Baseball By Ken Burns Baseball Is The Constitution, Jazz...

There is something magical in the crack of a baseball bat meeting a baseball. The hush of the crowd before the pitch allows the 1.4 kHz to echo through the stadium. This sound needs no onomatopoeia; we can all recall it from a memory at a baseball park or from any of the countless baseball movies ever produced. This classic sound has traveled through the years, from the beginnings of professional baseball to today. First called a national pastime in 1856, baseball has endured over two hundred and twenty years as a sport in America, almost as long as America has been America. It has been with us through revolutions, civil wars, world wars, and depressions. To quote Gerald Early in Ken Burns’ documentary, Baseball, â€Å"There are only three things that America will be remembered for 2000 years from now when they study this civilization: The Constitution, Jazz music, and Baseball.† The memories shared through generations of baseball can be pictured by many, the pickup game of all the neighborhood boys in the vacant lot down the street, the miraculous foul ball landing right in your lap, the classic summer day spent at the ballpark eating hotdogs and singing â€Å"Take Me Out to the Ball Game† and â€Å"Sweet Caroline.† But more recently, these classic memories are being replaced by those of overbearing Little League coaches who need to take a chill pill, boring games that go on for nine extra innings, and overpriced hotdogs that just don’t taste right. Baseball has basked in the glory ofShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesaway from localities to central governments as nation-states insisted on their power to register, count, deport, and monitor the peoples within their borders. Revolutionary France is an early and iconic example of this paradoxical shift. Its constitution of 1791 guaranteed the â€Å"natural and civic right† of freedom â€Å"to move about, remain and depart.† At the same time, it is credited with the â€Å"invention of the passport,† inasmuch as this new passport was a standardized identity document issued by

Job Analysis Process Free Essays

All businesses have daily needs and challenges to everyday, which is why Human Resource managers and other managers’ turns to Job analysis to help them plan efficiently and effectively. Job analysis an important practice widely used in today’s business. A thoughtful and carefully constructed job analysis process gathers information about the duties, responsibilities, and essential skills required to ensure that the proper persons are placed in the appropriate positions with the right qualifications to fulfill and perform the required job demands. We will write a custom essay sample on Job Analysis Process or any similar topic only for you Order Now Thoughtful collaborative planning, led by the HR Manager and staff, lends flexibility to the dynamic and constantly changing needs of the organization and the people who labor within. The purpose, process and method of job analysis is the subject of further discussion here to help understand the critical nature creating a true value add within the HR function. The Purpose of Job Analysis Job Analysis and the information obtained is crucial to recruiting, selection and retention; training programs; performance evaluation and managing compensation; job design and redesign; and above all supporting management to meet the demands of efficiency and productivity. It is essential for the organization’s HR to understand what is needed, where and when to help fulfill the company’s goals and objectives, yet remain responsive to changing needs and circumstances. Job analysis certainly provides this highly beneficial insight in the following key areas: Recruitment and Selection: HR management uses Job Analysis to select the ‘best’ fit of applicants to positions. Job analysis assists HR in carefully identifying the most capable candidates possessing the most suitable education, advanced knowledge, and appropriate proper skills necessary to perform a job, or better, function. Training and Development: Job Analysis is also essential in determining the type, depth and quantity of training and development needed to integrate new-hires, enhance organizational and personal job  proficiencies and maintain current awareness and understanding of changing workplace initiatives. Continuing training and development goals are particularly well served to improve the employees’ knowledge and understanding of the required job duties. A good The Job Analsis system provides detailed tools to assist management in deciding which systems, tools and materials are needed to help accomplish training and development goals. Evaluation of Employees Performance: Measuring employee performance and productivity is essential to aid management in meeting company goals as well as hiring and retaining quality staff at all levels of the organization. Thorough, thoughtful and monitored Job Analysis process can be used to flexibly and objectively measure metrics and objective s to make sure that goals are being met, productivity maintained ensuring continuing company success. Compensation and Benefits: Objective Job Analysis allows ‘fair’ standards to be set for salaries, wages and benefits paid. The process underscores the value of employee experience, skills and growth with particular job requirements. With a good process in place HR can capably assist management in setting career paths, employee development, incentives, promotions, raises and so forth. The Process of Job Analysis The Job Analysis process will help companies intelligently align tasks and functions with ‘most’ qualified applicants, hire and retain them, all the while promoting efficiency and flexibility to meet the demands of a competitive marketplace. Staffing plans are best managed and derived in large part by determining and knowing how many employees are required for particular positions, match qualifications with pay, while setting performance measures. Establishing a dynamic Job Analysis process requires several important parts to be effective in meeting company needs, including but not limited to the following: Understanding Embracing Job Analysis: Understanding embracing Job analysis, even in small companies will help a firm identify and recognize the different methods of job analysis and data necessary to establish a solid effective system best suited to the company environment. Input Analysis: An important first step is to determine who will be primarily responsible for job analysis. While usually managed by the human resource department, company managers, consultants, and even customers will have vital input and contributions. Choosing the appropriate process pays dividends later and is a vital way to self-inform management and HR as to priorities, benchmarks and the labor market. Establishing objective criteria early on in examining particular jobs, skills, an company needs establishes a good basis for managing the system and adopting methods best suited to do so. Planning Decision Making: Any business process or system is only as good as the information gathered and provided and every level of the organization could be rendered ineffective by too much, too little or irrelevant information with which to make important HR decisions. Obtaining meaningful employee feedback has long proven to be helpful but often overlooked. How much information gathered from inside and outside the organization is key consideration along with how information and data are recorded, presented and weighted. HR management and company management must pay attention to letting Job Analysis get to embedded in old information or become irrelevant to management decision-making processes. A Job Analyst: Even in small companies where employees wear various hats, it is critical to have a properly trained Jobs Analyst. The Analyst should have a thorough up to date knowledge of various analytical methods, research skills, be organized and a good communicator. Innovative experience, if affordable or desirable, would be a big help. Cost effective consulting could be a ready complement or substitute. Even if this function is ‘as needed’ or part time, the Analyst’s role will enable the function to remain useful and dynamic. Job Analysis Process Overview: Project and process information is routinely communicated within the organization in many ways. Identifying the communication channels, throughputs and outputs is much more productive than asking people what they do all day long and there are many psychologically barriers of all employees regardless of rank to answer interview questions and questionnaires honestly. While there is a place for such investigative tools, there is no substitute for observing, discussing and analyzing the skills necessary for a specific position matched against realistic management expectations and using modern methods to match with company requirements. Collecting the Data: Job information and functional data, such as available applicant qualifications, skills and abilities, job activities, duties and responsibilities, are collated so that all such needed and important is readily available in an understandable format to all recipients. The HR manager and management should be constantly searching for enhancements to recruit talent at all levels of the organization, even if not immediately required. Planning flexibly and with foresight can pay huge dividends later. Review, Validation, Monitoring: Similar to hiring, a diligent effort must be made to ensure that data and details collected for analysis are up to date, relevant and realistic and in presentable format. Review of all positions should be made objectively and at all levels of the organization. Feedback from a variety of sources is helpful. Deriving and Implementing Job Descriptions Specifications: Generally job descriptions are referred to as tasks, duties and abilities (TDA). At this stage, no one, supervisors, managers, or job seekers should have any significant questions about the position. About the company and benefits, yes, about the ‘job’ – not with a fully functioning, flexible and objective Jobs Analysis. Recruiting and retention are vastly facilitated by selecting proper candidates for positions by matching properly described knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics, known as KSAO. The HR manager, and department, having followed the correct steps for their company can now use Job Analysis processes to assist company management in performance measuring, turnover (and reasons for), earnings/costs, productivity, incentive programs, and most important as a ‘budgeting tool’ for human resource allocation. Care, however, must be taken not to let the process run itself. Continuous monitoring and review is required by all levels of management with HR taking the lead. By utilizing Job analysis, a company can standardize and build a dynamic, thoughtful and above all a flexible Job Analysis process, usually with nominal investment, and by engaging in the process significantly aid in the achievement of company goals. Establishing a thoughtful process at any time will save time and money, matching the changing needs of the organization with quality and qualified personnel. The HR function can take positive proactive steps to identify quality employees with desired skills and education that match the skills needed by the firm while allowing for a variety of other value-added features to meet future demands of the firm, all starting with a Job Analysis process. How to cite Job Analysis Process, Essays

Socrates Psychic Harmony Is The Greatest Good Essay Example For Students

Socrates: Psychic Harmony Is The Greatest Good Essay Socrates: Psychic Harmony Is The Greatest GoodErika Hall516-78-2200Philosophy 120Socrates believes that psychic harmony is the greatest good, and thatthe result of it is moral (rational) behavior. He also believes that if youhave a healthy body and soul then you are in psychic harmony with yourself. Hesays that this is good intrinsically and instrumentally. Which means that it isgood for its own sake and the sake of the consequences. Therefore, immoralbehavior is a result of an unbalanced personality and leads to irrationalbehavior. Psychic harmony is a psychological condition and makes one moral,which according to Socrates is a social condition. Psychic harmony has nomotivation. You either have it or you dont. Moral behavior comes from yourown beliefs and desires. If one is bad or unjust in the social sense it isbecause of their sensuality, greed, or vanity. This is because of a disorderedpsychological condition. According to Socrates where there is psychicharmony, the motives for injustice in the social sense will be eliminated.I believe that Socrates is correct. If you are at peace with yourselfyou are also morally right towards society. Those that arent are usuallyimmoral and dont do what is considered right by others. I do not think it ispossible to be in psychic harmony and yet act immoral. It may be possible,however, that if one is immoral, and wishes to be moral, they could learn to bein psychic harmony if they really wanted it.

