Republic of the Congo vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire)

On May 17, 1997, the African country of Zaire became known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1971 the country and even the huge Congo River were renamed Zaire by former President Sese Seko Mobutu. In 1997 General Laurent Kabila took control of Zaire country and returned it to the name the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which it held prior to 1971. A new flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was also introduced to the world. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, the setting for Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness, was called Africas most unstable country in 1993. Their economic problems and government corruption required intervention from Western nations over the past few decades. The country is about half Catholic and has 250 different ethnic groups within its borders. There is inherent geographical confusion in this change due to the fact that the Democratic Republic of the Congos western neighbor is known as the Republic of the Congo, a name which it has held since 1991. The Republic of the Congo Vs. The Democratic Republic of the Congo Major differences exist between the two equatorial Congo neighbors. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is much larger in both population and area. The population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is about 69 million, but the Republic of the Congo has a mere 4 million. The area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is over 905,000 square miles (2.3 million square kilometers) but the Republic of the Congo has 132,000 square miles (342,000 square kilometers). The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds 65 percent  of the worlds cobalt reserves and both countries rely on oil, sugar, and other natural resources. The official language of both Congos is French. These two timelines of Congolese history might help sort out the history of their names: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) 1877 - Henry Stanley explores the region for Belgium1908 - Becomes Belgian CongoJune 30, 1960 - Independence for the Republic of the Congo1964 - Becomes Peoples Republic of the Congo1966 - Mobutu takes control and the country becomes the Democratic Republic of the CongoOctober 27, 1971 - Becomes Republic of Zaire1996 - Mobutu is in Europe with prostate cancer so rebels, led by General Laurent Kabila attacked the Zairian armyMarch 1997 - Mobutu returns from EuropeMay 17, 1997 - Kabila and his troops take the capital, Kinshasa and Mobutu go into exile. Zaire becomes the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is worldwide confusion about the changeSeptember 7, 1997 - Mobutu died in Morocco Republic of the Congo 1885 - Becomes the French territory Middle Congo1910 - The territory of French Equatorial Africa is created, Middle Congo is a district1960 - Independence for the Republic of the Congo1970 - Becomes the Peoples Republic of the Congo1991 - Name returns to the Republic of the Congo

Aristotle And Marcus Cicero s Perceptions Of Virtue...

Commerce in the twenty first century has developed into a complex global system of trading. The institutions comprising the economy, engage in activities motivated by self interest. Activities such as attaining loans and generating income have become norms in today’s society, and are considered supplementary to the economy as a whole. But philosophers have always questioned the morality of how one conducts himself in society. In this essay, we will examine Plato, Aristotle, Saint Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Marcus Cicero’s perceptions of what virtue ethics are, and how they facilitated the development of economic society. Morality, distinctly defines what is right and what is wrong, but theory of virtue ethics is the mechanism an individual uses to make those moral decisions. Virtue is essentially having a good moral character. And ethics are a set of rules that influence an individual’s behavior, but are subjective; because in part, these rules are developed by the individual’s perception for what is morally good or bad. One aspect of virtue ethics is that, the decisions are not as important as the process an individual uses to develop of one’s moral character over time. Comprehension of this concept is important, as it will allow an individual to achieve the ultimate goal of happiness. As there was no economics concepts in the thirteenth century, moral philosophies such as the theory of virtue ethics heavily determined how individuals behave and engage in the

Analysis on Two ways of seeing a river by Mark twain Free Essays

Now when I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet, I had made a valuable acquisition. But I had lost something, too. I had lost something which could never be restored to me while I lived. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis on Two ways of seeing a river by Mark twain or any similar topic only for you Order Now All the grace, the beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic river! I still keep in mind a certain wonderful sunset which I witnessed when steamboating was new to me. A broad expanse of the river was turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue brightened into gold, through which a solitary log came floating, black and conspicuous; in one place a long, slanting mark lay sparkling upon the water; in another the surface was broken by boiling, tumbling rings, that were as many-tinted as an opal; where the ruddy flush was faintest, was a smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced; the shore on our left was densely wooded, and the sombre shadow that fell from this forest was broken in one place by a long, ruffled trail that shone like silver; and high above the forest wall a clean-stemmed dead tree waved a single leafy bough that glowed like a flame in the unobstructed splendor that was flowing from the sun. There were graceful curves, reflected images, woody heights, soft distances; and over the whole scene, far and near, the dissolving lights drifted steadily, enriching it, every passing moment, with new marvels of coloring. 2 I stood like one bewitched. I drank it in, in a speechless rapture. The world was new to me, and I had never seen anything like this at home. But as I have said, a day came when I began to cease from noting the glories and the charms which the moon and the sun and the twilight wrought upon the river’s face; another day came when I ceased altogether to note them. Then, if that sunset scene had been repeated, I should have looked upon it without rapture, and should have commented upon it, inwardly, in this fashion: â€Å"This sun means that we are going to have wind to-morrow; that floating log means that the river is rising, small thanks to it; that slanting mark on the water refers to a bluff reef which is going to kill somebody’s steamboat one of these nights, if it keeps on stretching out like that; those tumbling ‘boils’ show a dissolving bar and a changing channel there; the lines and circles in the slick water over yonder are a warning that that troublesome place is shoaling up dangerously; that silver streak in the shadow of the forest is the ‘break’ from a new snag, and he has located himself in the very best place he could have found to fish for steamboats; that tall dead tree, with a single living branch, is not going to last long, and then how is a body ever going to get through this blind place at night without the friendly old landmark? † 3 No, the romance and the beauty were all gone from the river. All the value any feature of it had for me now was the amount of usefulness it could furnish toward compassing the safe piloting of a steamboat. Since those days, I have pitied doctors from my heart. What does the lovely flush in a beauty’s cheek mean to a doctor but a â€Å"break† that ripples above some deadly disease? Are not all her visible charms sown thick with what are to him the signs and symbols of hidden decay? Does he ever see her beauty at all, or doesn’t he simply view her professionally, and comment upon her unwholesome condition all to himself? And doesn’t he sometimes wonder whether he has gained most or lost most by learning his trade? How to cite Analysis on Two ways of seeing a river by Mark twain, Papers

