Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Armstrong State University Admissions - Costs and More

Armstrong State University Admissions - Costs and More Armstrong Atlantic State University Admissions Overview: To apply to Armstrong State, students need to submit an application online, by following the directions on the schools website. Students must also submit test scores from either the SAT or ACT. While scores from both tests are accepted, slightly more students submit scores from the SAT. With an acceptance rate of 80%, the school is not considered selective, and students with high grades and test scores have a good shot of being admitted.   Will You Get In? Calculate Your Chances of Getting In  with this free tool from Cappex Admissions Data (2016): Armstrong State University Acceptance Rate: 80%Test Scores 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 450 / 550SAT Math: 440 / 530SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanACT Composite: 19 / 23ACT English: 18  / 23ACT Math: 18  / 23What these ACT numbers mean Armstrong Atlantic State University Description: Armstrong Atlantic State University is a public, four-year institution in Savannah, Georgia. Located 25 miles from Tybee Island Beach, the 268-acre campus supports over 7,000 students with a student/faculty ratio of 18 to 1. Armstrong offers over 100 academic programs across its colleges of Education, Liberal Arts, Health Professions, Science and Technology, and Graduate Studies. Students are highly engaged outside of the classroom, and Armstrong is home to more than 80 student clubs and organizations including a Karate Club, Science Fiction/Fantasy Club, and the Philosophical Debate Group. The university also has a wide variety of intramural sports such as Inner Tube Water Polo, Sports Trivia, and a Corn Hole Tournament, as well an active Greek life with four fraternities and six sororities. The AASU Pirates compete in the NCAA Division II Peach Belt Conference (PBC); the universitys men’s and women’s tennis teams have recently won three Division II Championships. Enrollment (2016): Total Enrollment: 7,157  (6,397 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 34% Male / 66% Female74% Full-time Costs (2016 - 17): Tuition and Fees: $5,360 (in-state); $15,616 (out-of-state)Books: $1,573  (why so much?)Room and Board: $10,176Other Expenses: $3,587Total Cost: $20,696  (in-state); $30,952 (out-of-state) Armstrong Atlantic State University Financial Aid (2015- 16): Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 90%Percentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 79%Loans: 57%Average Amount of AidGrants: $6,199Loans: $5,878 Academic Programs: Most Popular Majors:  Biology, Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, English, Health Sciences, Liberal Studies, Nursing, PsychologyWhat major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Transfer, Graduation and Retention Rates: First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 74%Transfer Out Rate: 27%4-Year Graduation Rate: 13%6-Year Graduation Rate: 31% Intercollegiate Athletic Programs: Mens Sports:  Golf, Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country, Track and Field, TennisWomens Sports:  Soccer, Softball, Volleyball, Tennis, Golf, Basketball Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics If You Like Armstrong ASU, You May Also Like These Schools: Applicants interested in a similar-sized school that is also located in Georgia should consider such schools as Valdosta State University, Emory University, Columbus State University, and Clayton State University. These schools vary in term of selectivity- Emory is quite selective, while the others are more accessible. Students interested in a school with a strong athletic program should consider  Flagler College, UNC Pembroke, Lander University, and Francis Marion University, all of which are in the same NCAA conference as Armstrong.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Ku Klux Klan- A Brief History

The Ku Klux Klan- A Brief History The Ku Klux Klan is perhaps the most famous of all hate groups in America. Originally founded at the end of the Civil War, the Ku Klux Klan was a white supremacist group that used violence and intimidation in order to reassert white domination in the United States. The Klan's attacks were directed at Blacks, Jews, Catholics, immigrants and other minority groups. It has long been notorious for its unmistakable symbols of the KKK , the white robes and hoods, horses coverd in white clothes and the burning of large crosses at the klan's gatherings.In 1865, following the War between the States former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest founded the original Ku Klux Klan along with five other confederate soldiers just out of uniform, in Pulaski, Tennessee. He named the group "Kuklos Klan," a mixture of Greek and Scottish meaning "family circle." The soldiers had full of ideas for their new society now that the civil war had ended.Cartoon from 1868 ("'Tis but a change of banners -...T he organization was originally social in nature, however it soon turned sinister.The different branches of the KKK, all held a common goal: to maintain the supremacy of the white race over Black Americans. White supremacy was an ideology which held that the white race was superior to all other races. It was for this reason that only WASP's White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, could belong to the Ku Klax Klan.While membership in the Klan has risen and fallen during its 130 year history, the scope of its hatred has expanded. The American Supremacist movement had four fundamental principalsThe hatred of Blacks and other minoritiesThe hatred of people with disabilities/hereditary conditionsThe hatred of JewsThe hatred of homosexualsBranches of the group sprang up across the South, and many white Southerners, frustrated over Federal Reconstruction policies, used...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Could you be an Entrepreneur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Could you be an Entrepreneur - Essay Example These people are still alive in history, in their inventions and in the hearts and minds of the people, and they continue to inspire many people. However, the dark side of entrepreneurship is that not all people make it to level where they earn a place in the history. In fact, statistics reveal that more than half of the small businesses fail in their first year of business. Furthermore, the bankruptcy fillings have been increasing over the past few years (Keister, pp. 19-23, 2005). This paper is an attempt to explore the reasons of the same. The paper would present the reasons why majority of the entrepreneurs fail to manage their growth phase and what allows entrepreneurs to do the same with effectiveness. Discussion Following are some of the reasons why entrepreneurs fail to manage their growth. Growth Strategy One of the biggest issues entrepreneurs face once they have overcome the inertia of business is the absence of a clear strategy. Most small businesses are opened based on i ntuitions, advices of colleagues, peers, family and friends, raw data, assumptions and others. Furthermore, since most entrepreneurs want to make it simple, they do not plan things extensively, and just allow things to â€Å"let happen.† Entrepreneurs prefer their business to be a rollercoaster ride rather than planning and strategizing like other businesses do (Kuratko, pp. 287, 2008). However, once they get going and enter into their growth phase, they fail to understand that the reactive approach, unplanned approach, uncalculated, intuition based strategy is less likely to work. When a firm grows, it is exposed to the market competition and other competitive forces like that of buyer power, supplier power, threat of new entrants, and threat of substitute products. When a firm grows, it catches the attention of many competitors and rivals, which had previously avoided the entrepreneur as posing no threat (Audretsch, pp. 23-43, 2002). Therefore, the point is that while growi ng, an entrepreneur has to choose a clear and well-defined growth strategy (Bygrave & Zacharakis, pp. 78-79, 2010). Now successful entrepreneurs are able to understand that there are only three types of four distinct types of growth strategies available for the firm. These are ‘penetration strategy, product development strategy, market development strategy, diversification strategy’ (Crane & Meyer, pp. 112-115, 2010). Penetration strategy calls for operating in the existing market with the existing product. The idea here is to increase the usage of customers by encouraging them to buy more of the same product. The same can be done with the help of marketing, promotional offers, little modifications in the product and others. Important here to note is that the entrepreneur would not look to target any other customers, segment or try to take away share from other competitors (Crane & Meyer, pp. 112-115, 2010). By pursuing a market development strategy, the entrepreneur tr ies to reach out new geographic, demographic, psychographic, and other markets and segments for its existing product. Moreover, it is also possible to pursue a market development strategy by communicating a new use of the product thus increasing the customer base. Successful entrepreneurs may also go for product developme

