Friday, November 29, 2019

Margin Imposed by NSE on Derivative trading free essay sample

Plain the role and importance of the different types of Margins imposed by the NSE in Derivatives Trading The Trading of currency futures is subject to maintaining initial, extreme loss, and calendar spread margins and the clearing corporations of the exchanges (In the case of NSE it is NSCCL) should ensure maintenance of such margins by the participants based on the guidelines issued by SEBI from time to time. The clearing corporation acts as counterparty to all contracts traded on the exchange and is responsible for settling all trades. They control their risks, by asking the members to pay margins and provide timely information about their financial condition. There are various types of margins that the clients/ trading members/ clearing members required to deposit: Margins on both Futures and Options contracts comprise of the following: 1) Initial Margin 2) Exposure margin In addition to these margins, in respect of options contracts the following additional margins are collected 1) Premium Margin 2) Assignment Margin Span Margin NSCCL collects initial margin up-front for all the open positions of a CM based on the argins computed by [emailprotected] We will write a custom essay sample on Margin Imposed by NSE on Derivative trading or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A CM is in turn required to collect the initial margin from the TMs and his respective clients. Similarly, a TM should collect upfront margins from his clients. Initial margin requirements are based on 99% value at risk over a one day time horizon. However, in the case of futures contracts (on index or individual securities), where it may not be possible to collect mark to market settlement value, before the commencement of trading on the next day, the initial margin is computed over a two-day time horizon, applying the appropriate statistical ormula. The methodology for computation of Value at Risk percentage is as per the recommendations of SEBI from time to time. Initial margin requirement for a member: 1 . For client positions is netted at the level of individual client and grossed across all clients, at the Trading/ Clearing Member level, without any setoffs between clients. 2. For proprietary positions is netted at Trading/ Clearing Member level without any setoffs between client and proprietary positions. For the purpose of SPAN Margin, various parameters are specified from time to time. In case a trading member wishes to take additional trading positions his CM is required to provide Additional Base Capital (ABC) to NSCCL. ABC can be provided by the members in the form of Cash, Bank Guarantee, Fixed Deposit Receipts and appr securities. Additional Capital Clearing members may provide additional margin/collateral deposit (additional base capital) to NSCCL and/or may wish to retain deposits and/or such amounts which are receivable from NSCCL, over and above their minimum deposit requirements, towards initial margin and/ or other obligations. Clearing members may submit such deposits in any one form or combination of the following forms: 1 . Cash 2. Fixed Deposit Receipts (FDRs) issued by approved banks and deposited with approved Custodians or NSCCL 3. Bank Guarantee in favour of NSCCL from approved banks in the specified format. 4. Approved securities in demat form deposited with approved Custodians. How is Initial Margin Computed? Initial margin for FO segment is calculated on a portfolio (a collection of futures and option positions) based approach. The margin calculation is carried out using a oftware called SPAW (Standard Portfolio Analysis of Risk). It is a product developed by Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and is extensively used by leading stock exchanges of the world. SPAN uses scenario based approach to arrive at margins. Value of futures and options positions depend on, among others, price of the security in the cash market and volatility of the security in cash market. As you would agree, both price and volatility keep changing. To put it simply, SPAW generates about 16 different scenarios by assuming different values to the price and olatility. For each of these scenarios, possible loss that the portfolio would suffer is calculated. The initial margin required to be paid by the investor would be equal to the highest loss the portfolio would suffer in any of the scenarios considered. The margin is monitored and collected at the time of placing the buy / sell order. The SPAW margins are revised 6 times in a day once at the beginning of the day, 4 times during market hours and finally at the end of the day. Obviously, higher the volatility, higher the margins. Exposure Margin The exposure margins for options and futures contracts on index are as follows: For Index options and Index futures contracts: 3% of the notional value of a futures contract. In case of options it is charged only on short positions and is 3% of the notional value of open positions. For option contracts and Futures Contract on individual Securities: The higher of 5% or 1. 5 standard deviation of the notional value of gross open position in futures on individual securities and gross short open positions in options on individual securities in a particular underlying. The standard deviation of daily logarithmic returns of prices in the underlying stock in the cash market in the last six months is computed on a rolling and monthly basis at the end of each month. For this purpose notional value means: For a futures contract the contract value at last traded price/ closing price. For an options contract the value of an equivalent number of shares as conveyed by the options contract, in the underlying market, based on the last available closing price. In case of calendar spread positions in futures contract, exposure margins are levied n one third of the value of open position of the far month futures contract. The calendar spread position is granted calendar spread treatment till the expiry of the near month contract.. How is exposure margin computed? In addition to initial / SPAW margin, exposure margin is also collected. Exposure margins in respect of index futures and index option sell positions is 3% of the notional value. For futures on individual securities and sell positions in options on individual securities, the exposure margin is higher of 5% or 1. 5 standard deviation f the LN returns of the security (in the underlying cash market) over the last 6 months period and is applied on the notional value of position. Premium Margin In addition to Span Margin, Premium Margin is charged to members. The premium margin is the client wise premium amount payable by the buyer of the option and is levied till the completion of pay-in towards the premium settlement. Assignment Margin Assignment Margin is levied on a CM in addition to SPAN margin and Premium Margin. It is levied on assigned positions of CMS towards interim and final exercise ettlement obligations for option contracts on index and individual securities till the pay-in towards exercise settlement is complete.

