Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbour in 1941? Essay

In December 1941, the Japanese struck. A well-coordinated series of attacks across the Pacific, most notably the American naval base of Hawaii, bringing about Japanese dominance in South East Asia; sending a direct message to the ‘oppressive’ west. Japan for a significant period of time had been viewed by the US and its western allies as a major threat in the Pacific, and as a direct consequence of a series of the events tensions boiling point was reached and the climax of nearly 1/2 a century of rivalry exploded. â€Å"The Great War destroyed the multilateral balance of power in East Asia and left Japan and the United States directly confronting each other across the Pacific†; Japan’s continued growth as the leading industrial giant in Asia, allowed an increase in global power but to the Japanese they were never recognised in the manner in which they believed they deserved. Americas realization that this growth could threaten their superiority led to a num ber of subjective decisions but where they left too late, so late in fact that it was a point of no return, the imperialistic mindset of the Japanese was too full of honor to back down in the face of what seemed uncertainty. In the years succeeding the Great War, Japan had embarked on a meteoric rise in its industrial power, and rising concurrently was their global power; this was all achieved under the control of Emperor Hirohito, a man determined to meet Japans goals on the Asian mainland. Nevertheless, this industrial growth would not have been possible without the importation of a number of vital commodities such as oil and aviation fuel. These commodities were imported primarily from the US and if not directly from the Americans from a country allied to the isolationist giant. Yet the US was not blind to the progress of the small island of Japan, the sudden increase had not gone unnoticed and at the Washington Conference of 1921 a report was released that described â€Å"Japans naval armament as a ‘silent power’ with which is used to deter the United States†, in response to this the Americans ensured that the Japanese naval power was restricted to a position weaker than that of t heir own. Within Japan this was met with a feeling of aggravation with her status not being observed as that of a major global power; and not for the first time, Japan had been in a similar position following the Treaty of Versailles with land they had captured in the war being returned and her foreign ambitions once again quelled. Japan was becoming cognizant that â€Å"at some date, the US would interfere and disrupt Japanese goals† and having been used to foreign involvement the Emperor was not going to allow for the Americans to once again change Japan’s ambition: â€Å"the political, commercial and military dominance of the Western Pacific†. This aggressive policy towards its rivals in the Pacific has been attributed to a collection of reasons that led to the attacks in December 1941. To the Japanese they believed that they were entitled to expand their territory and with this being restricted it pushed the ruling elite into a position that, despite experts claiming there were alternative solutions Japan only saw one; and â€Å"war became the most viable option† to render them useless in preventing the objectives of Japan being met. Japan then expanded into Manchuria a military move that left the country isolated internationally. This coincided with the US government banning the export of oil and scrap metals to Japan if not from a licensed company, the first steps towards a complete embargo. Once Roosevelt had given the green light for the complete embargo things began to change internally in Japan as the ultranationalist’s consolidation of power continued ensuring expansion was not held back. This consolidation of power by the ultranationalists was crucial in the decision to attack Pearl Harbor, they felt Japan needed to use what it had learned from WW1 and ensure a ‘quick showdown’. With no oil coming into the country they were left with no choice but to go on the military offensive to keep their booming industry alive. This embargo had put the leading figures in Japan in a position of serious decision making, they could no longer allow being ‘disrespected’ on the internationa l stage; and â€Å"Japan now defined the United States as its foremost enemy in terms of both capabilities and intentions†. Coinciding with the embargo President Roosevelt moved the US fleet to Hawaii in order to discourage Japans expansive ambitions in the Pacific, and with the army officers of Japan being of a militaristic nature it led to a push for action and this action was to be the first strike in what was to become the Pacific War. It can be therefore suggested that the reasoning behind the attack on Pearl Harbour came as a consequence of the humiliation Japan felt it had endured on an international level at the hands of the United States. The United States was a country that â€Å"from the perspective of the Japanese government, was unnecessarily intervening in affairs in which it had little specific, concrete interest†. Despite the continued interference of the Americans in preventing Japans expansive actions, civilians paid little attention to Japan despite the strong racist feelings between the two countries, a feeling that was highlighted by the San Francisco School incident; further increasing tensions between the two feuding powers. The incident was one of five key provocations that the Japanese used to justify their surprise attack; yet despite the increasingly hostile foreign policy aimed in the direction of Japan, little was done to increase military support by the Americans; allowing the Japanese to feel confident enough to attack Pearl Harbour with the hope of undermining American morale, such that the US government would drop its demands contrary to Japanese interests. However, there is no hiding the pivotal reason behind the attacks and this was the defilement of the economy. The destruction of the Naval fleet was a direct â€Å"retaliation for America’s existential attacks on Japans economy†. Coupled together with naval limitation, the unequal treaties and the continued dishonor on the international stage, Japan felt it best to strike swiftly rendering the US military presence in the Pacific non-existent. The elite of Japan was not prepared for the catastrophic consequences of their attack on Pearl Harbor, at the time what was such a successful foreign attack, it turned out to be the defining moment in not only the War but in Japan’s history. Some argue that the attacked doomed Japan by waking a sleeping giant, a giant that up until the point of attack was happy to find a compromise with Japan over the issues in the Asian region. Moreover, the awakening of this giant gave a reason for the whole US military machine to be set in motion; Clay Blair and Mark Parillo â€Å"believed that Japanese trade protection was so incompetent that the US submarines alone would have strangled them to defeat.† Had the Japanese put more time into planning out the response of the US they would have seen to enter the military conflict directly was not the way to go. However they did not highlight this as an issue and the awakening of the Americans ultimately led to the most devastating of con sequences, this was the subsequent dropping of the 2 atomic bombs on Japanese soil, killing 100,000 instantly with the death toll rising for decades thereafter. Despite this Japan did enjoy some positive consequences, the attack allowed a significant area of the Pacific to be conquered and held for a period of time. By conquering these lands, as a direct result of Pearl Harbour, Japans economy continued with a positive trajectory, and the populace continued its â€Å"strong support for the Japanese attack†. Japan had met its goals, the Navy of the US had been removed as a threat for the time being and Japan won every major battle until Midway in June of 1942. However had the military officials of the rising power in Asia targeted the crucial shore facilities that housed the oil reserves, the damage inflicted could have been existential. Consequently, the attacks had the opposite impact on the Americans themselves, â€Å"American attitudes about the war change radically†. This consequence allowed the full force of the US military machine to be put into action, a consequence that conclusively led to the defeat of Japan. Pain and rage swept across the states, a strong feeling of nationalism returned. The surprise attack was seen as ‘unjust and malevolent’ and the racism that had been rife prior to the attack in 1941 was now at the point of Japanese immigrants within America being sent to detention camps for the duration of the war. A reaction that the militaristic government of Japan had not foreseen. And although attempts had been made to prepare the country for war through the publication and use of anti-US propaganda, many were still ‘apprehensive and dismayed’ at the news Japan was now at war with the Americans. With this as a direct result of the Pearl Harbor attack, it did no favors for the morale amongst Japanese citizens who were aroused with both alarm and anger subsequent to the attack. In the long term, Pearl Habor bored more sententious ramifications that struck a blow to the honor and integrity of a once feared nation. Following the decimation of Japan with the dropping of the atomic bombs it was thought that the consequences to the attacks on Pearl Harbor had come to their end, yet this was not the case; American occupation was to follow. It is easy from here to trace back the source of this occupation, had the torpedoes not been dropped on the US naval fleet then it is highly unlikely that the ‘giant’ would have entered the war in the Pacific and engrossed itself in the dealings of Japan.

Nietzsche

Nietzsche says, in effect, that between Plato, Augustine, and the Buddhist there's â€Å"not a dime's worth of difference. † What features does he see them as having in common? Why does he not share these points of view? Nietzsche viewed our values in life in a different way than most philosophers. He had a different perspective in the meanings behind â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad. † Most philosophers defined â€Å"good† as the weak and ill ones, by Judgement of ranking and high class to low class. Nietzsche believed that all philosophers lacked the â€Å"historical spirit itself.They all have the common Judgement of determining the concept and judgement of â€Å"good. † Nietzsche talks about how unegoistic actions were always praised as good even when they weren't naturally good. Nietzsche believes that the judgement in â€Å"good† does not stem from those who goodness is rendered. This means those to who goodness was shown weren't actually goo d. He believed that the noble and powerful ones, the ones who were ranked as good because of high- ranking, high-minded, and powerful ranked themselves and their doings of â€Å"good. The good good is compared to the word truth because the good is the truth and the ruth is the good.The rich, high ranking, strong, beautiful, brave and powerful are associated with the truth and good. As for the poor, ugly, common and low ranking, they are associated with cowardice and lying. Nietzsche blames the Jews for the views and how people defined â€Å"good† and â€Å"evil† because the Jews, who were poor, and common, were in Nietzsche words â€Å"the most refined hates in human history. † It is because of the Jews that people view the poor, and wretched as good and the powerful and noble as evil. This brings us to the conclusion that Nietzsche believes hey all have in common in what he calls the slave revolt in morality.The slave revolt in morality begins when resentment becomes a creative force. It gives birth to new values and causes a battle between power, values, and ranking issues. The slave revolt morality causes the slave to feel much resentment against its master, Resentment that turns into evil. Imaginary revenge builds up within a slave against its master, turning the slave to â€Å"bad/evil. † In the slave revolt morality, the slave see themselves as the good and their masters as the evil ones when in reality it urns into the opposite because of the resentment that builds up inside them against their masters.The man of resentment allows for hatred to grow in him and having to rely on secrets and scheming, becoming more clever than the noble man. Also, slave morality declines what is different, and not itself. It says â€Å"no† to an outside and anything that is different, this is a creative deed. It makes people realize the distinctions between things. This is important because it us a system that helps level everything out instead of promoting greatness. Nietzsche By rosast6 Nietzsche Perhaps the most convincing arguments Nietzsche makes for the idea that God is either dead or does not exist is the idea that God is a creation of Western society, a universal ideal of morality, truth and ethics. When he argues then that those things no longer exist, if indeed they ever did, as a unifying factor in European culture, he makes a convincing argument that God was merely a creation of humanity to fulfill a spiritual need for there to be a greater good or high purpose for life. In Nietzsche’s argument, the next step after the acceptance of the death of God is a step toward nihilism and the idea that life has no meaning. On a personal level, choosing to accept the idea that God does not exist gives the reader the ultimate freedom and responsibility for his own life. The reader can no longer blame personal decisions on some epic struggle between good and evil, but must acknowledge that his or her actions are his own, chosen based on her own wants, needs and perceptions. The idea that there is no higher power to answer to can be emotionally devastating or it can be liberating. For many the idea of God has always been a strange dichotomy as most religious preach a god of mercy and love and yet bad, often horrible, things happen, even to those who are devout worshippers of that god. Too often, the religious have tried to explain away why God allows bad things to happen. From hurricanes to the Holocaust, there has never been a logical explanation for a God of love and mercy to allow evil. Some have argued that evil must exist to show good for what it is, but that too is simply hiding behind the reality. One does not have to eat a good apple to know when one is bad and vice versa. Any act can be judged on its own merit without the benefit of the opposing force. Therefore, determining that God does not exist only matters when the person who discovers this decides it matters. For those with no faith, the death of God means nothing. For people of faith, it is a devastating conclusion. However,   it seems that it should be argued that people of faith, for whom seeing is not believing, should never become convinced that God does not exist and should be completely unaffected by Nietzsche. In essence, since God is a concept defined by man, its importance is likewise defined by man.    Nietzsche Nietzsche says, in effect, that between Plato, Augustine, and the Buddhist there's â€Å"not a dime's worth of difference. † What features does he see them as having in common? Why does he not share these points of view? Nietzsche viewed our values in life in a different way than most philosophers. He had a different perspective in the meanings behind â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad. † Most philosophers defined â€Å"good† as the weak and ill ones, by Judgement of ranking and high class to low class. Nietzsche believed that all philosophers lacked the â€Å"historical spirit itself.They all have the common Judgement of determining the concept and judgement of â€Å"good. † Nietzsche talks about how unegoistic actions were always praised as good even when they weren't naturally good. Nietzsche believes that the judgement in â€Å"good† does not stem from those who goodness is rendered. This means those to who goodness was shown weren't actually goo d. He believed that the noble and powerful ones, the ones who were ranked as good because of high- ranking, high-minded, and powerful ranked themselves and their doings of â€Å"good. The good good is compared to the word truth because the good is the truth and the ruth is the good.The rich, high ranking, strong, beautiful, brave and powerful are associated with the truth and good. As for the poor, ugly, common and low ranking, they are associated with cowardice and lying. Nietzsche blames the Jews for the views and how people defined â€Å"good† and â€Å"evil† because the Jews, who were poor, and common, were in Nietzsche words â€Å"the most refined hates in human history. † It is because of the Jews that people view the poor, and wretched as good and the powerful and noble as evil. This brings us to the conclusion that Nietzsche believes hey all have in common in what he calls the slave revolt in morality.The slave revolt in morality begins when resentment becomes a creative force. It gives birth to new values and causes a battle between power, values, and ranking issues. The slave revolt morality causes the slave to feel much resentment against its master, Resentment that turns into evil. Imaginary revenge builds up within a slave against its master, turning the slave to â€Å"bad/evil. † In the slave revolt morality, the slave see themselves as the good and their masters as the evil ones when in reality it urns into the opposite because of the resentment that builds up inside them against their masters.The man of resentment allows for hatred to grow in him and having to rely on secrets and scheming, becoming more clever than the noble man. Also, slave morality declines what is different, and not itself. It says â€Å"no† to an outside and anything that is different, this is a creative deed. It makes people realize the distinctions between things. This is important because it us a system that helps level everything out instead of promoting greatness. Nietzsche By rosast6

