Character Analysis of Homer Twtwb Essay Example

Character Analysis of Homer Twtwb Paper Homer Yanks is best friends with Elli, who is the protagonist in Tomorrow when the war began. Written by John Marksmen. The novel was published in 1993 and the genre Is young adult action. Seven teenagers decide to go camping during the school holidays, determined to be more independent. Suddenly when their homeland is invaded, Homer is forced to grow up a little earlier that intended. Leaving the irresponsible Joker as the reliable leader. As everything around them changes, Homer ill gulled his friends to safety In the depths of Hell. Having an older brother, Homer often had to fight for his attention and continues to do so. Getting it by playing practical jokes and committing petit crimes gives Homer his rebellious and mischievous attitude. He has lived on a farm his whole life so he has gained many useful skills, such as planting food and raising livestock. Which become very valuable during the war. Homer has a rather domineering personality and doesnt get along with strong-willed characters, even Elli sometimes. Homer Is Introduced to the novel when Elli Invites him to the camping trip to Hell. You instantly recognizes the brotherly bond they share as they are more relaxed around each other and constantly compete Homer and I had spent all our free time together when we were little, and we were still close Elli on page 16. Homer is all about Individualism and Is quick to voice his opinions. He tends to act before he thinks as well and doesnt consider the consequences as displayed In his latest escapade before the camp Hed Just been caught pouring a line of solvent across the dad and lighting it from his hiding place when a car got close. Elli on page 13. Homer may seem confident but he Is actually quite insecure, establishing a false reputation as a disrespectful and Insensitive guys guy to gain popularity and fit In. When they return to discover the war, Homer deals with the shock by trying to find answers and thinking rationally, he doesnt like being out of his comfort zone. He Is the most resilient In the group as he Immediately tried to find solutions whilst everyone wa s still panicking. Everyone calm down, Homer interrupted. Stay calm ,or well get nowhere. Homer on page 67. Homer insists they retreat back to Hell as he tries to gain some control, He and Elli are instantaneously the leaders of the groups as they are the most resolute. When things become more detrimental Homer starts to discards the stereotype he has hidden behind and begins to shows his real colors. It takes a lot to crack his shell but the blow comes from the least expected; Ft. She gets round his defenses as re and Homer become more Involved It seems so funny that hes Like that with me when hes so confident with everyone else . If page 213. Elli is stunned that she 1 OFF Ana let Homer track near Tort years tout won en really Is. He astonishes everyone with his level headed approach, though his rebellious streak is still there, as a wildness he uses to out think and surprise the enemy. The teens decide to fight back against the antagonists, becoming a guerrilla group, using hit and run tactics often planned by Homer. The schemes are so wild however are quite impel to carry out, using everyday objects Just like Homer used in his practical Jokes. We will write a custom essay sample on Character Analysis of Homer Twtwb specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Character Analysis of Homer Twtwb specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Character Analysis of Homer Twtwb specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Making his previous experience in Jokes particular useful. Homer however becomes more mature throughout the book, not wanting to put his friends at risk, he begins to take things more seriously. That was Homers genius. He combined action with thought, and he planned ahead. Elli on page 111. I believe for the duration of the other books Homers character will continue to have his classic troublemaker twist however he will also become more responsible and eke less unnecessary risks. His domineering personality is likely to present problems thou, living in such close quarters with the others for a long time. His relationship with If is set for a bumpy ride as Homer hasnt had much experience with romance, neither has If and she is quite delicate. Nevertheless Homer is the glue holding his team together, but as tensions grow he must be careful not to break it apart at the same time. Homers spirit will never dwindle even if he is pushed to his limits he will continue to follow his instincts and more importantly his heart.

Thomas Nast essays

Thomas Nast essays Thomas Nast: The Father of Political Cartoons Often considered the father of Political cartoons, Thomas Nast developed a style of reporting the news that captured the attention of his audience in a way that reporters never knew existed. His style of political reporting comically mocked Government officials and worked to end political corruption in the years after the Civil War. His ability to sway peoples political opinions with his style of art makes him a very influential political artist even in this day and age. Nast was born in Landau in deer Pflaz, Germany in 1840. At the age of six, Nast and his family moved to America where he was placed in a New York public school system. During the six years that Nast attended public school, he appeared to show interest in no other studies but drawing and so was transferred from public school to a private art school where he demonstrated incredible talent for a child his age. Much to Nasts dismay he was forced to quit his training in the arts in order to support his family. He was lucky enough though to obtain a job as an illustrator for Frank Leslies Illustrated. In 1860, Nast was sent to England by the New York Illustrator as an artist to cover the Heenan-Sayers world championship fight. Meeting up with Giuseppe Garibaldi after the assignment led Nast to becoming a war correspondent. His work as a war correspondent led Nast into joining the staff of Harpers Weekly Magazine as a much needed civil-war correspondent. The sketches that Nast sent back were those of the battlefield and helped to raise patriotism in the north. His drawings chronicled the American scene from all aspects, covering all major elections, any government scandal, all national issues, and the political process. These series of drawings launched Nast to a level of national fame, bringing also the responsibility of being a leader of influential movements. It is Nasts work after th...

