Community behavior Essay

African American spirituality has woven collectively the best of African Anglo cultures to creatively shape their own African American identity. While black peoples have not been socially, politically or economically free in the history, the practice of spirituality has facilitated the development of different forms of cultural and spiritual freedom by interpreting, transcending and embracing, the constraints of an oppressive culture. Furthermore, the development of their own beliefs, norms, forms, practices, and structures has given rise to a culture and life that is a distinctive form of human survival, existence, and, freedom most importantly. The black churches as the centers of freedom influenced the praxis of African-American spirituality. They have become safe places where blacks gathered to embrace their combined concerns as a community of faith. They have been the only institutions in the African American experience that has continued relative independence from the domesticating influence of white pressure and overlords. Some black churches consider may be the last place to see integration due to the need to maintain a power base not available to black people elsewhere. After reviewing some aspects of worship as the context for cultural and spiritual freedom, black preaching in and out sides of the black churches are one of the most powerful expressions of freedom for black people in America. The ability to produce a soul language that defines truth into systems of meaning gives power and purpose to black people. Subsequently, Black community successfully adopts and adapts the structures of the much larger culture for their own purpose this practice comes from a double consciousness or translating. African Americans translated the experience of one kind to that of another which leading them to freedom. Therefore, black people spirituality gave freedom to the spirit and mind that the external condition could not take away. The religious approach is due to a deep faith in the sacredness of life that reaffirmed a personal dignity in blacks which resulted in the practice of nonviolence and mercy. Black community determines themselves how they responded to oppression. Various forms expressing improvisation and innovation from black soul forces constituted black culture. These forms under the subtitles black music, literature, humor, folk tales, sports, art and dance; and their worship forms under the headings of prayer, shouting, healing, dancing, singing praising and instrumental music transformation, teaching and preaching. These forms express that what is true and valuable will be determined by black community itself and will subvert and defy attempts of the larger culture to discern. Churches can prove to be of great importance as it helps in providing a psychological and physical assistance to their congregants by providing treatment and prevention oriented programs in the society. A great example from the history is the Black Church that has served through decades as an informal social guider. And its effectiveness posed people to research on the formal means. Substance abuse, support, health screening and education were some of the fields where the Black Church provided its services. Individuals and churches that are associated with it hold significant importance in the history as it created a chain between informal and formal system of care that benefited the society specially those who are marginalized or underserved. These programs were encouraged by many others like lay persons, natural helpers, and religious leaders. As far as these religious leaders are concerned, they made their finding in the treatment of mental illness and they made everyone realize that paraprofessional counselors are in no way less then the professional counselors. They made their achievement in four areas of community medicine: primary care delivery, health promotion and disease prevention, community mental health and health policy. The church had great potentials. It provided and outstanding performance in collaborating with formal care systems to maximize its programs. Eng et al. helped a great deal in promoting the church’s health care programs. Such â€Å"natural helpers† have gone through a training program where they learnt how to interact with the health professionals, resource mobilization, primary self-care skills and prevention, organization of educational and services-oriented activities. Whilst the lay advisors were supposed to foster social support, they were expected to promote a healthy general well-being of people and were asked to keep a close link with the formal care system. As far as the roles of religious leaders are concerned, they are not fully described in the health care literature. In the early 1970’s, a need for psychiatrics developed in rural areas, as these individuals were recognized the more underserved population. These investigations evolved and helped in the contribution of understanding the mental health status between the urban and the rural individuals. Social, economic and geographical factors are the attributes of such rural problems. The main difficulty in the rural life of South was to separate the effects of poverty from the effects of race, color, cast etc. but after some time the solution was discovered. But later it was discovered that only 3% of the licensed psychiatrics were practicing the rural areas and the rest were gone to nowhere. Rural populations were again left to the same position as it was before. â€Å"The Black Church has no challenger as the cultural womb of the black community. Not only did it give birth to new institutions such as schools, banks, insurance companies, and low income housing, it also provided an academy and an arena for political activities, and it nurtured young talent for musical, dramatic, and artistic development† (1990, 8) The factor of race still existed between these populations no-matter if it’s urban or rural; it also greatly affected the mental healths of each individual. Many theorists believe that White American have been always against the black consumers, because they have no understanding of black’s culture, traditions, beliefs etc. But on the other hand blacks are not either interested in consuming goods or services from the Whites. They are less likely to trust White therapists and try not to interact with them in any case. Studies proved that Blacks are interested in consuming goods and seeking services from the blacks due to the understanding of same culture and traditions, it is also based on the preference of similar attitudes and racial compatibility. The research grew further and further. The research helped in understanding the need to change and acceptance of cultural and attitudinal differences and system-levels barriers. Studies proved that racial identity can be a part of success. Here racial identity means that identification of diverse racial backgrounds; it includes the basic knowledge of one’s culture and traditions. Accepting the non normative behavior of minorities can also help in dealing with societies; therapists play a big role in understanding the culture background. Lack of understanding of cultural responsiveness may result in disturbance between racial differences and help seeking environment. As compare to white blacks are more tolerant of psychological distress. They are very quick in diagnoses of schizophrenia and psychosis and control such diseases in their premature stages. Individuals, interpersonal and system-level factors promote understanding of service utilization and psychiatric morbidity. They focus on individuals because individuals predict reasonable outcomes related to services and treatment. Researchers always pick out individuals to get correct outcomes; the individual factors include race, religiosity, beliefs about mental health and copying styles. Social support, stigma and social distance are included in interpersonal level. â€Å"The Black church tradition provided an environment for reapplying already learned processes for interdependence. Embedded within the individual were past experiences, traditions, values, and norms for emotions, cognitions, and behaviors conducive to relatedness and â€Å"interpersonal ness† that reflected a collective sense of belonging with, rather than to, caring, similar others† (2001, 40) Management of mental illness is essential to the social support in rural areas. An alternative to expensive or inaccessible impatient or out patient services are neighbors or extended families. Researchers have also identified the contributions made by natural helpers in promoting positive changes to the environment. Mental illness and health care systems motivated natural helpers to provide social support to the rural black communities. A powerful indicator of poor utilization of care is Stigma that is influenced by individuals and interpersonal levels. It discourages the search for formal services but encourages the social support and informal care systems. The study says that Blacks have higher levels of tolerating psychological distress; the main reason behind this is stigma and fear of hospitalization. This sometimes results in help-seeking from specialty providers but this happens only in extreme cases. This hypothesis shows the higher emergency level among Blacks compared to Whites, Asians and Hispanics. Informal systems are fostered by fear and stigma amongst the rural Blacks. It was noticed that poorer Blacks were more likely to experience distress, physical, mental and interpersonal problems as compared to wealthier Blacks. But as compared to Whites, 15% Blacks are less likely to seek help for emotional problems than their physical or interpersonal problems. Furthermore, Blacks seek help for their financial problems but this is limited to their geographical boundaries and economic barriers. The above study has made it clear that, urban counterparts provide more social and mental services as compared to the rural churches and it also have less links with the formal system and promote the informal systems of care. We also analyzed that White churches have more links with the formal system of care than Black Churches but Black Churches provide more social and mental health service.

