a wide range of well-designed and functional standardized home furnishing at low prices so more people has access to its products. History Ikea was created 60 decades ago in the south of Sweden, from all wood and materials come from, by a young man who wanted to start a business. It was in the 1920s when its founder, Ingvar Kamprad, started to sell furniture and matches to his neighbors and he discovered it will be cheaper and more profitable to buy them in Stockholm and then sell them in Sweden. Afterwards, in the 1940s-1950s he started to develop IKEA as a furniture retailer but it was in the 60s-70s when the IKEA company started to be known and opened new stores in Sweden until 1980 when IKEA expands globally to new markets such as USA, Italy and France. Since then, it has been growing and entering into new markets with its standardized and functional bedroom, kitchen and home furniture taking the form of what we know today as IKEA. Values As most of the products of the company are made with wood and other materials that affect the environment, IKEA is concerned with the sustainability of the planet so they work and produce their produce in a responsible and eco-friendly way investing on renewable energy and energy efficient technology to help the environment and diminish the impact on it. IKEA has what are called action-based values to protect the environment. IKEA and Human Resources IKEA companies needs down-to-earth, straightforward people who want to help them fulfill the IKEA vision to create a better everyday life for the many people. Their Human Resources teams lead the work of attracting and inspiring co-workers and creating a stimulating and enjoyable work environment. They are keenly aware that the continued success of IKEA businesses depends on the continual development of IKEA co-workers. Human Resources works in all parts of the company and in every country where they have markets. They look after recruitment and training, benefits management and succession planning. Human Resources is also responsible for safeguarding and strengthening the IKEA culture, which is based on a specific set of values values that help them develop and transform the IKEA vision into reality. Recruitment and selection are two key aspects of Human Resources. Recruitment aims at attracting the suitable candidates RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION Overview How many vacancies does the company have to fill in every year ? The recruitment is defined and readjusted every months in function of the needs and the results of each department of IKEA, but they recruit about 100/150 people every year in Lille. How and who can apply ? The applications are usually spontaneous. They either come through the internet website or applicants send their paper CVs directly to the store. But sometimes they come in response to an offer. They also use the external channels such as Pà ´le Emploi (the French Governmental organization that links the demand with the offer in the labour market) and local and regional partners such as associations and schools. IKEA is starting to implement partnerships with business and communication schools in the area of Lille. Whats the typical profile of the candidates ? There is no typical profile. The company and the jobs is so diversified that it is not possible to set a typical profile for candidates. They have very variate backgrounds and competencies. What is the selection process, how do you break down the process ? Shop Floor Employees When the HR people receive the CVs, a first pre-selection is made. Those who passed this step go through an telephonic pre-selection, before doing an individual interview, either with the Responsible of Human Resources or directly with the HR and the manager at the same time. For the CDI (Contrat à Durà ©e Indà ©terminà ©e, or permanent contract), the interview is done with the head of department. However, during the high recruitment periods, for example during the summer, the interviews for the employees are done in groups. Duration -> 2 weeks Negative answer -> max 3 weeks Managers, Direction First, there is an interview, then a personality test is performed, and the candidates have to participate to an Assessment center (tests), and finally they meet the Store Manager and the Functional Manager. How many stages does the selection process comprises ? About 6. How many of the applicants become candidates ? They receive too many CVs to count them all, but on the level of the interviews, about 1 on 2 or 3 persons are selected and can continue with the selection process. What do you base yourself on for the selection ? More on the CV or on the personality ? The CVs are used to start the conversation, but then what matters more is the motivation, the capacities, skills, values and the personality What are the typical questions that you ask the candidates ? 