The Perfect Plan Essays - Brian Welch, Converts To Christianity

The Perfect Plan The Perfect Plan When you only know a few and want to know more you learn to be who you are not. You live 100 different lives. Some people know you as this and some as that, and the only one who knows the truth is you. But it truly is amazing how acquaintances that are at different levels at the social hierarchy can move you up. As I entered my senior year of high school, I did not kick it with many people. Strictly a, not by choice, select few. Always, there are the cool popular people who everyone wants to be like. I decided to make it my goal to be part of each of their lives and I would have a million people to kick it with. Everyone is friends at the school, but inside this main friendship, there are sub categories as far as friendships grow. It breaks all the way down to a person's best friend. There could be 50 guys that always hang out together but only 2 that would ever sleep over each other's house just for fun. This, just being an example. As I went through my classes I had to spot out the king pins of the trendiest groups in the grade. People I could actually grow on and use them to network to different people. But you need a reason to talk to them. Of course homework is the easiest but after a while it gets boring. I needed conflict, a situation, something to happen. An early weekend into the school year, one of my, I would say 10 real friends, and I basically *censored*ed the same girl at the same time who we had met only 3 hours prior. So we got lucky, wow. But on Monday it had began. Ever watch TV and see stupid high school shows that spread rumors within like an hour and the e whole school knows. Well everyone was asking me what happened. This is the attention I needed to begin my climb. To the guys a god, and to the girls someone with experience. By telling people and also not telling and keeping them guessing makes you a ?top talk? on their list. Now a girl in the elite category of school, I was lucky to have 3 classes with. Her and I began to talk a lot. Me just being seen with her was enough to make me look ?cool? to the cool people. She did not realize it because of my humbleness but it was helping my reject ass climb. Now the other cool people accepted me. Slowly invited to parties and also given a lot more attention my reputation was being constructed. To maintain your cool image only a few cool things must be done once in a while to remind the dumb-asses that you are still cool. A web site for a senior prank. Even better, I got the attention of the whole senior class. All eyes on me. Now being called, never having to call myself, I am asked to be places, kick it with people, asked if I needed anything, treated like a god. My job is now done. It was all triggered by one *censored* one weekend early in the year. All eyes on me. Now, I don't run these people, but I am now part of their lives and am very close with a lot of them. Not but 7 months ago did I ignore and they ignore me in the halls even though we knew each other. I call m yself the human icebreaker. The trick is to let them know you first, and then they will bring themselves closer. But you have to control letting them know you. The girl in the elite class thinks I *censored* every weekend because of my one escapade. Some guys really know I don't get girls, or al least as many as some people think. Some people think I am a pothead, some think I would never touch a pipe if my life depended on it. And the funny thing is, I control how they perceive me. YOUR OPINION OF ME IS WHAT I ALLOW IT TO

Nonmarket Strategies Essay Example

Nonmarket Strategies Essay Example Nonmarket Strategies Essay Nonmarket Strategies Essay After reading carefully the article written by Martin (2010) and published in the Harvard Business review, we can appreciate than in the past decades, and throw real examples of success in the business world, it has become popular the idea that execution is more important than strategy. In fact, and according to the author we appreciate that could be a huge mistake. Among the world we can see a lot of examples where the Strategy planned by the higher levels of the organization are widely disconnected to performance and execution in organization. According to what I had experienced in my life through family and own experiences related to working for organizations. I think is very interesting to see how important is that strategy is completely connected to the execution. The proper approach, according to my experience, for linking these important areas is Choice Cascade and Virtuous Strategy Cycle. As the author refers to it, in this approach of strategy organizations use to be less rigid in order for lower employees to take decisions regarding the organization interests. This s done sustained by the premise that lower employees know better about issues in their areas, as they are the ones who had been operating them. Also these organizations are characterized for having better communication systems. On the other hand we appreciate organizations that are extremely rigid about the procedures done by lower levels at the organizations; they ignore a lot of facts concerning the different issues and needs of the different areas, they expect works to act just by following what is written in the procedure working codes and what is stated in the strategy. These types of organization can have a lot of communication problems from lower levels going up. This can cause them to loose a lot of feedback that could be really value for decision-making, as the next example can picture. To picture this I will use two examples that attracted my attention. The first one is related to one situation that happened to my parents in the past. They used to work as health professionals for Collusion, one of the largest compensation funds in Colombia. When we approach to the organization we can appreciate that their Strategy is basically focused on managing resources ND providing quality social services, which aim to provide proper opportunities to develop for Colombians. This through a wide portfolio of social services that satisfy fundamental needs in dignity conditions. After conceptualizing briefly the organization strategy, we focus more on what I was trying to picture. Back to the health area where my parents performed, the main goal was to provide the best health service that is needed by the population that assists to the organization health centers. The concrete example that is important for us was that, in the past the organization cited to renovate the facilities of the center my parents worked in. The managers decided for the facilities to changed the old-individual consultant rooms for opened and connected ones trying increase communication among the workers in that area. For this renovation they didnt took into account the opinion of the doctors and health specialists, or patients as well, who worked or were attended there. At the end they made a huge mistake because one of the important aspects for providing a good health service is the privacy. They didnt take into account how uncomfortable it could be for he patient and the doctors to interact in a place where other people could hear what theyre talking and doing. Also they made lots of mistakes in the disposal of the place concerning to the facilities needed by specialist while theyre working. This example can show how having a division line between strategy and execution can lead to problems, even if what the strategy announced has the best intentions. On the other hand we can discuss briefly an example on how linking strategy and decision taking with execution could lead to SUccess and good results. This example concerns to an organization that I work for. The task I perform is to coordinate the distribution of flyers and promotion material facing festivals, parties and events. What shows a really good example of the link mention before is that, concerning to my boss, the most important task I can perform is giving the feedback that I receive from the people that distribute the material, concerning the reactions of the people who receive this material. This is very important for the strategic planning of the organization cause the people who handles a flyer gets the immediate reaction Of people concerning the material they just received. If this feedback process is not done the organization just get feedback through the direct success of an event, but in the way it is done they can have valuable information concerning corrections that could be done before the events. So far this had worked for the company as they get the perceptions of their customers before the event or the ticket sell. So its a good example of how grouping strategy and execution could look forward to success.

