Analytical reviews Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Analytical reviews - Assignment Example In the first section China, the Islamic world, Japan and Russia are all considered first, and then the narrative leads into the emergence of Europe and the Habsburg empire in particular. The period 1660 -1815 is identified as introducing â€Å"the financial revolution† which casts the conflicts of that period firmly in the domain of economics. This section is pretty factual, with some theorizing about the close relationship between stable financial systems and the ability to wage wars. The second section develops the thesis that major powers always exist in a shifting state which is relative to other powers around them. He sees the world as being a system which has a sort of inherent balance to it, and describes how the steady rise of Britain was due to good organization and the early application of industrial technology, allowing this tiny country to produce about 53% of the world’s iron, and consume about half of the raw cottono output of the globe (p. 151) This is, h owever, a shortlived achievement, and Britain is presented as a model case study to show how every power wanes when others catch up with the innovations that led it to prominence in the first place. A factor which influences the rise of a global power is that it concentrates more on production than on military strength, and a factor which influences its fall is the converse, as can be seen in the carnage of the first half of the twentieth century. The third section entitled â€Å"Today and Tomorrow† is the most insightful, because it traces the two world wars, the cold war, and the tensions that existed in the 1960s to 1980s between several world powers such as America, Europe, Russia and Japan. The book ends just before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the extraordinary collapse of Communism across wide tracts of the globe, which means that there is unfortunately no analysis of the rebalancing effect that this has had. Using the models presented earlier in the book, however, the reader is able to deduce that yet again the world has settled into a new balance of power, and yet again the declining superpower (America) is falling into the usual trap of investing in military campaigns. The strength of this book is in the sweeping connections it makes and the insight into relative power in the world. Part Two: Orientalism. Edward Said’s book, Orientalism, is justly famous because it approached world history from a refreshingly non-Western perspective and caused historians across the globe to re-evaluate all the history books that had been written with a largely unconscious Western bias. Said’s main thesis is that the concept of â€Å"orientalism† and labels like the East, Far East and Middle East are a fabrication of Western societies. He argues that the West sees itself as the norm, and the standard to which every culture should aspire, and that the colonial age deepened this instinctive feeling of superiority. The East is defined as a distant space which is â€Å"other† than the dominant West. It is cast in the role of contrast, displaying opposite features so that the West can compare itself, favorably of course, with a cultural counterpart. The book makes some strong points which are critical of Western European hegemony, and especially of French

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

FUNDAMENTALS OF FINANCE - Essay Example So, going by the NPV rule projects B and C are the ones that SKATE plc should consider investing in. However, since project C is expected to generate much greater present value for the firm, it is the one that should be invested in if the firm is under the obligation to choose only one from the given set of three alternatives. The IRR rule says invest in a project only if the IRR is greater than the required rate of return. So in the given situation we have to calculate the IRRs for the three projects and compare those to the given required rate of return, 15%. So we find that the IRR to be lesser than the required rate of return in case of project A and greater for project B and C implying that only these latter two should be considered for investment. And the fact that the IRR is so high in case of project C implies that it is the project that should be chosen if only one has to be chosen. So we find similar results and suggestions for both the NPV and the IRR criteria. The discounted payback rule is another criterion for investment projects. Essentially this measure discounts the future cash flows obtainable from a certain project to calculate the time the project takes to payback the initial investment and hence the name. If for instance, X is the amount that needs to be initially invested, this rule solves for that value of T which satisfies the equation Where Ct represents the cash flow at time t and r is the discount rate representing the time value of money. If the value of T is lower than some predetermined time period, the project should be accepted according to this rule. So, with the cut off period being one year, project B should be accepted according to the discounted payback rule as the project generates cash flows the discounted values of which are greater than the initial investment in the first period itself. Similarly, for project C, we get C1/ (1.15) = 78.2609 > 50 = C0 implying that this project also pays back he invested