Monday, November 25, 2019

The Morality of Stem Cell Research Essays

The Morality of Stem Cell Research Essays The Morality of Stem Cell Research Essay The Morality of Stem Cell Research Essay Much debate has raged over the influence of nature and nurture on how people behave. Indeed human behavior can be studied by using environmental and biological approaches. However, there is a divergence in beliefs as to the roles of nature and nurture as far as human development is concerned. Fukuyama in his book Our Posthuman Future (2002) believes that science when taken to extreme, would very well be the cause of humanity’s end. The book argues that the manipulation of the very process that define life can create minute but certain changes in our common humanity, thereby altering our collective values underlie our history. (Fukuyama, 2002, p. 7) Consequently, the author believes that biotechnology may very well signal a revolution of catastrophic levels and advocates for controlling such rapid advances in medical and biological technology. This paper seeks to analyze this argument by framing it within an existing and controversial issue which is stem cell research. Humanity: A Sense of Personhood What separates humans from animals? That question has long baffled philosophers, psychologists, and scientists alike, because the answers are both simple and complex that any one person can come up theories as to the elements that distinguish humans from other kinds of animals. More than anything else, it is the ability to be deliberate in our choices and actions as we navigate the daily responsibilities of life. The ability to be guided by reason and free will and discern right and wrong separates us from animals (Harre 1998). This ability to differentiate and reflect between right and wrong is called personhood. The idea of personhood is something that is intimately tied with our collective consciousness and humanity, which explains why it can be very difficult to define, much less describe within certain parameters. The ideas behind personhood are the basis of fundamental human rights, humanitarian acts, as well as laws and regulations of an ordered society. Personhood may be defined as that innate capacity and right of a person for conscious deliberation and self-determination, based on proper reasoning. Personhood is not merely a function of genetic or organic existence. Much of personhood is an intangible concept that goes beyond simply being labeled as a living organism. Frankfurt (1971, p 6) defines a person as a creature with the capacity to fulfill needs and desires in ways that indicate free will and reasoning. The person is able to identify these needs and desires and acts in deliberation and fr ee will in order to achieve such desires. The person, acting in such capacity, is fully aware of the motivations that lead him or her to such actions. A person is a unique creature and stands apart from other animals because humans have the ability to deliberate on desires and make the appropriate choices and actions based on their free will. The person’s free will and reasoning enables him to make appropriate actions and whether to repress these desires or pursue its fulfillment. Unlike animals that are driven by instinct and basal needs, a person has the ability to exercise his free will and reason and make a choice on what actions to take. Raz (2006, p. 3) elevates the concept of personhood further to emphasize the role of reason in the exercise of free will. Raz maintains that it is reason that determines if an individual is truly using his free will or not. Given a variety of desires and needs, the person, guided by reason, decides on what desires to act on, if at all. T he choices are based on the individual’s ability to evaluate and prioritize desires and recognize motivations and ascribe to them values of right and wrong (Watson 1987, p. 217). Analysis of Ethical Issues Unlike animals that are driven by instinct and basal needs, a person has the ability to exercise his free will and reason and make a choice on what actions to take. Raz (2006, p. 3) elevates the concept of personhood further to emphasize the role of reason in the exercise of free will. Raz maintains that it is reason that determines if an individual is truly using his free will or not. Given a variety of desires and needs, the person, guided by reason, decides on what desires to act on, if at all. The choices are based on the individual’s ability to evaluate and prioritize desires and recognize motivations and ascribe to them values of right and wrong. (Watson, 1987, p. 217) From these values we make the choices that we make and create a civilized and ordered society. However, the challenges of life create blurred lines between what is ethical and what is not. Stem Cell Research Stem Cell is deeply related to personhood. New discoveries in medicine and science technology have pushed the boundaries of medical technology and the mapping of the human DNA has given scientists the blueprint for life and the variables that make it so unique to each person. The controversy surrounding stem cell revolves around the use of embryos to harvest stem cells and use them as potential cures for wide range of illnesses from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease, from spinal cord injuries to lung diseases and most degenerative diseases. (Panno, 2006, p. 76) The curative power of stem cells lies in its undifferentiated state. These stem cells are the progeny of all the kinds of cells and tissues that form in the body. Stem cells can be developed into any kind of cell, replacing those that are aberrant or damaged in the patient’s body. Stem cells can be harvested and then planted into people with illnesses. (Fukuyama, 2002, p. 58)   Once inside the body, the stem cells can then be molded into any specific cell that the person needs. Stem cells are present in all individuals, however in adults, the stem cells lose some of their purity and patency and there is a high risk of mismatching and consequent failure to graft. However the bigger issue is that the potential of adult stem cells to differentiate is narrower, meaning that their potential to become other types of cells are limited, often limited to the type of tissue where they came from. Embryo stem cells have no such limitations; they are pluripotent – which means they have the capacity to become any kind of cell in the body. This quality of embryonic stem cells makes them the ideal source for undifferentiated cells that can be used to repair cell and tissue damage. (Holland, Lebacqz, Zoloth, 2001, p. 5) The Emotional Case Against Stem Cell Research Ethical issues arise because embryos or fetal tissues can be used only to be sources of stem cells. These embryos may be used or even destroyed in the course of harvesting and research. The developing fetus does not have the power to refuse such actions and is helpless to do anything about it. Taking the debate further, when the technology has been perfected, there is also the fear of creating embryos only for the purpose of healing someone else’s illness and not for the creation of life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the heart of the debate of stem cell research is personhood and the question of the viability of life. Pro-life groups reiterate the same arguments for abortion as they are doing with stem cell research. They fight for the right of the unborn and argue that life begins upon the meeting of the sperm cell and the egg. Pro-life sections of society argue that stem cell research violate the most basic of human rights and bioethical principles, foremost of which is the principle of informed consent. Implicit to the element of respect for personhood and basic human rights is the concept of informed consent (Merrill 1998). In the medical field, informed consent is legal stipulation that presupposes that patients of legal age agree to have a medical operation or procedure done on them only after being given the full facts of the situation, including the risks that they may face while undergoing said procedure. (Beauchamp