For and Against the Irrelevance of Dividend Policy Essay

For and Against the Irrelevance of Dividend Policy - Essay Example When earnings are dispensed as dividends, the company is deprived of funds which are needed for augmentation and development, and this might result in the company looking for supplementary capital from external sources. Firms are not legally required to pay dividends to stockholders. Similarly, the stockholders cannot officially compel the Board of Directors to declare dividends. In addition to that, even courts cannot meddle in this affair (Kapil, 2011). Arguments For Dividend Irrelevance In the year 1961, two senior professors, Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller (M&M) stated that a firm’s value has no correlation with its dividend policy. According to them, the market value of a company is decided only by the actions pertaining to investment and operations that result in cash flows. The structure of capital and policies related to dividends are simply financing actions or in other words, purely the ways in which cash flows from operations are allocated among the investors. Modigliani and Miller were awarded Nobel Prizes for this exclusive effort concerning Accounting and Financing. The M&M proposal gave birth to scholarly analysis in the field of finance and accounting. Since their attempt, numerous researchers in economics, finance and accounting have come up with various models and theories to explain the irrelevance and relevance of dividends to the market value of the company. Besides the M&M Theory proponents known as Middle of the Roaders; there exist Rightist and Radical Left groups with their own viewpoints (Brealey, 2007). Residual Theory states that if a company is not capable of investing further to earn in surplus of its capital expenditure, then it should apportion the earnings among the stockholders. Over the years, the evolution of M&M Theory has propagated the notion that a company’s dividend policy is irrelevant to its market value. The major argument stated by the M&M theorists is that the investment strategy is the most impor tant determinant of a company’s market value, while the division between the dividends and the reinvestments does not have an effect on this value. However, this explicit suggestion has been made under certain assumptions (Baker et al, 2005). These assumptions largely entail capital markets which are perfect with no taxes and a steady interest rate in the market with limitless borrowing. The clients or potential investors who come with money are varied in terms of preferences for low disbursement and high disbursement demand for dividends. The proponents of dividend irrelevance emphasize on this point, elucidating that policy changes with regard to high or low disbursements of dividends, affects the clientele or the investors that the company will influence, not its value. Though research illustrates that major alterations in dividends somehow affect stockholder prices. However, the response of the proponents of dividend irrelevance is that the influence on the prices is asso ciated with the informational substance of dividends in relation to potential earnings instead of the dividend itself. It is the inclination in the preferences of the investors that results in modifications of prices. Another argument in the support of dividend irrelevance is the fact that most investors are little affected whether or not dividends are paid as they know that if dividends are not paid, then the earnings are reinvested which ultimately

Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example This type of leadership employs the principle of "management by exception", which simply means that if something is operating to expectations, it needs no further attention. However, when expectations are exceeded, a citation is conferred; disciplinary or corrective sanctions are applied for performance below expectations. Transactional Leadership is therefore a contingency-based management style where reward or punishment is dependent on performance (Changing Minds.org, 2009). Transformational leadership on the other hand presupposes leadership by inspiration. Vision and passion are incumbent upon the leader in order to engage followers. Enthusiasm and energy are the fuel by which the leader-follower relationship thrives on. Transformative leaders create followers, by carefully building trust through personal integrity, which is a decisive element of the relationship. "Transformational leaders sell themselves as well as the vision." (Changing Minds.org, 2009) The great English statesman, orator and journalist Winston Churchill exhibited the dominant traits of a transformative leader. His fortitude and resolve helped propped the British nation and the Allied forces in the face of relentless and aggressive of the German-led Axis alliance during the Second World War.