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Aviation Memory and Cognition Research Proposal

Aviation Memory and Cognition - Research Proposal Example Similarly, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that on June 19, 2011 two aircrafts came â€Å"within 300 feet of each other† (à ir’, 2012). Cessna 172 and ExpressJet that was carrying 53 people failed to identify a conflict regardless of the fact that they were both connected with the radio traffic control. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) found that the controller who was on duty on the tower had a negative history of â€Å"professional deficiencies† with countless events where he disobeyed the standard procedures checklist that has to be followed at all times (‘Air’, 2012). This research paper aims to propose an investigative study to identify the factors that give rise to near-miss events by the ATCOs and how memory losses increases the number of near-miss incidents. The primary purpose of conducting this research is to bring to light the issue of near-miss by the ATCOs and the various factors that give rise to near-miss situations. This research proposal will provide a brief literature review on the topic, methodology, research design, expected outcome of the proposed research. Nashef (2003) highlighted that the concept of near-miss in air traffic control services refers to the loss of separation between two aircrafts in the air which if not prevent would lead to mid-air collision. Therefore, a near-miss is the situation in which the two aircrafts came very close to each other but did not collide. Nashef (2003) has categorized near-miss situations in three types, namely: Type 1, Type 2 and Type 3. Type 1 near miss is one where the incident has occurred and the installed system in the aircrafts successfully detected and corrected the situation. It worked as it was planned to work and therefore, no harm was actually done. Type 2 near miss is one where the incident occurred but one or more of the installed system in the aircraft actually failed to detect the loss of