Share Repurchase and Taxation among UK Companies

Share Repurchase and Taxation among UK Companies The aim of the research project is to examine the relationship between share repurchase and taxation in the UK companies. Project Objectives To examine the motivations of share repurchase in the United Kingdom. To analyze the recent trend in share repurchases over last 20 decades among UK companies. To explore the relationship between shares repurchase with taxation in the UK companies. To explore the impacts of taxation on share repurchase activity for UK companies Context For decades, most of the corporations are preferred to pay out cash in the form of dividends rather than share repurchases, despite the relative tax advantage of capital gains over ordinary income. In some countries, such as U.S. and UK, companies can buy back their own shares in the stock market, also known as a share repurchase. In the last 20 decades, share buybacks become extremely popular in the United States. According to aggregate data from Compustat, companies announced share repurchases increased from 4.8 percent in 1980 to 41.8 percent in 2000, while dividends only grew at an average annual rate of 6.8 percent (Grullon Ikenberry, 2002). Researchers also found that during 1985 to 1999, corporations in the U.S. announced intentions to repurchase about $750 billion of stock (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Moreover, studies show that from 1999 to 2000, industrial firms spent more money on share repurchases than on dividend pay out, and that is the first in history, share repurchases p rograms have become more popular than dividends (Grullon Ikenberry, 2002). What are the reasons for the companies buy back their own shares. Jensen (1986) pointed that firms repurchase stock to distribute excess cash flow. A share repurchase distributes cash to existing shareholders in exchange for a fraction of the firms outstanding equity. This hypothesis has been supported by Stephens and Weisbachs (1998) study. They found share buy backs have a positive relationship with the level of corporation cash flow. Moreover, they also found a negative relationship between share repurchase and prior stock returns, which means, firm repurchase when their share prices are undervalued in stock market. This theory has been supported by Vermaelens (1981) study. He found that firms repurchase stock when they are undervalued and have the excess cash to distribution. In later studies, researchers pointed that firms may repurchase stock to increase their leverage ratio (Opler and Titman, 1996). For the tax perspectives, researchers pointed that tax changes have a major impact on share repurchase. In the UK, companies are sensitive to tax environmental changes. For example, studies shows that in 1994, there were significant increase in the number of open-market stock repurchase programs. This cause by the introduction of tax favored agency share repurchases programs (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). But in 1996, when the tax credit given to tax exempt pension funds in agency buybacks was abolished, the number of the companies announced share repurchase fell significantly. However, in 1997, when all tax credits were abolished, share repurchase became popular again. As some evidence showing above, share repurchase become more popular than any time in the history. Researchers stated that the majority of companies start to use cash payouts to shareholders through share buybacks rather than cash dividend (Grullon Michaely, 2002). Therefore, it is important to better understand the motivation behind the recent surge in share repurchase activity. Although, share buy backs growing popularity, most of the established studies focus on the U.S. firms. Whether the share buybacks in UK as popular as in the U.S., because the different of tax and regulation systems between this two countries. The aim of the research will not only enhance our understanding of corporation pay out policy but also examine the share repurchases programs under UK taxation system and how this impacts effect on UK companies payout strategies. Moreover, the reason for me to focus on the UK companies rather than other EU companies because there have lacks of share repurchase activities in Europe countries. According to the Securities Data Corporation (SDC) reports shows that during 1980 to 1998, there were only 489 stock buybacks announcements made by European companies. And nearly 60% of those announcements were made by the UK companies. There have various reasons for the lack of share buy back activities in EU companies. Firstly, share repurchase is still illegal in some European countries, such as France and Germany. Secondly, some countries proposed specific tax provisions to discourage share buy backs. For example, in Netherland have the high taxes on dividends and low taxes on capital gains. Thirdly, the share repurchase do not fit European company culture. Traditionally, most European companies focus on maximizing stakeholders value rather than shareholders value (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Moreover, in European countrie s the stakeholders (such as managers, banks) prefer to maximize the size of the companies rather than focus on stock prices. They are not interested in share repurchase. Finally, there are little relative studies examine the relationship between share repurchase and taxation with UK companies. Literature Review 4.1 Introduction This search focuses on share repurchase and taxation among UK companies. Bibliographic database used were Business Source Premier (EBSCO), Econo Lit with Full Text (EBSCO), JSTOR Business, Psyc ARTICLES (CSA), Science Direct and Swets Wise. The details of these and full text database were searched in Table 1. The total numbers of retrieved articles were 30. Keywords used were dividend, share repurchase, buybacks, payout policy, dividend policy, taxation and regulation with limited to academic journals and non-academic articles on the last 20 years. 4.2 Motivations of share buy backs There are number of reasons a firm repurchase stock. First, Share repurchase could improve the retained profits. Because when companies purchase their own shares, the remaining number of shares left in the public will lower. The reduction of shares in the public means the earning per share will increase even the profits remain the same. So when companys share price undervalued, repurchasing shares may still result in a strong return on investment. Secondly, firms may use share repurchase announcements to signal the market that their shares are undervalued and the positive stock price reaction at the announcement of share repurchase should correct the misevaluations (Dann, 1981; Vermaelen, 1981). However, Ikenberry, Lakonishok, and Vermaelen (1995) argued that this increase may not be sufficient to correct the misevaluations, particularly in the open market share repurchase- programs. According to Stephens and Weisbachs (1998) study, they investigated on 450 open-market share repurchase programs in the U.S. between 1981 and 1990. They found that between 74% and 82% of the shares targeted at the time of announcement are later repurchased and this actual share buybacks are negatively related to stock price performance after the stock repurchase. Thirdly, share repurchase may increase the leverage ratio. The leverage ratio will increase when a firm distributes its capital. Therefore, assuming that an optimal leverage ratio exists, a firm may more likely to buy back their own shares when their leverage ration is below the target ratios (Bagwell Shoven, 1988). Fourthly, companies where there are few opportunities for growth, share repurchase may the possible way to improve the earning per share in order to meet executives or managers targets. Thus, companies structures may affect their decisions to buy back own shares. Finally, share repurchase make a takeover more expensive. Because share buybacks avoid the accumulated amount of cash in the firm, when a firm with a strong cash position but needs limited spending on capital will accumulate cash on balance sheet, therefore, it make the firm more attractive for takeover. However, recent studies shown share repurchases are only benefit shareholders wealth in the short term, but do not add any long term value to the company (Guay and Harford, 2000). Eberhart and Siddique (2003) did a survey based on 7,079 share repurchase programs between 1981 and 1995. The results showed that after the share buybacks, there were a slightly increase in the number of share outstanding. Often the share purchases in the share buybacks programs are used for employee stock options and stock grants. As one article suggested, share repurchases in general are just à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“backdoor compensationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? for company employees (Henry, 2006:74). 4.3 Taxation with share repurchases Tax changes have a major impact on share repurchase. Study shows that in 1994, there were significant increases in the number of open-market stock repurchasing programs cause by the introduction of tax-favored agency share repurchase programs (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Grullon and Michaely (2000) also find that the differential tax between capital gains and dividends is a significant determinant of the market reaction to share repurchase announcement. Grullon and Michaely (2002) pointed that in the U.S., corporations start to substitute share repurchases for dividends because capital gains are taxed at more favorable rates than ordinary income. They found that even in 1986, the Tax Reform Act greatly reduced the relative tax advantage of capital gains, but there was still a significant positive difference between the marginal rate on ordinary income and the marginal rate on capital gains. Raghavendra and Vermaelen (2002) studied on the relationship between taxation and share buybacks among the UK companies. In their studies, the result showed that buyback activity increased significantly when the agency buybacks introduced during 1990 to 1998 in the UK. This consistent with the hypothesis that taxation has a significant effect on share buybacks. Moreover, they also pointed that the ability of pension fund to recover dividend credits has a major impact on the buyback activity in the UK (Raghavendra and Vermaelen, 2002). However, some researchers have argued that taxes alone do not explain the extent of repurchases activity in the U.S. Brav at al (2005) stated that managers view tax considerations as of second important factor in the choice if disbursement mechanism. Ikenberry et al (2004) suggested that since the tax changed in 2003 in the U.S., the dividend had increased significantly. He also pointed that although dividends in the U.S. remain slightly tax disadvantages, that due to the delay of the capital gains by the investors. However, based on the results from research conducted in the U.S., the extent to whether the taxation dominant the managers decisions announce share repurchase rather than dividends is still an unresolved issue. 4.4 Regulation framework in the UK In order to better understanding the effect between taxation and share repurchase among the UK. It is important to develop our knowledge in the legal and tax frameworks governing U.K. share buybacks, moreover, to recognize the difference between these frameworks and those in the U.S. In The UK, share buybacks allow the company to manipulate its stock price. In order to avoid the share repurchase reduce creditors benefits, the Companies Act states that only distributable profits or the proceeds of fresh issue of share can be used to finance the purchase. Moreover, the companies are not allowed to announce share repurchase programs during the period when directors are not allowed to trade in their companys shares. This means that in the UK, share repurchases are not allowed in the 2 month period preceding the publication of annual earnings. Finally, compare with the U.S., in the UK, share repurchase are much less flexible tool for capital management. All the firms buy-backed shares may ask to cancelled, because the UK regulators more concerned about the preemption rights of shareholders (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Not like in the U.S., the regulators more concern about the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“treasury stockà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, such as repurchased shares can be re-issued without s hareholder approval (Vermaelen Rau, 2002). Conclusion There are various reasons for firms to announced share repurchase, although share buyback activity become extremely popular in the U.S., but the UK repurchase scene is different from the U.S. scene in many respects. Although the UK is the European country where buybacks are most popular, but it is still relatively small numbers of share repurchase programs announced compare with the U.S., where about 100 U.S. firms announce open-market share buybacks each month. However, the UK taxation system may make share repurchase less attractive than they are in the United Stated. What the impact of taxation system on share repurchase announcement among UK companies? How these impacts affect UK companies in last 20 years? Which industry is more likely to announce share repurchase program? The proposed research will review the potential relationship between taxation and share repurchase among UK companies. 5 Research Method 5.1 Desk Based Research The desk based research used to my study. Because desk based research is very useful to get a broad understanding of the topics and is relatively easy to use (Bryman and Bell, 2003). The data usually used in desk based research is referred to as secondary and includes collecting information from third party sources such as company website, magazine articles, books, journals, published statistics and marketing research reports (Collis Hussey, 2003). There are many advantages to using secondary research. This includes the relative ease of access to many sources of secondary data with little or no cost to acquire. The use of secondary research may help researcher to clarify the research question and help align the focus of large scale primary research. However, there are also some disadvantages of using secondary research. Sometimes, secondary data may not presented in a form that exactly meets the researchers need and the research may not get the full details of the research to gain t he full value of the study. Moreover, with companies competing in fast moving industries, the secondary research may out of date have little or no relevance to the current market situation. 5.2 Reasons of using Desk Based Research There are several reasons for me use desk based research. First, there is a tremendous amount of literature available, but limited studies focus on the taxation and share repurchase among UK companies. Therefore, the desk based research may help me to limit the articles to focus on my research topics. Second, the desk based research may possible to obtain companies annual report and account from companies websites. Because the UK Companies Act (2006) requires all quoted companies to publish their annual reports available on their website. (CA S430). Finally, in order to explore the relationship between taxation and share repurchase among UK over 20 years. The specific data need to be obtained, such as market-to-book ratio, return in capital employed, equity to debt ratio, market value. All of that information could obtain through on-line data base, such as Data Stream, which can be used in Aston Universitys library. However, some of the information may out of date or the results may not be directly related to UK companies situation. And the amounts of information available may be very limited. Also, due to the lack of study on relationship between taxation and share buybacks under UK taxation system, it is difficult to find sufficient sources from limited useful information. 5.3 Sample Section and Analysis Method The company shares repurchase announcement information been collected between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2009. The information obtained from various ways, including London Stock Exchange (LSE) online service, UK-wire Company Announcement service, news articles from the Financial Times. The independent variables of stock returns and data have been provided by DataStream. Moreover, the data and sample had to satisfy the following criteria: The repurchase must exclusively be ordinary shares The firms is listed in the UK Repurchases announced during the last quarter of 2001 are excluded to dampen the volatility effects of 11 September 2001. Only the first announcement of share repurchase programme is included. The sample includes all open market share repurchases, private repurchases Descriptive statistics of the repurchases and independent variables used in this study to summarize and organize the companies repurchase data. Then, the main tax regimes divided into four equal periods during the sample period. The repurchases announcement data will be analyzed into the four tax periods. The correlation matrix on the variables will be needed to analyze whether there is the correlation between companys stock returns and share repurchase. Finally, the result will be interpreted and presented. Ethical issues The following ethical issues will be conducted with this research: Recode the data and results accurately Follow the Aston University rules on plagiarism Describe and discuss the research result objectively Task List Task Problems Solutions Obtain journals and literatures about firms dividend policies, share repurchase and taxation Tremendous amount of literature need to reviewed Limit search to articles that study on share repurchase within UK companies Obtain the information about the firms announced share repurchase programs within the UK for last 20 years Relatively small data need collect from numerous information Limit the research to companies announced share buybacks listed by data stream between 1989 and 2009 in the UK Create a list of relative UK companies Which company should include The company announced share repurchase over million Obtain the information about taxation and regulation changes over last 20 years in the UK A lot literatures need to reviewed Limit search to articles about taxation and regulation changes in last 20 years Find the impact of taxation change for share repurchases activity A limit studies/result on this area, especially for UK companies. Analyze the data on my own, use the statistical methods to explore the relationship between taxation and firms payout policies. Write up report Easy to exceed 15000 word limit Work with supervisor to only include the most relevant information Review the dissertation before the submit it Easy to make some grammar, spelling mistakes. Ask my friend read it, see whether the dissertation make sense for them. Help me to find the grammar mistake.

Essays --

Holiday Hazards: Overcrowded Warehouses Stuffed With Presents! In 2012, Amazon was selling 306 items every SECOND during the holiday rush. As more and more people shop the Internet for the next best deal, remember the method behind the madness. All these goods come from warehouses. It can be tempting to crowd out the aisles in the warehouse to up the sales ability and logistics of your company. Think Twice – OSHA doesn’t care about soaring sales, safety is especially significant during this busy time of year. Safety issues can arise at any time, but since Americans spend the most money around the holidays, conducting self-inspections and keeping notes on what went well and what went wrong can give insight for improved logistics and safety in the New Year. However you organize, a clear plan should be in place for optimal functionality with minimal interruption for the product to get from storage to the loading dock – and safely. Here are a few items to consider this season: †¢ Keep Forklift Traffic and Pedestrian Traffic Separate. Have clearly marked paths for pedestrians...