Idealism as an approach in international politics is simply naivety, Essay

Idealism as an approach in international politics is simply naivety, do you agree - Essay Example The synchronization of the local and international policies can lead to improved success and ease of integration. Idealism is based on personal values are integrated into social values (Connelly & Panagakou, 2010, p. 56). In spite of having the best values and approach in domestic issues, idealism has failed to the replicated in the global arena because of the difficulty in transforming the values. The concept of idealism has not been effective in handling the global conflicts based on several issues affecting countries. The capitalistic nature of countries has made the challenge extremely difficult. Countries currently focus on what will benefit them and not on idealistic values. The creation of allegiance between countries is based on country’s interest and not values (Tomuschat, 2010, p. 45). For instance, the continual negativity and difference in stance between Russia and America is a product of interests and not values. These interests affect the development of values an d principles guiding the countries. Since the development of the concept of idealism, several issues affected the society that in turn influenced the social values. Failure of idealism The failure of idealism can be linked with the events after the First World War because it failed to capture the issues affecting society. In fact, the postwar issues were not addressed by the idealism present by the international policy. The failure to address the relationship status of the countries affected the nature of international development, which in turn affects the countries around the world. Idealism is dependent on personal and state values and policies which depended on the interest of the nation (Podany, 2010, p. 136). During the First World War, it is estimated that over sixty million civilian and military causalities which led to the development of a new political theory. According to idealist theory, a lasting peace is constructed around the elimination of war. The argument of the id ealist is that the war was caused by defects in the process of real politics. The result of the ideology is the creation of the new organization called The League of nations. The League of Nations was an international organization focusing on control and moderation of the individual states’ actions against each other. The approach was supported by the initiation of international treaties (Perkins, 2013, p. 113). The aim of the international government was to limit weapons while maintaining collective security and renouncing the use of war as a national policy. The League of Nations did not achieve success because after the First World War, the Second World War occurred and the development of other inter-nation aggression and war. The failure indicated the non-relevance of the idealist approach employed after the First World War. Human reason as a basis of idealism Idealism relies on human reason as the foundation of its development. The philosophical basis of the Wilsonâ€⠄¢s peace law was borrowed from Bentham’s idea, which was developed a century earlier. The placement of faith in the power of reason, public opinion, individual liberty and social openness as the key values to the idealistic principles led to failure. The concept rejected secret negotiations and alliances which is a prevalent feature in the current international relations. The main principle was the reliance on the human reason (Tomuschat, 2010, p. 13). Human reason allows an