Sunday, November 17, 2019

A Personalised Induction Will Always Be More Effective Essay Example for Free

A Personalised Induction Will Always Be More Effective Essay Every successful hypnotherapy session must have an induction ensuring that the client is relaxed and is in a disassociated state in order fully experience the process. The type of induction used can be dependent on the personal preferences of the therapist or the type of hypnotherapy being undertaken in the session. There has been some debate as to whether a generic induction will be suitable for all clients or as some hypnotherapists advocate that only a personalised screed to each client will do. Commercial hypnotherapy which is produced for the mass market is widely available in CD, book or e formats. These materials deal with common issues such as giving up smoking, weight loss etc and by their very nature have to be generic as there is no option for personalisation. However as there is no therapist present at these sessions, the success of commercial non personalised screeds cannot be assessed. In my opinion, commercial materials can reach many people but they are more about making money for the person producing them than about making a difference for the individual. It is also impossible to have a personalised induction if the therapist is holding a group session. In hypnosis the therapist relies on verbal communication rather than on body language. Psychology professor Albert Mehrabian studied communication and stated that how humans communicate can be broken down into quantities; ie words account for 7%, tone of voice accounts for 38%, and body language accounts for 55%. Therefore the vocabulary the therapist uses becomes vitally important to how successful the therapy will be for the client. Therapists who prefer a personalised approach believe that preparation of the client is essential especially if they have no previous experience of hypnotherapy and/or have pre-conceived ideas. Discussion before the session is crucial to discover what the client’s expectations are and when necessary, allay fears and correct their beliefs. During this discussion the therapist can also probe to discover the clients’ preferred or dominant modality. Modalities were defined by Bandler and Grinder the â€Å"Language of our minds†. (Chrysalis, Module 2). The three major modalities are, Kinaesthetic (feeling), Visual (sight), Auditory (hearing) as well as the two minor modalities of Olfactory (smell) and Gustatory (taste). As individuals we all have a preference for the way we perceive and process our experiences and in order to create a personalised induction, the therapist will try to ascertain the client’s preference during the initial interview and discussion. During the induction, the client may have his eyes closed or the therapist may not be within sight, so communication with the client using their preferred imagery will help them feel more comfortable. Kinaesthetic people have a preference for vocabulary which will invite them to feel. For example in an induction where the client is in their special place outdoors, you could suggest the client feels the warmth of a breeze as it moves through the trees. Whereas for those with a visual modality it could be suggested that they imagine leaves moving in the warm breeze in the nearby trees, while those with an auditory modality may feel more comfortable if it is suggested that they can hear the rustle of the leaves when they are moved by the warm breeze. Language and imagery can also have a negative effect on the client, Karle and Boys (1987, p45) suggest that imagery is first planned with the client to ensure it is acceptable and congenial. The example they use is suggesting descent by means of using a lift to a client who is phobic of lifts. Therefore it is important to have some personalisation in the induction. There is, however, a risk of mis-judging an individual during the initial interview and consultation that the therapist must be aware of. The client may present an image that they think the therapist wants to see; also as humans our feelings can change frequently throughout the day which causes us to react differently. And until the therapist gains a deeper understanding of the client a truly personalised induction may not be achieved yet the client has successfully reached a deeper hypnotic state. When creating an induction it is suggested by Karle and Boys (1987) that therapists use a technique known as â€Å"Compounding† which employs all modalities in the sensory descriptions and suggestions. While the content of the inductionis one area which can be personalised, the delivery of the induction is also a major influence on how accepting and comfortable the client will be. During the initial interview and as the relationship between client and therapist grows, the style of induction most suited to the client should be employed. They are referred to today as â€Å"Permissive† and â€Å"Authoritarian†. However as with the modalities, the style preference of the therapist will be a major influence on the style employed in the induction. Sandor Ferenczi, a Hungarian psychoanalyst who practised in the early 1900s first investigated these styles after moving away from Freudian theory and developing relaxation therapy. He called them ‘maternal’ and ‘paternal’ and used them in his induction delivery. He considered the maternal style to be nurturing, caring, supportive and permissive while he considered paternal to be direct, authoritarian and aggressive. (Chrysalis, Module 2). Dave Elman, a stage hypnotist and entertainer working in 1948, at the invitation of doctors began to work on induction techniques. He continued in this career writing books on the subject and teaching students up to his death in 1968. He is well known for using his preferred authoritarian style of induction which he adapted from the sharp commands used in stage shows. Conversely, Milton Erickson, born 1901, utilised the permissive style of induction together with indirect suggestion. He believed that ‘people must participate in their therapy’ and was skilled at using metaphors to assist his therapy. Erickson believed that it was not possible consciously to instruct the unconscious mind, and that authoritarian suggestions were likely to be met with resistance. He firmly stated that the unconscious mind responds to openings, opportunities, metaphors and symbolic language. He advocated that effective hypnotic suggestion should be artfully vague, leaving space for the client to fill in the gaps with their own unconscious understandings even if they do not consciously grasp what is happening. The skilled hypnotherapist constructs these gaps of meaning in a way most suited to the individual subject in a way which is most likely to produce the desired change (Wikipedia. rg) Authoritarian inductions will be more directional and commanding; they allow the hypnotherapist to be in charge with the client following a set of demands. This can work well on some clients who respond to authority and like set boundaries. An authoritarian induction will be straightforward with no embellishments, for example making commanding statements such as, ‘Close your eyes, you are in control at all times’, ‘You are now feeling relaxed’. Clients who prefer authoritarian styles may have a logical preference; it has also been shown to work well for those individuals who are sceptical. While this approach may seem to be domineering, it only creates an illusion that the therapist is in total control. In fact the client has to be willing to participate and therefore is actually fully in control and can stop the therapy at anytime. Once the client has relaxed into a trancelike state, suggestions and choices can then be introduced. Permissive inductions are gentler where the therapist is the facilitator, allowing the client to make their own choices while in a safe reassuring environment reinforcing the therapist’s initial discussion with the client. Sentences used will be suggestive, for example, ‘You may like to close your eyes now’ or, ‘In your own time choose when to relax the muscles in your arms. ’ This style allows use of imaginative scenarios and metaphors. Clients who will respond to the permissive style are considered to be generally caring, like to please and are imaginative and have strong imagery skills. Direct and indirect suggestion can also be employed in the induction. Indirect suggestion can be beneficial with clients new to hypnotherapy that are resistant either through anxiety or negativity and when the authoritarian approach would not be appropriate. Milton Erikson preferred indirect methods (Chrysalis, Module 2) because he believed that the client should actively participate in their therapy. Erickson created a number of techniques known as ‘techniques of utilisation’ that could be used on people who seem resistant to hypnosis, whether they were resisting through anxiety or stubbornness. † Erickson’s techniques were very manipulative but very subtle, and allowed the individual client to take control of their own healing. He believed that if one technique does not work you must find one that does work. He believed in encouraging the resistance that the individual was exhibiting so that they would feel more comfortable responding within their own boundaries rather than those set by the therapist. In a typical example, a girl that bit her nails was told that she was cheating herself of really enjoying the nail biting. He encouraged her to let some of her nails grow a little longer before biting them, so that she really could derive the fullest pleasure from the activity. She decided to grow all of her nails long enough that she might really enjoy biting them, and then, after some days, she realised that she didnt want to bite them anyway. Indirect suggestion also opens the opportunity to use metaphor and imagery. This is particularly effective with children where storytelling and fantasy is something they can readily associate with. Karl and Boys (1987, p150) state that it is vital that each step should be adapted to suit the age, cultural background, developmental stage and intellectual and educational status of the child. Thus indicating that a personalised induction for children is imperative to achieve success and limit any negative effects. Direct suggestion as with the Authoritarian style will be more effective with clients who prefer this approach; however compounding the two styles as with the modalities will be effective as it ensures you are connecting with the client via their preferred style. Other styles of induction that can be employed is the â€Å"confusion technique†. This is used on individuals who may be very rigid and analytical. They are prone to criticise and would want to pick everything apart instead of relaxing into the hypnosis. By giving a confused message which contains little to understand, the client’s brain will be forced to shut down and go into a trancelike state. In this method there can be no personalisation for the client to focus on. In conclusion I think that in order to build a genuine rapport with the client, the therapist should always aim to personalise the induction, in relation to the reasons the client is seeking hypnotherapy. It is imperative to always carry out an in depth discussion to assess the client’s needs and to identify if there are any underlying factors which may prevent the therapist from treating the client. e psychosis. Also a client’s likes dislikes and phobias must be taken into account, therefore it is important to listen carefully to the client and be respectful of their needs. However it must also be accepted that an individual’s preferences and modalities are not fixed precisely because we are individuals whose reactions can change regularly throughout the day; therefore it would be preferable to compound all modalities and styles into the induction. It is also important to remember that the therapists’ preferences will also have an influence on how the induction is carried out and on the relationship with each individual client. Therefore I conclude that all inductions on a one to one basis are personalised inductions based on what the therapist has learned about the client and by learning what works best for that client.