Improving Performance of the Work Team Essay

1.1 My company has defined expectations of Team Members which are given to each employee in the form of a job description backed up with a work contract signed by each employee when they join the company. These expectations include, a timekeeping policy which requires the individual to be at work at the stated shift start times and to contact the Team Leader within 30mins of that start time with any reasons why this can’t be achieved. This will allow the Team Leader time to call in help to keep production on target. Absenteeism and sickness are also closely monitored using a system called the Bradford Scale. This concentrates more on the number of occasions when an employee is off rather than the number of days as regular short periods of time off are more disruptive to the working team. If the number of points on the scale reach a certain level then the disciplinary process is used. Personal conduct is also expected to be appropriate as disruptive or aggressive conduct will affect the performance of the work team meaning targets may be missed or team members will be in conflict. Employees are also expected to reach certain levels of performance depending on the job they do. Training needs to be completed and personal objectives which are set annually by the area manager during appraisals are used to keep a continuous improvement mentality within each employee. Completion of set objectives also help towards future promotion and possibly pay increases. All these expectations help the company keep well motivated work teams who are self driven with good moral. 1.2 The objective for my team is to ensure we supply our customers (the other departments in our company) with enough optical fibre to meet the order demand for all the different types of fibre laser we manufacture. To help us meet this objective we use a system of KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) to indicate to us the current level of various indicators throughout the manufacturing process. These Include stock levels against the stock plan, current fibre yields, amount of work in the process at any given time, fibre consumed, fibre in validation, validated fibre, number of man hours available, shipped fibre. All these indicators are passed down through the organization as Laser orders are placed with our company. On the shop floor we break them down to a weekly plan of work depending on the position of current fibre stocks and yields. Each Friday the next weeks plan will be decided at a joint meeting between the area manager and team leader. Once the plan is drawn it is communicated to all the team members and then checked daily during the following week to report progress and any concerns or adjustments that need to be made. In turn the departments we supply with fibre will also have been set there weekly targets and depending on the work that they have in process will determine what target is given to us to supply. Our company works on a Lean basis meaning that no work will be in the line that has not been already ordered and this keeps online stock costs to a minimum. Due to the nature of our production process However, optical fibre is only confirmed as good quality once it is built in product, so to keep supply of good (Validated) fibre between us and our customers my department has to go against the lean principles and hold a stock of fibre on the shelf waiting for Laser orders. This ensures if a fibre fails in build we have enough stock to react quickly and replace the fibre without holding up the laser build line. 1.3 Individual team member performance has a very great effect on a teams overall performance, especially if the Individual is under performing. For instance if a team member was not completing the required amount of work each day this would put extra pressure on the remaining members of that team to meet production targets. This puts the team in a position of possibly not meeting realistic targets which are set on the basis that all team members perform to a set level. Team targets are also set around the number of available man hours per week. If a team member is constantly late or sick this will also put the team under unplanned pressure to meet any set targets. A four man team with one man out sick is down 25% in man hours which usually means most targets will need to be adjusted or missed. This then has a knock on effect in the next department who will be only receiving 75% of the product that they were planning for, and that effect depending on the ability to catch up on lost hours may go all the way to a customer in the form of a late delivery of a promised order. This reflects badly on customer relations and could at worse mean lost or cancelled future orders. Also a team member who does not put enough effort into their work can cause ill feeling and conflict in the team possibly leading to arguments and low team moral. This will have a drastic effect on the capabilities of the team sometimes causing other team members to reduce their efforts also. Underperformance of team members is a serious issue in a target driven environment and needs to be taken seriously by team leaders. It may be the case that outside of work influences are causing a team member to under perform so a friendly chat and understanding approach may be all that’s needed to encourage the team member to improve. Team members who perform above expectations can also boost the performance of a team in a positive way. These team members can motivate others to increase there efforts also. This results in better overall team results against target, which brings praise from management, improving team moral. This then means happy customers, more orders and longer term job security. 2.1 My own team has many indicators that we use to measure under performance. These include, Product Yield Charts, Disruption Reports, Weekly Targets, Scrap Reports and annual appraisals. A disruption report can be raised against our department for any problems our customers have regarding our supply to their line. This could mean damaged fibre, incorrect paperwork, failure to supply parts on time, or any event that â€Å"Disrupts† them from achieving set targets. These reports are then discussed each morning and depending on the severity of the disruption immediate solutions are put in place or a process of problem solving is started and monitored until the problem is solved. Yield Charts give indications of process and operator performance. Product failure codes are recorded and investigated. Process detractors can be used to highlight improvement areas, and operator caused defects can be feedback to the team or individual concerned. Scrap reports are also used to put a financial value on product scrap allowing prioritizing of the most expensive problems first. An annual appraisal is given to each employee by the line manager. If a team member has been under performing, the reasons will be discussed and a plan will be drawn to encourage the employee to improve. 2.2 Underperformance needs to be constantly monitored in the manufacturing environment. It could just be that a team is not meeting targets because the target is set to high which puts to much pressure on them, causing mistakes due to rushing. Team moral is an important factor regarding Team performance. If you have conflict between certain team members it will cause them to take their mind off the workload resulting in reduced production and quality issues. This can have a knock on effect and eventually spread across all team members unless it is dealt with promptly. Poor training can also be a reason why an individual or Team are not able to meet targets. Inadequate training will not only increase scrap costs it can frustrate operators who cant do the work properly and even put them in harms way if Health and Safety measures regarding the work they do are not included in the training. Sometimes people may have domestic or personal worries regarding health problems which affect their performance at work. These need to be discussed with supervisors or managers and depending on the circumstances help may be given to the individual. 2.3 The different causes of underperformance require different actions to rectify them. If a team member is underperforming for no other reason than being lazy then a quiet chat from the Team Leader away from the ears of other team members usually helps re motivate them. If the poor results continue then a disciplinary route of verbal and written warnings may be needed. Re training or extra training will help someone who is falling behind due to lack of process knowledge. If a Team is underperforming they can have a meeting and discuss the reasons as a team, and with all the ideas on the table from all team members, come up with a plan of action to improve their results. In my place of work underperformance can come in the form of a disruption report. A disruption report can be raised against our department for any problems our customers have regarding our supply to their line. This could mean damaged fibre, incorrect paperwork, failure to supply parts on time, or any event that â€Å"Disrupts† them from achieving set targets. These reports are then discussed each morning and depending on the severity of the disruption immediate solutions are put in place or a process of problem solving is started and monitored until the problem is solved. 3.1 Motivated employees are more productive than those who are unmotivated. They enjoy their work more and are usually less stressed. Companies work hard to find ways to motivate their staff. Motivation is the driving force behind all people’s actions. Psychologists have developed various theories about motivation in an attempt to better understand and control human behavior. This theory of motivation is based on the idea that people have strong cognitive reasons to perform various actions. This is famously illustrated in Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which presents different motivations at different levels. First People are motivated to fulfill basic biological needs for food and shelter, as well as those of safety, love and esteem. Once the lower level needs have been met , the primary motivator becomes the need for Self-Actualization, or the desire to fulfill one’s individual potential. Maslow believed employers would see better results from workers if they recognized the various needs of individual workers and if they varied the rewards offered to them.

Critical Evaluation of Institutional Factors Impact on Outward/Inward

Essay Critical Evaluation of Institutional Factors Impact on Outward/Inward Foreign Direct Investment This aim of this essay is to evaluate the impact of institutional factors on outward and inward FDI. This will be done by determination of the major FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) factors, evaluation of the role of institutional factors and investigation of institutional factors impact on inward and outward FDI flows.Several sources (Aswathappa, 2012; Jensen, 2012) have identified FDI as an investment, made by a company based in one country (home country) into another company, which is based in other country (host country), in order to obtain certain degree of management control over that company. Recent evidence (Ho and Rashid, 2011) has demonstrated that a tendency for a firm to engage in foreign investment depends on a combination of different factors and elements.Dunning (2011) has argued that company has to satisfy three conditions in order to successfully engage in internation al activity, which are ownership (know-how, technologies), localisation (natural resources, low production costs) and internationalisation. This theory is quite unique because it is developed by several important FDI determinants such as natural resources, production efficiency, strategic assets and market size. Nachum (1999) has argued that in accordance with Hymer’s firm’s specific advantages theory, companies are engaging in FDI if they possess specific advantages e. . access to raw materials, economy of scale, marketing advantages, etc. Aswathappa (2010) has suggested another FDI determinant which is ‘follow the client/rival’. If one of the clients builds a foreign facility, it is reasonably for the company to follow the client and also build a foreign facility in order to continue cooperating with the client. If one company goes to the foreign market it draws the attention of other similar companies, that can potentially exploit similar opportunity an d therefore follow the rival.The same source has also stated that market size is another crucial FDI determinant, which play important role for foreign investors. Nevertheless, Seyoum (2011) has argued that FDI inflows cannot be only determined by such variables as qualitative and skilled labour, availability of natural resources, technologies or modern infrastructure. It is essential to highlight the importance of role of institutional factors in attracting foreign investors. It was suggested by Solomon (2007) that foreign investors are seeking for countries with stable political and social institutions.As it was figured out by Benassy-Quere, et al. (2007) the main institutional factors are: efficient protection of civil and property rights, economic and politic freedom and stability and corruption. Moreover, Globerman and Shapiro (2003) have stated that good institutions (well developed financial system, private property protection, government services, etc. ) have positive impact on both inward and outward FDI. Nevertheless, in some cases quality of institutions depends on FDI for instance, Chinese MNE’s value natural resources more than sound legal system or political stability (Kolstag and Wiig, 2012).According to Jensen (2012) host country’s political regime is one of the most important determinants of FDI. It is considered that authoritarian regime is rather more stable than democratic. The same source has assumed that democracy may be influenced by the interests of the particular groups, which can increase tax rates, trade barriers or implement protectionism policies in order to protect domestic companies from foreign MNE’s. A study carried out by (Knutsen, et al. , 2011) has stated that authoritarian regimes can reduce labour costs supressing human or different organisation rights e. g. hild labour and trade unions and therefore decrease costs for foreign investors. Nonetheless, there is counterargument provided by the same source s (Jensen, 2012; Knutsen, et al. 2011) which suggests that democracy has rather more positive effects on FDI that authoritarian regime. It was argued that reduced child labour can increase education level and trade unions can bring more social stability. In some cases MNE’s are able to influence democratic country’s government in their favour. Moreover, investments in non-democratic countries may hurt reputation of the foreign investors and decrease demand for their products at home market.Recent evidence (Hatchondo and Martinez, 2011) has argued that foreign investors enjoy sound legal protection system. Another source (OECD, 2008) has suggested that higher protection standards results in the greater positive impact on FDI. It was also argued that governments with free market economy have more efficient legal protection system than countries where economy is heavily influenced by government e. g. China. Free market economy is based on ownership, therefore MNE’s from such countries value property rights and they tend to select host countries with the same regulations and laws (Hsu, Zhang and Long, 2007).Level of corruption, is quite contradicting aspect of inward FDI. It is mostly assumed to have negative impact on FDI. Firstly, it brings additional costs, if foreign investors have to bribe someone. Secondly, corruption involves more uncertainty and risk because it is done in illegal way. Furthermore bribed contracts cannot be enforced in court. This issue is also able to impact on outward FDI, because investors tend to exclude possible risks and uncertainty (Wei, 2000; Knutsen, et al. , 2011). However, Egger and Winner (2005) have suggested that corruption may be beneficial for the FDI.The authors have described an idea of â€Å"grabbing hand† and â€Å"helping hand†. It was said that, indeed, corruption bring additional costs and uncertainty for foreign investors and acts as the host country’s â€Å"grabbing handâ⠂¬  but it is only in the short run. It was stated that in long run corruption might be attractive for foreign investors. Corruption allows speeding up bureaucratic procedures or can help to avoid regulatory and administrative restrictions and therefore it will act as the â€Å"helping hand†. Ultimately, if the revenue effects are bigger that costs effects corruption is likely to be positive for FDI.In accordance with several studies (Wells, 2001; Azemar and Delios, 2008) it was figured out that taxes have relatively small impact on IFDI (Inward Foreign Direct Investment). The authors have stated that in some cases foreign investors are much likely to focus on large market size with rather high tax rates than on country with small market size and much lower tax rates. Nevertheless, it was suggested that countries with excessive tax rates are much likely to kill IFDI however the countries with reasonable tax rates may exert little or almost no influence on IFDI.Furthermore, i t was also mentioned that tax havens demonstrate that countries (or regions) with extremely low tax rates are important determinant of the IFDI e. g. Delaware in the USA. Peng and Parente (2012) have stated that bureaucratic regulations and heavy taxation on domestic earnings in Brazil have pushed two thirds of the OFDI stock to tax havens. Another interesting idea was proposed by Wells (2001) it was argued that if host countries policymakers have better understanding of how tax policies can affect the foreign investors, they would be more successful in terms of attracting FDI’s.For, example tax holiday policy could stimulate IFDI flows. A number of authors (Kolstag and Wiig, 2012; Kalotay and Sulstarova, 2010) have figured out that OFDI (Outward Foreign Direct Investment) may be heavily influenced by government or political changes. One of the best examples is Chinese â€Å"Open Door† and â€Å"Go Global† policies, it was argued that those changes has increased total Chinese OFDI from 3. 3% in 1996 to 10% in 2006 (Kolstag and Wiig, 2012). However, it was also described that most of the Chinese companies are state owned and their activities reflect political objectives e. . focus on natural resources. Political changes and stability is significant push factor. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, many Russian privately-owned companies were actively engaging in OFDI. The reason of that issue is that they tried to avoid uncertainty and find safe environment with stable political environment (Kalotay and Sulstarova, 2010). As it was figured out by several authors (Levent, 2006; Garcia and Navia, 2003) financial institutions are important ‘Push’ factor of OFDI. Financial conditions of the home country affect the decision to invest abroad.If home country has poor financial system e. g. no access to financial support, unstable deposit base, high interest rates, etc. than the MNE’s are much likely to seek countries with wel l-developed financial institutions. Another finding was proposed by (Kolstag and Wiig, 2012) arguing that in some countries e. g. China, financial institutions are more cooperative with foreign investors that with the domestic companies, therefore companies are pushed to go overseas in order to obtain access to financial institutions.Witt and Lewin (2007) have stated that misalignments between the firms needs and home country institutional conditions are pushing firms to go abroad. The authors have demonstrated that countries with relatively high societal coordination are slowly adapting changes in the extra-institutional environment and results as the misalignments between firms and home institutions. For example, in year 2003 Germany had high social contributions and taxes as well as others rigidities which have impacted on both OFDI and IFDI flows.It was argued that every seventh German entrepreneur was planning to partly move abroad, every ninth was planning to move all producti on abroad and every thirteenth was thinking of relocating HQ (Head Quarter) abroad. Therefore, firms tend to seek the most appropriate for them institutional environment and if there is no such in home country, they are much likely to go abroad. Summarising all of the issues, it was figured out that most of the institutional factors have quite significant impact on IFDI and OFDI. The research has demonstrated that such nstitutional factors as political stability, governmental regime, corruption, legal system, financial institutions, etc. have serious impact on FDI. Nevertheless, there are some situations when other non-institutional factors may be more important, for instance China is focused more on the natural resources more than on the good institutions or market size might be more important for foreign investors than taxation issues. It was also found out that some institutional determinants may have impact on both outward and inward FDI flows.For example, political stability or corruption, these two factors may be applicable for both types of FDI flows. However, some of those institutional factors are better applicable for IFDI rather than OFDI or vice versa. References Aswathappa, K. (2010). ‘Intrernational Business’, 4th Edition, pp. 100-112. New Dehli: McGraw Hill. Azemar, C. and Delious, A. (2008). ’ Tax competition and FDI: The special case of developing countries. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies’. 22 (1), pp. 85-108. Dunning, J (2011). New Challenges for International Business Research: Back TotThe Future, pp. 90-200. UK: Edward Elgar. Egger, P. and Winner, H. (2005). ‘Evidence on corruption as an incentive for foreign direct investment’. European Journal of Political Economy. 21 (4), pp. 932-952. Garcia, A. and Navia, D. , (2003). ‘DETERMINANTS AND IMPACT OF FINANCIAL SECTOR FDI TO EMERGING ECONOMIES: A HOME COUNTRY'S PERSPECTIVE’, pp. 21-23. Spain: Banco de Espana. Globerman, S. and D. Shapiro (2002). ‘Global Foreign Direct Investment Flows: The Role of Governance Infrastructure’, World Development, 30, 11, 1899–919. Hatchondo, J. C. and Martinez, L. (2011). Legal Protection to Foreign Investors. Legal Protection to Foreign Investors’. 97 (2), pp. 175-187. Hsu, C. , Zhang, W. and Lok, L. , (2007). ‘The Business and Investment Environment in Taiwan and Mainland China’, pp. 200-205. Singapore: World Scientific. Jensen, N. , (2012). ‘Politics and Foreign Direct Investment’, pp. 8-14. USA: University of Michigan Press. Kalotay, K. and Sulstarova, A. (2010). ‘Modelling Russian outward FDI’. Journal of International Management. 16 (2), pp. 131-142. Kolstad, I. and Wiig, A. (2012). What determines Chinese outward FDI?.Journal of World Business. 47 (1), pp. 26-34. Knutsen, C. H. , Rygh, A. and Hveem, H. (2011). ‘Does State Ownership Matter? Institutions Effect on Foreign Direct Investment R evisited’. Business and Politics. 13 (1), pp. 1-31. Levent, I. (2006). ‘Global Development Finance 2006: The Development Potential of Surging Capital Flows’, pp. 107-110. Washington: WB Publications. Nachum, L. (1999). â€Å"Home country and firm-specific ownership advantages: A study of US, UK and French advertising agencies†. International Business Review. 8 (5), pp. 633-660. OECD, (2008). Private Sector Development in the Middle East and North Africa Making Reforms Succeed’, pp. 124-126. France: OECD Publishing. Paul, J. (2008). ‘International Business’, 4th Edition, pp. 235-240. New Dehli: PHI. Peng, M. and Parente, R. (2012). ‘Institution-Based Weaknesses Behind Emerging Multinationals’. RAE. 52 (3), pp. 360-364. Quere, A. , Coupet, M. and Mayer, T. (2007). ‘Institutional Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment’. The World Economy. 30 (5), pp. 764-782. Seyoum, B. (2011). ‘Informal Institutions and Foreign Direct Investment’. Journal of Economic Issues. 45 (4), pp. 917-940. Solomon, B (2007).Three Essays on the Impacts of Risk and Uncertainty on Foreign Direct Investment and Remittances Flows into Developing Countries, pp. 53-55. USA: ProQuest. Wei, S. -J. , (2000). ‘How Taxing is Corruption on Internal Investors? ’, Review of Economics and Statistics, 82, 1, 1–11. Wells, L. (2001). ‘Using Tax Incentives to Compete for Foreign Investment: Are They Worth the Costs? ’ pp. 97-100. USA: WB Publications. Witt, M. and Lewin, A. , (2007). ‘Outward foreign direct investment as escape response to home country institutional constraints’. Journal of International Business Studies. 38 (4), 579-594.