Leadership in Organization

Introduction Globalization affectsleadership in diverse ways. Indicatively, there is an eminent increase in the level of organizational competitiveness. This trend remains observable within different business and organizational arena. The pattern explains the need for strategic leadership within organizations (DuBrin, 2011).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership in Organization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper defines the concept of leadership. It also highlights the significance of leadership and outlines its basic disparities with management. In addition, the discussion outlines and explains the six qualities of an effective leadership within organizational settings. Finally, there is a discussion of four different leadership styles. The paper also compares and analyzes the leadership styles. In this process, it provides examples of such leaders. Leadership Leadership involves several functions and processes. Simply, it involves the process of directing individuals towards the attainment of specific objectives. The process involves controlling, managing and even manipulating. Leadership bears a lot of importance. Generally, groups of persons require an effective guidance and stewardship. The process enables timely accomplishment of principal goals. Observably, organizations are composed of diverse personalities (Polelle, 2007). Leadership helps in the processes of conflict resolutions. Leadership enables individuals to develop analytical and critical skills. These are appropriate for effective dispute resolution. Leadership is important for personal motivation and inspiration. It is critical to note that motivation is a vital element in the development of novelty amongst various groups. Therefore, leadership forms the springboard for innovation and transformation within organizations. Most leadership strategies play significant roles in introducing transformation or change initiatives within organizations. This practice remains entrenched in positive value systems and beliefs. Leadership is applicable in the nurturing and development of constructive behavior patterns and organizational culture (DuBrin, 2011). There are several disparities between leadership and management processes. For example, unlike management, leadership operates to develop concepts and principles. On the other hand, management operations are purely administrative. Whilst most management procedures accept a given status quo, leadership processes enhance innovation. Management applies pragmatic approaches in handling situations. However, leadership remains more resourceful (Jones Pound, 2008). Moreover, its basic aim is to apply transformative problem resolution mechanisms. Leadership applies humanistic attributes such as empathy. Additionally, it concentrates on the development of personality.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you ! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In these initiatives, it provides attention to individual understanding and motivation. Conversely, management operations assume linear perspectives. There is also an eminent focus on structure and mechanisms. Management processes perceive threats and reduce the notable weaknesses. Leadership Qualities Effective leaders depict transformative and strong personal qualities. Foremost, an effective leader must be visionary. This means that such leaders must have the competency to initiate strong vision within their teams. This defines the scope of operation and the critical objective of the entire team. It also indicates the path that followers must pursue. Secondly, it is vital for leaders to be reliable (Jones Pound, 2008). The followers are able to depend on and build trust on their leaders. An effective leader must not indulge in issuing false promises. Moreover, such leaders must be steadfast in meeting their promises. This r elates to promises pertaining to the internal and external stakeholders. This quality enhances the processes of delegation and task completion. Effective leaders require audacity as an important quality. This quality enables leaders to be outspoken and commanding. Particularly, this relates to dealing with their followers. The quality is vital since leadership involves effective communication and feedback processes. Leaders need the capacity to empower their followers. Effective leaders stir the emotions and motivate followers to achieve their life goals. Most innovators indicate the significance of motivation in enhancing novelty. This quality is vital in the accomplishment of collective organizational objectives. All effective leaders must have a positive and constructive attitude towards their duties (DuBrin, 2011). This quality enables them to act as role models. Through this, they are also able to initiate good examples for their followers. Lastly, it is necessary for leaders t o adopt motivating and transformative qualities. These are necessities in decision-making processes. Leadership Styles Autocratic leaders exercise full control over their followers. This leadership style is very different from the transactional or transformational headship. In this style of leadership, the followers have minimal capacities to provide advice. Moreover, they do not participate in decision processes within the system (Polelle, 2007). It is unlike the democratic leadership in which there is maximum consideration of the opinions of various followers. President Mugabe is d example of an autocratic leader. This leadership approach enables faster decision-making procedures. Additionally, major are effectively completed.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership in Organization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Charismatic leadership is appropriate for the development of followers. It is also attributabl e to transformational leadership system. Charismatic leaders have the capability to motivate and inspire the followers to attain their basic goals (Jones Pound, 2008). The leadership system helps to stir dedication and commitment towards the attainment of collective aims. It is an opposite of autocratic leadership. Autocratic leadership does not involve all followers. Principally, this relates to decision processes. Nelson Mandela is one of the world’s renowned charismatic leaders. Transactional leadership bases its principles on team processes. According to this approach, all team members indulge in work and decision initiatives. All members are bound to accomplish specific obligations. This is largely unlike the bureaucratic or autocratic approaches to leadership. There are reimbursements provided to all the members. However, this occurs only after their effective performance. Mr. Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore provides an example of a transactional leader (Polelle, 2007). Ther e are unique features of transactional leadership. For instance, there is a proper definition and delegation of individual roles. These have remarkable contributions to the collective objectives of particular teams. Democratic leadership style utilizes the principles of participation. The approach is an opposite of autocratic leadership system. The leadership system considers the feelings and insinuations of all personalities or followers. In addition, unlike the bureaucratic processes, these leaders engage all persons in their decision processes. There are notable similarities with other leadership systems (Polelle, 2007). For example, transformational leadership also encourages motivation and novelty. The maximum participation of followers lowers the basic time for decision operations. However, like in other constructive forms of leadership, the system is effective. One of the globally acknowledged democratic leaders is John F. Kennedy. Conclusion Poor leadership strategies make o rganizations more redundant and non-competitive. Therefore, leadership is a critical component of management. It is appropriate for organizations to be aware of various leadership approaches. Principally, there is an evident significance of leadership in enhancing competitive performance and output.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This is applicable to both the business and non-profit organization. There is a high level of competition within the domestic and global platforms. The paper focused on the analysis of the concept of leadership. Apart from this, it also discussed different leadership qualities and styles. References DuBrin, A. J. (2011). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Jones, C. A. Pound, L. (2008). Leadership and management in the early years: From principles to practice. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Polelle, M. R. (2007). Leadership: Fifty great leaders and the worlds they made. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. This essay on Leadership in Organization was written and submitted by user Heaven Vaughn to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on American Marraige In Contrast With Muslim Weddings

Marriage is a legal agreement between two people. It’s an important religious ceremony in every culture. There are different customs to celebrate this event. The foundations of marriage are built on trust but in every culture the way they celebrate their joy is different. In the Muslim culture, marriage celebrations are quite different from American celebrations. In Muslim culture, there is a high rate of arranged marriages. Usually, parents arrange the marriages for their children. Parents play a big role in the marriage of their children. There’s also a love marriage but not most of the time. In America, the highest rate of marriages are love marriages. Every child has the liberty to marry whomever they want. In the Muslim culture, girls are supposed to marry early. The earliest marrying age for girls is 16; but she must be to married before she reaches the age of 25. In America there is no such kind of age restriction. In order to find a suitable spouse, Americans date each other before marriage. In Muslim culture you’re not allowed to date before marriage. People have to get the permission to meet in front of their elders, but they are not allowed to be physically close with each other at any point before the marriage rituals are completed. In fact in America, at the marriage ceremony the couples kiss each other, but Muslims would never do this. Also the weddings attire is very different for the bride and groom in both cultures. American brides wear white bride gowns, whereas, Muslim brides wear red or maroon dresses called â€Å"Shararra†. Muslim Grooms wear an outfit called â€Å"kameez pajama† while American grooms wear a tuxedo or a three-piece suit. In the marriage ceremony of Muslims, the parents of the bride and the groom have to give gifts to each and every guest who attends the marriage ceremony. In America, people give g... Free Essays on American Marraige In Contrast With Muslim Weddings Free Essays on American Marraige In Contrast With Muslim Weddings Marriage is a legal agreement between two people. It’s an important religious ceremony in every culture. There are different customs to celebrate this event. The foundations of marriage are built on trust but in every culture the way they celebrate their joy is different. In the Muslim culture, marriage celebrations are quite different from American celebrations. In Muslim culture, there is a high rate of arranged marriages. Usually, parents arrange the marriages for their children. Parents play a big role in the marriage of their children. There’s also a love marriage but not most of the time. In America, the highest rate of marriages are love marriages. Every child has the liberty to marry whomever they want. In the Muslim culture, girls are supposed to marry early. The earliest marrying age for girls is 16; but she must be to married before she reaches the age of 25. In America there is no such kind of age restriction. In order to find a suitable spouse, Americans date each other before marriage. In Muslim culture you’re not allowed to date before marriage. People have to get the permission to meet in front of their elders, but they are not allowed to be physically close with each other at any point before the marriage rituals are completed. In fact in America, at the marriage ceremony the couples kiss each other, but Muslims would never do this. Also the weddings attire is very different for the bride and groom in both cultures. American brides wear white bride gowns, whereas, Muslim brides wear red or maroon dresses called â€Å"Shararra†. Muslim Grooms wear an outfit called â€Å"kameez pajama† while American grooms wear a tuxedo or a three-piece suit. In the marriage ceremony of Muslims, the parents of the bride and the groom have to give gifts to each and every guest who attends the marriage ceremony. In America, people give g...

Definition and Discussion of Middle English

Definition and Discussion of Middle English Middle English was the language spoken in England from about 1100 to 1500. Five major  dialects of Middle English have been identified (Northern, East Midlands, West Midlands, Southern, and Kentish), but the research of Angus McIntosh and others... supports the claim that this period of the language was rich in dialect diversity (Barbara A. Fennell, A History of English: A Sociolinguistic Approach, 2001). Major literary works written in Middle English include Havelok the Dane,  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,  Piers Plowman, and  Geoffrey  Chaucers Canterbury Tales. The form of Middle English thats most familiar to modern readers is the London dialect, which was the dialect of Chaucer and the basis of what would eventually become standard English. Examples and Observations Chaucers Canterbury TalesWhan that Aprill, with his shoures sooteThe droghte of March hath perced to the rooteAnd bathed every veyne in swich licour,Of which vertu engendred is the flour...[When the sweet showers of April have piercedThe drought of March, and pierced it to the rootAnd every vein is bathed in that moistureWhose quickening force will engender the flower...](Geoffrey Chaucer, General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, late 14th century. Translation by David Wright. Oxford University Press, 2008)Many Middle EnglishesMiddle English varied enormously over time and by region; Angus McIntosh notes that there are over a thousand dialectically differentiated varieties of Middle English. Indeed,  some scholars go so far as to say that Middle English is not... a language at all but rather something of a scholarly fiction, an amalgam of forms and sounds, writers and manuscripts, famous works and little-known ephemera. This is a little extreme, but certainly prior to the later fo urteenth century Middle English was primarily a spoken rather than a written language, and did not have official administrative functions in either a secular or religious context. This has resulted in a critical tendency to place English at the bottom of the linguistic hierarchy of medieval England, with Latin and French as the dominant languages of discourse, instead of seeing the symbiotic relationship between English, French, and Latin...By the fifteenth century Middle English was extensively used in the written documentation of business, civic government, Parliament, and the royal household.(Rachel E. Moss,  Fatherhood and Its Representations in Middle English Texts. D.S. Brewer, 2013) The Vocabulary of Middle English- In 1066, William the Conqueror led the Norman invasion of England, marking the beginning of the  Middle English  period. This invasion brought a  major influence  to English from Latin and French. As is often the case with invasions, the conquerors dominated the major political and economic life in England. While this invasion had some influence on English grammar, the most powerful impact was on vocabulary.(Evelyn Rothstein and Andrew S. Rothstein,  English Grammar Instruction That Works!  Corwin, 2009)- The core vocabulary of [Middle] English comprised the monosyllabic words for basic concepts,  bodily functions, and body parts inherited from Old English and shared with the other Germanic languages. These words include: God,  man, tin, iron, life, death, limb, nose, ear, foot, mother, father, brother, earth, sea, horse, cow, lamb.Words from French are often polysyllabic terms for the  institutions of the Conquest (church, administ ration, law), for things imported with the Conquest (castles, courts, prisons), and terms of high culture and social status (cuisine, fashion, literature, art, decoration).(Seth Lerer,  Inventing English: A Portable History of the Language. Columbia University Press, 2007) French Influence on Middle English- From 1150 to 1500 the language is known as Middle English. During this period the inflections, which had begun to break down during the end of the Old English period, become greatly reduced...By making English the language mainly of uneducated people, the Norman Conquest [in 1066] made it easier for grammatical changes to go forward unchecked.French influence is much more direct and observable upon the vocabulary. Where two languages exist side by side for a long time and the relations between the people speaking them are as intimate as they were in England, a considerable transference of words from one language to the other is inevitable...When we study the French words appearing in English before 1250, roughly 900 in number, we find that many of them were such as the lower classes would become familiar with through contact with a French-speaking nobility: (baron, noble, dame, servant, messenger, feast, minstrel, juggler, largess)... In the period after 1250,... the upper classes carried over into English an astonishing number of common French words. In changing from French to English, they transferred much of their governmental and administrative vocabulary, their ecclesiastical, legal, and military terms, their familiar words of fashion, food, and social life, the vocabulary of art, learning, and medicine.(A. C. Baugh and T. Cable, A History of the English Language. Prentice-Hall, 1978)- French continued to occupy a prestigious place in English society, especially the Central French dialect spoken in Paris. This prompted an increase in the numbers of French words borrowed, especially those relating to French society and culture. As a  consequence, English words concerned with scholarship, fashion, the arts, and foodsuch as college, robe, verse, beefare often drawn from French (even if their ultimate origins lie in Latin). The higher status of French in this [late Middle English] period continues to influence the associat ions of pairs of synonyms in Modern English, such as begin-commence, look-regard, stench-odour. In each of these pairs, the French borrowing is of a higher register than the word inherited from Old English.(Simon Horobin,  How English Became English. Oxford University Press, 2016) A Fuzzy Boundary[T]he transition from Middle to early modern English is above all the period of the elaboration of the English language. Between the late 14th and 16th centuries, the English language began increasingly to take on more functions. These changes in function had, it is argued here, a major effect on the form of English: so major, indeed, that the old distinction between Middle and modern retains considerable validity, although the boundary between these two linguistic epochs was obviously a fuzzy one.(Jeremy J. Smith, From Middle to Early Modern English. The Oxford History of English, ed. by Lynda Mugglestone. Oxford University Press, 2006)Chaucer on Changes in the Forme of SpeecheYe knowe ek that in forme of speeche is chaungeWithinne a thousand yeer, and wordes thoThat hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straungeUs thinketh hem, and yet thei spake hem so,And spedde as wel in love as men now do;Ek for to wynnen love in sondry ages,In sondry londes, sondry ben usages.[You k now also that in (the) form of speech (there) is changeWithin a thousand years, and words thenThat had value, now wonderfully curious and strange(To) us they seem, and yet they spoke them so,And succeeded as well in love as men now do;Also to win love in sundry ages,In sundry lands, (there) are many usages.](Geoffrey Chaucer, Troilus and Criseyde, late 14th century. Translation by Roger Lass in Phonology and Morphology. A History of the English Language, edited by Richard M. Hogg and David Denison. Cambridge University Press, 2008)