Descriptive Statistics of a Data Source Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Descriptive Statistics of a Data Source - Essay Example The research reported in this journal article presents a non-parametrical assessment of data on global free trade agreements and their potential effects on the international trade flow based on a statistical assessment of the number and revenues generated from bilateral trade agreements established during the timeframe beginning in 1960 when few FTAs were negotiated, until 2000, when their existence began to dominate global trade policies. The authors concluded that this analysis of the correlation between these two parameters produced a useful and relevant estimate of the effects of FTSa on bilateral trade as a representative of a more generalised international profile. The data suggested that the absence of FTAs has become an increasingly negative economic burden on nations who lack such agreements in regard to their trading position on a bilateral basis. The variables chosen for evaluation are: 1. Log sum of revenues for nations with FTAs; 5 year interval calculations 1960-2000; 2. Log sum of revenues for nations without FTAs, 5 year interval calculations 1960-2000; 3. Difference in log sum values for nations with and without FTAs as a function of time; 4. total number of FTAs worldwide for 5 year intervals ranging from 1960-2000. The data represented in Figures 1-5 indicate that there was a positive correlation between the overall increase in the total number of FTAs globally and the disadvantage to nations not participating in FTAs in regard to the revenues generated by bilateral trade agreements. Overall, the results are suggestive that the increasing trend toward establishing FTAs affects other types of trade agreements, specifically, BTAs.

Speech Class Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Speech Class Assignment - Essay Example This is evident as the green color is bright as compared to the speaker’s dress choice which is black. If I were to critique the speaker my suggestion would be that she could have dressed in white and a black skirt suit to minimize the dullness of a color. The speaker in speech clip 8 nonverbal communication has minimal eye contact with the audience as most of the time he is reading the points on the computer. His dress code is right for the presentation. The speaker has does not use gestures as his hands are folded backwards. The use of a projector improved the overall presentation. For improvement, I would suggest that the speaker to use gestures in his explanation and keep an eye contact with the audience. It is evident that the attributes of a speaker’s voice such as pace, pitch and volume at their both extremes are negative. An example is when the speaker’s pace is fast, the audience may not get the message in the speech and when it is slow the audience may be bored. I feel president Obama has an exceptional voice as a public figure. His pitch and pace is moderate. Also, Obamas’ articulation of words is clear in his

Shared Cultural Experiencres Shape our Identity Essay

Shared Cultural Experiencres Shape our Identity - Essay Example For that to happen, a general view has to be created in the mind of a person. Since every person is an individual, these views are not exactly true and thus they are stereotypes. The image created in ones mind about some other people is what that person will hold true until he/she learns otherwise. Shared cultural experiences go a long way in trying to demystify stereotypes. They provide further information in a more accurate manner than the stereotypes which are mostly assumptions. Television, for example, gives people a lot of information concerning other cultures and helps a great deal in shaping ones individual identity. It is therefore not wrong when we say that it affects the construction of individual identity. As the adage goes, â€Å"no man is an island†. This means those human beings are social in nature and live in groups. The group that one identifies with can be said to be his/her culture. It is therefore likely for that individual to possess characteristics which are particular to that group. Every human being possesses certain characteristics unique to them only. Through interaction people are able to learn about others and thus end the stereotypes which they hold against the others. In today’s world, this happens through the media very much. There are common beliefs in the west that in Africa, there is no civilization and people live in caves and other such places. When an individual who holds such a believe watches television and sees cities that are in Africa which are just like the ones found in the west, this person’s believe changes out of learning this new bit of information. This change is as a result of the individual having true information as stereotypes are based majorly on assumptions which are rarely true. Shared cultural experiences are those things that are used across cultures and they are not associated with any one culture. These are things like music, movies and many others. A Stereotype is accepted to be true due to lack of information concerning the certain thing to which the prejudice is directed towards (Nelson, 2009). Through shared experiences, one can understand other people from an individual level and thus eliminate any existing thoughts about the person. In a class, for example, there might exist a prejudice that a certain group of individuals is expedient in a certain field of study. With such premeditated thoughts if one is not from that particular group, he/she may always believe that he can not perform better than those individuals. Through interaction with those other people who are believed to be better, one may get the confidence and thus desire to perform equally well. If this person emerges top, of the class the stereotype will have been broken. If this happens, it will have been instigated by the sharing of a cultural experience between individuals of different cultures. When studying human behavior, it is believed that it is shaped by what one believes thus peopl e will behave differently when in the company of certain individuals. If what makes this person behave in a certain manner is not true, then this person shall be understood wrongly. Some stereotypes can make people, from say a minority group; think that they are inferior to others. When cultural experiences are shared between individuals from the superior and inferior cultures, this stereotype can be mystified. By doing

Workplace Violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Workplace Violence - Research Paper Example The growing concern of workplace violence triggered the formation of many labor unions and prevention programs in the country during the 1990s.   Among the prevention programs includes OSHA. Even though labor unions protect employees from workplace violence, many of them are still victims. This is because of lack of effective prevention programs and regulations. For instance, in 1990, OSHA helped in tracking victims of workplace violence. However, it failed to record the number of workplace violence caused by co-workers (Farb & Gordon, 2005). Workplace violence is not only caused by employers but is also caused by co-workers. In the year 1993, NSWI discovered that most of the workplace violence that occurred during that year was caused by economic and psychological problems. Cases of mass killing in workplaces have increased by about 50 percent since 1990. This makes homicide to be the leading cause of workplace psychological and physical injuries in workplaces.   Cases of verbal abuse in the workplaces increased by about 42 between 2005 and 2009. Psychological problems workplaces soon and schizophrenia make people to hurt their co-workers in organizations.   Workplace violence such as verbal abuse and bullying, which do not have negative effects on physical health of employees, has negative effects on their psychological health.   An example of a psychological effect of workplace abuse includes panic attack. 52 percent of employees experience panic attacks in work places.  Ã‚  

Is Fuel Price Hedging profitable for airline industries Article

Is Fuel Price Hedging profitable for airline industries - Article Example Most airlines today hedge fuel costs. This has not always been the scenario. As recently as 15 years ago, fuel hedging was rare. European flag carriers used currency hedges previously to dilute their risk in fuel volatility In the last 12 years (From 9/11 particularly), unstable oil prices have caused a huge panic situation in the airline industry, a trend which will probably continue for some time. Crude price level rose to nearly $150 per barrel approx, later collapsing to below $40, and recently recovering back to $122 (Wyman) (Oilnergy). The past five years have been very intriguing for global airline industry. The state of the capital markets has not been too rosy itself leaving many corporations without much access to capital let alone cheaper rates In these times of significant modification and instability, it is a need that these airlines employ a feasible risk management program, allowing not only confronting the most challenging of times, but should also lead them to prosper in face of adversities. The question we will try to answer through this case study is that is it worth it in terms of profitability for airline Industry? Previously all airlines hedged their exposure with respect of an oil future. Future implies paying a decided price for an amount of oil on a stated date(s). Consider a company buying a this future of jet fuel at $10 per barrel and jet fuel rises to $18, that commitment protects $10 worth of jet fuel underlying from the consequent 80% increase in price. Airlines typically hedge between 30 to 70% of their expected fuel costs. The recent survey of 24 anonymous international carriers reveals a very important snippet of data (Mercatus Energy) Hedging instruments as we assumed initially only involved fuel hedging used futures contracts. Nowadays, the exposure can be hedged in considerable ways which includes the good old futures, comparatively newer forwards and the latest ones namely options with the limits like covered call and