Comparison of solar deities, specifically Ra, Surya, Apollo Essay

Comparison of solar deities, specifically Ra, Surya, Apollo - Essay Example stic religions and enjoyed much respect and honor and were depicted in the religious scriptures with their great deeds, relations with other deities and mortal people, myths and so on. However, they belong to different cultures: Apollo is a Greek god of Olympic period, Ra is a supreme solar deity of Old Kingdom period, and Surya is a Hindu deity referring to the sun (Gopal, 1990, p.76) and embodying the so-called â€Å"supreme light†. All three deities are male and very powerful, but Ra is granted more power as the creator. Ra is believed to have created himself and to be the supreme deity in ancient Egyptian religion, while Apollo was born from Zeus and Leto and Surya is the son of Dyaus Pita and Aditi (both are sons of the supreme gods of the pantheons, yet some sects consider Surya the Supreme Deity). Both Apollo and Surya have siblings: Apollo’s antipode and the lunar deity is his twin sister Artemis, and Surya is considered one of seven brothers Adityas, the cosmic deities. One more distinction of Ra is the form of his portrayal: Surya and Apollo are entirely anthropomorphic deities depicted both in sculpture and in iconography as humanlike beings; while Ra has many guises and can be depicted as a calf, child, lion or a man with the head of a falcon. The similarity to be highlighted between Apollo and Surya is their main attributes – both have chariots, yet Apollo’s one drawn by white swans and Surya’s chariot is horse-drawn (seven horses embodying sunrays or colors of rainbow). Ra, on the other hand, does not have such an attribute, having a sun disk, a scepter and uraeus, a serpent placed on his crown. Ra and Apollo’s worship cults are characterized by certain centers of worship and places of origin. For Ra, the place of origin and the principal center of worship is Heliopolis, while Delphi is the center of Apollo’s cult, where the temple with his oracles was located. The principal peculiarity of Surya in comparison to the other two deities

The Inside Story of Wal-Marts Success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Inside Story of Wal-Marts Success - Essay Example Wal-Mart has initiated its business from the United States and expanded its stores nearly in every corner of the world that include countries such as Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Argentina and many more. Wal-Mart is a place where one can find all the varieties of the needy stuff from clothes to shoes, cleaning supplies, health and beauty support, food, home decor, electronic appliances, automotive, in fact, everything. In other words, Wal-Mart can come under the terminology of a convenient one-stop store that is available at the best prices an individual can think (Soderquist, pp. 1-9). Sam Walton is the mastermind that lays behind the concept of Wal-Mart, which came into appearance roughly a few centuries ago, which is comparatively a young but very well established and entrenched company. Their strategic sales and planning are the unique and inimitable features that have not only provided them an edge over all their competitors throughout all these years but also made them the biggest retailers in the history of the world. The capability and talent of Sam Walton for discounts retailing have been the most successful strategy that has heightened the image of the Wal-Mart and made them stand on the top position for its tremendous sales in the retail business. Indeed, the innovative implementation of these strategic decisions is the chief component that makes Wal-Mart a flourishing company. However, the ultimate goal of Wal-Mart has always been to keep prices lower than the average cost, so that the customer can save a significant amount while shopping at Wal-Mart (Bergdahl, pp. 38-42). Customers, employees or associates and the community were the top priority for Walton. The phrase ‘Customer is always right’ was one of the deepest viewpoint and philosophy regarding the customers that are still in practice until the current day.