Philosophy of Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Philosophy of Science - Essay Example This paper discusses the problem of induction and how it impacts current knowledge and approach to science. This discussion revolves primarily around works of David Hume and Karl Popper due to the former theorising on induction more than any other philosopher and the latter revealing inapplicability of induction for science and scientific method. Alan Musgrave (2004) in his critique of induction problem introduces Hume's argument as the basis for understanding the dilemma. Musgrave distinguishes Hume's three points, namely: (1) we reason, and must reason, inductively; (2) inductive reasoning is logically invalid and (3) to reason in a logically invalid way is irrational. Thus, the problem of induction is a problem confronted by scientists and philosophers concerned with science, but more specifically it is a problem for scientific method. Furthermore, it is a problem for the practice of science, for scientific endeavor, and it is a problem for the procedures of science. From the critical perspective, as science is or ought to be, it faces and must solve the problem of induction. David Hume created a philosophical system to explain his understanding of human nature. He provided a solid non-metaphysical explanation of the nature of human thought to use as a foundation to his philosophy. As an empiricist, Hume believed our knowledge is of the phenomenal world and is gained through experience. The following passage addresses not only his opinion regarding metaphysics, but his basic belief regarding the significance of ideas and impressions: All ideas, especially abstract ones, are naturally faint and obscure: the mind has but a slender hold of them: they are apt to be confounded with other resembling ideas; and when we have often employed any term, though without a distinct meaning, we are apt to imagine it as a determinate idea annexed to it. On the contrary, all impressions, that is, all sensations, either outward or inward, are strong and vivid; the limits between them are more exactly determined: nor is it easy to fall into any error or mistake with regard to them (Hume, 1985, p.49). Hume built a unique system of knowledge. Creating complex ideas by comparing or combining simple ideas is the province of understanding, which includes imagination as well as the intellect. Everything we believe comes from experience, either as a simple idea derived from direct experience or as a complex of related ideas abstracted from experience. Human understanding comes from applying the intellect and imagination to ideas in order to form beliefs about the phenomenal world. Hume claimed there are only three types of connection between ideas: resemblance, contiguity in time and space, and cause and effect (Hume, 1999, p.101). Therefore, beliefs are gained by applying the intellect and imagination to ideas to abstract what they have in common, including location

Perfect Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Perfect Position Paper - Essay Example This is a leadership position which involves allocating resources to projects or activities within the company. I can passionately hold, communicate to others, at the heart of the leader’s activities and priority. To my integrity, I will act outwardly in a mode that would be consistent with inner values. I have the dedication to providing time to achieve the vision and set the example. Humility grants me the recognition that I am not a perfect person than the rest in the team. I can listen to novel ideas even if they confront the views I may hold. Creativity enables me to think differently, encourage and develop new ideas. I would be able to treat everyone justly and consistently, without jumping into conclusions before listening to facts. I would take responsibility for failures and give others credit where they deserve. Through a sense of humor, I would relieve tension, engage followers and diffuse hostility. For the sake of the company’s success, I would perform seve ral roles. Create plans and strategies; providing the task to be accomplished, the time it should be accomplished, who should accomplish it, and how it should be accomplished. This will enable the team accomplish tasks. Strategies provide a well established environment to perform projects of the company (Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn & Ghoshal, p. 41). Creating long-term vision; this will ensure that the team has foreseen the future and carry out duties towards achieving the company’s objectives. Inspiring others; this should be in accordance to the created vision. Communicating direction; setting up strategies for effective communication enables followers to perform the right task at the right time. Facilitating change; every partisan would provide ideas for transformation. Building consensus; this would be after a critical view from facts created upon several members’ opinions. Developing groups and the individual talent; teamwork enables members to achieve a common objec tive from a common ground. Allocating resources; financing fundamental activities in the company enhances profit realization. Through a critical analysis of my roles within the company, I would apply a transformational leadership style. Transformational leaders incorporate change. They follow a vision and inspire others towards the vision. They build opportunities for the team to show flair and are responsible for innovative ideas. This leadership style requires one to be strategic, charismatic and extravert. These are leaders who can make out the broad picture instead of detail. They inspire vast loyalty and set examples. If the followers recognize them as hypocritical, the team becomes cynical or disillusioned (Robbins & Judge, 2011, p. 69). Implementing the success cycle provides a stepping stone in becoming a transformational leader. This involves vision, goals, plans, action, monitoring progress, and reviewing achievements. The vision would be for the collective success instead of an individual one. The vision should be shared and sold to the team. Selling a vision would entail conviction, courage, a wish to inspire others, and a desire for adjustments. Goals are milestones towards the ultimate vision. They would define the achievements and outcomes in a minute, more tangible and manageable than the vision. The plan will outline the criteria to achieve the set goals and specify the required resources for success. The

From Corded to Cordless Essay Example for Free

From Corded to Cordless Essay From the construction site to the home, the electric drill is a commonly used tool in todays society. The electric drill has been refined throughout the last century to form a tool that is both versatile and aesthetically pleasing. The 20th Century drill has come a long way from it 19th Century predecessors. Australian, Arthur James Arnot, patented the worlds first electric drill in 1889. Arnots electric drill could perform all the tasks of an ordinary drill but with much greater efficiency. Then in 1895, German, Wilhelm Fein invented the first cordless (DC) electric drill. A cordless electric drill is a type of electric drill which uses rechargeable batteries, i.e. direct current (DC). Feins drill could spin a 1200 rpm (revolutions per minute) and relied on the user to press against the back of the drill in order to achieve good leverage. These early designed were not ergonomically tested and an issue arouse because the drills were somewhat heavy due to the metal (mainly steel) components. It was not till the early 1900s that the heavy steel exterior was replaced with the much lighter aluminum. Early cordless (DC) drills used Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) batteries. NiCd batteries have a limited lifespan, self discharge and ultimately will internally short circuit due to dendrite growth. This poses a hazard when disposing of such NiCd batteries. It was for this reason and others that there was a move from NiCd batteries to Lithium ion batteries at the beginning of the 21st Century. The main advantage of using Lithium ion batteries is the dramatically shorter charging time and the longer lifespan. Lithium ion batteries also make the drill much more versatile because; unlike NiCd batteries, Lithium ion batteries have a constant discharge rate. The year 1917 marked the beginning of the designs we see today. Black and Decker patented a trigger like switch mounted on a piston-grip, the first hand held drill of its kind. This innovative design helped to increase productivity as the user had a free hand to perform tasks that, previously, may have required another person. The 1930s/40s saw a boom in the mass production of electric drills. The electric drill was made available to a greater number of people around the world. Societys homeowners wanted to take a more active role in the maintenance and repair of their homes. Mass production of the electric drill lead to the development of more powerful, more efficient, more versatile electric drills. Society at the time had a great impact on the design and aesthetics of the electric drill. Manufacturers realized that they could not sell industrial looking tools to common homeowners, so product materials began to change during this time. Manufacturers started to use plastic, which considerably reduced the weight and very much added to the appeal of the electric drill. The use of plastic also had an even greater positive effect, which was to prevent the user from suffering an electric shock if the electric drill was the short circuit. The exterior of the electric drill was also extensively changed, as societys homeowners wanted products that were aesthetically pleasing. Hence the lustrous yellow base color and contrasting black grip of most modern electric drills. The willingness of manufactures to change their design to accommodate the consumer desires is a reflection of societys impact on the design of the electric drill. Bibliography: Wikipedia[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill][Internet](Accessed 290208)www.bharatbhasha.com[http://www.bharatbhasha.com/education.php/48809][Internet](Accessed 290208)By Andrew Cutler[http://shl.stanford.edu:3455/TenThings/820][Internet](Accessed 020308)[http://shl.stanford.edu:3455/TenThings/914][Internet](Accessed 020308)

Essay --

Rachel Bullock Professor Josh West Introducing Global Issues November 18, 2013 Gold Mining Child Labor in Tanzania â€Å"150 million children aged 5-14 in developing countries, about 16 per cent of all children in this age group, are involved in child labor† (UNICEF). Child labor has extreme effects on the children’s health, child mortality, and also goes against children’s rights. These topics are explained in our text in chapter 11 â€Å"Children.† Child labor is an excessive problem in Tanzania where children have jobs of gold mining. Many of these children are forced into child labor to contribute to the income of their household. According to Mark Tran, writer for The Guardian newspaper, Tanzania has more than 800,000 small-scale gold miners, thousands of whom are children. Most of the small-scale mining takes place on unlicensed, unauthorized mines (Tran). â€Å"A child considered malnourished is one whose weight is more than 20 percent below the normal reference weight for his or her age† (Snarr 217). A large number of the children in the world are malnourished. The number of malnutrition children is slowly decreasing but in Africa not much progress has been done. According to Snarr, in the developing countries, â€Å"one of every four children under the age of five is underweight.† Children that are underweight have a harder time getting over normal childhood illnesses like diarrhea and respiratory infections, this can cause the death of the child. (Snarr 218) â€Å"Children who grow up malnutrition usually have low levels of iron, protein, and energy which can result in stunt of growth, impaired social and cognitive development† (Snarr 218). Many of the children that work in the gold mines in Tanzania are working because they are malnutrition an... ...tp://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_ Neff, Zama Coursen . "Africa's Child Mining Shame | Human Rights Watch."Africa's Child Mining Shame | Human Rights Watch. CNN, 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. . Snarr, Michael T., and D. Neil Snarr. "Children." Introducing global issues. 5th ed. Boulder, Colo: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2012. 211-228. Print. "Tanzania: Hazardous Life of Child Gold Miners." Tanzania: Hazardous Life of Child Gold Miners | Human Rights Watch. N.p., 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. . Tran, Mark. "Tanzania's child gold miners risking injury and abuse to support families." the Guardian. N.p., 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .

Book Review of Julie Salamon’s Hospital

Julie Salamon’s book Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids presents an informative and revelatory portrayal of how medicine and the U. S. health care system operates within the confines of our modern and multicultural society. The book offers a unique perspective as the story is told from the standpoint of those who manage, organize and run the inner workings of the Maimonides Medical Centre.Thus offering her readers not only an investigation of the relationship between doctors and their patients but also presents the financial, multicultural and ethical concerns and issues faced by the hospital staff and patients. In her book Salamon raises the important issue of how medical institutions, which are put in place to serve and aid the sick and the wounded, are constantly competing against external and internal pressures of money and politics.She explores the expectations imposed by a fragile health care sy stem upon hospitals that are simply overwhelmed by the urgency and needs of their communities. This reality is presented in the very first chapter of her book where she introduces the reader to a young doctor named Gregorius who has come to Maimonides Medical Center to complete his residency. Here the reader is given the first impressions of the new comer who describes the emergency area as â€Å"Crowded. Really crowded.Stretchers with patients were lined up two-and three-deep, with the lucky ones semi-secluded behind curtains that barely closed†¦had he landed in the Third World country or a developing nation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p. 16) Salamon reveals that â€Å"Overcrowding had become commonplace in American emergency rooms which had, for people without medical insurance, become the doctor’s office. † (p. 16) She reveals a system which encourages the over flooding of emergency rooms with paying patients who are then rushed through the process of discharge as quickly as possible, so as to create a continual flow of turn over, she says admits one doctor.(p. ) Consequently, the continual over flooding then leads to a destructive cycle of nurses and doctors mending the ill and the wounded at a hurried pace thus giving way to possible neglect and carelessness of patient care and the eventual overload and burnout of the medical staff. In her book, Salamon conveys how the infrastructure within our health care system is being governed by a marketplace philosophy whereby doctors are just as concerned about profits and reimbursements as they are about delivering care.How efficient is a system which is more concerned with getting patients out the door than allowing them to fully recover in an environment which has their best interest at heart. Not only has the system been shown to be faulty and inefficient but on what level is the process to be challenged in respect to morality? Should society look the other way simply because in the end the patient does receive care and survives? Overall Salamon offers an emotional account of the trials and tribulations of the various medical and administrative staff of the Maimonides Medical Centre.However, Salamon’s investigation of the inner workings of urban hospitals neglects to demonstrate how certain financial and social issues plague the average American seeking hospital treatment. The topic of the uninsured and their treatment within the hospital setting is barely spoken of by Salamon; she fails to address the issues that afflict so many lower and middle class individuals who are clearly dissuaded from showing up at local hospitals simply because they do not have insurance.Instead she chooses to present the reader with a medical staff that is focused on the individual patient rather than with the larger social issues which doesn’t make very much sense for a book whose main purpose is to investigate the functioning of the U. S. health care system. In summary, the fact of the m atter is that one day either you or a loved one will be a patient in a hospital and despite the fact that you were led to believe that hospitals are institutions free of any bureaucracy, politics and cultural influence this is simply not the case.The medical attention received by any individual within the United Sates health care system is inevitably influenced by the multiculturalism that surrounds us, the constant evolution of technology and the economics which engulfs any private or public institution. These are aspects which as demonstrated in Salamon’s book, prevail even in a non-profit medical facility like the Maimonides Medical Centre. References Salamon, J. (2008). Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids. N