Childress 1994, p. 21) This principle extends to experimental and mainstream medical procedures. While it may be argued that the knowledge gained from stem cell research and the potential it has to save millions of lives, the knowledge gained is stained by how it was attained. Certainly there are better ways to harvest and use embryo stem cells and such information could have been obtained using more humane and ethical procedures, one that would not have to entail the destruction and the blatant disregard for human life. The concept of informed consent is grounded on the principle that medical professionals should be able to communicate properly the situation and all the possible risks that the medical intervention may entail. Based on the information given the patient will then weigh whether the benefits of the intervention outweighs the risks and then makes the decision. Informed consent empowers individual to make choices about their own health conditions and what can and cannot be done about it. Health care professionals are legally and ethically bound to engage the patient and involve them in issues that concern their own bodies. (Beauchamp Childress 1994, p. 48). Informed consent, as a manifestation of our basic human right to freedom and dignity is the cornerstone of bioethics. If we are stripped of the right to determine what happens to our own body in the name of medical science, then it is in violation of the very essence of research. However, we disregard such basic rights when it comes to the unborn precisely because they have no capacity to demonstrate their choices and no capacity to deliberate on the consequences. Because embryos have no such abilities, we assume that they do not have the right to be accorded or extended the same rights as we do adult humans. The Case for Stem Cell Research (Proponents) Those who support stem cell research argue that embryos are not viable human beings. Therefore, in the absence of personhood and the viability of life, embryos can be treated as we do any lab animal to further the cause of medical science and cure the many illnesses that beset mankind. Scientists and researchers believe that they are doing a greater good because of the great potential of stem cells to cure heretofore incurable maladies. Indeed, the ability of embryonic stem cells to cure has long been proven and there have been many instances of dramatic life-saving stories involving stem cell. The proponents have scientific data to validate their stand and they make use of the actual lives that have been saved by using stem cells. The point is to advance medical knowledge and improve existing technologies and methodologies. Some also argue that we need to do the research in order to discover ways that would harvest fetal stem cells without destroying it. (Bellomo, 2006, p. 12) Some sacrifices must be made in the refinement of the process and soon a technique may be discovered that would point to a less destructive source of pluripotent stem cells or to some technique that will enable us to create stem cells separate from a fertilized egg. The potential of stem cell research is as unlimited as the potential of the stem cells themselves. The medical community believes in its greater good to cure sick people and to extend to people the healthy and happy life that is also an inherent right of all mankind. Abortion: The Roots of the Debate Against Stem Cell Research Clearly, based on these definitions, personhood is an attempt to define the characteristics that allows us to determine whether an organism is a person or not. Simply, put three elements must be present for personhood: free will, reasoning, and moral decisions. Our actions are constantly being judged as moral or not, and we have the choice whether to ascribe to these moral laws. Of course all of these actions, whether moral or not will then have consequences that the person must deal with. Why should there be a debate in the first place as to what renders a person a human being? The debate is mainly a legal issue. Much of the legal laws that govern most societies are based on personhood and legal debate is also the basis whether an action is illegal or not. One of the most enduring and controversial issues about personhood is the question of when it actually begins. The issue of personhood determines whether stem cell research is morally and legally right. Of course, people on both sides of the fence would arbitrarily argue that personhood is one thing or another, depending on what best suits their purpose. Those who are against stem cell research would argue that personhood begins during conception, while those on the opposite side would maintain that personhood cannot exist during the fetal stage and therefore, there is no actual act of violation to the baby while in this stage. (Fukuyama, 2002, p. 89) The debate against stem cell research is intimately tied with issues of abortion. Because stem cell technology is fairly new, there is no judicial precedent yet. However, in terms of personhood and the viability of life debate first came to a head in the watershed Roe vs. Wade (1973) case. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the woman has the right to have an abortion up until a certain time when the fetus becomes â€Å"viable†. Viable in this case is defined as the period when the fetus has the potential to survive outside the womb, regardless of any medical or artificial assistance. This is generally considered to take place during the 6th or 7th month of fetal life. Abortions before this period of viability are then ruled to be permissible if needed to protect the woman’s health. The decision does not legalize abortion but allows it as long as the woman has an abortion before the fetus becomes viable and only for medical reasons (Scott 1990, p. 67). At the heart of the controversy and debate that continues to rage to this day is the respect for both the personhood of the mother and the baby inside her and the stem cells that fetal cells contain. If, by exercising her personhood, the mother decides to harvest the stem cell to help a relative or another child, is she morally wrong or right? Or what if she decides to terminate her pregnancy altogether? What conditions make stem cell harvest legal and when is it not? Of course, the much deeper issue that should be addressed is where do we go off deciding the viability of a fetus and the value of life? The case created a deep schism and polarized a country between those who were pro-life (anti-abortion) and pro-choice (pro-abortion). The decision practically upheld abortion as a basic human right, and is protected by law as long as it is done with within certain narrowly-defined parameters. The woman’s decision to terminate her pregnancy falls under her right to privacy and pe rsonhood. She, being the owner of her body, has the right to deliberate and determine how she wants her own body to be. Roe was a rape victim who got pregnant as a result of the criminal act. She then wanted to have an abortion, arguing that the circumstances of her pregnancy give her moral and legal right to an abortion. Interpretation Perhaps we shall never be able to fully deliberate on the morality and legality of stem cell research because at best, we can only speculate on the viability and personhood of a fetus. In such cases, the value of a human life is debated only when stem cell harvesting becomes an option or when a legal case arises from it. In most cases, there seems to be a consensus that human life begins at the moment of conception and that personhood, as a process, begins also at this time. The controversy of stem cell research and the challenges that it poses to our moral and ethical directions is a reflection of our exercise of personhood. It should be discussed and deliberated and questioned because the failure to do so is the failure of our own collective and individual humanity. And in this case, Fukuyama may be right. Such issues that cause such polarization can very well erode humanity.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Categories of Evasion Techniques