Budgeting Operational Plans ( Individual Project ) Research Paper

Budgeting Operational Plans ( Individual Project ) - Research Paper Example This enables the managers of a company to report to the shareholders how their investments have been maximized over a period of some time. Different companies use different approaches to recording and reporting their financial details (McConnell, 2001). Both manual methods and computer assisted technologies are being used to facilitate proper recording of financial details of companies. With the rapid developments in technology, software applications have been developed to assist companies manage their financial record effectively. As a result, more companies are using computer aided financial reporting so as to give more authentic and reliable financial reports. Financial statements have to be prepared in accordance with set standards and reported timely to users. Financial reporting systems help companies achieve their financial objectives through accurate recording and timely reporting of financial reports (Siegel & Shim, 2006). A financial reporting system refers to all the proce dures and processes that a company employs in order to ensure financial accountability. These include the polices and measures put in place to ensure proper recording, verification of financial transactions as well as timely reporting. ... The financial reporting database helps the company prepare its financial statements such as the balance sheet, income statements, and cash flow statements periodically. This can be done either on a monthly basis, quarterly or annually. The budgeting database enables a company to access past financial information and helps the managers calculate financial estimates for the next accounting period. The budgeting database is well structured with expense thresh holds and cost limits that managers wish to set for the company (McConnell, 2001). A general ledger contains different accounts where information relating to financial transactions is recorded by the accountants or bookkeepers. Activity Based Budget The activity-based budgeting is a new and emerging trend in budgeting that seeks to give companies a new approach to manage their budgets. Activity-based budgeting allows company executives to present their budget based on the actual costs of the company’s products as opposed to the traditional budgeting methods, which require the budget to include various factors, which affect costs such as training and compensation (Mancino, 2007). In Activity Based Budgeting (ABB), only those business activities that incur costs are taken into consideration when preparing budgets. These activities are then aligned to specific objectives and goals, and thereafter, the costs that will be required to meet these business activities are used to draft the budget. The traditional method of budgeting only allowed company executives to adjust the budgets for previous financial periods so that they meet the new objectives for the next financial

The Dangers of Water Pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Dangers of Water Pollution - Essay Example Heavy metals can leach into the water supply when it comes into contact with the drinking water as it is transported from the source to the faucet. The effects can range from a mild inconvenience to serious health problems in humans. It can cause a mildly upset stomach or may result in a terminal illness. Animals and fish, even more sensitive to many pollutants and these toxins, can be placed at risk when the ecological system of our rivers and lakes is disrupted. Whatever form the water pollution takes, it is certain to threaten the food supply, damage recreation areas, and be a major threat to human health. When toxic chemicals leach or are spilled into the water system the wildlife that depends on that supply suffers. In the case of an oil spill from a tanker, the results are fast and obvious. Wildlife, fish, and birds are immediately threatened with the crude oil sludge. The oily sludge permeates their fur and feathers handicapping any hope of the animal's survival. This form of pollution is highly visible and causes damage that can be easily measured and evaluated. We can readily see the animals die as they encounter this water pollution. However, other types of pollution that threaten our wildlife are not so readily apparent. Industrial chemicals that leach into our water supply, streams, and lakes may not be visible to the human eye. They may not kill fish instantly as the fish survive the moderate levels of the toxins that are present. Many industrial pollutants, however, build up in the fish and wildlife over time. PCBs, a known carcinogen that has been banned, continues to pers ist in our environment and water supply (Environmental Defense Fund, 2006). Dioxin and heavy metals also have a long term poisoning effect on the fish. When a human eats the contaminated fish, they ingest the pollutants that have been stored in the fish. Consuming this source of food on a regular basis can cause severe health problems and lead to death. Water pollution will eventually poison not only the fish, but also the birds that feed on the fish and the prey that feeds on the birds. This will cause a widespread contamination of our environment and result in many of our food sources being unavailable or unhealthy to eat. Often times when wastewater from a sewage system is improperly discharged into the environment it contaminates a public area that is used for swimming or recreation. This contaminated wastewater carries potentially dangerous viruses, parasites, and bacteria with it. The U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) lists over 20 different types of biological agents known to pollute recreational areas (Nester, Anderson, Roberts, Pearsall, & Nester, 2001). The effects of these waterborne pathogens can be as mild as a case of diarrhea or as serious as meningitis. High fever, liver infection, and birth defects have been traced to water pollution caused by contaminated wastewater discharged into a public lake or beach (Nester et al, 2001). Though these contaminates do occasionally foul our drinking water supply, the most likely contact the public has is at a common recreational area. The CDC documents all reported cases of illness caused by polluted water and found during the period of 1995-1996 of the 12000 cases of disease caused by contaminated water, a full 75 percent were contracted in a public beach or swimming facility (Nester et al, 2001). These statistics show not only the seriousness of the

Using a UK retailer of your own choice, assess their Own Brand Essay

Using a UK retailer of your own choice, assess their Own Brand strategy - Essay Example The retail business is highly related to the perception and preference of customers. Sainsbury’s in order to develop its brand strategies has become completely customer oriented and has adopted strategies accordingly. The market share of Sainsbury’s in the year 2011 first quarter is estimated to be around 16.5 percent (Shannon, 2011). The market position of Sainsbury’s is quite strong in London as well as South East. It is observed that the retail branding is generally a customer oriented approach. The five major areas where Sainsbury’s has recognised growth were ‘great food at great prices’, ‘greater number of complimentary food chain’, ‘reaching maximum customers by means of extra channels’ and ‘increasing the space of supermarket’ along with ‘active property management’. These strategies have helped the retail store to sustain itself in the third position. Sainsbury’s possesses two formats of stores namely traditional super market stores and convenience stores (Li, 2008). The retail business strategy is different from the strategies of other businesses. In this paper, the brand strategy in retail sector has been discussed. The paper seeks to discuss about the brand strategy of Sainsbury’s. The brand strategy developed by the company in their retail business enables it to acquire more customer loyalty and this aspect has been highlighted in the paper. The importance of this strategy in fulfilling the need and expectation of customers has also been included in the paper. The paper also comprises of the relationship between services of the company and the need of customers. 2.0 Retail Branding The retail branding is considered as a well known concept in present scenario. The business in retail industry is growing rapidly and generating more chains of businesses. The branding of retailers is different from other product brands. The retail branding is genera lly ‘multi-sensory’ and it is developed by focusing on the knowledge of consumers. The brand image is adopted in different ways in this type of business. In the retail outlets there are various attributes that act as persuading factors for consumers such as quality of products, brands that are sold, services, appearance of store, the price level, behaviour as well as service of employees among others (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004). The business of retail industry is based on their adaptation towards the trends of society as well as taste of customers for new products. This adaptation generally influences more consumers. There is a chance of retail business to be eliminated from the society if it is incapable to fulfil the requirement of market. In this type of business, major focus is provided towards the customers as they are directly linked to the product of the stores (Mansoory & Mehra, 2010). 3.0 Strategy of Sainsbury’s The brand of Sainsbury’s was essentia lly developed with an intention to provide customers with healthy, fresh, secure and delicious foods. The company has focused towards various approaches before adopting strategies. Their main focus has been on quality, fair price, fresh food, innovative food and other product lines. Based on these aspects, the company developed its strategies to fulfil customers’ expectation (J-Sainsbury, 2010). The strategy of the company is principally based on the five areas and based on this strategy, brand image is developed. It also provides emphasis on the five selected strategies so as to enhance their business and retain customers (J-Sainsbury, 2010). In the first strategy of ‘great food at fair price’ the company has an intention to provide healthy, fresh, safe and tasty food and thus it has continued to make innovation in their product. These innovative products facilitate them to be a leader in delivering the quality products at fair prices (J Sainsbury Plc, 2011). Th e main focus in this strategy is to provide extreme importance on

Sustainability in civil engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Sustainability in civil engineering - Essay Example Sustainability in civil engineering would therefore mean to have balance between these three objectives, both now and into the future. Let us take an example of the Three Gorges Dam project in China, which clearly illustrates that, lack of sustainability in Civil engineering projects could undoubtedly cause serious social and environmental issues. The proposal for a dam on the Yangtze, the world's third largest river, took shape Eighty years ago and since then it had been in the plans of the Government of China. The Three Gorges dam which in under construction currently is expected to be completed by the year 2009. Upon its completion the dam will be around 600 feet high, 1.5 miles long, and will form a reservoir which is 400 mile long, in the middle section of the Yangtze River. This is supposed to be the largest dam project in the world. This project is expected to meet four important objectives, Flood control, Generation of Power, Improved navigation on the Yangtze River and Fresh water accessibility. The reports released by the Chinese government and the concerned contractors of the Three Gorges Dam do not emph asize on the negative impacts caused by this project on the environment, atmosphere and social life. The most important impacts on the environment include deforestation, excessive emission of greenhouse gases, loss of aquatic life and severe impact on water quality. When the project is completed there would be a dynamic change in the silt levels and water temperature. Due to this extensive silting the anticipated positive benefits of improved navigation and Energy production are questioned. The Yangtze River is known for its extreme silt content. The silt settled down at the bottom of the reservoir would slow down the water flow. Thus, the silt which has formed upstream would reduce the navigation. And the silt that gathers near the dam may reduce effective power generation. The environmental changes that occur during the construction of the Three Gorges Dam would also cause a significant loss of the aquatic, plant and wildlife species. The Chinese Academy of Sciences Mountainous Di saster and Environment Institute has divided the natural and social ecology and environment into 78 subsystems varying from climatology to terrestrial fauna. According to a study conducted by them, the report says that the Three Gorges Dam would affect nine subsystems positively, six of them neutrally and sixty three subsystems negatively. While we see the above environmental implications of the Three Gorges project, the social implication of this project involves the relocation and resettlement of more than a million people from the Yangtze basin area. The Chinese government initially estimated this number to be lesser than 0.75 million while the real number lies somewhere between 2-4 millon. The problem that might arise due to this is, most of the people who will be relocated are peasants and they are to be compensated by providing them with new lands. However, the lack of land in the area and high erosion levels make this impossible. Therefore, The Three Gorges dam which

Strategic briefing paper Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic briefing paper - Case Study Example Analyzing the history of Euro Disney, one can draw connections between the financial issues of Euro Disney and its name, which its bosses were forced to change from Euro Disney to Disneyland Paris because people in Europe linked a word euro with business and finance. In addition, the company was also forced to overturn an alcohol ban as French admired wine and thus, it led to a huge bank bailout in the 90s. The company had also difficult relations with its staff, which protested against a payment freeze and went on striking and marching through the park that caused the first ever cancellation of the famous daily parade (Losing the magic: How Euro Disney became a nightmare, 2010). One of the ways out of such complicated situations is the proposal about recapitalization in order to improve Euro Disney financial position. It will also enable the company to continue making investments in the resort thus increasing the guest experience. In addition, shareholders will have the opportunity to purchase shares issued in the debt conversion and the companys debt will fall taking Euro Disney’s balance sheet from a negative to positive equity position. Disney finance director states, that such operation will strengthen Euro Disney, not de- listing it from the stock market (Holton, 2014). For Disneyland Paris it is essential to formulate a new strategy by setting fresh goals and values, search for the new resources and capabilities, and revise the company’s structure and system. For this purpose, the company should understand how its current structure drives competition, whether it is a changing customers’ demand, changing prices or certain technological change. With the help of diagnostic strategic capability that may be performed by means of value chain analysis or SWOT analysis, the company would consider the development of its availabilities. Besides, the