History of Indian Energy Sector

History of Indian Energy Sector [1]The power sector in India has undergone significant progress after Independence. When India became independent in 1947, the country had a power generating capacity of 1,362 MW.Hydro power and coal based thermal power have been the main sources of generating electricity. Generation and distribution of electrical power was carried out primarily by private utility companies. Notable amongst them and still in existence is Calcutta Electric. Power was available only in a few urban centres; rural areas and villages did not have electricity. After 1947, all new power generation, transmission and distribution in the rural sector and the urban centres (which was not served by private utilities) came under the purview of State and Central government agencies. State Electricity Boards (SEBs) were formed in all the states.Nuclear power development is at slower pace, which was introduced, in late sixties. The concept of operating power systems on a regional basis crossing the political boundar ies of states was introduced in the early sixties. In spite of the overall development that has taken place, the power supply industry has been under constant pressure to bridge the gap between supply and demand. Development of power sector Development of Power Sector is the key to the economic development. The power Sector has been receiving adequate priority ever since the process of planned development began in 1950. The Power Sector has been getting 18-20% of the total Public Sector outlay in initial plan periods. Remarkable growth and progress have led to extensive use of electricity in all the sectors of economy in the successive five years plans. Over the years (since 1950) the installed capacity of Power Plants (Utilities) has increased to 89090 MW (31.3.98) from meagre 1713 MW in 1950, registering a 52d fold increase in 48 years. Similarly, the electricity generation increased from about 5.1 billion units to 420 Billion units – 82 fold increase. The per capita consumption of electricity in the country also increased from 15 kWh in 1950 to about 338 kWh in 1997-98, which is about 23 times. In the field of Rural Electrification and pump set energisation, country has made a tremendous progress. About 85% of the villages have been electrified except far-flung areas in North Eastern states, where it is difficult to extend the grid supply. Structure of power sector after independence Till December 1950 about 37% of the installed capacity in the Utilities was in the public sector and about 63% was in the private sector. The Industrial Policy Resolution of 1956 envisaged the generation, transmission and distribution of power almost exclusively in the public sector. As a result of this Resolution and facilitated by the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1948, the electricity industry developed rapidly in the State Sector. In the Constitution of India â€Å"Electricity† is a subject that falls within the concurrent jurisdiction of the Centre and the States. The Electricity (Supply) Act, 1948, provides an elaborate institutional frame work and financing norms of the performance of the electricity industry in the country. The Act envisaged creation of State Electricity Boards (SEBs) for planning and implementing the power development programmes in their respective States. The Act also provided for creation of central generation companies for setting up and operating gene rating facilities in the Central Sector. The Central Electricity Authority constituted under the Act is responsible for power planning at the national level. In addition the Electricity (Supply) Act also allowed from the beginning the private licensees to distribute and/or generate electricity in the specified areas designated by the concerned State Government/SEB. During the post-independence period, the various States played a predominant role in the power development. Most of the States have established State Electricity Boards. In some of these States separate corporations have also been established to install and operate generation facilities. In the rest of the smaller States and UTs the power systems are managed and operated by the respective electricity departments. In a few States private licences are also operating in certain urban areas. From, the Fifth Plan onwards i.e. 1974-79, the Government of India got itself involved in a big way in the generation and bulk transmission of power to supplement the efforts at the State level and took upon itself the responsibility of setting up large power projects to develop the coal and hydroelectric resources in the country as a supplementary effort in meeting the country’s power requirements. The National thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and National Hydro-electric Power Corporation (NHPC) were set up for these purposes in 1975. North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) was set up in 1976 to implement the regional power projects in the North-East. Subsequently two more power generation corporations were set up in 1988 viz. Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) and Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation (NJPC). To construct, operate and maintain the inter-State and interregional transmission systems the National Power Transmission Corporation (NPTC) was set up in 1 989. The corporation was renamed as POWER GRID in 1992. Policy and regulatory framework The policy of liberalisation the Government of India announced in 1991 and consequent amendments in Electricity (Supply) Act have opened new vistas to involve private efforts and investments in electricity industry. Considerable emphasis has been placed on attracting private investment and the major policy changes have been announced by the Government in this regard which are enumerated below: The Electricity (Supply) Act, 1948 was amended in 1991 to provide for creation of private generating companies for setting up power generating facilities and selling the power in bulk to the grid or other persons. Financial Environment for private sector units modified to allow liberal capital structuring and an attractive return on investment. Up to hundred percent (100%) foreign equity participation can be permitted for projects set up by foreign private investors in the Indian Electricity Sector. Administrative Legal environment modified to simplify the procedures for clearances of the projects. Policy guidelines for private sector participation in the renovation modernisation of power plants issued in 1995. In 1995, the policy for Mega power projects of capacity 1000 MW or more and supplying power to more than one state introduced. The Mega projects to be set up in the regions having coal and hydel potential or in the coastal regions based on imported fuel. The Mega policy has since been refined and Power Trading Corporation (PTC) incorporated recently to promote and monitor the Mega Power Projects. PTC would purchase power from the Mega Private Projects and sell it to the identified SEBs. In 1995 GOI came out with liquid fuel policy permitting liquid fuel based power plants to achieve the quick capacity addition so as to avert a severe power crisis. Liquid fuel linkages (Naphtha) were approved for about 12000 MW Power plant capacity. The non-traditional fuels like condensate and orimulsion have also been permitted for power generation. GOI has promulgated Electricity Regulatory Commission Act, 1998 for setting up of Independent Regulatory bodies both at the Central level and at the State level viz. