Securities Paredes3 03 Essay

Securities Paredes3 03 Essay Securities Paredes3 03 Essay SECURITIES REGULATION OUTLINE PART ONE: RAISING CAPITAL I. SECURITIES REGULATION OVERVIEW A. Goals of Securities Regulation: The goals of securities market focus on the issuance of securities. These laws are all about disclosure. Investors need information. They are not able to kick the tires or to squeeze the fruit to test the product. So they need to make an informed decision when buying the product – a future stream of earnings. Nearly 84 million Americans (43.6%) of the US own some sort of stock. Institutional (pension funds, mutual funds, commercial banks, insurance companies) own the rest. 1) Assuring Informed Investor Decision-Making & Consumer Protection: Investors need to trust that the company they are investing in is doing the right thing. Securities laws instill trust because the disclosure of information will mean that the investor can be confident in the company. The investor knows that that there are protective measures and legal recourse. However: this can also lead to complacency. Ex. Enron: Thus investors not confident when laws not enf orced. Enron’s forms hadn’t been looked at in 3 years. 2) Allocative Efficiency: We want to ensure that stocks and other securities are priced accurately according to their true objective value. So long as the information that the regulations require is processed appropriately on the market, capital will flow to productive uses. The higher the value, the higher the price of the security and vice versa. We don’t want money being spent in places it shouldn’t be. However, corporations may restrict the outflow of information to prevent later liability actions. 3) Corporate Governance and Agency Costs: Sometimes agent/corporate interests will diverge from shareholder interest. Securities regulation mitigates these concerns, telling corporate managers don’t cook your books or stock will go down. Brandeis: â€Å"Sunlight is the best of disinfectants.† 4) Economic Growth, Innovation, Access to Capital: We want companies to be able to expand and grow. Securities regulation ensure that investors will feel confident about investing and then companies can get capital, expand, grow. A securities-centered economy like the US encourages entrepreneurial ventures. A banking-centered economy like Europe’s encourages firms dominance and corporate consolidation. 5) The Market for Lemons: Investors need to know which companies are lemons, which aren’t. Rigorous scheme of securities regulation allows the non-lemons to signal to market that they’re not lemons and thus investors won’t be afraid of investing. B. Overview of the Financial Markets: The securities markets are a subset of the many financial markets. There are non-securities markets (bank loans, treasury bills, CDs and commercial paper) and equity markets. The decision of which market for a company to enter is based upon the cost of capital in the particular market, the time necessary to effect a transaction, and regulatory supervision. When a financial product is considered a security, the breadth of the securities laws applies. C. The Equity Markets: 1) The Trading Markets: a) The Primary Market: The primary market is issuer transactions sold to investors. b) The Secondary Market: The secondary market are trading transactions between investors, done on NYSE, NASDAQ, Electronic Communications Markets. D. Regulatory Framework: 1) The SEC: The Securities & Exchange Commission is an independent administrative body charged with the administration of the securities laws. Subject to the Administrative Procedure Act, thus there are open meetings, advance notice of regulatory changes, opportunities for interested parties to comment. Very New Dealesque. Maintains EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval). a) The Composition: One Chairman and four commissioners. Each commissioner has a five-year term, staggered, no more than three can be from the same party. b) The Divisions:

Mississippi Online Public and Charter Schools (List)

Mississippi Online Public and Charter Schools (List) Mississippi offers resident students the opportunity to take online public school courses for free. Below is a list of no-cost online schools currently serving elementary and high school students in Mississippi. In order to qualify for the list, schools must meet the following qualifications: classes must be available completely online, they must offer services to state residents, and they must be funded by the government. Virtual schools listed may be charter schools, state-wide public programs, or private programs that receive government funding. List of Mississippi Online Charter Schools and Online Public Schools Mississippi Virtual Public School (off-site link) About Online Charter Schools and Online Public Schools Many states now offer tuition-free online schools for resident students under a certain age (often 21). Most virtual schools are charter schools; they receive government funding and are run by a private organization. Online charter schools are subject to fewer restrictions than traditional schools. However, they are reviewed regularly and must continue to meet state standards. Some states also offer their own online public schools. These virtual programs generally operate from a state office or a school district. State-wide public school programs vary. Some online public schools offer a limited number of remedial or advanced courses not available in brick-and-mortar public school campuses. Others offer full online diploma programs. A few states choose to fund â€Å"seats† for students in private online schools. The number of available seats may be limited and students are usually asked to apply through their public school guidance counselor. (See also: 4 Types of Online High Schools). Choosing a Mississippi Online Public School When choosing an online public school, look for an established program that is regionally accredited and has a track record of success. Be wary of new schools that are disorganized, are unaccredited, or have been the subject of public scrutiny. For more suggestions on evaluating virtual schools see: How to Choose an Online High School.