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

Retailing - Assignment Example The responsive nature of the store representatives also added to the shopping experience although the retailer could do more with the displays and other equipment to provide a more engaging shopping experience to its consumers. 2. Retail strategy is a combination of the retail mix and the external environment. The chosen retailer had a department store particularly targeting towards its traditional as well as its well-informed consumers that are aware of the trends. With the ambience of the store, it was evident that the store was equally welcoming to any new and existing customers, thereby especially focusing their product mix at the traditional and well informed market segment. A key strength for the store was its helpful staff that could win consumers by being attentive to their problems and to respond to them in helping ways. However, the amount of technical equipment to keep the customers entertained were lacking although this could help the store attain a sustainable competitive advantage by maintaining customer loyalty. 3. The stores of our chosen retailer are located in a clean local neighborhood with minimal obstructions along the way to the store. The road patterns are steady and clear that add comfort to the journey to the store. The roads and footpath outside the store appears quite decent although improvements could be made. The inviting window display was attractive and visible so that consumers could figure out the location of the store. The surrounding area was also well planned although there was room for improvement. The parking lot was located near the store and a pathway lead customers to the store. The space in the parking lot was enough to accommodate an ample amount of cars although some peak seasons may experience traffic and congestion. Overall, the store had relatively easy accessibility with smoothly flowing traffic nearby, and easy

International Business Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

International Business Management - Assignment Example The third measure used in managing foreign exchange risks is by use of foreign bank accounts and loan. Under this method, surplus currency is deposited in a foreign currency account (Mazin, 2007). Moreover, businesses may borrow foreign currency to make purchases. b) In a company that is trading in a country where the currency is weakening compared to its strengthening currency, the ultimate solution is to use the foreign currency option (Mazin, 2007). The foreign currency option ensures that the price of the goods is set at a premium and this helps to protect importer from fluctuations in price and allows the importer to take advantage of strengthening in local currency (Mazin, 2007). Q2. a) When an enterprise intends to achieve foreign expansion, it is critical for it to make three critical decisions. One of the major decisions that the business should make is of which markets it will enter and when to make the entry (Godfrey, Jack and Verzi, 2007). A company should first identify the industry in which it will operate and the products or services it will be offering. The second decision that organization make when looking to achieve international expansion is on the scale of their entry (Godfrey, Jack and Verzi, 2007). ... b) Decision on the mode of entry into a foreign market has great impact on the success of international entry and the amount of resources required in achieving foreign expansion. There are four mechanisms that are used as modes of entry to a foreign market (Godfrey, Jack and Verzi, 2007). Exporting is the first mode of entry where products manufactured in one country are marketed and sold in another country. Exporting eliminates the need to set up facilities in the foreign country and therefore the costs associated with exporting are those on marketing (Godfrey, Jack and Verzi, 2007). To effectively the export business, a firm must coordinate with importer, government and the transporter. The second mode of entry is licensing where a firm in the foreign country gains rights to use properties of the licensor (Godfrey, Jack and Verzi, 2007). Property takes the form of patents, trademarks and production methods. The firm that gains these rights pays a fee to the licensor for the technic al assistance and other property rights given. The licensor firm makes little investment and this ensures that is high return on investment. Firms seeking foreign expansion may also rely on joint ventures. The objective of pursuing a joint venture include enhancing market entry, sharing of profit and losses, sharing of technology, allowing businesses a chance to conform to government requirements and to benefit from shared product development (Godfrey, Jack and Verzi, 2007). The fourth mode of entry in foreign expansion is foreign direct investment (FDI). FDI refers to ownership of resources in the foreign country. Resources transferred to a foreign country include technology, personnel and capital. FDI may be achieved via establishing new firm in a

Assignment Essay Example for Free

Assignment Essay 1) By creating a new position between the CEO and the location managers the position can deal with the day to day tasks and operations needed for the store to operate properly. This will allow Dalman and Lei to spend less time assisting the location managers. By Dalman and Lei efficiently delegating the work, they will be able to spend more time on the strategic aspect of building and growing the business. 2) Both hiring within as well as seeking someone from the outside have their advantages and disadvantages. By hiring within the person who moves up is already working for the company as well as be familiar with some the needs and goals of the business. The negative aspect of hiring within would be possible issue with jealousy among co-workers. The advantage to hiring from outside you get the advantage of a fresh set of eyes coming in and seeing things from different perspectives. The disadvantage would be that they would not be familiar with the company and how it works. 3) Both Dalman and Lei should make the decisions. As the owners of the business they should be the ones deciding how they want their business ran. Dalman is currently playing and active role in this position as is, this should help them determine what they may want to change about how it is currently being ran. This would allow for a nice transition in to the change. Weather Dalman and Lei decide to hire from within in or find someone from the outside; it should be a joint decision that takes the growth of the business into full consideration when making the choice. 4) The levels of authority that Sandwich Blitz Inc have including the new position would be: CEO, CFO, Staff accountant, Operation manager, Site Managers, Team supervisor, Customer associate.