Intern for Contrabandit.com

For the past 10 weeks of the Fall 2004 quarter, I've had the opportunity to work as intern for Contrabandit.com. Contrabandit ran by West Coast political and cultural editor of the Source Ryan Ford aims to provide an uninhabited voice for the hip-hop community as well as inform most of the Minority readers of politics, social and educational news and issues that occur in the world. As a History major, with my interest in Film and Television journalism, Contrabandit has allowed me to study contemporary and cultural history through the medium of Hip-Hop music. I looked at this internship as a starting point to acquiring work experience and possibly advancing into working within the field of entertainment journalism. But as an African-American student at UCLA, Contrabandit has allowed me to chronicle events within hip-hop as they happen and apply the broader historical significance as they occur. Being an African-American student, I view hip-hop as not only just a musical art form, but also as a voice and representation of an entire community. Unlike Jazz and R&B, Hip-Hop was a genre truly formed out of the African-American community after the post-civil rights movement and really feels uncorrupted by mainstream pop culture, where it sets the trend, instead of following the pack. When covering the medium of Hip-Hop music, I discovered how far reaching and expansive it has become and with my education at UCLA I've been able to view hip-hop from scholarly approach. The main theme I've noticed throughout my internship has been Hip-Hop music's growth and the changes that become of it as it has become an acceptable musical genre generating billions of dollars for the recording industry studios. The three biggest new stories that I was able to cover were the Eminem-Michael Jackson confrontation, Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network's Presidential voter registration campaign, and the violent incident that occurred at the Vibe Awards. On the surface there just current events that needed to be covered to feel up space on the website, but with little probing they actually had far reaching and historical impact on the website, Hip-Hop music and with me in developing my critical writing skills and applying historical analysis from my UCLA course and history major. Jackson boots Eminem off BET (published October 12, 2004) That article resulted in an immediate phone call from my editor, as well as a lecture from him on the role and responsibility of a journalist. He proclaimed my article was blatantly bias and that I was leading the reader to take one point of view or side on the issue, but my job instead was to report the facts in a news story. Which, as my editor expressed to me, is something that's continues to occur since he beginning of entertainment, and its should not be allowed despite the fact Eminem makes a very good living off of doing â€Å"Black Music† much like Elvis, but again, difference being, Elvis never insulted a African-American musical icon like Michael Jackson, like Eminem has. I'm sure this issue will be glanced over, much like the controversy of the tapes being made public by Hip-Hop magazine â€Å"the Source†, where what occurred was an investigation into why Eminem recorded these racist lyrics, but the Source was attacked for bringing this issue to the public. I must admit, just looking on the surface of the controversy I was quick to pass judgment upon BET for what I saw as its hypocrisy by stating it would not air videos disrespectful of any celebrity. Considering that's how they made their notoriety during the whole east coast-west coast beef that many attribute to the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Christopher â€Å"Biggie† Wallace. But my editor expressed to me that I needed take it into context along with Eminem's previously uncovered studio recording where he's referring to African-American men as â€Å"niggers† and African-American women as â€Å"black bitches† in a derogatory manner, is not possible to let this pass as artistic and playful expression. Again he's shown disrespect to a community that he continues to make million of dollars off of through doing their music, and can be argued is allowed to get away with such offensive behavior because he is a white. Not just with the African-American community, he's c ome under fire for his anti-gay remarks from the Gay and Lesbian community, but continues to get way with or at least not suffer any ill effects, whereas if a comparable black celerity had done similar offenses, they would find it difficult to maintain the type of celerity that Eminem enjoys. Working alongside Ryan with Contrabandit, I was able to view the controversy as bigger than Eminem just poking fun and having a laugh at Michael Jackson's expense, but greater historical, racial, and industry-wide ramification that this cause. The images of Eminem done up in â€Å"Black face† and portraying Jackson as buffoon and monster have long term consequences upon not only his image but that of African-Americans as they see one of their longest musical icons ridiculed in a way not only personally but racially offensive. And even more importantly with no consequences or accountability from Eminem. Russell Simmons; HSAN proclaims 21 million registered youth/minority voters for 2004 election(published November 4, 2004) In the aftermath of the national presidential election, it brought into prospective the efforts of voter registration among young, minority voters. The day after the election, a press release went out from Russell Simmons Hip-Hop Summit Action Network proclaiming that 21 million registered voters from 18-35 voted in the 2004 election, up from the 18 million that had voted in the 2000 election. Although that's encouraging it was disappointing to know that the voter registration campaign and awareness of the importance of this Presidential election that still George Bush was re-elected. But looking at the numbers and statistics shows a deeper issue and problem arising in America. Working with Contrabandit got me access to covering Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network fundraiser at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Co-sponsored by Sony Playstation, the fundraiser was an entertainment industry party to bring awareness as well as funding to the organization for needed increased minority voter registration and education. Despite their efforts, the hip-hop community that was being courted by Simmons' HSAN paled in comparison to those of the voters in the Midwestern states. I always felt it was flawed to try to reach out to the hip-hop community as despite the growing numbers of minorities, who will soon grow to be an almost equal number to the majority of White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) constituents, some of those minorities are turning towards the conservative ideology. Also there is no unity among this minority group. With more WASP senior citizens living longer, that aging Considering that ultimately the Presidential election was determined by the Midwest, as the Democratic Party hasn't carried southern states in years, where as California and New York (with a combined 86 electoral votes) are perennial Democratic strongholds. Interestingly, the Midwest won the election for Bush and to me it was a shame that the backlash of gay marriages and abortion (as reported by news affiliates as the determining reason for voting for Bush) were more important than the situation in Iraq, terrorism, and the turbulent economy. I never want to question anyone's beliefs or morals, but gay marriages and abortion should be an individual's choice. Most important to take from this election is hopefully maintaining the interest of registered voters beyond this Presidential election, as there are more issues that will arise within the coming years before the 2008 election. In California on the ballot was the repealing of Proposition 187, the 3 strikes law. I understand the â€Å"spirit† of 3 strikes, incarcerating repeat violent offenders from 25 to life sentence in jails, but continually in the years since passage as laws, many third strike offenders have been non-violent repeat offenders. Some argue the old adage don't commit the crime, won't do the time, but there's a bigger issue of privatized prisons making hundreds of millions of dollars off the incarceration of young prisoners and the prison system being made up of predominately African-American and Latino men. Conservative republican fan base are carrying the votes. Melee breaks out at the Vibe Awards(published November 17,2004) Lastly there was the violent altercation that occurred at the, the Vibe awards On November 16. During the four hour taping inside the hangar at the Santa Monica Airport an incident broke as Quincy Jones and Snoop Dogg were presenting an award to Hip-Hop producer Dr. Dre. An unidentified man attacked Dr. Dre, who was later assaulted y several members of his entourage and left him stabbed, later identified as rapper Young Buck by authorities. With the Vibe awards, it is yet another black eye on Hip-Hop as well as on black-themed award shows. The incident alone won't spell the end of Hip-Hop or these musical award shows, but my over all perspective is the necessity of these award shows. Within the entertainment industry its become a joke that there are too many awards shows. Yet when it comes to black themed award shows, they are usually relegated to lesser channels like UPN and BET, and more often than not are taped delayed events. Such events as the NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train Awards and Soul Train Lady of Soul, Vibe Awards, and the Source Awards all fall into this category. And incidents like this further perpetuate the stereotypes of the safety issue that constantly trouble hip-hop events. Amazingly events like the Rock the Bells concerts a week earlier at Anaheim Stadium that I covered for Contrabandit(and the Source)doesn't garner the positive press as when chaos ensues at televised events. At that event, despite some illegal drug use, the show went off without any violent altercation or incident, in front of a mostly diverse White, Latino, and Asian audience. Myself being the only amazed at this diversity and more so shows how far hip-hop music and their artist have developed with such a diverse crowd and the artist being so comfortable in front of them. But dealing with the coverage of black themed awards shows their two sides to the argument. Those that feel that its alright that the awards shows are tape delayed and marginally watched by non-blacks because its for Blacks and its best that we have a awards show tape delayed then none at all. As a matter of fact, the NAACP dubs its annual awards â€Å"Black America's answer to the Oscars, Emmy's, Grammy's, and Pulitzer, as it continues to honor overlook performances by African-American entertainers that the mainstream Hollywood community pass over. But on the other hand there is the argument that by not being a live broadcast somehow relegates it as meaningless shows that don't really count. For starters, with most of the United States having access to the numerous channels available through cable and satellite television, and at least 5-10 music themed channels, viewing music, film and television entertainers is a lot more accessible then in any era prior to the 1990's. Before then, it was rare being able to view entertainers outside of movies, therefore making movie and television award shows the only place to see them. Likewise for most, seeing their favorite musical artist perform â€Å"live† at awards show provided a free experience to catch them performing if they were unable to go to a concert to see them performing and this is remembering that MTV didn't debut till 25 years ago in 1981. But with the emergence of MTV, BET, VH1, and even E!, it has provided a near 24 hour access to view these entertainers and even more so, know them beyond their music or the characters they portray on screen and films. Awards was more than just a night of honoring actors and musician, but that rare opportunity to view them live and has human. Speaking with my editor Ryan, he allowed me to go further with this topic and try to give our readers some prospective and insight behind awards show and why they exist. Working for the Source, he gave me some inside information about the motives behind events such as the Vibe, Source, BET, and Blockbuster Awards shows: MONEY! By organizing one awards event for on night, the sponsorship and advertising for the event generates more money in one night then the magazines do for the entire year. Even the awards presentations are staged, as more then likely the winner is determined by the artist that will appear, more than who deserves to win. When you look at the BET, Source, and Vibe awards, what they provide great revenue and backlash towards to the mainstream (white) award show are not able to properly honor the hip-hop artists that were annually disregarded for their work. Honestly for the most part the Grammy's and American Music Awards do base their nomination, and I'm sure, there awards recipient on mainstream success. But whereas the NAACP Image awards and Soul Train music awards were created to make up for these lack honors to Black performers, these proliferation of the other awards show, seems to be purely done as promotion. The experience that I take from my time working with Contrabandit, has been invaluable in applying the classroom knowledge I acquired from UCLA towards real world situations. Without the historical significance and ramification of events as they occurred and relating them to past events, I would not have been able to elaborate upon them in my writing for the website or convey the importance to my audience at the site.