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Citizens Clean Elections Act :: Politics Political Campaigns Essays

The Citizens Clean Elections Act Clean Elections Act is a proposition that gives everyday people like you and I a chance to give something back to our community without having to spend millions of dollars to campaign with but instead the money comes from donations on your W2 form and also taxpayers. Arizonans have agreed that it is just a better way to have elections among the rich companies and candidates. The current proposition has influenced a higher voter turn out along with more candidate competition. Though, this proposition is still currently active the large firms have taken it to the Federal courts seven times desperately trying to get the proposition overturned by saying it is unconstitutional. With the help of voters supporting this proposition we can keep the clean elections act in Arizona. As the wealthy politicians get more tax cuts the average everyday American running for office stands no chance in beating his competitor without having money to back him. In Arizona and three other states we have a different aspect that has changed elections since 1998 it is a clean act on campaigning, it helps the average man or woman to run for any office. The act protects average Americans who do not have millions of dollars to campaign with. The act makes a fair election process because whose to say that all rich people are the best candidates for the job why not an average American such as a teacher or a police officer to take on the task as a Senator or Governor for any state. Many Americans do not run for these positions because money has a huge impact on the way elections unfold in the United States. If you do not have campaigning money how can you get your name out there for anyone to see? So, in theory if you have no money you have no candidate. In 1998 when Arizonans passed the â€Å"Citizens Clean Elections Act† by a mere 51% they were the fourth state to have passed the act. The act is for candidates who need public funds for their own campaigning. In other states the public funding came from traffic tickets and surcharges making the Clean Elections Act not able to pass because that money was needed at other areas in the government. The court system deemed it unconstitutional to use traffic tickets for public campaigning since it was an optional funding for candidates.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Probability: Playing Card and Vocational Training Essay

Q1). You draw a card at random from a standard deck of 52 cards. Neither you nor anyone else looked at the card you picked. You keep it face down. Your friend then picks a card at random from a remaining 51 cards. a) What is the probability that your card is ace of spades? 1/52 b) What is the probability that your friend’s card is ace of spades? (Hint: Construct the sample space for what your friend’s card can be.) 1/51 c) You turn over your card and it is 10 of diamonds. Now what is the probability that your friend’s card is the ace of spades? 1/51 Q2). Suppose that 25% of the population in your area is exposed to a television commercial of Ford Automotive, and 34% is exposed to Ford’s radio advertisements. Also it is known that 10% of the population is exposed to both means of advertising. If a person is randomly chosen out of the entire population in this area, what is the probability that he or she was exposed to at least one of the two modes of advertising? ANS: P(A) = 0.25 P(B) = 0.34 P(A^B) = 0.10. Probability that he/she was exposed to at least one mode of advertising = 0.25 + 0.34 + 0.1 = 69% Q3). A Firm has 550 employees, 380 of them have had at least some college education, and 412 of the employees underwent a vocational training program. Furthermore, 357 employees are both college educated and have had vocational training. If an employee is chosen at random, what is the probability that he or she is college educated or has had the vocational training or both? Q4). A bank loan officer knows that 12% of the bank’s mortgage holders lose their jobs and default on the loan in the course of 5 years. She also knows that 20% of the bank’s mortgage holders lose their jobs during this period. Given that one of her mortgage holders just lost his job, what is the probability that he will now default on the loan? Q5). A Recent survey conducted by Towers Perrin and published in the Financial Times showed that among 460 organizations in 13 European Countries, 93% have bonus plans, 55% have cafeteria-style benefits, and 70% employ home-based workers. If the types of benefits are independent, what is the probability that an organization selected at random will have at least one of the three types of benefits? P(A) = 0.93, P(B) = 0.55, P(C) = 0.70. P(Not A) = 1 – 0.93, P(Not B) = 1-0.55, P(Not C)= 1-0.70 P(Not A B C) = 0.07 * 0.45 * 0.30 = 0.01155 P(atleast 1 event occurring) = 1-0.01155 = 0.988.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Money and Banking Study Guide Chapter 1-5