Categories of Evasion Techniques Evasion techniques The term evasion technique groups all the methods used by malware to avoid detection, analysis, and understanding. The evasion techniques can be classified into three broad categories, namely, anti-security techniques, anti-sandbox techniques and anti-analyst techniques. Anti-security techniques These techniques are used to avoid detection by antimalware engines, firewalls, application containment, or other tools that protect the environment. Anti-sandbox techniques These techniques are used to detect automatic analysis and avoid engines that report on the behavior of malware. Detecting registry keys, files, or processes related to virtual environments lets malware know if it is running in a sandbox. Anti-analyst techniques These techniques are used to detect and fool malware analysts, for example, by spotting monitoring tools such as Process Explorer or Wireshark, as well as some process-monitoring tricks, packers, or obfuscation to avoid reverse engineering. Some advanced malware samples employ two or three of these techniques together. For example, malware can use a technique like RunPE (which runs another process of itself in memory) to evade antimalware software, a sandbox, or an analyst. Some malware detects a specific registry key related to a virtual environment, allowing the threat to evade an automatic sandbox as well as an analyst attempting to dynamically run the suspected malware binary in a virtual machine. It is important for security researchers to understand these evasion techniques to ensure that security technologies remain viable. Malware detection on mobile devices The basic differences between a PC and mobile device are constrained in terms of computation power, memory and limited battery resources. The targeted exploits of mobile malware are also significantly different from those on PC due to the differences in operating systems and hardware. For e.g. Majority of mobile devices are based on the ARM architecture. Hence, we need to provide due consideration when using the PC based methods for mobile devices. The detection method must use memory and computational resources efficiently and not drain the device battery. The detection method must be cost-efficient to update over the wireless network. There are two general ways of protecting the mobile device. One is to offer protection at the device level and the other is to offer protection at the network level by inspecting packets destined for the device. Device based protection detects and cleans malware including viruses, Trojans and spyware that are installed on the device whereas network based protection looks to detect and prevent intrusions in the network. Malware Analysis Classification All classification approaches taken in the literature can basically be categorized into two types: (i) based on features drawn from an unpacked static version of the executable file and (ii) based on dynamic features of the packed executable file. These approaches are further classified into signature based, behavior based, hybrid based and machine learning based approaches. Signature based approaches are simple and capable to operate online in real time. They detect only known malwares and are not useful for detecting new, unknown and stealthy malwares. They are less powerful with respect to evasion techniques (i.e) obfuscation transformations can easily defeat signature-based detection mechanisms. A signature matching algorithm is well suited for use in mobile device scanning due to its low memory requirements. Behavior based approaches are designed for analyzing the malwares dynamically, thereby allowing it to detect unknown malwares efficiently. They rely on system call sequences/graphs to model a malicious specification/pattern. Behavior-based methods and machine learning methods are dynamic approaches. Anomaly-based approaches, also known as profile-based approaches, profile the statistical features of normal traffic. Any deviation from the profile will be treated as suspicious. They detect previously unknown attacks, but they showed high false-positive ratios when the normal activities are diverse and unpredictable. Specification-based approaches are similar to anomaly detection, but they are based on manually developed specifications that capture legitimate (rather than previously seen) system behaviors. They avoid high false alarm rates caused by legitimate but unseen behavior in the anomaly detection approach. Their drawback lies in more time-consumption as they develop detailed specifications. Thus, one has to trade off specification development effort for increased false negatives (i.e., likelihood that some attacks may be missed). Heuristic approaches for detection in PCs include semantics-based, visualization-based, social network based, entropy based, cryptographic based, difference equation based, kernel based detection approaches. For detection in mobile, immune system-based, memory acquisition-based, suspicious API call patterns, differential fault analysis approach, Intercomponent communications are the approaches that comes under heuristic category. Much research has been conducted on developing automatic malware classification systems using data mining and machine-learning approaches. However, due to various stealth techniques designed by malware authors, most malwares remain undetectable. Organization This paper presents a detailed insight on malware analysis in both the Personal Computer (PC) domain and the mobile domain, based on literature survey done from 1987. First, the various forms of malware and the impact of malware in PC and mobile phones are discussed. Also, their prevalence in most used operating systems such as Windows (for PCs) and Android (for mobile) is focused. Second, the literature survey explaining the contemporary detection approaches are compared with the ancient approaches and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Finally, research questions and findings are discussed, giving key ideas for malware researchers to develop a more robust and efficient detection approach, to improve protection and reduce risks, applicable to real-world scenario.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Cultural dimension Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cultural dimension - Assignment Example The application of in-depth questions in the semi-structured questionnaires drew the study towards the acquisition of the required outcomes since the interviewees were not coerced to answer in a particular controlled manner. Therefore, the research process established the prevalence of a civilised culture in the Japanese society before the documentation of the Austrian culture. 2.1 Two students from Japan and Austria were selected for the interview, which involved the use of open-end questionnaires. The students were chosen because they possessed the most dominant and influential cultures in the history of civilization. With the use of open-end questions and semi-structured questionnaires, they were asked many questions; hence, they stimulated the opportunity of acquiring a wide range of answers in the absence of research bias. This was done by using the most important issues about their cultures. In this questionnaire, the participants were enquired to rate the most significant and particular issues. These questions helped in understanding concepts that hold significance to the respondents, and allowed critical decisions about the countries’ cultures. The two students answered the questions in accordance to their societal perspectives; hence, the results influenced the study to establish that the Japanese and Austrian societies were embracing democratic practices in leadership, with the common objective being the improvement of the lifestyles and economic progression. 2.2 The  next section represents an analytical approach that evaluates the information gathered during the study. Since the application of the qualitative method of survey enhanced the level of participation among the chosen sample population, it was noted that there were many differences and similarities between the Japanese and Austrian cultures. The Japanese culture is exceedingly older than the Austrian culture