Limits of Participatory Technology Development †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Limits of Participatory Technology Development. Answer: Introduction In the fast-paced competitive as well as dynamic world, the need for speed is very crucial. The businesses want to increase on their productivity with less resources, more cost savings and the improvement in the accuracy, in order to provide the ultimate experience (Ahson Ilyas, 2008). The customers increasingly expect on the demand serviced with an instant response as well as service. Many of such limitations to meeting on the immediate, round the clock customer expectations are all related to the people centric delivery of the service. As such, there has been a surge of interest to what we regard to as the robotics, which have been in existence in order to address on these challenges (Awazu, Baloh, Desouza, Wecht, Kim, Jha, 2009). It is important first to know what robotics is. Robotics generally refers to the design, the development and the use of the robots, which are the automated machines, which can accomplish a wide range of tasks in various scenario. The robots came first to be commercialized when they were initially integrated into the factory assembly lines to help in the streamlining as well as the improvement of the manufacturing productivity (Compagna Kohlbacher, 2015). The first application of the robotics was done in the car industry. Moreover, in the twenty first century the robots have increasingly been used to complete jobs, which could be regarded unsafe for the humans especially they have been integrated in the mining, military as well as the transportation industries. Based on the current research the number of the usage of these robots is expected to double by the time we reach 2020 (Compagna Kohlbacher, 2015). I believe this will impact on the business operation as well as the economies of the countries across the globe. As an ICT manager in a small Artificial Intelligence company which is based in Brisbane I have been tasked with the job of undertaking on this research about the robotic technology and the applications if it would be considered by the organization as a five year strategy plan. This will enable the company to expand and compete better with the current competitors we have in the market. The research objective for the research is aimed to find results on how to leverage the use of the robotics in order to improve on the business in the Artificial intelligence Company. There are various assumptions that are made in the research such as the following: it is assumed the executive management team would likely consider the aspect of the research (Fasoli, Krebs Hogan, 2004). It is also assumed that the other competitors do not have diversity of the use of the robotics in their business. It is assumed the artificial intelligent am working for has the upper hand in the use of the technology. I t is also assumed that this organization for the report is fictional organization which aim is to provide an insight on the research on the robotic technology. Investigation of the scenario case study The robotic technology looks into how a robot is programmed in order to perform task as well as interact with the environment, without aid from any human interactions. The robotics is essentially the science as well as the technology, which is behind the design, manufacturing and the application of the robots. The use of these technologies, which are used in the development of the machines, could be a substitute for the humans (Cascio Montealegre, 2016). The robots could be used in any situation as well as any purpose, but currently these are more used in the dangerous environment such as in the manufacturing, mining and the military industry such as detection of the bomb (Melfi, Menconi, Mariani Angeletti, 2002). The robots can take any form but some they have been made to resemble the appearance of the humans. This has been done so in order to help in the acceptance of the robot to certain replicative behavior, which are performed by individuals. The robot could replicate things like walking, lifting, speech, cognition and all the other aspect, which the human can undertake. Many robots, which are developed today, are inspired by the nature and the contribution from the field of the bio-inspired robotics. The robots presently are able to perform a number of various tasks as comparison to the past use of the robots. The advancement in the technology has helped the present robots to expand beyond the horizons (Fasoli, Krebs Hogan, 2004). The use of the robotics have been used for both the domestic and use and the mining, transport and the manufacturing industries. They have been a great asset since they can perform jobs, which are too dangerous for the humans (Cascio Montealegre, 2016). This has enabled the workers to be able to move to the more skilled jobs as the programming of the robots. The robots have found career in the medical field especially when they are used to assist in the precision of high surgeries such as the brain as well as the heart surgery. Based on the research it has shown that the use of the robot it is expected to surpass on the industrial robot market. Many manufactures have started to look in to these fields since there is lack of the workers. Types of robots used in various industries The robotics is a highly advanced technology, which is aimed at developing robots for various application. Various robots have been invented and being used in the various industry such as the following categories. Industrial robots: this type of robots are electronically controlled, and they are both programmable as well as reprogrammable in order to undertake various tasks with high precision as well as accuracy. These robots could be used in the advanced manufacturing facilities or perhaps a volume assembly line for a long period. They are usually very efficient and they can produce high yield or output. In the ICT, company that are working these kind of robots could be used for the businesses process in order to improve on the output. The robot are capable of carrying task that are difficult as well as hazardous for the human beings. The robot usually use perfected copy of the exact strategy for the purpose of troubleshooting purposes, issues as well as solutions could be solved and implemented much quicker. Domestic or the household robots: these types of robots are used at home. They may include different devices such as the robotic vacuum cleaners, sweepers, gutter cleaners and the pool cleaners. Based on the case scenario the organization is also using the domestic robotics only for a small part of the business. Military robots: The robots in this group are used in the military. These types include such as the bomb disposal robots, different transportation robots, reconnaissance drones (Breazeal, 2003). These robots are created for the purpose of the military, they can also be used in the law enforcement, used for the search, and rescue as well as other related fields. The artificial intelligence company am working at has been solution to many technological problems in many industries. The scope of our business is focused on providing robotics solutions especially in the mining, transportation and the manufacturing within Australia and Asia regions. These countries are developing and providing the solution to their industries would help our company to grow significantly. We intend to focus on the industrial robots since they can be implemented in these industries. With the diversification on the use of the industrial robots in the organization, we could be able to offer solution to these industries in these regions, which we intend to venture in the next five years. How robotic technology could be incorporated into the organisations operations in the future The robotic technology can change on the way the organization could manage on their operations (Breazeal, 2003). In the organization which is in the case study scenario it could incorporate on this technology in any operational activity where there is manual work which involving the use of the computers system. The robotic automation process has evolved from the various technologies, which have been used in the application testing as well as workflow automation. The company utilizing on the RPA tools it will work with any software platform or perhaps the system in the company and it would mimic on the interactions of the human since it has the user interface of the application, which are required for the process of the business (Breazeal, 2003). The robots usually use the methodologies that vary from the tool to the tool; they identify uniquely the sources of the data as well as the input and the output fields, which are part of the users workflow. The methodologies let the robots to replicate the human activity on the computer system, in case the exact steps could be defined as the script or perhaps a flowchart. The activity of a robot are customizable highly and they could be triggered as per the defined schedule or even an event driven. In the short term, the company could use the cognitive automation in the front office of the organization in order to replicate on the human interaction. An example of these are on the chatbots as well as the voice recognition based application. The simple robots in the front office activities could automate the simple transactions as well as optimize on the turnaround time for the more complex activities. On the long term the organization should aim at implementing RPA technology on all their back office processes in order to help the organization to place itself geographically to enable them improve on their efficiency and productivity when offering services. Example on the areas that can be improved are the data entry and the reporting processes which could be made efficient with the use of the robotic automation. There would be an optimization of the turnaround time for the processes, which have the structured as well as unstructured data as the inputs (Wang, Carley, Zeng Mao, W. (2007). When the businesses are improved, the organization will be ahead of the competitors therefore, they would be able to expand their business to the other regional because of the faster delivery of service and preference over the rivals. Advantages and disadvantages of using robotic The robotics are used in various industries such as manufacturing, military and the mining. They are increasingly being used in the factories and many individuals are losing their jobs as the robots are becoming more efficient as well as precise than the humans are (Dautenhahn, 2007). The following are the advantages of the robots. The robots could be used to go down far into the places that are unknown where the humans could be crushed. An example of this it can be used in the mining industry as well as in the diffusion of the bomb. Secondly, the robots have been found to perform the tasks at a faster rate than the human can do (Camarillo, Krummel Salisbury, 2004). Further, they can do more consistently as well as accurately. The robots have been found to endure on the hostile environment, such as the interplanetary atmospheres do not reflect their physical state as well as performance (Schatsky Schwartz, 2015). Lastly, the robots have been found to carrying out the repetitive as well as time consuming tasks very efficiently, they can do dangerous tasks, they can be adjusted on their parameters such as the time and the speed and they are unaffected by aspects which affect the humans. One of the disadvantage of the robots is that they are not intelligent or sentient (Lee, Olson Trimi, 2010). They can never improve on the results of the jobs, which is outside their predefined programming, since they do not think, they do not have emotions or even conscience, this therefore limits on the robots on how they can help or even interact with the people. Secondly, there is the risk of being hacked by an attacker who can take over the control of the robot to enable it to commit a crime (Melfi, Menconi, Mariani Angeletti, 2002). This can pose a great deal when it comes to the image of the organization (Lee, 2007). The cost of the robots is very high especially in the maintenance as well as the repair. The programs should be updated more often in order to suit on the changing requirement. In the event of the breakdown the cost of repair is also very high and the procedure for the restoration the lost code or perhaps the data could be time consuming (Bentas, Wolfram, Jones, Brutigam, Kramer Binder, 2003). The organization in the case study would likely inquire loss especially when it comes to the update as well as the repair and maintenance. Many individuals will also lose their jobs as the robots are much efficient and they can perform much faster than the human can undertake a given task (Camarillo, Krummel Salisbury, 2004). On one hand, it would be beneficial to the organization and on the opposite is a major lose to the employees who are working in the company. There have been potential hazardous risks, which have been associate with the use of the robots in the workplace. Some of the risks is such as security concerns especially when a hackers attack the program and controls the robot to do the work they want (Dautenhahn, 2007). This risk could be overcome if the robot has been installed well before it has been operational. When assembling the robot there should be proper installation of the robotic work cell and ensure all the control software and the hardware are well installed to prevent any loophole used by the hackers to control the system (Lee, 2007). There should be a proper installation of the robot which for the vital to success of the project and there should be safety procedures in place to make sure the system is installed correctly before there is full operations. When proper installation has been done some of the errors such as control errors, human errors and unauthorized access could be prevented. Ethical, social and legal considerations the organization could consider and solution to overcome The robots could be used to maximize on the productivity by reduction of the costs, but this may lead to some serious social issues such as unemployment especially when some staff will be laid off when the organization purchases the robot to work for them instead (Ahson Ilyas, 2008). Moreover, it could lead to deterioration of the relationship of the employees and attitude towards the work. When the robots have replaced the human workforce, there is a high possibility of increase of illegal criminal activities in the society due to unemployment in population. To overcome this issue the organization could validate on the significance of the robot workforce, which relate to the rise in productivity, efficiency and minimise on the wastages (Westerman, Bonnet McAfee, 2014). There is also ethical consideration of whether employees will get to work with the robots. The concern is working with them individuals do not emotional connect to the robots nor do they make impression in their lif e (Cascio Montealegre, 2016). Valuable qualities of the human such as sensitiveness as well as carefulness is unforeseeable from the robots. In overcoming this problem, the organization could educate the workers on the importance of the need of the technology. It is meant to help to be more productive as well as deliver on the services quicker. Once they get to embrace the importance of the robots they could work together to achieve a lot in the organization. The legal issue to consider is that of security how to keep the robot safe from the adversaries (Lee, 2007). The more the technology becomes powerful the more it could be used for the nefarious reasons and good. This applies to the robots, which are used to replace the humans. The robot could create damage if they are used maliciously. There is need to implement these system well in order to prevent hackers from taking control of the system. Conclusion The following recommendation could be implemented. One should be the development of the employee involvement or participation in the introduction of the robotic technology in the organization. There should be formation of a taskforce, which consist of the various department where the robots are being introduced. There should be technical support individuals who should be involved in the change of the process. There should be implementation of the occupational safety standards in order to ensure that there is safety of the workers and the robots. Some cases have arisen where the robots have been hacked and control taken over them to commit crime. These guidelines when implemented will address some of these issues. Lastly, safety measures should be developed and operationalized to protect the human workers as they work with the robots. References Ahson, S. A., Ilyas, M. (2008). RFID handbook: applications, technology, security, and privacy. CRC press. Awazu, Y., Baloh, P., Desouza, K. C., Wecht, C. H., Kim, J., Jha, S. (2009). Information communication technologies open up innovation. Research-Technology Management, 52(1), 51-58. Bentas, W., Wolfram, M., Jones, J., Brutigam, R., Kramer, W., Binder, J. (2003). Robotic technology and the translation of open radical prostatectomy to laparoscopy: the early Frankfurt experience with robotic radical prostatectomy and one year follow-up. European urology, 44(2), 175-181. Breazeal, C. (2003). Toward sociable robots. Robotics and autonomous systems, 42(3), 167-175. Camarillo, D. B., Krummel, T. M., Salisbury, J. K. (2004). Robotic technology in surgery: past, present, and future. The American Journal of Surgery, 188(4), 2-15. Cascio, W. F., Montealegre, R. (2016). How technology is changing work and organizations. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 3, 349-375. Compagna, D., Kohlbacher, F. (2015). The limits of participatory technology development: the case of service robots in care facilities for older people. Technological forecasting and social change, 93, 19-31. Dautenhahn, K. (2007). Methodology themes of human-robot interaction: A growing research field. International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 4(1), 15. Fasoli, S. E., Krebs, H. I., Hogan, N. (2004). Robotic technology and stroke rehabilitation: translating research into practice. Topics in stroke rehabilitation, 11(4), 11-19. Lee, K. R. (2007). Patterns and processes of contemporary technology fusion: the case of intelligent robots. Asian Journal of Technology Innovation, 15(2), 45-65. Lee, S. M., Olson, D. L., Trimi, S. (2010). The impact of convergence on organizational innovation. Organizational Dynamics, 39(3), 218-225. Schatsky, D., Schwartz, J. (2015). Redesigning work in an era of cognitive technologies. Deloitte Review, 17, 5-21. Melfi, F. M., Menconi, G. F., Mariani, A. M., Angeletti, C. A. (2002). Early experience with robotic technology for thoracoscopic surgery. European journal of cardio-thoracic surgery, 21(5), 864-868. Wang, F. Y., Carley, K. M., Zeng, D., Mao, W. (2007). Social computing: From social informatics to social intelligence. IEEE Intelligent Systems, 22(2). Westerman, G., Bonnet, D., McAfee, A. (2014). Leading digital: Turning technology into business transformation. Harvard Business Press.