0 What are the selection methods ? CVs, Phone interviews, individual/group interviews, personality tests, Assessment center, meetings Are the HR people free to choose anyone they think fits, or do they have to follow some rules/standards ? No rules or standards Who takes the final decision ? The HR people do not take the final decision, however, if they say no to the CV, or after the phone interview, or after the first individual interview, its over for the candidate. Who is involved in the selection process ? HR people, manager, head of department, Store Manager, Functional manager Do you organize a selection day ? No Preference between internal selection vs. external for higher positions ? This depends on the structure of the company. They try to promote internal promotion, but when there is no potential within the employees, they have to go and search the candidates elsewhere, in the schools and universities for examples. Many directors now have began their career at IKEA when they were still students, working a few hours a week at IKEA. Do you outsource your selection to another company ? Only for very specialized or technical jobs. What are the differences between the selection methods to recruit shop floor workers and people with higher positions (management, direction) ? (see above) How many people drop out of the company after a short period of time ? (people who were hired for a long time and decide that they dont want to stay) How many quit before the end of their contract (Short term contracts vs. long term contracts) ? Very rare cases. Do you train people after they are hired ? (to make sure they stay in the company) Depending on the job, the newly hired staff has a trail period of 1, 2 or 4 months renewable. During this period, they have time to be trained and integrated in the company. Have the HR policies and the selection methods changed in the past years ? If so, why ? Everything was written down 5 or 6 years ago, and they reviewed everything 4 months ago. In fact, the Human Resources rules and traditions are lost with the expansion of the companies. Do you think the selection methods are fair and ethical ? The interviewers try to be as fair as possible, asking open ended questions and reformulating so that they do not misunderstand what was said according to their own view. However, Human Resources remain human sciences, thus they are inaccurate. The multiplication of the exchanges make it quite impossible to be unfair. Do you have comments or suggestions that you think could help us write our report ? Feed back is given when asked for. Always. For the managerial positions, a debriefing takes place obligatorily. They send a standard message in case of rejection, no time to do personalized answers. Juliette à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. We met the Recruitment Officer. Recruitment and competencies development Manager. At IKEA, the HR department help their employees to develop. Part time = 32% of the employees
Friday, October 25, 2019
Night And A Farewell To Arms: Eliezer And Frederic :: essays research papers
In Night and A Farewell to Arms, the reader follows the characters of Elie Wiesel and Ernest Hemingway through their personal struggles between love and war. In Night, Eliezer faces malnutrition, Nazis, and concentration camps, while Frederick Henry, in A Farewell to Arms, struggles with love, patriotism, and religion. Despite their differences, the journeys of these two young men are remarkably similar; they both are prisoners of war, they both lose the person they love most, and they both face a bleak and dismal fate.Frederic and Eliezer are both prisoners of war but in different ways. Frederic has a strong emotional attachment to the war. â€Å"Don’t talk about the war,†he says after abandoning the front, â€Å"it was over†¦but I did not have the feeling it was really over†(Hemingway 245). For Frederic the war captured his mind in a way that he cannot escape. Eliezer is also a POW but in a more concrete and physical way. Before being imprisoned, Eliezer is stripped of his clothes, his self-respect, and his identity, and he is forced into barracks. â€Å"The barracks we had been made to go into were very long†¦The antechamber of Hell must look like this. So many crazed men, so many cries, so many bestial brutality†(Wiesel 32). It is only love that allowed Frederic and Eliezer to survive their prisons. Catherine Barkley is Frederick’s true love. â€Å"I felt damned lonely and was glad when the train got to Stresa†¦I was expecting my wife†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Hemingway 243-244). This quote shows the physical and emotional yearning that Catherine inspires in Frederic. This desire for her is what helps him through the war. Eliezer’s love, on the other hand, is directed towards his father. Eliezer feels that his father is his only possesion that the Nazis cannot take from him. â€Å"I’ll watch over you and then you can watch over me. We won’t let each other fall asleep. We will look after each other†(Wiesel 85). The loss of both Eliezer’s father and Frederic’s fiancà ©e ones is what inevitably leads to a dismal future. The tragic fall of these two young characters is directly related to the toll their prisons place on them and the absence of the ones they love. â€Å"I had not seen myself since the ghetto. From the depths of the mirror a corpse gazed back at me†(Wiesel 109). As Eliezer looks at himself, he sees that he is a hollow boy.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Change & Continuity over Time of Religion in Europe from the 1500-1900 Essay