Monday, November 18, 2019

Southwest Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Southwest Airlines - Essay Example The firm also offers amenities to its customers in order to meet their entertainment needs. In addition, Southwest Airlines serves their customers by providing Business Select, Wifi, Mobile Access, and EarlyBird Check-In facilities. 2. According to Starcevich, effective employment of manpower resources assists the Southwest Airlines to offer excellent services to its customers. It is identified that the organization’s management adopts a liberal approach to its managers, employees, unions, and suppliers. Hence, sincere and efficient managerial persons and their coordination found to be the most powerful competence that offers many competitive advantages to Southwest Airlines. The top management of the firm has made arrangements for listening to low level employees directly. The company keeps quickest turnaround time and it ensures the accuracy of flight times. The firm’s management gives emphasis on customer feedback on the belief that it would assist the company to mak e necessary strategic modifications. Moreover, the concern concentrates only on certain regions and it helps the company to provide improved services to the customers. 3. Low cost is the Southwest’s principal business-level strategy; company’s unique business model helps the management to practice this strategy successfully. The low level passenger charges assist the company to achieve customer loyalty. Customers today wish to get quality services at lower costs; hence, Southwest Airlines will be potential service provider for US people. It is observed that the Southwest Airlines does not offer much luxury facilities so as to maintain the name â€Å"low- cost carrier†. However, it is advisable for the organization to offer royal facilities also as it would aid the firm to meet the interests of rich class people; this strategic change may improve the firm’s core competence and thereby competitive position. 4. Southwest’s structure and culture accura tely match with its strategy in many ways. As discussed above, the company deals with domestic operations and it charges only low prices for its services. A well coordinated management team and effective segment concentrated operations help the company to provide better services to its customer groups without changing the charge rates. In order to improve the company’s strategic operation, it is recommendable for the Southwest Airlines to increase its group of customers. While the firm serves increased groups of customers, it can obtain the economies of large scale operations which in turn would enable the company to offer more economical benefits to its customers. Under this structure, Southwest Airlines faces some difficulties also. Some specific strategic features of the organization often become a barrier to its acquisition programs. 5. The Southwest Airlines deals with about three top domains. The strategic and managerial effectiveness assists the organization to operate in these areas successfully. As we discussed, the firm pursuits a segment focused corporate-level strategy in order to deal with different domains effectively. When the company focuses on specific business areas, the management gets up-to-date market information regarding those segments and it enables the company to form timely business strategies. Similarly, the market segmentation aids the company management to keep close contact with customer

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Change of the Rights and Free

The Change of the Rights and Freedoms of Australian Women over the Past 100 Years Essay The progression of the rights and freedoms of women has changed drastically over the past 100 years. Women have felt the need to stand up for their rights and change the traditional stereotype of women from, weak and unambitious to strong and determined beings. There were two main time periods where their rights were recognized throughout Australia. The first took place in the early 20th century, where women rallied for the rights to vote and stand for elections. The second took place in the 1960s and 1970s, when traditional roles of women were challenged. The third aspect that will also be looked at in this essay, are influential women in the two time periods that made the rights and freedoms of women change for the better. In the early 20th century, women believed that they had the right to vote and stand for elections in their respective states because they were working in jobs similar to men. They also believed that the stereotype of them not having the intellect ability to understand politics was false. In 1914, the Victorian Local Government Act Amendment allowed women eligible for election on the same basis. The same happened in 1915 in Queensland, 1918 in New South Wales, 1920 in Western Australia and 1921 in Tasmania. Women who had law degrees wanted to be part of a judiciary to become juries. This was introduced for the first time in Queensland, in the year 1923. Other aspects of women’s rights were overlooked by the Australian Government and in 1928, 1000 women gathered in Sydney to protest for their rights. Many Australian women were getting pregnant before the age of eighteen and had no financial aid to support their child. The Racial Hygiene Association set up the first birth control clinic in Australia in Sydney in 1933. To support young mothers and mothers in general, the Child Endowment Act, formed in 1941 allowed payment directly to the mother of an allowance for each child under the age of sixteen. The allowance was 5 shillings per week. Women who had occupations during the wartime were given set wage rates by the Women’s Employment Board, which was set up by the Federal Government in 1942. Women in the 1960s were more outgoing in challenging the traditional roles of women in the form of protest. Intellectual females debated of changes to civil rights, ‘the pill’, marijuana, conscription and the involvement in the Vietnam War. The collection of intellectuals and their belief to change the freedom and rights of women created the Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM) in 1960. The WLM set a few guidelines that they wanted to address and improve in Australia. The first was sexuality. Judiciaries always overlooked cases that were linked to rape and sexual harassment. The WLM wanted these cases to be looked into to give sexually abused victims peace. The second was education. The female intellectuals wanted to spread literature among other women. Many women in the 60s and 70s were illiterate, whereas men were taught how to read and write from a young age. The last guideline was health. Women wanted to be able to have easy access to contraception, abortion and protection from abusive men. They also wanted to do more research for health conditions, such as, breast cancer and cervical cancer. Many laws have resulted due to the formation of the WLM. The Maternity Leave Act, created in 1973 allowed working mothers to have a 12 month unpaid leave that wouldn’t affect their jobs. In June 1977, The Anti – Discrimination Act aimed to stop discrimination against race, gender or marital status. The Equality of Status of Children’s Act was created in December 1977 allowed children born out of marriages to have legal status. Women wanted to pursue jobs that were mostly pursued by men. In 1986, The Equal Opportunity for Women Act restricted barriers, which prohibited women from pursuing jobs that should be available to them. There were many females in Australia who were activists and believed that Australian women needed to be more confident and believe that they were capable of performing male superior jobs. Edith Cowan was the first woman elected to an Australian Parliament in Western Perth, Western Australia in the year 1921. Women from different states were inspired by Cowan and in Queensland, Irene Longman was the first woman to be elected in the Queensland parliament in 1929. In 1937, Ivy Webber represented the League of Women Electors on a platform of ‘Mother, Child, Family, Home and Health. ’ This is because Webber believed that women needed help with motherhood, children, family, marital problems, home and health. In 1972, Helen Reddy produced a song called ‘I am Woman’. The song became the unofficial anthem of the WLM as well. The United Nations declared that it was ‘International Woman’s Year’ in 1975. Many women went to extremes to protest for their rights. Zelda D’Aprano chained herself to the Commonwealth building in 1969 in Melbourne as a sign of protest for the equal pay of working women. In 2004, D’Aprano was made the officer of the order of Australia as acknowledgement for her work in campaigning on women’s workplace issues. Women have evolved over the past 100 years and have been more determined to strive for freedoms and rights. There is a pressing need for women to acquire jobs. This is partly due to the lack of pressure to get married. The few who do attain high positions still have to deal with traditional attitudes towards women: the belief that they are less capable than men, sexual harassment and public focus on their appearance and their family responsibilities. Even till this day, women are still looked down upon and they themselves feel the need to prove themselves to the society surrounding them. Julia Gillard, Australia’s current Prime Minister says that she ‘would never be where she is today if she wasn’t raised by a single mother and if she allowed gender criticism to jeopardise her intent to become Prime Minister. ’