Peter Alex Keller Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Peter Alex Keller - Research Paper Example Peter Alex Keller, 41, a resident of North Bend Washington, was formally charged with first degree murder and first degree arson on Wednesday, 25 April in King County Superior Court, after he shot his wife , Lynnette, 41, and daughter, Kaylene, 18 with .22 caliber gunshot and fled to the woods. After murdering his family and pets, Keller torched his rental home at 47227 S.W, 159th Street North Bend before heading on The Rattlesnake Ridges to hide in a bunker he spent eight years in building. According to court documents, Lynette and Kaylene died due to injuries from gunshot wounds to the head, inside. The week following the murders, the police searched the whole area for the forty-one year old suspect. Meanwhile, the county prosecutors were compiling a case against the suspect who was missing after the police discovered bodies of the two victims at the burned down North Bend house. Keller’s disappearance added fuel to the speculation about the real identity of the killer and i f the police found him, he would be sentenced to 51 to 65 years in prison. Due to the discovery of Keller’s car, the police knew he was hiding in the woods and warned hikers as well as community members that a killer was on the loose in the woods. (Anonymous, 2012). The Investigation According to the court documents, Keller had been planning to murder his family and pets since quite a while. Using an Issaquah branch of Chase Bank on Friday, April 20, withdrew $6,200. The same day in the evening Keller switched off his cell phone. Furthermore, he took Monday, Thursday, and Friday before the murders off from work. According to court documents, Keller when questioned by a co-worker about when he was going to return to work, he replied, â€Å"I may not come back next week, the week after that, or maybe never†. The court records also state the fact that one Keller’s co-workers reported about the firearms Keller possessed which included high powered rifles with scopes , and silencers. According to the co-worker, Keller had not informed his wife about the silencers because they were excruciatingly expensive. The police during their search of the burned house, found two empty boxes for silencers on the master bedroom’s floor. The police also found on the bedroom’s floor, one box of .22 caliber bullets, spent .22 shell casings along with few empty firearms boxes. (Anonymous, 2012). At the crime scene, detectives found that the shed door was open which suggests that it was most probably used by Keller to hide plastic gas cans filled with gasoline. During the crime scene investigation, the detectives found seven cans of gasoline which had been placed in different parts of the house. The reports of arson investigators suggested that the house was deliberately set on fire. This was a very important piece of evidence which proved that Keller was the murderer. The investigators found that the fire was initiated by placing a one gallon plasti c gas on a skillet which was placed on the stove. The burner ignited fumes inside the can and the fire spread quickly which damaged the kitchen roof and it collapsed partially. According to the evidence found inside the house, the arson investigators concluded that the fire started to spread within half an hour after the gasoline can was placed on the burner. The firefighters found and removed two five-gallon gas cans and three two-gallon gas cans from different strategic locations inside the house. After the fire was put out, the firefighters removed the two victims. The firefighters who found Kaylene on top of a bunker bed stated that her body was limp which meant that she had died a short while ago because rigor mortis had not set in. According to the charging papers, the firefighters stated that â€Å"death had occurred within a short period of time†. Lynette’s hair contained a spent shell and there were two gunshot wounds on her head. Of the two gunshots wounds, o ne was behind her right ear

Economic Analysis Of Schoolhouse Lane Estates Winery Essay

Economic Analysis Of Schoolhouse Lane Estates Winery - Essay Example Thus, the case study opens with Jane (Jan) Thaw having considerable difficulty responding to information she had just received from her cousin, Stan White pertaining to the state of affairs in the wine industry which had begun to decline owing to reduced demand of wines selling above $25 per bottle at retail price. This is against the background of Thaw’s intended plan to expand her Schoolhouse Lane Estates winery located in Cutchogue on the North Fork of Long Island. This brings uncertainty to her business strategy following a negative development in the wine industry. The level of analysis of Schoolhouse Lane Estates winery is Level 1 since it is related to industrial issues. Of great concern is the fact that the wine industry is mature where there are many competitors ranging from vineyards owners as well wineries. This shows that this is a lucrative industry in which competition exists as illustrated by Porter’s analysis in (Appendix 1). The problem to be overcome by Schoolhouse Lane Estates winery is that of competition where there has been a decline in the demand for wine seen as expensive owing to large supply on the market. (Porter’s analysis in Appendix 1 illustrates this). The wine industry is characterized by strong competition. In 2004, it can be noted that there were 56 Vineyards and 30 wineries and 20 largest firms produced approximately 90 % of all American wine. During the same period, it can be noted that imports were also gaining popularity on the market which further shows that there are many actors in the market. It can be noted that during the late 90s, white and blush/rose wine sales declined to about 40% and 21% respectively where red wine considerably gained an increase in its sales. It is important for the marketers to be aware of the consumer needs and wants so as to be better positioned to satisfy them profitably. It can be noted that the market is dynamic and is susceptible to inevitable changes such as the macro environment. Consumers’ spending is also greatly influenced by monetary factors as well as the nature of products available in the market.