The period between 1500 to 1900 also refers to the time period from the Middle Ages to the modern world. The period witnessed significant strides in state building in England, France, and Spain, where growing bureaucracies levied taxes to finance large-scale warfare and territorial expansion. At the same time encroachment on the longstanding powers of the nobility caused feudal reaction, while the breach with tradition, particularly by creating new taxes in an era plagued by war, famine, and disease, caused peasants to revolt. A number of historical trends emerged to give the period clear definition: the fragmentation of Christianity and growing secularism; pronounced demographic and economic fluctuation; the development of the European state system; and the emergence of a global, Europe-centered system of production and trade. In the second decade of the sixteenth century, the Christian church experienced the first in a series of religious divisions along geographic lines. The sequence of splits, beginning in the Holy Roman Empire and spreading to the whole of Europe by the end of the century, transformed the relationship of the reformed churches with state, society, and the people. Christianity also spread to the indigenous people of the Americas and Asia. There was a strong desire for religious unity, marked by mandatory conversions of Moors and Jews to Catholicism in Spain and an enthusiastic missionary effort both in Europe and abroad. At the same time in nearly every area of Europe religious conflict and calls for a redistribution of power became virtually unavoidable, causing crisis in authority at state and local levels. Religious evangelism encouraged stronger spiritual education of young people. During the same time period, the advances of scientific information provided new, conflicting methods of learning. For this reason, children of educated classes were brought up in a world of competing models of knowledge advanced by churchmen and scientists, while the children of ordinary people were exposed to combinations of evangelical claims, folk wisdom, and the overpowering and repressive Reformation churches. Protestant and Catholic teachers tried to clarify and define the boundaries of official doctrine. Their interactions with the commoners caused serious tensions. Popular beliefs were judged as pagan. Evangelists tried to impose religious uniformity and eliminate groups or individuals who could not be brought into the mainstream Christianity. In particular, the office of the Holy Inquisition denied the lay people’s claims to spiritual powers in an effort to give all powers to the clergy. It was an attempt to take away the spiritual dimension of the lay people, medicine and science. The religious campaign to denounce magic and witchcraft helped prepare the ground for the late-seventeenth-century and eighteenth-century scientific claims that the cosmos was mechanized. In the modern age, science would undermine magical beliefs and reduce the spiritual influence of the clergy. The religious Reformation, together with the critical and undemocratic nature of Renaissance humanism, shattered the unity of intellectual thought, developments that were vital to the advancement of science. The discovery of new worlds and people and that the earth was round; the invention of movable type; the development of firearms and of a lens that improved the visibility of the stars and planets; improved mechanical clocks; and the development of shipbuilding and navigation opened up new intellectual perspectives and methods of discovery that relied increasingly on rational thinking rather than religion. Scientists made new claims to authority and objectivity, and began explaining the world in mechanical terms. Separating the observable world from the spiritual sphere represented a fundamental shift in thought. To see the world operating on basic principles discoverable by reason created hope that humans could control their environment, a change in attitude that helped pave the way for nineteenth-century industrialization.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
MCI case study
June 1972, MIMIC began construction of Its telecommunications network. Funding: MN shares (common stock) @SO, In total after commission $27. 1 MN; Summon of credit from banks; $6. Man from private investors; MIMIC still rely on AT&T facilities to carry calls from its subscribers to MIMIC transmission centers in each metropolitan area. PAYOFF, MIMIC revenue $6. MN, losses of $38. 7 MN. MIMIC has exhausted its credit from its banks. MIMIC sold shares for $8. MN. 1976, ‘exeunt' service. And revenue started roaring. 1976 revenue, 28. N, first profit $100,000; 1977, 62. MN; Between 1976-1978, lease financing of new fixed Investment was the only substantial source of funds available. 1978, withdrawal of the court's ‘exeunt' DCE. 1978, public market to issue convertible preferred stocks. Preferred offerings allowed MIMIC to retire its short to intermediate term bank debt and to issue further debt of a longer term kind. 1980, MIMIC provided ‘executions residential customers . Strong growth but constrained only by a lack of investment capital. July, 1980. Leasing actuality decreased.FYI 981 , demand for investment fund Intensified. Offer convertible bonds. Jan. 1982: Antitrust settlement between AT&T and LIST. Department of Justice. AT&T will need to break up before 1984. Economics of scale and scope are important; basic call service and value added services. Increase In access charge after the AT&T antitrust settlement 1 . What are the business problems facing MIMIC? After the settlement of antitrust case of AT&T, the differential In access charges will be phased out through charging MIMIC 80% more and this In turn Increased Mi's operation expense.MIMIC could lose its cost advantage to the competitors and lead to decreasing sales and profits. AT might also reduce its price to prevent its erosion in market share. AT communications was the main competitor. MIMIC need dial 20 digits ATT dial 11 digits. 