Age of discovery in Europe

Age of discovery in Europe Introduction Europe is one among the seven continents that exist in the world. It is the 6th largest continent on the planet earth, and it consists of forty seven countries and assorted dependencies, islands and territories. The recognized surface area is approximately 10 million sq. km.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Age of discovery in Europe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It covers about 2% of the entire earth’s surface. Europe lies on the eastern side of the Asian continent. There are various geographical features separating Europe from Asia. Examples of these features are Mt. Ural and Mt. Caucasus (Gibson, 2006). The Arctic Ocean borders Europe to the North. On the western side, there is the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean Sea is located in the south, as well as the Black sea. Other connected waterways are located on the south eastern region. It is the third continent with a high population of approximately 740 million people. Only Asia and Africa are ahead of Europe in terms of population. Europe has been argued to be the origin of the western culture (Stevens, 1997). Age of discovery The age of discovery also called the age of exploration in Europe was a period in history which started in the early 15th century and continued until early 17th century. During this period, the Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world. They managed to establish contacts with other continents to begin trading activities and establish new trade routes. It was in this age that the European sailors and ships left the coastal waters of the Old World and embarked on their adventure on the vast green sea of darkness (Kreiss, 2011, para 1). This age was very helpful to the Europeans because they gained new information that helped them to expand geographical knowledge (Kreiss, 2011).Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your fi rst paper with 15% OFF Learn More The age of exploration or discovery can be said to have linked the Middle Ages and the modern era. The age of discovery together with the contemporary renaissance movement led to the early modern period. Also, this was a precursor to the establishment of the European nation-states (Duiker Spielvogel, 2007). End of the age of discovery After the introduction of new ideas, technology, and new products to the world by the explorers; the age of discovery came to an end in early 17th century. The age of discovery left behind several things that have remained historic to date. There was increased communication network and trade that improved drastically along the low areas that had been discovered. Therefore, there was no need to continue searching for new trading routes. Although the age of discovery came to an end at this time, some of the areas like the eastern part of Australia had not yet been discovered by then. This area remained u nexplored until 1770 with some of the arctic and Antarctic areas which were not discovered until 19th century (Flowers, 1999). Lampros (1990) lists some of the famous explorers their accomplishments, achievements and voyages of discovery. There are several explorers who were involved in the age of discovery. These included the famous European explorers. These explorers came from various countries that in Europe such as England, Portugal, and Spain among others. The voyages undertaken by these explorers were motivated by various factors. These factors included wealth, which was from gold, silver and spices from Asia and other countries. They also were out to search for trading opportunities that increased as the exploration age continued. Also, these explorers were out to spread religion to various parts of the world. This motivated the European explorers to continue with the exploration. Again there was a lot of empowerment from the European countries. This motivated them to explore on other parts of the world.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Age of discovery in Europe specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some of the explorers in Europe included Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco de Gama, Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Hernando Cortes, John Cabot, and Samuel de Champlain among others (McGeveran, 2004, p.14). There were also explorers from Canada. These explorers discovered some of the great lakes in the world. The discovery of the new world led to the establishment of new colonies in Canada. Louis Joliet is considered as a famous Canadian explorer who discovered the Mississippi river as well as the great lakes in the world. Explorers from Spain explored portions of Caribbean region and South America. Some of the explorers from Spain conquered the Aztecs as well as the Incas. Some of these explorers are Hernando Cortes, Francisco Pizarro, Hernando De Soto, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, and Juan Ponce de Leon (Hale, 1966, p. 36). The English explorers had the mission of discovering voyages that were in existence when Queen Elizabeth I was in reign. They were nicknamed as privateers and pirates by their enemies. For example Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Martin Frobisher, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir John Hawkins. There were also the famous Portuguese explorers. This is the group led the other explorers during the exploration period. They were Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama, Bartholomew Diaz and Gaspar, and Miguel Corte Real (Washburn, 1966, p 5). France was also represented in the Age of Discovery. There were various notable explorers from France such as Jacques Cartier among others. Motives behind the age of discovery According to Hale (1966), the Europeans had some several motives as to why they began this in their continent. There are various motives behind the age of discovery which have been discussed below.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Trade and desire for wealth: Before the age of discovery came to be trade was controlled by Muslim traders and hence the European group was not able to get their achievements. It is during this age that the Europeans wanted to avoid the Muslim and the Italian group of people in order to get things like silk, spices, and other luxury items in Asia. Advancement in technology: during this time, there were new developments. Therefore, this age of discovery was meant also to advance the technology especially in ship construction and also in the aids that were used in navigation. There was a new compass that was discovered during this period which overthrew the use of the old magnetized needle used in the earlier centuries. The astrolabe used to determine longitude and latitude before was found to be less accurate. Therefore, this pushed the need for making discoveries. Spread of Christian religion: The Europeans were dominated by the Christian religion which is a missionary religion and with this age of discovery they had an intention to spread Christianity to the rest of the world. Religion was held in high esteem by the Europeans and wanted to spread Christianity to all people of the world. Achievement of geographical knowledge of the world: this was one of the main reasons that made the Europeans start the exploration of the world. The Europeans did not know much about the world since the early centuries’ maps still remained inaccurate. Also, the European map only contained few continents like Europe, Asia, and the northern part of Africa hence most Europeans did not have any knowledge regarding other parts outside Europe. Again, the explorers who explored the world and added some geography knowledge were still limited. Therefore, the Europeans had to take the position and carry out an exploration so as to increase the geography knowledge. Desire for new products like gold, silver and precious stones: Some of these things had a lot of value in the world. Therefore, the Europeans decided to explore the world so as to get rich and gain more wealth through gold. They also explored the world because they needed precious stones that they could sell to earn income. In search of great and larger empires: the Europeans wanted to claim as much big land as they could manage. Therefore, there was need to explore the entire world so as to acquire a lot of natural resources and get slaves from the countries they explored. In search of spices: Spices like pepper were used for covering taste in food products after preservation like salting was done because refrigerators could not be found in any part of the world. These spices were only found in other continents, and they could not grow within Europe. Therefore, the Europeans explored the world in search of such spices. Nonetheless, these spices were very expensive to be moved to Europe from continents like Asia. The Europeans could not use the land route because it was cut off by the Turkish Empi re which they used to fight against. The only they could use was the sea route. In such of animal fur: Lastly, Europeans explored the world so that they could get animals fur. This fur could not be found in their continent. Groups of people, like the French, had discovered that animal fur was very valuable in Europe. Therefore, they had to look for this fur in order to sell it for money. Contributions of the age of exploration to European dominance The beginning of age of exploration caused several changes to the world because when it began the world began to change. The age of exploration is what has shaped the world into what it is at the moment. The spread of religion, trade and many other effects, the economy of Western Europe began to raise hence had a great advantage over other countries in the world. This spreading belief gave many other ideas other than the church. As it continued, the age of discovery or exploration in the 16th century had a great influence to Europe with t he trading ideas with other countries (Arnold, 2002). The people also believed it was spreading at a high rate in the world. During the 16th century, people in most of the countries obtained money by means of trade which was meant to cause economic growth in a certain country. Exploration by the Europeans found out a faster route which made trading easy and transportation to other foreign countries also became cheap. As a result, the Europeans was the only continent that grew stronger in its economy because the exploration of Asia to Europe route during the search for spices and other precious products made easy access of goods at fair prices hence the growth of the economy in the European continent. Religion also grew faster due to the increasing spread of trade. In this case, denominations like the Catholic began to emerge. Catholic was the most significant denomination that dominated Western Europe. This drew people in other countries closer to the Europeans because it gave them ideas and points of view of other people and other countries. This made other people become aware of