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) and the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERCs) at the Central and the State levels respectively. The main function of the CERC are to regulate the tariff of generating companies owned or controlled by the Central Government, to regulate the tariff of generating companies, other than those owned or controlled by the Central Government, if such generating companies enter into or otherwise have a composite scheme for generation and sale of electricity in more than one State to regulate the inter-state transmission of energy including tariff of the transmission utilities, to regulate inter-state bulk sale of power and to aid advise the Central Government in formulation of tariff policy. The CERC has been constituted on 24.7.1998. The main functions of the SERC would be to determine the tariff for electricity wholesale bulk, grid or retail, to determine the tariff payable for use by the transmission facilities to regulate power purchase and procurement process of transmission utilities and distribution utilities, to promote competition, efficiency and economy in the activities of the electricity industries etc. Subsequently, as and when each State Government notifies, other regulatory functions would also be assigned to SERCs. The Electricity Laws (Amendment) Act, 1998 passed with a view to make transmission as a separate activity for inviting greater participation in investment from public and private sectors. The participation by private sector in the area of transmission is proposed to be limited to construction and maintenance of transmission lines for operation under the supervision and control of Central Transmission Utility (CTU)/State Transmission Utility (STU). On selection of the private company, the CTU/STU would recommend to the CERC/SERC for issue of transmission licence to the private company. The Electricity Laws (Amendment) Act, 1998 provides for creation of Central and State Transmission utilities. The function of the Central Transmission Utility shall be to undertake transmission of energy through inter-state transmission system and discharge all functions of planning and coordination relating to inter-state transmission system with State Transmission Utilities, Central Government, State Governments, generating companies etc. Power Grid Corporation of India Limited will be Central Transmission Utility. The function of the State Transmission Utility shall be to undertake transmission of energy through intra-state transmission system and discharge all functions of planning and coordination relating to intra-state transmission system with Central Transmission Utility, State Governments, generating companies etc. The share of hydel generation in the total generating capacity of the country has declined from 34 per cent at the end of the Sixth Plan to 29 per cent at the end of the Seventh Plan and further to 25.5 per cent at the end of Eighth Plan. The share is likely to decline even further unless suitable corrective measures are initiated immediately. Hydel power projects, with storage facilities, provide peak time support to the power system. Inadequate hydel support in some of the regions is adversely affecting the performance of the thermal power plants. In Western and Eastern regions, peaking power is being provided by thermal plants, some of which have to back down during off peak hours. Installed capacity (Fuel wise) Growth of installed power generation capacity given below according to year and percentage of installed capacity growth. Table included conventional and non- conventional resource according to fossil fuel being used. In above figure growth of power sector shown which indicate periodical performance and fossil fuel being used in power generation. In year of 1947, when India got independence the generation capacity was only 1362 MW, in which coal based generation was high after that hydro took place because of absence of high technology and lack of infrastructure.   Problem with Indian Power sector Indian power sector facing lot of problem in all sub-sectors like Generation, transmission and distribution. After unbundling of power sector all those three sector get boosted due to appropriate funds provision by government. From stating of generation to ending of distribution, lack of skilled labour, management, asset management and infrastructure are responsible to low growth in power sector. Apart from technological and managerial in-efficiency few major issue given below some reason to sickness of power sector. Government giveaways such as free electricity for farmers, partly to curry political favour, have depleted the cash reserves of state-run electricity-distribution system. This has financially crippled the distribution network, and its ability to pay for power to meet the demand. This situation has been worsened by government departments of India that do not pay their bills. Shortages of fuel: despite abundant reserves of coal, India is facing a severe shortage of coal. The country isnt producing enough to feed its power plants. Some plants do not have reserve coal supplies to last a day of operations. Indias monopoly coal producer, state-controlled Coal India, is constrained by primitive mining techniques and is rife with theft and corruption; Coal India has consistently missed production targets and growth targets. Poor coal transport infrastructure has worsened these problems. To expand its coal production capacity, Coal India needs to mine new deposits. However, most of Indias coal lies under protected forests or designated tribal lands. Any mining activity or land acquisition for infrastructure in these coal-rich areas of India, has been rife with political demonstrations, social activism and public interest litigations. Poor pipeline connectivity and infrastructure to harness Indias abundant coal bed methane and shale gas potential. The giant new offshore natural gas field has delivered less fuel than projected. India faces a shortage of natural gas. Hydroelectric power projects in Indias mountainous north and north east regions have been slowed down by ecological, environmental and rehabilitation controversies, coupled with public interest litigations. Indias nuclear power generation potential has been stymied by political activism since the Fukushima disaster in Japan. Average transmission, distribution and consumer-level losses exceeding 30% which includes auxiliary power consumption of thermal power stations, fictitious electricity generation by wind generators independent power producers (IPPs), etc. Over 300million (300 million) people in India have no access to electricity. Of those who do, almost all find electricity supply intermittent and unreliable. Lack of clean and reliable energy sources such as electricity is, in part, causing about 800million (800 million) people in India to continue using traditional biomass energy sources – namely fuel wood, agricultural waste and livestock dung – for cooking and other domestic needs. Traditional fuel combustion is the primary source of indoor air pollution in India, causes between 300,000 to 400,000 deaths per year and other chronic health issues. Indias coal-fired, oil-fired and natural gas-fired thermal power plants are inefficient and offer significant potential for greenhouse gas (CO2) emission reduction through better technology. Compared to the average emissions from coal-fired, oil-fired and natural gas-fired thermal power plants in European Union (EU-27) countries, Indias thermal power plants emit 50% to 120% more CO2 per kWh produced. [1] indianpowersector.com/wpdummy/about/overview/