The Return: Nightfall Chapter 10

Elena was serenely happy. Now it was her turn. Stefan used a sharp wooden letter opener from his desk to cut himself. Elena always hated to see him do this, use the most efficient implement that would penetrate vampire skin; so she shut her eyes tightly and only looked again when red blood was trickling from a little cut on his neck. â€Å"You don't need to take a lot – and you shouldn't,† Stefan whispered, and she knew he was saying these things while hecould say them. â€Å"I'm not holding you too hard or hurting you?† He was always so worried. This time,she kissedhim . And she could see how strange he thought it was, that he wanted kisses more than he wanted her to take his blood. Laughing, Elena pushed him flat and hovered over him and went for the general area of the wound again, knowing that he thought she was going to tease him. But instead she fastened herself on the wound like a limpet and sucked hard,hard , until she had made him sayplease with his mind. But she wasn't satisfied until she made him sayplease out loud as well. In the car, in the dimness, Matt and Meredith thought of the idea at the same time. She was faster, but they spoke almost together. â€Å"I'm an idiot! Matt, where's the seatback release?† â€Å"Bonnie, you have to unfold her seat backward! There's a little handle, you should be able to reach it and pull up!† Bonnie's voice was hitching now, hiccupping. â€Å"My arms – they're sort of poking into – my arms – â€Å" â€Å"Bonnie,† Meredith said thickly. â€Å"I know you can do it. Matt – is the handle right – under – the front seat or – â€Å" â€Å"Yes. At the edge. One – no, two o'clock.† Matt didn't have breath for more. Once he had grabbed the tree, he found that if he loosened pressure for an instant, it pushed harder on his neck. There's no choice, he thought. He took as much of a deep breath as he could, pushed back on the branch, hearing a cry from Meredith, andtwisted , feeling jagged splinters like thin wooden knives tear his throat and ear and scalp. Now he was free of the pressure on the back of his neck, although he was appalled by how much more tree there was in the car than the last time he had seen it. His lap was filled with branches; evergreen needles were thickly piled everywhere. No wonder Meredith was so mad, he thought dizzily, turning toward her. She was almost buried in branches, one hand wrestling with something at her throat, but she saw him. â€Å"Matt†¦get†¦your own seat! Quick! Bonnie, Iknow you can.† Matt dug and tore into the branches, then groped for the handle that would collapse the backrest of his seat. The handle wouldn't move. Thin, tough tendrils were wrapped around it, springy and hard to break. He twisted and snapped them savagely. His seatback dropped away. He ducked under the huge arm-branch – if it still deserved the name, since the car was full of similar huge branches now. Then, just as he reached to help Meredith, her seat abruptly folded back, too. She fell with it, away from the evergreen, gasping for air. For an instant she just lay still. Then she finished scrambling into the backseat proper, dragging a needle-shrouded figure with her. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse and her speech was still slow. â€Å"Matt. Bless you†¦for having†¦this jigsaw puzzle†¦of a car.† She kicked the front seat back into position, and Matt did likewise. â€Å"Bonnie,† Matt said numbly. Bonnie didn't move. Many tiny branches were still entwining her, caught in the fabric of her shirt, wound into her hair. Meredith and Matt both started pulling. Where the branches let go, they left welts or tiny puncture wounds. â€Å"It's almost as if they were trying to grow into her,† Matt said, as a long, thin branch pulled away, leaving bloody pinpricks behind. â€Å"Bonnie?† Meredith said. She was the one disentangling the twigs from Bonnie's hair. â€Å"Bonnie? Come on, up. Look at me.† The shaking began again in Bonnie's body, but she let Meredith turn her face up. â€Å"I didn't think I could do it.† â€Å"You saved my life.† â€Å"I was so scared†¦.† Bonnie went on crying quietly against Meredith's shoulder. Matt looked at Meredith just as the map light flickered and went out. The last thing he saw was her dark eyes, which held an expression that made him suddenly feel even sicker to his stomach. He looked out the three windows he could now see from the backseat. It should have been hard to see anything at all. But what he was looking for was pressed right up against the glass. Needles. Branches. Solid against every inch of the windows. Nevertheless, he and Meredith, without needing to say anything, each reached for a backseat door handle. The doors clicked, opened a fraction of an inch; then they slammed back hard with a very definitivewham . Meredith and Matt looked at each other. Meredith looked down again and began to pluck more twigs off Bonnie. â€Å"Does that hurt?† â€Å"No. A little†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You're shaking.† â€Å"It's cold.† It was cold now. Outside the car, rather than through the once-open window that was now completely plugged with evergreen, Matt could hear the wind. It whistled, as if through many branches. There was also the sound of wood creaking, startlingly loud and ridiculously high above. It sounded like a storm. â€Å"What thehell was it, anyway?† he exploded, kicking the front seat viciously. â€Å"The thing I swerved for on the road?† Meredith's dark head lifted slowly. â€Å"I don't know; I was about to roll up the window. I only got a glimpse.† â€Å"It just appeared right in the middle of the road.† â€Å"A wolf?† â€Å"It wasn't there and then itwas there.† â€Å"Wolves aren't that color. It was red,† Bonnie said flatly, lifting her head from Meredith's shoulder. â€Å"Red?† Meredith shook her head. â€Å"It was much too big to be a fox.† â€Å"Itwas red, I think,† Matt said. â€Å"Wolves aren't red†¦what about werewolves? Does Tyler Smallwood have any relatives with red hair?† â€Å"It wasn't a wolf,† Bonnie said. â€Å"It was†¦backward.† â€Å"Backward?† â€Å"Its head was on the wrong side. Or maybe it had heads on both ends.† â€Å"Bonnie, you arereally scaring me,† Meredith said. Matt wouldn't say it, but she was really scaring him, too. Because his glimpse of the animal had seemed to show him the same kind of deformed shape that Bonnie was describing. â€Å"Maybe we just saw it at a weird angle,† he said, while Meredith said, â€Å"It may just have been some animal scared out by – â€Å" â€Å"By what?† Meredith looked up at the top of the car. Matt followed her gaze. Very slowly, and with a groan of metal, the roof dented. And again. As if something very heavy was leaning on it. Matt cursed himself. â€Å"While I was in the front seat, why didn't I just floor it – ?† He stared hungrily through branches, trying to make out the accelerator, the ignition. â€Å"Are the keys still there?† â€Å"Matt, we ended up half in a ditch. And besides, if it would have done any good, I'd have told you to floor it.† â€Å"That branch would've taken your head off!† â€Å"Yes,† Meredith said simply. â€Å"It would havekilled you!† â€Å"If it would have gotten you two out, I'd have suggested it. But you were trapped looking sideways; I couldsee straight ahead. They were already here; the trees. In every direction.† â€Å"That†¦isn't†¦possible!† Matt pounded the seat in front of him to emphasize each word. â€Å"Isthis possible?† The roof creaked again. â€Å"Both of you – stop fighting!† Bonnie said, and her voice broke on a sob. There was an explosion like a gunshot and the car sank suddenly back and left. Bonnie started. â€Å"What was that?† Silence. â€Å"†¦a tire blowing,† Matt said at last. He didn't trust his own voice. He looked at Meredith. So did Bonnie. â€Å"Meredith – the branches are filling up the front seat. I can hardly see the moonlight. It's getting dark.† â€Å"I know.† â€Å"What are we going todo ?† Matt could see the tremendous tension and frustration in Meredith's face, as if everything she said should come out through gritted teeth. But Meredith's voice was quiet. â€Å"I don't know.† With Stefan still shuddering, Elena curled herself like a cat over the bed. She smiled at him, a smile drugged with pleasure and love. He thought of grasping her by the arms, pulling her down, and starting all over again. That was how insane she'd made him. Because he knew – all too well, from experience – the danger they were flirting with. Much more of this and Elena would be the first spirit-vampire, as she'd been the first vampire-spirit he'd known. But look at her! He slipped out from beneath her as he sometimes did and just gazed, feeling his heart pound just at the sight of her. Her hair, true gold, fell like silk down to the bed and pooled there. Her body, in the light of the one small lamp in the room, seemed to be outlined in gold. She truly seemed to float and move and sleep in a golden haze. It was terrifying. For a vampire, it was as if he'd brought a living sun into his bed. He found himself suppressing a yawn. She did that to him, too, like an unwitting Delilah taking Samson's strength away. Hyper-charged as he might be by her blood, he was also delightfully sleepy. He would spend a warm night in – or below – her arms. In Matt's car it only got darker as the trees continued to cut out the moonlight. For a while they tried yelling for help. That did no good, and besides, as Meredith pointed out, they needed to conserve the oxygen in the car. So they sat still again. Finally, Meredith reached into her jeans pocket and produced a set of keys with a tiny keychain flashlight. Its light was blue. She pressed it and they all leaned forward. Such a tiny thing to mean so much, Matt thought. There was pressure against the front seats now. â€Å"Bonnie?† Meredith said. â€Å"No one will hear us out here yelling. If anyone could hear us, they would have heard the tire and thought it was a gunshot.† Bonnie shook her head as if she didn't want to listen. She was still picking pine needles out of her skin. She's right. We're miles away from anybody, Matt thought. â€Å"There is something very bad here,† Bonnie said. She said it quietly, but as if every word was being forced out one by one, like pebbles thrown into a pond. Matt suddenly felt grayer. â€Å"How†¦bad?† â€Å"It's so bad that it's†¦I'venever felt anything like this before. Not when Elena got killed, not from Klaus, not fromanything . I'venever feltanything as bad as this. It'sso bad, and it's sostrong . I didn't think anything could be so strong. It'spushing on me, and I'mafraid – â€Å" Meredith cut her off. â€Å"Bonnie, I know we can both only think of one way out of this – â€Å" â€Å"There'sno way out of this!† † – I know you're afraid – â€Å" â€Å"Who is there to call? I could do it†¦if there were someone to call. I can stare at your little flashlight and try to pretend it's a flame and do it – â€Å" â€Å"Trancing?† Matt looked at Meredith sharply. â€Å"She's not supposed to do that anymore.† â€Å"Klaus is dead.† â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"There's nobody to hear me!† Bonnie shrieked and then she broke down into huge sobs at last. â€Å"Elena and Stefan are too far away, and they're probably asleep by now! And there isn't anyone else!† The three of them were being pushed together now, as branches pressed the seats back onto them. Matt and Meredith were close enough to look at each other right over Bonnie's head. â€Å"Uh,† Matt said, startled. â€Å"Um†¦are we sure?† â€Å"No,† Meredith said. She sounded both grim and hopeful. â€Å"Remember this morning? We are not at all sure. In factI'm sure he's still around somewhere.† Now Matt felt sick, and Meredith and Bonnie looked ill in the already strange-looking blue light. â€Å"And – right before this happened, we were talking about how a lot of stuff – â€Å" † – basically everything that happened to change Elena – â€Å" † – was all his fault.† â€Å"In the woods.† â€Å"With an open window.† Bonnie sobbed on. Matt and Meredith, however, had made a silent agreement by eye contact. Meredith said, very gently, â€Å"Bonnie, what you said you would do; well, you're going to have to do it. Try to get through to Stefan, or waken Elena or – or apologize to†¦Damon. Probably the last, I'm afraid. But he's never seemed to want us all dead, and he must know that it won't help him with Elena if he kills her friends.† Matt grunted, skeptical. â€Å"He may not want us all dead, but he may wait until some of us are dead to save the others. I've never trus – â€Å" â€Å"You've never wished him any harm,† Meredith overrode him in a louder voice. Matt blinked at her and then shut up. He felt like an idiot. â€Å"So, here, the flashlight's on,† Meredith said, and even in this crisis, her voice was steady, rhythmic, hypnotic. The pathetic little light was so precious, too. It was all they had to keep the darkness from becoming absolute. But when the darkness became absolute, Matt thought, it would be because all light, all air, everything from the outside had been shut out, pushed out of the way by the pressure of the trees. And by then the pressure would have broken their skeletons. â€Å"Bonnie?† Meredith's voice was the voice of every big sister who ever had come to her younger sibling's rescue. That gentle. That controlled. â€Å"Can you try to pretend it's a candle flame†¦a candle flame†¦a candle flame†¦and then try to trance?† â€Å"I'm in trance already.† Bonnie's voice was somehow distant – far away and almost echoing. â€Å"Then ask for help,† Meredith said softly. Bonnie was whispering, over and over, clearly oblivious to the world around her: â€Å"Please, come help us. Damon, if you can hear me, please accept our apologies and come. You gave us a terrible scare, and I'm sure we deserved it, but please, please help. It hurts, Damon. It hurts so bad I could scream. But instead I'm putting all that energy into Calling you. Please, please, please help†¦Ã¢â‚¬  For five, ten, fifteen minutes she kept it up, as the branches grew, enclosing them with their sweet, resinous scent. She kept it up far longer than Matt had ever thought she could endure. Then the light went out. After that there was no sound but the whisper of the pines. You had to admire the technique. Damon was once again lounging in midair, even higher this time than when he'd entered Caroline's third-story window. He still had no idea of the names of trees, but that didn't stop him. This branch was like having a box seat over the drama unfolding below. He was starting to get a little bored, since nothing new was happening on the ground. He'd abandoned Damaris earlier this evening whenshe had gotten boring, talking about marriage and other subjects he wished to avoid. Like her current husband. Bo-ring. He'd left without really checking to see if she'd become a vampire – he tended to think so, and wouldn't that be a surprise when hubby got home? His lips trembled on the edge of a smile. Below him, the play had almost reached its climax. And you really had to admire the technique. Pack hunting. He had no idea what sort of nasty little creatures were manipulating the trees, but like wolves or lionesses, they seemed to have gotten it down to an art. Working together to capture prey that was too quick and too heavily armored for one of them alone to manage. In this case, a car. The fine art of cooperation. Pity vampires were so solitary, he thought. If we could cooperate, we'd own the world. He blinked sleepily and then flashed a dazzling smile at nothing at all. Of course, if we could do that – say, take a city and divvy up the inhabitants – we'd finish it off by divvying up one another. Tooth and nail and Power would be wielded like the blade of a sword, until there was nothing left but shreds of quivering flesh and gutters running with blood. Nice imagery, though, he thought, and let his eyelids droop to appreciate it. Artistic. Blood in scarlet pools, magically still liquid enough to run down white marble steps of – oh, say, the Kallimarmaron in Athens. An entire city gone quiet, purged of noisy, chaotic, hypocritical humans, with only their necessary bits left behind: a few arteries to pump the sweet red stuff out in quantity. The vampire version of the land of milk and honey. He opened his eyes again in annoyance. Now things were getting loud down there. Humans yelling. Why? What was the point? The rabbit always squeals in the jaws of the fox, but when has another rabbit ever rushed up to save it? There, a new proverb,and proof that humans are as stupid as rabbits, he thought, but his mood was ruined. His mind slid away from the fact, but it wasn't just the noise below that was disturbing him. Milk and honey, that had been†¦a mistake. Thinking about that had been a blunder. Elena's skin had been like milk that night a week ago, warm-white, not cool, even in the moonlight. Her bright hair in shadow had been like spilled honey. Elena wouldn't be happy to see the results of this night's pack hunting. She would cry tears like crystal dewdrops, and they would smell like salt. Suddenly Damon stiffened. He sent one stealthy query of Power around him, a circle of radar. But nothing bounced back, except the mindless trees at his feet. Whatever was orchestrating this, it was invisible. Right, then. Let's trythis , he thought: Concentrating on all the blood he'd drunk in the last few days, he blasted out a wash of pure Power, like Vesuvius erupting with a deadly pyroclastic explosion. It encircled him completely in every direction, a fifty-mile-per-hour bubble of Power like superheated gas. Because it was back. Unbelievably, the parasite was trying to do it again, to get into his mind. It had to be. Lulling him, he supposed, rubbing the back of his neck with absentminded fury, while its packmates finished off their prey in the car. Whispering things into his mind to keep him still, taking his own dark thoughts and echoing them back a shade or two darker, in a cycle that might have ended in him flying off to kill and kill again for the pure black velvet enjoyment of it. Now Damon's mind was cold and dark with fury. He stood, stretching his aching arms and shoulders, and then searched carefully, not with a simple radar ring, but with a blast of Power behind each stab, probing with his mind to find the parasite. It had to be out there; the trees were still going about their business. But he could find nothing, even though he'd used the fastest and most efficient method of scanning he knew: a thousand random stabs per second in a Drunkard's Walk search pattern. He should have found a dead body immediately. Instead he'd foundnothing . That made him even angrier than before, but there was a tinge of excitement to his fury. He'd wanted a fight; a chance to kill where the killing would be meaningful. And now here was an opponent who met all the qualifications – and Damon couldn't kill it because he couldn't find it. He sent a message, lambent with ferocity, in all directions. I have already warned you once. Now ICHALLENGEyou. Show yourself – OR ELSE STAY AWAY FROM ME! He gathered Power, gathered it, gathered it again, thinking of all the different mortals who had contributed it. He held it, nurturing it, crafting it for its purpose, and raising its strength with all that his mind knew of fighting and of the skill and expertise of war. He held the Power until it felt as if he were holding a nuclear bomb in his arms. And then he let it go all at once, an explosion speeding in the opposite direction, away from him, nearing the speed of light. Now, surely, he would feel the death throes of something enormously powerful and cunning – something that had managed to survive his previous strafings designed only for eldritch creatures. Damon expanded his senses to their widest reach, waiting to hear or feel something shattering, combusting – something falling blind, with its own blood tumbling nearby, from a branch, from the air, fromsomewhere . Fromsomewhere a creature should have plummeted to the ground or raked at it with huge dinosaur-like claws – a creature half-paralyzed and completely doomed, cooked from the inside out. But although he could feel the wind rising to a howl and huge black clouds pooling above him in response to his own mood, he still could sense no dark creature close enough to have entered his thoughts. How strong was this thing? Where was it coming from? Just for a moment, a thought flashed through his mind. A circle. A circle with a dot at its center. And the circle was the blast he'd shot away in all directions, and the dot was the only place his blast didn't reach. Inside him alre – Snap! Suddenly his thoughts went blank. And then he began, sluggishly, slightly bewildered, to try to put the fractured pieces together. He had been thinking about the blast of Power he'd sent out, yes? And how he'd expected to feel something fall and die. Hell, he couldn't even sense any ordinary animals bigger than a fox in the woods. Although his sweep of Power had been carefully made to affect only creatures of his kind of darkness, the ordinary animals had been so spooked that they'd gone running wildly from the area. He peered down. Hm. Except the trees around the car; and they weren't after him. Besides, whatever they were, they were only the pawns of an invisible killer. Not really sentient – not within the boundaries he had crafted so carefully. Could he have been wrong? Half his fury had been for himself, for being so careless, so well-fed and confident that he'd let down his guard. Well-fed†¦hey, maybe I'm drunk, he thought, and flashed the smile again at nothing, without even thinking about it. Drunk and paranoid and edgy. Pissed and pissed off. Damon relaxed against the tree. The wind was screaming now, swirling and freezing, the sky full of roiling black clouds that cut out any light from the moon or stars. Just his kind of weather. He was still edgy, but he couldn't find any reason to be. The only disturbance in the aura of the woods was the tiny crying of a mind inside the car, like a trapped bird with only one note. That would be the little one, the redheaded witch with the delicate neck. The one who'd been whining about life changing too much. Damon gave a little more of his weight to the tree. He'd followed the car with his mind out of absent interest. It wasn't his fault that he'd caught them talking about him, but it did degrade their chances of rescue a bit. He blinked slowly. Odd that they'd had an accident trying not to run over a creature in approximately the same area he'd almost crashed the Ferrari trying to run one over. Pity he hadn't had a glimpse of their creature, but the trees were too thick. The redheaded bird was crying again. Well, do you want a changenow or don't you, little witch? Make up your mind. You have to ask nicely. And then, of course,I have to decide what kind of change you get.