2. How do these business problems translate Into fina ncing problems? More we can see the graph, we saw a sharp rise in both external financing and internal financing, with external financing even a bit higher than internal financing. 3. To what extent can traditional financing strategies work for MIMIC?It is getting more expensive for MIMIC to acquire further funding through issuing debts and MIMIC will become more risky if take on further debts; If MIMIC simply issue equity, public might read this move as the stock has been overpriced and now the firm is trying to push down the price. Thus, the share price of the firm might go down. 4. Based on projected financial statements in the case – income statements, balance sheets, and projected capital expenditures calculate Mi's projected needs for external financing during the years 1984 through 1988 inclusive, for each year.Analyses the consequences of alternative financing policies of MIMIC during these years – as sequences, such as first debt, then equity, then debt again as needed –on the projected financial condition of MIMIC in the (fiscal) year 1990, in terms of measures such as debt to equity ratios and interest coverage ratios. 5. Suppose that for its initial financing â€Å"trance†of $1 Billion by the end of 1984, MIMIC decides to choose NOW between a Straight Debt issue of 20 year maturity with an interest rate of 12. 5%, with no sinking funds (early repayments), versus a ConvertibleDebt issue of the same size, of notional maturity 20 years with an interest/Coupon rate of 7. 75%, and a conversion price of $ 55 per share. Assume further that IF the conversion option is not exercised within the following 5 years then it would expire (unlike in the case), and this would continue as (cheap) debt. Which of these two debt issues should MIMIC choose in March 1983, to maximize shareholder value? Assume that annual standard deviation of returns on Mi's equity value are either 20% or 30% and that the interest rate on (safe) MIMIC debt eq uals 12. 5%.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Definition and Examples of Embedded Questions
Definition and Examples of Embedded Questions In English grammar, an embedded question is a question that appears in a declarative statement or in another question. The following phrases are commonly used to introduce embedded questions:Could you tell me . . .Do you know . . .I wanted to know . . .I wonder . . .The question is . . .Who knows . . . Unlike conventional interrogative structures, in which word order is reversed, the subject usually comes before the verb in an embedded question. Also, the auxiliary verb do is not used in embedded questions. Commentary on Embedded Questions An embedded question is a question inside a statement. Here are some examples: - I was wondering if its going to rain tomorrow. (The embedded question is: Is it going to rain tomorrow?)- I suppose you dont know if they are coming. (The embedded question is: Do you know if they are coming?) You can use an embedded question when you do not want to be too direct, such as when you are speaking to someone senior in the company, and the use of a direct question seems impolite or blunt. (Elisabeth Pilbeam et al., English First Additional Language: Level 3. Pearson Education South Africa, 2008) Examples of Embedded Questions Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? (Alice in Alices Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll)The question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be.(Martin Luther King, Jr.)I set up the checkerboard and explained how the pieces are placed and how they move. (Herbert Kohl, The Herb Kohl Reader: Awakening the Heart of Teaching. The New Press, 2013)I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go? I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something. Or if they just flew away. (J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, 1951) Stylistic Conventions Kate [a copy editor] moves on to the second sentence: The question is, how many re-readings are reasonable? Uncertain about how to treat a question (how many re-readings are reasonable?) embedded in a sentence, she picks up [The Chicago Manual of Style] . . . [and] decides to apply the following conventions:Since the author has followed all these conventions, Kate changes nothing. The embedded question should be preceded by a comma.The first word of an embedded question is capitalized only when the question is long or has internal punctuation. A short informal embedded question begins with a lowercase letter.The question should not be in quotation marks because it is not a piece of dialogue.The question should end with a question mark because it is a direct question. (Amy Einsohn, The Copyeditors Handbook. University of California Press, 2006) Embedded Questions in AAVE In AAVE [African-American Vernacular English], when questions are embedded in sentences themselves, the order of the subject (boldfaced) and the auxiliary (italicized) may be inverted unless the embedded question begins with if: They asked could she go to the show.I asked Alvin did he know how to play basketball. (Irene L. Clark, Concepts in Composition: Theory and Practice in the Teaching of Writing. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2003)
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