Apes Ecological Footprint Lab

APES Ecological Footprint Lab In the Ecological footprint lab I had learned that my family uses a lot of resources, goods and etc. In some parts of the calculations for the ecological footprint my family would either use less and in some parts of the footprint my family would use more of. That my ecological footprint is 5. 6 hectares. 5. 6 hectares is about 14 acres. Just for the goods, housing, food, transportation, services and waste my family is spending about 56,285. My ecological footprint is high, and my family, including me should not be using as much items, or spending money on waste, when we do not have to.Exactly what is an ecological footprint? An ecological footprint is the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply an area with resources and to absorb the wastes and pollution produced by such resource use. It is an estimate of the average environmental impact of individuals in a given country or area. The per capita ecological footprint is the aver age ecological footprint of an individual in an area. Humanity’s ecological footprint exceeds by about 39% of the earth’s ecological capacity to replenish its renewable resources and to absorb the resulting waste products and pollution.With the United States the footprint per person or hectares per person is 9. 7. Way over of what we are suppose to be using, when a country’s ecological footprint is larger than its ecological capacity, it is using and degrading its cropland, forest, etc. With my family, were using 5. 6 hectares which is almost half of what other people are using. When a country depletes its natural capital, it must either suffer the harmful environmental consequences or import food and other resources from other countries and export its pollutants and wastes to global atmosphere, oceans, and rivers that run through several countries.There are also some other developed countries like ours. Developed countries are countries that have a high level o f development according to some criteria. The first industrialized country was Britain, followed by Belgium, Germany, United States, France and other Western European countries. One of the most developed countries in China. China now consumes almost twice as much meat and nearly two and a half times more steel. By 2020, China is projected to be the world’s largest producer and consumer of cars and to have the world’s leading economy in terms of GDP-PPP.If China’s economy continues growing exponentially at 8-10% a year, by 2031 the country’s income per person will reach that of the United States in 2006. If this happens China will need two-thirds of the world’s current grain harvest, twice the world’s current paper consumption, and more than the current global production of oil. Then are countries that are not like China, for instance Africa. Africa would be an undeveloped country. Underdeveloped countries are at the very bottom of the global economy, with widespread extreme poverty and dire living conditions.That is because they usually have little or no infrastructure or reliable health care and other social services. Many have experienced long-term political unrest in the form of civil war or armed conflict with other nations, or have been subject to unstable governments, dictatorships, and/or corruption. In addition, they may frequently suffer environmental events and natural disasters that cause famine, destruction, and displacement of large segments of their populations.According to the UN, the African countries that experienced the sharpest declines in their HDI rankings between 1990 and 2003 are South Africa, with a drop of thirty-five places; Zimbabwe, with a drop of twenty-three places; and Botswana, with a drop of twenty-one places. The main indicators on the human development index include life expectancy and health, literacy and educational attainment, and income. Human Development Report 2005 noted that ch ances of survival for a person born in sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2005 are not much better than those of individuals living in England and Wales during the 1840s.Ways to improve this issues is by trying to help out our underdeveloped countries. With our developed countries we already have more than we need. So we should help transport goods to the countries that are in a more poorer state. With the resources and goods, if we do not need them, then we do not need to buy them. Also people could cut back on much water we use, food being wasted, etc. We could all recycle bottles and anything else that needs to be recycled because those recycle bottles can be reused, that way it does not build up our pollution of waste. People should try to find a way to stop polluting the air.