Importance of Internal Communications Essay Example for Free

Importance of Internal Communications Essay Importance of Internal Communications for a company and two case studies. Internal communications is considered a vital tool for connecting people within the company. It does not refer only to those few â€Å"official† channels of communication in a company, it is also the strategic management of information flows to ensure the optima level of employee engagement. (Civicus, 2001) This business context of communication is a dual listening process. It is a top-down, bottom-up, side-to-side communication harnessed as a means of delivering messages, listening to concerns and motivating staff. Maintaining a good internal communications within a company could reinforce the vision, values and culture among employees, who can then communicate it to internal and external audiences. Internal communications aims to ensure that employees in the company work together towards the same goal, know what they should be doing and by when. Internal communication has evolved various ways of communicating internally. Traditionally, it started off with informal and formal one-to-one and one-to-many meetings where usually the ‘the boss’ would communicate in a highly one-way fashion with employees. Lee, 2006) In this case the message is mostly communicated in one way, it does not include feedback from the message recipients. When print materials were introduced, it was then involved for formal, top-down transmission, for instance, company annual report. Internal communication then evolved to the digital era where Internet was highly used as a communication tool. When email was in troduced into the business settings and with it the nature of communication has radically changed. Lee, 2006) As the digital technology advances, internal communication has evolved to the point where not only can employees and employers freely email each other, forward messages without any editing (showing the whole conversational trail), and forward those messages outside of the corporate walls, but also employees and employers can use these emails to bring about grievance procedures, litigation and dismissal. (Lee, 2006) It is seen that internal communication has undergone deliberately change and will continue growing. Today’s internal communication practitioner is focused on challenging and stimulating employees, managing change and gaining employee engagement and commitment. (Chalmers, 2008) The aim has moved from controlling and directing people, through providing information, making announcements and supporting industrial relations, to supporting the development of a flexible work environment which adapts to change, seeks improvement, shares knowledge and know-how, generates ideas and involves people in achieving strategic goals. Chalmers, 2008) Most of the people understand the significance of internal communication but very few could manage it efficiently. Many people think that internal communication is one of the functions that they think they can do well. In fact, when it comes to real situation on handling employees, certain strategies and techniques are needed to communicate and tackle. In talking to many individuals at very different levels in very disparate sectors, what has come across as crucial is the need for internal communication to be championed at the very top of the organization and also for senior management and the boardroom to respect the expertise of the specialist tasked to deliver, be they internally or externally placed. Smith, 2008) A large number of studies by both professional management groups and professional communications bodies consistently find that ‘communicating with employees’ is a useful and powerful way of engendering greater ‘engagement’ – the propensity of the employee to want to come to work and want to contribute to the success of the company. (Lee, 2006) Gauri Deshmukh, head of HR at SAS India states that internal communication is important for a company as it provides information and encourages sharing by driving and supporting the organisation’s short-term and long-term goals and objectiv es. In addition, Deshmukh also mentions that with effective internal communications, it ensures that knowledge-sharing and communication processes are part of the daily workflow across all functions of the business. By having good internal communication, a company ensures that in between employers and employees they are constantly updated with information. In fact, a good internal communications not only affects organizational and operational success, but it has a considerable impact on external functions such as marketing, community and government relations, nd investor relations. (Brown, 2002) Internal communication is significant in any company because it is the building block of the organisational culture. (Civicus, 2001) Furthermore, internal communication is important so that employees become advocates for company. It is important to create a ‘common purpose’ across the company – creating the sense of a team where everyone feels ownership in their roles and in a chieving the company’s goals. (WK, 2010) In this way employees feel accepted and being part of the company. Likewise, internal communication is one of the key ‘intangible’ factors leading to high performance. (WK, 2010) For instance, if communication in a company is managed well employees are more confident and clear with the company mission and vision thus makes excellent financial as well as business. Not only that, having good internal communication helps build out company’s brand internally as employees are the best ambassadors, and internal perceptions should mirror what the company is telling the world. Trout, 2012) When the company is communicating effectively with its internal stakeholders, be it employees, management or volunteers, programmes and departments share more resources and information resulting in less duplication of work and stronger impact as a whole company. (Civicus, 2001) Without an effective internal communications, a company allows others to determine what information (or disinformation) is communicated to employees about their company. Brown, 2002) Smart employers realize that in environments where employees are able to move from one employer to another with relative ease, it is in the company’s best interests to retain the smarter and more productive employees; doing all they can to communicate with them, inform them, influence them and enter into some sort of psychological contract with them is a wise move. Lee, 2006) Besides, without effective internal communications, the crisis of confidence in businesses and corporate leadership could hurt sincere efforts to build a positive corporate culture and to enhance employee morale and productivity, and devastate the overall image of an organization. (Brown, 2002) Case Study I: Nokia is one of the top mobile phone manufacturer favoured by many people. In order to compete with other mobile phone manufacturer Nokia is constantly improvising and upgrading their gadgets to serve people needs these days. The reason Nokia has been so successful is no doubt its creation on mobile phones, as well as the strong team in the company that has made where it stands today. In a technologically savvy company like Nokia, it’s no surprise that they’ve been successfully implementing social media into their internal communications. (Kass, 2012) Nokia’s motto is connecting people and exploring ways to enhance communication. (Kass, 2012) In order to realize that vision, Nokia uses a number of different vehicles for two-way and push or pull communications; social media plays a big part with fitting into that strategy. Nokia’s Social Media Communications team was established in early 2008, aimed to improve inter-company communications and engaging employees. The objective of the team is to: encourage the use of social media internally to bring out the company’s unique authentic voice and to engage in social media externally on behalf of Nokia, and contributing to product and service announcements by opening up a dialogue and driving online engagement. (Kass, 2012) Nokia has 125,000 employees around the world. It is the company’s utmost important task to engage all employees in order to achieve company business goal. There are a few platforms in Nokia allowing employees from global to connect as if they work in a small company together. According to Molly Schonthal who worked on the companys Social Media team in North America, the BlogHub is Nokia’s most powerful and effective social media tool that is used internally. It has been said that BlogHub lowers the barriers for employees to find conversations relevant to them. In terms of interaction, employees are allowed to communicate freely via BlogHub. They could make comment on posts, share ideas and knowledge on issues that have been mentioned. In addition, BlogHub serves as a useful search engine for employees to seek out information relevant to them. From a management point of view, through BlogHub feedback on various issues are gained quickly and track the conversations that are happening inside the company. Voting and ratings on posts are enabled as well for employees to be part of the decision team. Nokia has also introduced Nokia Conversations blog where latest Nokia product news would be posted. Through this blog employees could find a big overview of all the topics going on in Nokia. Similar to any