Documented Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Documented Critique - Essay Example There are many factors which are responsible for political opinions of any individual. In this the role of print and electronic media cannot be overlooked. The role played by electronic media for forming political opinions is indeed very clear for everyone to see. Political opinions are categorized as â€Å"Right Wing†, â€Å"Left Wing†, â€Å"Moderate†, â€Å"Liberal†, and â€Å"Conservative† etc. These terms are used for people, parties and media groups. Every political party wants to increase its vote bank and in order to achieve this use of media, particularly electronic media, comes into play. Forming political opinion is not an easy job in modern times. There are countless channels available on satellite, cable and internet. These elements are playing a major role in shaping the political opinion of public. Since every political party is aware of this fact therefore different media groups are supported by different political parties. This supp ort is normally covert as open support can prove damaging. In USA there are many media groups and they have a very strong say in political affairs. Different channels represent different political ideologies. They have a profound effect on the overall formation of political opinion of the population. One of the major US news network is Fox News. It is one of the most popular news channel and has variety of shows and programs to attract viewers. â€Å"The O'Reilly Factor† is a popular talk show of Fox News. It started as â€Å"The O'Reilly Report† in 1996. It is aired at 8 and 11 pm ET on weekdays. The O'Reilly Factor is a talk show which focuses on different political issues. The political views of the host are conservative. He presents his views as if he is a neutral commentator but has a special bias against the liberals. Whenever I watch the show my perception, that it is a biased show, about the show becomes strong. There are numerous instances in which the host fa ils to keep a balanced view and as a result put himself in trouble. It can be a media stunt also in order to attract viewers or increase ratings. Whatever the reason may be the fact remains that The O'Reilly Factor is a show, which presents an unbalanced view. The shows during Second Gulf War were full of one sided view. It was more a propaganda than informative show. The approach adopted during the war time was to justify every action of the Bush administration and ridicule those who were against the war. Saddam Hussain was presented as an evil figure. No doubt former Iraqi president was not a person to be appreciated but honesty demands that viewers should have been informed about all the facts. O’Reilly did not inform his viewers that it was USA support which helped Saddam Hussain in ruling for such a long period of time. Different US presidents helped former Iraqi president and this fact was never mentioned by Mr. O’Reilly. It was in the favor of US administration to support a dictator and therefore the attitude of different US administrations toward Saddam was very lenient. All human rights violations and tortures of Saddam regime were never mentioned as the policy of US government required the continuation of Saddam’s regime. Had O’Reilly presented this aspect to his viewers then without doubt his show would have been a balanced one but these facts were never uttered and the result was an unbalanced show. O’Reilly was quick to mention that weapons of mass destructions were in Iraq. He mentioned that they

Clinical Depression Overview Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Clinical Depression Overview - Research Proposal Example When depression strikes, a person will not only feel down, it may affect his ability to function normally in society, and in some extreme cases, it provokes the person to commit suicide. Being the most common mental disorder in the United States, depression affects over 17 million Americans each year ("Understanding Depression"). With these, depression is obviously a serious condition that should on no account be ignored. In identifying depression, certain factors such as gender, age, and culture should be taken into account. The manifestations of depression in different people are likely to vary in accordance with the aforementioned factors (Smith, R. Segal, and J. Segal). For instance, an elderly man would most probably exhibit different signs and symptoms of depression from a teenage girl. However, there are common signs and symptoms that we can watch out for. These signs and symptoms can be categorized into those involving the person's mood, his thinking, his behavior and physical manifestations ("Depression - Types, Causes and Symptoms"). Symptoms that involve the person's mood include feelings of sadness, hopelessness, helplessness, numbness, emptiness, anxiousness, and guilt. People who are depressed find it hard to enjoy and feel good about things that they used to do normally ("Depression - Types, Causes and Symptoms"). A depresse...People suffering from depression also find it difficult to think clearly and they have poor concentration and memory ("Depression - Types, Causes and Symptoms"). In some cases, as earlier mentioned, depressed people have suicidal thoughts and some actually attempt to kill themselves.