Sociological View of the Gender Wage Gap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Sociological View of the Gender Wage Gap - Essay Example This fact when established was exasperating to many working women since even though the education and training of a neurosurgeon may be a highly cumbersome process, the significance of a neurosurgeon is not hard to determine. The establishment of this fact has shown that the wage gap between men and women is not based on qualification, but is indeed founded upon prejudice based on sexual discrimination. Overtime, the wage rate difference between men and women has decreased so much so that women are now being recorded to make 80% of what men make as compared to the startling 60% that was recorded in 1970. Over time, laws and clauses have been introduced to tackle this problem and to extract and eliminate the element of sexism influencing pay scales in the work place, yet the issue still prevails (The Council of Economic Advisers, 1998). Some critics and analysts choose to deny the wage gap between the two sexes, yet as more and more women join the work force the gap only appears more clearly every year. Congress took stern note of sexual discrimination influencing wage rates when in 1963, through the Equal Pay Act, an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act. But this was not the first time discrimination in the work place had been addressed in the corridors of power. Before 1963 came the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, and then later in 1964 The Civil Rights Act also addressed the issue as did the Discrimination in Employment Act later in 1967. These laws were put into place by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and adherence to them is overseen by the same (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2008). Legislation has addressed wage discrimination very specifically. Pay differential factors have been outlined to be merit rather than sex and it has been specified that a difference between the job content and the job title is to be observed. Jobs are not to be judged or remunerated by the title that they entail but by the contents, responsibilities and the nature of those responsibilities that they necessitate. Also, it has been delineated that the skills required for the job are to be considered a factor contributing to the pronouncement of the wage rather than the sum of skills that a person possess. The wages can differ based upon working conditions such as environmental hazards and mental or physical exertion but not under any condition upon the gender of the employee. Influenced by an increase in the wage gap observed by the U.S. Census Bureau, it has been suggested that the wage gap between the sexes can be eliminated by increasing the minimum wage level and enforcing acts such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Acts more assertively. It has also been suggested that women should be entitled to more family friendly work environment policies so as to allow them to bear and balance the burden of the responsibility of their families as well as of the work place (Longley, 2004). Certain multinational organizations have heeded this suggestion and have established programs such as day care centers for the children of the female employees and special paid maternal leaves to allow women to exercise their role in

Global marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Global marketing - Essay Example Every foreign market or country will exhibit certain unique political, social and economic conditions, along with different clients’ base, competitors, prospective employees, etc, etc. These distinct aspects will give rise to many opportunities as well as challenges, which many aid as well as block the firms’ success. These distinct aspects will be visible in many countries including the Asian country of India and thus, those aspects could act as an advantage as well as a challenge for the organisations entering it particularly Telstra, who is planning to enter it with optimum marketing strategies. Among the many departments, which constitute an organization, the marketing department’s role is omnipresent and crucial, as it can only boost an organization through various strategies. With every organization wanting to expand their reach and make an imprint in various markets, there will be optimum opportunities for it, to start that expansion drive. So, when the organization has enough opportunities, it can set targets and formulate various strategies to achieve those targets and thereby beat off the competitors. Every organization’s survival and success in the light of stiff competition hinges on the success of its main or flagship product. It is the ‘key’ that opens the door of success or profit. For an organization to survive in a competitive market, and to increase its profits in an optimum manner, its products have to be marketed optimally. The marketing department had to put in an extra effort to formulate strategies to reach the customer’ s minds. So, this paper will discuss the marketing strategies, Australian company Telstra should implement in India, if it wants Telstra mobile phones or handsets to have a successful launch. Telstra, telecommunications and media company, was formerly under the control of

Comparing two or more religions from your personal point of view Essay

Comparing two or more religions from your personal point of view - Essay Example Of course, one would not be correct, suggesting that one religion is better than another one; nevertheless, it might be the case that one of them might suit a particular person or a particular nation better. If one takes a close look at Islam, one can not help noticing that it is a religion that has a rather detailed explanation for various aspects of the reality. Furthermore, it contains a set of norms that were later developed into a legal system (Peters, 2014, p. 263). What is more important is that other than showing a person an effective way to develop one’s soul, it helps people to deal with realistic problems. For example in the Quran there are the so called Sword verses that set guidelines for the Muslims when they fight to protect their faith: this part of the sacred text encourages people to fight, but also show mercy when needed. In addition to that, Islam contains many provisions about daily life which significantly improve it. Contrary to that, Jainism is a religion that is primarily occupied with abstract concepts. Of course, it provides those who follow this path of spiritual development with helpful guidelines; however, the true believers often neglect the world with its realistic issues and try to focus on their personal development (Smith, 2012, p. 219). Thus, both Islam and Jainism present their explanation of the structure of the Universe; however, the former does not pay much attention to it, putting emphasis on issues that the believers might face on a daily basis while the latter has a quite develop cosmological system. This can hardly be called a disadvantage of Jainism; nevertheless, it shows that the doctrine is more concerned with abstract notions rather then everyday ones. Indeed, this religion encourages people to think more about spiritual values and contrasts them with material ones. The differences between Islam and Jainism are easily visible when it comes to projecting the each teaching on the social environment. As it has