Iran: Healthcare, Education and Culture

Iran: Healthcare, Education and Culture Comparative and international Family Research demonstration project Cultural issues related to families are quite dissimilar in various countries. United States and Islamic republic of Iran exhibit great cultural diversity. Iran in known is known in United States for its for its vast supply of oil. It is a fact beyond obvious perception that Iranian and American Culture are witnessed to be in the midst of a â€Å"culture clash† with perceived difference in values; this has lead to great confrontations and tension. â€Å"Irans glory has always been its culture† (Frye, 2005), Is a quote that portrays the inherent relationship between people and their culture, this as had a immense effect in family setup. The family within the Iranian culture is a very autonomous aspect of their culture, heavily based on male dominance contrary with the Americans were women can live autonomously without a mans authority. Irrespective of this, Iranians as well as Americans equally treasure their exclusive and intricate cultural identity, whether its the Ira nians intrinsic values of Islamic religion, gender roles and family importance or Americas unique marriage taboos depicts the importance of culture alike (COMM 325 Iran, 2007). From both perspectives, we must examine the impact of religion, education, housing and geographical location among others to understand their family structure and cultural issues. Housing and Geographical location Iran is a country in south-west Asia. It is located at the southern shores of Caspian Sea, bordering the republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkmenistan to the north, Turkey, Iraq, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to the west, and to the east is Pakistan and Afghanistan (Tavassoli, 2002). Its the 18th largest country in the world with an area of 1,648,195km2 having an estimate population of 74 million people. Its a country with diverse landscapes varying from flat lands to deserts and from mountains to plateaus. It holds two mountain chains, the Alborz Mountains to the northand the Zagross to the south-west. This makes Irans land of true beauty and magnificence (Tavassoli, 2002). It further has a massive volcanic peak called Damavand located along the Alborz mountain ranges (Neff, 2006). In additions, its a home to two impassible barrier deserts called ‘Daht e Kavir and ‘Dasht e Lut. With this king of environment, the spatial characteristic o f traditional Iranian houses reflects natural, geographical and cultural needs. One important aspect is adaptation to the harsh climate most notable on the central parts of the country. Houses are constructed of Adobe and brick with unique fabled artistic and deep heritage architecture while in the United States; houses are made of stones and blocks (Harvey, 2005). Education Iranian education system is divided into five cycles namely, pre-school, primary, middle or guidance, secondary and post-secondary education. Elementary education is mandatory under the countrys constitution but due to high number of applicants for post-secondary educations, admission to these institutions is based on a nation-wide examination, giving a opportunity only to the most talented and bright students. All these levels of study enjoy free education, private schools and universities too do exist but allowed by law to charge tuition fees. Demand for post secondary education far much exceeds supply with only 27% of all applicants being admitted. (MCHE, 2009), approximately 50% of the Irans population is under the age of 25; hence quite difficult for the government to provide proper education for all (MCHE, 2009). Students at the two phases of primary and middle/guidance education are required to do a national and regional exam as compulsory for continuation. This does not apply in the United States. The literacy rates stand at 76.9% (UNESCO, 2009). Religions Islam is the religion of up to 98% of Iranians with approximately 90% being the Shia and 8% being Sunni. Other minorities make up 2% of the remaining non- Muslims. In Iran, divine law in the unique source of legitimacy and the unique interpreter of divine law is the spiritual leader. Any interpretations by the spiritual leader are not questionable. Furthermore, religion played a key role in the lifestyle of Iranians. Frey (2004) states that, issues such as polygamy were highly regulated by the Islam custom, where the religion permitted a man to have as many wives as possible. The religious law too supports the sanctifying of the family in diverse ways, defining conditions for divorce, inheritance and guardianship. These have had an impact in the entire family structure and ways of living. Issues of religious freedom are yet to be achieved with non-Muslims being discriminated and harassed. Conversion too from Islam is punishable to death. This is quite contrary to the United States we re there is freedom of worship and change of religion. Atheists have their own rights too, and peoples lifestyle seems not to be influence much by religion (Frey, 2004). Socio-cultural beliefs and values Before revolution, the Iranian society practiced segregation of sexes. Men dominated the family and subjected women to hardship in the name of culture. Mostafavi, Mehryar and Agha (2006), argued that â€Å"mens beliefs family planning is the responsibility of women has reduced their likelihood of their participation in family planning activities† (Mostafavi, Mehryar Agha, 2006, p.78). This means that men could not be keen at all on such issues of family planning at the expense of their wives. This is quite similar with the American culture in the fifties where, women where being taught to be housewives failure to which they were being despised.FRD (2004) further re-affirmed that, â€Å"Women generally practiced use of chador (or veil) when in public or when males not related to them were in the house. In traditional view, an ideal society was one in which women were confined to the home, where they performed the various domestic tasks associated with managing a household and rearing children. Men worked in public sphere, that is, in the fields, factories, bazaars and offices. Deviation from this ideal, especially in the case of women, tended to reflect adversely upon the reputation of the family† (p.147) An individual with no family ties has little importance and status in the larger society. Only if a person does something disgusting to Islam can such ties be detached. Even though the culture is strict in the roles of women, westernization has eroded some of these old values. Among these ideas are; women being involved in the public world such as education and labor force (FRD, 2004). In addition, the word ‘household had a quite different connotation than it is for the American culture. While for the Americans it refers to the actual structure were the family unit resides, the Iranian culture describes it has the cooperation and relationship between man and the woman (COMM 325, 2007). The family is quite autonomous heavily based on male supremacy. Even if the oldest member is the grandfather, father or son, they have the right to be in charge of the household. Polygamy is also practiced highly and enshrined in the Islamic law. This too is quite different with the United States where polygamy is hardly practiced. Another complex cultural practiced which is highly termed as a taboo in the United States is marriages within the family context and the process of choosing marriage partner. Reliance on family members to choose a spouse for one of their own for marriage is still quite prevalent in Iran (COMM 325, 2007). Marrying a close relative is termed incest in the United States and is heavily prohibited. As much these two cultures are geographically far away, and with such sharp difference in culture, they too have some relationship in common, just like Iranians, Americans still value the importance of the family set up. This is much portrayed by the politicians where they are highly influenced by the wider family in their quest for political ambitions in the United States. The perception of women in both cultures is still eminent. Although w omen enjoy freedom and little influence from men, there still exist notable hierarchal differences with male dominance on the top in almost all aspect. For example, men generally are still paid more and reside in plush places than women (COMM 325, 2007). Sociopolitical systems and structures The political system in Iran is quite peculiar; this is much attributed by the fact that the state is an institution of divine will, where the divine law is the unique source of legitimacy and political authority. The depository and unique interpreter of divine law is the spiritual leader whose religious jurisprudence is given to be in charge of all aspects of political society. The spiritual leader exercises his control over the judiciary, the army, the police, the radio and also over the president and parliament; institutions elected by the people (Fidh, 2003). This clearly depicts the Islamic ideology in the political framework of Iran, hence a theocratic republic. This is quite different from the American system were the religion is autonomous and has no direct link with the federal political system of governance (Iran Year Book, 1996). Iran has three branches of government with the executive being headed by the supreme leader as the head of s tat e and present as t he head of government and council ministers whereas in the United states executive consists of the president who is both the head of state and government and delegates. Both countries share four year term of re-electing leaders with most of the top organ leaders holding electoral offices (UNESCO, 2009). Economics Iran is the second largest oil producer among OPEC member countries and it is the leading export commodity in the country. Agricultural products too such as wheat, rice etc contributes 10.4% of the GDP. The GDP stands at $852.6 billion and growth rate stands at 6.2% contrary to that of the United States GDP of$ 14.441 trillion and growth rate of 0.4% in 2008. The per capita income lies at $12,300 with an unemployment rate of 12.1%. Total exports amounted to $76.5 billion in 2008, 80% being from petroleum (UNESCO, 2009).These figures are quite insignificant compared with $1.283 trillion worth of export from the United States with a per capita income of $47,422 in 2008. The urban status has enjoyed lots of economic mobility due many opportunities emerging from government bureaucracies and revolutionary organization compared to the rural dwellers. Imports stood at $61.3 billion much being of industrial raw materials and military supplies (US Department of State, 2008). Access and utilization of health care The largest healthcare system is run and managed by the Ministry of health and Medical Education. It is charged responsibility to regulate and oversee healthcare system. However, access and availability of health care is limited particularly in provinces where figures indicate lower prevalence of diseases compared with nationwide figures. The government has also established low cost clinics to care for the law income. Able people mostly in the large cities of Tehran and Isfahan use private hospitals which charge heavy bills. This has boosted the Life expectancy of Iranian which stood at 70.8 years in 2008 with every citizen entitled to basic health care offered at subsidized rates by the government. In the United States, healthcare system lies on the private hands with a view government hospitals (UNESCO, 2009). Food, dietary habits and body image Several Iranian dishes originated from the Greeks, Arabs, Turks and Russians. This happened in the midst of human civilization through invasions. Their stable meal mainly comprises of larger amount of grains especially rice, fruits and vegetables with small amounts of read meat. A typical Iranian meal is often a heaping plate of rice spiced with greens (Spencer, 1997). About 6% of population of Iran is undernourished according to World Bank. This means they do not receive adequate nutrition. Of children too under the age of five, 16% are underweight and about 19% are stunted. This explains the nutrient deficiency in their diet. Stable food for Unites States is wheat and wheat product but their diet is much blended coffee, tea, fruit juices and cereals. They are quite accessible to balanced diets with low cases of nutrient deficiency (Spencer, 1997). Technology and mass media Iran still has limited media freedom in dissemination of information with the government being in control. The administration too is yet to allow the internet to be a public forum with government involvement in filtering the internet. Several cases of harassment and closure of internet cafes in Tehran with g rounds of no permits and promoting immorality but it became apparent that the closure was due to Iranians use internet to make low cost international calls making the ministry of Post Telegraph and Telephone lose significant revenues (Washington post, 29th September 2006). With such frustrations, Iranians remain tangled with their culture with limited use of technology equipments in their households. A big contradiction exists with the United States where internet access is accessible by majority of the population without filtration by the government (Spencer, 1997). Conclusion Cultural issues related to families in Iran, is much affected by their religion. Through such studies of their cultural differences, it has helped to better understand one another and fully appreciate what we share in common and make sense of our perceived differences. This kind of understanding, help clear perceptions of hostilities and appreciate our fascinating cultures. Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl: Analysis Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl: Analysis Lamb to the Slaughter is a wound, holding story of Mary Maloney, who kills her own particular spouse by hitting him with a solidified leg of lamb and after that concealing her wrongdoing and discarding the proof by encouraging the lamb to the policemen who come to examine the murder. This sharp story is created down to the littlest detail; each word and expression suggests something, frequently has a moment significance thus controls the perusers feeling. The component that makes this story significantly all the more intriguing, is that it is composed from the killers perspective, while the conclusion of the creator is still obvious. Roald Dahl adequately built up the hero both specifically and in a roundabout way; however the utilization the suspense is more overwhelming in light of the fact that it uncovers and clarifies Mary Malloneys activities. Roald Dahl utilizes the long, short sentences and dynamic wording to make strain,anticipation and suspense with a wide range of systems. Roald Dahl effectively used long sentences to make a rundown of dreadful or stressing points of interest, which makes a mind-boggling, claustrophobic or serious feeling. Mary Maloney is the primary character of the story, a character that Dahl goes to considerable lengths to build up deliberately toward the start of this breathtaking short story. Mary is obviously a committed spouse to her significant other, Patrick. Dahl sets aside opportunity to clarify her care for Patrick. What this representation plainly does not set us up for is the situational irony that comes when Mary slaughters her Patrick. At that point, Mary Maloney simply walked up behind him and without any pause, swung the big frozen leg of lamb high in the air and brought it down as hard as she could. Mary has a sudden change of temper and feeling. We see her go from an enthusiastic, mindful and delicate lady to this imprudent, frightening and vindictive character. The suspense gradually develops when the begin of man y inquiries rises. The violence of the crash, the noise, the small table overturning, helped bring her out of shock. She came out slowly, feeling cold and surprised The descriptive language and the long sentence utilized as a part of the content genuinely includes a great deal of anticipation by building up the dreadful climate of the house and the feelings going through Marys mind leaving us holding our breaths and imploring that the house does not turn into a crime scene. She carried the meat into the kitchen, placed it on the pan, turned the oven on high, and shoved it inside. In this quote we are likewise given a great measure of detail in this long sentence to put accentuation and help foretell what will later on occur in the story; the meat getting eaten. Roald Dahl used long sentences that were utilized to slow a description down and to make a feeling of unwinding or time dragging later on adding to the suspense. Roald Dahl utilizes exact words to help foretell diverse occasions in the story that make suspence. When the clock hit ten minutes to five, she began to listen, and a few moments later, punctually as always. With the use of the word punctual we are in a path put into a condition of suspense where we are not sure anymore if he will come back knowing the frightening title. Close to the beginning of the story,Mary is extremely possessive of her life partner. The feeling however was not circulated to Mary. Hullo Darling Perceiving how Patrick is not demonstrating the affection this shows the condition of anticipation and pressure amongst Mary and Patrick and again helping us foretell what may happen later on .In conclusion, the use of the words imagine and visionized help with the suspenceful part of the story knowing Marys incautious practices. Her first instinct was to not believe any of it, to reject it all. It occured to her that she imagined or visualized Adding on, Roald Dahl used different words to improve the depiction and general state of mind, and help create the suspense and foreshadowing of the story. Roald Dahl used short sentences give us a dread, since we do not expect them for some time. It gives short sentences a startling quality, which is truly valuable for making suspense. The ending of the story definitely was made to keep the reader at the edge of his chair and to kick with suspense. Mary began to giggle This quote expands on the dramatic conclusion that is assume to leaves in a condition of stun knowing her arrangement and guile payed off. This keeps on building suspense with the impact of not knowing whether the police will genuinely uncover the puzzle of Patricks passing. Through the story we see the change in heart of Mary and her impulsive actions and thoughts taking over her. It made no difference to her. This quote genuinely speaks to how Mary will battle through anything to escape inconvenience. It demonstrates to us how as it were, she is frail for experiencing the greater part of this only because of her significant other leaving The anticipation begins to dev elop when we are not sure if the cops will fall into her trap or not. The lamb turns out to be a significant symbol in the sotry. A leg of lamb. This quote introduces the main symbol of the story which in a way create suspense due to the entitlement of the story. Roald Dahl used short sentences to the create shape isnt common. They stop. Out of the blue. It feels distracted. It is meant to keep the state of tension and suspense. All things considered, it is apparent that suspense and tension are made in the short story The lamb to the slaughter The author utilized long and short sentences and significant words t as a method for making the sought environment, and prevail with regards to accomplishing his point. However there are contrasts in which this making of frightfulness and tension are organized inside these stories. Taking everything into account, the story gives a stunning and anticipation encounter through various strategies and systems.

Plagiarism, Cheating and the Internet Essay -- Plagiarism Online

Plagiarism, Cheating and the Internet Cyber cheating is defined as â€Å"the use of technology tools in inappropriate ways for academic work.†(Conradson & Hernandez- Ramos, 2004, p1) Although technology has dramatically advanced our society in many positive ways, one negative aspect of technology is its effects on student cheating. Many believe that the internet is the â€Å"number one sociable force which leads students to plagiarize.† (Mayfield, 2001, p1) There is an increasing number of online cheating websites which students use. Along with these sites come programs which help teachers and professors detect student plagiarism. Besides the internet students have found ways to use watches, cell phones, calculators, and PDA’s to help them cheat on tests or other assignments. Of the students who do cheat the majority of them believe that what they are doing is not wrong and they feel that copying answers is not even considered cheating. In many ways the internet is one of the easiest ways for children to cheat through school. With the click of a mouse students can access websites where they can easily purchase term papers and essays on hundreds of topics. â€Å"Search engines such as Google can find over a million resources for students trying to buy term papers, some of which sell for more than ten dollars a page.† (Toosi, 2004, p1) There are three main types of websites students use to cheat; lecture note sites, term paper and essay sites and editorial services sites. The first two types of websites offer some free services and others can charge anywhere from five to five hundred dollars. Websites such as Academictermpapers.com and Cheaters.com offer a variety of papers including book reports, file p... ... Plagiarism in the Internet Era: a wake up call. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited. Mayfield, K. (2001, Sep 4) Cheating’s Never Been Easier. Retrieved October 12, 2004 from http://www.jr.co.il/articles/cheating.txt McMuntry, K. (2001). E Teaching: Combating a 21st Century Challenge. T.H.E. Journal, 29, 36-38, 40-41. Newman, A.M. (n.d.) 21st Century Cheating. Retrieved October 12, 2004 from http://www.scholastic.com/schoolage/grade5/h0omework/cheating.htm Toosi, N. (2003, Jan 18) Internet gives rise to a bold new era in college-student cheating. Retrieved November 9, 2004 from http://www,jsonline.com/news/metro/jan04/201001.asp Sotaridona, L. & Van der Linden, Wim. A Statistical Test for Detecting Answer Copying on Multiple-Choice Tests. Research Report. Twente Univ., Enschede (Netherlands). Faculty of Educational Science and Technology, 1-27.

