Mia - Multinational Agreement Of Investors Essays -

Mia - Multinational Agreement Of Investors In the high tech age of today, business are looking for new ways to expand and get their products out to the market. We already have many laws and organizations that encourage this and try to help out the corporations. NAFTA, GATT, WTO and EECU are all set up with corporations in mind. We are all striving for a free market economy so that everyone has a chance but what risks will that impose on the consumer. That is where the MAI comes in. The Multinational Agreement of Investors is trying to reach for a free market. The MAI has been being discussed since 1995. It started off as an idea in the WTO and when some of the smaller countries rejected it, it went to the Economic Cooperation and Development. This organization is made up of the 29 wealthiest countries which are home to 95% of the top 500 corporations. This new agreement is very strong and that is why it is still being held up in the discussion stage. If it does come true it will allow corporations to build anywhere and make what they want that they think that they can sell. it will also let the corps. move capitol more freely. The main viewpoint for this is that it will eliminate discrimination of the corporations nationality. The downfalls are that it gives the corporations the power to sue government of the country that it is in if the corporation feels that its right to make profit is being harmed. his comes as a big problem because then the corporation no longer has to worry about doing things a certain way as long as they make money. This leaves the people in the state helpless against their pollution and pricing power. As of now this agreement is still being held up because France and Canada dropped out of the discussions due to the large Non-Government Organizations that are protesting the MAI. The other countries are trying to revive it because they think in the long run it will be beneficial as we globolize are economies more. I am very glad that the MAI is being held up right now. I feel that letting a corporation become its own sovereign state is going to far. I want to have my share in making money but it is still important to respect others believes and that is what the MAI does not do. If that got passed I think that we would finally have a free market economy and that it would crush everything. Political Issues

7 Bad Study Habits that Crush Your Productivity

7 Bad Study Habits that Crush Your Productivity After reading this article you’ll be able to boost your performance and conquer the world with style and savvy. Each one of the habits we’ll discuss are disturbingly common. Common as say†¦mediocrity. 1. You Guessed It†¦Procrastination Let’s be honest, some people can master the art of procrastination and some can’t. In reality, what those people are really doing is allowing the information to marinate in their minds. They’re making sense of it internally. Constantly dreaming about it. Thinking about it before they sleep each night. The people who can’t do it, pretty much just push things off until the last minute. Only then do they really direct their energies towards the problem or issue. That doesn’t really work. It just doesn’t. 2. Getting Stuck with Indecision Indecision causes us to become immobile. We stagnate, transforming into a human version of Pavlov’s Dog. Pick a place to start, the most accessible and begin. Tackle the simplest component and move on from there bit by bit. Furthermore, when in doubt go find someone with the answers and consult with them. Doing otherwise, just trying to be the proud Lone Ranger-type is oftentimes flat out ridiculous. And stop waiting for the perfect circumstances to arise, or that special feeling or whatever. That’s just indecision in disguise. You’re saying to yourself that you know what you â€Å"want† to do, but you can only perform miracles once you decide you HAVE to. 3. Listening to the Passing Cloud of Thought Is there anything under the sun more potentially distracting than your inner monologue? Honestly. At every second of every day it just keeps chattering away. Or, if you’re one of the more internally silent types, they tend to act up when you try to focus on something important. Learn to put it in the background and keep it there otherwise you’ll end up going on mental tangents over and over and over again wasting mountains of time. In reality those little tantalizing thoughts are energy vampires. You’ve only got so much before you have to disengage so choose wisely which thoughts you entertain. 4. Not Staying Physically Active Embody your studying whoever possible, or make sure to exercise at least once every day five days a week†¦period! The human mind and body thrive on physical activity. We’re genetically bred for it from our heads to our toes. Resistance sharpens up. When you have a break from your math homework, instead of staying mind-centric go give your body some attention. Take a jog. Go for a swim. Workout. Whatever. Confidence is also a pretty big productivity booster in nearly every respect. Think about it: don’t you do better in all areas of your life when you hold yourself and your abilities in higher esteem? The more focused your body, the more focused your mind can become†¦which in turn makes it easier to keep your internal monologue (not the same as your gut instincts) in check. 5. Caving to Technology Distractions It’s everywhere, calling for your attention second by second day in and day out. Social media networks are live 24/7. You could check recent updates. See if people commented on your blog. You could play some Angry Birds†¦The Xbox is backing thee. Virtual reality is ready to envelope your avatar once again. It goes on and on. You have got to completely disengage your mind from techno-distractions for a while if you’re going to get something done, especially if you’re forced to use a computer to do it. Don’t have tabs or windows open that don’t have to do with the problem at hand. Stop checking your email. Stop checking Drudge†¦! 6. Your Multi-tasking is Too Complex Getting lots of things done at once is awesome. It’s efficient. But, once you reach a point where the complexity is too much only pride and pure ignorance keep you chugging along at 30%. If you’re a chronic multi-tasker try this: do one thing at a time and see if you get more or less done. How about it? You up for the task? You can either go from easiest to hardest, or just mix things up in any way you see fit. Give it a shot. Oftentimes you’ll end up just grouping 2 or 3 things together as you can rather than the whole lot! 7. Avoiding Sufficient Nutrition Guess what genius, without sufficient hydration and micronutrient intake you’re cutting yourself drastically short. Take a simple biology, or human physiology class and be amazed by how much water and energy your brain requires. It’s shocking. Speaking of which, how about you shock yourself and eat quality food rather than top ramen, chili powder and peanut butter. Okay, we’re done. It’s your turn. What the #1 productivity killer to you?