Role of micro finance in natural disasters

Role of micro finance in natural disasters The impacts of natural disasters are mainly faced by the poor community people in every country. It is very much tough for the poor people to cope with the impacts of natural disasters. Micro-finance has not only generated enormous hope for the poor people in many developing countries but also played a vital role in natural disasters affected areas. In this paper, the roles of micro-finance in mitigating the impacts of natural disasters are illustrated. It has been seen that micro-finance institutions provide support on poor community people prepare for the onslaughts or rehabilitation needs of the disaster victims, show coping mechanism during a disaster hits and how people can wake of a post natural disaster both at the personal level and generally. Key words: Role of Micro-finance, impacts of natural disasters, poor, support, coping, developing countries. Introduction: Over the years, natural disasters seem to have become more frequent across the world, resulting in enormous human and economic losses. Natural disasters take many forms like earthquakes, floods, cyclones, tsunamis, tornados and droughts, which threaten the very existence of the local communities. Further, it has been observed that the effects of natural disasters are more acute in developing countries than in developed ones. Natural disasters have had devastating dev ·as ·tate  Ã‚   tr.v. dev ·as ·tat ·ed, dev ·as ·tat ·ing, dev ·as ·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. .. Click the link for more information.  effects on the poor. For example, in 1998, Bangladesh experienced the flood of the century. Households exposed to flooding had major crop failure, suffered various water-borne diseases, lost shelter, assets and the ability to meet basic needs. Results show that the burden of medical expenditures due to flood-related sicknesses is significantly higher for poorer households, and for households more exposed to flooding. More positively, econometric results indicate that social cohesion built on group-based micro-finance programs provide an informal social insurance that reduces sickness shocks. The strength of group-based micro-credit in coping with natural disasters is yet to be fully explored. Micro-credit may not be effective in the case of a large-scale natural disaster that creates a covariate shock. However, even in the case of a large-scale natural disaster (e.g. 1998 flooding), social capital developed through micro-credit programs is s hown to play a positive role in reducing the burden of sickness shocks. Micro-finance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services. At the end of 2009, 1,084 MFIs that were serving 74 million borrowers ($38 billion in outstanding loans) and 67 million savers ($23 billion in deposits). For example, In Indonesian context, micro-financial savings and lending institutions support families to ensure consumption against illness shocks. Micro-finance actually helps the poor and vulnerable poor people. So, micro finance reduces vulnerability and increases coping against socio-economic shocks, including Natural disasters. At the same time, microfinance can provide relief in direct response to disasters. Thus it is possible to make micro finance tools a part of diverse disaster relief programs or response. Objective of the study: Disaster mitigation practices needs to be tied up throughout the life cycle of micro-finance tools in order to make poor community people sustainable and minimize non-financial losses. As just mentioned, the roles of micro-finance in mitigating the impacts of natural disasters are the purpose of this study. This study is prepared based on the following questions: What are the roles of micro-finance in mitigating the impacts of natural disasters, coping mechanism during or after disaster period? What are the main lessons and challenges of micro-finance to mitigate the impacts of natural disasters in poor community? Microfinance and Disaster Mitigation: Some Conceptual Issues The attributes of microfinance, which are applied in reducing household level risks, are relevant for reducing disaster risks too. Microfinance instruments help poor households diversify their income by source and season. They also diversify income by earner as it provides opportunities to women to earn. Multiplicity of income-earning opportunities and asset building through microfinance help poor households in dealing with disasters better. Microfinance also provides explicit and implicit insurance to the households. There is growing interest and constant experimentation in using microfinance in disaster management. The role of microfinance and microfinance institutions in disaster situations, however, is to be clearly analyzed here. Microfinance deals with the poor who are vulnerable to various types of risks. The poor are more likely to be hard-hit hard-hit adj. Badly or adversely affected: Official rescue and recovery efforts were just getting underway in this ravaged port city and more than a dozen other hard-hit towns  R. .. Click the link for more information.  by disasters like drought drought,  abnormally long period of insufficient rainfall. Drought cannot be defined in terms of inches of rainfall or number of days without rain, since it is determined by such variable factors as the distribution in time and area of precipitation during and before .. Click the link for more information., floods, cyclones, and earthquakes. Disasters normally give rise to two kinds of needs, namely relief and rehabilitation. What is required immediately after a disaster is relief to take care of food, shelter, medicine and other immediate needs of the victims. Through its long term impacts of reducing poverty and supporting sustainable development, microfinance reduces the vulnerability of the poor to disasters. Microfinance cannot, however, provide standalone protection against disasters. It must be part of a greater strategy of disaster risk reduction. MFIs must be prepared for disasters by developing disaster management plans that ensure the survival of the MFI and sustainable delivery of its services. Education on microfinance and disaster mitigation is needed for both successful poverty reduction and disaster impact reduction. Microfinance must be linked to disaster mitigation, especially during rehabilitation when the links between recover y and preparedness are clearly evident. MFIs like BRAC, ASA, Grameen Bank, Shakti etc. are working to reducing vulnerability during natural disaster by providingClint-responsive