other company that is engaged on social media, Nokia has its very own YouTube and Twitter account. Other than that, VideoHub has grown increasingly popular with employees allowing for postings to be updated on a daily basis. Besides, Nokia’s Infopedia wiki allows employees to share knowledge inside the company. If someone needs to quickly check a piece of information, Nokia’s effective internal communication channel, Instant Messaging (IM) is available for employees. It claims to remove the barrier of more formalized communication in between employees. For global company like Nokia, in order to save cost and time, Nokia has it’s own video conference channel where annual communication meetings and real time conversations could be held. Considering people do not check their mailboxes as much anymore Nokia has slowly cut down prints publications in an effort to become more environmentally aware. In fact Nokia in North America has completely eliminated print publications. Newsletters are now kept to an electronic HTML format, which is e-mail so it is more easily distributed. Similar to every other company Nokia uses intranet communications as well. It is the center of where people go to get information on benefits or organization charts. Furthermore, to reach more employees, Nokia regularly posts relevant company announcements on plasma screens around regional offices, usually in cafeterias and breakout rooms, with its promise on going environmental friendly. At North America, leadership also encourages employees to speak directly with their line managers to better understand organizational strategy and what role they can play in that strategy. For all of Nokia’s Web 2. 0 tools, Schonthal is quick to point out that â€Å"social media is never a replacement for high touch engagement. † (Kass, 2012) Instead, it can contribute to various company events and other in-person initiatives. â€Å"Social media complements these things but doesn’t take away from the ability to internally engage and share ideas,† she further explains. Nokia provides many platforms for employees to stay engaged, all for one clear identified goal – connect all the people in the company. For such global company I believe Nokia in different countries or branches could decide on which channel they prefer but I believe as a whole, all the employees in Nokia stay connected via BlogHub. After reviewing how Nokia strives to engage the employees I could see that the management team work hard on receiving feedback as well. They listen to their employees. They make changes. All these actions give employees feel accepted and belonged to the company. The end result is the employees are clear with the goals, mission and procedures of the company, which can result increase their work effort and efficiency and boost business. Case Study II: â€Å"We were driven to connect the organization with itself, and realized enterprise social networking was the solution. I can truly say after more than two years that we have achieved an official internal communications channel. Socialcast lifted the boundaries and made our organization transparent. We connect daily with people from India, China, the US, and Brazil. Without Socialcast it would not be possible,† says Dennis Agusi, Global Internal Communications Officer, Royal Philips Electronics. Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of â€Å"sense and simplicity†. Philips Case Study 2012) In 2010, Philips began to explore how the company should help its employees spread around the globe to feel engaged, work like a small team driven by shared goals. On the way of researching, the Corporate Communications and IT department discovered that approximately 1,600 employees were actively using a free tool they had found on the Internet to communicate and collab orate. Knowing two platforms for collaboration would not be a great idea so the team took initiative to introduce a new platform to these early users. These early users provided positive and valuable feedback and recommendations on how to improve the enterprise social experience the best it could be. Then it led to a successful launch of an enterprise social network. The company adopted â€Å"Connect Us† and the network was launched with wide support. On launch day, Connect Us had 400 members. Within two months, 7,000 employees had joined the community. Through Connect Us they allow employee-to-employee exchanges as well as management-to-employee communications. Employees are allowed to post freely, share knowledge to make work easier. Connect Us helps to remove barriers between departments as well. Through Socialcast Reach, employees are allowed to share information and data in between departments resulting a more seamless flow of work. In addition, a new idea can be communicated more broadly, increasing sense of connectedness and engagement across the company. From management perspective, through Connect Us, the Communications and IT team could monitor what’s happening in the company, check trending topics or people, at real time. According to report, Connect Us has enabled new and sometimes unexpected forms of employee engagement. All Employee Jam† was a crowdsourcing project designed to bring to life the company’s new, refreshed Mission and Vision statement through dialogue, discussion and debate. This exercise has successfully drawn employees who had not yet joined the social community into Connect Us. According to feedback, employees who participated in this exercise were found to be far m ore aware of and aligned with the Philips Mission and Vision than those employees who did not participate. This resulted Philips truly believes that enterprise social networks help companies increase employee engagement and retention. I liked the idea of how Philips tries to maintain the communication channel as one, which is Connect Us. I believe there are other platforms available for instance intranet but Connect Us is actively used by people in the company. From not knowing employees are using free online tool to communicate to introducing socialcast network, Philips has come a long way into realizing the importance of internal communication. The All Employee Jam has definitely demonstrated the power of enterprised social networking. It encouraged the employees to share knowledge, to stay connected which resulted in a greater identity with the company. In this two case studies, both companies Nokia and Philips selected appropriate channels for communication according to its needs. Nokia has different communication platforms serving different purposes. For instance, BlogHub allows employees to find information they need and Instant Messaging is a tool for quick and easy communication. On the other hand, Philips focus mainly on Connect Us, from searching information to accelerating ideas to sharing data it is all done on Connect Us. However, on my opinion, Nokia has too many platforms it might be tough to engage all the employees in one platform, as the users are free to choose which platforms they get information from. Whereas Philips uses Connect Us, most of the employees are part of the community and anything they need require can be found on Connect Us. I think this is one of the advantages of having a focused channel. Likewise, the tools and tactics, both companies chose to be focus more on information technology. In terms of interactivity, both companies engage their employees as well as welcoming their feedbacks. The employees are encouraged to utilise these channels to feel more accepted and being part of the company. For instance, Philips Connect Us not only allows employees-to-employees exchange, as well as management-to-employees communication. In this case it removes barriers between management and employees so work can be done easier. As for Nokia, feedbacks are valued through voting and ratings on posts and comments, allowing management to understand the employees better. Besides, both case studies reviewed the importance of evaluation on internal communication. In order to improve, the management team has to constantly measure the effectiveness of the communication tools and find ways to improve. Nokia and Philips monitor their employees through these platforms to find out what is really happening in the company. This way they could make sure the employees are on par with company’s goals. In conclusion, internal communication has never been so important. Many people know what internal communication is and they think they know how to function this but they might not know the true meaning behind it. Effective internal communication does not mean to have a lot of communication platforms, spending big budget on this function but utilizing the appropriate communication tool for employees get involved. If you want to build brand for your company first you have to build your brand internally. After all employees are the representatives of your company, they are the brand. Internal communication comes a long way to build, it might need more time and effort to achieve the effective result as desired but the end result is always proven satisfaction, that I am sure. A combination of strong communication, teamwork and camaraderie framed within trusting relationships will help achieve remarkable results in times of large-scale change and uncertainty, writes University of Nottingham chief executive Peter Homa. And finally, in my own words, you cant communicate with your audience until your internal message is crystal clear.