All Quiet on the Western Front Essays: Two Years :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

All Quiet on the Western Front   Two Years      The book I chose to read was All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque. The story told in All Quiet on the Western Front occurs during the two years just before the Armistice ended World War I in November 1918. By 1916 when the story begins, World War I had already been underway for two years. From the beginning, World War I was fought in two areas, named for their geographical relationship to Germany. The Eastern Front extended into Russia, and the Western Front extended through Belgium into Northern France. The main character is a young man named Paul Baumer who is a 19 year-old private in the German army. It follows Paul trough the horrors of World War I. Paul joins the army after a recruiter named Kantorek pumps him and his friends full of glory and honor. Glory and honor they can get by joining up. Paul is excited that he is going off to war.   Once he arrives at the front he begins to understand the â€Å"terrible thing called war.† He realizes that war isn’t all glory, there is death and destruction. Paul learns to deal with the deaths of all his friends and how to keep his mind clear without turning into an animal. One of the big issues in the book was Kemmerich’s leather boots. At his death everybody was squabbling over who would get them. Remarque, in my opinion, shows you the pettiness between good friends because of war. Remarque kind of slips in these themes, some others are how terrible war really is, friendship is a must to stay alive on the battlefield, and World War I destroyed a generation.   During the time period of All Quiet on the Western Front the Russian were rebelling against Czar Nicholas II. Eventually him and his entire family were killed, and so began communist Russia. Also during this time European countries were colonizing Asia and Africa which was one of the causes of World War I. The Ottoman Empire collapses and the introduction of Henry Ford’s Model T.   If there was one thing that I learned from this book it is that war is not pretty. Despite what the recruiters and military personnel say, if there is a war you can die.

Enmax :: essays research papers fc

Introduction: Our society is confronted almost everyday with many legitimate companies that are conducting business with consumers by collecting personal information. Many in turn end up losing millions of dollars to fraud through personal information each year. Protection to vital private information is becoming increasingly important with everyone. The Enmax brochure is mainly centered on logical arguments regarding personal information. Enmax also ensures the consumer that they are accredited as law abiding, responsible company. The brochure it self is a very heavily text based document that uses many words to describe Enmax’s measures and motives in collection personal information. The brochure is also very colorless in appearance which indicates it’s a very serious document. We choose this pamphlet because Enmax is one company that is trying to reassure its public that the personal private information they collect from their customers is save. It also goes on to raise awareness about Enmax’s use of personal information and try’s to inform the public of the choices they have regarding this. Additionally, it informs the public that collecting of personal information by Enmax is proper and necessary in order for them to provide great service. In addition the pamphlet really caught our eyes because it is not a brochure that is trying to sell a product, but rather a simple information package that is explaining how customers personal information is save with them. The potential benefits of reviving this document is that we would be able to make this pamphlet more eye catching to the public by eliminating the use of so much writing and adding color to it. Even though the topic of the document is about personal information commitment, the pamphlet should be constructed so that once received the consumer actually looks at it and not just throws it away. The current pamphlet tends to repeat information and can be constructed in a way that it would be a lot shorter. In addition the pamphlet would be constructed to get to the main points that would be considered most important for the consumer to read. Methodology: Primary Research will help us establish rhetorical context of purpose and audience though: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The use of the Enmax brochure. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Calling the customer hotline, or special line for privacy issues that are provided by the Enmax Company (310-2010). †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using any mission statements, annual reports, President/CEO messages regarding privacy of information. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enmax Website. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Speaking to Enmax representatives first hand regarding this issue.

Child Psychology Services (Part 2) Essay

Explain why it is important to ensure children and young people are protected from harm within the work setting. It is important to ensure children and young people are protected from harm within the setting, as the parents are leaving their children in your care with the expectation that they can trust you and your colleagues to keep their children from harm. It is difficult for parents to leave their children in an education or care setting and then go to work; they need to be confident that their children will be in safe supportive hands with people that will help them develop. Explain policies and procedures that are in place to protect children and young people and adults who work with them. Any professional working with children or young people is responsible for the care and well being of those children. Making sure that a child is safe on or out of a school setting is of paramount importance. Not only does it make a child or young person feel safe in a learning environment but it also gives the child the security to develop and achieve from an early age. As well as having policies to ensure that only suitable people work in their setting, managers need to promote very clear practices and ways of working to protect both the children and adults work with. Everyone in a setting has a responsibility to work hard to promote the welfare of the children in their care. – Working in an open and transparent way – Open-plan rooms, this ensures that no member of staff is totally alone and out of view with a child. Sharing plans and talking about different ways of working also helps to make sure that staff work in the most appropriate ways. – Listening to children and young people – Whenever possible avoid agreeing to keep something a secret. Always tell  a child if you feel you need to share information, especially if you feel a safeguarding issue is involved. It is important that you record and report any concern you have about a child’s welfare; make sure you know who to go in your setting. – Power and positions of trust – If you are involved in the care of children or young people, you are working in a position of trust. You have authority over the children and parents have placed their trust in you to look after them; this brings responsibilities. People who want to occupy position of trust with children and young people and vulnerable adults have to have enhanced CRB checks. – Propriety and behaviour – Children and young people tend to respect and look up to people in position of trust. You must think carefully about your own behaviour and the example you set to children and young people in your care. – Physical contact – Young children need physical contact; in they have fallen over, a cuddle can help them to recover and get back to playing. However, too much physical contact can be easily misunderstood. Make sure you are familiar with what is acceptable. Taking a child to the toilet, changing a nappy or helping a child change out of soiled clothes are all normal everyday tasks; but never do any of these in a room with the door closed or out of sight of other member of staff. Remembering this protects not only the child but yourself as well. – Photographs and video recordings – Photographing or videoing activities in any setting are great ways to let parents see what their children have been doing. Photos and videos are not available to anyone other than parents and carers; always make sure that parents have given permission for photos to be taken. Evaluate ways in which concerns about poor practice can be reported whilst ensuring that whistleblowers and those whose practice or behaviour is being questioned are protected. At some stage whilst working with children you may be faced with the problem of what to do about someone whose practice is unacceptable. You must not ignore poor practice, no matter who it is being carried out by. (It can be very difficult to report someone you work with, or even your manager) How to whistle blow: – think about exactly what is worrying you and why. – approach your supervisor, manager or safeguarding named person. – tell someone about your concerns as soon as you feel you can. – put your concerns in writing, outlining the background and history, giving names, dates and places where you can. – make sure something happens. Whistle blowing does take courage. There is the risk of being bullied or harassed as a result, but anyone who whistle blows has the right to protection from the person they have raised concerns about. If you suffer as a result of a whistle blowing incident the UK Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 offers legal protection. Explain how practitioners can take steps to protect themselves within their everyday practice in the work setting and on off site visits.   A significant element of a practitioner’s role in protecting themselves would be to read policies and procedures that are put in place to safeguard them and children or young people in their care. In a care setting a professional can protect themselves by: – Avoid being alone in a closed room with a child. – Two members of staff must be present if a child needs to be undressed in the event of an accident. – If a child is collected late by a parent/carer then two staff members must stay until the child is collected. – Always be seen to be working in an open and transparent way where there is either visual access or an open door, especially in one to one situations. – Avoid meetings with children or young people in an isolated or private area of a care setting. It would be unrealistic to recommend that a member of staff should touch children or young people only in emergencies as very few people would agree with that, especially when young children can become so distressed in certain situations and a cuddle or close contact is needed by the child. Physical contact, guides and support are necessary in a range of settings appropriate to the age of the child and the circumstances at that time. Settings should provide a clear guidance about when and how the physical contact should be used in order to protect both staff and children. Effective management of risk should become automatic as you become more experienced. For every activity you plan, you should think about the hazards, the likelihood of the hazard occurring and the control measures. – Risk, the outcome or likely impact of the hazard associated with the activity to be undertaken. – Hazard, something that has the potential to cause harm. – Likelihood, the probability of any harm from the hazard actually happening. – Control measure, any activity or measures put in place to control or minimise identified risks. In the case of educational visits, professionals should always carry out a full risk assessment of that visit, under the Health and Safety at work regulations Act 1999 it requires employers to assess the risks of activities, introduce measures to control these risks and inform employees of these measures. Before a trip can be arranged employers must follow the necessary policies and procedures as follows: – Age, competence, fitness and the standard behaviour of the children and young people. – Any special educational or medical needs of the children. – Adult to children ratio. – The competence and qualifications of the accompanying adults. – Modes of transport and location of visit. – Emergency procedures. – Permission from parents. – Relevant medical or dietary needs of children. Describe the possible signs, symptoms, indicators and behaviours that may cause concern in the context of safeguarding It is important that you are aware of the indications of child abuse. Not every sign means a child is being abused. Sometimes the first signs that you observe are not physical but a change in behaviour. It is important that you record your concerns and monitor any unexplained changes in a child’s behaviour. Sometimes a child may be experiencing more than one type of abuse. Physical abuse Physical abuse is when a child is physically hurt or injured (hitting, kicking, beating with objects, throwing and shaking are all physical abuse, and cause pain, cuts bruising, broken bones and sometimes even death) Signs and symptoms of physical abuse can include: – Unexplained recurrent injuries of burns. – Wearing heavy clothes to cover injuries, even in hot weather. – Refusal to undress. – Bald patches of hair. – Repeated running away from home. – Fear of medical examination. – Aggression towards self and others. – Fear of physical contact, shrinking back if approached or touched. Many signs of physical abuse can be confused with genuine accidental injuries, but they are often not in the places or distributed as you would expect. Sometimes the explanation does not fit the injury, or you may see the outline of a belt buckle or cigarette burn. Suspicion should be aroused if the parents have not sought medical advice soon after the injury occurred. Emotional abuse Emotional abuse occurs when children are not given love, approval or acceptance. They may be constantly criticised, blamed, sworn and shouted at, told that other people are better than they are. Emotional abuse also involves withholding love and affection. It is often linked with neglect Signs and symptoms of emotional abuse can include: – Delayed development. – Sudden speech problems such as stammering. – Low self-esteem. – Fear of any new situations. – Neurotic behaviour. – Extremes of withdrawal or aggression. Neglect Neglect, which can result in failure to thrive, is when parents or others looking after children do not provide them with proper food, warmth, shelter, clothing, care or protection Signs and symptoms of neglect can include: – Constant hunger. – Poor personal hygiene. – Constant tiredness. – Poor state of clothing. – Unusual thinness or lack of normal body weight. – Untreated medical problems. – No social relationships. – Stealing food. – Destructive tendencies. Sexual abuse Sexual abuse is when a child is forced or persuaded into sexual acts or situations by others. Children may be encouraged to look at pornography, be harassed by sexual suggestions or comments, be touched sexually or forced to have sex. Signs and symptoms of sexual abuse can include: – Sexual knowledge of behaviour that is inappropriate to the child’s age. – Medical problems such as chronic itching, pain in the genitals, venereal disease. – Depression, self-mutilation, suicide attempts, running away, overdoses or anorexia. – Personality changes (becoming insecure or clinging). – Regressing to younger behaviour patterns (thumb-sucking, cuddly toys). – Sudden loss of appetite or compulsive eating. – Being isolated or withdrawn. – Inability to concentrate. – Lack of trust or fear of someone they know well, (wanting to be alone with babysitter, child minder). – Starting to wet or soil again, day or night. – Becoming worried about clothing being removed. – Drawing sexually explicit pictures. – Trying to be ‘ultra-good or perfect, overreacting to criticism. Describe the actions to take if a child or young person alleges harm or abuse in line with policies and procedures of own setting. All settings that have contact with children and young people must have clear policies and procedures to follow in all cases of abuse. Staff must have training in these and organisation for dealing with the situation. Disclosure of abuse by a child can occur at any time and it can be a shock to hear details. The way an allegation is received can be very important in the outcome to a child, even many years later. There have been many examples in the past of children not being believed at the time they declared their experience often resulting in serious problems later in life. At my nursery setting if a child was to disclose any information we would get onto the child’s level and ask three questions, we would ask; – What Happened? – Where did it happen? – When did it happen? We would take note of exactly what the child said and take this straight to our safeguarding officer on the premises. Explain the rights that children, young people and their carers have in situations where harm or abuse is suspected or alleged. Children and their parents or carers have important rights even in cases of suspected abuse. Most children feel loyal towards those who care for them even when they have been responsible for the abuse, and have difficulty saying anything against them. In situation where harm or abuse is suspected or alleged, it is important to remember the following guidelines. – Children and young people should receive help so they can express themselves fully, understand what is happening and the decisions that have to be made. – A child or young person has a right not to be subjected to repeated medical examinations or questioning following any allegation of abuse, whether of a physical or sexual nature – Family members normally have the right to know what is being said about them and to contribute to important decisions about their lives and those of their children – Children should be kept fully informed of processes involving them, should be consulted sensitively and decisions about their future should take account of their views.