japanese occupation :: essays research papers

The American occupation of Japan   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fifty years after the end of the second World War, it is easy to look back on the American occupation of Japan and see it as a mild nudge to the left rather than a new beginning for the country. We still see an emperor, even if only as a symbol. Industry, when it was rebuilt, was under much of the same leadership as before the war. Many elements of the traditional lifestyle remained–with less government support and in competition with new variants. The Japanese people remained connected to a culture which was half western and half Japanese. Nevertheless, it is irrefutable that the surrender in 1945 had a major impact on the lives of the Japanese. Political parties, elected by the populous, became a great deal more influential in the government. This changed the dynamics of Japanese industry, even if the zaibatsu were sill the foundation of the economy. Financial success took on a new character; the production of high tech goods for sale to the world’ s most developed countries was now a better source of income. The affluence of the upper class was more evenly distributed. On a broader scale, for the first time, America had more influence than European powers. The prevention of the formation of a military put the focus of the government on trade, the United Nations, and the cold war rather than an empire in Asia. Simultaneously, social attitudes and lifestyle were more independent of the government and consumer led.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The American military occupation of Japan was the driving reason for all of the changes in postwar Japan. Its first task, determined even before the surrender was to disarm Japan and to remove the wartime leaders from their influential government positions. This was part of America’s plan to demilitarize and democratize. The goal was to purge the government, media, and education system of war criminals. Once this was accomplished, the American focus shifted to reform. The American plan for reform was based on the idea that Japanese aggression had developed because of fundamental faults in the government, (not, as the Japanese said, from a temporary deviation from the course set during the Meiji period) and that these faults had to be corrected before Japan could ever become a respected member of the developed world. Democratization was what America wanted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first steps in the reforming process were obstructive to America’s goal of democracy.