Catholicism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Catholicism - Assignment Example Therefore, to discover more about the traditions, theological characteristics and the way the Orthodox worship, I visited the Holy Orthodox Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco on November 15 at 6 pm. Because I do not identify with any religion, the purpose of the visit was purely to discover about the traditions and the practices of the Orthodox Christians. Upon entering the church service, I was amazed to discover that the Orthodox Christians have certain customs and traditions, which form a critical part of their worship. In fact, I was told that some are cultural in nature while others are just sanctimonious customs. The first most important tradition that came to my attention was the lighting of the candles. Just before the church service could begin, one of the bishops would light candles of different colors, including red and white (Holy Trinity Cathedral, 2014). The lighting candles would then be placed strategically at the altar. One of the congregants informed me that the lighting of the candles is an important part of the prayer since it acts as an offering that accompanies the prayers of the congregants. However, midway through the prayers, the candles were blown out and taken away. When I inquired why that was happening, a congregant who sat beside me, informed me that the there are instances when the candle is not supposed to be lit. These instances include when the Gospel and Epistle is being read, during sermons, when the congregants are standing, as well as during Great Entrances. The Orthodox Church is also very particular on the attire that a congregant is expected to wear when attending a church service. Although the Orthodox believes that God would accept mankind regardless of what one wears, the church encourages decent dressing. Accordingly, the Orthodox discourages to impress others. Instead, the church encourages all the faithful to dress respectfully in a manner that pleases God (Holy Trinity Cathedral, 2014).

UltraSound - Current Disruptive Innovation and Theories Essay

UltraSound - Current Disruptive Innovation and Theories - Essay Example However, disruptive technologies generally refer to mechanisms and equipment by which simpler and cheaper products are created. Disruptive technologies assist in the creation of new markets and product value networks, in the process interfering with the established or existing markets and value networks. That is, with the emergence of a disruptive technology, a given market or value of a product is changed in a manner the market does not expect (Scott et al., 2008). For instance, a disruptive technology could create a new class of customers through processes that lower product prices. Disruptive technology thus opposes sustaining technologies, which do not create new value networks or markets. Although most disruptive technologies may be cited to relate to computers and the associated products, such as desktop publishing, microcomputers, gps, smartphones, and the social media, other industries such as education and health care are also awash with disruptive technologies, which have c reated new markets, value networks, and customer classes. Ultrasound as Disruptive Technology The market disrupted by the ultrasound technology is the radiography, in which the X-ray imaging technology has been disrupted. One of the features of the disruptive technology that ultrasound has is its creation of a new market, interfering with the market advantages enjoyed by X-ray companies, which never participated in ultrasound until much later, after they acquired some major ultrasound equipment manufacturing firms (Tribikram, 2004). According to Professor Clayton Christensen of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, the emergence of ultrasound in clinical applications is a good example of disruptive technologies that address certain inefficiencies in modern health care standards. For instance, comparatively, ultrasound is simpler, less expensive, and more convenient than other modern imaging systems. Therefore, according to Christensen, healthcare should be more dis ruptive, flexible, and simpler to meet the divergent needs of patients. Similar to the case of other disruptive technologies, ultrasound entered the healthcare market and immediately won a big chunk of customers who had hitherto used other technologies. Although other technologies such as CT, MRI and PET imaging earlier introduced had displaced the X-ray, ultrasound is obviously more disruptive than the CT, MRI, and PET (Christensen, 1997). Moreover, ultrasound allows mere caregivers and technologists to take imaging to patients rather than the more expensive specialists. Interestingly, those behind the ultrasound invention and manufacture are small companies such as the Ultrasonix, which are rather new to the industry, and not the long-established healthcare multinationals. In fact, Ultrasonix designs, develops, and manufactures different diagnostic ultrasound systems that make ultrasound technology easier to apply in several areas of patient care (Christensen, 1997). With their la rge monitors and image quality, these ultrasound systems are quite ideal for guiding interventional procedures. According to Adner and Snow (2010), disruptive technologies such as the ultrasound are met with skepticism from some stakeholders who, instead of embracing a new technology, would rather continue with, or