Legal and Ethical Aspects of Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance of Employees”

mANAGEMENT 350: hUMAN RESOURCE mANAGEMENT| â€Å"Legal and Ethical Aspects of Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance of Employees†| | By: Chakana Moore, Patricia Davis, Eric Luken, Michelle Dailey, Jeffrey Webb| | 11/21/2011 Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance Human Resource Management Research Project November 21, 2011 Legal and Ethical Aspects of Electronic Monitoring and Surveillance of Employees Introduction Workplace monitoring has been a point of discussion within businesses as Human Resource Management feels that there is a need to watch their employees and how they conduct themselves at all times during the work day. Unless a government employee, employees are subject to any monitoring the employer deems necessary. Monitoring of e-mail and voicemail, as well as personal searches is within the rights of employers. Conducting video surveillance and tracking internet use are also rights of employers. There are legal as well as ethical aspects of employee monitoring which will be discussed in this paper. Specifically, we’ll expound on two specific organization examples that illustrate the growth of workplace monitoring. Next, issues and challenges of employee monitoring will be discussed. Lastly, sound recommendations based on our research will be given because it affects the people within the organization. It’s vital for workers to understand why monitoring is important and managers to respect and understand that employees have rights as well. Company/Organizational Examples Many companies utilize monitoring and surveillance. They have to learn to balance employer and employee rights. Businesses have the right to ensure that the employees are performing their jobs properly in a secure environment. On the other side, employees feel they should be protected at work and away from work. Since technology allows for employees to take large sums of valuable company secrets or data with them, workplace monitoring has increased. Common workplace monitoring includes e-mail and voice mail, internet use, and surveillance at work. Workplace monitoring has grown because of several forces. First force was the expansion in available technology, ranging from the internet to global tracking devices, which enhanced video capabilities and improved information systems software. Another force mentioned in our textbook is the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which led to the passing of USA Patriot Act. Robert L. Mathis, John H. Jackson 502) This Act allowed government investigators to engage in broader monitoring of individuals, including workplace, in order to protect national security. One concern raised in the workplace is the privacy rights of employees. Employees can feel they are being threatened because of the monitoring. â€Å"Right to privacy† is an individualà ¢â‚¬â„¢s freedom from unauthorized and unreasonable intrusion into personal affairs. However, constitutional rights to privacy are generally inferred through the U. S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment’s rights which usually apply only to state actions. (Kopp) In an employment context, state actions are fairly narrowed to protecting federal, state, and municipal employees; private-sector employees must look elsewhere for protection. A possible source for such protection from employer snooping includes federal legislation and state common law tort actions such as invasion of privacy. The primary piece of federal legislation suggesting employee privacy interest is Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). McCubbins) There are three exceptions under the ECPA. The first one is the â€Å"provider exception† which says if the employer is providing the telephone, e-mail, or internet services to the employee being monitored, there is little doubt that the employer is protected from employee privacy claims. A second exception is the â€Å"ordinary course of business. † Under this exception, the employee can monitor employee com munications to ensure legitimate business objectives as assuring quality control, preventing sexual harassment, and preventing use of excessive telephone or email usage. Last exception is the â€Å"consent†. â€Å"Consent† exception applies to even when the sender of the intercepted communication has been assured that all email communications would remain confidential and privileged. In Smyth v The Pillsbury Company, Smyth sent emails to his supervisor that contained unprofessional comments from his home computer. Because his supervisor gave consent to the company to intercept the emails and the emails were later retrieved by the courts, Smyth was terminated and was not able to be protected under the consent exception. A second commonplace monitoring method used by employers is internet tracking. Internet tracking can be used to visit non-work websites like Facebook and Yahoo accounts. Statistics show over 90% of employees admits to visiting other websites doing work hours. About 76% of firms monitor internet use. This can help companies prevent employees from going to inappropriate sites which could possibly create legal issues. For instance, a New Jersey case contained a log that showed one employee accessing porn websites. This activity caused an employee to be arrested due to repeatedly logging on that site when told by his supervisor to stop. Also, this type of activity draws attention to companies and causes law enforcement to get involved and companies can be charged with aiding and abetting legal behavior if found with evidence. A third form of employee monitoring is the use of video surveillance at work. Video surveillance can create a lot of issues in the workplace. Businesses use them on retail floors and in production areas, parts and inventory rooms, and lobbies. According to the annual survey, Workplace Monitoring and Surveillance Survey 2001 conducted by the American Management Association, more than three-quarters of all major U. S. firms are recording and/or reviewing the e-mail messages and telephone calls. Also, surveillance can be used to monitor software in the workplace. One surveillance capability of software monitoring can include workplace software that runs on monitored computers is hidden and difficult for an employee to find or the software could be present and monitoring their every keystrokes. Monitoring software cannot be terminated without the network administrator’s permission. Major issues/challenges Video surveillance is a great way for managers to ensure that their employees are behaving ethically. All managers want to make sure that their company’s time and money are being spent in the right way. Video surveillance will show what is going on within the company, but with the installation of video cameras some problems are likely to arise. Some of the top problems we found will be discussed over the next three paragraphs. The first problem that may arise is deception. This occurs when the company installs video camera for the first time and they don’t inform the employees. If the employer lies about the locations of the camera, this can be considered a form of deception and can open up the possibility for a lawsuit to take place. The employer must be completely honest with their workers in order for the camera to be of good use. With the evolution of technology there are different ways to ensure the company’s time is being used the right way and with doing that, employers must tell the employees that they will be videotaped while at work. There have been lawsuits surrounding uninformed employees and the courts have ruled in favor of the employee. Violation of confidentiality occurs when the company distributes information of an employee. This can happen in different ways such as the company giving out information to someone who doesn’t have the right to have it; for example, distributing video tapes of employees in a theft apprehend interview or job interview. With the installation of video surveillance there will be varying reactions. Only authorized management staff should watch the tapes and not distribute the tapes to unauthorized users. The biggest problem that companies can face from installation of video surveillance is invasion of privacy. This can happen when businesses install video surveillance in employee bathrooms or any other inappropriate place an employee will dwell. It’s reasonable that companies want to do what they can to prevent employees from stealing from the company whether that is merchandise or time. It’s also reasonable that companies want to prevent any conflict that can arise during work. Through the installation of video surveillance, problems can be prevented due to the video surveillance serving as evidence of any unethical behavior. Recommendation/Implementation Based on our research, it is highly recommended that organizations have a structured surveillance and electronic monitoring system within the workplace. Having an accurate system in place will most likely have a positive impact on the people that work within the organization. Also, it will protect the company from unmerited/unwanted lawsuits. Surveillance systems within the workplace show that employers are taking the initiative to make their employees feel safe. Employers utilize surveillance systems to ensure employee security by placing them externally within the outside parameter of the business including parking lots, street corners, garages, and poorly lit areas. Internal cameras can help decrease workplace violence and theft within the company. If employees know they are being watched, they are less likely to cause confrontations or to steal because of the threat of being caught on tape. One negative impact that internal cameras can have on employees is it may affect employee morale because it can make employees feel like they are not trusted and that they are always being watched. However, organizations have to be careful not to violate employee privacy laws by placing video surveillance within restrooms, changing rooms, or private areas. From a legal standpoint, advances in electronic technology and telecommunication have created additional problems for human resource managers through the use of emails, internet, voice mail, and instant messaging. Monitoring all employees’ electronic usage is critical in order for the company to protect itself from lawsuits and from potentially damaging the company’s image. Having a structured system in place will significantly help a company be proactive instead of reactive in their disciplinary steps to correct or eliminate the abuse of their internal electronic systems. The employer should have scanners that are equipped with scanners that will screen for inappropriate pictures or wording and a firewall that will block inappropriate internet websites that the company does not approve of. If an employee is flagged by this scanning system, hey should be disciplined immediately according to company policy and human resource professionals should thoroughly document the incident to prevent lawsuits or in the event a lawsuit is filed they are well prepared to prove that the company was justified in their disciplinary actions they took. The correct strategic approach to electronic mo nitoring and surveillance is to have an in depth employee handbook which is an essential tool for communicating information regarding the workplace policies and disciplinary actions. The handbook should be a downward communication that flows from the top management to the rest of the organization. However, the organization should create a company culture were employees also feel comfortable with upward communication that enable managers to learn about employee concerns because several of the employee handbook violations are reported by lower level employees. Within the employee handbook, employers should have a video surveillance policy informing employees about their surveillance system, informing them that the surveillance system is only performed for legitimate business purposes, and that they strictly limit those who view the surveillance videos. Also, there should be an electronic communications policy that employees are required to sign a permission form that states, they will comply with the policy. This policy should clearly outline that electronic use is provided by the employer for business use only; the use of media for personal use is restricted and is subject to employer review; all passwords must be available to the employer; and the employer reserves the right to monitor or search any media without notice. Organizations must ensure that they are balancing employer and employee rights by using electronic monitor and surveillance systems for business purposes only. Conclusion Surveillance of employees in the work place comes down to investments and the right to be involved in almost all aspects of that investment. Involvement in one’s interest is a good thing but if used excessively, any good things can be harmful. 90 percent of works admit to the use of their computer for non-work related issues, this is an impressive stat that any intelligent business owner would not ignore. Ignoring this stat turns your back on the quality and quantity of work you are paying your employees for, not including legal issues that can be devastating to your company. Internet surveillance seems to be a much need necessity for large companies were as video surveillance is needed for almost every company. Video surveillance is only the epitome of technology and ethical monitoring. Now business has the means of protecting tangible, non-tangible, and human investments at all times. This act starts by insuring employees that they are protected and procedures are in place to keep them working along an ethical passage. This is why it is important to inform those in the work of surveillance, it discourages unwanted behavior, this does not only protean to employees but to outsiders as well. How many times have you see signs of surveillance? Some says â€Å"Smile, you are being watched,† this very smart thing to do in this day in age. Everyone would love to watch every moment of their child’s development but no one has the time and resources to do so. What if you could? What if this was your job? Sure you would try to do so with the best of your abilities, but at the same time, you would have to give them private time. So, there is a clear line between protection and Violation of Confidentiality and Invasion of Privacy Working for any company is a privilege not a right, but it is a right for privileged peopled to be protected ethically. Works Cited Kopp, k. Electronic Communications in the Workplace: E-mail Monitoring and the Right of Privacy, 8 Seaton Hall Const. L. J. 861. 1998. McCubbins, G. Daryl and Jeretta Nord/Tipton F. â€Å"E-Monitoring in the Wokplace: Prviacy, legislation, and surveillance software. † COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM. Vols. 49, No 8. August 2006. Robert L. Mathis, John H. Jackson. Human Resource Managemnet, Twelfth Edtion. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2008, 2006.