Thursday, November 14, 2019

who was right :: essays papers

who was right When white men crossed the boundary of the Missouri River, it upset the balance between the pioneers and the red men. Obviously the red men were not happy and lashed out against their white oppressors. Many just saw savages, but much of the American army saw courage and honor. Was it right for members of the army who had just maintained the union of their own society, to dismember the culture of the Native Americans? I believe it was. First of all, the army did not enjoy having to push the Indians back from the lands that the white people wanted, but then they also had to try and convert them to Christianity. The Indians retaliated against the army, but it was the United States government itself that broke the treaties that promised the Indians land and then expected the army to keep the peace through mutual trust. Military action appeared to be the only way to keep white civilians from complaining about Indian attacks on the white man's newly acquired land. An Army official named Sheridan received reports each week about the horrendous acts of violence caused by the red man. It was then that famous phrase was created "the only good Indians I ever saw were dead." There were many men like Sheridan who hated the Indians and looked down upon their senseless acts of violence. However, men like William Tecumseh Sherman had a deep respect and admiration for the enemy and his fighting skill. In fact, both Sheridan and Sherman confessed to pity and compassion for the Native Americans they had set out to destroy. Even men like General Nelson A. Miles who had personal reasons for revenge against the enemy showed a deep respect, almost reverence, for the red man. Colonel John Gibbon proclaimed that the record of white hostility and treachery would force any man to fight. Gibbon raised more questions about his own culture than he answered about his enemies. To many soldiers who had the same ideals as Gibbon, the courage and bearing of the red man suggested a purer way of life before the coming of the white men. Some men like General George Crook became more of an Indian than some Apaches. Crook's argument about the Indian violence was that their nature is responsive to treatment which assures him that it is based upon justice, truth, honesty, and common sense.