their rights and have the confidence to air their views when there was a need to do so (Newton, 1970). All these benefits kept their countries strong and raise the economic growth and had great influence to countries especially the Western Europe. This made Europe be regarded as an advantageous continent over other continents. All this contributed to European dominance over most of the countries. Problems faced by explorers during the age of discovery During exploration by the Europeans, there were several challenges that they faced in an attempt to explore the world. Some of these challenges arose from the people in the countries they explored. In addition, some other challenges were from amongst the Europeans themselves. However, this depended on the country which they were exploring. Poor maps and poor navigation systems which they used misled them to the places where they had not intended to explore. They needed better equipment in order to make the navigation easy and tracing of positions hence lead them to the right place of exploration. Due this poor navigation system exploration was not easily done hence causing a lot of delay and even some of the countries were not explored. A good example of such countries is the African countries. Diseases and lack of the food was one of the major challenges the European people faced as they explored the world. Some of the countries they visited had no food. This caused starvation which could lead to death. Again, diseases were common in some countries. This was a major challenge to the explorers because they were not resistance to such diseases. Some of these diseases could cause death hence some of the areas were not explored successfully. Another major challenge was fear of the unknown. Since the Europeans were exploring foreign countries, they had a lot of fear. This is because they could be attacked and get kill ed by people in the foreign countries that they explored. For example, during the exploration of Australia and Japan, it was easy for the Europeans to explore these countries because of attacks from the aboriginal tribes. Inadequacy in supplies was also major challenges that led to delay during the exploration age. This also made some of the countries be left unexplored where exploration was done later. A good example is Africa which remained unexplored until the 19th century and some other African countries were also unexplored in 20th century. Lastly was piracy which was also a major challenge. This is because the explorers were prone to pirate attacks and ambushes while they carried their missions. Effects of the age of discovery This age of discovery had a lot of effects which were both positive and negative especially on the continents that the Europeans explored (Jackson Weidman, 2006). Some of these effects have been discussed below. One of the motives of this age of explora tion was to search for great empires around the world. Most of the people during this period were made slaves. Most of the American tribes were oppressed by the European people and the land on which they dwelt was taken hence they remained landless. Others in these countries also lost their lives due to wars that emerged during this period. Additionally, due to introduction of trade and more ideas to people in other countries by the Europeans, the age of exploration gave a lot of power in Europe to be able to discover new trading ideas and opportunities. The age of exploration led to change of the African culture. This is because when the Europeans came to explore the African countries, they introduced new ideas. These new ideas changed the ways of living of the African people. The Africans were affected in terms of language and religion where they were converted to Christians, while others adopted new languages. The age of exploration benefited the Europeans and other people on the knowledge of the world where they began to realize the size and shape of the entire earth. The increased contact of the Europeans with most of the countries made them get new ideas and new products were also brought to Europe. This contributed to a high growth of the economy. Another effect of the exploration age was that it led to the domination of Europeans in most of the countries. After this age, most of the world countries were converted to European colonies. The age of exploration also had a direct impact on the scientific revolution. The people who used to navigate the high seas and oceans used the sky in trying to understand their position. This technology was not possible during the night or times of fog. Therefore, they needed better equipment that could direct them to the position. Therefore, the age of exploration introduced equipment that made it easy for navigators to understand their position. This improved navigation, shipping, and associated crafts. The age of expl oration also brought the biological and cultural exchanges all over the world. Biological Exchanges During this time, there were biological exchanges that involved various aspects. The elements exchanged included diseases, animals, and plants. The biological exchange was between the explorers and the countries that were explored. Some of the examples of biological exchanges during the age of exploration affected people differently in the various continents. 1. To the Americas The explorers brought many new plants to countries like the Americas. They brought crops from various parts of the world including from Europe, Middle East and Asia. The introduction of new plants led to the establishment of new economies especially in the Americas. Other than the introduction of new crops and plants the Europeans also brought in domesticated animals. This made many people get into cattle ranging as a way of living (Sammis, 1997). Additionally, when the new flora and fauna were introduced into the countries, some diseases were also experienced. More than 90% of the ecosystem was wiped away by the diseases. Since these people had no resistance and cure for such diseases, they fell sick and died of these diseases. Diseases that were most common were measles, smallpox, and chicken pox among many others. People from Europe made Africans slaves by forcing them to work in their farms. This was as a result of the high rate of death experienced in the Europe as a country. This had a direct impact to the Africans too. 2. To Europe As they explored the world and gave new plants, animals, and diseases to people, the Europeans also took something home from the countries being explored. It is said that people from Europe exported some plants after exploring certain regions of the world. The plants were planted in their home country. The European people were introduced to new crops like maize, potatoes, and beans. They also introduced various fruits such as squashes, tomatoes, and avoc ados among several other things. These new crops from America and other countries to Europe changed both their way of leaving and farming also changed. For example, crops like the potato largely affected them in because of its nutritive value whish caused the surge of the population hence industrial revolution came to be due to increased population growth. Cultural Exchanges The process of exchanging cultural aspects involved transferring technology, ideas, as well as products. Some of the cultural exchanges have been discussed below. 1. To the Americas The Inca and Aztec kingdoms were destroyed when the Europeans arrived in the region. They used guns which was a European technology so as to conquer these empires. The European also brought new language and religion where many of the native people learned the Spanish and the Portuguese language. With the introduction of new language and religion, most of the people in America became Catholics. There was the emergence of new religion as the local people integrated their beliefs with Christianity. 2. To Europe and Africa As the Europeans explored the American countries, the things they obtained like the gold silver and precious stones changed their way of life. It is important to mention that items of luxury and natural resources moved from the America to Europe during this time. Other raw materials, such as cotton; and this was being grown in North America. This caused the development of many manufacturing industries in Europe. This also made many of the Europeans gain new knowledge. To Africa, this had a great impact to them as Europeans carried the Africans and brought them to America as slaves. This also led to the emergence of wars in the African region because the Europeans got involved in the political aspects of the region. They supported chiefs so that they could easily get slaves. In terms of language and religion, there was no much impact. However, some Africans became Christians, and they also learned new languages like the Portuguese. In Asia, most of the areas adopted Christianity as their religion. There was a rapid spread of Christianity, and new people were converted in India, China as well as Japan. Other converts were made in other countries all over the world. Wars broke in countries like Japan due to the knowledge of the European guns. New commodities were also brought to Japan by the Europeans (Washburn, 1966). Conclusion Exploration age is a phenomenon that went on for a long period of time. Discoveries of new things and ideas did not end until about 1700 in some countries and 1900 and 2000 in other countries like the African countries. It was very significant to the world because it contributed much of the developments that have existed to date. It was also significant to the explorers themselves because by exploring the world, they learned new ideas and invented new technologies. These new ideas and technologies were later to be applied in their home countries. A si gnificant percentage of European culture spread into the whole world due to this activity. It can be noted that this is what people use even in the modern times. Reference List Arnold, D. (2002). The Age of Discovery, 1400-1600.New York: Routledge. Duiker, W.J. Spielvogel, J.J. (2007). World history. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. Flowers, S. (1999). The age of exploration. San Diego, CA: Lucent Books. Gibson, K.B. (2006). Europe. Mankato, Minn: Capstone Press. Hale, J.R. (1966). Age of exploration. New York: Time, Inc. Jackson, J.P. Weidman, N.M. (2006). Race, racism and science: Social impact and interaction. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers university press. Kreiss, S. (2011). Lecture 2: The Age of Discovery. Web. Lampros, S. (1990). The Age of exploration. St. Louis, Mo: Milliken. McGeveran, W. A. (2004). The World almanac and book of facts, 2004. New York, N.Y: World Almanac Books. Newton, A.P. (1970). The great age of discovery. New York: B. Franklin. Sammis, K. (1997). Focus o n U.S. history: The era of exploration and discovery. Portland, Me: Walch. Stevens, R. (1997). About Europe. London: Bluebell Press. Washburn, W.E. (1966). The age of discovery. Washington: Service Center for Teachers of History.