loans, housing improvement loans, adaptation of current lending, emergency reconstruction loans etc. They help to so compulsory savings, voluntary savings, adaptation of forced loans etc. MFIs suggest people for doing Insurance (best established before disaster). MFIs provide money transfer services (remittances likely to increase), Grants and donations (for increasing power and building financial discipline), Livelihood relief (no payment) to the poor community people. Microfinance Institutions also provide non-financial services like training, information dissemination, distribution of supplies etc. In the aftermath of a disaster, microfinance can quickly provide relief, and then support sustainable recovery and rehabilitation. Microfinance institutions can additionally provide post-disaster communication and coordination through their established community networks. Microfinance requires a degree of self-management by clients and is normally community based, thus fostering recovery ownership, dignity and community cohesion during traumatic and unstable times. Microfinance can reduce the cost of post-disaster recovery financing, while reducing aid dependency. At the same time, however, post- disaster aid can distort markets, adversely affecting microfinance performance. Post-disaster activities must be carefully considered to prevent negative long-term impacts on local markets and MFIs. To best reduce disaster impacts on a community, MFIs should offer a suite of flexible products to adapt to specific needs and situations. Links and/or partnerships with the formal financial secto r are needed to enhance liquidity and support institutional and managerial capacity. IV.Cases (Disaster management of Micro-finance programmes): Flood in Bangladesh (1998): Bangladesh is largely a flat deltaic country formed by the confluence of great river systems of the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna. These river systems annually drain a vast basin about 12 times its own size. Apart from this, hilly regions experiences flash flood after heavy rainfall and due to frequent depressions in the Bay, Bangladesh experiences regular threats of cyclonic storms, often catastrophic. The role of microfinance services in responding to disaster risks was demonstrated first during the 1998 flood. Bangladesh experienced the worst floods in its history from July to September 1998. The damages to standing crops, livestock and houses were overwhelming. The income generating activities of rural landless people were almost suspended. There had been a huge loss of property and human and animal lives during the SIDR attack in 2007 in the coastal areas of Bangladesh, nearly 4 millions affected, and more than six thousand people died, thous ands of livestock perished, and 0.9 million homes fully or partially damaged. All the MFIs in Bangladesh responded to the unprecedented situation of floods and SIDR. During the floods and cyclones, MFI workers even went on boats to ensure that weekly contacts with all members were maintained. Workers carried money with them and provided immediate interest-free consumption loans so that the members would not go hungry. the MFIs allowed the members to withdraw their savings. Grameen Bank, BRAC, ASA, Proshika, TMSS, CODEC, GUK and many other small MFIs despite a very serious financial consequence for their liquidity, opened access to compulsory savings account in an attempt to reduce the precipitous decline many households experienced in their incomes. In non-disaster times, members of these institutions did not have access to these funds unless they had fully repaid any outstanding loans and decided to leave the MFI. BRAC also operated disaster-related deposits, which allowed members to keep their assets safe from loss or damage due to the floods. A number of MFIs such as ASA and others provided voluntary savings facilities to their members. These facilities provided the members more assistance in disasters than compulsory or disaster-related savings with less negative financial consequences for the MFI. Tsunami -Micro Finance in Sri Lanka(2004): The December 2004 tsunami is one of the worst natural disasters experienced by Sri Lanka in recorded history. With over 35,000 dead and over 800,000 displaced it is a disaster of a magnitude that the country was ill equipped to deal with. Thirteen of the countrys twenty five districts were affected with the North and East provinces accounting for over two thirds of deaths and nearly 60% of the displaced. Sri Lanka (RADA) estimates that about 150,000 people lost livelihoods about 80 per cent of the affected lost their main source of income; 90 per cent lost their productive assets including the abodes. There were several issues facing the micro finance sector even pre-tsunami. The micro finance market has been pluralistic with high penetration by many different types of institutions, employing a wide range of micro finance models and methods. Bulk of micro credit is funded through Government banks and programmes, through subsidized credit, w hich is not sustainable. Agro Micro-Finance, BRAC, Arthacharya Foundation were working in Sri Lanka during tsunami. While these MFIs might be fulfilling their social mission, they were not charging interest rates that would achieve cost recovery. Capacity building of these institutions was a priority. Agro Micro-Finance was operating in eight districts in Sri Lanka, many of which were affected by the tsunami. Arthacharya Foundation is a national not-for-profit NGO functioning in seven districts. This organization is working with a large number of donors in promoting micro enterprises through savings and credit, and also working in health and sanitation. BRAC set up operations in Sri Lanka for undertaking post-tsunami rehabilitation activities. BRAC has quickly expanded the outreach as well as loans since establishing operations in Sri Lanka. Within a year of operation the number of clients reached has touched 26,373 making it one of the larger MFIs in Sri Lanka. Well established man agement practices and systems have enabled the MFI to quickly scale up. Though the initial operations were through grant funds from BRAC and Oxfam NOVIB, BRAC has recently approached commercial banks for loans for expanding its loan portfolio. Pre-tsunami, voluntary savings was offered by four MFIs and compulsory savings by ten MFIs. Overall, there have been several positive developments due to post-tsunami funding by donors. Lessons and challenges of micro-finance: As we look broadly at micro-finance as an industry, and at specific experiences