game theroy essays

game theroy essays Microwave Oven Interference on Wireless LANs Abstract - Commercial microwave ovens as applied in restaurants have two magnetron tubes and compared to domestic kitchen counterparts they spread the higher RF power and radiated heating energy more evenly. The domestic kitchen or residential microwave ovens have only one magnetron tube. The interference from the commercial type of microwave ovens is more difficult to characterise than the interference from the residential ones. The commercial type of microwave ovens radiate a CW-like interference that sweeps over tens of MHz during the two bursts per mains power cycle. The residential ones give a CW-like interference that has a more or less stable frequency near 2.45 GHz occurring once per mains power cycle. The impact of the interference from the commercial type of microwave ovens on wireless LANs conforming the IEEE 802.11 standard for both DSSS (direct sequence spread spectrum) and FHSS (frequency hopping spread spectrum) has been evaluated. The release of the 2.4 GHz unlicensed band (2400 -2483.5 MHz) for ISM (industrial, scientific, medical applications) prompted a significant interest in the design of wireless LAN products. Interference from extraneous sources (unintentional radiators) impacts the reliability of communication in this 2.4 GHz ISM band. Sources of such interference are the millions of residential microwave ovens radiating at frequencies close to 2.45 GHz, and they have been described largely in the literature. Commercial microwave ovens, based on two magnetron tubes as used in restaurants, have been hardly described in the literature. Since commercial ovens are expected more often in the vicinity of office buildings with a high population density of office equipment and PCs, this type has been evaluated with respect to the nature of the interference signal and the impact on wireless LANs operating ...

The History of Modern-Day Myanmar (Burma)

The History of Modern-Day Myanmar (Burma) Burma is the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia, which officially has been named the Union of Myanmar since 1989. This name-change is sometimes seen as part of an attempt by the ruling military junta to stamp out the populist, colloquial form of the Burmese language, and promote the literary form. Geographically situated along the Bay of Bengal and bordered by Bangladesh, India, China, Thailand and Laos, Burma has a long history of odd decisions and peculiar struggles for power. Strangely, the military government of Burma suddenly moved the national capital from Yangon to the new city of Naypyidaw in 2005, on the advice of an astrologer. From Prehistoric Nomads to Imperial Burma Like many  East  and Central Asian  countries, archeological evidence suggests that humanoids have wandered Burma from as long as 75,000 years ago, with the first record of homo sapien foot traffic in the area dating back to 11,000 B.C. By 1500, the Bronze Age had struck the peoples of the region as they began producing bronze tools and growing rice, and by 500 they began working with iron as well.   The first city-states formed around 200 B.C.by the Pyu people - who could be attributed as the lands first true inhabitants. Trade with India brought with it cultural and political norms that would later influence Burmese culture, namely through the spread of Buddhism. However, it wouldnt be until the 9th century A.D. that internal war for territory forced the Burmese to organize into one central government. In the mid-to-late 10th century, the Bamar settled a new central city of Bagan, collecting many of the rival  city-states and independent nomads as allies, finally unifying in the late 1950s as the Pagan Kingdom. Here, the Burmese language and culture were allowed to dominate the Pyu and Pali norms that came before them. Mongol Invasion, Civil Unrest and Reunification Although the leaders of the Pagan Kingdom led Burma to great economic and spiritual prosperity - erecting over 10,000 Buddhist temples across the country - their relatively long reign came crashing to an end after repeated attempts by the Mongol armies to overthrow and claim their capital city from 1277 to 1301. For over 200 years, Burma fell into political chaos without a city-state to lead its people. From there, the country fractured into two kingdoms: the coastline empire of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom and the northern Ava Kingdom, who was eventually overrun by the Confederation of Shan States from 1527 to 1555. Still, despite these internal conflicts, Burmese culture greatly expanded during this time. Thanks to the shared cultures of all three groups, scholars and artisans of each kingdom created great works of literature and art that still live on to this day.   Colonialism and British Burma Although the Burmese were able to reunify under the Taungoo for much of the 17th century, their empire was short lived. The First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824 to 1826 suffered Burma a massive defeat, losing Manipur, Assam, Tenasserim and Arakan to British forces. Again, 30 years later, the British returned to take Lower Burma as a result of the Second Anglo-Burmese War. Finally, in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of 1885, the British annexed the rest of Burma. Under British control, the rulers of British Burma sought to keep their influence and culture present despite their overlords. Still, the British governance saw a destruction of social, economic, administrative and cultural norms in Burma and a new era of civil unease. This continued up until the end of World War II when the Panglong Agreement forced other ethnic leaders to guarantee Myanmar independence as a unified state. The committee who signed the agreement quickly assembled a team and formed a doctrine to govern their newly unified nation. However, it wasnt quite the government the original founders were hoping for that actually came to be. Independence and Today The Union of Burma officially became an independent republic on January 4, 1948, with U Nu as its first Prime Minister and Shwe Thaik its president. Multi-party elections were held in 1951, 52, 56, and 1960 with the people electing a bicameral parliament as well as their president and prime minister. All seemed well for the newly modernized nation - until unrest shook the nation yet again. Early in the morning on March 2, 1962, General Ne Win used a military coup dà ©tat to take Burma. Since that day, Burma has been under a military governance for most of its modern history. This militarized government sought to streamline everything from business to media and production to form a hybrid nation built on socialism and nationalism. However, 1990 saw the first free elections in 30 years, allowing the people to vote for their State Peace and Development Council members, a system which remained in place until 2011  when a representative democracy was instated throughout the country. The military-controlled days of government were over, it seemed, for the people of Myanmar.   In 2015, the citizens of the country held their first general elections with the National League for Democracy taking the majority in both national parliament chambers and placing  Ktin Kyaw as the first elected non-military president since the coup of 62. A prime minister-type role, called the State Counsellor, was established in 2016 and Aung San Suu Kyi took the role.

Feedback and changes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Feedback and changes - Essay Example The elderly population, today, did not have computers taught in school (Wood, 2010). The modern world requires everyone to possess basic computer skills. When computer access is necessary to acquire information, senior citizens find difficulty when lacking computer skills (Wood, 2010). Computer technology services may include obtaining government Social Security services Medicare, banking services, and accessing the performance of their children in school (Suntanto, 2012). The elderly population should learn computers because computers are necessary for the best utilizing services and adapting to modern society. A cursory examination of the issue introduced above reveals a number of compelling studies provide a meaningful overview of the computer literacy among the older generation as it stands and its most significant social factors. An examination undertaken in 2011 by McMurtrey carried out a survey of large random sampling of senior citizens in order to gauge their views towards interaction with information technology. McMurtrey (2011) reveal an important point: even if senior citizens do want to learn how to interface with information technology the restriction of access to training or education is an obstacle. Resistance is an issue, which must consider other studies have chosen to look at the issue (Gilly, 2012). The primary obstacle to acceptance seemed to be the usage; lack of support stemming from a lack of available training and education (Gilly, 2012). Many are now undertaking efforts to market information technology directly to seniors by focusing not so much on robust features but on the ease of use, or on bundled training materials (Smith, 2012). Technologies have the potential to play significant roles in the lives of senior citizens and the more comfortable and accepting they are of technologies the more likely they may be able to reap the associated benefits. Tech-savvy (2013) study pointed out 57 percent of all senior

Joseph Kony Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Joseph Kony - Term Paper Example This paper therefore presents a qualitative research using both primary and secondary data to examine the opinions of the public to the issue. The Primary data is gathered from 5 students using questionnaires. Secondary data is gathered from various internet websites and journals that analyze opinions on this issue. The opinions gathered in this research showed that has expressed mixed reactions to the issue, with some supporting it and others do not. Various arguments are advanced in support of the different perspectives of the public. Joseph Kony is the head of a Ugandan Guerilla group known as Lord Resistant Army (LRA). This group was formed in 1987 with an agenda of overthrowing the government of Uganda. According to Ksilvers (2012), this group enjoyed massive public support initially. However, this changed after the group turned against its own supporters in the process of trying to turn Uganda into a theocracy. Kony is a superstitious leader who claims that he is a spirit medium and a spokesman of God. He believes that if he succeeds in overthrowing Ugandan government, he can create a more suitable government based on theocracy and guided by the biblical Ten Commandments. His soldiers have crosses painted on their chests and believe that this will protect them from bullets. Unfortunately, the actions of this group directly contrast the requirements of biblical principles. However, though as the survey portrays most people did not know Kony before his indictment by the ICC, Kony remains as the biggest threat t o peace and stability in Norhtern Uganda, having carried out massive abductions and killings in his guerrilla tactics. As noted earlier, LRA, originally called United Holy Salvation Army (UHSA) was established in 1987. Its agenda was political and the ruling party, the National Resistant Army led by Ugandan President did not perceive it as a threat

The immigration debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The immigration debate - Essay Example In other words, the undocumented workers may take jobs away from Americans, but these are jobs Americans did not want in the first place. Rather, the illegal immigrants are doing us a favor by accomplishing the tasks that Americans find to menial for their tastes. In the overall scheme of things, illegal immigrants actually provide a larger benefit to the American economic system by adding at least $10 billion a year to our GDP. A small contribution to an overall GDP of a $10 trillion economy but an increase none the less and in our current national economic state, every little bit helps to ease the burden of inflation on the public. By boosting our GDP, these workers have actually proven that a larger workforce, regardless of employment status, will actually make a difference when it comes to worker output and/or consumer spending ( Said, Carolyn â€Å"The Immigration Debate†). Instead, the illegal immigrants who are working for us should be considered unsung heroes who actually contribute to the system. the Social Security system to be precise . The only problem is that since this batch of employees do not use valid SS numbers, their contributions remain floating within our system. So rather than debating the effects of illegal immigration on the workforce or economy, what we should really be looking at is a way to help make the contribution of these workers a part of the economic system of the country since those contributions are currently located in an economic limbo where it remains useless to everyone