Freedom of Information

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1. 1BACKGROUND OF STUDY In a nation there are some fundamental elements that demonstrate the true existence of certain rights in such a society and these go a long way in showing that it is truly developed in every sense of the word. The level of a nation’s â€Å"maturity† depends on how well it fulfils these elements, one of which is Freedom of information. A government ought to be accountable to its people. Freedom of information has two sides namely, the freedom to convey information, and the freedom to access information.As such, it consists of press freedom and freedom to access any information by the general public. According to Hughes â€Å"the concept of freedom refers to a certain type of political empowerment. It refers specifically to equal empowerment. In other words, a free society is one with an equal distribution of legal rights and in which each and every person has as much legal rights as possible † (Hughes. , 2007). And the Oxford dictionary goes on to say define information as â€Å"Knowledge communicated concerning some particular fact, subject or event; that of which one is apprised or told; intelligence, news†.Freedom of information simply put, gives you the right to ask any public body for all the information they have on any subject you choose (â€Å"Freedom of information,† 2001). Having listened to so much talk about â€Å"freedom of information† it is indeed pertinent to carefully and deliberately look into the likely objects of the government at different stages or rather eras of press freedom in Nigeria and express likely views on the issue.The study will also outline importance of freedom of information, consequences and eventual support for or disapproval of freedom of information in the society, making comparisons of this in both military and civilian regimes from Nigeria’s independence till date. This will be the rationale of this study. According to artic le 19 of the universal human rights, every person has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, to hold opinions without interference and to convey or access information through any media. This study seeks to investigate the practice of this in Nigeria, at different points in time. . 2OBJECTIVES OF STUDY The major objectives of this research as previously mentioned in the background of study are: 1. To outline the freedom of information at different stages in Nigeria – the past, the present and the future of freedom of information going forward. 2. To look at the metamorphosis of freedom of information in Nigeria from its independence in 1960 till date. 3. To research and discuss the likely developments to be expected in this regard as well as where we are with freedom of information and bills being worked on. 4.To tender likely solutions to the problems and limitations of Freedom of information in Nigeria. 1. 3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The study is focused on exploring th e how freedom to convey, air and publish views or information affected us in the past, and how it has affected our growth as a nation. It also seeks to pin point the state of things with regards to the research topic, as well as prospects for the future. 1. 4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS The research will answer the following questions: †¢What was the state of freedom of information in the country during the early stages of our independence? What was the state of freedom of information in the military era? †¢What was the implication of the level of freedom of information on the nation during that era? †¢What has been the state of freedom of information during the civilian era? †¢How has the state of freedom of information affected the growth of Nigeria as a nation? †¢What is the current state of freedom of information in the country? †¢What are the prospects and solutions to problems with freedom of information? 1. 5SCOPE OF STUDYThe study will examine freedom of information under press freedom and freedom of access to information by the public. It will examine this under such eras as, the military and civilian eras and will weigh the progress made over time, as well as make comparisons of both periods. The study will also outline the steps taken for or against the freedom of information with regards to press freedom and accessibility to information by the different administrations. It will examine the ways in which the government has affected freedom of information and how this has affected or will affect our growth as a nation. . 6RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This research will make use of both primary and secondary sources of information. The primary sources to be used will include the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, statute books, law reports, journals as well as other relevant materials, pertaining to freedom of information. The secondary sources to be used are texts and other online materials written within and outside t he country, dictionaries and other materials that will aid in answering the research questions. . 7LITERATURE REVIEW The literature to be reviewed includes a number of journals, texts, as well as scholarly articles which are relevant to the study. The study seeks to develop on previous works by different authors and scholars. 1. 8CONCLUSION The study should conclusively after considering the pros and cons as well as development and implications of freedom of information fall in tune with the agitation of freedom of information or agree that indeed a limit should be rested on.It will also arrival on conclusions on the stand of the government, the press and the people on press freedom as well as solutions proffered to the problems of freedom of information. Work Cited Sveiby , K. (1994, October). Information in etymology. Retrieved from http://www. sveiby. com/articles/Information. html Freedom of information. (2001, SEPMTEMBER). Retrieved from http://www. direct. gov. uk/en/governmen tcitizensandrights/yourrightsandresponsibilities/dg_4003239 Hughes. , S. (2007, May). What freedom means to me. Retrieved from http://onlinephilosophyclub. com/definition-of-freedom. php

Writing a Thesis

Writing a Thesis Writing a Thesis Writing a Thesis Thesis writing is a common assignment for academic degree programs.   Thesis should include research elements, it is the culmination of several months or years of studying. Writing a thesis requires deep thought, excellent planning and proper organization. Thesis topic must be justified; claims and conclusions must be supported by experiments or reasoned arguments and deductions. Thesis writing requires a careful investigation and deep research as well as analysis of the chosen problem.   It is not easy to write a good thesis and I hope the following tips will give you some ideas on writing a thesis.   Thesis Format Abstract, the introduction, the literature review and the conclusion are the required parts of the thesis format. The abstract provides the reader with a summary of thesis content. It should be brief but contain sufficient details, tell the reader about your motivation to conduct a research, state the project objectives, illuminate techniques employed, mention main results and conclusions. Abstracts should not exceed a page and should be self-contained. The abstract is the guide to the contents of the thesis, and therefore it is important to give the reader a good overview of the thesis topics. Introduction is the first chapter thesis writing. The purpose of introduction is to discuss the motivation of the work, state and define the problem that thesis is intended to solve, state the aim of the work, and tell how the work will progress. Also provide a brief overview of each of the main chapters. In the introduction you shouldn't go into details, you will have the chance to describe them later in other chapters. Remember that writing a thesis introduction is the final step of the writing process. Once all chapters are completed, you will see the structure of the whole thesis and be empowered to write a better introduction.   In addition, at this stage you will have the results of your work and ideas about the contribution of your thesis writing. Literature review section is based on published material. The purpose of the literature review writing is to give details about the motivation for the work, explain why the thesis problem is important. You should show that you have studied thoroughly what others have done. Make sure that you found out the most recent information relating to your field of study. The literature review is obviously a very important chapter because you have to employ good critical thinking skills. The purpose of writing a thesis conclusion is to summarize the main findings of the project, to list the contributions of the work and to give the directions for further research. Custom Thesis Writing Help If you are not sure how to write a good thesis and you seek professional help to write parts of your thesis, you are welcome to ask professional thesis writers for assistance.   We guarantee adherence to the instruction you provide and deliver free plagiarism report proving originality of delivered project.   We are available 24/7 to provide thesis writing help and we guarantee timely reply to your concerns.