Monday, November 11, 2019

What About The Hype

In our society today there is one key element that informs the world in many different ways. This element is the media. It comes in many forms such as television, newspapers, magazines etc. Since we are subjected to the media everyday, it can influence how we feel about people. Some influences can be positive and some can be negative. One negative influence that it has is its coverage of African Americans. The media’s coverage of African Americans encourages the majority of white society to have a negative perception of them. Many times in the media whites are not portrayed in such a manner. One of the reasons this occurs is because of the structure in which the news is presented. This reason is shown through the use of language to describe the events involving African Americas that have taken place. The language is often more â€Å"brutal† when an African American story is being told. Another is the consistency in which African Americans appear in the media. A third reason is because whites and blacks do not interact as much in society. A final reason a negative image of African Americans is perceived by white society is because the media is always present. It is almost everywhere you go. Author Farai Chideya says, â€Å"The use of vivid and strong language forms a subconscious mental portrayal of the person or persons being described. The mind accepts the language and formulates a perception of that party† (42). A perfect account that supports this quote is when â€Å"fancy† language was used to describe African Americans in the evening news and newspapers. Channel 9, WCPO in Cincinnati, Ohio, reported a story involving an African American in a murder case on February, 4, 2000. Such words as â€Å"violent†, â€Å"brutal†, and â€Å"merciless† were used. These strong words stick in people’s minds when they hear them. Since they were linked to a black man, a negative stereotype can be formed. Later in the broadcast an incident involving a white male was broadcast. In that story, the reporter just gave the facts. Dejecting adjectives were not used to describe this man. This story is significant because the receiver of this information will not have the same prejudices towards the white man as they now have towards the black man. Since stronger words were used to describe the acts of the black man, a negative stereotype was formed about him. In The Cincinnati Post on Friday, February 4, 2000, a story involving an African American was on the front page. In big, bold letters the heading read, â€Å"Man Accused of Vicious Murder†. The story was of an African American male who robbed an innocent, elderly, white woman in Over the Rhine, a neighborhood in Cincinnati, and then murdered her. Because the words â€Å"innocent†, â€Å"elderly†, and â€Å"white† were used in the article a negative stereotype was attributed to the man. Charles Campbell writes, â€Å"In the relaying of controversial news, language plays an important role. If one figure in the story is perceived by readers as being unable to protect themselves, or innocent, then the other figure is extremely looked down upon by the reader† (76). This quote is very significant because it explains how the reader has a more negative feeling towards the black man because of the words that were used to describe the elderly woman. The viewer sees the woman as being â€Å"innocent† and unable to do anything about her situation and the black man did not care whatsoever. â€Å"African Americans appear on the news as criminals twice as often as other groups†, according to Cole. Stories that are best told with pictures, fires, crime scenes, and handcuffed criminals dominate our newscasts (Cole 4) These images, especially of African American men, lead to stereotypes of black men as â€Å"dangerous, unrestrained, sexually active individuals† (Cole 4). This quote is significant because it shows how stunning images of repetitive negativity involving African Americans imbeds itself into the viewer’s mind. Because these incidents occur over and over again, what else besides negativity towards blacks will the viewer come to know? Another quote that supports this is when Campbell states, â€Å" Repetitive viewing of negative media portrayals of outgroup members is one way of comparing ingroup (white majority) with outgroup (black majority)† (101). Often times in the media whites are portrayed in the news as high stature figures. Some of these figures are politicians, police officers, very wealthy people, or standouts in society. More situations of these stories about whites are in the media then stories of whites that commit violent acts. Because of the better portrayal of whites in society, they are not as often negatively stereotyped. On the other hand, since blacks are not portrayed like whites in the media they are assessed more negative attributes from the receiver (person who is affected by the media). For three days, February 15 through February 17, 2000, I watched the news channel Fox 56’s broadcasts. On February 15, there were four stories where African Americans were involved. Two involved robbery, one involved rape, and the last one murder. There were only two incidents where whites were attributed with negative acts. On February, 16, there were three happenings that African Americans were a part of. Again, they were stories of robbery and rape and this time a new one, unemployment. There were two stories involving whites and they were petty crimes such as not paying child support and petty theft. On the final day of my research there were five stories involving African Americans and two involving whites. From my research it was proven to me that African Americans appeared consistently twice as much in the media as whites. The same types of crimes were repetitive also. Those crimes being murder, robbery, and rape. This time, however, a new factor was relayed, unemployment. Now a new stereotyped was assessed to African Americans, laziness. The significance of this research was to show that repetition of negative actions by African Americans does occur in the media. Because these situations occurred over and over again, the receiver can form stereotypes of African Americans. In the United States of America Africans make up 12% of the population (Marger 227). Even though this equates to over thirty million people, black and white America still live very separate lives. Because of our separateness, what we know about each other is often what we see on television shows, news broadcasts, and read in newspapers. But not because the television industry aims to entertain and news focuses on the extremes, people who have done very bad things or very good things, the white majority perceives African Americans as talented as Michael Jordan or the only ones committing crime and rape in our neighborhoods (Marger 165). The typical, hardworking, African American family is overlooked because it is not â€Å"news†. Since negative images and stories stick out and are soaked up more by the receiver, the good images of African Americans in the media are easily overlooked. There are many instances where there are good news stories about blacks such as helping in the community, saving people’s lives, and doing other good deeds. The problem is the bad outweighs the good. This statement was proved through my research when I viewed the evening news. Chideya describes it perfectly when he says, â€Å"Black America and white America still live separately. What we know of one another is often secondhand, passed through a filter – the filter of the media† (77). The final reason why stereotypes of African Americans are perceived by white society is because the media is always present. It’s not like you can just completely isolate yourself from all types of media. Virtually no matter where you go, you hear or receive the media in some way. Whether it is through television, newspapers, books, magazines, or music, it is always there. Even if someone walks up and tells you what they heard or read from the media, you are affected by it. Especially if the media involves negative stories or images involving African Americans. If the media is everywhere you go, there is no way escaping the constant bombardment of negative occurrences where African Americans are present. Finally, the reasons described above are very important. â€Å"Fancy† language used to describe African American stories, the number of times blacks are in the media, the non-interaction of whites and blacks in society, or the media being present everywhere you go, all contribute to the white majority developing negative stereotypes of blacks. All of theses reasons cause you to remember the bad things African Americans have done and allow yourself to think harshly of them. I have one question for you. If you don’t believe what I have presented in this essay, then where do you get your information from? If you don’t say some type of media, whether it is a book, television, a newspaper or a magazine, then you are a liar. Think about it.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

History and Description of a Subordinate Group Member Essay

Throughout the history of North America, there has been one ethnic group who has given up almost everything to the European settlers. Land, home, resources, and dignity were stolen from Native Americans. The long history of the American Indian is being written, even today. Approximately forty thousand years ago, the earliest ancestors of Native Americans migrated across the Bering Strait from Asia on pack ice (Hoerder, 2005). The population rose steadily, and by the time the first substantial settlement of Europeans was established in the New World, Native Americans lived throughout the continent. In the search for more farmland, European immigrants quickly pushed the native population out of their traditional homelands. This migration began the crowding of other native bands, forcing eastern natives to move beyond the Ohio River, thus starting a series of relocations for the Native Americans that continued through the next two centuries. Less than fifty years after the end of the American Revolution, many of the tribes in the northeastern United States sold their land under pressure from the newcomers. Before 1850, these natives migrated west of the Mississippi River. If you traveled to Oklahoma today you would find the same bloodlines that once roamed the New England hills (â€Å"Indians† The Reader’s Companion to American History, 1991). Wanting to live apart from the natives and expecting them to remain controlled, reservations were established, including an Indian Territory (est. 1825) in present-day Oklahoma. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was enacted to populate these newly established areas. President Jackson ordered the forced migration of Native Americans from multiple southeastern tribes. Approximately 4,000 Cherokee Indians perished in 1838-1839 on their 800-mile march, or during their succeeding internment. This tragic event has become known as the â€Å"Trail of Tears†. (American Indian Policy, 2002) Trying to â€Å"Americanize† instead of segregate the Indians, in 1887, Congress passed the Dawes Act, which broke up reservations and gave land to individual Indian families. The idea of the Dawes Act was to assimilate Indians by giving them land from which they could profit. What followed were laws, over the next few decades, which dissolved tribal governments and placed Native Americans completely under the jurisdiction of U.  S. laws (American Indian Policy, 2002). The reservation system is one distinctive aspect of the Native American culture that materialized from their relationship with other Americans. The United States has 310 reservations within its borders. The federal government owns 298 reservations and 12 belong to the states in which they are located. A total of 437,431 Indians resided on reservations or trust lands. That is approximately 22 percent of the Native Americans defined by the 1990 census (Shumway & Jackson, 1995). The United States has proven itself unreliable on its policies and treatment of Native Americans. The government teeters between a policy of segregation, under which Indians are treated as a self-sustaining culture, and assimilation policies, which try to integrate Indian and European cultures. The United States acknowledged Indian sovereignty and established treaties with them. Unlike foreign nations, Indians shared the continent with the quickly growing nation who needed resources, and were quick to form treaties, giving Indians land rights and territorial sovereignty but repeatedly found ways to revoke those privileges.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Impact on Government Law School Essay Essays