How Investment Opportunities Affect Cash Holdings

How Investment Opportunities Affect Cash Holdings Introduction In recent years the interest of financial researches raised to firms cash policy, cash positions; if more accurate they are paying more attention why do firms hold so much cash. These issues have a long history and are the basis of corporate finance.  Indeed, from the day to day operations to finance long-term investments, own funds are just the most important source of funding. In particular, observers have recently serious doubts about the validity of so much cash.  This problem has led to important research aimed at clarifying the multifaceted aspects of monetary policy firms.  Although the rapid development of significantly enriched our understanding of the factors that stocks of companies the funds, the literature has paid little attention in the form of cash policys real impact on the daily activities of firms. In the 2007-2008 credit crunch business leaders and the media have made the phrase cash is sovereign back in vogue.  Although the firms internal cash flows decline, the stock markets collapsed and the credit markets nearly frozen, the lack of money has become a reality for many firms.  For example, General Motors (GM), based in the U.S. automaker, announced on 7 November 2008 that he could escape from the liquidity, despite the ongoing restructuring process. GM eventually reorganized through bankruptcy, but their fate was to demonstrate the importance of cash holdings.  Although the reduction of cash flows, as a rule, inevitable in many industries during the economic downturn, the symptoms can be removed by a sufficient amount of cash as a buffer to the crisis.  Nevertheless, for several reasons shareholders do not always want to see the firm to save money and sit on it.  The shareholders outlook on firms cash holdings and the cost they place on it will be examined in this research. The determinants and consequences of corporate cash holdings have attracted enlarged interest of scientists over the past ten years.  One key issue was that the relationship between cash and the value of the company.  Broadly speaking, two main factors in the equation of the advantages of liquidity of the company and the agency cost of managerial discretion.  Both these arguments have their supporters. For example, Myers and Majluf (1984) argue that costly external financing means that firms must maintain a sufficient cash reserve, which provides liquidity to take advantage of new projects a positive NPV.  However, according to Jensen (1986) the agency costs of managerial consolidation means that large amounts of cash should be paid to shareholders to keep managers overinvesting negative NPV projects.  Apparently, there is no single truth, which will apply to all companies at once, as the needs of both the firm and its managers are not uniform. Understanding the value of cash is of interest not only for researchers and scientists, but even more so for practitioners.  Equity analysts, financiers and corporate chief financial officers must all be very interesting to know which factors affect the cost of cash holdings in the company and why. Most equity analysts simply add cash to the top of the value of the company, without giving attention from what could be the reason why money should not be evaluated at face value. However, researches show, markets, monetary values in different firms in different ways, and, consequently, analysts may be too especially if the company has a large amount of liquid assets.  For corporate financiers situation is somewhat different, because they often give the conclusion that the value of the target firm is the acquirer, thereby eliminating the influence of the prevailing corporate governance and financial policies.  Nevertheless, it can be valuable to understand the value of cash when as sessing the market value of the firm.  Finally, the financial department of a firm must know why their cash cannot be appreciated at face value, and that they could do if they want.  This allows us not only to understand the preferences of shareholders, but perhaps an opportunity to meet them. Problem Statement In this research I want to find answers to the questions like: What is the reason of holding so much cash than needed? What kind of effects it could cause? How the financing constraints and investment opportunities together affect the value the shareholders place on cash? How firms investment opportunities affect the marginal value of firms cash holdings? How firms the state of external capital markets affect the marginal value of firms cash holdings? 1.3 Research objectives The aim of this work is the approach to the cost of cash holdings of firms in two directions. First, subsequent to Faulkender and Wang (2006), who studied the cross-section changes in the marginal value of corporate cash, which arises from differences in corporate financial policy. Secondly, inspired by the credit crunch of 2007-2008, I examine how changes in the external capital markets affect the cost of money over time.  As far as I know there have not been previous studies on the time changes in the value of cash.  There are several reasons why the loan should affect any results related to the companys cash holdings.  First, Almeida et al.(2004) show that financially constrained firms maintain a significantly higher proportion of their cash flow, the following adverse macroeconomic shocks than before.  This means that the relationship between the preserve cash flow and earnings of the company is dynamic and may change over time.  Second, the importance of cash is emphasized in a recession.  When a loan is becoming more rationed, the company in which a lot of cash does not need to worry about the inability to finance daily operations.  Intuitively, firms with more cash are less likely to be downgraded credit rating and are able to maintain acce ss to capital markets.  In addition, these companies can take advantage of the plight of the weaker firms, which may be less liquid assets, through active competitive actions and acquisitions.  Thus, it seems appropriate to us a treasure load of cash in good times to be able to strike when the economy turns.  Finally, as credit becomes more and more rationed, it also becomes more expensive.  This is especially true for financially constrained firms. I use a sample of around 1000 Malaysian firms for the last decade from 1999 to 2009 to test the hypothesis in Faulkender and Wang (2006), impact of investment opportunities on the value of cash, and the change in value of cash over the economic cycle. The usable observations begin from 1999 because for most of the variables I require a change throughout a fiscal year. The extraordinary state in the financial markets during 2007-2008 allows me to study how it may have impacted the value of cash. The following terms interchangeably I use in this thesis. First, in a few ways, mainly as cash holdings, cash reserves, or simply cash I refer to firms cash holdings. Nevertheless, cash level is used to refer to cash ratio (cash to net assets). Second, I use the value of cash, the marginal value of cash, value of additional cash, value of an extra dollar of cash, and the value the shareholders place on cash while referring to the value of firms cash holdings. Third, since most of the previous studies have been done with U.S. data, I discuss the value of a dollar in the introduction. However, my data are from Malaysia, and therefore in the empirical part I am examining the value of a ringgit. I review the related literature in the next section. Section 3 develops theoretical framework of the study, the main hypothesis, illustrates the methods and details the sample selection. LITERATURE REVIEW The literature on market value of cash can be divided into research focus on the benefits of liquidity, or agency costs.  The former approaches through the studies of financial policy and corporate decision making of companies, whereas the latter evaluates the degree of agency conflicts on the basis of corporate governance factors.  Despite the general division between the two issues, both are at least implicitly always present during the tests and conclusions. Although much effort has recently been devoted to studying the determinants of cash policy of firms, data on the impact of reserves firms cash remains relatively small.  However, there are a few notable exceptions.  Blanchard, Lopez-de-Silanes and Shleifer (1994), who studied a small sample of companies that received cash windfalls from lawsuits, and Harford (1999), studied the acquisition of the company with unusual cash, the document that managers with weaker incentives to maximize  value, tend to spend large amounts of cash is inefficient. Opler, Pinkowitz, Stulz and Williamson (1999) argue that corporate cash can be attributed to a compromise, the theory of financial hierarchy and agency theory.  Kim, Mauer and Sherman (1998) develop a model of compromise and argue that the optimal amount of corporate cash holdings is determined by the tradeoff between lower income and benefits to minimize the need for costly external financing.  Almeida, Campello and Weisbach (2004) believe that corporate cash holdings affected by financial difficulties.  Pinkowitz and Williamson (2001) believe that the bank authorities can affect the cash holdings of Japanese firms.  Faulkender and Wang (2006) consider changes in the marginal value of corporate cash holdings related to differences in corporate financial policy.  Foley, Hartzell, Titman and Twite (2006) offer tax-based explanations of corporate cash. Most of the literature to evaluate the relationship between financial policy and the exact market value cash holding focused on companies in the United States of America (USA) Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004), Faulkender and Wang (2006), and Denis and Sibilkov (2007) all  study how the financial characteristics of the company, and the cost of cash to play together. Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004) show that the average market value of the dollar held by a firm at roughly $ 1.20, which indicates that shareholders believe that the benefits outweigh the potential liquidity problems of the agency associated with it.  Faulkender and Wang (2006), using different methodologies to find the market value of the dollar at $ 0.94 on average.  Their results suggest that the potential costs of institutions, as well as tax effects outweigh the benefits to the average firm.  Denis Sibilkov (2007) focus on the financial difficulties of the company and the investment opportunities and find consi stent results.  Nevertheless, there is significant cross-section changes in the market value of money, thus focusing on the mean values shows only a little about the relationship between fiscal policy and the value of cash. The other branch of value of cash literature focuses on the effect of corporate governance.  For example, Dittmar and Mahrt-Smith (2007) use U.S. data show that the additional $ 1 cash for badly managed companies worth between $ 0.42 to $ 0.88, while good governance doubles the value.  Pinkowitz et al.  (2006) used a cross-border data and found that an additional $ 1 is associated with an increase in company value of $ 0.29 to $ 0.33, depending on the criteria of corporate governance in countries with weak protection of shareholders, while an additional $ 1 in cash  associated with an increase of $ 0.91 to $ 0.95 in the value of the company in countries with good shareholder protection.  In addition, Kalcheva and Lins (2003) found that a minority of investors who are not very well protected by applicable discounts for firms in high levels of cash.  This is consistent with the findings Fresard and Salva (2009), which show that the value of $ 1 of excess cash of typical non -US companies is U.S. $ 0,58, while it is $ 1.61 for the firms listed in the U.S. through exchanges means that  investors discount the value of corporate cash reserves when they are at high risk of turning into private profit. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Theoretical Framework Here I will talk about the early literature related to the value of cash holdings of the company, as well as provide relevant theory.  I begin with outlining the background to understand why firms hold cash. It is necessary to identify with why firms hold cash in order to understand how the shareholders determine the importance they attach to the cash.  Then I will present before the relevant studies and conclusions contained in the value of the cash literature. 3.1.1 Cash holding motives If all firms operating in the world of perfect capital markets, cash holdings will have no value.  If the firm was in need of cash for operations or investments, it can raise funds at zero cost. While there is no liquidity premium in such a world, holdings of liquid assets have no possibility of cost.  Consequently, if a company borrows money and invests it in liquid assets, shareholder wealth is unchanged. Nevertheless, in the real world markets are not perfect and the holding of liquid assets has its costs.  Thus, a firm must strike a balance between the marginal cost of holding liquid assets and the marginal benefit of holding these assets. Here, I present five theories of why firms hold cash and which have been shown in earlier literature. 3.1.1.1 The transaction motive Transactions motive for holding cash is due to the cost of converting money substitutes into cash.  According to Keynes (1936), a company can save on transaction costs by using cash to make payments without liquidation of assets.  Miller and Orr (1966) model the demand for cash to finance daily operations, and the required level of cash.  The company short of liquid assets has to raise funds in capital markets, liquidate existing assets, reduce dividends and investment, the revision of existing financial contracts, or use a combination of these actions.  Since there are both fixed and variable costs in increasing cash, the company must hold a buffer of cash to avoid raising cash often, and thus to avoid the associated fixed transaction costs. Myers and Majluf (1984) argue that the increase in external financing is more costly than using internal resources in the presence of asymmetric information.  Since outsiders know less than the management, they may discount the price of securities more than management was willing to accept.  Thus, the management may find it more profitable not to sell securities, and even reduce the investment.  For this reason, it may be optimal for companies that conduct a certain level of cash to meet the needs of investment spending. 3.1.1.2 The agency motive Jensen (1986) argues that entrenched managers have incentives to retain cash rather than an increase in payments to shareholders, even if the firm has limited opportunities for investment.  Opler et al.  (1999) tender reasons why managers can use the optimal cash policies.  First, managers can accumulate funds to pursue their personal interests.  Cash allows managers to invest in external capital markets would not be willing to finance.  They usually spend one dollar in cash in hand, even if they cannot raise financing from the markets.  Consequently, they could make investments that may have a negative impact on the value of the company.  Jensens (1986) free cash flow problem predicts that managers with surplus cash are probably to overinvest.  Thus, a one dollar increase in cash holdings of firms can lead to significantly less than one dollar increase in the value of the company.  As the outsiders do not know, whether managers are accumulating cash to increase the value of the company or pursue their own goals, the cost of external capital is likely to increase. 