Chapter 1- Why study Money, Banking and Financial Markets? Why are Financial Markets Important? Financial markets are crucial to promoting greater economic efficiency by channeling funds from people who do not have a productive use for them to those who do. Well functioning financial markets are a key factor in producing high economic growth, and poorly performing financial markets, vice versa. Financial markets and intermediaries have the basic function of getting people together by moving funds from those who have a surplus of funds to those who have a shortage of funds. The Importance of Interest Rates On a personal level, high interest rates can deter you from buying a house or a car because the cost of financing would be too high. Conversely, they could encourage you to save because you earn more interest by putting your money aside in savings. ON a more general level, interest rates affect the overall health of the economy because they affect not only consumers’ willingness to spend but also businesses’ investment decisions. High interest rates for example might cause a corporation to postpone building a new plant that would provide more jobs. The Importance of Stocks On a personal level the fluctuations in stock prices affect the size of people’s wealth and as a result may affect their willingness to spend. On a general level, it affects business investment decisions since the price of shares affects the amount of funds that can be raised by selling newly issued stock to finance investment spending. A higher price for a firm’s shares means that it can raise a larger amount of funds, which it can use to buy production facilities and equipment. A higher price means it can raise a larger amount of funds, which it can use to buy production facilities and equipment. Role of Financial Intermediaries Financial intermediaries are institutions that borrow funds from people who have saved and in turn make loans to others. Banks are included in this category. They accept deposits and make loans. These include commercial banks, savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks and credit unions. Investment banks are, insurance companies, mutual funds etc. are a different category. Money growth and Inflation Inflation may be tied to continuing increases in the growth rate of the money supply. Countries with the highest inflation are those with the highest money growth rates. Questions: – Quantitative easing is done by the Federal Reserve buying more bonds. This is how they decrease the interest rate. Therefore, since the Federal reserve said they will be keeping the interest rate close to zero for the next two years, is this not considered QE3? – How many shares of stock are too much? Can’t a company infinitely raise money than? Like when does it become a problem in terms of ownership? When 51% is in the hands of the public? Are stock profits considered cash flow for a company? Chapter 2- An Overview of the Financial System Indirect Finance vs. Direct Finance In direct finance borrowers borrow funds directly from lenders in financial markets by selling them securities that are claims on the borrower’s future income or assets. In indirect finance, lender-savers provide funds to financial intermediaries, who provide funds to borrower and spenders, as well as into financial markets. This financial intermediary borrows funds from the lenders savers and then using these funds make loans to borrower-spenders. This process is called financial intermediation. It is more feasible for them to do this because of their economies of scale and ability to shy off transaction costs. Also it provides liquidity services, and risk sharing. This process of risk sharing is also sometimes referred to as asset transformation, because in a sense, risky assets are turned into safer assets for investors. Firm and Individual Ways to Obtain Funds First way is to issue a debt instrument such as a bond or a mortgage. Second is by raising funds through issuing equities, such as common stock. Primary vs. Secondary Market Primary is where new issues of a security such as a bond or sock are sold to initial buyers by the corporation or government agency borrowing the funds. A secondary market is a financial market in which securities that have been previously issued can be resold. An investment bank assists in the initial sale of securities in the primary market by underwriting the securities: it guarantees a price for a corporation’s securities and then sells them to the public. A corporation acquires new funds only when its securities are first sold in the primary market. Importance of Secondary markets Although they don’t directly increase corporations stock they nonetheless serve two important functions. (1) they make it easier and quicker to sell these financial instruments to raise cash; that is they make the it more liquid. This increased liquidity then makes them more desirable and thus easier for issuing firm to sell in the primary market. (2), the secondary market determines the price of the security that the issuing firm sells in the primary market. The investors buying in the primary will pay the corporation no more than the price they think the secondary market will set for the security. Brokers vs. Dealers Brokers are agents of investors who match buyers with sellers of securities; dealers link buyers and sellers by buying and selling securities at stated prices. A dealer is a person who will buy and sell securities on their account. On the other hand, a broker is one who will buy and sell securities for their clients. When dealing with securities, dealers make all decisions in respect of purchases. On the other hand, a broker will only make purchases as per the client’s wishes. While dealers have all the rights and reedom regarding the buying and selling of securities, brokers seldom have this freedom and these rights. Money Market vs. Markets The money market is a financial market in which only short-term debt instruments are traded. The capital market is the market in which longer-term debt instruments and equity instruments are traded. Money markets are usually more widely traded so tend to be more liquid. Short-term securities are also less volatile in p rices than long-term securities, making them more safer investments. Certificate of Deposit (CD) Is a debt instrument sold generally by commercial banks that pay annual interest of a given amount and at maturity pays back the original purchase price. They are sold in the secondary market. Repurchase Agreements (Repos) These are effectively short-term loans usually with a maturity of less than two weeks, for which treasury bills serve as collateral, an asset that the lender receives if the borrower does not pay back the loan. A large corporation for example may have some idle funds in its bank account say $1 million that it would like to lend for a week. Microsoft uses this excess $1mil to buy Treasury bills from a bank, which agrees to repurchase them the next week at a price slightly above Microsoft’s purchase price. The effect is that Microsoft makes a loan of $1 million ot the bank and holds $1 million of the bank’s treasury bills until the bank repurchase the bills to pay off the loan. Federal Funds and Federal Funds rate These are confusing because the federal funds designation is not to be confused with loans made by the federal government. It is rather by banks to other banks. One reason they might borrow from other banks is to meet the amount required by regulators. The federal funds rate is a closely watched barometer of the tightness of credit market conditions in the banking system. Its the interest rate at which depository institutions actively trade balances held at the Federal Reserve, called federal funds, with each other, usually overnight. When high that means banks are strapped for funds, when low, banks credit needs are low. Thus with a high federal funds rate banks require more money reserve in their vaults and thus can’t issue out loans as regularly. Asymmetric Information: Adverse Selection and Moral Hazard When one party often does not know enough about the other party to make accurate decisions. For example a borrower who takes out a loan usually has better information about the potential returns and risk associated with the investment projects for which the funds are earmarked than the lender does. Lack of information creates problems on two fronts: before the transaction is entered into and after. Adverse Selection The problem created by asymmetric information before the transaction occurs. It occurs when the potential borrowers who are the most likely to produce an undesirable (adverse) outcome –the bad credit risks- are the ones who most actively seek out al oan are are thus most likely to be selected. Moral Hazard The problem created by asymmetric information after the transaction occurs. It is the risk and hazard that the borrower might engage in activities that are undesirable from the lender’s point of view; because they make it less likely that the loan will be paid back. When you make a loan, it is usually by trust that they do what they say they’ll do with the money. Depository Institutions Commercial banks, Savings and loan Associations, Mutual Savings Banks, Credit Unions. These are financial intermediaries, referred to as simply banks in the text, that accept deposits from individuals and institutions and make loans. Thrift Institutions are all of these minus commercial banks. Commercial Banks Raise funds primarily by issuing checkable deposits, savings deposits, they then use these funds to make commercial, consumer, and mortgage loans and to buy US government securities and municipal bonds. They are the largest financial intermediary and have the most diversified portfolios of assets. Savings and Loan Associations and Mutual Savings Banks Obtain funds primarily through savings deposits often called shares and time checkable deposits. Over time they have been less constrained and are turning into commercial banks. Credit Unions Usually very small cooperative lending institutions organized around a particular group: union members, employees of a particular firm, and so forth. They acquire funds form deposits called shares and primarily make consumer loans. Contractual Savings Institutions Financial intermediaries that acquire funds at periodic intervals on a contractual basis, since they can predict with reasonable accuracy how much they will have to pay out in benefits in the coming years. Liquidity is not as important. Involve life insurance companies, fire and casualty insurance companies, and pension and government retirement funds. Finance Companies Raise funds by selling commercial paper and by issuing stocks and bonds. They lend funds to consumers who make purchases of items and to small businesses. Some are organized by parent corporations to help sell its product. Mutual Funds Acquire funds by selling shares to many individuals and use the proceeds to purchase diversified portfolios of stocks and bonds. Mutual funds allow shareholders to pool their resources so that they can take advantage of lower transaction costs when buying large blocks of stocks or bonds. Money Market Mutual Funds Similar to a mutual fund but they also function to an extent as a depository institution. They sell shares to acquire funds that are then used to buy money market instruments that are both safe and liquid. A key feature is that shareholders can write checks against the value of their shareholdings. Investment Banks It is not a bank or a financial intermediary in the ordinary sense; that is, it does not take in deposits and then lend them out. Instead, an Investment Bank is a different type of intermediary that helps a corporation issue securities. First it advises the corporation on which type of securities to issue (stocks or bonds) then it helps sell (underwrite) the securities by purchasing them from the corporation at a predetermined price and reselling them in the market. They also act as deal makers and earn enormous fees by helping corporations acquire other companies through mergers and acquisitions. Regulations involved Restrictions on entry, only those who have impeccable credentials and a large amount of initial funds are given a charter as a financial intermediary. Stringent reporting requirements for financial intermediaries. Restrictions on certain assets and activities. Deposit Insurance, Limits on Competition. Also, there is a restriction on interest rates that can be paid on deposits. These regulations were instituted because of the widespread believe that unrestricted interest-rate