Impact on Government Law School Essay Essays Impact on Government Law School Essay Essay Impact on Government Law School Essay Essay John Rawls Theory of Justice Introduction; According to John Rawls, liberty and equity are some of the components of justice and fairness that each modern government should incorporate into their systems. When it comes to equality, the philosopher divides them into ;difference principle and fair equality; (Arellano-Gault, 2010). The difference principle is one that helps in finding out when priorities are conflicting in a practical real life situation. However, the principles that are given weight by this particular direction of thinking are: a single and a comprehensive conception of justice. It is applicable for political endeavors and governments that represent the majority. It is clear that several democratic governments have policies and objectives that obligate them to fight for the welfare of citizens (Kumar ; Verma, 2016). The principles of Rawls affect several modern governments. The two of them are applied in everyday lives. These governments have continued to promote these particular basic liberties. Since they are representative citizens, they have to give fair conditions that will promote justice and peace. When the two are promoted, development would follow. The first principle of John Rawls, the liberty principle; gives everyone equal opportunities and liberty. Furthermore, this principle concentrates on personal belongings as one of the basic liberties claimed by citizens. For this reason, no individual or government has the power to take away these basic liberties from individuals. Therefore, they cannot amend any laws that will work against this particular issue (Skillington, 2017). In my opinion, the idea of Rawls, overlapping consensus has not been applied by several modern governments. We find that some governments do not regard suggestions from the less fortunate or rather from all sides. When this idea is incorporated, several benefits are likely to result. Conclusion In conclusion, John Rawls has great ideas that can positively impact today;s governments. Idea of liberty and equity ensures that everyone benefits from the state. ; References Arellano-Gault, D. (2010). Economic-NPM and the need to bring justice and equity back to the debate on public organizations. Administration ; Society, 42(5), 591-612. Kumar, P., ; Verma, S. (2016). Good Governance: an Appraisal. Global Journal For Research Analysis, 4(7). Skillington, T. (2017). The Idea of Climate Justice. In Climate Justice and Human Rights (pp. 41-89). Palgrave Macmillan US.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Managing the Environment (MEWK3 DQ2) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing the Environment (MEWK3 DQ2) - Essay Example Brand extension is the introduction of a new host of products under some of a company's strongest brand names (Kotler & Keller 2008, p. 280). Perhaps, one of the most effective defenses for brand extensions is to list success stories of such strategy. Let us take for example Apple, Inc. and Steve Jobs - they have successfully leveraged on one of their brands, the iPod which is now featuring a wide range of mobile entertainment products. According to a study done by Ying, Jin and Yi, "the higher the consumers' degree of information exposure, the higher product knowledge and impulse purchasing behavior" (2008, p. 418). Brand extensions is one of the more effective ways of providing information exposures of the products to the consumers. Encouraging the consumer's impulse buying behavior is necessary in retailing: "Previous studies discovered that 39% of all department store purchases and 67% of all general store purchases are impulse purchases" (Ying, Jin & Yi 2008, p. 419). Moreover, Lei, de Ruyter and Wetzels found out that "a parent brand receives more positive evaluations after the introduction of a step-up extension than that of a step-down extension' (2008, p. 268). It seems here, then, that whether a brand extension is successful or not, it will still be beneficial to the parent brand. On the other hand a successful brand extension "can not only contribute to the parent brand image but also enable a brand

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Business Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Business Accounting - Essay Example The project is acceptable as both methods show positive outcome in terms of payback period as well as PV of net inflow of the project. Risk is inherent in almost every business. This is more prominent in capital decision making as such decisions involve cost and benefit extending over a period of time. During this long period of time many thing get changed in an unexpected way and hence the risk of return is always there in capital budgeting decisions. The project under consideration carries a medium level of risk. At the same time it is given that the company’s estimate of future cash flows of 10% is too high. A higher discount rate means higher returns. The principal is that higher the risk higher is the returns. If the company considers the medium level of risk for investments under consideration, then this 10% rate calculated on an estimate of higher risk level require suitable adjustments. In other words the rate of discount has to be lowered to the accepted level of medium risk. The company should develop a risk adjusted discount rate. If the company considers the risk of the project equal to the risk of existing investments of the company, then the discount rate of average cost of capital should be considered for evaluating the project. When the risk of the project is greater than the risks of existing investments, then the discount rate used should be higher than average cost of the capital employed with the company. If the risk of the project is lower than risk of existing investments, the discount rate used to evaluate the project should be lower than the average cost of capital employed. In our case the company is expecting medium risk on the project, it is suggestible that average cost of the capital employed be considered as the discount rate to project future cash flows and then discount those cash flows at present value at that average rate of discount in order to compare with present value of net outflows. The calculated discount rate