Costs and Motives in Apprenticeship Training

Costs and Motives in Apprenticeship Training Introduction Developing an effective and efficient labor force is essential in organizations’ pursuit to achieve long-term excellence. Acemoglu and Pischke are of the opinion that human capital is the engine of achieving the desired growth (112). Human resource managers should ensure that their workforce has the right skills in order to improve the organizations’ performance.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Costs and Motives in Apprenticeship Training specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The effectiveness of an organization’s human capital will play a vital role in enhancing its competitive advantage and efficiency. Organizations characterized by quality-oriented employees will outdo quantity-oriented workforce. One of the ways through which an organization can transform its labor force into being quality-oriented is by investing in apprenticeship training. Investing in apprenticeship is an effe ctive way through which an organization can enhance employee development by instilling the desired skills and competence. This aspect increases the employees’ level of effectiveness and efficiency (Ryan The economics of training 56). Additionally, the skills acquired must be utilized effectively in order to achieve the desired growth. Acemoglu and Pischke contend that the long-term success of an organization is subject to the degree to which employees are committed in developing specific skills (112). Some of the specific skills cannot be acquired through general-purpose education. Currently, organizations are operating in a vibrant environment arising from the high rate of economic, social, political, and technological changes. Vemic asserts that the increase in the level of uncertainty, turbulence and complexity arising from the environment demands organizations to invest in knowledge (209). Subsequently, organizational managers have an obligation to invest in continuous le arning, which is effectively achieved through workplace training. In an effort to achieve the desired level of efficiency, policy makers including governments are increasingly appreciating the significance of apprenticeship. For example, during his first term in office, Clinton made skills development through training a key policy issue. The objective was to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the less skilled employees.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Acemoglu and Pischke are of the opinion that the â€Å"increase in the returns to a college degree and other skills experienced in the OECD countries over the past 20 years has added the sense of urgency to concerns regarding skills† (112). Considering the importance of apprenticeship in organizations’ efforts to achieve long-term survival, this paper evaluates the costs and motives of appr enticeship training on the employers’ perspective. In order to understand the significance of apprenticeship, the paper assesses its application in Germany and Switzerland. Cost analysis of apprenticeship training Mohrenweiser and Zwick are of the opinion that an â€Å"increase of the apprenticeship share in trade, commercial, craft, or construction occupations has a positive impact on establishment performance; however, apprenticeship training increases the net cost of operation during the apprenticeship period† (631). Subsequently, employers incur a number of costs by investing in apprenticeship training. Nechvoglod, Karmel, and Saunders cite apprentice wages as one of the major costs incurred by employers in their efforts to invest in apprenticeship (10). The apprentices’ remuneration increases due to the different aspects such as workers’ compensation, payroll tax, superannuation, and wages. Employers have an obligation to make payment to the apprenti ces’ superannuation fund (Wolter and Ryan 550). Acemoglu and Pischke assert that different countries have formulated extensive and complex legislations, which aim at protecting workers (119). During the apprenticeship period, employers have the duty of safeguarding the apprentice in the workplace. Consequently, the employer must ensure health and safety of the apprentices. In the event of an accident or injury, the employer has the responsibility of meeting the apprentices’ hospital bills. In a bid to safeguard against such issues, employers are required to include the apprentices in the workers compensation plan within the organization. Various governments have made it mandatory for organizations to ensure that apprentices receive a fair remuneration during their apprenticeship. The amount of remuneration is dependent on a number of factors. Some of these factors relate to the years of training, nature of apprenticeship, and year of school completion. Entry-level appr entices receive a relatively lower remuneration as compared to mature age apprentices.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Costs and Motives in Apprenticeship Training specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The differences arise from the view that mature apprentices are more productive as compared to their young counterparts, which contributes to higher organizational performance. For example, the UK government has made it mandatory for employers to pay apprentices during the entire period of their apprenticeship. According to the UK government policy, the payment has to be equal to the set national minimum wage. Apprentices serving for the first year and whose age is above 16 years are entitled to a minimum wage at the rate of  £ 2.68 per hour. After one year, the employers have an obligation to pay the apprentices at the rate applicable to their age. Furthermore, the remuneration is also pegged on the traineesâ€℠¢ educational grade. The remuneration paid has to reflect the training received, which reflects their responsibility. Booth and Snower argue that employers have an obligation to treat the apprentices in a similar manner as employees (19). This aspect means that the apprentices are entitled to other benefits similar to other employees in an organization. Some of these benefits include allowances and any other financial benefits that the employer may be required to pay over and above the set gross wages. In Australia, employers are required to pay apprentices all the benefits as outlined by the workplace agreement and the industry award. In addition to remuneration, employers also incur substantial costs in paying the training personnel (Stevens 37). In an effort to ensure that employees are trained adequately, an organization may decide to outsource the training function. Outsourcing the training function may be expensive for an organization. The outsourced firm may charge high train ing fees especially in training executives, which hikes the cost of outsourcing the training function. This assertion holds if an organization is required to train its workforce constantly. Furthermore, the organization may decide to source the training function in-house. Despite this aspect, the internal trainer may charge a high fee.Advertising Looking for term paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Mohrenweiser and Backess of such costs include administration costs, material wastage and extra maintenance, and apprentice supervision costs. During the apprentice period, the employer has an obligation to ensure that the apprentice receives appropriate qualification. Subsequently, the employer should ensure that the apprentice is supervised effectively during the entire apprenticeship program. Clark asserts that organizations should not assume that the apprentice is conversant with the responsibilities being allocated with time, hence diminishing the intensity of supervision (245). This assertion arises from the view that the apprentice will encounter new challenges in the course of undertaking the on-the-job training. In most cases, the supervisory responsibility is allocated to a qualified employee, who is charged with the responsibility of constantly reviewing the apprentice’s practices in order to ensure that he meets the intended quality, thus ensuring that his/her saf ety at the workplace is guaranteed. Therefore, the amount of time that the supervisor is actively involved in the operation of the firm is affected, which reduces his productivity. Nechvoglod, Karmel, and Saunders further argue that the cost incurred is relatively high if the apprentice does not complete the apprenticeship (10). This assertion emanates from the view that the employer does not enjoy the apprentice’s productivity later during his or her time in the organization. Substantial administration costs are involved in planning apprenticeship. For example, human resource managers spend a lot of time scheduling work and planning off-the-job training. The apprentices have the right to attend off-the-job training. In addition to the above costs, the employer also incurs a substantial costs originating from material wastage and extra maintenance. An organization may be required to purchase additional equipment and materials in order to undertake the training process success fully. An analysis of how the costs of apprenticeship are shared between employers, apprentices and the government Most governments are cognizant of the role of organizations in enhancing organizational performance. Subsequently, governments are increasingly supporting organizations in their operations. Dustmann and Schonberg contend that industrialized countries are appreciating vocational training as an important aspect in strengthening their growth and competitiveness (36). One of the avenues through which this goal is being achieved is by supporting organization’s apprenticeship programs. For example, Sweden, the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the UK are some of the economies that have advocated organizations to invest in apprenticeship. In an effort to support such initiatives, governments are contributing a substantial amount in supporting the apprenticeship schemes. Nechvoglod, Karmel, and Saunders cite incentive payments as one of the ways through which governmen ts are supporting apprenticeship schemes (24). One of the requirements that organizations are required to invest in includes off-job training such as in-class training. In a bid to support organizations, governments are increasingly paying the tuition fee for organizations that have incorporated a comprehensive apprenticeship-training program. Nechvoglod, Karmel, and Saunders assert, â€Å"The tuition fees charged to students make up a very small part of the overall apprenticeship cost† (24). However, governments support organization in order to sustain such apprenticeship programs in organizations. Dustmann and Schonberg argue that the appreciation of apprenticeship in some industrialized countries such as Austria, France, the US, and Italy have led to significant increment in support of apprenticeship programs through school-based and full-time apprenticeship colleges (36). Similarly, countries such as Switzerland and Germany have adopted firm-based apprenticeship programs. These schemes are designed to train employees through a combination of on-the-job training and school-based training. The programs last for 2 to 3 years (Dustmann Schonberg 36). In Canada, the provincial and federal governments are involved in funding the apprenticeship program. For example, during its â€Å"2011/2012 fiscal year, the Canadian federal government provided direct support to apprenticeship program amounting to approximately $185 billion† (Dustmann Schonberg 38). Furthermore, the government supported organizations that have adopted apprenticeship schemes through a $ 172 million fund, which was specifically set aside for the apprentices’ insurance. In Ontario, Canada, the provincial government provides employers, who have adopted the concept of apprenticeship, with a tax credit amounting to 35% to 45% of the total cost of recruiting an apprentice (Lerman 4). Other governments support apprenticeship by incorporating a subsidy on the training firms. For ex ample, the UK government has developed a fund through the National Apprenticeship Service. The fund covers the total costs incurred by organizations through off-the-job training. However, the fund only supports apprentices aged between 16 and 18 years. Furthermore, the UK government supports organizations that have adopted an apprenticeship-training program for individuals aged between 16 and 17 years through the Apprenticeship Grants for Employees, which was established in 2010. Employers who incorporate apprentices within the 16 to 17 years range receive  £2,500 grant. In Australia, training firms receive $ 1,250 support, which is increased to $ 4,000 upon completion of the training. This aspect highlights the extent to which governments are committed in supporting organizations to invest in developing their workforce through apprenticeship. Therefore, it is imperative for organizational managers in such economies to consider investing in employee development by investing in app renticeship programs. Governments’ support for apprenticeship training is also applicable in Germany and Switzerland. However, Dustmann and Schonberg assert that public funding in Switzerland and Germany is only applicable to part-time vocational education (36). This aspect means that Swiss and German companies receive minimal direct public funding as opposed to British firms, which receive substantial direct public funding. Comparison of apprenticeship training; Switzerland and Germany; cost and benefit analysis Soskice assert that a number of studies have been conducted in an effort to assess costs and benefits of apprenticeship training practices in Switzerland and Germany (25). These studies provide significant insight on the apprenticeship systems implemented in the two countries (Soskice 25). Available empirical research shows that apprenticeship training in Switzerland is subject to the net cost of the training program (Hanushek and Welch 618). Similarly, another study conducted in Germany shows that the costs and benefits associated with training have a significant influence on apprentice training in Germany. Dionisius et al. assert that Germany and Switzerland â€Å"have adopted dual vocational education and training [VET] system† (1). Therefore, the apprenticeship system is comprised of school-based education [training through special vocational institutions] and through on-the-job training. Subsequently, the two countries are effective in enhancing apprenticeship training (Wolfgang and Soskice1). However, the costs and benefits associated with the apprenticeship training behavior amongst the two countries vary significantly. Apprenticeship training in Switzerland is usually beneficial to an organization during the training period. German firms incur significant net costs in the course of training apprentices. The difference between the two countries emanate from the prevailing â€Å"structural differences such as industry structure, w age levels, and firm characteristics† (Dionisius et al. 1). Moreover, the differences between the two companies arise from the prevailing labor market