compensation helped encourage bank failures during the Great Depression. In terms of regulation abroad, the major differences between financial regulation in the US vs. Abroad relate to bank regulation as in the past the US was the only industrialized country to subject banks to restrictions on branching which limited banks size. Questions: When a company issues a secondary IPO, is it in the primary market or secondary market? Chapter 3 – What is Money? What are the requirements for Money? (1) Must be easily standardized making it simple to ascertain its value (2) It must be widely accepted (3) It must be divisible so that it easy to make change (4) It must be easy to carry and (5) It must not deteriorate quickly. Examples have included strings of beds used by Indians, to tobacco, and whiskey, to cigarettes. Functions of Money Money is used as (1) a medium of exchange to pay for goods and services (2) a unit of account used to measure value in the economy (3) a store of value used to save purchasing power from the time income is received until the time it is spent. Commodity Money Money made up of precious metals or another valuable commodity is called commodity money. Problem is that it is hard to transport. Fiat Money Paper Currency. It has the advantage of being much lighter than coins or precious metal, but it can be accepted as a medium of exchange only if there is trusting in the authorities that issue it and if printing has reached a sufficiently advanced stage that counterfeiting is extremely difficult. Major drawbacks are that they are easily stolen and can be expensive to transport in large amounts because of their bulk. To combat this there has been the invention of checks. Monetary Aggregates M1 = Currency + Traveler’s Checks + Demand deposits + Other checkable deposits. M2 = M1 + small denomination time deposits + savings deposits and money market deposit accounts + money market mutual fund shares. M1 is the most liquid while M2 is money including assets that have check-writing features and other assets that can be turned into cash quickly at little cost, but are not as liquid. Chapter 4 – Understanding Interest Rates Simple Loan PV = CF/(1+i)^n, there’s not payments in between, it’s just the lender provides the borrower with an mount of funds (principal) which is then repaid back to lender at the end of the maturity (can be any amount of years) as well as an interst. Fixed Payment Loan Lender provides borrower with an amount of funds which must be repaid by making the same payment every period consisting of part principal and part interest. Coupon Bond Your normal type of bond, pays interest by coupon payment, price changes, principal at end. Corporate bonds, treasury bonds, all are coupon bonds. Discount Bond Zero-Coupon Bond, this is a type of coupon bond where it is bought at a price below its face value and the face value is repaid at the end of the maturity date. However it does not make any interest payments. It’s coupon rate = 0. YTM = F-P / P Perpetuity Type of coupon bond that is a perpetual bond and has no maturity date where it repays a principal amount. P = C/i Current Yield With long-term bonds or perpetuities, I = C/P and this just equals the current yield. Distinction Between Interest Rates and Returns A lender is not better off if the interest rate rises. How well a person does by holding a bond or any other security depends on their assets return. Here for a bond, the return is defined as the payments to the owner plus the change in its value, expressed as a fraction of its price. R = C+P2-P1 / P1. R = i + g.. = Coupon rate + rate of capital gain. Greater fluctuations with Long Term Bonds When interest rates rise, long-term bonds bear the worse effect since their present values are taken into far far into the future, therefore their prices are more drastically changing. The more distant a bond’s maturity the greater the size of the percentage price change associated with an interest rate change. It’s all because of the change in capital growth. Interest Rate Risk Prices and returns for long-term bonds are more volatile than those for shorter-term bonds. The riskiness of an assets return that results form interest rate changes is called interest-rate risk. Bonds with a maturity that is as short as the holding period have no interest rate risk. This is true only for discount bonds and zero-coupon bonds. The key is to recognize that the price at the end of the holding period is already fixed at face value, the change in interest rates then have no effect on the price at the end of the holding period for thos bonds, and the return will therefore be equal to the yield to maturity. Fisher Equation Nominal interest rate always equals the real interest rate + the expected rate of inflation. Chapter 5 – The Behavior of Interest Rates Determinants of Asset Demand 1) Wealth – Increasing wealth creates more resources available with which to purchase assets and therefore quantity of assets we demand increases. (2) Expected Returns – An increase in an asset’s expected return relative to alternative assets raises the quantity of assets we demand. (3) Risk – The degree of risk or uncertainty of an asset’s ret urns also affects the demand for the asset. Increasing risk decreasing the quantity of assets demanded. (4) Liquidity – The more liquid an asset is relative to alternative assets, the more desirable it is and greater the quantity demanded. What determines interest rates? There’s two theories: the Bond Market Framework and the Money Market framework called the Liquidity Preference. The best Theory is the combination of the two. Demand Curve in the Bond Market As the interest rate rises, or prices of the bonds decrease, people or willing to lend out more money therefore increase their quantity of buying bonds. This explains the negative slope of the bond demand curve. Supply Curve in the Bond Market As the interest rates rise, or prices of the bonds decrease, people are less willing to borrow by selling bonds considering that their interest payments are higher. Therefore as interest rates increases, quantity of bonds decrease thereby explaining the positive slope of the supply curve. Shifts in the Demand for Bonds The theory of asset demand demonstrated before provides factors which cause the demand curve for bonds to shift. Therefore these four parameters are included: (1) Wealth – Increase in wealth increases demand for bonds. This is because with higher wealth, there is a growing business expansion, and therefore people are willing to lend out money more. Also, propensity to save, if households save more, wealth increases and demand for bonds rises. 2) Expected Returns – Increase in expected returns on bonds relative to alternative assets increases demand for bonds. (through expected interest rates and expected inflation) a. Interest Rates E – Higher expected interest rates in the future, say 10% to 20%, would lead toa sharp decline in price and a very large negative turn. Therefore if people expect higher interest r ates next year, the demand for bonds will decrease. b. Inflation Rate E – An increase in the expected rate of inflation lowers the expected return for bonds. This is because a change in expected inflation is likely to increase the return on physical assets relative to bonds, therefore leading to a fall in relative return on bonds therefore decreasing asset demand. (3) Risk – Increasing risk of bonds relative to alternative assets decreases demand for bonds. (4) Liquidity – Increasing liquidity of bonds relative to alternative assets increases demand for bonds. Shifts in the Supply Curve (1) Profitability of Investment Greater economic expansions yield increases in supply of bonds. The more profitable plant and equipment investments that a firm expects it can make, the more willing will borrow. When the economy is growing rapidly, investment opportunities that are expected to be profitable abound, and the quantity of bonds supplied at any given bond price will increase. (2) Expected Inflation – When inflation is expected to rise, the real cost of borrowing is more accurately measured by the real interest rate which is the nominal rate minus the expected inflation rate, thus real cost of borrowing falls hence quantity of bonds supplied increases. 3) Government Budget – Higher government deficits increase the supply of bonds and shift the supply curve to the right. Government surpluses however do the opposite. Fisher Equation WHEN EXPECTED INFLATION RISES – INTEREST RATES WILL RISE Changes in the Interest Rate due to a Business Expansion In an expansion, the amount of goods and services produced in the economy increase so the national income increases and therefore wealth increases. Therefore demand for bonds increases. At the same, opportunities that are profitable also increase and supply for bonds increase as people want to borrow more. Therefore what happens? Theoretically, nothing, quantity of bonds increases but price/interest rate can go either way. According to data though, usually the supply effect > demand effect as more people invest in new opportunities. Therefore interest rates generally rise during an economic expansion. Business Cycles and Interest Rates Data shows that interest rates rise during business cycle expansions and fall during contractions. Focusing into the Money market now. Liquidity Preference Framework says that the analysis of the money market is the same as the analysis of the bond market. Bs – Bd = Md – Ms. The reason that we approach both in the determination of interest rates with both frameworks is that the bond supply and demand framework is easier to use when analyzing the effects from changes in expected inflation, whereas the liquidity preference framework provides a simpler analysis of the effects from changes in income, the price level, and the supply of money. Demand Curve for Money REMEMBER THAT FOR THE MONEY MARKET THE Y AXIS IS INTERST RATE ICNREASING. As interest rates rise, the opportunity cost of holding money increases therefore quantity demanded for money decreases. The Federal reserve controls the amount of money supplied therefore they are able to cause it into equilbirum. Liquidity Preference Framework: Shifts in Demand for Money (1) Income – A higher level of income causes the demand for money at each interest rate to increase and the demand curve to shift right. People want to hold more money. Thus interest rates will rise. (2) Price-Level Effect – When price level rises the same nominal quantity of money is no longer as valuable; it cannot be used to purchase as many real goods or services. To restore their holdings of money in real terms to its former level people want to hold more money. Therefore increasing the price level increases the demand for money. Thus interest rates will rise. Liquidity Preference Framework: Shifts in Supply of Money (1) Only changes by the federal reserve. Now Combining Liquidity Preference and Bond Framewor When we Increase the MS (1) Income Effect – Because an increasing money supply is an expansionary influence on the economy, it should raise national income and wealth. Both the LP and BSD framwork indicate that interest rates will then rise. Thus the income effect of an increase in the money supply is a rise in interest rates. (2) Price – Level Effect – An increase in the money supply causes verall price level in the economy to rise. The liquidity preference framework indicates that this will lead to a rise in interest rates. (3) Expected Inflation Effect – The higher inflation rate that results from an increase in the MS also affects interest rates by affecting the expected inflation rate. The Bond Supply fr amework believes this leads to higher levels of interest rates. But does a higher rate of Growth of the Money Supply Lower Interest Rates? Of all the effects, only the liquidity effect indicates that a higher rate of money growth will cause a decline in interest rates. In contrast, the income, price level and expected inflation effects indicate that interest rates will rise when money growth is higher. Generally the liquidity effect from the greater money growth takes effect immediately because the rising money supply leads to an immediate decline in the equilbrium interest rate. The income and price level effects take tim to work because it takes time for the increase money supply to raise the price level and income which in turn raise interest rates. The expected inflation rate can be slow or fast depnding on wether or not people adjust expcations quik enough.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Education Should Be Free Essays