Narrative Essay Essay Example for Free

Narrative Essay Essay Purpose: The journey I had while selling magazines was memorable because I met a lot people and saw many fun places. Thesis Statement: Selling magazines doesn’t sound fun, but doing it all over the U. S. was the best experience that anyone could imagine as well as meeting new people and seeing so many new places. It all started one sunny afternoon in sunny Oceanside, CA on the Camp Pendleton marine base. I was staying with a friend and I looked on craigslist and checked the newspaper for jobs, when I came across an ad in the paper that read â€Å"A COOL TRAVEL JOB† so I decided to call the number just to see what it was all about. When the lady answered the phone she said, â€Å"Thanks for calling Success Express how I can help you? † and I replied hi my name is Katie and I am calling about the ad in the paper. The lady that answered the phone was Shellie and she asked me some questions and gave me an over the phone interview. When that was done she asked when I would be able to start and I said as soon as possible, then she said to call back in 30 minutes and I would know if I got the job. See more: how to start a personal narrative essay examples Selling magazines didn’t sound fun, but doing it all over the US would be a great experience that I couldn’t imagine doing and also meeting new people sounds fun as well as seeing new places. So 30 minutes later I called back and sure enough I got the job. Shellie sent me a bus ticket for the next day I got on the Greyhound bus and was on my way to Mesa, Arizona to meet up with the crew. When I finally arrived in Arizona after a long bus ride I went to the Ramada Inn where the crew was staying. It was around noon so of course the crew was out working. I met Shellie and she got me into my room where I showered and got ready to meet the crew. Later on after the crew got off work, I finally got to meet everyone, who in a way was kind of scary because I wasn’t sure how they were, but surprising enough they were really nice and welcoming. I had a trainer whose name was Tatiana and she gave me the rules and showed me around the crew and just gave me a rundown on what it was that we actually would be doing. After that it was pretty late so we called it a night and went to bed so we could be ready for the next day. So now the journey officially began. We woke up the next day got ready and then had a meeting to get pumped up to sell some magazines. Oh boy, let me tell you that meeting was something else. There was singing songs, spill contests, and just a bunch of positivity all around that you would have thought you were in a cult, but of course you weren’t. The meeting was over and we finally left in a 15 passenger van to go to a neighborhood or an apartment complex where we would get dropped off and do our thing to sell magazines. Now of course we got paid, but it was on commission only so you only made money on what you sold. Sounds hard, but not really it was like we were in a contest so it made it a little easier to talk to people because they would want to help you win so if all they had to do is buy a magazine to get you points they would. Don’t get me wrong not everyone would buy one so you really had to put your charm on. A great day would be selling 10 magazines, but anywhere from 5-7 would be a good day and you would still make good money. There were so many states that I saw and loved but just to name a couple that I really loved and were my favorite was Hawaii, Guam and Alaska. These places were amazing and those are the places that I made so much money. In Hawaii we stayed in a hotel right on the beach and would have free time to do what we wanted to like go shopping, play at the beach and even go to the bars. It wasn’t just about having fun though we also had to work, see in Hawaii there is a lot of military so we would work on the bases and sell to the soldiers. The military bases are what we called our money makers because the soldiers would buy a lot of magazines and would pay in cash so it really secured our orders. Guam was a lot like Hawaii sunny warm and water all around you. The local territory was little more different than Hawaii because they spoke Chamorro which is the language they speak there. Not everyone spoke different, but the ones that did were hard to understand. The people were all so very nice in Guam they would always offer you food and that is one thing with people in Guam if they offer you food you must take it because they consider it an insult if you say no thank you. The thing that I remember most about Guam is the stray dogs, but there they call them boonie dogs. These dogs would be all over and look so shaggy and some of them would chase you. Was sometimes scary, but most of the time they would leave you alone. Now for Alaska, I love it very cold, but I could see myself living there one day. Yes we would sell magazines in the freezing cold but of course we were bundled in warm clothes. Everyone in Alaska is so nice and welcoming. Alaska is where I had my high day of selling magazines which was 20 sales, boy I was a happy camper. I also saw my first bald eagle. One thing about Alaska is in the summer time it never gets dark so it’s such a different feeling, I think it would be hard to sleep when it’s still light outside. You would definitely have to get use to the weather, but it is still one of my favorite places. So selling magazines ended up being a very memorable experience for me because I never would have thought I would have seen so many cool places in the world. If you ever get to do an experience that would take you all over the country do it because you definitely won’t forget it. Selling magazines might not sound fun to some people, but it was my most memorable journey in my life so far and I am glad I did because then I would not have met new people and saw new places.

Effects of Technology on Enviroment Essay Example for Free

Effects of Technology on Enviroment Essay Effects of technology on environment. Selection of topic Now a day the world relies totally on technologies. Therefore, it is important to discuss on the effect caused on environment due to these technologies. Aims and objectives To study about effects of technology on earth. To study its negative and positive impact on environment. To discuss how to decreases its ill effect. To analysis the energy consumed per year on technologies. Relevance The Negative Ecological Impacts of Technology One of the biggest problems the world faces today is the amount of energy that is consumed globally. With almost all of the worlds businesses using computer technology to operate, the energy consumption of the industrial world is constantly on the increase. Countries such as the United States where the average employee works more than 40 hours a week, as a result, the energy consumption of a typical office in the United States is likely to be higher than that of an office in a country where the average work week does not exceed 40 hours. Many offices run their computer systems on a mainframe server. This server is usually running 24 hours a day and is rarely shut down. To keep these servers from overheating, fans are installed within the hard drives. With the combined energy of the fans and the operation of the servers, the amount of energy being consumed is huge and results in a very high thermal count. According to the International Energy Agency or, IEA, around 4% of the worlds energy consumption in 2008 was due to the mass use of information communications technologies. This figure is predicted to rise to an incredible 40% by the time the year 2030 arrives. By this time, the demands on the worlds electricity sources will have also doubled globally and companies will need to have a viable solution to prevent computer technologies from being a major drain on the worlds energy resources. The  Positive Ecological Impacts of Technology Despite the claims that technology is to blame for many of the worlds ecological problems, technology has also served to improve the shape of our planet. Since the rise of technology in the workplace, numerous ICT companies have been designing greener technology to combat the detrimental effect that computers and their accompanying technology have on the environment. One of the best known organizations is the Green Grid. The Green Grid is an organization that consists of IT companies and professionals from around the world. The Green Grid is devising ways to improve the way energy is consumed by IT oriented businesses and their offices. One of the biggest achievements of the Green Grid is the Power Usage Effectiveness or, PUE, metric system. This system records data center energy consumption. How it works is by recording the energy consumption of a data center or mainframe server every 15 minutes. By recording in these 15 minute increments it helps those monitoring the data to notice if there are any energy fluctuations and if the data center systems are using an adequate amount of energy. The long term goal of the Green Grid is to introduce a standard system that allows business managers and IT operatives to compare the amount of the energy they are consuming and if necessary resolve ways to reduce it. Another technology that is having positive impacts on the environment is low carbon technology. Low carbon technology is a form of technology that has been developed in China. Largely developed because of Chinas low carbon footprint in comparison to other developing countries, the low carbon technology aims to offset the amount of emissions polluting the air by using renewable fossil fuels. Observation Improvements in the technology have antagonistic effects on the human life along with the positive effects. The growth of the technology leads to very severe problems like pollution, unemployment, effects social life of the humans etc.. First of all, the most serious problem is pollution, which is created by the technological inventions like vehicles, industries, etc.. Now-a-days the vehicles like cars, bikes are increasing which is leading to increase in pollution. The other problem is radiation caused by the increase in the mobile phones. Secondly, in most of the developing countries like  India the major problem is unemployment. This problem is mostly caused by the increase in the instruments, which are the results of improvement in the technology. Finally, in today’s world all the people are getting addicted to the internet like social sites, games and they also becoming victims of the google. For example, all the persons are getting involved in the facebook and they are not at all bothering about the surrounding world, this may leading them away from the social life and sometimes it also creates problems in the families. The other example, everyone in this world is depending on google for each and everything and they are not at all referring to the books. However, most of the people say that improvements in technology like software solutions creates employment, but that is not true because the employment created by the software field is less than the employments which is decreased by the instruments in industries. In conclusion, the negative effects of the technology is higher than the advantages from the improvements in technology. Conclusion As a result of the increase in the various forms of technology, there are many positive and negative ecological impacts on the planet. Through the rise in modern technology and increase in globalization, there is a high increase in energy consumption. This in turn has devastating effects on the planets climate and air quality. However, without modern technology there would not be the capability to improve energy management systems or to develop environmentally friendly products such as bio-fuels. To make a progressive step towards reducing the amount of damage technology does to the environment, it is necessary to find ways to manage new technology responsibly so that it can continue to have positive ecological impacts. Analysis