regulations. The study conducted by Dionisius et al. shows a significant difference with regard to cost-benefit ratio from the employers’ perspective between the two countries (5). According to the study, â€Å"the average annual cost of apprentice training in Germany amounts to â‚ ¬15,537 and that of Switzerland is estimated to be â‚ ¬18,131† (Dionisius et al. 5). During the three years of the apprenticeship training, the total costs amounts to â‚ ¬7,785, thus making a substantial impact on the organizations’ wage bill. Despite this aspect, an organization can gain significant benefits during the apprenticeship program. Dionisius et al. assert that the â€Å"value of productive contribution of apprentices is high in Switzerland, where the average benefit amounts to â‚ ¬ 19,044, and thus the ave rage benefit accrued by training a single apprentice in Germany amounts to â‚ ¬ 8,008† (5). Apprenticeship training in Germany leads to higher net costs of approximately â‚ ¬ 7,528 per year as compared to a net benefit of â‚ ¬913 per apprentice in Switzerland. Consequently, the change between Germany and Switzerland with regard to a 3-year apprenticeship-training program amounts to â‚ ¬25,323. The net costs of apprenticeship training amongst German firms are relatively higher as compared to Swiss firms. The high net cost of apprenticeship arises from the costs of the training personnel and the apprentices’ wages (Ryan Apprenticeship 102). The cost of â€Å"training an apprentice at the managerial level is 46% higher while that of a full-time trainer is 24% higher in Switzerland as compared to Germany† (Dionisius et al. 7). Similarly, wages of training specific skill such as technicians, artisanship, and administrative skills are 53%, 71%, and 60% high er in Switzerland as compared to Germany. Additionally, training an apprentice who does not have any vocational qualification is 59% higher in Switzerland as compared to Germany (Dionisius et al. 5). Despite the above comparison, the wage costs incurred in training apprentices are higher in Germany as compared to Switzerland (Hanushek and Welch 618). Wage costs are higher during the first year, but they decrease significantly through the second and the third year. The chart below illustrates the change in wage costs for apprenticeship training during the 1st to the 3rd year. Year Change 1 â‚ ¬ 1,344 2 â‚ ¬ 456 3 -â‚ ¬ 981 Table 1: Graph 1 Source: (Dionisius et al. 6) The differences are as a result of the duration that an apprentice spends at the vocational school, which varies significantly between Switzerland and Germany. The difference is estimated to be â€Å"15 days, 10 days, and 8 days during the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years in Germany† (Dionisius et al . 6). This aspect explains why apprentices in Germany spend a relatively long durations in undertaking external and internal courses and in undertaking internship programs in diverse establishments (Hanushek and Welch 619).On the other hand, Swiss apprentices spend most of their time at the workplace, which increases the performance and productivity of the training firm. Dionisius et al. assert that Swiss apprentices spend an additional 23 days during the 1st year, 18 days during the 2nd year, and 13 days during the 3rd year in of their apprenticeship training in the workplace (6). In addition to the above differences, the variation in the costs and benefits between Germany and Switzerland arises from the nature of training within a particular firm. Firms have the discretion in allocating tasks to apprentices during their training program. This aspect leads to the development of specific skills, and thus they can be allocated productive activities, which are usually undertaken by sk illed employees or other tasks undertaken by unskilled employees (Wolfgang and Soskice12). Previous studies show point to a significant difference on the allocation of duties between Swiss and German firms. The amount of time that apprentices in German firms are engaged in non-productive tasks is higher as compared to Swiss firms (Hanushek and Welch 618). The table below illustrates the extent to which duration within which apprentices are engaged in unproductive tasks in German firms exceed Swiss firms during the 3-year apprenticeship-training program. Year Points 1 +36% 2 +28% 3 +18% Table 2 Graph 2 Source: (Dionisius et al. 7) It is estimated that Swiss â€Å"apprentices spend over 468 days of their entire apprenticeship period at the workplace† (Dionisius et al. 7). Eighty three percent (83%) of this period is undertaken by productive activities. On the other hand, German apprentices use â€Å"approximately 415 days at the firm offering the apprenticeship tr aining of which 57% of this time is consumed by productive activities† (Dionisius et al. 7). The net cost of â€Å"apprenticeship training between German and Swiss firms is estimated to be â‚ ¬ 25,000 during a 3-year training program† (Dionisius et al.17) and this difference arises from a number of factors, which include the countries’ vocational education training systems, relative wages, and allocation of tasks amongst apprentices. The above comparison shows that German and Swiss firms can be in a position to influence the costs and benefits associated with apprenticeship training. Hanushek and Welch accentuate that most firms in Germany are willing to cover the net costs incurred in apprenticeship training (617). This assertion arises from the view that the German government has instituted effective employment protection legislations, which is not the case in Switzerland. Consequently, â€Å"Swiss firms are forced to train apprentices in a cost-efficient m anner† (Hanushek and Welch 618). However, the wage difference for apprentices between â€Å"skilled and unskilled apprentices is an additional motivation for Swiss firms to adopt production-oriented strategy rather than investment-oriented strategy in developing their apprenticeship-training program† (Hanushek and Welch 618). Incentives and disincentives of apprenticeship training to employers An organization can accrue a number of benefits through apprenticeship training. Acemoglu and Pischke argue that apprenticeship enables an organization to enhance firm-specific skills amongst its workforce (124). This move enhances the quality of output amongst the employees. Acquisition of firm-specific skills influences the efficiency and effectiveness with which an employee utilizes the general skills. Furthermore, adopting such skills fosters the effectiveness with which employees execute their duties effectively, which minimizes instances of injury and other safety hazards. M oreover, investing in apprenticeship training enhances the quality of work amongst employees. Subsequently, one can argue that apprenticeship increases the productivity of employees. For example, possessing knowledge on the application of certain software is beneficial to an organization if the employee uses the software to execute tasks specific to his division, which makes the general and specific skills to complement each other (Acemoglu and Pischke 124). Therefore, one can argue that investing in apprenticeship training increases the probability of an organization developing a pool of experienced human capital. This aspect culminates in significant improvement in an organization’s competitiveness, performance, and growth. Investing in human capital development through apprenticeship training presents employers with an opportunity to access government support. However, an organization must invest in in-class training. In addition, organizations may access future government support. One of the benefits that the organization may access relates to tax credit. For example, the government may waive a certain percent of the corporate tax during the period of apprenticeship. Such government support may improve the organizations’ long-term performance. By investing in apprenticeship, the employer is in a position to develop a strong human capital base. One of the ways through which this end is realizable is by incorporating the concept of diversity. The apprenticeship program incorporates apprentices of different demographic characteristics such as age and educational qualification. This aspect improves the effectiveness and efficiency with which the organization develops a pool of experienced workforce. Workforce diversity is one of the most important organizational assets as it enhances the development of a knowledge-based organization through information sharing (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 111). Adopting apprenticeship as a way of recruiting employees can improve the effectiveness and efficiency with which an organization achieves competitive advantage with regard to human capital base. Subsequently, the likelihood of achieving business excellence increases, as apprenticeship training provides employees with an opportunity to progress through their career path. Consequently, the likelihood of achieving their desired career goals improves significantly. This aspect leads to a significant improvement in an organization’s corporate image, which further improves its competitiveness in the labor market. Saks and Haccoun are of the opinion that the image of an organization is fundamental in its quest to develop competitiveness with regard to human capital (209). This assertion arises from the view that potential employees prefer associating and working with such a company. Subsequently, the likelihood of such a firm succeeding in its recruitment drives is high. Soskice asserts that apprenticeship t raining increases the employee retention rate significantly (37). Despite the attractiveness of apprenticeship training as illustrated above, a number of aspects de-motivate employers from investing in such programs. One of the main disincentives relates to the cost involved in hiring and retaining apprentices. Different economies have stipulated a comprehensive bill of rights, which is applicable to apprentices. Some of the issues articulated in such bills relate to the right to fair and equitable remuneration. For example, apprentices have the right to all the benefits applicable to other employees. Subsequently, most organizations perceive the cost of apprenticeship training as a major factor in their operations. The other disincentive arises from the view that organizations are not guaranteed of the continued service of the apprentice in the organization. Some apprentices may leave the organization after or before completion of the training program, which is a major cost to the organization. Conclusion The above analysis identifies apprenticeship training as one of the most important elements in organizations’ efforts to develop competitive advantage with regard to human capital. Subsequently, governments are increasingly formulating policies advocating integration of apprenticeship training amongst firms. Furthermore, different governments are supporting apprenticeship programs directly or indirectly either through tax credit or by paying the tuition fee for apprentices. However, the paper shows that firms encounter a number of costs and benefits through apprenticeship training. Some of the major costs are associated with the â€Å"apprentices’ wages, costs of paying the training personnel, and wastage of materials† (Booth and Snower 88). These costs vary across countries. For example, the study shows that Swiss firms gain significantly as opposed to German firms. The difference in the costs and benefits arises from the prevailing leg islations and industry structure. Despite the costs incurred, an organization can gain a number of benefits from apprenticeship training. Some of these benefits relate to improved corporate image, developing competitive advantage with regard to human capital, and high rate of employee retention. Subsequently, it is imperative for stakeholders and policy makers to create an effective environment for companies to adopt the concept of apprenticeship training in developing their labor force. Acemoglu, Daron, and Jorn-Steffene Pischke. â€Å"Beyond Becker: Training in imperfect labor markets.† The Economics Journal 109.453 (1999): 112-142.Print. Booth, Alison, and Dennis Snower. Acquiring skills: Market failures, their  symptoms and policy responses, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print. Clark, Fahr. â€Å"Transferability, mobility and youth training in Germany and Britain; simple theoretical analysis.† Konjunkturpolitik 48.3 (2002): 235-255. Print. Dionisi us, Regina, Samuel Muhlemann, Pfeifer Harld, Walden Gunter, and Wolter, Stefan. â€Å"Cost benefit of apprenticeship training; a comparison of Germany and Switzerland.† Applied Economics Quarterly 55.1 (2009):7-36. Print Dustmann, Christian, and Uta Schonberg. â€Å"What makes firm-based vocational training schemes successful? The role of commitment.† American Economic Journal of Applied Economics 4.2 (2012): 36-61. Print. Hanushek, Eric, and Finis Welch. Handbook of the economics of education,  Amsterdam: North-Holland, 2011. Print. Lerman, Robert. Expanding apprenticeship training in Canada; perspective from  international experience, New York: American University, 2014. Print. Mohrenweiser, Jens, and Thomas Zwick. â€Å"Why do firms train apprentices? The net cost puzzle reconsidered.† Labor Economics 16.4 (2009): 631-637. Print. Mohrenweiser, Jens, and Uschi Backes-Gellener. â€Å"Apprenticeship training- what for? Investment in human capital or substit ution of cheap labor.† International Journal of Manpower 31.5 (2010) 545-62. Print. Nechvoglod, Lisa, Tom Karmel, and John Saunders. The cost of training  Apprentices, Adelaide, SA: National Centre for Vocational Education Research, 2009. Print. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: Learning for jobs. Paris: OECD, 2010. Print. Ryan, Paul. Apprenticeship; between theory and practice, school and work, Zurich: University of Zurich, 2011. Print. . The economics of training: International Encyclopedia of Business  and Management, London: Routledge, 2001. Print. . â€Å"The institutional requirements of apprenticeship: evidence from smaller EU countries.† International Journal of Training and Development 4.1 (2000): 11-16. Print. Saks, Alan, and Robert Haccoun. Managing performance through training and  Development, Toronto: Nelson Education, 2010. Print. Soskice, David. Reconciling markets and institutions; the German apprenticeship  System, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994. Print. Stevens, Margaret. â€Å"Transferable training and poaching externalities.† Acquiring  Skills: Market Failures, their Symptoms and Policy Responses. Ed. Alison Booth and Dennis Snower. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 19-40. Print. Vemic, Jelena. â€Å"Employee training and development and the learning organization.†Ã‚  Economics and organization 4.2 (2007): 209-216. Print. Wolfgang, Franz, and David Soskice. â€Å"The German apprenticeship system.†Ã‚  ECONSTOR 4.11 (1994): 1-29. Wolter, Stefan, and Paul Ryan. â€Å"Apprenticeship.† Handbook of the Economics of  Education, Volume 3. Ed. Eric Hanushek, Stephen Machin, and Ludger Woessmann. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2011. 521-570. Print.