Bussiness Proposal

Describe how the current market conditions will affect the planning or operating decisions involving the product. Market Structure The market structure in this instance could fall into one of two types, oligopoly or monopoly (McConnell, Bruce, & Flynn, 2009). The rationale behind oligopoly is that several large retailers currently provide this service and control the availability, use, and other aspects of the programs (McConnell, Bruce, & Flynn, 2009). The rationale behind monopoly is that the program is limited to each organization (McConnell, Bruce, & Flynn, 2009).For example the program used at my organization is call the Shop Your Way Rewards program, it is only available at Smart and Sears, it cannot be used at other retailers and is exclusively controlled by Sears Holding Inc. Ultimately The market structure is a combination of a monopoly and oligopoly. Price Elasticity of Demand Price elasticity of demand has little effect on this product as the product is a free program prov ided by the organization. Despite this fact price elasticity does have an effect on the use of the program in that the customers can earn points on purchases and in turn spend those points on other researched.In this instance, as prices rise or fall within the store the use of the product increases or decreases as a result. If for instance a products price rises at the store level, the number of points earned during purchases using the product increases as well. Likewise as the prices increase it requires customers to have more points available to make purchases. Though the rewards card is a free program an increase in product prices would translate to an increase in demand for the rewards card.In looking at the determinants of price elasticity of demand, substitutability is first. The only way to substitute this product would be to shop at a competitor using the rewards program there such as a Kroger Plus card. Another substitute would be to use coupons instead of the card; however enhance them. The next determinant is proportion of income, again this would tie into the selling price of products and how the rewards program would offset any increases in price therefore increasing the amount of funds available to purchase products.Next is the luxury versus necessity determinant, the rewards card applies to both and is neutral in this area as it can be used for either luxuries or necessities. The last determinant is time, as more consumers become familiar with this product the demand will increase as the benefits are realized. Profit-Maximizing Quantity This program essentially gives the customer a percentage of his or her purchase price back in the form of points that can be redeemed during a transaction Just like cash.The program also generates coupons based on purchase levels and membership levels for additional dollars or percentages off purchases. Through data analysis, the company has determined that customers enrolled in the program average three addition al shopping trips per onto than non-members, the data also reveals that members purchase on average $13 more per transaction than non-members. Points are earned one point at a time based on one percent of every $1 . An example of this would be a purchase of $100 would translate to gaining 10 points.Every 10 points equal one penny, 1,000 points equals $1, 10,000 points equals $10, and so forth. By increasing the frequency of customers return trips along with the average dollar amount of those purchases the company is essentially paying for the program by enrolling new members. As membership increases so do sales and in turn profits. Price and Non-price Strategies Because the program is free, no price is placed upon the product. A non-price strategy is currently underway in which the benefits of membership are expressed by checkout operators during the customer checkout experience.The company has also set enrollment and usage goals for each location within the company as well. Through the increase in verbal communication with every customer the company will realize the goals set and will be able to increase the goals as they are met. Production Costs The production costs associated with this product are the production of plastic cards for consumers to carry for purposes of using the program and redeeming points. This has been reduced over the last year and a half of the programs existence by encouraging customers to use their mobile phone number to access the account.The company also has an internally produced website specific to the program that allows customers to update information and review purchases and current point amounts. This required only a small outlay in web design as the hardware and software was already in place to support the aerogram. The company also is reducing costs on receipts as part of the program is to allow customers to receive electronic receipts via e-mail instead of printed paper receipts. The costs of the program also include the po ints issued to customers. These costs are offset by the increases in purchases.The following is a hypothetical cost break started the program by mass producing credit card-sized plastic rewards cards along with multicolumn, trip-fold brochures. The company's initial investment was $1 million for the printing, distribution, and advertisement of this program. The initial program an for 12 months prior to the first cost reduction initiative. The program had recurring costs of $100,000 per month to continue production and distribution of materials. This initiative was to eliminate the plastic card and eliminate the need for informational brochures.This was accomplished through the use of customer phone numbers and email addresses as identifiers instead of physical cards. The next reduction was made through the implementation of a website where the information regarding the product could be accessed by customers. This resulted in a net reduction of costs by $75,000 per month. The costs a ssociated with points accumulated and spent by customers is variable and changes month to month, the amount has been steadily increasing since the program's inception and will continue to do so.To curb expenses associated with this part of the program the suggestion is to limit the number of points that can be redeemed in any transaction as well as place an expiration date on accumulated points. This will prevent customers from saving up a large number of points and eroding profit margin. Current Global Economic Conditions and the Local Macro Economy The current global economic conditions eave led to increases production costs of products sold by Smart and Sears as a result these increased costs have been passed on to consumers in the form of price increases on the products.The rewards program will offer consumers a way to offset these increased costs by earning rewards points that will allow them to reduce the total amount of their purchase. The program will also issue member-only coupons to these consumers which will further reduce his or her costs. By doing this the company will see an increase in brand loyalty and revenues. Recent economic trends in the United States include new growth in the housing market, as consumers arches homes and contractors build new homes the demand for products offered by both Smart and Sears will increase and as a result the demand for the rewards program will increase as well.The company is seeking a 75% penetration rate across all avenues of the business, including brick and mortar stores and online outlets. Local Economies Current Stage in the Business Cycle The local economy is currently in an expansion period as businesses are slowly starting to rebound from the recession. This is evident by the increase in home sales and the resulting increase in mortgage rates, along with the decrease in unemployment. As a result the demand for the product will increase as people begin to have more disposable income and seek out purchase s for both luxury items, such as televisions and necessity items such as food.The product uniquely will set Smart and Sears apart from the competition in fighting for this increase in disposable income by allowing customers to access a virtually limitless amount of products through Internet shopping sites and affiliate marketplaces set up on those sites. The current market conditions for Smart and Sears are still in a period of struggle as individuals are still recovering from the recession. As individuals recover the company must fight to regain market share from new competitors such as Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree.These three companies capitalized on the recession by offering low price products that undercut many big box retailers such as Smart, Target, and Wall-Mart. As the economy recovers it will be important for Smart and Sears to pursue actively the consumers lost to these competitors and a way to do that is with the rewards program. Conclusion The program p rovides a unique experience for customers as the points are redeemable on virtually any product carried either in tore or online.The program also generates sales and profit with a low amount of investment from the company. Customers will have generated roughly three to four times the amount of profit needed to cover the issuance of the points to each customer. Management should have a solid understanding of how effective and beneficial this program is and how the continued success of the program directly translates to the success of each business unit. Reference McConnell, C. R. , Bruce, S. L. , & Flynn, S. M. (2009). Economics. Unknown, NY: McGraw-Hill Company.

Emerging Adulthood Developing Adults Experience Alcohol

Da Yu Engineering 10, Section 2 Oct. 9, 2015 Emerging Adulthood Paper Outline I. Introduction A. Thesis: While college is a great time for emerging adults experience alcohol, the abuse of alcohol can be consequential to the development of a proper and healthy adult. B. Emerging adulthood is a period of development that coincides with college, around years 18-25 (Arnett, 2000). At this stage, young adults fully learn about themselves, their roles, and who they are. C. In this context, we will use binge drinking to describe the abuse of alcohol. Wechsler and Nelson (2001) defines binge drinking as for drinking 5 or more alcoholic drinks at one time in the span of half a month for men and 4 or more drinks for women in that same time frame.†¦show more content†¦B. Study 1: Weitzman, Nelson, and Wechsler (2003) sought to identify some of the factors that may lead to students’ binge drinking during their college years using questionnaires. 1. One good social indicator for binge drinking was the attitudes of their parents towards alcohol. More students that did not partake in binge drinking reported that their parents did not approve of drinking when they were growing up than students who did binge drink. C. Study 2: Borsari and Carey (2001) also studied social factors in college aged binge drinkers, mainly through the use of questionnaires, but also through student recorded logs of their alcohol usage. 1. Borsari and Carey (2001) suggests that one factor towards the increase in drinking during college years is the temporary removal or slight reduction in parental pressure against drinking. As a result, their peers influence them much more. 2. In addition, they also suggest that the environment that college provides creates a much more alcohol friendly space. In order to create new friend groups, students may partake in social gatherings where alcohol is available. These new friend groups may rely only on drinking and partying to stay together and can lead to excessive drinking in student. D. Social factors are not the only factors that may result in college student binge drinking. Some other