Case Study of DFA and NFA Implementation

Case Study of DFA and NFA Implementation Muhammad Danial Waseem Hania Farooq Table of Contents (Jump to) Digital Social Media Popular Social Media Tools and Platforms Blogs Face book WhatsApp Viber Twitter YouTube Flickr Instagram LinkedIn Groups Vimeo STATE 1 (login state) Regular expression for the state 1 (After login ) Regular expression for the state 2 Combined automata Table (3) Transition table for combined states of facebook Scenario 2 Language Automata Transition table: Scenario 3 Language References References of Images List of Figures Figure 1- Types of social media Figure 2- Automata of first state of facebook Figure 3- Automata of second state of facebook Figure 4- combined state of facebook Figure 5- Screenshots of Whats App Figure 6- Automata of Whats App Figure 7- Screenshots of Viber Figure 8- Automata of viber Introduction Digital Social Media Digital Social media refers to the means of interactions among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. The Office of Digital Communication manages the main Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, YouTube and Vimeo accounts. Furthermore, social media depend on mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms through which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content. They introduce substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities, and individuals.These changes are the focus of the emerging field of  technoself  studies. Social media are different from traditional or industrial media in many ways, including quality, reach, frequency, usability, immediacy, and permanence Diagram depicting the many different types of social media There are many effects that stem from internet usage. According to Nielsen, internet users continue to spend more time with social media sites than any other type of site. At the same time, the total time spent on social media in the U.S. across PC and mobile devices increased by 99 percent to 121 billion minutes in July 2012 compared to 66 billion minutes in July 2011 Popular Social Media Tools and Platforms Blogs A platform for casual dialogue and discussions on a specific topic or opinion. Face bookThe world’s largest social network, with more than 1.32 billion monthly active users (as of June 2014). For accessing users create a personal profile, add other users as friends, and exchange messages, including status updates. Brands create pages and Facebook users can â€Å"like† brands’ pages. WhatsApp WhatsApp is the best social network and mobile application. User create accounts send images videos audio notes update status, recently Facebook purchased it. Viber Viber is also an application and bestest application that gives both option of chat and call to the user. TwitterA social networking/micro-blogging platform that allows groups and individuals to stay connected through the exchange of short status messages (140 character limit). YouTube Video hosting and watching websites. Flickr An image and video hosting website and online community. Photos can be shared on Facebook and Twitter and other social networking sites. Instagram A free photo and video sharing application that allows users to apply digital filters, frames and special effects to their photos and then share them on a variety of social networking sites. LinkedIn GroupsA place where groups of professionals with similar areas of interest can share information and participate in conversations. VimeoVideo hosting and watching websites. Scenario 1 An example of digital social media, i.e. Face book. Facebook(formerly[thefacebook]) is an online  social networking service  headquartered in  Menlo Park, California. Facebook now allows anyone who claims to be at least 13 years old to become a registered user of the website. After registering to use the site, users can create a  User profile, add other users as  friends, exchange messages, post status updates and photos, share videos and receive notifications when others update their profiles. Additionally, users may join common-interest user groups, organized by workplace, school or college, or other characteristics, and categorize their friends into lists such as People from Work or Close Friends. Construct a finite automata for facebook in which a user first access to the login page of facebook then user enter ID and password for login process. This process work in backend due to searching algorithm and after search facebook opens the account of the user who enters the ID and password. And now user is entered in home page. If the user wants to create account on facebook then he/she have to enter some details that are required for creating an account and after verification of detail the user can use their home page. In home page there are 4 main options and many other option if the user wants to stay on the home page i.e. user may use search bar for searching any stuff, any application any friend or anything. User want to access a group that he already joined and either option. The 5 main options are: Newsfeed (notification) Sharing Profile Search Chat Now if user want to open newsfeed then user is able to see latest notification or anything in which user is tagged or anyone post on his time line or having response of the something which the user is already shared. User wants to share any picture/audio/video or any status among his friends. The other option is profile. Profile is the timeline of the user in which user can see or comment on what user have already shared or any friend have shared or commented on is shared thing or on status and user can update his/her personal information. The other option is search. The user want to search some content by using search bar. The last but not least option is chat. That enable the user to chat with the friends on his/her friend list. As the whole automaton of the facebook is too vast that’s why for describing them clearly we divided it into 2 states. The first state is login state and the other stage is after login stage. And at the end we will combine all the stages as final automata. STATE 1 (login state) L= {L, EN, P, H, CA, ED, V,} Q= q0, q1, q2, q3, q4, q5, q6, q7 Where, L=login EN= enter name P= enter password H=home page CA=create an account ED=enter detail V=detail verified The above automaton is illustrating that when the user give the input â€Å"L† means login and after â€Å"L† machine accepts the name and the password i.e. EN (enter name ) and p (password) for reaching the final stage of login state i.e. HOME. The user have another option if the user have not any account then the facebook machine (automata) also gives the opportunity to create an account for creating the account the machine accepts the particular details i.e. ED means to enter the required detail. In this automata it is defined that when user open the facebook user have 2 option either he/she open account or he/she creates new account. So if user have not his account so he follow the second option go to create option enter all the details then verified these detail and account created and if have user have already account so he he/she just enter name and password and enter these thing . So same as defined in this automata user have to follow two paths which are clearly mentioned in this automata. Regular expression for the state 1 STATE 2 (After login ) L= { H, SH, NF, Pr, S, CH, LO, D} Where SH = user wants to share the pictures/audio/video or text among his friends. NF = notification from the friends or the pages liked. The user can select the notification and see Pr= timeline of the user. In which user can see what he shared or he/she can update his/her information. S= the user want to search some contact. CH = it stands for chat. That it enables user to chat with the friend on his/her friends list LO = logout. The user sign out and get return to the main page Second state is describes is the state open after login so after login facebook is a multifunction social media but we compiled main functions. So when user logins to fb user have many options now depend on user what user wants to do. either user stays on home page and read normally or he shared any others post, or check the notification of other or the thing which he/she tagged in, or view his own profile or any others profile or use the search option to find any person or search any app or games for playing or using.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ There are many others also things to do but these are the main thing which normally user can do on the daily basis. Now there are some other things also which we mention in automata is using keelene. It’s like if user logins the page and he do not do anything just stay remain in home page it’s not necessary that all user do the same so it’s also mention in automata. Regular expression for the state 2 It’s a general regular expression which is made by the automata but we have to normalize the regular expression fro make it simple and complicated for other so they don’t try to copy, After normalization I denoted as the r.e2 because it’s the same regular expression but just a normalized form. See transition table on the next page, Combined automata L= {L, EN, P, H, CA, ED, V, H, SH, NF, Pr, S, CH, LO, D } r.e = S (L.E.N.P.H + CA. ED. V. H) H*(SH+ + NF++ Pr+ +S++CH*)D(H+LO) Scenario 2 Another example of digital social media i.e., WhatsApp WhatsAppis a  proprietary,  cross-platform  instant messaging  subscription service  for  smartphones  and selected  feature phones  that uses the  Internet  for communic

The Roaring Twenties and The Savings and Loan Crisis :: American History Economics

The Roaring Twenties and The Savings and Loan Crisis The movie It's A Wonderful Life starts off in the town of Bedford Falls in the time period just prior to the Great Depression. (I will discuss the Great Depression in more detail in a later essay). It is a prosperous time-the "Roaring Twenties." Many people have invested money in the stock market and are earning quite a bit of money, there are many parties had by all with music, food and drinks, and good company and fun. There are also an abundance of inventions (such as the radio) being introduced into the economy. Furthermore, more people are able to afford such luxuries as telephones, electricity, transportation, etc†¦ During this time, in general, a lot of exchange seems to be occurring, as well as overall rapid technological change. This time period is also associated with the rise to dominance of the capitalist system, as more and more people were changing from being self-employed farmers to becoming employees who were paid a wage for their labor time. Another characteristic associated with the 1920s is the growth and expansion of the financial sector. This of course makes sense and seems justified and logical as, in order for the business sector to expand, access to capital (monetary resources) is necessary so that machinery can be bought and labor be "purchased" and employed. The financial sector (banks) took the household savings which were deposited and then loaned them out to big businesses. The big businesses were then able to continue expanding and improving and hiring people, and thus this helped to perpetuate the prosperous economic environment of the 1920s. The Buildings and Loan, as shown in the movie, (the same as what we refer to as the Savings and Loan Industry) was instituted so that individuals (not corporations) might borrow money to build homes. Therefore, where individuals were previously unable to borrow funds, they now could through this institution. This also seemed to help spur along the prosperous envi ronment of the 1920s-at least for a while. In 1929 when the financial markets collapsed, corporations could no longer afford to purchase new machinery or pay for more workers. Workers could not afford to purchase things because they were not making enough money from their wages. This decrease in demand further caused the companies to stop producing goods and to lay off more workers.

Jeremy Rifkins The End of Work :: Jeremy Rifkin The End of Work

Jeremy Rifkin's "The End of Work"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Individuals tend to develop a false sense of security concerning the certainty of their jobs. After working for an organization for fifteen or more years, it is difficult for them to understand that their employers may no longer need their service. Jeremy Rifkin wrote The End of Work in order to warn people about what he foresees may be happening to the global labour force because of a rapid increase in the use of automation in the workplace. He identifies what he believes are causes of the problems which we are currently facing within the organizational structure along with some potential solutions. Rifkin's ideas may be relevant to most peoples lives including ours. The reactions of six currently employed persons to Rifkin's message will be included in this text. These professionals include a technical manager, a convenience store owner, a cashier for Marriot food services, a Residence-Life Staff Coordinator, a Part- Time Credit Card Service Assistant and an Assembler for an Electrical Switch- Gear Manufacturing Company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rifkin observes that the main problem of mass global employment in both the private and public sectors is caused by the continuing advances in technology and it's impacts on organizations, it's structure and design and it's direct effect on the global labour force. In particular, organizations are using the concept of re-engineering and replacing human labour with labour saving technologies. Rifkin gives us a better understanding of the development of the cause of this problem by examining the three industrial revolutions. In the first industrial revolution, Rifkin identifies steam power as the major tool used by industrial and manufacturing sectors. In the second industrial revolutions the electrical innovation effected the manufacturing, agricultural and transport industries by further reducing the global labour force.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unlike the past, two industrial revolutions where industrial technologies replace the physical power of human labour, the third revolution (The Information Age), at present, is contributing new computer based technology which are involving into thinking machines. These thinking machines will evolve to the extent that eventual the human mind will be replaced in all economic activities. In particular, advancements in computer technology including parallel processing and artificial intelligence (robots) are going to cause a large number of white collar workers to be redundant in the near future. Furthermore as a result of advancement in the information and telecommunications technologies, organizations are using the concept of re-engineering to restructure their organizations to make them more computer friendly. As a direct result of this, training employees in multi-level skills, shortening and simplifying production and distribution processes and streamlining administration. One example of this is the global auto industry which is