An Overview of Capitalism Using the Method of Marxism

An Overview of Capitalism Using the Method of Marxism Marxian theories against capitalism Historical materialism Marx’s theory of historical materialism, inspired by Hegel’s phenomenology, stated that both human societies and cultural institutions resulted from economic activity. Unlike Hegel who stated that abstract ideas were the cause of change, however, Marx proposed that material, economic forces, and their relationship with the natural, biological and physical world, were the determining proponents of dialectical change. History rests in the internal contradictions in the system of material production (producing what people need for survival), and other factors that have influenced society, such as geographical movement and growth of population, were not as determinant as the mode of production. Any changes in the material and economic conditions of a society also imply changes in its social relations. Social change, then, resulted from internal conflicts in a society’s economy. The social reality determines human consciousness. The mode of production is composed of two aspects: the productive forces and men’s relations of production. The productive forces include the instruments of production wherewith material values needed for survival, such as food, clothing, shelter, fuel, etc., are produced and the people who use these instruments in the production of material values through their production experience and labor skill. Men’s relations of productions, on the other hand, refer to the relations the people make with each other during production. These may come in the form of cooperation and mutual help, and in domination and subordination. Marx regarded revolutions not as political accidents, but manifestations of the historical progress of societies. Revolutions occur when modes of production â€Å"mature†, or contradict themselves to the point that they eventually collapse. Marx recounts human history in terms of four modes of production. The first mode of production, named asiatic, was considered as primitive communism, It was characterized by a communal ownership of land and essential economic resources. This mode of production was phased out when physically stronger people instituted the concept of private property. The ancient mode of production gave authority to people with physical, political and material strength – the masters while the non-owning class were slaves. Slaves were treated as commodities and made to engage in torturous menial and physical labor. This started a revolution of the slaves against their masters. The feudal mode of production was characterized, again, by two classes: feudal lords and serfs. Lords owned the land, and their job was to lease land and employ agricultural labor in their lands. The serfs worked in the lands and paid taxes in exchange for the lords’ protection. Like in the ancient mode of production, the serfs revolted against the lords. Industrialism grew becaus e of the revolution. Finally, the capitalistic mode of production, and the one Marx was most bothered with, caused the migration from rural to urban areas. There were two working classes as well: the bourgeoisie, who owned most of society’s wealth and means of production, and the proletariats, who rendered service for survival. Marx wanted that the exploitation present since the ancient mode of production would dispel, and so proposed socialism and communism. Socialism is the beginning stage wherein society is classless, while communism is the final stage wherein equality has been thoroughly implemented and private property and ownership are absent. Alienation The Marxist definition of alienation means that man does not experience himself as the acting agent in his grasp of the world, but that the world remains alien to him. The process of alienation is expressed in work and the division of labor, especially due to the emergence of capitalism and private property. Eventually, labor rules over the man and becomes a power independent of its producer. Man’s identity and consciousness of himself and his world becomes marred. â€Å"The object produced by labor, its product, now stands opposed to it as an alien being, as a power independent of the producer. The product of labor is labor which has been embodied in an object and turned into a physical thing; this product is an objectification of labor† Marx seeks the liberation of man from labor that destroys his individuality through his criticism of capitalism. Capitalist production, according to him, transforms the relations of individuals into qualities of things, and exploits its producers like machines through aliented labor. He differentiates proper work and alienated labor as thus: â€Å"Man no longer reproduces himself merely intellectually, as in consciousness, but actively and in a real sense, and he sees his own reflection in a world which he has constructed. While, therefore, alienated labor takes away the object of production from man, it also takes away his species life, his real objectivity as a species-being, and changes his advantage over animals into a disadvantage in so far as his inorganic body, nature, is taken from him. Just as alienated labor transforms free and self-directed activity into a means, so it transforms the species life of man into a means of physical existence. Consciousness, which man has from his species, is transformed through alienation so that species life becomes only a means for him. Alienation also leads to the perversion of moral values, as man is too conscious of economy’s values gain, work, thrift and sobriety to develop virtues. Due to the rising importance of commodities and money, for every new product, the potential for deceit and robbery grows. The alienated man only knows one way of relating himself to the world: through having and consuming it. He becomes more needy for money and possessions, and watches for signs of weaknesses in which he can maximize his gain. Class Consciousness Class consciousness is recognizing that the different interests and conditions of living between the two classes (bourgeois and proletariat) define their relationship with each other. This occurs when there is awareness from the working class that the conditions of labor and living of their class was created by the upper class. Once this happens, the working class becomes the enemy of the upper class. There are six features of class consciousness, although it was not Marx, but Bertell Ollman, who came up with them. The first feature pertains to the subjective and objective identity and interests of membership in a class. â€Å"Subjective† refers to what people think about their class situation, while â€Å"objective† refers to how the classes actually worked as seen in historical development, The second feature is that people must be knowledgeable about how capitalism works, either to benefit or deter them. The third feature pertains to the â€Å"broad outlines of class struggle and where one fits into it†. The fourth feature pertains to the solidarity with other members of the same class, which are exemplified by worker unions and revolts. The fifth feature is a â€Å"rational hostility† towards the opposing class. The last feature pertains to having a â€Å"vision of a more democratic and egalitarian society that is not only possible but is a condition individuals can help bring about.†