Practices prevent the abuse of school funds Essay Example for Free

Practices prevent the abuse of school funds Essay The education of students and the welfare situation of the staff are paramount issues in addressing school finance. The nature of the education cadre in high schools is an important part of the formal education of the young child who has in between the childhood and adolescent stages of human development. It is therefore important for he head teacher who is saddled with the responsibility of promoting education within the school to commit the available resources to the right channels to achieve the intended results of infrastructure development and provision of facilities to ensure continuity of education in the school. Some of the Infrastructure development- that needs be upheld include library, art and technical studios, computer rooms, music room; environmental sanitation, provision of teaching and learning aids, game centre and kits, award ceremony for staff and students In this age and time, it is needful to realize that education is a social and economic good; this implies that it is an avenue to build viable human capital which would contribute to , national economic wealth and health alongside the effective utilization of material, capital and natural resources within the environment. This economic good also contributes to individual health by establishing an individual as a positive force within the community where he resides. Although education does not preclude evil but its positive impact apparently outweighs its negatives. This issue is important because it informs the decision of the principal of head teacher of the high school about the judicial use of the funds available to him from various sources. What are these sources of funds to the high school? These include the federal allocation to public schools, the state allocation to schools within the jurisdiction. These two forms the socio-political source of funds, while there is the local source from payments by the attending students. Besides, there could also be internally generated funds from projects, programs and economic activities approved for and/or by the school. Realizing the economic good in education and the source of funding of schools are important tools that can contribute to stemming abuse of funds in schools especially high schools. While it is illegal to misuse funds for personal goals, aspirations like acquisition of political power or savings towards retirement, it is necessary for head teachers to realize the role of education in the growth and development of the adolescent child that attend high schools. If they realize the import this can have on the morals and social development of these kids, the propensity to embezzle schools funds would diminish in our schools. One of the practices that prevent abuse of funds includes fiscal accountability. Realizing that for every allocation by the government or payment by the attending students would be accounted for contribute to stopping the abuse of funds. This fiscal accountability is achieved by tracking fund though the means of revenue and expenditure track, monitoring of accounting transactions and auditing. As part of this measure, auditing is an inevitable tool; it includes internal and external audit. While the former uses local staff, the latter adopts using the appropriate institutions within the society which can rarely be influenced the caprices of a local head of high school. In any situation there is inconsistency in the tracking of the funds, which shows that there is need for more scrutiny of such heads. If this auditing can be effectively carried out at all levels of education especially at high schools, it would drastically change the shape of funding and spending within schools by their principals. Another equally important tool is Budgeting: this includes organizing financial transactions, balancing them through stipulated revenue and expenditure plan with a view to meeting staff needs, fund student activities and attain social and local goals. Organizations can incremental, use of school site, outcome-focused or tailored towards program planning. Balancing includes planning revenue and expenditure in such a way as to achieve a balance, deficit or surplus. The aim of budgeting is basically to draw a financial plan to meet specific needs. This gives rooms for identifying challenges and tackling them within the limit of available resources. A comprehensive budget would meet staffing needs which covers recruitment and selection, compensation, and continuous training and retraining on advancements in technological and teaching practices. It would also make provisions for student’s activities and embark of appropriate programs that can meet school and district missions. There would also be allocations for infrastructure development to cover construction works, architectural lay-out and provision of necessary education facilities. Such a budget would encompass all areas that need improvement within the school; when these goals are outlined and there is institutional will to meet them, it would be difficult to abuse funds. Usually available funds may not even be sufficient to meet needs driving fund-raising and capital programs for increased revenue generation. When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. This is the essence of the budget. Realizing the importance of good governance with respect to financial prudence on the morals of staff and students makes a leader a judicious custodian of available financial resources. Fiscal accountability through auditing by internal and external outfits dampens the propensity to divert school funds towards personal goals. Since knowledge does not preclude this evil, strict disciplinary measure meted to offenders who are convicted of this white collar crime is another practice that militates against abuse of school funds. These are measures that prevent misuse of school funds. REFERENCES Safeguarding School Funds by Henry Linn. 4th edition. †¢ Review of Educational Research, Vol. 3, No. 5, 399-408 (1933) 1933 American Educational Research Association Chapter VI: School Finance †¢ Does money matter? GT Burtless Policy Studies Journal, 1997 †¢ Pritchett, Lant Filmer, Deon, 1999. What education production functions really show: a positive theory of education expenditures. Economics of education review. Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 223-239, April. †¢ Goldhaber, Dan D. , 1996. Public and private high schools: Is school choice an answer to productivity problem. Economics of education review. Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 93-109, April.