Analysis of banks’ performance

Generally considered as the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression, the Global Financial Crisis (SGF) was followed by the European sovereign debt crisis, which heavily affected most European nations in early 2010. This report will analyses the impact of the crisis on the performance and risk exposure of two major banks: Alpha Bank (ABA) and Deutsche Bank (DB).. Alpha Bank, the second largest Greece bank, locates in one of the five Euro-zone nations which suffered the most following the global crisis.At the same time, Deutsche Bank (DB) is a German bank which operates in both investment and commercial banking sectors. In particular, this report will study the asset and liability structure, the performance as well as the market and off-balance sheet risk. Also, the annual performance of 2008 to 2010 will be analyses in order to fully capture the impact of the financial crisis on these selected banks. 1. 1 Asset, Liability Structure and Risk Exposures 1. 1. Analysis of Lloy d Banking Group (LAG) Table 1: Capital Raising Activities (Liability Structure) Figure 1 Figure 2 The bank operates in both commercial and investment sections which contents in detail, wholesale, insurance and investment as its main business activities. Deposit is the main source of funding, given that the proportional ways remains above 50%during these 6 years. Generally speaking, Deposits are more reliable compare to other capital raising activities.Noticing that even during 2008 to 2010, the Deposits were lightly effect by SGF, which means retail deposits are less volatile and less sensitive to shocks. In addition, the bank was voted by Reader's Digest the most trusted bank of Britain in the 2008. LAG as a function of commercial bank, a large and versified customer base kept the bank safe during the SGF and European debt crisis. Wholesale is the second major part of their business. Figure 2 has shown that, Debt securities take around 20% during 2007 to 2012, which implies that, L AG raises not enough funds from deposits.However, wholesale is sensitive to changes in the market. As the wholesale depositors are able to transfer the fund if others bank provides better offer to them. LAG have to undertake higher withdraw risk. LAG introduced new pricing management of saving products from 2011 in order to minimize withdraw risk. The benefit for this new plan is increasing deposit balances and reducing the proportion of wholesale. Furthermore, because of LB is a diversified bank in British, insurance division is the third mainly activity for the bank to raise fund.However, insurance may exposures liquidity risk, if policyholder who is seeking to cash in their financial claims immediately or some unexceptional accident occurs, the bank has to get huge fund to pay for them. According to Lag's annual report, the liabilities of insurance remains around 13% from 2007 to 2012, which took up higher proportion of total liabilities. However, since the flood happened in late 2007 and therefore the bank had to pay the claims, the bank had a highest percentage of insurance liability compare to other 5 years.Besides, due to SGF and European debt crisis during 2009 to 2012, higher unemployment rates shrink the Auk's economy, the proportion of liability of insurance policy also affected. Finally, basing on the Figure 2 we can find that, derivative financial insurance only has small proportion in this structure, due to LAG is able to raise enough fund from deposit, wholesale and insurance sections. Table 2: Portfolio Asset Allocation (Asset Structure) Figure 3 As a largest commercial bank in K, the main source of investment of LAG is Loans, which take up over half proportion of its total asset.This type of assets was allocated to households, firms and public sectors. According the annual report of the bank, personal mortgages play an important role in loan. However, these assets are exposed to credit risk and default risk. Therefore, LB engages reverse repur chase agreements for collateralized loans in order to reduce risks. The second main source of investment of LAG is Trading and other financial Asset at fair value through profit or loss.Comparing to loans, debt securities are more sensitive and exposed to the credit risk. However, government and corporate securities are taking larger proportion in total Trading and other financial Asset at fair value through profit or loss. As these types of securities are more stable and reliable, this credit risk is mostly mitigated. 1. 1. 2 Analysts of BIN Paris (BIN) Table 3: Capital Raising Activities (Liability Structure) Figure 4 BIN Paris is a universal bank which participates in retail and investment sectors.According to the chart shown above, the main source of Buns capital raised by raiding derivative instruments in financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss from 2007 and took a Jumped up approximately 25% in 2008 due to Global Financial Crisis(SGF). Generally speaking, de rivatives trading are carrying higher risks than other class of liabilities, such as credit risk, market risk, currency risk and interest rate risk. Because they are sensitive to the market changes and lenders are less loyal to the bank, but respectively this source of funds can generate high returns to make the bank become profitable.However, the liability structure of BIN was not constantly unchanged. In the following next two years 2009 and 2010, the main component shifted to deposits due to SGF which brought an unfavorable economy recession all over the world. This strategy of the bank intended to reduce the risk exposures via decreasing trading of risky financial instruments and more relying on deposits to raise capital in order keep the bank in a safer base during the worse recession time.The capital raising structure changed back again from 2011, noticing that unlike 2007 and 2008, the proportions of deposits and financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss beca me approximately close amounts. However, derivatives trading are still playing an important role in Buns capital raising activities. Another considerable segment of liability structure is debt securities, which mainly content in government bonds, given that the amounts of issued had been increased from Ð ²?157,mom to Ð ²?211 ,mom from 2008 to 2009.Due to the bank changed the major capital raising activity to deposits in 2009 and 2010, meanwhile it had increased issue in debt securities in order to raise more efficient funds. This behavior can be explained that the bank was worrying about only relied on deposits as not enough and trying to diversified risks via shifting liquidity risk (from deposits) to default and credit risk. Table 4: Portfolio Asset Allocation (Asset Structure) Figure 5 The main source of investment of BIN is financial assets at fair value through profit or loss, which accounted more than 50% of total assets through 2007 to 2008.Again, this type of assets mainly consists in trading of derivative instruments, repurchase agreements afterwards and other securities transactions. In practice, derivatives trading can generate higher returns but will carry more risks because they should eave to meet what the customers' needs and generally they are sensitive to the change of market. Therefore, the risk exposures not only content credit risk, but also put the bank faces interest rate risk and currency risk. L The second considerable segment of investment is loans which mainly comprised of loans to customers.Noticing that the amounts started increasing from 2009, which accounted up to 40% of total assets (compared to 2008 was only 25%), the portions are getting close to the main component, trading of financial assets. Throwing back to SGF and debt crisis, increased in loans and decreased in trading risky assets might be considered as a strategy for BIN to diversify its several risks as we mentioned previously but this time default risk would also be raised. However, derivatives trading are still playing an important role over these six years.In addition, available-for-sale financial assets have been significantly increased in 2009, the following year after SGF. It major contents bonds particularly in government bonds. The main reason could be government bonds are the safest investment way, however, default risk may be considered in this case. . 1. 3 Differences in asset, liability structure and risk exposure Comparing the asset and liability structure between LAG and BIN, the significant difference is the main source of the capital raising activities and asset allocations between these two banks are different.LAG is much more relying on customers' deposits, a safer way to raise funds which allows LAG has a reliable capital base and confident level to go through the SGF in 2008 also the European debt crisis in 2010. In contrast, BIN changed its capital raising structure twice from changing the portions between derivatives raidi ng to raise funds on deposits in response to the impacts of SGF and debt crisis. Additionally, the core functions of these two banks are different.LAG is focusing on customers' deposits and making loans to them. However, BIN is much more concentrating on derivatives trading in both asset and liability parts (even though it shifted the main component of capital raising activity from financial liabilities to deposits between 2009 and 2010 but derivatives transactions still played an important role during those two years. ) Overall, BIN is much more sensitive to the economy and surely it carries more risks than LAG. . 1. Impacts of SGF and Debt Crisis on Asset and Liability Structure Lloyd Banking Group (LAG) For the asset structure, due to the financial hardships that many households and businesses are experiencing, as a result of the recent economic decline in the UK. LAG committed to help customers in these challenging times, which reflective of our relationship-based approach. In R etail segment, we maintained strong level of mortgage lending to new lending, and helped thousands of customers to buy new homes. As shown in the diagram above, we can see that the total asset has increased room IEEE,mom to El ,027,mom in two years' time.An increasing of 57. 55% reflects that with a 61. 25% increase in loans and advances to customers. There are strong levels of customer lending growth in commercial banks, corporate markets and mortgages. For the Liability side, the percentage of total liability has greater changed in 2009, which given that increased up to 56. 64%. After the SGF, the total liabilities still stand at a higher level in the following years as long as the European debt crisis occurred in 2010. Deposit, debt securities in issue and the liabilities of insurance are he three main components be affected.As LAG is the largest bank in I-J, it provides more confident for their customers. Even The bank experienced SGF and European debt crisis, deposit still brin g positive effect for the group. Compare 2008 to sass's deposits can be found that, there is 51. 46% shapely increasing during 2008-2009, due to more customers lose confident for others investment companies, also getting less people put the money for investment during such weaken economic period. That is the reason explains that why does deposit continuously grow during this period as en of the good reputation banks in British.Table 5 Besides, according to the table shown above, the issue of debt securities have greater increased due to the medium term notes issues changed, which implies that even LAG has sufficient fund to overcome the challenge during SGF, but they still restrained funds through issuing medium term notes in order to provide more fund to help their customers, Furthermore, the higher unemployment rate in UK due to SGF and European debt crisis, more people were getting to claim their insurance compensations, therefore the liability of insurance policy had also been a ffected.According to the balance sheet has shown, the liability of insurance policy has 60. 