Talking Up Sales

Talking Up Sales Talking Up Sales Talking Up Sales By Guest Author This is a guest post by Lorraine Mace. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. Anyone with a book to promote is constantly on the lookout for new ways to get the message across to the widest possible audience. So what do you do when you’ve sent review copies to everyone you can think of, attended book fairs, set up author signings and promotions anywhere some kind soul would give you an inch of space, joined websites, commented on the blogs of others and generally covered every aspect of self-promotion? Do you relax, pat yourself on the back and raise a glass to a job well done? No, because there is another avenue you might have overlooked. In the words of an old song: â€Å"Say it really loud, say it really clear, on the radio.† Many an author who has appeared on national radio and/or television began their media trail on local radio. So how do you get your voice (and details of your book) heard? Local radio is precisely what it says – the radio for and about local newsworthy people. Before making contact with the station, sit down with a sheet of paper and list all the reasons your story (not necessarily your book) would be of interest to their listeners. That’s what they need to know. They won’t care about you as an author, they won’t care too much about your book either, but if you are able to tell them something their listeners would find fascinating, the chances are high that they will invite you onto the show. Take a reminder sheet of the things you want to say when you are on the air. This is essential because the time will pass so quickly that you may find the interview is over before you’ve done more than mention your book’s title. Talk about your current book Say why it’s unique Say where it is available Say where you will be conducting book signings Plug your blog and/or website Mention any other books you have written or are currently writing Once you know you are going to be interviewed, do the rounds of all the book outlets covered by the station and arrange signings, preferably for a day shortly after the interview. You’ll be amazed at how accommodating book stores will be if they know the event will receive media coverage. The next step is to contact your local newspaper, or newspapers if you live in an area where there is more than one. Write out a news item detailing who you are, when you will be on the radio as well as when and where you will be signing books. Make the piece interesting, not just a plug for your book. Editors aren’t likely to print something that is purely self-promotional, but if you jazz it up so that their readers would find it fascinating, they are more likely to use it. And if you’ve done all of that successfully, is it then time to sit back and raise that glass? Sorry, no. There is still one other radio avenue to explore and that is online radio. I was interviewed for Blogtalk Radio by Maggie Ball of the Compulsive Reader. Maggie lives in Australia, I live in France, we communicated through Skype and the interview promoting The Greatest Moving Abroad Tips in the World went live around the world on the Internet. How successful was it? Let’s just say a month after the event my website is still receiving visitors from places as diverse as Uruguay, India and South Africa. English speaking writers in overseas countries bought the book through Amazon. They would never have heard of it without that interview. Lorraine Mace is a columnist with Writing Magazine (UK) and has had her work published in five countries. Winner of the Petra Kenney International Poetry Award (comic verse category), she writes fiction for the women’s magazine market and is a writing competition judge. Lorraine, a tutor for Writers Bureau, is the author of The Greatest Moving Abroad Tips in the World (Oct 2008) and co-author, with Maureen Vincent-Northam, of The Writer’s ABC Checklist (Accent Press, Jan 2010). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Signs and Symbols You Should KnowHang, Hung, Hanged7 Proofreading Steps

A report which describes a business scenario which will benefit from Essay

A report which describes a business scenario which will benefit from investment in the web - Essay Example The application of eCommerce facilitates a business for collection of data, analysing customer base and nature of industry, electronic fund transfer, supply chain and inventory management, online transactions as well as sales and marketing activities very swiftly. The system also allows consumers from any corner of the global village to derive benefits arising out of the products and services introduced by the company applying eCommerce in its business. In this paper, application of eCommerce will be incorporated to a real business in order to monitor how the business can be benefitted from increasing utilization of internet based, web-facing information technology system. For the purpose of analysis, a hypothetical company â€Å"XL Learning Solutions† has been selected for evaluating how the company’s business standards transform through application of web, more specifically eCommerce in its business process. XL Learning Solutions is a famous tutorial and private educational institution situated at Southampton, United Kingdom. The tutorial is run by a group of 5 eminent professors of the city and is well known for its application oriented learning approaches. Apart from dealing with educational curriculum, it also strives to enhance behavioural skills and personality development lessons in order to ensure overall development of the students. Basic technical skills such as application MS Office and other relevant software are also trained in order to enable the students to have a fundamental idea on computer applications so that the students’ foundation of knowledge can be strengthened. The tutorial is so popular in the city that its wide ranged student base has been generated only through referral system, without any promotional activities or any other efforts from the management of the organization. However, the management is noticing since long that many students from other part s of the country are longing to take services provided by

Paraphrase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Paraphrase - Essay Example The probe frequency for the routine measurements is 226 Hz and the tracking in the normal should be done at + 200 daPa which must be stopped once the peak is recorded. It is also suggested that a repetition of the test should be conducted in its entirety, if an unexpected result is obtained and the probe tip be cleaned after the completion of tympanometry. Though there is no consensus on standard normal values for middle ear pressure and admittance, a mean value of zero may be fixed for middle ear pressure and the range between 0.3 to 1.6 with a mean of 0.7 for middle ear admittance or compliance. Tympanometric measurements require the acoustic properties of the ear canal and the application of air pressure in tympanometry distinguish the carnal and middle ear components. The technical note also gives details about acoustic reflex measurements and, accordingly, there are facilities in impedance/admittance instruments to provide acoustic stimulus to the ear and to detect the associate d reflex. The reflex measurements are usually made at a pressure corresponding to the tympanometric peak. Tympanometers and other instruments are then applied to the evaluation of Eustachian tube function.

International Comparative Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

International Comparative Human Resource - Essay Example The following are major functions of the human resource department as identified many organizations with well developed department divisions; Human resource planning (keeping workers records, forecasting, career modelling and succession planning); employment (recruitment, training, selection, testing and orientation); training and development (primary and advanced skills training, devising working programs); labour relation (solving employee concerns, monitoring morale, labour management programs); compensation (incentives, analyses of job performance, salary surveys and performance reviews); workforce benefits (administration of policy, health insurance, designing vacation and sick benefits schemes) (Fisher & Ashkanasy 2000); safety (making sure that the workplace complies with safety regulations like Occupational Safety and Heath Act, supervising security, carrying out possible accident investigations, and evaluation of the physical environment); discipline (policy formulation and coordination, conduction of disciplinary measures); and personnel research (conducting opinion surveys, carrying out the Human resource audit s, and analyzing work related statistics as well as publishing it), Gibb (2001). The understanding of the specific dimensions of the human resource management is very essential for any business o... Man power planning is very essential for any organization of a business firm. This sis because the consequences of the failing to do so are very costly and as such, a firm that is understaffed losses out on the economies of scale of the business and customers, profits and orders. However overstaffing on the other hand is wasteful and very costly at the same time (Johnson 2000, p 69). Basing on the current legitimate handling of workforce issues, it would be difficult to eliminate such a phenomenon because of redundancy payments, time of notice, and consultations. Furthermore, overstaffing discourages the competitive effectiveness of the firm. During planning, it's very essential to take into consideration all the future requirements so the firm and make comparisons with the current resources from which postulations can be made in terms of resources. This step attempts to balance the supply and demand needs. The process of selection and recruiting of workers is the second most critica l function of the business organization (Browne 2000). The first step to be conducted before the recruitment id initiated is the analysis of the work to be carried out (that is the analytical study of the responsibilities to be taken care of and to establish their important aspects) this is then written out in job descriptions so that during the selection those in charge can have a clear indication of exactly what to look for (applicant's mental and physical characteristics) in terms of attitudes, qualities and what are disadvantages (Johnson 2000, p 69). Employee evaluation is a crucial function as an organization needs to continually know the performance of tits