Microsoft shares the wealth :: essays research papers

Why MICROSOFT decided to pay dividends in 2003? 1.1 The company might see itself stepping in  ¡Ã‚ §Maturity Stage ¡Ã‚ ¨ -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harder to grow, revenue growth slide down Investors buy stock for one of two reasons; either it will grow in value or pay a dividend. If a company stops growing, stockholders will demand a dividend. If they don't get it, they will sell their stock. In the history, Microsoft enjoyed incredible growth, so dividend was unnecessary. Recent Microsoft dividends may tell us that the company has ended its growth phase and is now a 'mature' company. -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  More competitions from Open source like Linux and open office Windows and Office continue to supply most of Microsoft ¡Ã‚ ¦s profit. But that profit is being squeezed as more and more companies are using Linux servers and even Linux desktops. For example, China is developing its own OS (Operating System) and planning to use for the whole country (their intention is to keep Microsoft away from the country). The company has been forced to slash prices for some key customers to avoid large scale defections, which leads to difficulties to locate the right price because high price may reduce the market share, but low price to compete against open source may reduce its core revenue. 1.2 Expecting the stock price will increase after dividends paid - Investors can buy more shares Experts say most investors will also likely use the extra cash to buy more shares. And there ¡Ã‚ ¦s no guarantee the investors will spend money in the economy. Indeed, most investors will probably reinvest it or keep it in a cash account at their brokerage. - Stocks buyback policy from Microsoft itself Even if Microsoft use  ¡Ã‚ §Optimal Distribution Policy ¡Ã‚ ¨ in which there is a balance between cash dividends (around 32 billions USD) and stock repurchase (around 30 billions USD). This may affect the decrease in stock price a little while after the announcement of dividend payout, however investors still hope for the rising price in the future. 1.3 The company reserves the great amount of cash liquidity As we can see from the article that Microsoft can pay around 32 billions USD for cash dividend, 30 billions USD for stocks repurchase and another 3 billions USD, for the goodness, to Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. Agree / Disagree with the decision, explain why? AGREE because: „I  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the company is reaching the maturity stage, dividend payout is another option instead of company growth only „I  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  30 billion USD buy back will contribute to keep the stock value up and make investors happy