in the natural disaster context, it is possible to draw several broad lessons: Microfinance cannot be a financial safety net to an entire affected community, but can play an increasingly constructive role in disaster preparedness and response as it expands its range of products and services. Establishment of long-term relationships between individuals and MFIs allow poor households access to existing MFI products that can help reduce some of the hardships caused by natural disasters. Preparedness of the MFIs staff and systems is the key to providing timely response to clients. Timing of MFI services matters to clients: emergency loans must be available quickly after disaster strikes, while reconstruction support is useful once the household has fully passed the emergency stage. Along with these broad lessons, there are also clear bottlenecks that limit the role MFIs currently play in natural disaster response and mitigation: Most MFIs do not have the liquidity position (or access to a Disaster Loan Fund) to respond quickly or fully in a disaster context. MFIs-from management, to field staff, to reserves, to information and communication systems-are not currently prepared to either weather or respond to a natural disaster situation. MFIs have not considered client needs from an emergency perspective; rather products and services are primarily geared to day-to-day business or household concerns. Demand for special services may be small, yet may require significant institutional investment. Therefore, individual MFIs are unlikely to invest in developing or maintaining these services. Regulatory restrictions and limits to institutional capacity will keep most MFIs from mobilizing voluntary savings for the foreseeable future. Findings of the study: Although the concept of using microfinance for disaster mitigation is a novel idea, the relevance of microfinance under disaster conditions especially for the poor is yet to be fully established. Microfinance even under normal circumstances faces quite a few limitations in bringing about improvement in livelihood. While microfinance can ensure livelihood protection by reducing various shocks and vulnerability, it cannot lead to livelihood promotion unless it is accompanied by other equally important measures like training, market linkages and technology development. As micro-finance institutions involved in livelihood restoration interventions, they are aimed at establishing funds that could be used in normal situations and during times of disaster. Their main aim during normal times was disaster preparedness. By taking up various activities aimed at disaster preparedness, they secured livelihoods and resources, improved the lives of the communities, made them less vulnerable and bet ter equipped to face disaster. In case of an emergency, the projects assisted the communities in mitigating mit ·i ·gate  Ã‚   v. mit ·i ·gat ·ed, mit ·i ·gat ·ing, mit ·i ·gates v.tr. To moderate (a quality or condition) in force or intensity; alleviate. See Synonyms at relieve. v.intr. To become milder. .. Click the link for more information.  the effects through loans reserved for the purpose. Insurance could be a useful instrument of risk mitigation for the poor especially under disaster situation Micro-insurance can take up under MFIs to provide protection to the women against loss of life, accidents, prolonged pro ·long  Ã‚   tr.v. pro ·longed, pro ·long ·ing, pro ·longs 1. To lengthen in duration; protract. 2. To lengthen in extent. .. Click the link for more information.  illness and hospitalization, and damage or destruction of houses and household assets. Thus, both during normal and disaster times, the MFIs funds were used mainly through loans. The core objective of the MFIs is to reach out to the most vulnerable among the target groups. As observed in the study, the members would like to depend upon MFIs for their social, economic and emotional security. For protection and improvement of their livelihood, they need diverse financial services. Many of them would like to take up income generating activities to strengthen their economic base. Moreover, no significant attempt is made by these interventions to adopt an integrated approach required for improving the livelihood of the disaster-affected households. Given the fact that the members of the poor households in the study area are faced with many social and economic constraints like illiteracy, severe caste and gender discrimination, and landlessness, m ere introduction of microfinance may not help them in bringing about any significant improvement in the livelihood. VI. Methodology: The study mainly uses secondary sources. Secondary data on Flood in Bangladesh (1998) was colleted from Bangladesh Country Report by Sirajul Islam (INAFI Asia Bangladesh) and Tsunami Micro Finance in Sri Lanka (2004) was collect from Review of Post-Tsunami Micro Finance in Sri Lanka by Girija Srinivasan. Moreover, I have taken help from different websites and books. VII. Conclusion: Reducing the Poors vulnerabilities to disasters and emergency situations is the role of micro-finance in disaster risk mitigation. It can immediately relieve financial burdens caused by the on set of calamities, especially if savings and micro-insurance is included in the package of services. It can further support consequent initiatives for sustainable disaster recovery and rehabilitation. Since, MFI is private in nature; it has great potential to provide financial and non-financial services in all stages-relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and development. However, micro-finance services alone cannot immediately translate into a stand-alone successful disaster recovery enterprise but needs to form part of an over-arching disaster risk mitigation strategy. The success of the microfinance industry in various disasters is indicative of future accomplishments in exploiting microfinance for pre- and post-disaster mechanisms. While micro-finance can be an entry-point for the delivery of sustained services in disaster situation, it still needs the prompt provision of services from the government, like installation of damaged infrastructure and other rehabilitation interventions and active participation of other civil society groups for training, counseling and organizing. A more thorough understanding of microfinance and disaster mitigation is needed for poverty reduction and disaster impact reduction. Finally, it can be said that micro-finance institutions can be an entry point or a point of convergence of poverty alleviation and disaster mi tigation programs.