Computer Crime :: essays research papers

Computer technology has brought us into an era that is no longer run by man but instead is dependent on computers due to their incredible capabilities. Mankind has progressed further in the last fifty years than any other period of history. This reason is due to the introduction of computers. Everyone’s daily activities are affected, in some way or the other by computers. With the computer things that were impossible have now been easily accomplished. The computer allows us to store large volumes of data into a much more reduced high-density form. This allows a lot less space to be used than the classic way of paper files. It has allowed an increase in speed which improves the production of business or any other activity you may be doing. Calculations can be done in milliseconds and even worldwide connectivity and communication. With the introduction of the computer a new form of crime was born. These crimes referred to as computer crimes are varied and some are a lot more serious than others. Computer crime can involve criminal activities such as theft, fraud, forgery and mischief, all which are easily defined and subject to criminal sanctions. The computer has also brought along with it a host of potentially new misuses or abuses that may, or should be criminal as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The problem with today’s computer crimes are that the criminal justice systems have not been able to keep up with the technological change. Only a few countries have adequate laws to address the problem, and of these, not one has addressed all the legal, enforcement and prevention problems. The problem with the legal system is that it has always been a system with limits. The system mainly deals with physical items as its central core. But with the new understanding of the value of data, the system came up with “intellectual property'; as a means to cover these intangibles. Some people want to use this information in ways which would horrify us. We have called don the legal system to settle the matter but no one really knows what the rules are. Technology is growing much to fast for the legal system to keep pace with. In an effort to manage these crimes federal and state governments have passed laws criminalizing “unauthorized access'; and data transmission. Many groups have called for laws, regulations, and constitutions to regulate the electronic field. These efforts are ineffective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is a huge confusion on the value of data and information.

A Bad Day in My Youth

A Bad Day in my Youth When I was 11 years old, I was like all boys of this age; I loved to do what ever my parents forbade me to do. Now, I understand that they had a reason to warn me about many things. One of them was climbing places where children shouldn’t be. I couldn’t resist climbing trees or buildings just like a monkey. It was a nice, summer day and we lived in Odessa, Ukraine. Ukraine buildings formed courtyards. My friend and I played in the yard. The yard was small with garages and a big tree in the back. We climbed everywhere we could: tree, the roofs of the garages and the attics. We were like adventurers; we tried to imagine being Indiana Jones the man from the movie I saw on TV. I was impressed by his adventures. We knew that no one would tell us to stop because our parents were shopping, that day, and we stated with my best friend’s grandmother. She was a chubby and pleasant woman, 78 or 79 years old, and couldn’t always see what we were doing. So we took advantage of that old woman who couldn’t really know what we were doing. When we climbed the tree; my friend accidentally stepped on my arm and I fell and broke my leg and right hand. At first, I didn’t feel anything because of shock, but then, severe pain pierced the broken bones. My friend’s grandmother called the ambulance. I was scared when, in the hospital, doctor put a cast on my leg and hand. I imagined what my mom was going to say, I was afraid that she would be angry but she wasn’t. She said â€Å"I told you a million times you shouldn’t play like this and that, one day, you would break neck. You are lucky that it’s not a broken neck. Please don’t play games like this anymore. † I understood that mom was right and was trying to warn and protect me; the result of my disobedience was a broken finiteness’s. I was in a leg cast for 6 months and had to be home-schooled. My arm was in a cast for 3 months, but now it’s fine. Now I always to do what my parents tell me to do, because I know that they want to do the best for me. They are older; they have life experience and they know what way is better. Once, I did what I wanted to do. I will not make this mistake, again.

Writing as an Artist

â€Å"Detail makes the difference between boring and terrific writing. It’s the difference between a pencil sketch and a lush oil painting. As a writer, words are your paint. Use all the colors.† Rhys Alexander makes an interesting connection between authors and artists in his quote about writing. The idea that writers are indeed artists of a sort, gives us the opportunity to think about how words can become like paint applied to a canvas. The canvas, when one looks further, is actually our reader’s mind. This happens because the reader’s mind becomes the dwelling place where the full color and texture of our written ideas are absorbed and understood. Taking this idea of the artistic endeavors of writing a step further, a writer, like an artist, is most often influenced by the environment around them. Would Monet’s painting of water lilies have turned out so ascetic if the day had been dull and rainy, thus altering his mood to reflect a dull and listless pond? As writers our environment touches on our senses and perceptions, altering our mood and also our writing; thus adding to our strengths and weaknesses, and giving our words the vibrancy and hues we need to paint our â€Å"canvas†. A bedroom is a wonderful safe haven from the chaos of everyday life. In this room we rest, dream and spend time with our own being in simple comfort. These sensations of relaxation and solitude form the basis of why I choose it as my primary writing environment. Here I can mix the ideas, opinions and data I have collected from the outside world and make a work of art that reflects my own inner thoughts of the experiences of which I write about. In my room I can be as creative as I like, without others to criticize or influence my words. Granted, people will do that later once the work is complete; but while it’s being created, it’s completely my own. The comfort of my room strengthens my writing because it adds to my feelings of comfort and security. These perceptions allow me to search deeper and possibly write with more courage about how I feel. If I were to do this anywhere else I would fear that others would judge my words and ideas even before the writing is finished. Then I might not find the nerve to write my own thoughts and opinions, but rather someone else’s. In this sense, solitude and comfort help me paint my verbal canvas with clarity. Solitude and comfort in a bedroom can however be a weakness due to the fact that it at times feels like the â€Å"same old thing† and induces writer’s block. Sometimes the feelings of our surroundings â€Å"lock† us into a repetitive pattern, and soon we find that all of our writings begin to take on similar qualities with no unique flare to make them original. For this problem, sometimes it is best to escape to the outside world and gather more data, or try and capture someone else’s enthusiasm for a topic. When this is not available however, altering a writing environment can help. Open the blinds, let some sunshine in, or maybe even close them and try writing by candle light. These are ways that can improve if not the writing environment itself, at least the writer’s mood. Hanging inspiring paintings or photos on the wall may or turning on music that suits the feelings we are trying to convey may also be helpful. Sometimes writers have to be as creative with their environment as they are with their words. Thus far we have seen that a writer’s environment touches on their senses and perceptions, altering their mood and also their writing; thus adding to their strengths and weaknesses, and giving their words the vibrancy and hues they need to paint their â€Å"canvas†.   I have only minimally explored and shared with you what my environment means to me and how I can improve it if needed. However, I hope that you as the reader have gotten a glimpse of where and why I create my art the way I do. I believe that each of us is inspired by the environment around us, whether it be the crashing of a thunderstorm or the slow steady roll of the ocean waves lulling us to sleep. Works Cited Alexander, Rhys. (author of webpage unknown).

Id, Ego and Super-Ego As it relates to “The Lord of the Flies” Essay

Many people have different types of personalities. The characters from the story The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, have 3 different parts of personality of the brain. According to Freud these are the three parts Id, Ego and the Super-Ego. Freud’s personality theory really shows in The Lord of the Flies. In the story Jack would be described as the Id. According to Sigmund Freud, Id is the part of your personality you are born with that you have to control. These aspects of personality are entirely unconscious and make you have a bad behavior if you don’t get what you desire, want or need. Jack had a problem following the rules and controlling his behavior about working together to get rescued with the other kids. He killed people, not caring about the consequences. He felt like he could do anything he wanted, Id people don’t care about following rules; that’s the last thing they care about. On the other hand, Super-ego is very different from Id. People who are ruled by Super-Ego follow the rules and even make them. They sense what’s right and wrong. In The Lord of the Flies the Super-Ego was Piggy. He would take everything very seriously when it would come time to make plans. For example he said, â€Å"How can you expect to be rescued if you don’t put first things first and act proper?† (p 45). It shows us how much he wants order in the group and for everybody to act maturely. Super-Ego also operates in accordance with social conformity and appropriateness. The super-ego, its role of moral authoritarian, is the opposite of the Id. The other main character from the Lord of the Flies was Ralph. He’s the one known as the leader. He cared, showed kindness and also was very  intelligent. The personality represented by Ralph is the Ego. The role of the Ego is to sift through what is real and what isn’t. They make decisions by their thoughts, theyfollow what makes sense to them and how they relate it to the world we live in. Ralph demonstrates common sense and reality, which is one of the things Ego has. Ralph was very realistic about being rescued when everybody was saying that nobody would find them. He also wanted to have fun; an example of how the Ego balances the Id and Super-Ego is showed Ralph is figuring out what to do, â€Å"†¦This is what I thought. We want to have fun. And we want to be rescued.† (p 37). William Golding really shows us how human nature could be. He illustrates how truly destructive humans can be. Golding makes very good use of characters in The Lord of the Flies, he shows both good and evil through each of the characters. He saw how destructive humans can be, and how normal people transform from a civilized human being into a savage in a quick second. The ending tells us that people don’t really imagine what other people can do. The military officer made a joke that it was ironic of what’s happening on the island, â€Å"We saw your smoke. What you been doing? Having a war or something?† (p 201). It’s ironic how the military officer said something that was exactly what was happening†¦he would have never thought some little kids would do something like that. The Lord of the Flies is a picture of the society in which we live today. It is a novel, which explains some of the issues like violence and many other things that are happening in the world. It is much easier to side with evil but very challenging to support humans and what we know is right. Society keeps everybody civilized and we need rules and principles to live by.The Id, Ego and Super-Ego are why we are different from each other, it explains why we think and behave differently. Freud knew all parts of personality must exist together in balance for a person or a society to stay healthy, live happily and safely.