Imposing a Narrative: Political Agendas in Film Essay

Writers all face the same sensitive situation when beginning to compose a story, to create a narrative which accurately reflects the appropriate political commentary. Journalists often claim to be apolitical and purely objective, however, the fact of the matter is that the best a journalist can do is to aim to be as nonbiased and formal as possible in their political assertions. Other writers have it easier in that they are able to perhaps lean a bit further into one political direction over another, to make a story more personal and informal. For example, Michael Moore’s recent film Sicko places focus on the health care system as being in need of reform, utilizing obviously pro-Democratic rhetoric (2007). Moore calls attention to the socialist ideals in Europe which have strengthened the health care system in ways such as reducing costs to patients and increasing quality of life, in comparison to the United States. Some screenplay writers are confident in their aim to politicize certain issues, to use their artistic talent to call attention to social problems. See more: how to start a personal narrative essay examples Nora Ephron claims that â€Å"for something to matter it must be political†, asserting the point of view that it is vital for writers to impose a narrative on the audience in an effort to open minds to political perspectives (1992, 453). In incorporating the objective truth of events into films, it is essential to add enough personal and political opinion to be able to create a story which is full of touching meaning and excitement rather than purely disjointed factual analysis. Purpose of Screenwriter Ephron claims that imposing a narrative about an actual event or true life story is the writer’s â€Å"version of what†¦ happened† (1992, 454). This version of reality necessitates some elements of fiction, in that there is rarely a time when any writer knows the exact sequence of events in detail. The best that a writer can do, the responsibility of a writer, is to fill in the gaps with educated, plausible, exciting, and political guesses as to what may have occurred. When researching events, even events which may have just happened the day before, the writer is often faced with â€Å"historical fact and ongoing myth† (Ephron, 1992, 454). It is the responsibility of the talented and politically minded writer to supplement what is known with what is unknown, in order to weave a fuller fabric through storytelling. In screenwriting, the writer is concerned with taking what is known to be objective fact and interspersing these facts with creative images and ideas, so that the writer is able to tell a story which has a political agenda and imposes a certain narrative on the audience. Although many journalists disagree with the artistic elements of screenwriting, in which known facts are supplemented with interesting guesses and thought provoking speculations, there is simply no other way to produce an effective film without the influencing element of subjective narration. It would be impossible to create a movie about the life of Marilyn Monroe without adding some devised elements of pure fiction to what is actually known to be factual information about her life. Without the fiction, the facts would stand alone, hanging there as spots of time. No one person knows exactly the thoughts and activities of any other person, so if one person wants to create a film about the life of another person, is it essential to be able to inject the story of what actually occurred with what may have occurred. In this way, the story becomes full, interesting, and rich. The writer is able to contribute something of oneself into the final product. In this way, the completed film becomes a personal and meaningful sequence of events, some events being factual, and some events being fictional. In any case, one can rest assured that writers take time and energy necessary to infuse their documentary screenplays with colorful characters and powerful emotion, so that audience members are able to be moved and swayed in accordance with the intention of the creative process. Narrative in Film When considering the purpose of storytelling in film, particularly when the film is based upon the true story of a person’s life, it is important to be able to appreciate the ways in which facts are coupled with fiction in the effort to produce scenes and characters which come to life for the audience. This liveliness is often romantic, dramatic, political, yet is vital for the richness of the tale and the ability of the writer to devote oneself to the story on a personal and passionate level. One particularly moving film is A Beautiful Mind, based on the life of John Forbes Nash, Jr. , Nobel Laureate in Economics (Howard, 2001). Nash developed a highly respected theory of economics which is referred to as the Nash Equilibrium, which basically states that the motives of the individual and the motives of the group are correlated, in support of cooperative decision making. Nash was also known to have been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a fact acknowledged in the film. However, the bar scene where Nash unsuccessfully tries to strike up conversations with women and admits to his pals that he is â€Å"better with numbers than with people† is a fictional story devised by the screenwriter. It is personal situations such as this, the drawing together of Nash’s tremendous genius and social insecurity into a college bar excursion with his buddies, which aim to personalize and politicize the story of a person’s life. It is up to the audience to determine whether or not they believe Nash tried to pick up on women and failed, if his insecurity was the result of a mental illness or of experiencing the assault of human society, if he was simply shyer and less aggressive than other men, if he was learning something about economics when faced with this social situation. The possibilities are endless. In creating this personal interlude into what could have been a plausible occurrence in Nash’s life, the writer brings the audience into a fabricated yet intimate scene of what could have contributed to the experience of what it meant to be Nash. Conclusion In addressing the truth of the world through the medium of film, it is essential for writers to be aware that their documentaries necessarily must be empowered by bridging cultural divides and inspiring hope in overcoming political turmoil. It is essential that writing expose the harsh realities of a volatile world, educate and motivate people, and utilize entertainment through modes of humor and drama (Barnard, 2007). In films such as A Beautiful Mind, the lives of the characters become intimate appraisals of the human soul, and audience members reflect upon their own personal experiences and judgments as a result of this delving into the story of another person’s life. Political events in films, such as suggesting that psychiatric medication was not helpful to Nash, have a reverberating effect on the entire society and force people to make personal conclusions about what is right and wrong in the world. Although it is not the job of a screenwriter to misconstrue the facts, it is certainly the job of a writer to decorate the story with intimate yet fictional events, to make certain that the audience is absorbed in the entertainment of the imposed narrative, and to take the meaning of the story in just enough of a political direction to inspire people to think about their world a little bit differently than they may have done before.