Financial Ratio Analysis of Sainsburys

Financial Ratio Analysis of Sainsburys A sustainable company needs effective planning and financial management. Ratio analysis is a useful tool to get the financial results and the companys development tendency. It can be divided into four parts. They are profitability, liquidity, efficiency and gearing. This report discusses the analysis of two companies, one is Sainsbury, and the other is Tesco. It is necessary to compare these companies from the data and information in 2011 and 2012, so that demonstrates the use of an appropriate range of ratios. Sainsbury is engaged in grocery and related retailing. It is separated three segments: Retailing (Supermarkets and Convenience); Financial services (Sainsburys Bank joint venture), and Property investments (The British Land Company PLC joint venture and Land Securities PLC joint venture). In 2012, this company has operated over 1000 stores comprising 572 supermarkets and 440 convenience stores (Sainsbury company information, 2013). In the current competitive food retail market Sainsbury has focused on its clear strength: providing shoppers with an easy alternative to the larger out-of-town supermarkets whilst maintaining a commitment to fresh quality foods (Sainsbury, 2012). Tesco has the biggest supermarket chain in the UK. It has over 280, 000 employees working with them (Tesco, 2012). It can maintain their market share and profit in the UK, they also use social network to maintain the relationship with the customer. It is the biggest and most profitable supermarket chain in Britain; it has 30 per cent of grocery market. Tesco has over 2200 stores in the whole United Kingdom (Tesco, 2012). It is a superb development of Tesco, it is from a smaller store to be a superstores. Sales of non-food is one of the key parts of their strategy, it contributes to the growth picture in the UK. Tesco is launching a low price strategy; they offer the lower price for the similar product compare to others competitors. By comparing Sainsbury and Tesco, it is easy to use financial ratio analysis to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses. This report provides an analysis based on ratio calculation and then compares these companies data to help grasp the current performance of the companies and thus showing a financial snapshot of the companies position. Financial Analysis The following part will analysis the two companies performance in the criteria of profitability, efficiency, liquidity and gearing ratios. Ratios are important when companies need to compare the financial health of various businesses in order to understand the performance and position in the industry. Although some companies are relatively larger than the others such as comparing Tesco with Sainsburys, different scale of operations can be eliminated using the ratios for the same market (Atrill McLaney, 2008). Profitability The purpose of profitability ratio is to measure the degree of success towards business objectives in terms of profit (Atrill McLaney, 2008). It express the generated profit such as expenses, labour cost and sales revenue in relation to a companys business resource. Gross profit margin measures differences between cost of sales and sales revenue, in other words a measure of profitability in purchasing and selling before any other expenses are taken into account. The data shows that gross profit margin had a slight decrease from 5.50% (2011) to 5.43% (2012), although both gross profit and Revenue increased, it could mean that sales prices were lower or an increased on purchasing. Operating profit margin is the comparison of both outputs of businesses: operating profit and sales revenue. It is used to measure the profit from trading operations before interest payable expenses are calculated. The operating profit margin has also decreased from 4.03% (2011) to 3.92% (2012) indicating a change in 2 %. ROCE describes the relationship between operating profit and non-current liability. It has decreased from 10.06% (2011) to 9.50% (2012) by 6%. The results indicate that Sainsburys profitability has decreased by a small amount. Liquidity Liquidity ratios represent the ability of business to meet its short-term financial liabilities in one year time (Atrill McLaney, 2008). The purpose of using current ratio is to compare the assets of the company that will be turned into cash with current liabilities. Different businesses have different rate of ratios, supermarket such as Sainsburys and Tesco usually have relatively lower ratio than 1:1 since the companies are to sell FMCG and all sales are converted into cash immediately. The calculation shows that current ratio of Sainsburys increased by 12.07% from 0.58 (2011) to 0.65 (2012). This suggests that the company is more efficient at converting its assets into cash in comparisons with current liabilities. Acid ratio is similar to current ratio but is calculated excluding inventories therefore the changes from both ratio changes should reasonably be similar. Therefore the result also shows an increase of 12.9% from 0.31 (2011) to 0.35 (2012), it suggests that the business of Sainsburys became more liquid throughout 2011. Efficiency Efficiency ratio is use for assessing the extent to how well assets are being managed (Atrill McLaney, 2008). Inventories turnover period represents the average period of inventories are being held. Since maintaining inventories require higher cost, therefore it is advisable for businesses to have shorter inventories turnover period. The data suggests that Sainsburys inventory turnover period increased by about 1 day from 15 (2011) to 16 (2012), meaning it took longer for the company to sell its goods. The data may also suggest that an increased number of inventories take longer to sell. Moreover, competitor Tesco had inventory three times more than Sainsburys and it took them even longer to clear their goods. Gearing Gearing ratio is a measurement of contribution of long-term lenders to the companys long-term capital structure (Atrill McLaney, 2008). The higher gearing ratio the higher risk for businesses because a small increase in operation profit tends to increase greater amount of returns to shareholders, but small decline also result in greater decline. The gearing ratio of Sainsburys increased by 8.31% from 35.86 (2011) to 38.84 (2012). It indicates a higher risk than the previous year. Interest cover ratio measures the quantity of available operating profit to cover interest payable (Atrill McLaney, 2008). Calculation shows a decrease on interest cover of -1 time from 7.34 (2011) to 6.33 (2012). It indicates greater risk for lenders where interest payments might not be met. However, Tesco has a higher rate of interest cover; the reason may be due to their higher operating profit with less interest payable comparing with Sainsburys. Comparative Financial Analysis In the context of financial report, it is essential to compare ratios internally and externally. In terms of internal, the objective is to criticise whether Sainsburys performance has an improvement or deterioration and it is usually being measured over time such as one, five or ten years. Such comparison helps the company to detect trends for example the ways of how Sainsburys should control the flow of its stock or the amount of dividends which affect its stakeholders action. Comparing financial performance with other competitors within the same industry is also essential, because having comparable levels of performance is one of the major ways to survive in the market (Atrill McLaney, 2008). Analysing from both annual report of Sainsburys and Tesco, the profitability section indicates that Sainsburys had a decrease on both gross profit and operating profit margin while Tesco had an increase performance on profitability for gross profit margin by 4.05% ((8.48 8.15) / 8.15) and operating profit margin by 5.02% ((6.48 6.17) / 6.17). In other words it means Tesco is more capable at generating profit in 2011 / 2012, the reason is probably due to Tesco is a larger company than Sainsburys in terms of the number of stores at about 6 times more than Sainsburys and higher market share at 26.9% while Sainsburys had 14% during 2011 (Mintel, 2012). The previous annual report of 2010 / 2011 shows that the online checkout system helped increase Sainsburys sales by 20% (130,000 weekly orders) which was the strength of the company (Sainsburys, 2011a). However the sales decreased in 2012 which was also partially caused by online shopping. The financial damage was due to sales cannibalisation and charging delivery at low rate. The reason to that is because the trend towards online grocery shopping where more and more customers are shopping online (Guardian, 2013). Another weakness of Sainsburys causing it to lose shares to its competitor Tesco was because of lack in investment internationally, particularly in China (The Independent, 2012). Currently Tesco already has over 100 stores in China. Sainsburys did not fully understand the trends and operating environment comparing to its home competitors. In addition, Current Ratios are also needed to make comparisons between two companies because the current ratios provide us with the first slight of the financial strength of a company, but the current ratio analysis of different companies can be misleading in some case so that investors must be careful while evaluating a company on the bases of its current ratio (Atrill McLaney, 2008). The Liquidity section demonstrates that Sainsburys had a modest increase on current ratio by 12.07% ((0.65-0.58) / 0.58) while the current ratio of Tesco had remained intact. In spite of this, it can be seen from comparison that Tesco is the winner in the current ratio contest as it has more current ratios that is 0.67 in 2012 compared to Sainsbury where the result is 0.65. Consequently, Tesco has more money to afford the liabilities and deal with its bills better than Sainsbury. The reason of this is probably due to the number of operating profit for Tesco at about 4 times more than Sainsburys in 20 12, which was 3,985Â £m and 874Â £m respectively. In order to make an exact measure of financial leverage, demonstrate the degree to which a firms activities are funded by owners funds versus creditors funds, the gearing ratios are needed to be compared also (Atrill McLaney, 2008). According to the annual report of Sainsburys and Tesco, it can be shown that in this section, Sainsbury is doing better because its lower proportion of debts. The calculations demonstrate that the liability of Tesco shows more than approximately 73% of its debt is from borrowings while the loans of Sainsbury is lower than about 73% comparing with Sainsbury. Limitation Ratios provide an efficient and straight forward method to analyse the performance and position of businesses, however there are limitations companies should take into account. Firstly, all numbers are taken and are used from the financial statements; therefore the results of all ratios can only be based on the quality of the information. It indicates that intangible non-current assets such as the value of brand names and goodwill cannot be included into the balance sheet. Moreover, no businesses are identical therefore companies should be aware of differences in accounting policies, financial year ends between businesses and financing methods when carrying out ratio analysis especially during benchmarks. Secondly, inflation can affect the values of ratio analysis. Since balance sheet is made for the previous financial year, therefore the values of assets held could change in a period of time which results little relation to current values. Inflation can also affect the measurement of profit, it may show that the current prices does not reflect to previous expense, in that case profit may be overstated leading to inaccuracy. Thirdly, companies should only use ratios as an insight but not fully rely on it. The reason is due to the fact ratio cannot measure information such as differences in scale between businesses and capital employer, profit / sales used for measuring changes of company size over time. As ratio can only measure relative position and performance of a business. Conclusion Recommendations This report reveals the financial analysis techniques used to evaluate the financial performance of Sainsburys, and the evaluation of the companys position and performance. The result shows that Sainsburys overall performance in 2012 was similar to 2011 but with minor decrease which may affect shareholders / investors decision on whether or not to continue investing on the company. It is advisable for Sainsburys to increase dividends in order to keep its investors at a satisfy level. As the company is also the initiative to the Click Collect service, it should focus investment on improving its quality and differentiation from the competitors. In terms of pricing issue leading to decrease on profitability, there are two choices for Sainsburys. First is to keep the pricing at the same level because its market share has been increasing, or secondly to increase price to gain profit where the decision is depending on Sainsburys objectives.

Three Women Writers: A Study in Virtue and Christianity of the 18th and

Three Women Writers: A Study in Virtue and Christianity of the 18th and 19th centuries The popularity of Toni Morrison's Beloved has recently awakened a mainstream interest in African-American literature. Writers, such as Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes, have also facilitated the infiltration of African American voices into popular culture. This website is devoted to three women who, like Morrison and Angelou, have aided in the formation and development of the African American literary tradition, but often remain unremembered in today's society. Phillis Wheatley, Harriet Jacobs, and Harriet Wilson have all made valuable contributions in the forms of poetry, narrative, and fiction to the early stages of a growing literary tradition. Although these women portrayed different viewpoints, utilized different writing styles, and wrote within different contexts many comparisons can be made amongst their work. Specifically this site focuses on the common themes of virtue and Christianity represented in the authors' work and in their lives. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillis Wheatley Wheatley was born in Africa in the early 1750's and was brought to Boston in 1761 as a slave. The Wheatley family, who was a prominent family in the Boston community, purchased her. The Wheatley's encouraged and taught her, and within sixteen months Phillis was reading and writing fluent English. At the age of fourteen she was writing poetry and hailed as a prodigy of her race. In 1773, Wheatley's first and only published volume, entitled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was released. After the death of Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley, Phillis was left to support herself as a poet and sea... ...n she is free. But, in Our Nig, Frado is treated like a slave and feels confined by the Bellmonts, yet she is a free person. In this way, Wilson seems to complicate and combine these binaries. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bibliography Bennett, Jr. Lerone. Before the Mayflower: A history of Black America. New York: Penguin, 1988. Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. New York: Penguin, 1987. Shields, John, ed. The Collected works of Phillis Wheatley. New York: Oxford, 1988. Wilson, Harriet E. Our Nig; or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. New York: Vintage, 1983. Voices from the Gaps: Harriet E. Adams Wilson http://www.~engl.cla.umn.edu/Lkd/vfg/Authors/HarrietE.AdamsWilson Voices from the Gaps: Phillis Wheatley http://www.~engl.cla.umn.edu/Lkd/vgf/Authors/PhillisWheatley