The Antebellum Period in America

The antebellum period in America was one of rapid change. With the ideals of Romanticism at hand, people were in the frame of mind to improve society in order to reach this state of perfection that according to the movement was indeed attainable. American reform movements between 1820 and 1860 reflected both optimistic and pessimistic views of human nature and society with regards to education, temperance, and women’s rights. There were great efforts for education reform between 1820 and 1860. Horace Mann of Massachusetts was one such leader of education reform.In Massachusetts, he restructured thee educational system so that the school year was longer and educators were better paid. Moreover, by the 1950’s there were tax funded elementary schools in existence in many states. However,only seventy-two percent of white children in the North were actually enrolled in school. In the South the figures were more dismal; about one-third of white children were enrolled in schoo l and blacks had no opportunity to be. In addition, some teachers of this time period were barely literate.Despite the great push for education reform by reformers such as Horace Mann, there were still flaws with the education provided, making education reform reflect both optimistic and pessimistic views. Temperance too was widely supported by reformers of the period but caused controversy and bitterness. During the antebellum, there was and overproduction and abundance of alcohol in America; so much so that the average male drank about three times as much as one would today. As alcohol was so readily available in all areas of the nation and affecting so much of the population, there were many outspoken groups arguing for abstinence against liquor.The Protestants, as a whole, were rather outspoken for they argued that it placed a great strain on the women as they their men could not support their families while in some sort of drunken stupor. As this movement went on, many joined a nd pledged their abstinence from liquor. However, as the movement went on to include other alcoholic items such as beer and wine issues arose. As many Catholic immigrants also used alcohol as a part of their social activity, the temperance movement’s call for abstinence from all alcohol came to be a problem for Catholic-Protestant interactions. Therefore, temperance too reflected boththe optimistic and pessimistic views. Women’s rights too had its high and low points. For as women’s right did rally a great deal of support largely in the form of women, women ’s rights were often viewed as a secondary cause once compared to abolition. In this time period, there were, however, advances in the cause of women’s rights. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman physician, came to be in this period. Equality of the sexes was also largely supported by the Quakers. The Women’s Rights convention at Seneca Falls of 1848 was momentous for women’s righ ts as well as it was there that the â€Å"Declaration of Sentiments† emerged.This â€Å"Declaration of Sentiments† would call for the end of separate â€Å"spheres† for women and men. However, many of the demands made in this declaration would go unaddressed for quite some time; women only get the right to vote in the twentieth century. Many women reformers too were attacked for being so outspoken. Thus, for the advancements made, there were still issues remaining and unaddressed. As with nearly all things, education, temperance, and women’s rights between 1820 and 1860 reflected both optimistic and pessimistic views.While Horace Mann called for longer running, better funded schools, there were still schools that employed individuals who were barely literate. Although temperance would aid women as they suffered when their men were drunk, it caused friction between Protestants and Catholics. Furthermore, though Quakers were supportive of equal rights for w omen, a large portion of men throughout the nation were not so open to the idea of equality between the sexes. Therefore, these movements exhibited both optimistic and pessimistic views of human nature and society.

Exxon essays

Exxon essays Exxon, Behind The Scenes Into The Action The day was so cold; I could remember this day as it was yesterday. It was the first time I ever saw Exxon Mobil gas station located on the corner of Mace and Boston road. My mother and father were arguing like usual. Of course I never knew about what but I did know that this was going to be the last time they were ever going to argue because it was the first and last time I learn to recognize the Exxon Mobil gas station. That is until now. Throughout this paper you will learn that Exxon is not just your ordinary gas station. There are more to it then just getting gas from there service station to please your car. I have learned many things that I never knew or even pay attention to until now. Information such as, the incident in March 23, 1989; the Exxon Valdez oil spill and the impact on the economy, and the role Exxon plays in the war for oil. Throughout this paper you will learn that Exxon The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a tragedy that cannot be forgotten. In March 23, 1989, the Exxon Valdez departed from the Alaska Pipeline terminal carrying 53,094,510 gallons of oil on board while trying to maneuver the 986 foot vessel through the Valdez narrows. Around eleven million gallons were spilled in Alaska, from Bligh Reef, leading to 460 miles to village of Chiqnik on the Alaska Peninsula. According to research, there are 40,000 victims who suffered a great load of deal of economic issues and is now currently suffering still because Exxon is not handling the spill. Many of the animal species had died because of this incident. And as of now, some beaches still have remanding of oil, which is still affecting the animals today. Birds, sea otters, sea birds, killer whales, bald eagles and many more were found dead. As for as now, there are a few of injured species that are being fully recovered. It took about four years for Exxon to handle their problem and clean up the...