In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke Essays -- Philosophy essays

In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke I wish to defend and support John Locke's "The Causal Theory of Perception" because it is a logical argument with many useful applications. Primarily, this argument allows us to make more objective judgments about the world we perceive - it allows us to more accurately see reality by telling us how to separate the object itself from our own opinions or qualitative value judgments about the object. However, just the fact that a particular theory is useful does not mean that the theory itself is correct, even though that might be the motive for trying to prove its correctness. Therefore, I must also address George Berkeley's argument, put forth by his character Philonous in Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, that "to exist is to be perceived." To tackle Berkeley's argument, I will take Hylas and Philonous's Tree Argument. This is a nice variation on the common riddle of "If a tree falls in the middle of a forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Philonous is trying to prove that everything that exists is perceived, and therefore exists only in the mind. If this is true, then nothing exists without the mind, and it is therefore pointless to distinguish between primary and secondary qualities as Locke does. Philonous challenges Hylas to conceive of any sensible object that exists without the mind. Hylas responds with the idea of a tree existing by itself, independent of, and unperceived by, any mind whatsoever. Philonous then points out that this is a contradiction - conceiving a thing that is unconceived. However, these two riddlers are failing to take into consideration one crucial element - time. Now, I intend to prove that ... ... Locke gives another good illustration with his flame example. A flame can have a definite temperature - a primary quality of something that exists. It can also have warmth - a secondary quality that we see in the object that is closely related to the primary quality, but is a value judgment. And there can be the perception of pain - an idea which exists only in the mind, independent of the flame, even though associated with it. If one accepts these ideas, one has a useful tool to help oneself be objective about a certain thing. If we remember these distinctions, then we can identify and separate from each other those qualities which exist in the object itself, those judgments we make about those qualities, and those ideas we have independent of an object. Separating primary qualities from secondary qualities allows us to more accurately perceive reality. In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke Essays -- Philosophy essays In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke I wish to defend and support John Locke's "The Causal Theory of Perception" because it is a logical argument with many useful applications. Primarily, this argument allows us to make more objective judgments about the world we perceive - it allows us to more accurately see reality by telling us how to separate the object itself from our own opinions or qualitative value judgments about the object. However, just the fact that a particular theory is useful does not mean that the theory itself is correct, even though that might be the motive for trying to prove its correctness. Therefore, I must also address George Berkeley's argument, put forth by his character Philonous in Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, that "to exist is to be perceived." To tackle Berkeley's argument, I will take Hylas and Philonous's Tree Argument. This is a nice variation on the common riddle of "If a tree falls in the middle of a forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Philonous is trying to prove that everything that exists is perceived, and therefore exists only in the mind. If this is true, then nothing exists without the mind, and it is therefore pointless to distinguish between primary and secondary qualities as Locke does. Philonous challenges Hylas to conceive of any sensible object that exists without the mind. Hylas responds with the idea of a tree existing by itself, independent of, and unperceived by, any mind whatsoever. Philonous then points out that this is a contradiction - conceiving a thing that is unconceived. However, these two riddlers are failing to take into consideration one crucial element - time. Now, I intend to prove that ... ... Locke gives another good illustration with his flame example. A flame can have a definite temperature - a primary quality of something that exists. It can also have warmth - a secondary quality that we see in the object that is closely related to the primary quality, but is a value judgment. And there can be the perception of pain - an idea which exists only in the mind, independent of the flame, even though associated with it. If one accepts these ideas, one has a useful tool to help oneself be objective about a certain thing. If we remember these distinctions, then we can identify and separate from each other those qualities which exist in the object itself, those judgments we make about those qualities, and those ideas we have independent of an object. Separating primary qualities from secondary qualities allows us to more accurately perceive reality.

“Hedonism” By Jessica Shelby Essay

Oscar Wilde’sThe Picture of Dorian Gray is a prime example of hedonism, a movement in the late 1800’s that claims pleasure to be the prime goal in one’s life. The focus of the novel is the beauty of Dorian Gray, his self-destructive search for pleasure, and the corruption of both the lives he has encountered and his own soul. Beauty and pleasure are the focus of all characters and scenes depicted in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde’s timeless novel vividly portrays the hedonism ideals as the theme of the Picture of Dorian Gray with its characters’ mentality, roles, and eventual demise. The hero of the novel, Dorian Gray, is introduced as an innocent, beautiful young boy until he-in a mad instant- prays that his beauty shall live on while his portrait bares the resemblance of his shame and disgrace. Basil Hallward, the painter of the doomed portrait, praises Dorian for his timeless beauty and innocence. Basil is obsessed with Dorian, and his pleasure is found with the ideal of Dorian that allows him to paint so elusively. The corruption of Dorian begins with Basil’s adoration, but it is lofted with Lord Henry’s hedonistic ideals and all around negative influence. Lord Henry teaches Dorian to cherish his youth and beauty, all the while filling Dorian’s mind with selfish ideals of pleasure and beauty. â€Å"I believe that if one man were to live out his life fully and completely, were to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream- I believe that the world would gain such a fresh impulse of joy that we would†¦ return to Hellenic ideal- to something finer, richer, than the Hellenic ideal.† With musings such as this, Lord Henry begins his takeover of young Dorian’s mind, ideals, and eventually his soul. Dorian tries to redeem himself, but with a few words from Lord Henry, he is back in the pursuit of pleasure. For example, Dorian realizes his injustice to Sybil Vane and intends to apologize. Then, Lord Henry tells him of her death and makes it sound glorious- like the perfect ending to a delightful play.  Rather than dwelling in the death of a loved one, Dorian tosses the matter aside. Dorian develops in the novel. He begins lofty collections, but eventually bores of them. Then, Dorian searches for pleasure in religion; he even considers converting to Catholicism-not because of any interest in God, but because he fancies the customs. However, Dorian soon grows weary of that and begins to seek refuge with opium, experimentation, and the finding and destroying of romances. All of the lives that Dorian touches are blasphemies, banished, or buried. The women who have met Dorian cannot walk about shamelessly, because â€Å"Prince Charming†-as Sybil Vane christened young Dorian- has taught them shame, has disgraced them, and found pleasure with his shameless use of them. The men who have befriended Dorian either are banished from London, living in Opium dens like Adrian Singleton, or have taken their own lives like Alan Campbell. Meanwhile, Dorian remains gorgeous, but his picture grows hideous. Even in the growing bestial creature on the unfortunate canvas gives Dorian pleasure. Dorian is so pleased that he bares no shame; the thing behind the cloth that lives in the canvas is destined to that. Not Dorian, however, he can seek pleasure with no outward consequences. Not until Dorian-in, yet another fit of rage- stabs the portrait transferring all of his sins, shame, and corruption to his own flesh and blood and his once luminous beauty takes its place on the canvas. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, not only depicts the hedonistic ideals, but it also portrays why the movement cannot last in society. Yes, the novel is factual, and it is highly unlikely that a portrait will bare a man’s shame while he remains forever young. However, â€Å"sin is a thing that writes itself across a man’s face,† and if all of society was in pursuit of selfish pleasure, not only will there be no society, but those who did live such lives would be outcast. For example, all of those in the novel not as fortunate as Dorian to be forever innocent looking were banished from London, not able to show their face, or so ashamed that they resorted to taking their own lives. Oscar Wilde’sThe Picture of Dorian Gray is a prime example of hedonistic ideals because of the characters, their actions, and  demise.