Teenage Smoking :: Cigarette Smoking

Teenage Smoking: Teenagers Should Not Smoke   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teenagers should not smoke because smoking is the most preventable cause of death in America today, especially among teenage smokers. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of lung cancer. It is also responsible for chronic bronchitis. Last, there is emphysema, which is another disease caused by smoking. By smoking, people have a fivefold increase in the risk of dying from lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lung cancer accounts for 29 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States and smoking accounts for about 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. The risks of dying from lung cancer are 23 times higher for male smokers and 11 times higher for female smokers than for nonsmokers. An estimated 158,700 people - 94,400 men and 64,300 women- die from this disease each year, which makes lung cancer the leading cause of cancer deaths in both sexes. The great majority of lung cancer cases could be prevented and thousands of lives could be saved each year if people would quit smoking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smoking is the main cause of chronic bronchitis and has been found to cause acute bronchitis. Acute bronchitis affects the branches of the bronchi and may develop into bronchial asthma or lobular pneumonia. Chronic bronchitis, a serious and incurable disorder, may result from repeated attacks of acute bronchitis. It is characterized by fever, chest pain, severe coughing, and often secretion of sputum (mucous material coughed up from the respiratory tract).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emphysema is a progressive respiratory disease characterized by coughing and shortness of breath, which can develop into extreme difficulty in breathing, and most of the time resulting in disability and death. In recent years, emphysema has become a very serious public health problem in terms of rapidly increasing numbers of disabilities and deaths. The highest degree of occurrence is among heavy cigarette smokers, especially those exposed to polluted air. Although people can not quite cure emphysema, abstention from smoking is essential, because it can give relief and increase functioning capacity.

Launch behaviourism Essay

Ivan P.Pavlov was the first initiator of behaviourism as he formed the basis and groundwork of behaviourism. Pavlov was a Russian scientist who was particularly interested in conditioned reflexes which led him to his infamous experiment of dogs and their salivary glands. In Pavlov’s experiment he found that a dog’s behaviour can be conditioned. Firstly when the dog was given food it would salivate, then the next time the dog received food a bell would be rung. This continued until the dog would salivate by the mere sound of a bell. This experiment provided the basis for Pavlov’s idea that behaviour and responses could be conditioned (Tennant, 1997) John B. Watson drew from Pavlov’s ideas and was the man to launch behaviourism. Watson was a psychologist from the United States. His infamous experiment was on a human baby code named Albert B. When Albert was exposed to a rat he showed no sign of fear but then a loud banging when there was a presence of a rat, which made Albert cry. Therefore every time Albert saw a rat he would associate it with his past experience and immediately cry whether there was a banging or not (Tennant, 1997) B.F Skinner was a major contributor to the school of behaviourism and believed that behaviour is maintained and produced by its consequences. Skinner believed that rewards and positive reinforcers have a greater affect on behaviour. He demonstrated this through his famed ‘Skinner Box’ where animals were placed inside a box and were given an option of levers which they could press, one gave them food, the other an electric shock or similar. The animals soon learned which lever not to press and this demonstrated Skinner’s theory of learned behaviour (Van Iersal and others, 2005) Behaviourism is not the stimulation in psychological science as it once was. Psychologists and much of the public prefer more cognitive explanations of human behaviour. Thus the application of behaviour analysis is still active and successful in fields such as child development, education and drug abuse but is not reliable, as technology and scientific advances have proved otherwise to the denial of internal processes. Behaviourism is very much about nurture when it comes to the nature vs. nurture debate as it focuses on external stimuli affecting behaviour. Where behaviourism applied behaviour can be controlled, as action and external operations are controllable. Behaviourism can only explain a small part of human behaviour but it can no fully describe it. (Kazdin, 2000). To explain human behaviour an updated perspective is needed and not one convention is 100% right. The best approach is to take a little from each (McIerney 1998). Behaviourism was extremely influential in the early 20th century as it was the most up to date information available. Since scientific advances in brain chemistry and thought processes behaviourism has become outdated. Pavlov, Watson and Skinner had major impacts on not only behaviourism but also to psychology. Their techniques can still be applied today. Although behaviourism can explain a bit about behaviour it is far too narrow as it does not encompass or consider mental working of a human and brain functions which is a very important role in behaviour. Even though it is outdated behaviourism is still an interesting convention of psychology and can still be useful in explaining behaviour and treating behaviour problems. Bibliography: ‘The Behavioural Approach’ : Class Handout  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Behaviourism,† Microsoft(r) Encarta(r) Online Encyclopaedia 2005