DefaultTableModel Class in Java Stores Data for the JTable

DefaultTableModel Class in Java Stores Data for the JTable TheDefaultTableModel class is a subclass of the AbstractTableModel. As the name suggests it is the table model that is used by a JTable when no table model is specifically defined by the programmer. The DefaultTableModel stores the data for the JTable in a Vector of Vectors. Although theVector is a legacy Java collection it is still supported and there is no issue with using it unless the additional overhead caused by using a synchronized collection is a problem for your Java application. The advantage of using theDefaultTableModel over a custom AbstractTableModel is you dont have to code the methods like add, insert or delete rows and columns. They already exist to change the data held in the Vector of Vectors. This makes it a quick and easy table model to implement. Import Statement import javax.swing.table.DefaultTableModel; Constructors TheDefaultTableModel class has six constructors. Each can be used to populate of the DefaultTableModel in different ways. The first constructor takes no arguments and creates aDefaultTableModel which has no data, zero columns and zero rows: DefaultTableModel defTableModel DefaultTableModel(); The next constructor can be used to specify the number of rows and columns of aDefaultTableModel with no data: DefaultTableModel defTableModel DefaultTableModel(10, 10); There are two constructors that can be used to create aDefaultTableModel with column names and a specified number of rows (all containing null values). One uses an ​Object array to hold the column names, the other ​a Vector: String[] columnNames {Column 1,Column 2,Column 3}; DefaultTableModel defTableModel DefaultTableModel(columnNames, 10); or DefaultTableModel defTableModel DefaultTableModel(columnNames, 10); Finally there are two constructors used to populate theDefaultTableModel with row data along with column names. One used Object arrays, the other Vectors: Object[][] data {{1,1,1},{2,2,2},{3,3,3},{4,4,4}}; String[] columnNames {Column 1,Column 2,Column 3}; DefaultTableModel defTableModel DefaultTableModel(data, columnNames); or Vector rowData new Vector(); rowData.add(1); Vector data new Vector(); data.add(0, rowData); Vector columnNames new Vector(); columnNames.add(Column 1); DefaultTableModel defTableModel DefaultTableModel(data, columnNames); Useful Methods To add a row to theDefaultTableModel use the addRow method along with the row data to add: Object[] newRowData {5,5,5,5}; defTableModel.addRow(newRowData); To insert a row use theinsertRow method, specifying the row index to insert and the row data: Object[] insertRowData {2.5,2.5,2.5,2.5}; defTableModel.insertRow(2,insertRowData); To delete a row use theremoveRow method, specifying the row index to delete: defTableModel.removeRow(0); To get a value in a table cell use thegetValueAt method. For example, if the data at row 2, column 2 contains an int: int value tabModel.getValueAt(2, 2); To set a value in a table cellsetValueAt method with the value to set along with the row and column index: defTableModel.setValueAt(8888, 3, 2); Usage Tips If aJTable is created using the constructor that is passed a two-dimensional array containing the row data and an array containing the column names: Object[][] data {{1,1,1},{2,2,2},{3,3,3},{4,4,4}}; String[] columnNames {Column 1,Column 2,Column 3}; JTable exampleJTable new JTable(data, columnNames); then the following cast will not work: DefaultTableModel dft (DefaultTableModel)exampleJTable.getModel(); A runtimeClassCastException will be thrown because in this instance the DefaultTableModel is declared as an anonymous inner class in the JTable object and cannot be cast. It can only be cast to the TableModel interface. A way around this is to create your own DefaultTableModel and set it to be the model of the JTable: JTable exampleJTable new JTable(); DefaultTableModel defTableModel new DefaultTableModel(data, columnNames); exampleJTable.setModel(defTableModel); Then theDefaultTableModel defTableModel can be used to manipulate the data in the JTable. To see theDefaultTableModel in action have a look at the DefaultTableModel Example Program.

Business Models and Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business Models and Planning - Essay Example Segmented into personal and business travelers. Also segmented into personal and business travelers. Segmented into business travelers unlike the two. Channels Different channels are used to acquire customers. They are online ads, PR and word of mouth. Channels used to acquire customers are through different advertising campaigns in social media, ads and media houses. Uses advertising channels and word of mouth to attract customers. Customer relationship Two type of customers, owners and renters. And the relationship with both is of utmost importance (Daidj, 2015). A strong customer relationship who are renters. They offer various deals to their customers. Revenue streams. Generated through commissions from renters and commissions from owners. Generated through intelligent capital investment. Revenue stream is personal from the owner. Value proposition The core value involves possessing an asset which has not been fully utilized and enabling owners to make from it. To provide â€Å" a clean, comfortable room for the lowest price of any national chain† Provide products which are in accordance to customer specifications or dates. Key activities Their key activities includes marketing, developing products and community management of home owners.

Nike Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nike - Research Paper Example This helped the firm a lot because it enabled the company the ability to raise money for future expansion. In 1985 Nike made its best decision ever by signing rookie basketball star, Michael Jordan, to a sponsorship contract. Jordan was given signature shoes which became extremely popular among the youth. The success of the Air Jordan shoes made Nike the industry leader. Innovations such as the external air bags made Nike products unique from the competition. Nike used superior marketing campaigns to showcase its products. It’s slogan â€Å"Just do it† was created in 1988. A year later Nike signed another popular athlete, Bo Jackson, which helped the company increased its market share in the cross training product segment. In 1996 Nike signed another incredible athlete to become a sponsor in gulf superstar Tiger Woods. Today Nike has become the world’s leading innovator in footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories (Nikeinc). In fiscal year 2013 Nike Corporation generated total revenues of $25.13 billion and a net income of $2.48 billion. The firm is very well managed led by its CEO and President Mark Parker. Phillip H. Knight is the Chairman of the board of directors. The company has many popular brands including Converse, Hurley International, Jordan brand, and Nike Gulf. Its branding strategy has helped the company obtain a tremendous customer retention rate. Based on Pareto’s 80/20 rule 80% of a company’s sales come from 20% of its customers. In the late 1990’s Nike was involved in a sweatshop scandal that hurt its reputation and depleted its sales by 50% a year after the revelation of the scandal, but since then the firm has cleaned up its act to become one of the most socially responsible companies in the world. â€Å"The Nike Foundation works to unleash the unique potential of adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves and for the world† (Nikeinc). Nike believes in the value of cultural diversity. It has several