Analyzing why difficulties arise in intercultural communications Essay

In analyzing why these difficulties arise in intercultural communications, Sheryl L. Lindsley (assistant professor of communication at California State University, Stanislaus), put forth four layers of intercultural communication in 1999: The first layer is the â€Å"macro-context,† which includes the economic and political situations in which the communications occur. A good example is the domination of Mexico by the U. S. , while at the same time increasing Mexico’s revenue made possible by NAFTA (Jennifer Peltak, n.d. ). Lindsley’s second layer consists of individual competency or incompetence, in regard to bilinguals who are generally the bridges to communication. In terms of intercultural businesses, if the bilinguals harbor their own stereotypes of the other culture, some problems cannot be overcome. The third layer is comprised of communicative behaviors. This is in the perception category; using Mexican/American relations as an example, Lidsley identifies expectations on both sides as a potential problem in negotiating. Mexicans tend to keep conflicts private and save face in public, where Americans have no problem resolving conflict in public, and then acknowledging privately that there are no hard feelings. The fourth layer individual attribution to meaning. In the case of preconceived stereotypes, the listener can misinterpret the speaker’s intent because of the mind set barrier. Messages can be perceived selectively, reinforcing cultural stereotypes. While this information may cast a better light on solving or minimizing obstacles to intercultural communication, if we look on the broader scale of business relations, a critical problem emerges; people, no matter what culture, have become a means to an end rather than an integral and important part of a company. This became very obvious in the 1990’s when more companies went global and acquisitions and mergers occurred. In 1993, Business International published the key factor for international business failure: cultural differences (Charles Gancel, Chilina Hills, 1997). To avoid this problem of collapse of the infrastructure of an international company based on a shift in the balance of power and the inaccessibility of remote teams geographically dispersed, Gancel and Hills recommend three fundamental conditions: 1. Clarifying the objective (the company’s philosophy, protocol and methodology must be clearly understood). 2. Negotiating its implementation (in a complex structure, introduction and implementation of systems does not need to be imposed. Some of the systems can be designed and negotiated by those that will be applying them, incorporating the needs of the culture involved). 3. Accompanying change (managers being trained in intercultural relations, informed of their new culture’s way of communicating and imparting information). Last, nonverbal communication and the method by which information is given are important to note. While Americans and many Europeans have no problems asking for and receiving feedback or suggestions from corroborators, a Chinese or Indian individual would see this practice as a personal affront. This is but one example of cultural differences in the workplace. Management that will be working abroad should have a through knowledge of the culture they are about to enter and work within. Along with this verbal exchange, it is important to understand that certain gestures or even forms of eye contact are offensive or insulting to another culture. In order to get the most from the foreign work force, understanding the culture, even having a coach within the new culture is imperative in order to achieve a smoother transition. While intercultural communications will always have its problems and comical blunders, it need not be so painful. Understanding another culture is, now more than ever, the key to successful negotiations from the individual to the corporate level. Works Cited Brislin, Richard. â€Å"Encouraging depth rather than surface processing about cultural differences through critical incidents and role plays. † Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. Center For Cross Cultural Research, Western Washington University. N. d. , 23 April 2006 http://www. ac. wwu. edu/~culture/brislin. htm Burgess, Guy & Heidi. â€Å"Language Differences. † Conflict Research Consortium, University Of Colorado. 1998 – 2002, 21 April 2005 http://www. colorado. edu/conflict/peace/problem/langdif. htm Gancel, Charles & Hills, Chilina. â€Å"Managing the pitfalls and challenges of intercultural communication. † Communication World. December 1997, 22 April 24, 2006 http://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m4422/is_n1_v15/ai_20219196 Jones, Anna & Xuan Quach. â€Å"Intercultural Communication: For Students In the Faculty Of Economics and Commerce. † University Of Melbourne. 2004, 22 April 2006 tlu. ecom. unimelb. edu. au/pdfs/intercul_comm. pdf Peltak, Jennifer. â€Å"Intercultural communication problems are best seen via multiple levels. † National Communication Association. N. d. , 23 April 2006 http://www. natcom. org/pubs/CM/cm699. htm.