Philip Roth «There’s More to Life Than Writing»

Philip Roth, the world-famous fiction writer, remains true to his decision to leave literature. He finished his last book in 2009, and since that time, according to him, he hasn’t written a word.  «I have no desire to write fiction » insists Roth in his last interview. It is hard to believe, that a writer, whose talent helped him win the Man Booker International prize and who contended for the Nobel for ages, could quit writing so simply. But the author claims that his writing period of life has reached its end for good. Why Would He Retire? One of the primary reasons of Roth’s retirement is his intention to live for himself. He believes that his great work at fiction writing has come to an end, so now he can enjoy such pleasant activities as swimming, watching baseball, listening to music, meeting friends and relaxing. Also he is keen on studying American 19th century history, which is tightly bound with the past of his own family: that helps him stay focused and avoid depressive thoughts on writing, aging and death. 80-year-old Roth is completely satisfied with his new lifestyle – his only regret is that only now he discovered how different life can be. American English Writer Roth is often labeled as a Jewish American author, but the writer himself disagrees. He considers that its the language you choose for your works, which defines you as a writer. His writing language is American English, that is why he thinks of himself as of American English writer. Roth says, that even if he wrote his books in Yiddish, he would rather consider himself Yiddish writer than Jewish. By the way, the Jewish community does not quite appreciate his views on himself as of American English writer. Neither is it appealing to the Jews how he showed their national whims and flaws in some of his works. Some reviewers even suggested that he is a self-hating Jew. Nevertheless, Roth could not care less. Say â€Å"No† to Book Clubs What is interesting, Roth has told his interviewer, Stanford scholar Cynthia Haven, that he knows nothing about book clubs and that he doesn’t have any intention to visit book club meetings. He explained this prepossession with belief, based on his teaching experience, that it takes a lot of effort to read thoughtfully, and that book clubs are unlikely to offer effective manner to do it. The books, which visitors read in such literary â€Å"communities†, are hardly ever analyzed and interpreted in a proper manner. It is quite clear, that Philip Roth feels well about dropping out of the writers community. And though it is good for the author himself, it is also sad: some people struggle to write something spectacular to the end of their lives and never succeed, and those, who are creative and skilled enough to write true masterpieces, just bury their talent.

Assessment And Recommendations For U.s. Banking System And...