Funny Marriage Quotes

Funny Marriage Quotes Marriages may be made in heaven, but they sure have to be managed right here on earth. Thats easier said than done. Take a dig at the funny side of marriage. These funny marriage quotes are good stress busters. They make you laugh at the banalities of marriage. When you read funny marriage quotes, you realize that even a perfect marriage has its inherent flaws but those flaws add to the charm of marriage. Funny Marriage Quotes Ogden NashTo keep your marriage brimming,With love in the loving cup,Whenever youre wrong admit it;Whenever youre right shut up.Bill CosbyFor two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked.Patrick MurrayIve had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me and the second one didnt.Gloria SteinemI have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.Groucho MarxSome people claim that marriage interferes with romance. Theres no doubt about it. Anytime you have a romance, your wife is bound to interfere.Agatha ChristieAn archaeologist is best husband a woman can have: the older she gets, the more interested he is in her.Milton BerleA good wife always forgives her husband when shes wrong.Zsa Zsa GaborA man is incomplete until he is married. After that, he is finished.Henry YoungmanSome people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing†¦ she goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays. Joyce BrothersMy husband and I have never considered divorce... murder sometimes, but never divorce.HomerThere is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye-to-eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.Rodney DangerfieldMy wife and I were happy for 20 years†¦ then we met.Rita RudnerI think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. Theyve experienced pain and bought jewelry.Ogden NashMarriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and the other who never forgets.Lord ByronAll tragedies are finished by a death, all comedies by a marriage.Phyllis DillerWhatever you may look like, marry a man your own age - as your beauty fades, so will his eyesight.Katharine HepburnIf you want to sacrifice the admiration of many men for the criticism of one, go ahead†¦ get married.Joyce BrothersMarriage is not just spiritual communion; it is also remembering to take out the tras h.George LichtenbergLove is blind, but marriage restores its sight.

Ebay the Largest E-Business Essays

Ebay the Largest E-Business Essays Ebay the Largest E-Business Essay Ebay the Largest E-Business Essay As the pioneer of e-commerce, eBay is â€Å"sustained by trust, and inspired by opportunity (Chaffey, Dave). † In this case study, I am trying to figure out that how the characteristics of the digital media with strategic decisions taken by its management team have supported eBay, the world’s largest e-business, growth. Analyzing the growth of eBay can definitely help me impress the acknowledge of e-Commerce. Case Study Facts Bay is an online auction and shopping website where people and businesses buy and sell goods and services world wide. eBay’s mission statement is, â€Å"pioneer new communities around the world built on commerce, sustained by trust, and inspired by opportunity (Chaffey, Dave). † As the world’s largest e-business, eBay has various to avoid the risk of fraud, such as PayPal and â€Å"Trust and Safety Programs†. The cost of access the largest online marketplace in the world is extremely low. â€Å"T he vast majority of eBay’s revenue is for the listing and commission on completed sales. For PayPal purchases an additional commission fee is charged. † eBay thinks highly of the interaction between buyers and sellers. eBay released a social media called Neighborhoods in which buyers and sellers can discuss brands and products they have a high involvement with. eBay announced the Detailed Seller Ratings (DSRs) in 2008. It significantly increases the conversion rate by increasing positive shopping experiences. Generally, eBay’s objectives are to increase the registered users; increase the active users who are the sellers, bidders, and buyers on the eBay marketplace; increase the volume and value of each transaction. At the same time, three defining approaches increase the growth of eBay marketplace. First, increase the number and size of categories within the marketplace. Second, formats for interaction. Third, â€Å"delivery specific sites localized for different for different geographies. † Analysis Digital media particularly the internet is the key to success of online auction sites. eBay introduced several crucial innovations functions for the internet. One was the model of online auctions bringing together buyers and sellers to establish prices for goods and services before 2002. The online auction model marks an important extension of e-commerce, offering millions of individuals a low-cost opportunity to engage in a new type of economic activity. â€Å"eBay built an online person-to-person trading community in the internet (http://pages. ebay. com/aboutebay98/releases/9901. html). † Computing power is what makes an internet auction effective. The combination of the digital media and eBay’s strategic business concept makes it possible for a few hundred people to handle transactions worth over 7 million dollars every day of the year. The eBay system can handle all aspects of the auction process. It sends emails when users register for the service, when they place a successful bid, and when they are out bided, and it communicates the outcome of auctions in which they participate. When an auction successfully closes, the system automatically calculates the fee, bills the seller’s billing account, and sends a monthly invoice via email. Other parts of the eBay information infrastructure support eBay customer service and the various community bulletin boards and chat rooms that undergird the online user community. The internet is the key element on eBay’s success. Over the internet, participate wherever they are as long as they have an internet connection. The internet makes eBay more accessible to the bidders and sellers. The large number of bidders and sellers makes the system bigger and the auction site successful. eBay built a free market. As a facilitator, users are allowed to decide what they want to sell, encouraging continuous growth. The users are the ones who control the direction of the site. eBay created a legal system that promotes self-governance. The auction site devised a feedback forum to let users rate one another to discourage fraud. The users are constantly educated; eBay teaches people how to use the site. eBay also has its own banking system, PayPal. Building brand recognition is another key element they focused. It was broken into two parts. eBay is a personal trading community where users could buy and sell almost anything. This definition set it apart from most existing auction competitors and the several that eventually followed. Part 2 is the market segmentation. Serious collectors and small dealers were identified as the heaviest site users. These individuals and the people who sold to them accounted for 80% of total eBay revenues even though they represented only 20% of registered users. eBay’s success based on those elements. Control the lion’s share of transactions. Buyers and sellers gravitate to the site with the greatest volume of participants – the network effect. Provide a large and interesting selection of goods. Product depth and variety attract buyers, which in turn will attract more sellers. Achieve system reliability. Outages are costly and undermine user loyalty. Provide high-quality customer service. Users need to have their questions answered and their problems resolved; otherwise, they will stop trading or go elsewhere. Assure the reliability of user deliveries and payments. Increase website convenience an accessibility. If a site is easy to access and navigate, more people will log on, stay loner, and make more transactions. Develop high-quality search tools. People will not buy what they cannot locate quickly on the site. REFERENCES Community: About eBay: Releases: 9901. (n. d. ). Electronics, Cars, Fashion, Collectibles, Coupons and More Online Shopping | eBay. Retrieved November 4, 2012, from http://pages. ebay. com/aboutebay98/releas avyg86. dsl. pipex. com/ecom/ebusiness%20exam%20questions. pdf Chaffey, Dave (). E-Business and E-Commerce Management: Strategy, Implementation and Practice [4] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved from http://online. vitalsource. com/books/9781256084587