Today’s Society That Effect Teenagers

There are many things in today's society that effect teenagers. Throughout high schools students mindset are not very stable and they are willingly to follow the crowd. These messages can come from not only other students but from music videos,magazine advertisement television commercials, talk shows and sports. When you were a little kid, your parents usually chose your friends, putting you in playgroups or arranging playdates with certain children they knew and liked. Now that you're older, you decide who your friends are and what groups you spend time with. It's natural for people to identify with and compare themselves to their peers as they consider how they wish to be (or think they should be), or what they want to achieve. People are influenced by peers because they want to fit in, be like peers they admire, do what others are doing, or have what others have. Teenagers face many acts that pressure them to act or try to look a certain way. Peers are a powerful force in the life of a teenager. Negative peer pressure can persuade a teenager or child to shoplift, drink alcohol, take drugs, smoke cigarettes, cheat at school, vandalize property, bully other students, skip school and participate in racist and discriminatory behavior. When it seems like everyone else is doing something-dressing a certain way or acting a certain way-teens feel a tremendous pressure to go along with the crowd and be like everyone else. Most teenagers don't want to stand out as being different. Everyone wants to fit in. No one has to say anything to a student but just observing their peers will create peer pressure to be like them. Teen magazines have a high impact on the mindset of the teens and they seem to be very influenced by the information that is provided. For example,a magazine that is personally one of my favorites seventeen a world wide magazine has a section thats dedicated for tips on teen dating. They no longer give the right message of how you should wait for the right person to come along to take the plunge but instead they teach you how to attract the â€Å"hottest† guy and how to keep him. All this talk puts a lot of pressure on the teen girls to have a guy who's in which leads to other problems such as disease,pregnancy, and even rape. Although their are many things that pressure teenagers in negative ways,there are also positive things that are being held and can be done in the world today. So many things such as girls/boys convention, clubs, and Internet logs can be formed to help shape teenagers mindset in positive ways so they can grow into young adults that are needed in the future. the person they need to be. All teenagers face some kind of peer pressure whether it's something extreme as doing drugs to fit in or as little as picking on the class dork. Either way the outcome of peer pressure is never good and a small helping hand can change not only a single person's entire life but a society. † we are the future,so why not start preparing for tomorrow. â€Å"

Using the Spanish Verb Dar

Using the Spanish Verb 'Dar' Although the Spanish verb dar is most often translated as to give, it also is one of those verbs whose meanings or translations can vary widely with the context. Those meanings, however, are usually related to the concept of giving in a broad sense of the word. A common example would be a sentence such as El sol da luz. A literal translation of The sun gives light wouldnt be wrong- but most English speakers would be more likely to say something such as The sun sheds light or, more simply, The sun shines or The sun is shining. Everyday Figurative Uses of Dar Most often, when something other then give works as a translation of dar, the meaning can be figured out by thinking of giving in a general or figurative sense. Here are some everyday examples that are mostly easy to figure out if you know the meaning of the noun serving as an object of dar: El reloj dio las tres. (The clock struck three. Literally, the clock gives three.)Dieron golpes a mi hijo. (They hit my son. Literally, they gave blows to my son.)Te damos gracias. (We thank you. Literally, we give thanks to you.)Darse a conocer. (To make oneself known.)Me dio un abrazo. (She hugged me.)Dar la mano. (To shake hands.)Dar un paseo. (To take a walk.)Darse vuelta. (To turn.)Darse prisa. (To hurry.)Darse a la vela. (To set sail.)Darse a entender. (To suggest.)Darse de comer. (To feed.)Darse fin. (To finish.) Phrases Using Dar Dar is also used in a variety of phrases whose meaning isnt always so predictable. Here are some of the most common of them, along with sample sentences. When using the phrases in this list, alguien is replaced by reference to a person, while algo is replaced by reference to a thing. dar alcance: to catch up with. (Los agentes dieron alcance al ladrà ³n. The agents caught up with the thief.)dar algo a alguien: to give something to someone. (Dieron un carro a su hijo. They gave a car to their son.)dar con algo (o a alguien): to find something (or someone) (Di con mi lpiz en la escuela. I found my pencil in the school.)a alguien dar por (o en) (infinitivo): to decide to (verb) (Me di por (o en) salir. I decided to leave.)dar a lugar: to look over a place (La ventana da a la ciudad. The window overlooks the city.)dar luz, dar a luz: to give birth (Marà ­a dio luz a Jesà ºs. Mary gave birth to Jesus.)dar de cabeza: to fall on ones head. (Dio de cabeza en el gimnasio. He fell on his head in the gymnasium.)dar de narices: to fall flat on ones face. (La chica dio de narices. The girl fell flat on her face.)dar lo mismo: to make no difference. (Comià ³ mucho, pero lo mismo dio. She ate a lot, but it didnt make a difference.)darse a algo: to give or devote oneself (to something). (Se da a su trabajo. He gives himself to his work.) dar a alguien (o algo) por (adjectivo) o (participio): to assume or consider someone to be (adjective or participle). (La dieron por feliz. Doy la lucha por concluido. She was considered to be happy. I consider the fight to be over.)darse cuenta de: to realize. (Me di cuenta que ella estaba aquà ­. I realized she was here.) Conjugation of Dar Keep in mind that dar is conjugated irregularly, especially in the preterite form: yo di, tà º diste, usted/à ©l/ella dio, nosotros/nosotras dimos, vosotros/vosotras disteis, ustedes/ellos/ellas dieron. In the present indicative tense, the one most often used, the first-person singular form is doy (I give). Other irregular forms exist in the subjunctive and imperative moods. In many of them, the stem changes from d- to dier-. Key Takeaways Dar is a common verb whose literal meaning is to give, but it can be used in a wide variety of ways where its translation depends on context.Dar is also commonly used in phrases where its meaning isnt ready apparent.Dar is conjugated irregularly.