8% increased from 2008 to 2009. Also from 2009 to 2012, the liability of insurance still maintain in higher level. Overall, as LAG is reliable and stable bank in I-J, the main structure of asset and liability did not changed by the Crisis. BIN Paris (BIN) In regards of Buns capital raising structure had been changed twice during 2007 to 2012. The first change was in the year after 2008 SGF, the bank shifted its major capital raising activity from trading on derivatives (financial liabilities at fair value wrought profit or loss) to deposits.Considering the increased in trading financial instruments, which was the core activity to raise both total liabilities and total assets to history high respectively Ð ²?2,016,mom and Ð ²?2,075,mom in 2008. It leaded the bank with higher risk exposures as well as the leverage level had been increased due to derivatives trading is sensitive to the market and risky. Therefore the bank changed the major component of liability structure to deposits in 2009 in order to reduce risking tried to keep the bank in a safer base during the worse recession time.At the meantime, the bank increased issue in debt securities that attempted to raise more efficient funds in case of relying on deposits was not enough. In 2011 after the European debt crisis, the bank changed its core capital raising activity back to trading on financial instruments again. As an investment bank is a function of BIN Paris, the second changed of its capital structure indicated that the bank already passed the hard time and everything went back on the right track. The major component of the asset structure was financial assets at fair value through profit or loss from 2007 to 2012.In 2009 it had been decreased from 60% to 40%,but the bank increased the portions loaned to Global Financial Crisis,and this class of asset kept stable in the next following 3 years. However, tra ding on derivatives is still playing an important role overall. In addition, according to the increase in issue of debt securities especially in bonds had been increased in its liability structure, therefore, the available-for-sale financial assets had a greater Jumped up during the same year and gradually went down later on. Overall, the impacts of SGF on BIN were far worse than the European debt crisis. 2 PERFORMANCE Analysts 1. 2. 1 Return on Equity (ROE) Definition: See footnoted Figure 6 According to the chart, the ROE of LAG deceased seriously from 2007. In 2010 to 2012, it appeared a little recovering signal but still showing a declining pattern over these six years. During 2007 to 2008 both of the net income and total equity were decreased slightly, therefore, ROE decreased. However, even though the net income only had a little increased in 2009, but due to the total equity greatly Jumped up, the ROE decreased further. After 2010, ROE already deceased to history low given at 5. 4%, because of the negative net income as well as the total equity still stayed at higher level. The falling net income was primary to fewer increased in total operating income but greater increased in the impairment cost. The main reason could be the bank need to increase impairment cost to recover credit risk during SGF and European debt crisis. On the other hand, the size of total equity getting larger, this fact implied that, LAG was seeking more capital fund its financial activities in order to go through the poor economic period.Therefore, the ratio shown the bank experienced unfavorable profitability during those two recession periods Regarding to BIN Paris, the Return on Equity ratio dramatically decreased from 19. 6% to 6. 6% in 2008. It gradually recovered back in the next following years after SGF but it slightly dropped gain after the 2010 European debt crisis. Due to the banks main source of finance is making money via trading derivatives, this pattern of changing e xactly responds to the market conditions due to financial and debt crisis, also explains that the bank is very sensitive to the market.However, compare to the regenerates drop off in SGF, the impact of debt crisis was not significant through looking at the chart. Compare these two patterns of ROE; LAG is showing a declining figure which indicates that the bank had a deeper impact by the financial and the debt crisis. On the other hand, the effect on BIN was significant only shown at the SGF period, therefore, BIN seems to has a better performance overall. 1. 2. RETURN ON ASSET (ROAR) Definition: see footnoted Figure 7 In term of Lab's performance can be shown that, the greater decline in ROAR consists in declining of net income and total assets. The central bank cut the interest rate again and again in this recession period that encouraged more people to borrow money from bank to fund their mortgages or businesses. According to the balance sheet, the total assets sharply increased f rom IEEE,mom to El ,027,mom in 2008 to 2009, and then kept staying at a higher level in the following years.However, as we have analyses in the ROE part, net income decreased dramatically to negative percentages, due to total operating income did not change as lower interest rate, but the impairment cost has greater increasing in order to recover the credit risk. As a result, the net income becomes negative. Similarly, ROAR was deceasing dramatically during 2009-2011. According to the ROAR ratios of BIN, it has shown a similar pattern of trend as ROE. The ROAR sharply dropped 0. 32% in 2008 and recovered back in the next two years but slightly went down after the debt crisis.Considering that the net income of BIN in 2008 was incredibly dropped down over 60% from Ð ²?8,311 millions to Ð ²?3,millions. No matter how the total assets had a greater increased in the same year, the fluctuation of net income was the most important reason determinate the hanged in ROAR. Again, due to the b ank is sensitive to the change of market parameters, we can clearly see that the worse market condition due to SGF brought a negative impact to the bank and it was far more worse than the time during the European debt crisis.In conclusion, both of two banks were decreasing in ROAR during the weak economic period in 2008. The main reason was both of them had greater increased in total asset but the net income stayed at a relatively lower level. In the following years, BIN started to recover back and maintained in a stable level, UT LAG was continuously decreasing to negative due to total asset was maintain in higher level in debt crisis period. 1. 2. PROFIT MARGIN (PM) Definition: see footnoted Figure 8 According to the graph above, LAG had strong profitability in 2007 but it declined to 22. 43% due to SGF then slightly recovered in 2009. However, as the European debt crisis developed in late 2009, the PM continuing dropped out to the lowest, shown at -59. 62% in 2011. The reason is during this weaken economic period, interest and similar income decreasing as lower interest rate, and impairment increasing. This unfavorable decreasing during debt crisis period implies that LAG undertake loss.While the PM drives the ROAR to decline in this period. The European debt crisis shrink the bank much more than during the SGF. Comparing to LAG, BIN Paris keeps its ability steady to pay expenses and generates stable net income from 2007 – 2012. According to the main capital raising activity of BIN is trading on derivatives and other financial instruments, even though the amounts of financial liabilities and assets at fair value through profit or loss were Jumped up during the year of SGF 2008.However, the net income and total operating income were historically low through 2007 to 2012, the main reason was due to both the net gains on trading financial instruments and on available-for-sale financial assets had been dramatically decreased, respectively from Ð ²?7,mom to Ð ²?2,mom and Ð ²?2,mom to Ð ²?mom, which means, even though the trading went up, but net gains were limited by the worst market condition during Global Financial Crisis. Overall, BIN is good at controlling on its expenses and net income generation compare to the performance of LAG. . 2. 4 ASSET UTILIZATION (AU) Definition: see footnoted Figure 9 The AU ratio of LAG fluctuated seriously from 2007 to 2012. Due to given the negative impact of SGF, the AU dropped continuously to 0. 71% in 2009. As we mentioned previously, the central bank cut the interest rate to encourage people to take loan from the bank. Therefore, the total asset stayed at a higher level from 2009 to 2012. However, according to low interest rate and also some of customers were default to pay back, the total operating income did not change much.From 2009 to 2010, AU starts to recover to higher level. Unfortunately, the AU decreased sharply again from . 17% to 0. 47% due to the European debt crisis. The AU sti ll maintained at lower level during 2010 to 2012, because the pound was depreciated in this weak economic period, LAG faced loss in their oversea investment property and securities, consequently, the total operating income decreased to about E,mom during the debt crisis. LAG provided a declining pattern over 2007 to 2012, but again, the impact of debt crisis to the bank was greater than the impact of SGF.In term of Buns AU, it had been dropped down to 0. 46% in regards to the history low total operating income, given only Ð ²?3,mom in 2008. It recovered quickly afterwards and went back to 0. 63% in 2010. The AU ratio fluctuated by the European debt crisis again in later 2011 and 2012, however, as we mentioned above in the PM part, the Global Financial Crisis affected the bank much more than the effect on debt crisis. Comparing LAG and Buns All's, both of them had greater effects by SGF but the impact of debt crisis was not significant on BIN. . 2. 5 EQUITY MULTIPLIER (ME) Definitio n: see footnoted Figure 10 In term of Lag's ME, The figure increased nearly half of ME from 28. 4 to 44. 96 in 2008. The higher ME indicated that LAG used more debt to finance its assets which in turn increased the leverage level and risk exposure during SGF 2008. In order to reduce its leverage level, ME quickly dropped down to 23. 29 in 2009 even lower than in 2007 and gradually went down in the following years, noticed that the ME only shown at 20. 69 in 2012.As LAG is one of the reliable and stable banks in British, even though they experienced SGF and European debt crisis, they are able to recover quickly. Regarding to the ME of BIN, it had been increased to 35. In 2008 but had a greater decreased of 10 in the following year and still gradually went down in continuous years. Considering BIN changed its liability structure twice respectively in 2009 and 2011, in which shifted the major capital raising activity between derivatives trading and deposits.BIN attempted the first chan ge in order to minimize the risks and reduce the leverage level due to the high ME in the previous year. In 2011, after the European debt crisis, the bank again changed its major capital raising activity back to trading on financial instruments instead of relying on posits. This change had been reduced its ME ratio continuously which given that only around 20 in 2012 (the lowest from 2007 to 2012) It explains that BIN is good at controlling its leverage level and managing risks very well via adjusting the Banks structure. In conclusion, LAG and BIN have similar performance from 2007 to 2012.The ME of these two banks both had a greater Jump up in 2008 and respectively increased their risk exposures and the leverage ratios. However, the EMUS dropped quickly in later years due to both banks managed the risk via reduce their debt to enhance its assets or maintaining capital structure in order to reduce risks and leverage level. 1. 2. 6 Market Indicators Share Prices LAG Regarding LAG, t he share price stays at EYE per share in 2007 to late 2008. However, due to the SGF happen at the end of 2008, the share price decreasing dramatically to around E per shares.Furthermore, the European debt crisis also happen flow the SGF, the share price decreasing further around E per share. Base on the data shows that, over these six years, the share price of LAG is decreasing around 89. 1 BIN The highest share price of BIN Paris was up to Ð ²?94. 7 per share during mid-2007, it collapsed in later 2008 and down to history low Ð ²?21. 39 per share in early 2009. However, the share price went back on track quickly in the same year, given that volatile at the range around Ð ²?50 per share until mid-2011.According to the share price pattern of BIN, the impact of SGF on the share price was dramatically huge, but the bank effectively reacted on the massive change of market, it adjusted its capital structure in 2009, such as reduced the risk exposure via decreasing the risky derivative s trading and relying more on deposits, meanwhile increased the issue of bet securities particularly in bonds, which indicated to generate more efficient cash flows in case of the deposits was not enough to rely on. Project 2 2. 2 Market Risk 2. . 1 Introduction of market risk Market risk is defined as a risk for those investors to experience economic losses of value from the affected market performances, whether it's treatable or not. It is the risk that cannot be diversified. Some of risk factors could be observed, such as interest rates, exchange rates; there are also some factors may not be observed such as correlations which are based on statistical analysis. It includes interest rate risks, currency risks, and equity risks, see footnotes.