Marketing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing Report - Essay Example Major shifts have also been seen in terms of consumers which have mostly become older citizens. Consumer behavior has also shifted to the globally and internet connected consumer with more demands on convenience. Issues being faced by the airline include: competition from other airlines, increased demands for other forms of transport, including trains, low satisfaction levels from consumers, low innovation as well as poor reliability. Phase 2 Executive Summary Based on the analysis of British Airways, possible objectives for its improvement are important considerations and this paper shall primarily cover the strategies and recommendations for the airline in order to improve its marketability. This second phase of the marketing report on British Airways shall be carried out through an exploration of current plan of action and other effective measures needed by the airline in order to improve its business. The primary objective for British Airways is to increase their customers and ma rket share in the long haul category from 63% to 70% by December 2013. Opportunities for competitive advantage can be implemented in order to ensure its efficacy in the long haul market. For targeting consumers, British Airways needs to determine the importance of every consumer and how services must be individualised to their needs. British Airways must therefore seek to offer a fun and innovative services, as well as quality services on convenient locations for consumers. It must also offer flights worldwide in the upper class, premium economy, and economy categories. Moreover, BA must exploit the weaknesses of its competitors and capitalize on its brand as Britain’s premiere airline. Maintaining their patronage must be directed towards ensuring a steady stream of consumers, offering the best services, catering to their needs, and focusing on the quality of their services, including the competitive edge they can maintain against other airlines. Reflective overview The Strat egic Marketing Management’s module objectives mainly provide students with knowledge and skills in developing and implementing marketing strategies in order to help their (future or current) organisations gain superior competitive advantages (Strategic Marketing Management’s module handbook, 2012). Based on these objectives as well, there are many potential strategies conveyed to marketing students, including myself, by the nature of the module teaching where I have gained experiences, both within and outside the classroom setting. The potential strategies, in relation to the selective approaches as methods from the module and module tutors, were considered, exercised, analysed and implemented by the student in terms of the following: Customer analysis, Competitor analysis, Industry analysis, Environmental analysis, Internal analysis, SWOT analysis (strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats) as well as marketing mix strategy with key methods provided both from lec ture and seminar class; general lecture class; related books and websites; residential trips; and assignments (both group work and individual ones). Implementing above strategies with sample case or situation setting was the challenging task.

The Routines of Decision Making Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Routines of Decision Making - Math Problem Example 2. The maximum purchase price for the pair of bindings is $10.00, as this is the cost of production that differs between the alternatives. In case if the price is higher, the company will be realizing a loss. 3. If the production increases from 10.000 units to 12.500, the fixed costs that change between the alternatives allocated to a pair of skis would be the following: 10.000 / 12.500 = $0.8. The fixed cost of 100.000 should be considered when making the decision, as it does not differ between the alternatives. Since all the rest of the production costs remain unchanged, we can simply add the net change in fixed cost from the total cost of production that varies between the alternatives in order to receive the cost of production for a pair of bindings under the new circumstances: 10.00 + 0.8 = 10.80. When considering the long run (30,000 sales form by the end of the third year), the fixed overhead that varies between the alternatives per pair of bindings is only $0.33 (10.000/30.000). Under this sales volume the company should produce the bindings itself.