Education Should Be Free Essays Education Should Be Free Essay Education Should Be Free Essay The school is the last expenditure upon which a country should be willing to economize. Franklin D. Roosevelt Personally I believe, that education should be free. Every country should be interested in a well educated youth. That is because the young are our next generation and our future. Compulsory education is free, but higher education is really expensive. In Belarus 36% students are provided state-subsidized education. Other 64% pay about one thousand dollars yearly. 56 Average salary in our country makes up 400 dollars per month. Minimum consumer budget for a working woman of middle age makes up 230 dollars and for a student – 200 dollars. It means that higher education for a child from a single parent family is merely unachievable. 47 For the reason the tuition fees are raised once in a team, talented and diligent but of modest means students cannot pay after another raise and quit studies. It results in unrealized ambitions, melancholia and may lead to crime if such student cannot find job because he/she does not have a diploma. 2 However, tuition fees conduce to reduction of number of students who are not really serious and take up places in courses just because they do not want to work or do not know what to do. Therefore those who insist on knowing have chance to get education of higher quality. 50 I believe, that education should be free. I believe, that everybody should have equal opportunity to get a higher education, especially if he/she is diligent, willing and hard-working. Mihail Lomonosov, Marie Curie, Alexander Fleming and many other outstanding scientists were in need while getting the education. 46 Total: 251