Competitive Balance Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Competitive Balance Policy - Essay Example The essay "Competitive Balance Policy" presents a critical evaluation of the approaches and policies to achieve competitive balance in North American sports and European sports. One of the most used principles of football is "the good of the game and the interest of the fans, is enhanced when all clubs have a reasonable opportunity to compete for championships at least periodically†¦ the game is not enhanced when controlled by a few wealthy clubs". The above statement suggests that there has to be a fair ground for all clubs to compete in football, with the experience of football to the fans enhanced when there lack a few clubs that dominate the game over others. In case the chasm between the rich and the poor clubs becomes greater, there would be a negative effect on sporting competition, which would affect the quality balance making football a preserve of a few clubs. To prevent such unfair balance, clubs in European football, as well as North African, have undertaken to imple ment a number of policies. European football leagues employ collective selling of broadcasting rights to media houses to ensure quality balance among all the clubs. Today, the value of broadcasting rights has increased tremendously in European football league. For instance, in the 2011-2012 league sessions, the European premier league received more than 1.1 billion pounds as revenues from the sale of rights to media houses to broadcast matches from the European clubs, one of the most successful collective bargain systems

The Impact of Technology on Criminal Justice Essay - 1

The Impact of Technology on Criminal Justice - Essay Example Reflecting on the above understanding, this paper critically examines the impact of technology on criminal justice from a broad point of view. Research records that technological advancements have been developing fast-paced and unabated and more so within all realms of life from physical to biological. This encompasses advances in computing, robotics, artificial intelligence, genetics, neuroscience, biotechnology with these just but a few. Despite the fact that information technology has resulted to developments in various sectors, it has also some limitations. However, in this section we will examine how technology has had impact on criminal justice from a broad point of view. Technology has undoubtedly shifted the paradigms of crime with both police and criminals evolving like mutants (Cole, 2007, p. 26). With either side seeking to keep at pace with technology, there unravels a race but with which the police are expected to always maintain an upper-hand.the reason for this is because the police are mandated to protect the innocent public and with the support from respective governments, they are under constant pressure to subdue criminals (Hall, 2008, p. 39). Occasionally criminals get the upper-hand and commit severe crimes then manage to slip through from police who normally would be hot on their heels. Ideal embodiments for such incidents include the infamous Mumbai terrorist attack in India where many dozens were killed in a hostage siege in a five-star hotel (Schaefer, 2012). Other than possessing lethal weaponry, they used smart phones, satellite imagery and night vision goggles to locate their victims (Mark Goodman). The terrorists also had an operations center across the border in Pakistan that they used to monitor global news and social media in real time, and leveraging public photos, videos to kill more people. FBI, last year, seized a remotely-controlled robotic aircraft riddled with explosives bound for US

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Central bank for GCC - Essay Example say that the central bank enhances oil price stability and economic efficiency in the region while those who argue against it argue that it may be influenced by political pressure and the independence of national central banks will be affected. The report also suggests that the main objective of the GCB is to achieve price stability, economic stability and economic efficiency while its function is to implement monetary policies. GCC is an economic integration of six countries that have come together for easy exchange and trade among each other. The six country members of the GCC include: Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The members of the integration have benefited a lot from the integration through reduced barriers of trade and good diplomatic and economic relationships with other members of the union. GCC Monetary union has been one of the key objectives of the GCC members since 1980s (Lycett et al, 1984). Towards the goal of monetary union, the members have encouraged regional integration and intraregional movement of goods, services, technology and capital. As a way of encouraging the development of the monetary union, some member countries have suggested the introduction of a common currency that can be used as a common means of exchange among all countries just like the Euro used in the European Union. The need for one currency then called for a common monetary policy implementation in the gulf region. Because monetary policy is the work of a central bank, the Gulf Cooperation Council suggested the formation of a central bank of the union. The central bank would implement the monetary policy of the union and issue a common currency for all member countries to use for exchange amongst each other. This project report highlights the structure of this proposed central bank of the GCC and explains some of the similarities and differences between it and the Central Bank of the EU. The report will then highlight the arguments

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Pursuing Criminal Syndicates - Essay Example In case of a terror attack, the doctors’ lack of bioterrorism knowledge would cause worse situation (Frist, 2009). The other significant concern is the inability of the government to deliver medicines in case of a bioterrorism attack. This situation is worrying since the citizens would lack quick response from the government, to deal with an occurrence of bioterrorism. There is a lack of adequate response techniques and strategies because of the rapid spread of such outbreaks such as smallpox. The outbreak is also air-borne and has a potential for unimaginable large numbers of fatalities (Frist, 2009). The police plays a significant role in responding in resolving to event of bioterrorism. Firstly, they help controlling movement out and in the contaminated areas. This aims at stopping the spread of contamination (Frist, 2009). In conjunction with the medical personnel, they play a part in determining the extent of exposure. Secondly, they are critical in bringing in resources needed to characterize the contaminated areas in preparation for remediation. This includes feeding the workers, storage of supply and equipment as well as laboratory facilities (Frist, 2009). Thirdly, the police plays even a bigger role participating in investigating the attacks. This tries to find out the culprits and understand their motives. This also helps to prevent further attacks from the terrorists by when they arrest them (Frist, 2009). This entails a society, which resolves to violence or criminal activities for selfish benefits. There are various forms or categories of organized crimes. Firstly, there are providers of services termed illegal by law. This includes such activities as gambling, prostitution, and protection (Albanese, 2010). Secondly, there are individual in the supply of prohibited goods, comprising of drugs and pornography. Another form includes the money laundering

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Help me make a topic - Essay Example However, the term globalization gained prominence during the mid-1980s, and more so, after the 1990s. Scholars denote that innovation plays an important role in ensuring the development of globalization. They argue that innovations in telecommunications and information technology have led to the reduction of international and national transactions. Because of these reductions, opportunities in manufacturing have increased, especially so in remote areas (Rivoli, 31). This is because it is easy to communicate with various players within the manufacturing industry, at whatever location they are. Effective communication is an important element of the manufacturing process. Another important factor that has led to globalization is the various changes in the governance structure of the various national countries. These countries have opened up their economies, leading to free flow of goods, resulting to commerce. There are four basic elements of globalization, namely transactions and trade, migration of people and their movements, capital movement and investments, and dissemination of knowledge (Caporaso and Mary, 33). Basing on this background, this paper analyzes the globalization of coffee in its early stages of globalization. That is the periods of 1960s and 1970s. Coffee was introduced in African, Asia and some parts of America by the colonialists. During this period, colonial governments grew the product in their colonies for purposes of satisfying their domestic markets. For example, the British introduced coffee in the colonies of East Africa, and some countries of West Africa. They grew this product, and after harvesting, they took the coffee beans to Britain for processing and consumption. When they left, their colonies began to produce the substance for export, and as a means of earning foreign exchange (Peyser and Bill, 42). For instance in Kenya, the government that took over

Central bank for GCC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Central bank for GCC - Essay Example say that the central bank enhances oil price stability and economic efficiency in the region while those who argue against it argue that it may be influenced by political pressure and the independence of national central banks will be affected. The report also suggests that the main objective of the GCB is to achieve price stability, economic stability and economic efficiency while its function is to implement monetary policies. GCC is an economic integration of six countries that have come together for easy exchange and trade among each other. The six country members of the GCC include: Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The members of the integration have benefited a lot from the integration through reduced barriers of trade and good diplomatic and economic relationships with other members of the union. GCC Monetary union has been one of the key objectives of the GCC members since 1980s (Lycett et al, 1984). Towards the goal of monetary union, the members have encouraged regional integration and intraregional movement of goods, services, technology and capital. As a way of encouraging the development of the monetary union, some member countries have suggested the introduction of a common currency that can be used as a common means of exchange among all countries just like the Euro used in the European Union. The need for one currency then called for a common monetary policy implementation in the gulf region. Because monetary policy is the work of a central bank, the Gulf Cooperation Council suggested the formation of a central bank of the union. The central bank would implement the monetary policy of the union and issue a common currency for all member countries to use for exchange amongst each other. This project report highlights the structure of this proposed central bank of the GCC and explains some of the similarities and differences between it and the Central Bank of the EU. The report will then highlight the arguments

Help me make a topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Help me make a topic - Essay Example However, the term globalization gained prominence during the mid-1980s, and more so, after the 1990s. Scholars denote that innovation plays an important role in ensuring the development of globalization. They argue that innovations in telecommunications and information technology have led to the reduction of international and national transactions. Because of these reductions, opportunities in manufacturing have increased, especially so in remote areas (Rivoli, 31). This is because it is easy to communicate with various players within the manufacturing industry, at whatever location they are. Effective communication is an important element of the manufacturing process. Another important factor that has led to globalization is the various changes in the governance structure of the various national countries. These countries have opened up their economies, leading to free flow of goods, resulting to commerce. There are four basic elements of globalization, namely transactions and trade, migration of people and their movements, capital movement and investments, and dissemination of knowledge (Caporaso and Mary, 33). Basing on this background, this paper analyzes the globalization of coffee in its early stages of globalization. That is the periods of 1960s and 1970s. Coffee was introduced in African, Asia and some parts of America by the colonialists. During this period, colonial governments grew the product in their colonies for purposes of satisfying their domestic markets. For example, the British introduced coffee in the colonies of East Africa, and some countries of West Africa. They grew this product, and after harvesting, they took the coffee beans to Britain for processing and consumption. When they left, their colonies began to produce the substance for export, and as a means of earning foreign exchange (Peyser and Bill, 42). For instance in Kenya, the government that took over