Personal statement for PhD in forensic science Essay

My interest in Forensic Science was developed primarily in my undergraduate years and was strengthened during the initial stages of my Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology. While I was still working on my undergraduate degree, I became fascinated with chemistry and how the science can be used in many practical applications for a variety of industries. What captured my attention the most is how using current science and technology, specialists are able to determine details of a crime scene that can be effectively used to solve the crime. This realization brought about by many experiences both in and out of the classroom gave me the interest to study Forensic Science. When I entered into graduate school, I chose Molecular Biology as my major primarily because it is highly connected with the chemical and biological applications to Forensic Science. True enough, the work that I have done so far in my degree has strengthened my conviction to become a forensic scientist. As a student, I believe that I have the prerequisite knowledge and academic dedication to obtain a doctorate degree in a science that is a direct application of my previous educational background. My background knowledge as evidenced in my transcripts includes extensive work on chemistry, biology, and academic research with courses that contain detailed laboratory work using procedures that are parallel with some components of those being used in Forensic Science today. Thus, I have strong proficiencies with different equipment used in the laboratory and am perfectly capable with working in a demanding laboratory setup. My academic records would show that I am a very diligent student who strives to achieve excellence in any academic endeavor. Aside from this, I also have the dedication necessary in conducting rigorous research which is not only a requirement for any doctorate degree but a strong essential for a PhD in Forensic Science in particular. I am aware that Forensic Science entails much work in gathering information and processing them in order to obtain the required output and this process is very familiar to me. I have conducted various research projects in the past and have a consistent track record of being able to synthesize complex ideas into meaningful analysis that can effectively reflect current trends and developments. In Forensic Science, my interests in particular are DNA finger printing and analysis of evidence. As early as now, I have read extensively on both areas and am determining possible relevant contributions that I can make in my dissertation on a topic related to those said interests. M readings have made me familiar with the areas and gave me insight on what are the concerns of the science at the moment that need to be adequately addressed by academic research. This demonstrates how sincere my intention is to finish a postgraduate degree in Forensic Science. I am certain that I am adequately prepared and fully capable to take on and complete a doctorate degree in Forensic Science. I have a strong educational background with experiences that are highly related to my intended major and I have developed effective learning and research skills that are essential to completing the degree. There is no doubt that I will be able to make significant contributions in this body of science as a researcher and make use of knowledge gained in completing this degree as a forensic scientist in order to aid law enforcement in solving crimes in the interest of upholding justice and maintaining societal order.

A Study Of Russias Political Ideologies And Vladimir Putins Administration

A Study Of Russia's Political Ideologies And Vladimir Putin's Administration The symbiotic relationship between politics and the economy benefits society as a whole, and this carefully constructed, mutually beneficial connection can easily turn sour should one side negatively impact the other. To further expand upon this claim, it is hardly a revolutionary idea to say that economic theories have changed depending on who has political control, and individual politicians can usurp power depending on the state of the economy. A further fragmented political state evolves when regional government carries most of a national economic burden. This give and take association is exemplified in Russia following Putin’s return to power combined with the Russian financial collapse during the latter portion of 2014. The political ideologies of Russia under Putin aggravated pre-existing financial instabilities within regional economies, and the sharp decline of the price of oil as well as international economic sanctions imposed on Russia that led to the collapse of t he Russian ruble. As the name Vladimir Putin echoes in every corner of the world, the leader of the world’s largest nation is known for being quite a controversial figure. Putin maintains a pseudo democracy that could be labeled as potentially more dangerous than the pure autocracy Russians suffered for decades. Even for centuries, Russia has experienced a tumultuous political climate; specifically, â€Å"Nearly two decades after the fall of communism, Russia is not a democracy. But neither is it an absolute autocracy in the mold of, say, Cuba or North Korea. That is to say, Russia pretends to be democratic† (Shevtsova). Pretending to be democratic, however, comes from years of chaos and uncertainty. With help from Western governments, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, Russia underwent the largest and fastest privatization in history in order to establish a fully nationalized Soviet economy. But, seven years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia suffered the 1998 financial crisis, and at the time, it’s regional governments shouldered most of Russia’s economic burden. During the course of those seven years, Russia entered a deep depression, thus the 1998 financial crisis worsened an already dire situation. Boris Yeltsin weathered Russia through their economic troubles to the best of his ability, and the economy only really recovered once demand for oil rose. However, hours before the first day of the year 2000, Yeltsin announced his resignation, leaving the government in the hands of Vladimir Putin, a former KGB official and the head of the FSB. Putin’s action during both his previous and current terms in office reflect the scarily obvious link between the political climate within a country and its economic state. For Putin in his first term, he rebuilt an impoverished Russia with the help of the Russian oligarchs, or the wealthy businessmen who were former Soviet Union officials. Putin’s association with former So viet Union officials came with little to no surprise for anyone when he described the collapse of the Soviet Union as, â€Å" the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the Twentieth Century,† (BBC). His hopeful Soviet Union ideals continue to drive Russia into a divided political state, and further antagonizes existing economic troubles. Given its vast size, Russia reaps an abundant amount of natural resources, which they use for economic purposes. Similar to the 1998 financial crisis, the root of the 2014 economic struggles revolve around oil prices, the principal resource of their economy. Or in other words, â€Å"Russia gets around half of its budget revenue from taxes on oil and natural gas, and as long as the price of oil is plummeting, its economy is likely to continue sinking.† (McLaughlin). The collapse of the ruble in 2014 was not directly linked to just oil though. Russia’s economy was also deeply affected by an unbalanced pension system, inflation, and severe US and European sanctions. Other than oil, the most noteworthy cause for this period of economic instability would be the international sanctions made against Russia during the Ukrainian crisis. Addressing the Crimean crisis and the shortly followed annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, several governments and international org anizations, led by the United States and European Union, imposed sanctions on Russian individuals and businesses. On October 3, 2014, Joe Biden even commented, â€Å"We don’t want Russia to collapse. We want Russia to succeed. But Putin has to make a choice. These asymmetrical advances on another country cannot be tolerated. The international system will collapse if they are.† (Biden). Russia continues to push the boundaries of the political spectrum, despite already suffering from issues such as inflation. Inflation has a direct connection to issues such as unemployment, which in turn affects political policies. Russia’s annual inflation for 2014 was 11.4%, the highest level of inflation since 2008, and combining that very high percentage with the falling ruble, consumer prices, especially food, began to skyrocket. The various factors causing economic instabilities beginning in 2014, which can still be seen today, have had definite political effects. In 2012, Putin reclaimed presidential power, but the international community called into question the logistics of his election. Specifically, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observed blatant fraud, â€Å"including the brazen stuffing of ballot boxes.† (Schwirtz). The legality of this election spurred protests throughout the streets of Russia with people asking for Russia without Putin, but Putin quickly squashed any opposition against him through means of violence, intimidation, and coercion. His reassertion into power laid a shaky political foundation that was aggravated by the collapse of the Russian ruble in 2014. For Russia, their primary political concern in 2014 occurred when Russia seized Crimea, exponentially affecting tensions between the East and the West, and in the latter portion of 2014, the ruble began to devalue. In 2015, Russia launches military support for their ally President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and â€Å"oil and gas accounted for 43 percent of the government’s revenue. The World Bank predicted the poverty [in Russia] rate will reach 14.2 percent in 2016,† (Lee). Now, currently in 2017, the United States has launched an investigation into Russia’s role with the Trump administration. The correlation between the economic state of Russia and political climate within this vast state is that both sides need each other to be successful. However, a declining economic state led to a more tense political atmosphere, because the ruble was suffering due to rising U.S. interest rates as well as economic sanctions. But, the ruble drastically dropped because of a series of controversial political decisions by the Putin and other Russian leaders. Since the national government is slowly unraveling, the regional governments throughout Russia are capitalizing on their lack of assertiveness. With its immense size, the regions of Russia vastly differ. For most people, they do not see that: â€Å"the difference across Russian regions, although they may not be enormous by EU standards, are nonetheless striking: from highly urbanized to predominantly agrarian, from Mediterranean climatic conditions to extremely cold, from rich to natural resources to poor in natural resources, from gateway or commercial hub regions to regions facing high transport costs,† (Dimitros). Under the Russian constitution, the regional and local government received numerous powers such as imposing regional taxes, and they fully exercised their enumerated powers to alleviate their economic burdens. Russia currently has nine established districts which include Central, Far East, Northwest, Siberia, Southern, Urals, Volga, and Northern Caucasus. The ninth district was established in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. In comparison to the federal government, these nine districts lack adequate tax revenue to pay their teachers, police officers, or other public officials, and they are overburdened by pensions. Although these regions face similar economic burdens: â€Å"The resource-rich areas, the financial capitals and the maritime regions would benefit from the liberalization of the economy and from free trade. These regions, relying on the export of mineral resources, on geographic location, or on financial capital, are more inclined to back the more liberal foreign trade oriented policy,† (Dimitros). As the resource-rich regions of Russia lean towards more liberal policies, the traditional industrial areas suffer from an inability to make structural adjustments. Whereas, the less industrialized regions are more likely to endorse domestic trade rather than international. The simple difference of regional economies can not be emphasized enough in Russia, because it exposes fragmented political ideologies. During their long term structural economic decline, Moscow has slowly started to crumble and in turn Putin is losing control of his country. In other words, the domestic problems that the Kremlin is facing threatens the centralized authority that Putin has worked so hard to build. Last year, â€Å"even the Russian Ministry of Economic Development admitted that [acceptable] living standards are unlikely until 2035,† (Jarmas). Thus given that the overall conditions of Russia’s federal government are declining rapidly, many regional governments are trying to maintain their minimal portions of the federal budget. The regional economies within Russia are preemptively preparing to ford their people through yet another tragic financial collapse, although they thought they would receive assistance from Putin. In 2012, for this third term Putin ran on the platform that he would increase wages in the public sector, but now in 2017, Putin is yet to make good on his promises. The f ederal budget has provided little funding for regional governments, who ultimately would be responsible for the higher wages. Putin has entrapped regional governments within a vicious cycle, where they are mandated to provide costly welfare programs by the central government which provides little to none federal funding. However, the Kremlin requires that regional governments carry most of their economic burden so they can focus on larger political conflicts. The relationship between politics and the economy highlights the effect of political ideologies on both regional and national economies. Political ideologies can alter depending on the economic state of a country, and that economic state can be drastically affected by a country’s political regime. The ramifications of Russia’s financial collapse that began in 2014 are seen today, and protest over unpaid wages continue to rise across Russia. With the 2018 World Cup around the corner for Russia, protesters have begun to link Kremlin’s megaprojects, such as a new soccer stadium, to worsening economic conditions in various regions throughout Russia. Russia has also been in numerous headlines, for their ties to the Trump administration, and their continual involvement in American politics mounts growing international concerns. Russia’s eagerness to venture into foreign affairs reflects a nation desperate for a new form of economic stability, a concept that may elude them for years to come and will continue to do so until many of the nation’s systemic issues are resolved.