Most Common Answer on the ACT Guess C

Most Common Answer on the ACT Guess C SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Everyone knows that, when guessing on a multiple-choice test, the best answer to choose is C...right? A friend of a friend swears by it, it’s served you well in the past (maybe?), and it’s become such a commonly known â€Å"fact,† such an undisputed strategy, that you may feel as if you were born knowing it- †when in doubt, pick C and move on.† But does this time-honored tradition of picking C when in doubt actually work on the ACT? And if not, what can you do to improve your odds when guessing? Let’s look at the facts. Why You Should Answer Every Question on the ACT First of all, there is no penalty for choosing a wrong answer on the ACT, so make sure tonever leave a question blank. You'll earn one point for every correct answer you choose and zero points for any blank or wrong answers, so it doesn'thurt you to make a guess. If you don't knowan answer and guessit wrong, you'll earn the same number of points that you would have had you left it blank (zero). And if you guessthe question right, you'll earn yourself one point! Now when you're forced to guess on a question for whatever reason, you'll have to decide between thetwo main types of guessing: educated guessing and blindguessing. So let's break down how and when to go about making each type of guess. Educated Guessing You can make an educated guess when you: understand the gist of a question, butdon't have the timeto workthrough it completely, don't quite know how to work through a question completely, or you're torn between a few answer options. But if you've got some idea of what the answer can (and- just as important- what it can't) be, it's time to eliminate some answer choices and make an educated guess. For example, let's look at an ACT math problem: Even if you don't have enough time to completely work through the problem or don't know all the steps, just a little knowledge of lines and slopes will tell usthat the answer will be B, C, or D. Why? Because our given slope is $-{2/3}$and a negative slope will fall down towards the right when drawn through our given point (2, 5). This means we can eliminate answer choices A and E immediately. (Spoiler alert: D is the right answer.) BlindGuessing But let's say you've come up against a question and you have absolutely no clue where to begin. Or maybeyou've got ten seconds left on the clock and fifteen questions still left unanswered. You know that leaving a question blank is tantamount to throwing your points out the window, so now it's time to make a blindguess. There's no time for educated guessing or eliminating answer choices- you just have to fill in a bubble. Butwhen you have to make a blindguess like this (or multiple blind guesses), are you better off choosing C than any other answer choice? Let's see. Don't let their cheerful smiles fool you- three of them are hiding the wrong answer, dun dun DUN. Fact or Fiction: Is C the Most Common Answer on the ACT? The idea that C is the best answer to choose when guess-answering a question on a multiple choice test rests on the premise that ACT answer choices are not truly randomized.In other words, the implication is that answer choice C is correct more often than any other answer choice.After all, if the answer key were truly randomized, then why should C be any more likely to be the right answer than any other option? [Note: the ACT switches between using A, B, C, D (andE on the math section) and F, G, H, J (and K on the math). H is the equivalentto C.] Some (or even many) of your high school teachers likely still design their tests by hand, which means that their answer keys will not be statistically random.No matter how much your teachers try to randomize their choices, human beings are NOT random and cannot properly randomize a series.For instance, a truly random sampling will actually produce bizarre strings of patterns- e.g., five AB’s in a row, or twenty questions without a D- and most people do not (or cannot) create these patterns when they try their best to be â€Å"random.† Fortunately or unfortunately, this is NOT the case on the ACT. Unlike many of the tests you take in high school, ACT answer keys are completely computer generated. And computers are very good at being random. This means that the answer choices will have a statistically even distribution of 1 in 4 for each answer choice letter (or1 in 5 on the math section): there is no most common answer on the ACT. So, ultimately, guessing C (or any letter!) will give you the correct answer only a statistical 25% of the time(20% on the math section). Which meansit's NOT true that choosing C will give you a better rate of success than choosing any other letter for your blind guessing. What to do, then? So How Should You Guess? If C isn't the most common answer on the ACT, then which letter should you guess? The truth is that it doesn't matter which letter you pick, only that you stick to the one you choose. The best strategy,and the one that will maximize your overall point gain,is to pick your favorite letter and fill it infor every blind guess. Maybe that letter is A/F or B/G - it doesn't matter. Just be sure to stick with it every single time. So definitelygo ahead and choose C/H to be your designated letter if you like it best! (Just don't expect C to be any betteran answer choice than A, B, or D.) But maybe you're thinking that sounds completely illogical. Why should you fill in the same letter over and over? Why Does Sticking to One Letter Increase Your Odds of Guessing the Right Answer? Your overall score will improve if you stick to choosing the same letter again and again when making blind guesses. This isbecause people are never truly random. If you’re making "random" blind guesses in a spread, you will almost certainly reduce your overall guesses odds, because your best attempt at random guessing cannot replicate computer-generated randomness. But by sticking to your designated letter when making blind guesses, you are re-introducing an element of randomness. Let’s see this in action to better demonstrate why this works. Scenario: It’s crunch time and you’ve run out of minuteson the clock. You have 15 questions left to goand only a few seconds to bubble in your answers. This means you don’t have time to even look at the questions, so you must try to make the best blind guesses you can and maximize your point-gain. You are left with two options: make a random guess spread, or fill in every letter with the same answer choice. Let’s see how each option does when compared to a real ACT answer guide (in this case, we are using the first 15 answers of the 2015/2016 ACT reading section answers, with all F, G, H, J's converted to A, B, C, D's.) (Note: for our random spread, we tried to guess as randomly as we could without looking at the answer key, and for our consistent letter, we simply went with C.) â€Å"Random† Spread Consistent Guess (C) Correct Answers A C A C C D B C C A C C A C B B C D D C A B C C D C B B C D C C A A C D C C C C C D D C B By choosing a random spread, we earned 2 points out of a possible 15.But by sticking with one answer choice, we earned 4 points. Ultimately, sticking to the sameletter won't work better for each individual question, but on average and over a spread, the strategywill let you maximize your overall point-gain. Oh, statistics, you strange creature. The Take-Aways So is C the most common answer on the ACT? No! But is it the best letter to choose when you're in a bind and don't know what the right answer choice is? Well, that's more complicated. Always remember that it'sin your best bet to eliminate answer choiceswhenever possible. But if you can't, and you must make a blind guess, then stick to one letter and run with it every time. If you want this letter to be C (and it's equivalent, H), then go right ahead! Just make sure you stick with it every single time. C isn't any better or worse than any other letter, or any more likely to be the correct answer, but if you decide to stick with it for every blind guess you make, you'll be better off than trying to be "random." What's Next? Blind guessing strategy is great in a pinch, but elimination is always better! Check out our guides on how to make your best guesses on the ACT, how to eliminate answer choices on the ACT math section, and how to avoid the top elimination pitfalls that many students make. Want to get more ACT practice? Check out all the free ACT tests available online and gauge how you're scoring by checking out what falls into a "good" and "bad" ACT score. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points or more? Check out PrepScholar's test-prep programour five day free trial. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Top 10 Resources About College Graduate Resume Writing