BA526 Assessment and Recommendations for the U.S. Banking System and Global Economy 7/18/2015 ASSESSMENT OF THE U.S. BANKING SYSTEM AND GLOBAL ECONOMY 2 Table of Contents Part 1: Assessment of Current State of U.S. Banking System and Global Economy ................. 3 Functions and Roles of U.S. Financial Institutions .......................................................................... 3 Impact of Monetary Tools Used by the Federal Reserve ............................................................... 6 How the Banking System Impacts Supply and Demand within Business .................................... 9 Role of Money Markets, Stock Markets, and Over-the-Counter Markets ................................... 11 Part 2: Recommendations for How U.S. Can Improve Banking Regulations ............................ 14 Current Banking Regulations and the History of How They Came to Be ................................... 14 Improving Regulatory Practices ....................................................................................................... 18 The Future of Domestic and International Central Banking ......................................................... 21 References .......................................................................................................................................... 23 ASSESSMENT OF THE U.S. BANKING SYSTEM AND GLOBAL ECONOMY 3 Part 1: Assessment of Current State of U.S. Banking System and Global Economy Functions and RolesShow MoreRelatedBussiness in Pakistan1686 Words   |  7 Pages The Country Risk Tier (CRT) reflects A.M. Best’s assessment of three categories of risk: Economic, Political and Financial System Risk. †¢ Pakistan, a CRT-5 country, is itself the site of military and terrorist activity. Its fundamental lack of political stability is a challenge to its economic and financial outlook. Economic Risk Moderate Low High †¢ Regional instability and domestic bureaucratic inadequacies challenge this economy that, though recently liberalized by the governmentRead MoreThe Federal Reserve and Its Role in the Global Economy5550 Words   |  23 PagesIntroduction The American economy is a complex balance of services, financial, manufacturing, agricultural, and banking industries. For this reason, the U.S. is a global economy, relying upon foreign investments and trade to create and retain wealth. Over the years, America has evolved from farming-based, to industrial, to a services-based economy. As a result, the banking system from its inception has weathered the many growing pains associated with a new government and currency, institutingRead MoreThe World Bank1416 Words   |  6 Pagesessential in values of major international institutions. In order to receive the World Bank credit, poor countries need to comply several conditions set by World Bank which are in most cases aim to promote good governance but also liberalise countries economy to open market. As the essay question suggests not all people support this neo-capitalist approach as it may result in tension, exploiting of one by the other, and impact negatively on both society and environment of the developing country. As a resultRead MoreAssessment Of Country Risk And Opportunities1452 Words   |  6 PagesAssessment of Country Risk Opportunities: UAE FIN 410-02 Carlos Chuquin, Bryan Lopez, Bailey Martz The UAE has one of the most diversified economies in the region. Abu Dhabi holds 90% of the Federation’s hydrocarbon reserves. A down side of that is that now the UAE is dependent on the revenues Abu Dhabi can obtain from the reserves. On the other hand, the service industry in Dubai has been booming, as Dubai has the 7th largest port in the world and has become the largest business center in theRead MoreStrategy of Mobile Phone Industry5915 Words   |  24 Pagesstrengths, weakness, financial analysis (quantitative), Vario analysis (Qualitative), merger and acquisitions, market share and competitive advantage strategy, of Apple, Sony and Xiaomi. At the end, the author of this assignment has given his recommendation to these three industries and concludes with a set of challenges being faced by mobile phone industry to create and maintain customer values and profit margins for present and future business successes. The strategy of the mobile phone industryRead MoreFinancial Benefits Of Banks : Some Chilean Lessons9549 Words   |  39 PagesCenter for Finance, Law Policy Professor of the Practice of Banking Law September 8th, 2015 ABSTRACT The present working paper is referred to the analysis of some â€Å"financial benefits† that banking institutions would be receiving as Too Big to Fail (TBTF) banks. The request is whether those institutions are constantly subsided from governments or it is merely a hypothetical idea. For those purposes, it is analyzed the Chilean banking industry to disclose the implicit subsidy in the South AmericanRead MoreChile And The Us Banking Industry9279 Words   |  38 Pagesof some â€Å"financial benefits† that banking institutions would be receiving as Too Big to Fail (TBTF) banks. The request is whether those institutions are constantly subsided from governments or it is merely a hypothetical idea. For those purposes, it is analyzed the Chilean banking industry to disclose the implicit subsidy in the South American country. In order to answer the posited questions, first it is cited some similarities between Chile and the US banking industry, and then how it evolvedRead MoreNpa in Banks17095 Words   |  69 PagesNPAs 8 – 12 5. LITERATURE REVIEW †¢ Banking theory –history and banking system †¢ Banking composition †¢ Banking today and tomorrow 13- 33 6. COCEPTUAL ANALYSIS †¢ Indian banking system †¢ The problem of non performing assets †¢ Reasons for turning an asset in NPA †¢ Trend in NPAs 34 – 52 7. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS †¢ Impact of NPAs †¢ Difficulties with NPA †¢ Key structural changes †¢ Reporting format of NPA 53- 60 8. RECOMMENDATION 61- 64 9. REFERENCES 65 Read MoreVietnam’s Textile Industry7086 Words   |  29 PagesThis paper seeks to look at Vietnam’s economy, financial sector, and political sector in respect to the textile industry. In an attempt to evaluate the feasibility of entering a foreign market, we focus our paper on a mid-sized company called Augusta Textile Company. This paper seeks to evaluate Vietnam’s potential for investment, particularly in the textile industry. While the company seeks to increase revenues and keep costs of production low, the company must look to expand to growing marketsRead MoreFiscal Policy Role and Development in Bulgaria and Eu7949 Words   |  32 PagesBulgaria and in the EU Fiscal policy is a set of measures by the government aimed to slow or stimulate the economy. Such measures are changes in tax policy and government spending. With the changes that are made the government influence directly to the demand. Fiscal policy is based on the theories of the British economist John Maynard Keynes. The idea is that the state can influence the economy by increasing or reducing the taxes and public spending. This influence is limiting the inflation (taken