Ways to Control Water Pollution Essays

Ways to Control Water Pollution Essays Ways to Control Water Pollution Paper Ways to Control Water Pollution Paper Essay Topic: Water pollution With major water reservoirs drying up in the Southeast, the Ignited States government is projecting that within the next five years over 38 of its states will face serious water shortages. And of the water that will remain, todays serious issues Will influence our future unless we find successful ways to control water pollution it will eventually disrupt life on our planet as we know if we do not. The sources of water pollution are varied? ranging widely from waste, excess, population growth, urban growth, increasing temperatures, and increasing flooding and drought. And each source requires an individual solution to develop a correct answer. Requiring responsibility and involvement in the problems of water pollution, every human who lives on this planet needs to become knowledgeable about their local water resources. Ways to control water pollution should be something everyone practices in order to combat harmful wastes which eventually end up in sewage treatment plants or landfills. Adequate water planning needs to be boldly approached regarding ways to control water valetudinarianisms, recycling, desalination, and stricter controls order to keep adequate water applies for our future generations. Over $300 billion dollars are estimated by our government for upgrading pipes in the United States to handle a newer and more reliable water supply system for the country. The days of cheap water are over. One way to control water pollution is to carefully observe which nutrients are needed on the yard before fertilizers are applied, wisely choosing alternatives methods. If fertilizers are applied, make sure they do not run off into nearby surface waters, also keeping any type of pet waste, leaves, litter, and plant residue out of storm drains or gutters. Planting trees and brushes to hold back flooding areas and slopes help maintain water in much needed areas, used throughout the world for not only ways to control water pollution but also to conserve natural wildlife habitats. The United States is not the only country struggling in ways to control water pollution. The country of Australia is in a 30-year dry spell, with the urban centers of sub-Sahara Africans population growth straining their natural reserve levels. And believe it or not, Asia has over 60% of the entire worlds population with only 30% of the worlds fresh water. What needs to happen to avoid environmental collapse on a world level is for developing and under- developed countries to work together for workable ways to control water pollution, utilizing methods to prevent any more environmental problems as industries grow. Strategies involving conservation methods are slowly becoming acceptable, with the worlds population realizing they do not have to be comfortless just because energy is being conserved. Advancing technology is helping these two ends Of the spectrum meet in a comfortable manner, with important ways to control water pollution involving forms of operation among global countries and their people. Ways to Conserve ; Preserve Water Quality By Barbara Keller-I-Scott, eh Contributor Everyone whos ever lived on Earth shares the same water molecules. The Earth on World Water Monitoring Day, September 18, 2010, contains the same number of molecules of water that it did on the first day it could be called Earth. Water cycles through plant and animal bodies, flows into streams, rivers, lakes and oceans, evaporates and falls again as rain and snow. Humans save water in reservoirs, and the Earth saves it in hidden aquifers, fed by the slow seepage of groundwater through soil and rock that cleanses it, to be drawn up again through wells and put back through sewers and septic systems. Not all water molecules are traveling in good company, but there are options on family, community, society and world scales for keeping clean water clean and cleaning up whats been polluted. Home * Most of the water that comes into your home through a municipal supply goes back Out through Sewers for treatment. You can make a big difference, though, by simply taking your car to a commercial car wash. These genuineness may be required to and probably do reuse water, clean it of chemicals before discarding it, and discard it into public water-treatment systems for further cleaning. If you must wash your car at home, do it on the lawn where the water can soak back into the ground. Do not let car-wash water run down the driveway into the storm drains, which are not treated and carry your soap and whatever was on your car straight into your own local rivers and lakes. Around Town * State and federal environmental departments can assist communities and groups of communities to analyze and protect the water resources they share. In 2005 the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported on its National Estuary Program and what it taught them about Community- Based Watershed Management. From the experience of 28 coastal watershed regions on all three coasts, they concluded that the model of viewing a watershed as a shared resource could unite citizens and community leaders in funding, organizing, and executing programs to improve their own and their neighbors water quality. Nationwide * Under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NEEDS), just one of the programs authorized in the sass by the Clean Water Act, the U. S. EPA is empowered to regula te any pipe, ditch or other conveyance that discharges water into any U. S. Waterway. For the most part, these regulations are administered by the states, and include state regulation of discharges from federal facilities. Thanks to programs such as this, 21 SST-century American children may find it hard to picture major rivers too dirty to swim or fish in. Globally * Unfortunately, much of the world is still catching up on water quality, but most of the world is paying attention. Among the results of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCLE) in ROI De Jeanine, Brazil, was the establishment of World Water Day. The UN has also declared an international Water for Life decade that began in 2005 for the purpose of bringing nations together to recognize that everyone shares the same water and passes it back and forth around the world. The U. N . s millennium goals include a focus on water resources. Conclusion Clearly, the problems associated with water pollution have disabilities to disrupt life on our planet to a great extent. Congress hassled laws to try to combat water pollution thus acknowledging theft that water pollution is, indeed, a serious issue. But the government alone cannot solve the entire problem. It is ultimately Upton us, to be informed, responsible and involved when it comes to outperforms we face with our water. We must become familiar with oarlock water resources and learn about ways for disposing harmfulnesss wastes so they dont end up in sewage treatment plantation cant handle them or landfills not designed to receive housemistresses. In our yards, we must determine whether disorientations are needed before fertilizers are applied, and look formativeness where fertilizers might run off into surface waters. Weave to reserve existing trees and plant new trees and shrubs to helicopters soil erosion and promote infiltration of water into the soil. Around our houses, we must keep litter, pet waste, leaves, and graspingness out of gutters and storm drains. These are just a few of the many ways in which we, as humans, have the ability combat water pollution. As we head into the 21 SST century,awareness and education will most assuredly continue to be the topmost important ways to prevent water pollution. If these measures arent taken and water pollution continues, life on earth will subversively. Gibbon environmental collapse is not inevitable. But the developers must work with the developing world to ensure that industrialized economies do not add to the worlds environmentalisms. Politicians must think of sustainable development Earthman economic expansion. Conservation strategies have to becomes widely accepted, and people must learn that energy use can beatifically diminished without sacrificing comfort. In short, with technology that curtailments, the years of global environmental mistreatment can begin to persevered.

Exam 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exam 1 - Assignment Example Since property was communally owned, power remained to men as they controlled the property. With time, these societies shifted to agricultural activities but the position of women only deteriorated as work that is more productive resulted from farming. Spartan boys were enrolled in a rigorous education system sponsored by the state at age 7. This system referred to as the Agoge focused on military training throughout its socialization program. Women in Sparta were also raised in the same way as boys, only they were inactive in military. The Decalogue provides the society with a code of conduct that is supposed to honor the family, secure property, protect life, enhance trust, and define boundaries therefore securing a strong foundation for a productive social cohesion. They are remembered for their immense contribution in trade as they established it with the people that lived along the Mediterranean Sea. The Greeks actually received the alphabets from the Phoenicians as early as 15OOB.C. Aristotle’s most important contribution to the society was classifying the various branches of knowledge. He sorted the branches into psychology, education, logic, poetics, physics, and metaphysics. This laid the foundation of the sciences we know today. He also contributed ethics, a very important subject of philosophy. The Archimedes’ principle is probably the most known of his work. This defines the laws of floating bodies and is one of the basic laws through which shipbuilding, mining and metallurgy are founded. His original theories on levers, screws and the pulley system are responsible for forming a basis for

Managerial economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managerial economics - Essay Example Mechanism of Demand Within a market framework, demand for any commodity or good or service is generally referred to as an amount which will be purchased at a particular price during a particular period of time. Now the law of demand can be also incorporated so as to analyze the relationship between price and quantity. In the domain of microeconomics or price theory it can be stated that the other things remaining constant (Cetaris Paribus) the quantity demanded of a commodity increases when its price decreases and decreases when its price rises (normal commodity and the exceptions of the law of demand are eradicated in this case and is not of relevance) (Arnold, 2010, p.56). So it can be stated that there exists a negative or inverse relationship between price and quantity. The negative association between price and quantity can be described as This negative relationship between price and quantity can be represented with the help of a linear demand curve by taking a smooth relation b etween price and quantity which can be depicted as follows: The above relationship can be depicted by the help of a two-dimensional graph with price and quantity axis. Fig. ... the quantity supplied rises with the rise in price and falls with the fall in price as in there is a direct relationship between price and quantity (Tucker, 2010Â  , p.57). The supply function is given by: The relation between price and quantity can be shown with a short mathematical exercise and a graph. Fig. 2 The Supply Curve (Tucker, 2010Â  , p.57). The diagram above it is the supply curve and it has a positive intercept which ‘a’ is taken from both the (2) and (4). The market equilibrium is said to achieve when the demand equals the supply curve and the intersection between the demand and supply curve gives us the equilibrium price on the vertical axis and quantity on the horizontal axis as depicted in the previous graphs. The answers to the questions can be explained with respect to diagrammatic framework which would be representing both demand and supply framework with equilibrium and the conditions deviating from the equilibrium. Fig. 3 The calculated Demand Cu rve Fig. 4 The calculated Supply Curve The calculated demand curve and the calculated supply curve are shown in the diagrams 3 and 4. Now the intersecting point of the demand and the supply curve would be giving us the equilibrium quantity of the pizzas in the market. In this particular case $ 6 is the equilibrium price and 81 quantities of pizza is the equilibrium quantity as at $ 6, 81 units of pizza are demanded and supplied and at this point there is no excess demand or excess supply existent in the market. The equilibrium condition can be depicted with the help of the following diagram: Fig.5 The market equilibrium and adjustment procedure In the above figure, the equilibrium price is $ 4 and the equilibrium quantity is given

The Role America's Federal Reserve Played in Contributing to the Essay

The Role America's Federal Reserve Played in Contributing to the Actions Leading to the 2008 Financial Crises - Essay Example While the Federal Reserve is a cornerstone institution of the United States, critics have argued that in the long-term the Fed is actually bad for the economy. This research evaluates the extent that the Federal Reserve contributed to the actions leading to the 2008 financial crises. Analysis One of the most prominent critics of the Federal Reserve has been former Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul. Paul’s perspective follows a line of logic that is directly related to the way the Fed functions. Paul indicates that when the American economy is lagging the Federal Reserve infuses new currency into the system. This new currency results in lowered interest rates. The lowered interest rates correspondingly result in capitalist expansion, as business and individuals increasingly engage in borrowing practices. The problem, as Paul indicates, is that such practices are artificial and don’t reflect the economies’ true and proper functioning. Paul has seminally no ted, â€Å"When central banks like the Fed manage money they are engaging in price fixing, which leads not to prosperity but to disaster† (Paul 2011). ... Kibbe (2011) argues that many Austrian economists predicted the 2008 financial crisis. Kibbe contrasts the Keynesian school of economics, which attempts to implement mathematical models in predicting future economic movements, with the Austrian school that argues later economic shifts can only be understood by examining human behavior. Similar to Ron Paul, Kibbe makes a number of sensational statements regarding the impact the Federal Reserve had on the financial crisis. In both perspectives their criticism is less about specific policy measures the Fed took, but rather with the entire existence of the Fed; as such, they believe that any actions this institution makes is ultimately bad for the economy. Just like Paul, Kibbe (2011) notes, â€Å"we would not experience such dramatic economic swings were it not for monetary policies that distort real prices and encourage improper investment decisions. Boom and bust cycles are inevitable when government interventions confuse market part icipants.† When one couples Kibbe’s perspective regarding boom and busts with statements made by the United States government leading up to the financial meltdown startling consideration emerges. For instance, he notes that Treasury Secretary Paulson said in 2007 that the global economy was at the strongest he had seen it in his career. Additionally, he states â€Å"Between 2001 and 2004, the Federal Reserve injected new credit into the economy, pushing interest rates to their lowest level since the late 1970s. As a result, the economy was booming just a few short years ago† (Kibbe 2011). Still, one recognizes that Kibbe provides little empirical evidence for the predictions of the Austrian economists against the failure of the Keynesian predictive models.