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

John Grisham - His Most Recent Releases

John Grisham - His Most Recent Releases Although  John Grisham gained popularity through legal thrillers, he has successfully branched out these past few  years. For a more up-to-date taste of his work, here is a short list of John Grishams most recent releases.   Gray Mountain Published on October 21, 2014, Gray Mountain  is about a Manhattan lawyer who spends a year in Appalachia after losing her job during the 2008 financial crisis. In the process, she learns a lot about small town culture. Eventually, she enters the courtroom for the first time in her legal career and has a  run in  with big coal that becomes dangerous. The Whistler Grishams most recent book, The Whistler was published on October 25, 2016. While judges are expected to be models of intelligence, honor, and impartiality, The Whistler tells the story of a corrupt judge who bends the law. With a plot that involves the mafia, whistleblowers, hidden identities, and danger, this book has all the ingredients to make a page-turning thriller.   Camino Island The prolific John Grisham will publish his 30th book in 2017, titled Camino Island. The story revolves around a set of handwritten F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts that get stolen and sold into the black market. The FBI, a secret agency, and a young writer all get involved in the investigation of these missing documents.   Fans will be excited to hear that Camino Island will be released on June 6, 2017. Dont want to wait? Check out this complete list of Grisham books  and see if you missed one of his earlier novels.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

'The Woman in White' by Wilkie Collins and 'In a Glass Darkly' by Essay

'The Woman in White' by Wilkie Collins and 'In a Glass Darkly' by Sheridan LeFanu - Essay Example The uncertainty of what might happen, the inability to understand his 'reality', fear of the unknown and lack of control in the situation, will serve to drive the onlooker from engaging too closely with this individual. Several other responses can and do occur; pity, disgust, incredulity, horror and mistrust, and even a thrill of adrenalin rush from fear. As Byrne commented on the stigma of mental illness, "Negative attitudes to people with mental illness start at playschool and endure into early adulthood.(Byrne 2000) Thus the 'mad' person is dangerous and their credibility dubious; these are the elements which serve to complicate our the response to the works under discussion. When, as in the 'sensation' novel, the madness is encountered as part of normal, everyday experiences, the fear is enhanced. Though less well-informed on psychological matters, after all, it was a new science, the Victorians embraced the ideas of spiritualism and other-worldly phenomena. Seances, mediums, ghost-sightings, theatrical demonstrations, were part of life. Although Dickens' 'Our Mutual Friend' is not strictly of the genre, exploring a wider view of society, the scene created in the Boffin 2. household strikes fear into the mind of anyone interested in the spiritual. Mrs. Boffin is terrified, and says oddy, the faces of the old man and the two children are all over the house tonight. (She is seeing the dead). Dickens' portrayal of her husband's response creates that fearful sensation for the reader: y dearexclaimed Mr. Boffin. But not without a certain uncomfortable sensation gliding down his back.(Dickens, 1865, p. 190) The dead and the living come together throughout the book. Adam Hart Davis considers that; o some extent, the advance of science was undermining religionand n 1882 a group of academics [...] formed the Society for Psychical Research[...] this still today investigates paranormal phenomena.(Hart Davis, 2001, p. 70). The 'sensation' novels achieved their popularity by touching on matters which aroused not only feelings, but had wider religious and scientific contexts within that society. The quality of writing, the power of the narratives and the ability to create tensions, leaving readers 'on the edge of their seats', are also hugely important elements. That they combined the realities of Victorian society and family life with this 'otherness', added to the fright, and enhanced the popularity. Wilkie Collins' 'The Woman in White (1860) first published as a serial, engages the reader immediately, bringing those sensations to bear at once. From the outset, there is a hint of things being 'askew', when Hartwright meets the strange, potentially mad, Anne Catherick. The mingling of the mundane world with the shocking and uncanny, heightens the fearfulness of the experiences. Their later meeting, in the churchyard at Limmeridge, when Walter mentions who put Anne in the asylum, chills the blood, as indeed, the author intended. er

Friday, November 1, 2019

Biostatistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Biostatistics - Essay Example From our calculation, our odds ratio is skewed in nature and therefore it is not possible to make a direct calculation of the standard error. We have a 95% confidence level and the population odds ratio for heart disease associated with smokers lies within 1.21 (an increased odd of 1.21 fold) and 1.99 (an increased odd of 1.99) fold. When a confidence interval does not include the value of 1, we know that the odds of the measured outcome are different for both attributes even without a significance test. In this case, the confidence interval does not contain value 1.0, hence there is significant association between smoking and heart disease. The Odd’s ratio is 1.55, the smokers are having 1.55 times more risk of having heart disease on the other hand, the risk ratio is 1.2939, means for smokers there is 29.39% more chance to having risk of heart disease. Both the confidence intervals do not contain the value 1, hence the results of both Odd’s ratio and risk ratio are significant. Observe that for both Odd’s ratio and Risk ratio, the p value is 0, hence both the measures are equally significant. The odds ratio value is skewed and therefore it is not possible to directly calculate the standard error of the statistics. The no difference value for this statistics is 1 and therefore when a confidence interval includes the value of 1, we know that the odds of the measured outcome are the same even without a significance test. To evaluate the p value, we can use the chi-square approach but in this case, it is not appropriate therefore it would be proper to use Fisher’s exact solution. Odd’s ratio is preferred in case of a nested control study because it is an efficient method of analysis in terms of both time and cost. It also makes it possible to investigate a wide range of possible risk factors. Odd’s ratio is also particularly suitable to investigate rare diseases with a long induction period. Odd ratio is also preferred because it a