3.1.1.3 The tax motive In recent studies by Foley et al. (2007) shows that U.S. companies which will bear the tax consequences associated with the repatriation of foreign earnings hold a high level of cash. Affiliates referring to the highest tax consequences of repatriating also have the highest level of cash.  This means that multinational companies are more likely to accumulate cash.  The extent this applies to the Malaysian firms has yet be studied. 3.1.1.4 The theory financing hierarchy The theory of financing hierarchy implies that there is no optimal amount of cash, based on arguments similar to the hierarchy theory of capital structure (Opler et al. (1999)).  According to theory, firms are not willing to issue shares, because it is too expensive because of the asymmetry of information.  They sell the debt when they do not have sufficient resources, and when they can do so.  When they have sufficient resources to invest in profitable opportunities available, they pay the debt which becomes due, and to accumulate more cash or else.  The theory assumes that the cash holdings of firms are less strategic choice but more a result of a dynamic, endogenous process. 3.1.1.5 Investment opportunities and the value of cash Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004) were the first who studied the market value of cash holdings.  They focus on firms investment and financing opportunities.  They find that the growth of the company have the possibility of a positive attitude to the market value of money.  Firms with greater investment opportunities have a higher cost of cash.  They also show that firms with higher uncertainty of investment have a higher valuation.  In addition, firms in a difficult financial situation have lower valuation on cost. Faulkender and Wang (2006) confirm this conclusion, as they show that firms with lower leverage, a proxy for financial distress, have higher value put on cash.  Finally, Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004) argue that access to capital markets does not affect the market value of cash.  However, they note that their proxy for access to capital markets, company size may not be perfect. Consequently, Faulkender and Wang (2006) show that the difficulties in obtaining ac cess to capital markets play an important role in the market value of cash.  Liu and Chang (2009) show similar proof on the impact of financial constraints on the market value of cash.  Faulkender and Wang (2006) also show that the marginal cost of cash reduces with the amount of cash holdings.  They argue that this is associated with an increase in the probability distribution of cash to shareholders, and consequently incurring transaction costs and taxation, to reduce the cost of cash. Hypothesis After I studied the theory of the value of cash holdings, I turn to the empirical predictions.  I present hypotheses for the impact of financial policy and investment opportunities on the value of cash.  These hypotheses relate to previous work in the field of corporate finance and the value for cash. Hypothesis 1: The marginal value of cash is decreasing in the level of the firms cash position After Faulkender and Wang (2006), I initially hypothesize that the marginal value of the shareholders place on cash holdings of the company reduces as the level of cash holdings increases.  The reasons are based on agency and tax considerations.  As firms cash level rises it becomes more likely to distribute the cash to shareholders who then as a result incur a dividend tax.  In addition, the company with high cash holdings becomes more vulnerable to face agency costs as shareholders begin to worry about the interest and ability of managers to invest in positive NPV projects.  Thus, the marginal cost of cash should reduce as the cash level of the company increases. Hypothesis 2: An extra ringgit of cash holdings is less valuable for shareholders in highly levered firms than in firms with low leverage. The second hypothesis from Faulkender and Wang (2006), which I test in my Malaysian sample, is the negative relation marginal cost of cash and firms leverage.  The cost of cash for shareholders in high levered firms is likely to be less than in firms with low leverage as contingent claims analysis predicts that most of the value of these firms is in the hands of debt holders. Additional ringgit is likely to go mostly to increase the value of debt and therefore, the value for shareholders is low. Hypothesis 3: An extra ringgit of cash holdings is more valuable for shareholders in financially constrained firms. The last hypothesis which follows Faulkender and Wang (2006) is that the simplicity of accessing to external capital markets should have an impact on the value of cash.  Access may be limited for various reasons, but often associated with asymmetric information about the state of the company, which may occur for smaller firms, firms without any credit rating or equity research coverage and the firms that do not pay dividends.  These firms can be considered as financially constrained and can be thought of having higher costs in raising external funds.  Thus, with its own funds, i.e. cash in hand, should be more valuable to these firms than financially unconstrained firms, which are likely and able to obtain external financing. Hypothesis 4: An extra ringgit of cash holdings is more valuable for firms with good investment opportunities. I examine whether firms with better investment opportunities have a higher valuation on their cash holdings than firms with weaker growth potential by following Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004).  Pinkowitz and Williamson argue that the main theoretical determinant of the value of cash holding should be the investment opportunity set of the firm.  First, liquidity is important, because without liquid assets of the firm will be forced to abandon a positive NPV project (Myers and Majluf (1984)).  This should increase the cost of cash as it is expected to increase in value of assets.  Secondly, Jensens (1986) free cash flow problem arises when the firm has a few good opportunities for investment.  If a company with sufficient cash reserves has positive NPV investment opportunities, it is likely to use these advantages instead of wasting money on unproductive ventures.  Intuition is that when two identical firms except that one has a positive NPV investment opportunities and th e other one does not have the opportunity to invest, it is likely that the first firm will spend its cash in ways more valuable to the shareholders. Hypothesis 5: The marginal value of cash is high for financially constrained firms with good investment opportunities. One of the arguments in Faulkender and Wang (2006) having a higher marginal value of cash for financially constrained firms is that when firms have positive NPV investment opportunities. The higher the cost of raising external capital is, the more likely these opportunities are foregone. Though, they do not test for it empirically. I hypothesize that the reason why financially constrained firms and firms with better investment opportunities have a higher value placed on cash when examined separately, is in fact due to the combined effect of these two criteria.  A financially constrained firm without investment opportunities is unable to make return for the cash, while a financially unconstrained firm with good investment opportunities can simply increase external funding when it needs to. Thus, financially constrained firms with good investment opportunities should have a high value placed on their cash holdings by their shareholders compared with other firms. Hypothesis 6: Firms cash holdings, on average, decrease when the cost of external capital increases. When conditions in the corporate credit market deteriorate, it often leads to a reduction in the economy (Fisher (1933)).  As firms generate less internal cash flows and at the same time, corporate credit becomes more expensive and rationed, cash reserves of firms, on average, should decline.  It was also suggested by Opler et al (1999). Hypothesis 7: When the cost of external capital is higher an extra ringgit of cash holdings is more valuable. As the supply of credit becomes more rationed and therefore more expensive, the cost of raising capital increases.  The increase in the cost of capital makes firms more likely to give up positive NPV projects due to lack of funding.  Therefore, when a credit is more rationed, cash holdings should become more valuable because they can help companies take advantage of positive NPV investment opportunities without incurring high costs of raising external capital. Methods I follow Faulkender and Wang (2006) who developed a methodology which estimates the extra value the market incorporates into equity values that result from changes in the cash position of firms over the fiscal year to measure the impact of corporate financial policy on the value of cash holdings. Since stock returns are influenced by the common risk factors, as well as changes in firm-specific characteristics it is necessary to control for both to be able to estimate the magnitude change attributed to the change in cash. The change in the value of a firm is measured by the excess return for the firm i during fiscal year t less the return of stock is benchmark portfolio during fiscal year t. Then the excess returns are regressed on changes in the characteristics of the firm.  In this case the main interest is in the estimated coefficient corresponding to the variable measuring the ratio of unexpected changes in cash of the firms lagged equity value.  Since the dependent and indepe ndent variables are standardized by lagged market value of equity, the coefficient measures the dollar change in shareholder value resulting from a change of one dollar of cash held by the firm. Faulkender and Wang (2006) methodology is in effect a long-term event study, in which event is unexpected changes in cash holdings, controlled for other factors that may impact returns over the assessment window of one year. 3.3.1 Controlling for risk-related market-wide factors To control for risk-related factors excess returns are examined that may impact a firms discount rate and return. Fama and French (1993) show that size and the book-to-market of equity clarifies ordinary variation in stock returns. To arrive at the estimate of the excess return I use the 25 Fama-French portfolios (Fama and French (1993)) formed on size, measured as market capitalization, and book-to-market value of equity ratio (BE/ME henceforth) as my benchmark portfolios. First firms are sorted by size and divided in five size groups, and then firms are sorted by BE/ME ratios and divided in five BE/ME quintiles for each year. Then I group every firm into one of BE/ME portfolios and 25 size based on the intersection between the BE/ME and size independent sorts. Firms excess return is calculated by subtracting the firm is benchmark portfolio return during fiscal year t from the firm is stock return during fiscal year t. The fiscal year, or yearly, returns are calculated using the monthly returns. Hence, the dependent variable for the baseline regression is (1) where ri,t is the stock return for firm i during fiscal year t and is stock is benchmark portfolios return during the corresponding fiscal year t. 3.3.2 Controlling for firm-specific factors It is necessary to control for variables that could be correlated with both change and returns in cash holdings to be able to examine how much the change in cash holdings impacts the change in equity value. Hence, in addition to change in cash should be regressed the excess stock return over the fiscal year on changes in a firms profitability, investment policy, and financing policy. The subsequent equation describes baseline regression: = (2) where the ΔX term indicates unforeseen change in variable X. The dependent variable is described above. The independent variables are firm-specific factors that control for sources of value other than cash or may be correlated with cash holdings. The dependent variable was described above.  Independent variables are firm-specific factors that control the sources of value, except for cash and can be correlated with cash holdings. ΔCi,t is the unforeseen change throughout fiscal year t in firm is cash holdings in balance sheet and the most significant variable in the regression. I suppose that the unforeseen change in cash holdings equals to the realized change in cash holdings throughout the fiscal year. ΔEi,t is the change throughout fiscal year t in earnings before interest and extraordinary items, and controls for profitability of firm. Firms investment changes policy are controlled by ΔNAi,t, the change throughout fiscal year t in total assets net of cash, and ΔRDi,t, the change throughout fiscal year t in RD expenditure. The financing policy is controlled by ΔIi,t which is the change throughout fiscal year t in interest expense, ΔDi,t which is the change during fiscal year t in sum dividends, Ci,t-1 which is firm is lagged cash holdings at time t-1, Li,t which is market leverage at the of fiscal year t, and finally NFi,t which is the firms net financing throughout the fiscal year t. As the stock return is also by definition divided by Mi,t-1, the standardization allows for understanding the estimated coefficients as the dollar change in value for a one-dollar change in the relevant independent variable. Sample Selection For my empirical analysis of the marginal value of cash in Malaysia and how it may have changed over time with the availability of capital from the external market I use a sample of publicly listed Malaysian firms from 1999 to 2009. The sample includes both active and inactive firms to avoid a survivorship bias. In this section I describe how I calculate the variables and from where I obtain the data. Here I will first describe how the dependent variable is calculated, and then describe the independent variables in detail. 3.4.1 Dependent variable The dependent variable is the excess return of a firms stock (Eq. (1)). The stock return for a firm i through fiscal year t, ri,t, is calculated using Total Return Index (item ReturnIndex) from Thomson Reuters Datastream database (referred as Datastream after this). The index regulates for stock splits and dividends, and therefore the most accurate measure of increase in firm equity value. 3.4.2 Independent variables The change is basically the difference between fiscal years t and t-1. In addition, all variables excluding for leverage and net financing are deflated by one-year holdup market value of equity. The variables used in Eq. (2) are measured as below: a) Ci,t and Ci,t-1 One-year holdup cash holdings and cash holdings are measured as cash and short-term investments (CashAndSTInvestments). Ever since this is the most important variable, it should be noted that firms cash holdings are considered to include marketable securities and cash in majority of academic studies. Depending on the source, these can be listed as cash and equivalent, cash and short-term investments or marketable securities and cash. Though, in addition to cash the definition can include items such as commercial papers, treasury bills and other money market investments. In general databases adjust the reported records from firm financial statements in order to make the data comparable across the firms. b) Ei,t Earnings before interest and extraordinary items are calculated as earnings before extraordinary items (IncomeBefExtraItemsCFStmt) plus interest expenses (InterestExpenseOnDebt). c) NAi,t Total assets net of cash or net assets, are calculated as total assets (TotalAssets) minus cash holdings (CashAndSTInvestments). d) RDi,t RD expenditure is simply RD expenditure (ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense). It is set to zero if missing. e) Ii,t Interest expense is measured as interest expenses on debt (InterestExpenseOnDebt). f) Di,t Total dividends are measured as common dividends paid (CommonDividendsCash). g) Li,t Ma