Top 10 Resources About College Graduate Resume Writing Which is more difficult – making it through college or writing the resume once commencement is behind you? Even though youve spent the past few years writing papers every time you turn around, once you sit down to prepare your first post graduate resume, chances are youll find yourself with the most intense case of writers block youve ever had. If it is the case you might need to get acquainted with our step-by-step guide on writing resume. Writing about yourself and your academic accomplishments for a resume can be difficult, but there are some great resources out there that can help make it a lot easier. Yale Undergraduate Career Services You may not have scored an Ivy League education, but you can still have a resume that looks like you did. The Yale Undergraduate Career Services website is an amazing resource filled with tips and tricks for everything from creating that resume to acing the interview. With workshops, videos and tips on formatting, the pros at Yale can help you craft an amazing resume that will get you noticed. Their resume writing tips focus mainly on formatting guidelines and the best way t organize your information. Website Top Tip: Make sure your resume can be read on computers, tablets and smartphones – you never know how the executive you want to impress accesses his or her emails. ocs.yale.edu Grad to Great The Grad to Great website offers up advice on resume writing for recent graduates who dont know where to begin. The websites provides sample templates of the three top resume styles that you can download and tweak to fit your own style. They also provide a slew of employment and networking resources and you can follow them on Twitter for a daily nudge. Website Top Tip: Get back to basics with a resume that features plenty of white space, solid facts about your achievements and a professional approach. gradtogreat.com Monster Of course, if you want to get a job it helps to hit the job networking websites, and Monster has become the King of the Hill. Monster provides more than national job postings, though, they also offer up a number of helpful articles and tutorials for recent graduates as well as those who have been in the game for years. Website Top Tip: Break free from the traditional chronological format if youre just coming out of college. Use a more modern format that works to highlight your academic, civic and community achievements if youre lacking on real world job experience. career-advice.monster.com College Grad The College Grad website looks pretty basic at first glance, but dont let its simplistic style mislead you. The College Grad website packs in plenty of substance – from free resume wizards to samples you can download and make your own. They also offer specialized tips for video or creative resumes for graduates looking into positions in the creative arts or who just want to stand out from the crowd. Website Top Tip: Treat yourself like a product and it can make it easier to write a resume that focuses on selling you effectively. collegegrad.com College Central College Central works as a hub connecting college graduates with employers looking to actively hire. They also provide content that focuses both on resume writing and networking in addition to tips on getting a promotion and making the most of your position once you land the job. Website Top Tip: Build relationships with bosses, co-workers and anyone else you come into contact with from the minute you walk through the door on an interview. Make yourself at home and your interviewer will be better able to imagine you there. collegecentral.com Resume-Help.Org Resume-Help is another stripped down website that embodies the substance over style philosophy. Their simple and clean website offers up templates, samples and tips on formatting that can help you to create a simple but powerful resume no matter what field youre in. Website Top Tip: Be specific about your accomplishments. Instead of mentioning that you worked as a manager, mention how many people you managed or the profits the company experienced during that time. resume-help.org IMDiversity The IMDiversity website offers a way for employers and candidates to connect on a whole new level. They focus primarily on recent graduates as well as diversity, hence the name. IMDiversity is especially helpful for students who focused mainly on their academics and so may not have the employment experience they think they need. Website Top Tip: When developing your resume, use volunteer work, committee experience and other social or civic duties to highlight experience and abilities if youre short of real world job experience. imdiversity.com New Grad Life New Grad Life covers everything recent graduates need to know about approaching the career market, self promotion and nailing the interview. They also offer some job postings, though their positions arent as varied as some other websites. Their resume help, however, focuses on the newest ways to market yourself, including how to make an online resume pop. Website Top Tip: When setting up an online resume or portfolio use file sharing systems, your personal blog, RSS Feeds and other web savvy applications to show what you can do across a number of platforms. newgradlife.blogspot.com Experience As their name implies, the Experience website is all about getting the experience you need in order to get the career you want. Their career help covers initial resume building, interview skills and tips on internships and continuing education. Website Top Tip: While creativity is important, dont bombard potential employers with too much. Keep resumes and portfolios clean, stylized and streamlined in order to make the biggest impact. experience.com Theres also one website we didnt mention, guess what is it? Its EssayTigers! Weve completed several articles on writing resume for college students, including basic resume rules and how to write resume with no job experience. One more way to get help from us is to ask our professional writers for help!

Write a tight, spare story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Write a tight, spare story - Essay Example Henry was in his office when Alice, boss’s wife came into his room, she dressed to kill in a red tightly fitted dress. She stood there in front of his desk staring right into Henry’s eyes. Henry inhaled. He clearly knew what the woman was all after and the thought of it terrified him to his bones. He lit a cigarette to try and ease the tension that had started to build up. A chemical smolder build in his lungs, somewhat stinging the raw flesh of his body, through his throat to his nose making his eyes water. Exhaling into the dark room Alice was still there standing plotting on how to trick this man into her fantasy. After a while they chanted about all sorts of things and the relationship between them started to blossom gradually. That day was the beginning of their clandestine relationship. They began to meet often for dinner and would occasionally spend the night at restaurants without the knowledge of anyone who knew them. However, as time went by, the husband, the boss, began suspecting the two after observing some of the behaviors the two showed towards each other. He decided to hire a private investigator to look into the matter well. It was a fateful evening when Henry and Alice embarked on their affairs as usual in one of the most secluded hotels in town near the beach. The sky was calm and so was the breeze. The two were enjoying their lustful acts when the boss emerged all of a sudden in the hotel room they were! The two were perplexed and petrified beyond words; the bossed looked at them disappointed and then left without uttering a word. The following morning Henry was sacked and embarked on a journey back to London wondering where to

Tech Organizational Development and Management of Samsung Research Paper

Tech Organizational Development and Management of Samsung - Research Paper Example The researcher states that the corporate culture of Samsung is one that is creative given the fast developing world of technology. The electronics industry is a rapidly developing industry and within this industry, new products are constantly making older products obsolete. For example, the 12.1-megapixel camera replaces that 14.2-megapixel camera in just a few months, Since Samsung belongs to the category of electronics, it needs an organizational culture that quickly adapts to change. Therefore in order to keep up with the changing external environment, Samsung Electronics has developed a flexible organizational culture where employees have the power to choose their own workplace. Employees are required to positively contribute to the organization and it does not matter where they operate or when they operate. It is on account of this culture that Samsung Electronics is considered to the leading company within the electronics industry. It has been able to launch innovative products such as ‘eyeCan’ in 2012 for disabled people. The company has also been able to successfully implement its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) program that has made its product more environmentally sustainable. There are different approaches to identify the culture within an organization. One of the most widely used cultural analytical tools is the OCAI. The OCAI assesses the culture of the organization through six dimensions namely, the dominant characters in the organization; the leadership approach within the organization; the management of the employees; the organizational cohesiveness; clear vision and reward program. The OCAI here would be used to analyze the culture of Samsung Electronics. The dominant characteristic of the organization is constant innovation. The company takes challenges very seriously and always comes up with innovative products that put the competition on the edge.